This is the first of Eric’s books that I have read. It won’t be the last. Grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go.

“Today I think of indie publishing as a career choice in its own right. I hope to play in both sandboxes, traditional publishing and indie.” Eric Christopherson 16 December 2010

The Back Flap

San Francisco Homicide detective John Richetti spent part of his childhood living inside an infamous cult known as the People’s Temple. As a boy he’d lost his parents to cult-instigated mass suicide. The memories come flooding back when he investigates the bizarre suicide of a former member of Earthbound, a New Age cult—and suspects murder instead. To uncover the truth he infiltrates the group, along with police psychologist Marilyn Michaelsen.

The new recruits find themselves pushed to their physical and mental limits by a series of sophisticated brainwashing techniques as well as by a cult leader, known only as The Wizard, who appears to possess psychic and paranormal powers. Even the psychologist’s expert knowledge of cults can’t explain The Wizard’s feats, and it isn’t long before John, like his parents before him, surrenders his independence to another . . .

About the Book

It’s my first novel, a thriller. It starts off a crime thriller, becomes a psychological thriller, and ends up a science thriller. Really.

What is the book about?

It’s essentially about cults, how they manage to systematically strip followers of their personal independence. The story provides so much information on how cults operate that a reader could start his or her own cult after finishing it. (Not recommended.)

When did you start writing the book?

At some point in the 1990s.

How long did it take you to write it?

The first draft took nine years. This was the novel I learned to write novels on. And of course I had a full time job and got married in the meantime and so on and so forth,  so there were whole years in which I wouldn’t work on it. Nowadays I manage to write most every day, if only for a couple hours.

Where did you get the idea from?

I had a one-day personal experience with a cult, popularly known as The Moonies. They tried to recruit me. It was disturbing as heck, and the experience stuck with me for over ten years, until the day I decided I’d like to try my hand at novel writing.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I struggled with all of it. My first go at a novel, as I’d said.

What came easily?

Getting up from the computer and doing something else.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

I agree with what Stephen King has written about fictional characters (and came to the same conclusion before I’d read what he’d written). Their sources are: yourself, observations of other people, and sheer imagination. I do take from all three sources, but my best characters are usually based on aspects or dimensions of myself, often the unexplored or undeveloped parts.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

I would hope that all good or great writing influences me on some level. I’ve never tried to imitate another author though. If I were to compare my own work to famous authors in my genre (suspense) then I’d say my style is something akin to Dashiell Hammett’s: spare and lean prose with a certain toughness to it and a nice rhythm binding the words. My current work in progress is altogether different from what I’ve done before, though, and it’s not like Hammett in the slightest.

Do you have a target reader?

Everyone who loves suspense fiction, the great, onion-eating masses. That’s the answer for my previous work, for Crack-Up and Frame-Up as well as The Prophet Motive. My work in progress is aimed more at true book lovers than the casual reader, lovers of language and evocative description.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I work best upon waking up early, breakfast on one side of the computer, a cup of coffee on the other. After dinner my IQ drops fifty points and I veg on the sofa, channel- or web-surfing. This will likely all change next May when my wife delivers twins.  Lord only knows when I’ll write again!

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just Chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I outline a bit less with each book it seems. (I once read that Lawrence Block did the same thing and by now he doesn’t outline his novels at all.) I must’ve had fifty pages worth of outline material for The Prophet Motive, and in the end I never used most of it. For the current work in progress, all I have are half a dozen key plot points and I’m not altogether sure I’ll be using the last few. I do have some extensive character notes, though.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I edit as I go. Probably too much. I can’t seem to move on until I have the scene 90% final. One of these days I’m going to write a whole first draft straight through without stopping, just to see where that gets me. I think the downside to what I do is losing momentum. The upside of polishing highly before moving on is you really know what you have going forward.

Did you hire a professional editor?

No. I think authors ought to be their own editors. If you can’t edit yourself to a great extent, then what are you doing in this business? Learn the freakin’ tools of the trade! I think the only exception here should be made for dyslexic authors. I say that having several dyslexic relatives in my family. (Stephen J. Cannell was a successful dyslexic author. It can be done.) Sure we all need Beta readers, and it would be nice to have a copy editor too, but that’s only to tweak the text, polish it. You need more help than that, then stop laughing at author Paris Hilton because you’ve a lot in common.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Silence only, please. (Think my newborn twins will cooperate?)

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

Yes. But my novels haven’t sold to the major publishers yet. I’m on my third agent by now, and Frame-Up is currently making the rounds in New York. It’s out now with Elmore Leonard’s former editor and with the guy who publishes Lawrence Block. Major league fastballs coming my way, in other words, and yes, it’s an honor to get this far (as well as intimidating).

What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

During the summer of 2009 I somehow caught a whiff of the cultural zeitgeist and self-published my thriller, Crack-Up, which has sold very well, reaching the Amazon top 100 both in the USA and UK and even attracting some Hollywood interest in the film rights (which has since petered out, I’m sorry to report). My original intent was to generate renewed interest in the novel among the major publishers who hadn’t bought the book when my agent submitted it all over New York. That’s what happened to Boyd Morrison, and I’d recently read about his story. (He couldn’t sell his book to the major publishers until his literary agent informed them of all his self-published Kindle sales.) Today I think of indie publishing as a career choice in its own right. I hope to play in both sandboxes, traditional publishing and indie.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?

I know a guy. He does indie book covers as a hobby. His fee is fairly reasonable.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

No marketing plan. I don’t do marketing much at all, especially lately. This is my first marketing effort of any kind in probably two months. I’m focused on the work in progress, and believe it or not, it gets boring after awhile talking about yourself.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Don’t publish too soon. You’ll help give all indies a bad name. Write about a million words first and you should be good to go.

About You

Where did you grow up?

New England. Go Celtics!

Where do you live now?

Semi-rural Ohio. Previous stops in Texas, North Carolina, Washington, DC, Southern California, Beijing and Yunnan province in China, and Tennessee. I think we’ll be here raising kids for the next twenty years, though, as my wife is now a tenure track professor at the local college.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I used to be good looking. But that was thirty pounds ago.

What are you working on now?

A Gothic historical thriller set in 1919 New York City. It’s tentatively called: Fortress of Ephemera. My goal is to finish it before the twins arrive. I better get back to work.

End of Interview

You can find the Prophet Motive here.