Aaron and Brian talk to Andy Weir (@andyweirauthor), author of The Egg and The Martian. We cover the connection between Open Source Software and writing, Aaron gets geeky about the book, the latest on the upcoming movie, tips for new authors, and even talk a little bit about the Ready Player One universe.

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Topic 1 - For those that aren’t familiar with The Martian, can you tell everyone a little bit about the book?

Topic 2 - The Martian been turned into a movie. I’ve read that you had a peek at the script. In the book there is a lot on internal dialog (no one to talk to on Mars), any insight into how this will be handled in the movie?

Topic 3 - Your book started out as a self published book. I read your AMA on Reddit, you recommend self publishing through Amazon as a great avenue for those starting out. What was the process like and any other suggestions for writers looking to break into the field?

Topic 4 - I’ve heard it took you a few years to write the book due to all the research involved. In your opinion, How close are we to being able to have a colony on Mars? What’s stopping us technology wise and where did you have to “fudge” a bit in the book?

Topic 5 - Another great book I’ve read recently is Ready Player One. You did a short story called Lacero based in the universe. It is a great short read and adds an amazing twist to the entire story. It’s really cool how such a short piece of work actually adds an amazing amount of depth to the original book. Where did the idea come from?

Topic 6 - What’s next?

Music Credit: Nine Inch Nails (nin.com)