The Department of Planetary Affairs is a necessary evil, like most government agencies. Its creation is actually in the years between Fallout and Trespassing. In Fallout it’s the FBI dealing with the situation, this is a time before Homeland Security existed. Once the existence of Elbie goes public it is decided that there needs to be a specialized task force to deal with Elbie specifically but also to speak for the government to the public as liaisons. In the beginning, hosts are thought of as victims. So there is a feeling that the Elbie are a threat. A dangerous thing to be dealt with similar to terrorism. The DPA is meant to be the advocates for both human and Elbie.

A factor working against the DPA that I tried to bring out in the book is the idea of transparency. Because the initial response of the government was to hide the existence of Elbie when the Arcadia cluster arrived, the DPA has had to work hard to regain public trust.

At its inception leadership of the DPA is the same as you see it in the book. Two co-commanders, one a host and one not. Draegg is the same Elbie from the start, his host was Miranda C. Grant. Miranda was an FBI agent and Alexander Eriksson’s partner. They were the primary agents dealing with the kids and the Elbie so it was felt that they were the best choice to be the head of this new agency. The third agent involved was Ian Reynolds, a newbie to the FBI at the time of Fallout.

Miranda was well liked and a people person, unlike Eriksson, so she was usually the one who dealt with the media and the public in general. We do not see Miranda in Trespassing because she has been killed in the line of duty. Justin Meyers, Draegg’s current host, was a colleague of Miranda’s and took her position as co-commander as a way to honor her dedication and vision of the DPA.

People sometimes want to know where I got my idea for the Elbie. It’s simple really. I wanted a totally non-carbon based life form. Pure energy. And I mean pure. When I tell people this they say, “What about the Drej from Titan A.E.?” While the Drej display a level of fluidity they still have bodies and need machines. While the movie never goes into it, they definitely have a sense of government and culture, otherwise they couldn’t be as organized as they are. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Drej, but pure energy they are not.

Seeing in how these aliens (soon to be Elbie) are made of pure energy, energy has rules. The most famous of all is: Energy can be neither created nor destroyed. I think this familiar mantra is what gave me the idea of Elbie transferability. First thing I did; took out a piece of paper and wrote down what those rules were.

With about ten of these rules, I took my first run at this world in 2001. After thirty or so versions I have got it pretty refined now how the Elbie work and what they are like. Then again, with the second draft of book two about to be wrapped up, I am discovering new ways to experience Elbie.

A lot of the Elbie attributes and how they operate in our world are written out on the DPA website and Twitter feed. I had one friend ask if we could send people into space to harvest more Elbie for commercial purposes. I told him I didn't see why not, but since we can barely break orbit, that story will have to wait. If you have questions about Elbie and how they work send me an e-mail or Tweet me.

I was doing some cleaning and I found this fortune in a box. Totally random. But it is a good reminder that excellence speaks for itself.

Last year I went to a convention and one of the workshops was about self publishing. And one of the writer's there said that if you aren't a professional, then hire one. I am a terrible proof reader and I don't think any writer should edit their own stuff, you're too close to it. You have to have a new set of eyes to do it right. So I made the effort to get a professional editor and I professional graphic artist for my cover and I do not regret it.