The Distributor by Jeff Doka

Let’s talk about a few of the themes that I think make this particularly relevant:

One of the most chilling experiences I had in tech was at an event where a very wealthy entrepreneur mentioned that he didn’t let his children use the app he created. He’d made his fortune from that app, built his mansion, and more, but when the product was done, it was something he feared to bring into his own home.

In the novel, I hope to explore two sides of this that always intrigued me. One, what’s the mindset someone has to be in to build something that eventually terrifies them? How often is it intentional and how often do creators just forget to ask the most critical questions?

The other aspects of the novel explore what the cost of building for the sake of building has on others and society. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to imply that… yeah… just building stuff and hoping for the best isn’t a great plan.

Any quick perusal of LinkedIn often reminds me just how universal ambition is. I wouldn’t be writing novels if I didn’t have ambition, and yet, there’s something insidious about it. A sprinkle of ambition can turn a passion project into an obsession. I’m often fascinated by how ambition can start off as something wholesome, something that someone wants to give to the world as a gift, but in moments, the mist clears, and something darker stands in its place.

Should I buy the Distributor for my ten year old? No. Please don’t. But if you’re looking for sci-fi books for adults or late teens, I’d love it if you gave The Distributor (the-distributor.com) a read. My hope is along with the themes I’m exploring, there’s a fair amount of fun, romance, and nerdy adventure to keep the story rolling. Though, I’ll let you all be the judge of whether I was successful.

In any case, thanks to JC Gemmell for letting me write some fun musings about my novel on his website. And thanks to you! I hope you give the book a shot (the audio-book of the Distributor I’d particularly recommend–the reader is legendary).

Jeff has written everything from short stories to screenplays to radio dramas. He designed the narrative structures and wrote “The Lost Library” and “Worldseekers,” two choice-based narrative games. His short story “The Conference” has been published in the Wild Musette Journal, his short story “The Last Fare of M1S-3” was published in The Future Looms Magazine, and his novella "Departures" was published in the "Running Wild Novella Anthology." You can find Jeff at finalbossediting.com, and he streams his writing at twitch.tv/final_boss_editing if you ever want to stop in to say hi (or share feedback).

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