Introducing J.C.L. Faltot’s Debut Novel: The Road to Mars


J.C.L. Faltot’s debut novel, The Road to Mars, is here and it’s ready to take you on a trip to the Red Planet. I had the opportunity to get a brief interview with him, and he gave us a taste of whats to come in his soon to be trilogy.

Q: So, first things first. Tell us a little about yourself.
A: Well, aside from the obvious passion for writing, I’m a husband, father, baseball lover, and Animal Planet­watching enthusiast. I’m currently addicted to the newest season of River Monsters. That guy Jeremy Wade catches everything. He ought to audition for the Finding Bigfoot show. Maybe then they’ll actually catch a squatch.

Q: You say this is your first novel, but have you published anything else before?
A: A few years back I started a series called Epiphanies, Theories and Downright Good Thoughts. It was meant to be satirical, taking on topics like video games and being single. And honestly, I really thought that’s where my writing was headed. But, after realizing my heart wasn’t in it, I stepped away from that. You could say God had other plans for me. From then on, I started publishing short stories on Kindle. Those can be found under the same pen name and include The Scientist’s Dilemma, The Color of Soul, and the forthcoming A Dinner with Titans.

Q: Mars is a pretty big topic these days in the science world. Was your story intentionally written with that in mind?
A: Yes and no. I remember seeing an article about the Mars Rover, thinking it was pretty cool and not long after, a story involving Mars popped into my head. At about that same time I had this idea about a superhuman coming to Earth to take humans away with him. I just couldn’t figure out the destination. Well, seeing that little robot spelunking around on another world pretty much sealed the deal for me.

Q: So that’s what The Road to Mars is about? A superhuman that is “stealing” humans for Mars?
A: Again, yes and no. The story takes place in the latter half of the 21st century. My main character, Darion Wallace, lives on Earth but he is trying to get to Mars. A conflict between the two planets has left the Earth crippled technologically so Darion has no means to get there, but he believes there’s someone who can help him. That certain someone just so happens to be of Martian origin and unlike anyone of Earthly origin. And that’s all I’ll give away on that.

Q: I noticed on Amazon it says “The Mars Trilogy”. This is a planned series, I take it?
A: Yes, this will be a trilogy. I’m all about having an expansive series, provided there’s enough material. I’m not a fan of “milking a concept”, but it soon became obvious there was plenty to explore here. Hence, the additional two stories. As a storyteller, I always have to myself a very specific question: i s this fun? Is there more to explore for me and f or the reader? I believe any writer should be asking himself that question before attempting to drag out some long series.

Q: Speaking of multi­book franchises, is there one you like more than another?
A: I’m a big fan of Orson Scott Card’s Ender series and Frank Herbert’s Dune. Herbert’s Dune is the book that really got me into science fiction. I read it when I was about 13 and though I didn’t understand most of it then, I remember liking the idea of a foreign world with giant sandworms. That probably explains my slight obsession with the show, River Monsters. Currently, I’m reading Pierce Brown’s Red Rising trilogy. It seemed appropriate considering it was about Mars too. But, overall, I like any work that takes philosophy and collides it with an exciting story.

Q: That all sounds good. Anything else you want to add?
A: Absolutely! Be sure to check out my book by heading over to Amazon and checking out my work at website. I couldn’t just walk away from this interview without saying that, now could I? And last of all, thank you for the opportunity to be featured on this site.

Grab The Road to Mars in:
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