TRUMPLAND: AN ALTERNATIVE HISTORY OF THE FUTURE.

In the genre fiction community, there are many people who feel that storytellers shouldn’t “get political” and that horror, sci-fi, and fantasy fiction should be solely escapist in nature.
M.D. Parker is not one of those people.

In 2018, Parker and a number of his peers teamed up to put together Trumpland: An Alternative History of the Future. One part savage satire, one part chilling warning of a dark tomorrow, the anthology was about as uncompromisingly political as a work could possibly be.

Now, two years later, the political landscape has only gotten scarier. One bit of good news, though? This February, Parker returns with Trumpland: Divided We Fall, a book whose synopsis promises “Brainwashing implants, segregation, division, mass murder, time travel, and the red hat. It's all a part of the broken American dream, a final nail in the coffin – or is it?”
Good question. Is it? Ginger Nuts of Horror got in touch with Parker to find out.

First off, I just wanted to say thank you for taking a minute to talk to Ginger Nuts of Horror about this project.

It is our pleasure. Thank you

Trumpland: Divided We Fall is a follow-up to a previous anthology, Trumpland: An Alternative History of the Future. Before we get to the newest book, I was wondering if you could tell me a little about the first installment. What inspired you to put together such an anthology? What kind of response did you get?

The first collection began as an idea born of frustration. I, and one or two of those who would later contribute to it, wanted to do something, anything, to combat what we saw as the damage resulting from the policies of this administration. Then, as writers we saw a bountiful pile of story fodder in the remarks and actions coming from the White House. The response was decent, about where we expected. As is typical with a short story collection, people liked parts, didn’t like others – especially those topics that were uncomfortable to them since the stories dealt with subjects of imprisonment based on race, division, environmental catastrophes and increased tensions around the globe and at home.

So what motivated you to do a second Trumpland anthology?

The seemingly endless flow of controversy. Donald Trump and this White House staff cause so many scandals, so frequently, I felt we, as a story collection, had fallen behind the times. So in order to raise more awareness, raise more money for charity, we collectively decided to put together a second edition.

All of the proceeds from the sales of both books go to various charities, is that right? What are some of the charities that these books are supporting? How do you choose what charities to donate to?

Yes, and the charities have included organizations like the ACLU, End Rape on Campus (EROC), 4-Ocean, and RAICES. We choose them as a group collective, generally voting on them (democracy, yay!). The ones on the list make the list due to certain functions or actions they’ve taken. For example, we all wanted to support the ACLU in its fight to make sure unaccompanied minors had representation in immigration court and their fight to block the Trans-Ban on the military. EROC’s mission I think speaks for itself, same with 4-Ocean. RAICES has been chosen for the first quarter of this year thanks to their humanitarian and legal work related to immigration.

There was no hesitation on going with the 100% donation. Each of us donated our work and time to bring it together as a group specifically so we could put every penny where it would do the most good.

In addition to the proceeds going to charity, the Trumpland anthologies are unique in that all of the stories included were donated by their authors. No one took a paycheck, is that correct?

That’s correct. No paychecks, and it was that way from the beginning. This was our donation to the charity, to help craft something that may in some small way help us be a better nation.

So the concept behind the Trumpland series is essentially that these are stories speculating and satirizing dark, dystopian scenarios that could come about as result of the Trump presidency. Who are the contributors for this second volume, and could you tell me about some of the stories included?

This second volume feels tad darker than the first. It feels weird to say that because I believe we have more “happy” endings this time, even though we have stories like one that takes a violent turn at a MAGA Rally, or a mass shooting in another. Our farthest reach in terms of realism this time is, well, just that – time. We have time travel, a pandemic (we had that in both volumes), cybernetic implants… we try to run the gamut of the sci-fi/dystopian worlds.
As I mention these names, please know that I have been honored so much to work with all of these authors. A wonderful group that includes Paul Blake, Jay Bower, Scott J. Couturier, Maxwell I. Gold, Shayne Keen, LeLand Lydecker, Duane Pesice, Artist Daniel Sauer, Margret A. Treiber, and Sarah Walker. A few of them worked on both volumes, and even a few that did not write for this edition, but were part of the first, helped with putting it all together (Thanks Ben, MeLisa, Jason, Richard, and Dave!)

Looking at the different directions various authors have taken the concept in, are there any stories in either volume that particularly surprised you? Did you notice any recurring themes or ideas?

Reoccurring? I’d say mostly the satirical fun of playing with the speeches and rantings this President is known for. Both volumes had an author tackle a pandemic and both dealt with the violent rhetoric and division we suffer right now due to those actions.

The first Trumpland anthology came out in 2018, a little over a year after Trump’s presidency began. Since then, obviously a lot has happened. Are there any predictions in that first anthology that resonate a little too close to comfort with real-life events since then? Of the latest crop of stories, which ideas or themes are the most chilling to you?

Fenced cages in random fields or under bridges. That hit a bit too close to how it really happened. The mysterious circumstances surrounding a death of a prominent figure that rumors indicated had the ability to bring down a lot of powerful people. I think about those and the increase in hate groups that too often match the rise multiple stories indicated.

Have you had any second thoughts about publishing either of these books based on concerns about backlash from rabid Trump supporters? Have you indeed gotten any backlash?

No second thoughts at all. And a small bit of backlash, not too bad – so far – the divisiveness gets worse every week it seems. The funniest part was someone commented online once, a rabid Trump supporter. After a brief exchange, he ended up purchasing a copy of the book. He didn’t leave a review, but his money was donated to EROC.

So where can those who do want to read the Trumpland books find them for purchase? And where should they go if they want to stay up-to-date on Trumpland publishing news?

We published through Amazon, mostly as an additional affront to this administration; we all know he doesn’t like them either. And keeping up on what is happening can be done through any of our contributing authors, or I am working on reprising and updating the Trumpland twitter account to be more reflective of the publishing and the book than the political voice of dissent it once was. (@2020TrumpLand )

Finally, to widen the scope of the conversation, do you have any messages you’d like to share with people in general?

First, voting is the most important, powerful freedom anyone can ever exercise. To not participate, to not vote, is to allow others to decide for you. It is nothing but silencing yourself. As for political commentary, I sum it all up with this:
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We all say we want to be a people who are proud of their nation. We want to be proud of our place in the world, so start now. Start with the person next to you in line at the store, and let it resonate through every interaction, every vote, every comment you make… work today to be better than you were yesterday. Just be good to one another.
 

November 8th, 2016.
A new President was elected, and the United States was forever changed. Now 8 authors have come together to share the alternative facts of the dystopian futures we have yet to witness.

From the schoolboy romanticizing delusions of grandeur to nuclear Armageddon; from civil wars to the diseased undead; from walls isolating nations, to trade agreements, to environmental disasters - will any of the signs be bright enough to be seen? Will we heed the warnings before Lady Liberty’s torch is extinguished? Can we write a new future for a nation, for the entire world, before it is too late?

Trumpland's stories present a speculative inquiry into the fallout from the most consequential election of our age.
All artists donated their contributions with proceeds from the sales being donated to charity.

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