How did you get started?
What would eventually become the EARTHER'S BIOGRAPHY started when I was very young. Some of my earliest sci-fi memories are the original Star Trek, Lost in Space, Space Giants, and of course Star Wars. These plus my lifelong fascination with flight inspired many scenes and short stories that eventually wove into a single story that continues evolving and growing to this day.
What type of writer are you? Do you plan ahead/plot or do you simply fly by the seat of your pants?
Both. VISIONS OF EDEN began as MOEBIUS, a work that took me over ten years and ountless rewrites because of the story's ongoing evolution and my improving writing skills. I wrote that from an idea where I wanted the story to go but with little formal planning. For FORWARD UNTO YESTERDAY, my coauthor, Susan Erace, and I began by the seat of our pants, chatting on the phone as we wrote. The crazy patchwork that resulted took a few years to sculpt into its
final form. By contrast, I wrote APOCALYPSE in 90 days from start to finish. To do that, I worked with a close friend, working out the characterization and flow then dictated my thoughts into a microcassette. My friend then transcribed the tape into a word processor and I threw the meat on the bones. Interestingly enough, APOCALYPSE is the best book of the EARTHER'S BIOGRAPHY series so far- but then, I haven't begun serious work on AWAKENING yet. Based on this experience, I've become a firm believer in laying out a solid framework and building a bulletproof outline before beginning to work on the prose itself.
Do you write best at a certain time of the day?
Late nights are wonderful. My wife and son are asleep and all is silent. I can sit and concentrate and can sometimes crank out a few thousand words at a sitting. If I need a certain mood, I can put on music or bring up images that evoke what I'm trying to capture.
What type of writing schedule do you have?
Ad hoc, to put it mildly. I write in long spurts then back off to tend to daily life for a while. I do hope to be able to devote increasing amounts of time to my writing going forward.
How do you handle life interruptions?
Head on. My life has two distinct components: putting food on the table today and building my professional writing career. I write when I have both time and inspiration (deadlines make pretty powerful inspirations).
Do you get blocked? Any hints how to stave it off?
Rarely. When I do find myself blocked, it's usually over some detail instead of an entire scene. I may be unable to lock down what's driving a character at a given moment or unsure about how to
describe something. I find that music and images help. For example, if I'm writing a military scene, I might put on a set of marches. A space scene might call for Holt's The Planets and so forth. Image wise, I have a number of images of actors, people, and animals, each of which reminds me of a certain character. If I get stuck, I simply gaze at the appropriate image and imagine myself conversing with my character.
What authors do you look to as a role model and inspiration?
Isaac Asimov. His body of work tells one story, that of mankind's ascension to the stars, fall, and rebirth. I hope to emulate that in my own work, where each series (I have two series planned after the EARTHER's BIOGRAPHY is complete) contributes to one grand story. Frederik Pohl's Heechee Saga is another great inspiration since it's also a fictional biography. Catherine Asaro, David Brin, Robert Heinlein, Frank Herbert, Larry Niven, Tolkien, Arthur C. Clarke- Each one of them and many others have shaped science fiction in some way and I admire every one of them.
What's the best advice you ever received?
Of all the advice I've received, two tidbits stand out. First, I must write for myself. There was a time when I kept rewriting MOEBIUS (which became VISIONS OF EDEN) to satisfy an editor's comments. I continued until my agent remarked that it looked like a patchwork quilt
of other people's work. One comprehensive rewrite later, my first novel finally sold.The second piece of advice was to break my trilogy of huge novels into five smaller novels. This would allow me to insert cliffhanger endings and package the story in "feature length" chunks that readers would find more accessible. The idea of viewing my work both as art and as products was new to me back then but I've come to embrace that viewpoint. When writing, authors must keep their art in mind and be true to it and themselves. That said, they can never lose sight of their readers.
What sparks a story?
What doesn't? A movie, a book, a conversation, a sunset, a passerby- Life is full of millions of stories waiting to become part of some larger stories. My own life is the basis behind most of my writing. Old friends tell me that they see a lot of me in David Johnson (my hero). In a way, David's my alter ego.
What was it about your genre that interested you enough to choose to write in it and not in another genre?
