Happy New Year!!!!
Welcome to 2010!!
Only a few weeks ago, last year, I had the privilege to read and review a wonderful book called Through the Triangle by C. P Stewart. Having exchanged several emails with the author, I can tell you he is not only a gifted writer but a wonderful person. It was great finding out we have many of the same taste in authors. He is working on the sequel to Through the Triangle. Be sure to check out his new blog for updates on his writing progress.
First tell us a little about you- (brief bio- a sentence or two)
I am a retired high school physics (and formerly chemistry) teacher, but I continue to teach physics classes/labs at the university level when they need help. What can I say, I love to teach!
When did you first start writing and did you always want to be an author?
I wrote the first words of Through the Triangle five years ago, worked on it sporadically for four years, and then spent a year editing and polishing (again, sporadically). The thought of writing a book was always pushed into the background while I was teaching full time, but is now possible.
What is the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
For me, the most challenging aspect has been finding the time to write in a more consistent manner … and then there is the formidable task of marketing.
The most rewarding aspect has definitely been the overwhelming positive response from those who have read the book. It is greatly appreciated and humbling.
Where did you get the idea for Through the Triangle and have you also been fascinated by mystical place?
The premise for Through the Triangle came to me decades ago, but I kept shoving it behind what was needed at the moment or relatively short-term goals. I have always been fascinated by places of mystery, especially the various areas of unexplained disappearances, including the Bermuda Triangle. I was hooked from the first time I read about it, and even more so when I learned that other like areas exist. I have an extreme fondness for anything labeled “unexplained.”
How much research did you do for your book and how much ended up in the finished product?
I have always been captivated by the possibility of time travel, although theories vary as to whether such a thing can happen. Physicists agree with Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity that gravity bends spacetime (3 dimensions of space moving in one-dimension of time) – the greater the gravity, the greater spacetime is warped. From there, things get a little deep, but with the latest theory (M-Theory that proposes eleven dimensions at every point in space … and that electromagnetism and gravity exist as strings simultaneously at these points), it follows that the intense electromagnetic surges in the Bermuda Triangle are probably accompanied by intense gravitational surges … possibly enough to momentarily bend the future back to the present, allowing our characters to seamlessly move into the future time. Now that your eyes have glazed over and you have probably assumed a fetal position in the most distant corner, I tried to stay away from such detailed explanations. Jake and the others more or less speculate on what might have happened based on their previous thoughts and conjectures.
How do you keep track of your world building?
I jotted ideas in a separate file and then put them into, what I considered, a logical chronology. I had to refer to the file quite often as the story progressed to make sure I didn’t say something contradictory.
How long, on average, does it take to write a book?
How long it takes is directly proportional to the number of distractions in one’s life. A book can be completed in a few months if the author can write consistently, say a couple of hours each day. Actually, that is the best way, but I can only write when I find the time and am not pressed to be doing something else. Since I have only written one book, and it took a couple of years, then I would have to say that is my average. I am, however, trying to write a sequel faster with my available time.
Which character in this book most resembles you?
Probably Jake, only because of his appreciation of new things, searching for the good in everyone until proven wrong, and his ability to remember bits and pieces of things he had heard or read, but not all the facts.
If your book had a theme song what would it be?
Possibly the theme from “The Twilight Zone” television series. If they made it back to their normal time, then it could have been “Welcome Back” from the Welcome Back Kotter tv sitcom – moot point.
As your mutated humanoid species has some characteristics in common with vampire legends, I have to ask if you like vampires and if that influenced those characters at all.
I am interested in the legends of vampires, yeti, sasquatch, warlocks, werewolves, and shape-shifters in general. In fact I have put a book on hold that included a werewolf in order to start a sequel to Through the Triangle. However, to answer your question, I didn’t base the Azujos (pronounced a – zu – hose) on vampires, just a mental picture of what might develop under the right circumstances.
Given your story covers the world as we know it ending and a distant future world, if you lived in this story, which time would you want to live in? Stuck in the past or one of the characters who went through the wormhole?
Interesting question … I hadn’t thought of choosing. I am satisfied being where I am and living in this time. However, there are times when I picture where we as a nation are heading, and suddenly shifting to a fresh start has a certain, although bizarre, appeal. Being suddenly thrust into the far future holds an attraction because it would be an unimaginable adventure, but would be accompanied by an unfathomable sense of loss because everything and everyone you knew is gone forever.
