Welcome back to Clockwork
Conversations!
Today as part of our June Interview
Extravaganza, I am pleased to introduce you to scientist and author, Massimo
Marino!
Welcome, Massimo! Please tell us a little about yourself.
MM:
I'm Italian, and because even in Italy that means everything and nothing at
all, I should say, I am Sicilian. I was born in Palermo, and as it happened in the history of Sicily to
countless Sicilians, I left my hometown for good, back in 1986. I lived more years abroad
than in my home country, and I have changed in many and different ways than my
old friends there. It is always a pleasure to go back, but it is now 6 long
years since my last visit. Saudade? Maybe, a little.
I
lived in Switzerland, France, and the United States. I am a scientist as a
background, and have spent over 17 years in fundamental research. Most of my
writing are then academic stuff.
I
worked for many years at CERN—an international lab for particle physics
research near Geneva, Switzerland—then in the US at the Lawrence Berkeley
National Lab. Fantastic moments and memories from those years. In 2005 I moved
to the private sector, worked with Apple Inc., and then for the World Economic
Forum. Currently, I’m an IT consultant and an entrepreneur.
I’m
an author with Booktrope Publishing.
Q1: I just read a riveting post on
your blog about a recent trip to the hospital that you had—I hope you are
feeling all better. You seemed to be profoundly moved by the event, as any of
us would be by a major health scare (or life event; I am a stroke survivor
myself among other things.) Did this experience change your outlook on life at
all? Is there anything that you do differently now because of it?
MM: Thank
you, fully recovered. The event reinforced—if it was even necessary—the
thoughts and considerations that I explored at the time I was writing my first
published novel, “Daimones.” In the story, the main characters face an
unthinkable possibility, being the last humans alive on Earth. It certainly
gives you food for thought about what it is that gives meaning to our lives,
and what we should be grateful for. It’s not money, nor a fancy sport-car, or
the latest Rolex model.
Q2: You’ve worked as a scientist for
many years. What is one thing about the universe that you find continually
amazing?
MM: The
Universe per se is amazing. It continuously surprises scientists, and today’s
leading science makes most science fiction around look banal and unimaginative.
The implications that are in the realm of possibility with the new cosmological
theories are mind-boggling, but for a scientist envisioning science fiction
they are actually exciting and inspirational. An example? The existence of a
network of traversable black-holes (Kerr ones) that would work as a working
galactic underground (or Tube, if you’re from UK.) If only we had the map with
connections and timelines we would be set :)
Q3: How important is it to you to
follow your passions in life? Do you believe in the saying “Love what you do,
do what you love?”
MM: It is a
gift when it happens, but we can make it happen, too. The message in the saying
is that you are the architect of your own happiness. It will not come imposed
from elsewhere, it will come from within yourself. If you can’t learn to love
what you do, don’t be afraid of changes, even abrupt ones; with perseverance
the stars will align themselves and support you.
Q4: If you could stop time for an
instant, to have one perfect moment to hold in your memory forever, is there
something specific that you would wish to recall that you could share with us?
MM:
I believe readers will think of it as a cliché, but it is the moment my
daughter was born. The eyes of my wife, tired but happy, locked into mine, and
I held a new life in my hands. Then, I cut the umbilical cord. It still gives
me goosebumps.
Q5: Bonus question: (Massimo
preferred this to my standard bonus question…) How and when did you start
writing?
MM:
My Dad received “Astounding Stories” and I wasn’t allowed to read the magazines
but they did have astounding covers; I dreamed about them. Based on those
covers, I created stories in my mind, then put them down on paper with a pencil
in my little hands so that I could re-read and never forget them.
I didn’t think in those days about plot and action, character development, building my voice, what themes and belief systems I had to, or wanted to cover. The place and the setting came from those cover pictures, and I wasn’t concerned with temporal or structural issues. I learned a lot of lessons, since.
I didn’t think in those days about plot and action, character development, building my voice, what themes and belief systems I had to, or wanted to cover. The place and the setting came from those cover pictures, and I wasn’t concerned with temporal or structural issues. I learned a lot of lessons, since.
~*~
It's been a pleasure learning about you! Thank you for joining us today, Massimo.
You can learn more about Massimo Marino and his
writing by visiting him at: http://massimomarinoauthor.com
See you soon as we continue the June Extravaganza!
