Featured Interview With Stephen Perkins
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Boston, but experienced a rather idyllic childhood growing up in the rather small working class enclave of Danvers, Massachusetts-what used to be known as old Salem village, where the witch trials took place! The historical richness of old Salem village inspired the magical and occult concepts found in Raging Falcon!
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
From my earliest memories, I always suspected an inclination and propensity for artistic pursuits, including reading, writing, and composing music. I’d never entertained attempting this professionally, until now. Lately, having noticed the success of so many great indie authors-I decided, why not, I can do this too! Life is filled with opportunities, and one should never waste them. Needless to say, I have endeavored a comparatively late start, considering the youthful age of most of my fellow indie authors. But, better late than never! Besides, no matter how old chronologically, I’ll always be young at heart!
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I started reading the classics when young-Dickens, Fitzgerald, Poe, as well as Steven King, H.G. Wells, Orwell. I’ve always been a voracious reader, not just books, but magazines, newspapers, periodicals. I find there is inspiration everywhere. If one is always reading, in combination with observing the interactions of fellow human beings, the phenomenon of writer’s block shall never become truly problematic!
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Raging Falcon is filled with political intrigue and social commentary. Although it has a futuristic, dystopian setting, it is reminiscent of today’s Orwellian political and social climate. Some, may find the content and subject matter controversial. But, the last thing I wanted to do was attempt to rewrite the Hunger Games or Divergent. I believe what I’ve written is original, and from the heart, rather than an attempt to ride the coattails of what is perceived to be commercially successful. I don’t believe one should ever be formulaic. Following your heart will always result in something that rings sincere. Although that approach may not immediately yield stellar sales rankings at Amazon, I believe expressing your own vision is a more sound long term approach. I saw Raging Falcon playing out in my head like a movie, before I even sat down at the laptop. It was then a very simple matter to plot an outline. The first draft came very easily, because I could vividly observe all aspects in my head- characters, settings, as well as the three act story arc. Raging Falcon deals with the life story of Jim Keogh, and how even though life-some would say fate-has dealt him a bad hand, he never wavers from a prevailing feeling of hope. Though he is a tragic figure, he somehow believes there is always a chance at transcendence. Creating this story wasn’t always easy, though. In arriving at a final draft, it then became a struggle to fine tune things, before I felt it was even ready for ‘prime time’ on Amazon. With all the great indie competition out there, particularly in my chosen genre, I wanted to be assured Raging Falcon was the best it could be. Of course, copious amounts of fresh brewed coffee always helps stimulate the creation of good ideas for stories!
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