You find it very funny that they keep inviting you to these sorts of things. Of course you have a decent education and you did a lot of research for your books, but still you are a novelist, not a scientist. A lot of people forget that: since your second book was published and you officially established yourself as an affirmed science fiction writer, you keep getting invited to scientific events, especially those that want a bit more publicity in the not-scientific world. You go to these events because it is good press for you and because you have lots of fun answering in completely random ways to the idiots that think it makes sense to ask serious scientific questions to a science fiction writer. They usually understand that you were bullshitting them only after a few hours. Sometimes, if you are lucky, the science that they are presenting is interesting and gives you inspiration for some new work.

VIPs and Politicians