Did you have a chance to read Dolores Esteban's science fiction story, Sumeru featured in this month's CSR? What do you think? Is the truth out there? More than we know or is it all just a bunch of bad t-shirt, retro hat conspiracy theory claptrap? Hmmm... how about you check out the story and find out? Or share your thoughts below if you already did! But first, enjoy this interview with Dolores Esteban!

Chocolate or Vanilla?

Vanilla.

If you had 30 minutes of free time, what would you do?

I would probably read an online article. Thirty minutes is not a long time.

What’s one location you’d love to go to research for a story?

I'd travel back in time to Ancient Egypt or Ancient Sumer.

We share a love of science fiction, it seems. What do you like best about writing the genre?

I love to create new worlds, visit places in space and explore unknown things.

Do you have a favorite science fiction story that you’ve read (online or published)?

The Songs of Distance Earth by Arthur C. Clarke. I loved the novel.

In Sumeru, the crew is supposed to travel to a planet in the constellation in Scorpius. Is there a special reason you picked that constellation?

No special reason. I picked the constellation probably because it contains deep sky objects.

How about the meaning behind the name of the spacecraft, “Shiva”?

Shiva is a Hindu deity. I read articles on Hindu mythology. The texts inspired me to write Sumeru. The Vedas, texts originating in ancient India, contain concepts that are similar to concepts from modern science. That's the background of the story. Scientists learn from the texts that extraterrestrials visited Earth in the past. They send a ship to the aliens' system of origin to investigate. The spacecraft is called Shiva because of the Hindu texts that revealed the ancient truth.

Did you like trying the infographic style of Sumeru as a plot device or do you find a more classic story format flows better for you as a writer?

I started the story three times in three years. The first two attempts were plotted as classical stories and they failed miserably. I changed the approach and tried the infographic style. It worked out for the story Sumeru.

Do you have a favorite part of this story?

I actually like the whole story. After several failed attempts, I was happy when I had finally managed to finish the story.

In a reply to a review on the last chapter, you said you like to ask questions. Are you pondering any deep thoughts lately that have prompted any new story ideas?

I read about coherent quantum states and quantum decoherence. A very interesting topic. I've just started a science fiction piece. Quantum states are an element of the story. The writing so far is a mess. I jump between scenes. Definitely no coherence in writing. LOL. The editing process will be a pain.