1.- Could you introduce yourself to Jamreads’ readers?
Hi, Jamreads! I'm Mikey Nayak, an author, pilot, scientist and futurist. One of the most amazing experiences of my life was to deploy down to South Pole Station, at the very bottom of the world, as an astronomer and US Antarctic Program Principal Investigator. It was an experience that changed me to the core, and it inspired my debut science-fiction/horror novel, Symbiote, which is set in Antarctica! You can find out more about me at www.michaelnayak.com (and check out the stickers game at michaelnayak.com/stickers!). 

2.- How did you start writing?
My mother gave me a love of reading from the time I was a child. Sometimes, I'd read a book and think — particularly at the end — oh man, I thought that was going to end completely differently! So it seemed only right to put pen to paper and give it a shot. 

3.- Could you tell us more about the initial ideas that inspired Symbiote?
I would directly tie my inspiration to Symbiote to the experience of being on crew at South Pole Station. South Pole is such a unique place. Perhaps anywhere else in the world. you would see some form of life. Something. Maybe a contrail in the sky, trees, birds... even insects! South Pole has no penguins, no bugs, no aircraft... nothing. It's the complete void, and cold like you've never felt before. Living in that isolation and extreme environment, and being with the wonderful and unique people that I was on crew with, made me wonder about what life would be like under slightly different circumstances. What if there was an external threat, and you still had to survive, and there was no one to call for help? Would that change the crew dynamic for the better, or the worse? Would they bond together, or fragment? The answers to those questions, while giving readers a feel for this unique environment I had the privilege to experience, are what inspired the dynamics of Symbiote. 

4.- You chose a particular setting for Symbiote, Antarctica, partly due to your experience living there as part of LANDIT. Could you describe more about this experience?
To summarize one of the most unique experiences I've ever had in three phrases: 
1. Colder than I've ever been in my life! 
2. The crew are really unique - they aren't your average people. 
3. And being without connectivity to the rest of the world forces you, in a good way, to engage deeply with the people around you, and I greatly enjoyed that. 
Perhaps a fourth: It's also a really challenging place to do science! Twenty-five thousand words of scribbled longhand made it off the ice with me, together with a lifetime of memories that would later be expanded, cut, shaped and shined to become Symbiote. As far as I'm aware, this is the first novel about the South Pole to be written at the South Pole! I talk more about my experiences at https://www.michaelnayak.com/blog and there's a short talk about my takeaways for everyone here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDCpZrXh084. 

5.- Could you tell us more about how you got representation and how this novel was acquired by Angry Robot?
I'm happy to talk about this: while it was a wonderful end, it was a long journey, with a lot of rejection, to get Symbiote out into the world. But that's why I think it's important to say to every aspiring author out there: it is a hard journey to make it to publication! Don’t quit on yourself!
As with any first-time author, I did my time in the trenches of #amwriting and #amquerying. I have no idea if I'm below or above average, but I'll throw out my stats, in case it helps an aspiring author out there warm their motivation candles. I wrote four books before this one (hopefully they will all see the light of day one day!). Across all of them, in searching for an agent, I sent out a total of 380 queries, and received 210 heartbreaking rejections, which means I didn't even hear back from 45% of people I wrote to. 16 partial and full manuscript requests were ultimately declined. I learned something from every rejection, even if it was discovering, from the tone of an agent’s rejection, that I’d never want to put my career in their hands. For Symbiote, I sent out 97 queries, got 73 form rejections, and 16 rejections with a useful tidbit I used to improve the book. I had 4 partial requests, 12 full manuscript requests and 3 offers of representation that ultimately ended in signing with a wonderful agent. But that was only halfway through the marathon! Speaking of that wonderful agent: Lindsay Guzzardo was absolutely the wind in my sails to get this book out into the world. There were more rejections to come, but now there were two of us in the trenches! And I'm thankful that she took that attitude to the last half of the journey. We went through some agonizing near-misses on the journey to getting published, but she refused to be anything except firmly positive it would only be a matter of time until we broke through. And then — it all seemed worthwhile, because we found Gemma Creffield and Eleanor Teasdale and the simply incredible team at Angry Robot Books. It felt like reaching an oasis after a long long time in the desert. When they decided they were in, they were all the way in. The enthusiasm they have is second to none. And their energy and hard work made Symbiote a reality.  
I hope this answer can be helpful to someone else out there who's just starting on their journey, or is perhaps stepping into the desert of rejection. Keep going, and keep learning! The juice is absolutely worth the squeeze. 

6.- I feel that contagions and bio-threats are kinda a recurrent trope in horror. Why would you say this happens?
What an interesting question. I think it's because of the completely asymmetric power that they have. One wrong move can spread around the world in a way that almost nothing (perhaps nuclear war?) can, and so the stakes are so high. I think that makes a difference, and increases the horror. You have to stop the biothreat, or the contagion, but as a reader, you know the truth already: nature has its own power and ways, and as tiny insignificant humans, it's almost impossible to fight nature. That struggle and daunting odds makes it such a rich subject, I think. 

7.- Let’s talk about the science part on science fiction. Would you say your laboral experience has made this part more accurate in your book?
Definitely! Whether Mars or Antarctica, when places that are grounded in reality, the stakes feel higher. It challenges readers to differentiate between what is possible and what is purely speculative. My laboral experience allowed me to inject a realistic level of detail and sense of place into the book that I couldn't have injected otherwise. And it’s a plausible extension of current trends in environmental degradation, military conflict, and scientific ambition, rooted in ongoing Antarctic biological research, for example.

8.- Which three pieces of media would you recommend to people that enjoyed Symbiote?
I've got to start with John Carpenter's The Thing. Alien shape-shifter versus biological threat means the stories diverge pretty quickly, but it's just a quintessential Antarctica movie. My wonderful agent Lindsay is actually trying to get John Carpenter the book so he can read it!
I'd love to know what he thinks. If you enjoyed the multi-pronged perspective of Symbiote and the icy clutches of a hostile cold environment, C. J. Tudor's book The Drift would likely be a fun read. And finally, I've got to mention Stephen King. Nobody does horror like Stephen King. Most anything Stephen King (except his 2006 novel Cell -- sorry, Steve) is gripping. 

9.- What can we expect from Michael Nayak in the future?
I'm really excited to announce that Symbiote will have a sequel! Now rest assured, Symbiote does not end on a cliff-hanger. It's a complete story to itself! But I wanted to expand on the story of a few key characters, and introduce the reader to another unique Antarctic sub-culture: this time McMurdo Station, instead of South Pole. Sentient will be that story, and I'm thrilled that Angry Robot has agreed to help me bring that story to you, this time next year. So stay tuned for more icy creepy horrors next winter! 

Symbiote is the debut novel of Michael Nayak. You can order a copy using this link.