In the 158 years after Hitler’s death (AH158), Germany has become the utopian state that he had originally envisioned. The Aryan Dynasty has conquered the free world at the cost of billions of lives. Hitler has become the patriarch of a new religious fervor, one that even he did not see coming. The wastelands that surround Germany are the only threat awaiting the German citizens. That is at least what everyone is taught. This is a story of how misplaced power can lead to tyranny, but it could be Germany that falls victim to a new Reich.

We take it this is based on a parallel history of the war. So what genre are we dealing with here?
Science fiction primarily, but it’s in the dystopian subgenre.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
People who like suspense, and dark dystopian stories. There is no hope in this book.

I want them to be afraid of what corrupt human nature can lead us to. It does not end on a happy note, my book has no heroes, in fact I would be satisfied if there was a bit of contempt for the main character by the end of the book.

Oh really? Who is this main character?
Reich moves point of view a few times, finally settling on a character named Jenna. She is someone who has spent the last twenty years plotting a revolution, and her plans have gone so far as to include the sacrifice of her loved ones. On one hand you can see that there is a reason to revolt, but on the other she comes across as a character who has no purpose leading such a cause. I wanted to write the darkest story that I could imagine, and I wanted to hate her with every bit of my soul, and I do.

We’ve interviewed close to a thousand authors and don’t think we’ve ever met one that set out to create a main character that they hate.
Every good story needs a villain, and every character should illicit some kind of feeling one way or the other. I had already written a novel with a fairly likeable main character and I wanted to get out of that head space for a bit. I actually thought my beta readers would tell me that Reich was not a good story, and that they hated it. Instead they responded with an unexpected amount of praise for it and urged me to publish it. It has actually been well received in the reviews I had so far. I’d like to encourage other writers to experiment with their writing as well, apparently happily ever after is not a requirement for ending a good story.

We’ll spread the word. You mentioned something about having written a more traditional novel.
My book, Dead Planet: Exodus will release sometime in December 2013 and I will be releasing more books in 2014.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am an active duty navy veteran and science fiction author. I joined the navy when I was 17 and started writing when I turned 30. I am married with two daughters and we live in Virginia.

Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work?
www.drewavera.wordpress.com

How can we follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook?
@DrewAvera
www.facebook.com/authordrewavera

What’s next?
I’m working on a science fiction thriller called Devil’s Cradle, as well as writing a sequel to Dead Planet: Exodus.