I’m Eliot Peper, author of CUMULUS and THE UNCOMMON SERIES. AMA!

[u/eliotpeper]

Hi, I’m Eliot Peper. I write fast-paced, deeply-researched stories with diverse casts that explore the intersection of technology and society.

My latest novel, Cumulus, is a dark, gritty science fiction story set in a near-future San Francisco Bay Area ravaged by economic inequality and persistent surveillance. My first three books constitute The Uncommon Series, which has attracted a cult following in Silicon Valley and is the #1 top-rated financial thriller on Amazon (think tech startup meets Panama Papers). I’m currently working on a new story, Neon Fever Dream, about a dark secret hidden in the swirling dust and exultant revelry of Burning Man.

I’ve helped build numerous technology businesses, survived dengue fever, translated Virgil's Aeneid from the original Latin, worked as an entrepreneur-in-residence at a venture capital firm, and explored the ancient Himalayan kingdom of Mustang.

AMA! I’ll stick around until 4PM PST.

EDIT 1: Proof of ID: https://twitter.com/eliotpeper/status/743141128531173377

EDIT 2: That's all folks! Big thanks to r/books for hosting and all of you for participating. If you have any other burning questions, you can always find me on Twitter (@eliotpeper). Happy reading!

[u/Nfarmerlinguist]

Any ideas about your next book? (after the Burning Man one)

[u/eliotpeper → u/Nfarmerlinguist]

I've got a number of ideas marinating. The frontrunner concept right now takes place when arctic sea ice disappears completely, unleashing a vicious geopolitical race to control the North Pole.

[u/Nfarmerlinguist → u/eliotpeper]

Like Cumulus, seems like something that's already happening. Makes me think you'll need a constructed language, something along the lines of Russenorsk ;-)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russenorsk

[u/Tking012 → u/eliotpeper]

I also use marinade

[u/cardmagic]

I loved the book. Is it going to turn into a movie?

[u/RoccoIsATaco]

Hi Eliot, i just picked up Cumulus and started reading it. I'm a big fan of dystopian novels, and what Cumulus seems to be is headed in a different direction than most of you standard 'Big Brother' faire. Where did you take your inspiration from on this concept?

[u/francofaraudo]

Can you tell me a little about your creative process? Has it changed from your first book?

[u/Gizmotoy]

Hello, Eliot. I purchased Cumulus based on the Article on Ars and the fact you were giving the proceeds to the EFF. Loved it! Ready for more, I then burned through The Uncommon Series very quickly and was also quite impressed with those.

I think I can keep this spoiler-free. One facet of the ending of the Uncommon Series still nags at me. We never check back in with David, their mentor figure, after the events of the finale. I know your background, in some ways, is similar to David's. Do you consider David to be somewhat of an author surrogate? If so, perhaps this was done specifically to avoid commenting directly on the characters' final decisions? I know I was curious to find out what he thought of the events of these finale and was a bit disappointed we never heard from him.

Thanks again. Looking forward to your next novel!

[u/eliotpeper → u/Gizmotoy]

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying the stories.

That's a good question, and one I don't have a ready answer to. I just looked back through the last few chapters of Exit Strategy. David makes his last major appearance in Chapter 40, immediately before the events of the finale.

In this last conversation between him and Mara, he passes her the torch. He's been her mentor all the way from garage to IPO, and during that late night tete-a-tete he gives her his final piece of advice: that she no longer needs any. This may simply be rationalization, but I sort of like how that's the last time they touch base rather than circling back after the climax. She's learned her lessons and is ready to face the music.

All characters are in some ways incarnations of the author. That said, I didn't see David as an author surrogate. If anything, he's a surrogate for many of amazing mentors I've been lucky to have over the years. Folks like Brad Feld, Greg Horowitt, Craig Lauer, Ken Davenport and others have helped me through difficult times and given me a fresh perspective when I needed it most. I hope that David does the same for Mara and James.

Looking forward to hearing what you think of the next book.

[u/ecwehr]

Hi Eliot - big fan of Cumulus! What are you reading right now? Any big standout reads from the last few months?

[u/eliotpeper → u/ecwehr]

In addition to the books mentioned above, I really liked Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. Everyone should read that book. The Ocean at The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman was a masterpiece, When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi was deeply affecting, and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline was a pure delight.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/eliotpeper → u/[deleted]]

I'll try to answer this without spoilers (quite a challenge when we're talking about endings!).

I love endings that are also beginnings. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson is a great example of this. You could almost read that book in reverse and it would still work. In Cumulus, you can imagine that after Huian and Lilly's last conversation, they each embark on entirely new adventures. Same with Frederick and a number of others. You can also probably imagine that many of the characters had crazy backstories that landed them in Cumulus to begin with.

When I was thinking through the climax and denouement of Cumulus, I had a number of alternatives in mind. Maybe Graham takes the Ghost Program in a whole new direction, maybe the immediate chaos expands beyond the Bay Area, maybe Huian takes her company down a different path, etc.

I'd be happy to return to the world of Cumulus, so maybe some of these ideas can be explored further.

[u/cusini]

Oh man, I don't have any questions, just a fan of the book.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/medoane]

Hey Eliot, I got to pick your brain a couple months ago over the phone, but look forward to this AMA too! Do you work with a content/developmental editor or just a copyeditor? Also, do you plot your novel before you start writing or run with the story as it comes to you? How many edits/rewrites do you go through afterward? Best, Mike

[u/Chtorrr]

How did you decide to write apocalyptic fiction?

[u/gghavoc]

What authors/books inspired you?

[u/paulanderson15]

Congrats on some wonderful literary contributions. Have you considered writing a story that mostly takes place in an international setting? Something that blends your deep knowledge of international relations?

[u/allenderl]

Hey Elliot -- Great to see you on Reddit! What do you feel is the common thread or common themes of your book. LFer

[u/larancia]

I want to go around Berkeley/Oakland/SF and take a look at the different locations that inspired the scenes in Cumulus. Can you organize a tour for your fans?

[u/[deleted]]

I haven't heard of these. Which book should I start with? And do you sell autographed copies? In always looking for something new and this seems interesting from reading the comments.

[u/Llerbeht]

Eliot Peper! No way, dude. It's Harrison from Latin class at BHS. Congrats on becoming a successful author. Fun fact: I too got dengue fever when I visited Brazil after college. That shit ain't fun.

[u/pcotoole]

When is your first children's book coming out?

[u/[deleted]]

Got your book during the first AMA! Haven't finished yet. .... Really like it so far though!