Goodreads asked Bruce Overby:

How do you get inspired to write?

Bruce Overby Two things: 1. I wanted to tell authentic stories of Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley, in popular culture, had become a caricature: tech bros driving around in Teslas ruining the world with toxic social media, youthful billionaires without a clue being deified into modern shamans of wisdom, quirky white dudes who can’t get a date, etc. I was born in San Jose, the largest city in Silicon Valley, and I experienced and participated in the creation of Silicon Valley. I therefore know firsthand that Silicon Valley is not Mark Zuckerberg, Sergei Brin, and Larry Page—or even Steve Jobs. Silicon Valley is hundreds of thousands of regular people toiling in the trenches to design, build, and market great innovations. It’s also a place with a distinct culture and history, and I wanted to tell the stories of those people and that culture and history. And 2. I wanted to explore, through fiction, the challenges and trials I’ve faced in my life. In The Cyclone Release, the main thing I’m exploring is the human need for a sense of belonging, of being part of something larger than oneself. As an introvert, this is something I’ve always struggled with, and it’s something several of the characters in the story struggle with as well.

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