Ted Weber interview
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
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When did your love of books begin?
I’ve always liked
reading. Most people stop reading fiction as adults, sadly, but I still read as
much as I can.
When did you start to have the wish to become an author?
I’ve pursued writing
and music since childhood, and learned filmmaking and screenwriting in college,
along with physics and ecology. Trapped at home during the
"Snowmageddon" of 2010, I transformed those interests into novel
writing, and have been doing that ever since.
How have you found the process for becoming an author?
The hardest part of writing is sitting down
every morning (in my case) and getting into the flow of writing. Perhaps it’s
the hardest part of any journey: to begin. Persistence is a huge challenge. It
takes a year or two to write and edit a novel, and even a novella takes time.
Then there’s publishing—it’s a challenge finding a publisher, especially
without an agent.
It’s helpful to interact with other
writers, to identify manuscript problems you might miss, to grow as a writer,
and for the social aspect. I am in two critique groups. I also solicit feedback
from beta readers, who are mostly other writers.
What would you say to those wanting to become an author?
1.
Write something every day,
preferably at a set time.
2.
Make a list of ideas (I like to
add to this first thing in the morning).
3.
Finish things.
4.
Join a critique group and get
feedback on your writing.
5.
Never be afraid that your work
isn’t good enough.
6.
Read books on the elements of
storytelling, and recognize you’ll always have new things to learn.
7.
Have fun.
Also remember writing is not a pathway to
riches. Only a tiny fraction of authors can support a family on solely a
writing income. Furthermore, it takes time and hard work to master the craft of
writing. My advice is, write what you want to write, not what you think will
sell. Write sincerely, and plumb the depths of human nature. Edit until you
have a finely polished gem. Writing is art. It is a calling. Eventually someone
will discover your genius—for we are all geniuses in our own way—and who knows
what will happen next?
Tell us about your book/books:
The Survivors
My most recent book is a post-apocalyptic
cli-fi horror novella titled The Survivors. In a calamitous future,
runaway climate change has made the planet nearly uninhabitable. Civilization
has collapsed, and every day is a struggle. Lucy, a young mother of two, dreams
of a better life by bringing back vanished knowledge. But the rest of her group
is focused only on day-to-day survival—at any price. When a deadly hurricane
destroys their home, Lucy’s group is forced on the road, where they must cope
with hunger, searing temperatures, and vicious rivals. And their nightmare is
just beginning…
The War for Reality (Sleep State
Interrupt, The Wrath of Leviathan, and Zero-Day Rising)
The BetterWorld near-future cyberpunk
trilogy comprises three of my four novels published prior to The Survivors.
While the books are still available individually from See Sharp Press, I
recently released an ebook compilation of all three books plus added material,
titled The War for Reality.
In the series, a giant media corporation (MediaCorp)
has taken over the Internet, created an addictive virtual reality called
BetterWorld, and controls nearly all information. Politicians do their bidding,
and a brainwashed humanity serves a privileged few.
The first volume, Sleep State Interrupt, was
a Compton Crook Award finalist for best first science fiction novel. Waylee
Freid, an unemployed Baltimore journalist with ever-worsening bipolar disorder,
and Charles, a teenage hacker from public housing, seek to wake up the world
and bring about a brighter future. They must sneak into a closed presidential
fundraiser, record incriminating admissions, and broadcast it during the Super
Bowl. But to do so, they must avoid a huge manhunt and break into one of the
most secure facilities ever built.
In the second volume, The Wrath of Leviathan, Waylee faces life in
prison. Exiled in Brazil, her young sister Kiyoko and their hacker friends
continue the fight. But MediaCorp and their government allies may quash the
rebellion before it takes off. And unknown to Kiyoko and her friends, a team of
ruthless mercenaries is after them, and closing in fast.
In the final volume, Zero-Day Rising,
the group is reunited and set on bringing down President Rand and MediaCorp.
However, MediaCorp unleashes their ultimate plan: direct mind control with
cerebral implants. Can Kiyoko and Waylee’s team stop them? Can they penetrate
MediaCorp’s networks and end the company’s grip over humanity? All
while eluding the biggest manhunt in history, in a country where everyone and
everything is under surveillance?
Born in Salt
I also have an alternate history
novel out titled Born in Salt. Fifty years after a coup replaced President
Franklin D. Roosevelt with a fascist dictatorship, America is a land of
hopelessness. Ben Adamson, a 19-year-old farm boy in southern Illinois, wants
only to spend his time fishing and hunting. But when his dead brother demands
justice for his suspicious fate, Ben and Rachel, his brother’s fiancée, are
drawn into an underground revolutionary movement.
After staging a rally against
the war, Ben and Rachel are arrested by the Internal Security Service, who have
perfected the science of breaking people. Ben is given a choice: betray the
rebels, including his best friend from childhood, or Rachel will be lobotomized.
Although traumatized and
addicted to a powerful drug, Ben refuses to doom anyone he cares about. Can he
find a third option? Can he free Rachel and strike back at the dictatorship,
while dodging the suspicions of police and rebels alike?
Upcoming books
As of this writing, I have a
political satire, The Council, coming out soon on Solstice Publishing. I
am also working on an alternate history spy thriller (title TBD) and possibly
the first-ever seapunk adventure (The Others).
What do you love about the writing/reading community?
Writing is a very
introverted process—it’s entirely inside your head. As I mentioned above, it’s
helpful to interact with other writers, not just to grow as a writer, but for
the social aspect. We humans are social creatures, after all. If you’re reading
this, feel free to connect on Twitter or other social media. And if you want to
join my beta reader team, please let me know! 😊
If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?
Climate
change threatens the very survival of civilization. It’s happening now with
extreme heat waves, massive fires, storms, mega-droughts, and zoonotic
pandemics, and is projected to get much, much worse without immediate action.
We need to stop burning coal and oil, and must protect and restore the world’s
forests and other ecosystems. We also need to stop poaching wildlife and
selling them in markets where they can spread zoonotic diseases like Covid-19.
Where can people connect with you?
You can find me at https://www.tcweber.com/ . The website
contains links to my books, free short stories and novel excerpts, writing
tips, and a couple of drink recipes. It also has a contact form and my social
media links. Thanks for reading!
Here are some of my social media links:
·
Twitter: https://twitter.com/savethereefs
·
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15548787.T_C_Weber
·
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN5yA42ewy7OMleBIL9pMsg
·
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t_warbler/
·
Discord: Burrow_Owl#9671
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