Interview With Author Peter Skeels
Hello Author Peter Skeels, Welcome to WorldAuthors.Org! Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
San Francisco, Ca and now Lake Almanor, Ca
Have you been to any writing conference, and what was your experience like?
No
Have you won any awards for your writing or books?
College writing contest. Decades ago.
Tell us your latest news?
I bought a sauna. This morning I sat in it and watched the morning dawn.
When and why did you begin writing?
I became quite ill in 2017 and 2018, and after emergency surgery my cardiologist and surgeon told they didn’t know how I was still alive. Well, I knew why, and it was to write my stories.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I considered myself a writer as soon as my first novel was accepted for publication.
What inspired you to write Consenting Adult?
I wrote Consenting Adult, and the inspiration was to offer people an alternative list of Commandment with no enforcement.
Do you have a specific writing style?
Yes. I like to write from inside my characters, looking out through their eyes.
How did you come up with the title?
Because there was not going to be any enforcement of my Commandments each adult would have to consent to them.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Yes. The message is found in the Commandants.
How much of the book is realistic?
If fiction is realistic then all of my novel is realistic.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Not for Consenting Adult
What books have most influenced your life most?
I know you asked “books” but these writers influenced my writing the most: Baudelaire, Maupassant, William Golding, William Kennedy, Tolkien, and so SO many!!! And of course my 4 published novels plus the 2 in production influenced me even more than anyone else.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Maupassant
What book are you reading now?
None. I’m writing now, and I rarely read novels when I’m writing.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
No
What are your current projects?
I’m currently writing a series of short stories. It’s easier on me and keeps me sharp.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
Zero support including family. My support comes from my relationship with my god, spelled with a lower case g to differentiate from the religious God.
Do you see writing as a career?
Writing for me is a calling.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
No.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Writing began simply because I wanted to express deep feelings and explain them, and since I’m such a loner the only way to express myself completely was to write.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
I’m writing Short stories. I love the challenge of trying to tell a complex story and convey a theme in under 3000 or 3500 words. A writer must really know their way around sentences to do that.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
My challenge is too get a diverse audience to read and understand the theme of my novel through my characters.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
That’s a hard question. Probably William Kennedy and his novel Ironweed, for which he won the Pulitzer. Kennedy tells the story of both the outside and the inside of his characters. He provides substance. Quite an exceptional writer.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
No
Who designed the covers?
I did.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The editing
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
My novel was based on my personal opinions and my hope for myself and mankind. So, in that regard it was quite cathartic.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Yes. Write your novels, etc., as if you’re telling the story to a close friend. Spell checking, grammar and punctuation will come later in your subsequent drafts.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Yes. Every word in every novel I have written was chosen carefully. Every sentence was written carefully. I tried not to waste my readers time with unnecessary words or vaguely written paragraphs. I believe that my stories offer hope and optimism to all those who have ever suffered and questioned their lives and or the meaning of life. I have really tried to offer an inner path for happiness and optimism.
To know more about Author Peter Skeels and his books, find out more about him on his website and Amazon below:
skeels.org, Amazon