Why did you choose the publishing route you chose and what has been the best and worst aspects of that process for you?
Before my manuscript was ready, I tried shopping it around to a dozen or so agents and publishers, without success. Actually, I am thankful nobody picked it up, because it needed to be polished a few more times. I even had a request for three chapters from one of the premier literary agents, but was told it was not what they were looking for. To me, it seemed that sending the requested query letter was a game of trying to guess what the intended recipient was looking for in format and content – like a silly game. I then read about how difficult it is to break into the publishing world without previous writing credentials because in today’s unsure economy, it is very unlikely a publishing entity would take a chance on anything but a sure-thing. Consider also that there were over 300,000 new books published in 2008 alone, and it becomes obvious that competition to get someone’s attention is fierce. The article recommended self-publishing (and was not an ad for a self-publishing company). By going the route I did, the book is out there and available for those that want to read it and I am not still playing games. In addition, I get to maintain all my rights in case some agent or traditional publisher gets interested. Either way of publishing, the marketing tasks fall on the author’s shoulders, and they are difficult. The worst part of self-publishing is paying for everything, whereas some of the costs would probably be absorbed by a traditional publisher.
Do you have any other stories and yet to be published novels, when can we expect your next book?
As I mentioned earlier, I had a good start on a novel dealing with a northern PA lawman trying to solve a murder while dealing with an early winter storm and a werewolf, but put that aside to write a sequel to Through the Triangle. I also have a third novel in the series outlined and ready to start on. All I can say about the timeframe is that I hope to complete the second book as soon as I possibly can. If given the time (or time stolen from other things), maybe within a year.
Who are your favorite authors?
I like authors that make me think and are not predictable. I can’t say I have any one favorite author, but like certain books by various authors. For instance, I enjoyed Ice Hunt by James Rollins, some Clive Cussler novels like Raise the Titanic, Darkfall by Dean Koontz, and Second Wind by Dick Francis. I have also enjoyed some of the Stone Barrington novels by Stuart Woods and Stephen King’s Christine (being a car-nut, I can appreciate the concept of a ’58 Plymouth with an attitude). Even some of these I found to be too action-packed; I prefer a realistically paced story without unrealistic perils and subsequent unrealistic heroic acts. I love a believable story that keeps you guessing and is therefore a “page-turner.”
What three authors/writers/characters would you take on a deep-sea fishing cruise and what would you do?
Maybe Stephen King because of the unique way his mind works, Stephen Hawking because of his immense intelligence and insights into the cosmos, and Clive Cussler so we could talk cars, since he has a fairly extensive collection. Don’t worry, we would just talk … I wouldn’t think of using any of them for bait.
You can influence any one thing in the entire history, the present or the future of the world (what has occurred, how something works, etc.). What would you choose to change and why?
Since there is no way of changing the inhabitants of this planet’s tolerance of each other, I would have to say the internal combustion engine with its noise, heat, pollution, and thirst for our natural resources. Once it was invented, very few people looked outside the box for a better propulsion method. Don’t get me wrong, I like the rumble of a hemi engine and throbbing exhaust as well as the next guy (maybe even more so, having raced stock cars a few years back), but I firmly believe we missed the boat on a more viable alternative and are just now beginning to scratch at the walls of the box.
If you could spend the day with one person (someone in history, a favorite author, a public figure, a character in a book, etc.), who would you choose and why?
Jesus because of how much I could learn from Him and to just be in His company.
Because I would love to see your book turned into a film, I have to ask, who would you like to see cast in the various roles?
Tough one. Maybe Dean Cain, Kyle Chandler, or Tim McGraw as Jake; although somewhat older than the character, maybe Luke Perry as Manny; possibly Janine Turner as Ronni; Sam Elliot, with his deep voice as Mack; hmmm, and maybe Sean Connery as Scotty, although he would have to relearn speaking in a thick brogue.
Finally, if they were to make a movie about your life, what would it be called and who would you want to play you?
I think its title would be something like, “A Comedy of Errors” and although I would prefer someone young, dashing, and handsome, it would probably be a better fit with Barry Bostwick, although Richard Gere has the hair thing going for him.
A special thanks to C. P. Stewart for taking the time to answer my questions and help us start off the new year on a wonderful note. Make sure you check out his book Through the Triangle and his blog.
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