Featured Interview With Stephen J Carter
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a Canadian (from Toronto) living now in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Something about this northern city makes it a perfect place to write. I write SF and Horror because I ‘escape’ faster through those genres, though Historical fiction also appeals to me. I set my horror novels in Thailand probably because Thais have such a rich supernatural tradition. I’ll likely continue writing and publishing ebooks here until they physically drag me away. As for my work load, ironically I’m far busier now with the daily writing, revising, editing, and promoting than I was in the academic world years ago. Frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way! I’ve written 2 SF titles, 2 Writing skills ebooks, and 1 Horror novella.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
At about age 7 I first binged on reading during a rainy week in a tourist camp. I couldn’t believe there were so many instantly available magic doors that could take me literally anywhere. It was like having my own personal wormhole.
For years I resisted the siren call of the ‘novel’, getting sidetracked with short film production, screenwriting, & teaching to pay the bills.
I didn’t start writing my first novel until age 54!
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love escaping into books by such as Bernard Cornwell, Bobby Adair, Patrick O’Brian, Hugh Howey, L. T. Ryan. A few years ago it was writers like Bernard Cornwell, D. H. Lawrence, Henry Miller, Peter Hamilton. It seems to shift every 7 years or so. My recent favorite genres have been zombie Horror, hard SF, & Historical.
In horror fiction I’ve been inspired more by filmmakers than writers. In SF it’s been Asimov, Clarke, Hamilton, and Heinlein. My last non-fiction book, STORY CRISIS, STORY CLIMAX 2, in the Writing Skills category, was inspired by Robert McKee’s work on screenwriting. In that I try to help writers map out a 3-Act story arc for their novel, and get a handle on the problem / decision arc the hero faces. I’m always looking for ways to help the process of creating story worlds.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
The book I’m finishing up now is INFECTION DAY, a zombie horror novel set in Thailand, Malaysia, & Sumatra. I was struck by how AI & robotics inevitably will mimic human physiology & psychology. From there it seemed to me a zombie apocalypse would resemble a dystopian tech apocalypse. Both are an attack on what it means to be human, and I wanted to explore that overlap. It took about 6 months to finish. I’m excited about releasing this in three parts simultaneously, with Part 1 free.
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