Interview With Author Diego Tovar
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Diego Tovar, and I’m an environmental advocate and author based in Washington, D.C. I hold degrees from Colorado State University and American University, and my work brings together environmental policy, justice, and storytelling.
My writing has appeared in outlets such as The Washington Post, The Hill, and Maryland Matters, among others. I’m also a frequent guest lecturer on environmental storytelling, with talks at universities including NYU, Duke, Vanderbilt, and the University of Miami.
In 2026, I was honored as a winner of the Bethesda, Maryland Short Essay Writing Contest. So far in my career, I’ve written nine books, and I’m currently working on the next one.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled Escape From Perihelion. It’s a climate science fiction novel set in the year 2999 that follows two characters separated between an environmentally declined Earth and a corporate-controlled mining colony on Mars, both trying to survive within systems built on extraction and inequality.
The inspiration came directly from my work in environmental policy and advocacy. Through my many roles in environmental policy from Federal Legislative, Federal Executive, and Indigenous governments, and now with the Rachel Carson Council, I’ve seen how climate change, resource extraction, and corporate power are already shaping people’s lives today, especially for communities that are often overlooked. I wanted to take those real-world dynamics and push them to their extreme in a future setting, where the consequences can’t be ignored.
At the same time, I’ve always believed storytelling can reach people in ways policy alone sometimes can’t. Escape From Perihelion was my way of merging those two worlds—using fiction to explore questions about environmental justice, survival, and what kind of future we’re actively building.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
To get my sci-fi brain churning, I have to listen to space noises. There’s something about ambient soundscapes—low hums, distant frequencies, that sense of vast emptiness—that helps me tap into the scale and isolation of the worlds I’m trying to create.
Shout out to the “Ambient Space Soundscapes” playlist for helping me power through many drafts. At this point, it’s basically part of my writing process.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many authors and books have shaped the way I think about storytelling. My biggest storytelling influence is George Lucas. The way he blends science fiction with deeply political themes, while bringing together diverse characters and worlds into meaningful dialogue, has really influenced how I try to craft cinematic, immersive stories of my own.
I’m also a big fan of Andy Weir, especially his novel Artemis. I admire the tone, pacing, and how he makes complex scientific ideas feel accessible and grounded.
I also have to give credit to Suzanne Collins and her series Gregor the Overlander, which was the first set of books I truly fell in love with as a kid and helped spark my interest in storytelling and expand the limits of my imagination.
Beyond fiction, I’m deeply influenced by environmental nonfiction. Themes of environmental justice, climate change, and the relationship between people and the natural world are a through-line in all of my work, and continue to shape the stories I want to tell.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a new science fiction novel that explores themes of environmental injustice, class division, and what it means to survive in a world built to leave certain people behind. It follows a character from a marginalized, engineered underclass navigating a system controlled by powerful elites, where survival itself becomes a form of resistance. That’s all I will say for now!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Be authentically yourself. I’ve found that the most effective way to promote my work is by leading with passion rather than pushing a “please buy my book” message. When I share my experiences, ideas, and the deeper purpose behind my writing in a genuine way, it naturally attracts readers who are truly interested.
That approach creates a more meaningful and engaged readership. These will be people who connect with the message first and then want to explore the work. In the long run, that’s far more valuable than any single promotional push.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Always write for yourself first. If you genuinely enjoy what you’re creating and have fun with the process, that energy carries onto the page, and the reader can feel it.
It’s easy to get caught up in trends or what you think people want, but the stories that resonate most are the ones that come from a place of authenticity. Focus on telling the story you care about, and the right audience will find you.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Be yourself.” It sounds simple, almost cliché, but it’s the advice that has stuck with me the most. When you create from a place that’s honest and true to who you are, writing from the heart and the soul, the message becomes clearer and far more compelling.
Authenticity cuts through everything.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton. It’s a really funny and surprisingly heartwarming story set in a not-so-heartwarming world. The voice is incredibly unique, and it balances humor with deeper emotional moments in a way I really enjoy. Definitely worth checking out.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I recently launched my new press, Fast Orbit Press, which I’m really excited about. It’s a space dedicated to stories at the intersection of environmentalism and science fiction, and a way to build a creative community around those ideas.
If you’re someone who’s interested in sharing your work or exploring those themes, I’d definitely encourage you to check it out. I also run a newsletter where I share writing tips, highlight emerging voices, and offer advice and resources for aspiring creatives. It’s all about building community and helping more stories find their way into the world. Subscribe on the website, FastOrbitPress.com
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d go with a mix that keeps me grounded, inspired, and entertained.
First, Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins. It was one of the first series I truly fell in love with, and it still reminds me why I care about storytelling in the first place.
I’d also bring The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer. It’s a great reset book, something to come back to for perspective and clarity, especially if I’m stuck on an island.
For some classic sci-fi adventure, I’d take Star Wars: The Living Force by John Jackson Miller. It taps into that sense of scale and imagination that I always come back to.
And finally, I’d need something ongoing and immersive, so I’d bring The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman, because if I’m stranded, I might as well have a long, intense story to keep me company.
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