“Think of your family today and every day thereafter, don’t let the busy world of today keep you from showing how much you love and appreciate your family.”
–Josiah
What if Mars was finally ready to be populated?
I always wanted to write a story about the topic of overpopulation even since I started this project. The terrifying of overpopulation has been something that I’ve found fascinating due to its pending actuality. There was a short story that I remember reading in college that I really liked. Unfortunately, I can’t recall the name of the story but I remember the plot and I wanted to write one of my own.
Now, I didn’t want to do the traditional way of storytelling regarding the topic. Instead, I wanted to make it the driving plot point while making it about a family. Why, a family? Well…because it was the first thing that came to me. I know it’s cheesy but that’s the truth.
Think about it this way. A family of any kind is something that supposed to be forever and a constant source of love and support. We all know this and craves it. So, when I was thinking about overpopulation and family, the process was simple and pretty straightforward.
First, I thought about overpopulation and all the pros and cons of the Earth. Then, I thought about everything I wanted to have on a mirror planet i.e. Mars, and how these things can be achieved. After that, I took a moment to think about how the government would regulate its population so they wouldn’t have the same problem. Finally, like I always do, I threw a monkey wrench in it all to create drama for the family in the form of a lottery.
I did this because I wanted to center the chaos around the Italian family who – like most Italian families – is really tight-knit. Then, I put them in the story and tried to write it as accurately as possible. I even took what I and my brother have always been taught to us: “Your siblings are your best friends” and made it another driving point. It’s just what my story needed to be made personal.
Worked, too. Like a charm. It only took me a day or two to write Family Matters and it’s something I’m really proud of.
You can buy the book on Amazon. The link is here.
You can also learn about it on Goodreads. The link for it is here.
