Interview With Caleb Peiffer
Why don’t you begin by
sharing a little about yourself.
The first chapter book I read as a kid was Beverly Cleary's The Mouse and the Motorcycle. That was it for me. I knew I wanted to be a writer. And I never stopped wanting it. So I wrote fan fiction for a long time. Then when I was seventeen I wrote my first novel, and published independently the next year. That was only four years ago. Since then I've written four more novels and a slew of short stories. At times, I'm more productive than at others. But the only trick I know is to keep going, and never stop.
Could you tell us a bit
about your latest book?
Tortured Worlds is a
collection of five short stories, landing across the spectrum of speculative
fiction. One's post-apocalyptic, one's alien contact, one's dystopian, one's
fantasy, and one's sort of hard to define, pan-genre if you will. So they're
all very different. I even wrote some of them years apart. But the thread that
links these stories together is the pain the characters experience, and
overcome. They're all tortured in some way, and that's the root of their
conflicts. It's a loose connection, but I like it that way.
Why did you decide to
write in the speculative fiction genre?
When I started out writing fan fiction, they'd usually be
adventures, mostly fantasy. Then I gradually moved in a science fiction
direction. My first three novels were mysteries, and that was a new genre for
me but it was one I'd read the most of. And now that I was writing seriously,
science fiction started calling me back, and I came running. I think what
appeals to me about it its big-picture view: if this is what the world looks
like now, what could it lead to next, or what must have come before to bring it
here? You have free range to speculate. That's why sci-fi is often called
speculative fiction.
You write in several
genres. Do you have a favourite? And if so, why?
No, I don't think I do. If I had a favorite genre, it would be
pan-genre, stories with a little bit of everything. Because I can't choose just
one. I love mysteries, and I love high fantasy and fairy tales, and I love
science fiction. If I ever tried to settle down in one and just write that
forever, I'd drive myself crazy. I like keeping my horizons broad.
What did you hope to
accomplish by publishing your book?
I think every writer writes for two main reasons:
self-expression, and entertainment. Most writers I know turn to stories because
they don't have many other outlets to express themselves creatively. And every
writer wants to entertain their readers, and themselves. So those are the
reasons. But then there's the hopes. I hope to touch people and affect their
lives through my writing, even in some small way. I guess with Tortured Worlds, what I hope for most is
that it will find its way to someone in a dark place, and that they'll find an
uplifting message in one of my stories. I want people like them to know that
darkness doesn't last forever, and dragons can be slain.
Can you tell us about
your writing process? Where do your ideas originate? Do you have a certain
writing routine?
I try to write every day. I used to be very good at that, and
even now that I have less free time on my hands, I still do the best I can. If
I didn't, then all these ideas floating around in my head would be trapped
there forever, and eventually I'd go out of my mind. As for where the ideas
come from, who knows? They come from connections, I can tell you that much.
Putting little pieces of your experiences together in new ways. They come from
the everyday what-ifs. Sometimes they come to me while I'm watching TV or
reading a book, and I'll think, "What if the story had happened this
way?" or "What if this character was like this instead?" And
then, an idea is born.
Do you have a favourite
author, or writing inspiration?
Oh, definitely. Many different ones. When it comes to mystery,
Agatha Christie inspired me the most, hands-down. For fantasy it was Baum and
Tolkien, and the likes of them. C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy has been the
strongest influence on my science fiction. And when it comes to my writing in
general, I already mentioned that Beverly Cleary was the first one to inspire
me. But the number one writer, or artist I should say, who has influenced me
the most, isn't even a novelist. Bill Watterson, author of the Calvin and Hobbes comic series, is the
most masterful artist I know, and has always been my greatest creative
inspiration.
What advice would you
give beginning writers?
Write more. Write everything you can. And write patiently.
Don't get discouraged, and don't stop. You'll never regret writing something, I
can guarantee you that. You'll never look back and say, "Man, if only I
hadn't written that." But you will look back and regret not having written
more. So keep writing.
What’s your next
project? Any upcoming book secrets you care to reveal?
Well, I have a fairy tale that I think will appeal to both
children and adults in the works. The first draft is written, now it just needs
to go through the rigorous process of editing and rewriting. I also have a lot
more speculative short stories I'm working on. I'm definitely planning to put a
few more collections out there this year.
About the Author:
Caleb Peiffer writes mystery, fantasy, science fiction, or just about anything. Growing up, he always wanted to write, so now that's what he does. When he's not writing, he's reading, or planning what to write next. He lives in paradise on the east coast of Florida. Get to know him at CalebPeiffer.com
A post-apocalyptic winter, superpowered aliens, a machine that controls the planets' movement, immortal love, and voices echoing from nowhere. These are just some of the things that torture the worlds you'll find in these stories.
The Tortured Worlds collection features five stories of science fiction and fantasy
You can find his new speculative fiction story collection Tortured Worlds on Amazon, and don't forget it's on free promotion March 5th and 6th.
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