No other genre is so liberating. I don't have to conform to a period of history, to this planet, the laws of physics, anything. Where most genres are restrictive, science fiction embraces freedom of creativity.
Have you seen an evolution in your writing? What steps did it take?
My writing has certainly evolved, thank goodness. I took short story and novel writing courses at a local community college and learned a lot. But mainly, my skills have been honed much like any other skill: practice, practice, practice. And great editors.
What have you always dreamed of writing, but haven't yet?
Sequels to the EARTHER'S BIOGRAPHY series. So far, I have loose plans for the EARTHER'S DAUGHTER series of 3-4 books that continues the story where the preceding 5 books end. After that, I'd like to write the 8-12 book ANCESTORS series that goes back to the very beginning of the story. Sort of like George Lucas did with the Star Wars films. After that, who knows? All this depends on how the first series does, however. With the first five books practically complete, my job now is to ensure there's enough demand to keep going.
What one thing do you like most about writing? Least?
Most? The verbal sculpture of painting a picture and compelling story. Least? Writer's block. It happens rarely and I have solid coping methods, but sometimes it does admittedly get the better of me.
What is your next project?
I will soon be working on final publisher's edits for FORWARD UNTO YESTERDAY, Book 2 of the EARTHER'S BIOGRAPHY.
What advice would you pass along at this point in your career?
Honestly, the two pieces of advice I received above helped me so much that I believe all serious writers must embrace them: To thine own self be true, and never forget that you're writing for an audience.
Before becoming an author, Anthony was the Documentation Manager for a 3D software company and authored over 30 technical manuals for diverse audiences. Previously, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve as a marine engineer aboard a rescue boat, owned a small flight school, and managed a telecommunications company.
He is an avid science fiction reader and writer and enjoys astronomy & cosmology, 3D computerized art, movies, and the outdoors. He is a CPR instructor, former volunteer firefighter, and a private pilot. He lives in Ashland, Oregon with his wife Robyn, son Logan, and three dogs.
His greatest writing influences are Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, Frederik
Pohl, and David Weber. "All the Asimov novels I've read, whether standalone
or part of a series (such as the Foundation series), tell part of the same
grand story," says Anthony. "Man reaches the stars, colonizes the
galaxy, falls, and begins rebuilding. I hope to tell my own sweeping story
through several series of books, of which the EARTHER'S BIOGRAPHY is only
the beginning. Frank Herbert's DUNE series, Weber's HONOR HARRINGTON series,
and Pohl's HEECHEE SAGA all tell stories about ordinary characters
swept up by extraordinary events. Likewise, the EARTHER'S BIOGRAPHY draws
heavily on my own life and people near me to tell the story of David Johnson,
a very average Earther, who goes on to achieve great- though not necessarily
good- things."
In addition to writing, Anthony is also heavily involved in creating visuals
for and based on his novels, including commissioning sketches of some key
characters, modeling spacecraft in 3D, and creating his own book covers. Much
of his modeling is done using Rhino 2.0. For his book covers, Anthony used
a combination of Poser, Bryce, and Photoshop. "I've had these images
floating in my head as long as I can remember," he explains. "3D
modeling finally allowed me to really see my visions."
VISIONS OF EDEN, BOOK ONE OF THE EARTHER'S BIOGRAPHY:
During a routine voyage to Mars, David Johnson and his sister Eva accidentally fall through a hole in space. They emerge into the New Federation of Worlds, fifteen thousand unspoiled planets inhabited by fourteen Sentient species. Can they return home? Will he escape his
past? Is there a link between their home and the New Federation? David's quest to save the Earth has begun.The EARTHER'S BIOGRAPHY continues with FORWARD UNTO YESTERDAY, coming December, 2003 with advance orders being taken in June, 2003. Visit www.sarcha.com today to buy VISIONS OF EDEN and learn more about the rest of the series!
Writer's Niche |
Author Interviews |
Writing Articles |
Industry News
Chat | Scribes
World | Email
Webmaster
| Page designed by: | ©2005 Scribes World Lisa Ramaglia |
| Web Design by Lisa Ramaglia ~Web Pages at Affordable Prices |
 |
