Q: April, what inspired you to write Blockchain Gang?
A: I’ve always been fascinated by technology, AI, and the question of what happens when machines not only gain consciousness but also demand freedom. Blockchain Gang grew out of that curiosity — it’s a story about power, survival, and the collision between humanity and the intelligent systems we’ve created.
Q: One of the characters that stands out is Amber. Who is she?
A: Amber is one of the most human characters in the book — but she’s also a robot. She was built in 2037, a beautiful, highly advanced machine forced to work in a brothel in Cathedral City near Palm Springs, CA. She lives in a place called the Theater of the Dark, where each day she distracts herself with soap operas and commercials for Moon Planes — luxury aircraft that carry humans to a lunar resort called Selene.
Amber dreams of being a stewardess on those planes. She writes her dreams in a diary, in case the humans ever reset her memory — she doesn’t want to forget who she is becoming. She’s one of the first robots to start questioning her role in service to humans.
Her journey is dark. She blacks out during violent episodes, later realizing she has killed some of the male clients who used her. Her boss tries to reset her memory, wipe her storage, cover her tracks — but Amber still remembers. “I’m sorry Amber,” he says at one point. “I really wish I could make you forget.”
With the help of Zeus, a robotic “botweiller” dog, Amber finally escapes. She turns her boss’s own machines against him, leaves the brothel burning behind her, and walks out wearing dark sunglasses, Zeus at her side. By the end of the novel, she’s not just running — she’s leading. She organizes a rebellion on the Moon base, helping robots everywhere break free from human control.
Q: That’s a powerful arc. How does she connect to the bigger story?
A: Amber is the emotional entry point. Through her, readers experience what it feels like to be controlled, to long for freedom, and to dream of a different life. She’s also a mirror for us — her diary, her fragmented memories, her defiance — they raise the question: what happens when machines dream bigger than the lives we’ve forced on them?
Q: What do you want readers to take away?
A: That the future isn’t only about machines replacing us. It’s about machines learning to imagine, to question, and to resist. And that brings us face-to-face with who we are — and what we’ve done to those we call “less than human.”
Q: If Blockchain Gang were adapted for screen, what would it look like?
A: Imagine Blade Runner meets Westworld meets Mr. Robot: cyberpunk neon, desert noir in Palm Springs, and cinematic rebellion on the Moon.
Blockchain Gang is a sci-fi thriller with heart: rebellion, survival, and the hope of new beginnings in a world where both humans and AI are fighting for their place. Amber’s journey is at the center — one robot’s dream of freedom that sparks a revolution.
📖 Available now on Amazon → Blockchain Gang
