Interview with Alexander Eckley, Author of:  Bestia

Tell us about yourself:

My name is Alexander Eckley, author of the science fiction novel, Bestia, which was recently published by Black Rose Writing. I’m married, and have five kids (two of which are grown and gone from the nest and one that seems to have one foot in the door and one foot out). I’m also “grandpa” to a beautiful 3-year-old grand daughter.

I love spending what little free time I have with my family. Whenever I can, I love to fish, play golf, go camping and, of course, write.

Did you always know you were a writer?

No, not really. As a kid, I loved to read and watch sci-fi type stories, shows & movies. I would find myself imagining my own stories, but never thought about writing them down. As an adult, I noticed that my careers always seemed to lead me in the direction of writing for the companies I worked for. The more I had to write for them, the more I thought about writing for myself or for the entertainment of others. Those thoughts grew stronger and stronger as time passed.

What inspires you to write?

I’m inspired by the thought that something I “created” may actually entertain someone who likes to read. Maybe what I’ve written will move a person to think outside the box. Someone coined the phrase “the what if factor” and I like to think that what I write has a little of that. When you finish reading one of my books for entertainment purposes, maybe you’ll be moved to think…hmm, what if it did or could happen that way?

What challenges do you face when writing and what do you do to overcome them?

My biggest challenge is my day job. I run a small business and have some control over my hours but the work needs to get done. I try to do the things that need to get done every day, no matter what, as early as possible. I also try to forecast and guesstimate the workload for the week. That way, I can schedule days and times that I can safely set aside for writing, knowing that interruptions will be minimal.

Do personal experiences affect your writing? Any examples?

Yes, most definitely. When I’m creating characters for a story, they usually take on the characteristics of friends, family, colleagues, or acquaintances that I actually know in my life. I think it helps me make the character more realistic and true to life.

What advice would you give to people who “run out of creativity” when writing?

I recommend taking a break from writing. Let the story “simmer” for a while and do something else. Taking yourself out of the picture for a while and doing other things that you like to do can sometimes get the creative juices flowing again.

What advice do you have for new aspiring writers?

As soon as you detect that this is really something you want to pursue, start getting educated in the art of writing. Take classes in writing and all that goes along with it. I didn’t and I paid by learning as I went. I’m still learning. I’m willing to bet that if I had gone to school to learn to write, I would have finished my first novel a lot sooner. Don’t get me wrong; I did go to college but I never took classes that had anything to do with writing, other than the required English classes.

If you could work with any author, who would it be and why?

There are so many good science fiction and fantasy writers out there that it would be hard to pick. I suppose if I had to pick one, I’d have to go “old school” and work with Rod Serling. He had such simple stories that were entertaining and that would leave you puzzled and scratching your head. Many of his stories also had that “what if factor,” I mentioned earlier. Stephen King, of course, is another one I would love working with. I think he’s the modern day version of Rod Serling.

Tell us about your recent book (or what you are working on now) and what gave you the idea to start it?

My new novel, Bestia, was actually inspired by a dream I had as a teenager. It was one of those movie-like dreams that seem to go on forever; the kind of dream that if you happen to wake up in the middle of it, you go back to the dream again, once you fall back to sleep. I remembered it vividly when I awoke and I remember telling friends and relatives about it for a long time. Many who heard the dream would make the comment that I should actually write a story about it. I finally did.

Who is your target audience for your recent book and what do you want your readers to take away from the experience?

I don’t really have an age specific target audience as much as I have a target audience for those who love sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. If you like all of that and/or you like stories about UFO’s, you are my target audience, regardless of your age. If you like stories about the apocalypse, you’re my target audience. I know the characters in the book would appeal to young adult, but I think the overall story would appeal to any age group that likes the aforementioned.

Where can fans find your (book/blog/site)?

The name of my new novel is, Bestia. You can find it on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and Black Rose Writing.com. My website is: www.alexandereckley.com and you can follow me on twitter as: scribester52 or on facebook as Alexander Eckley.

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