Showing posts with label Peter J. Wacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peter J. Wacks. Show all posts

Sunday, July 10, 2011

13 Questions with...Peter J. Wacks






1. You’re hosting a dinner party. What is the menu, and do you cook it yourself, or do you call a caterer?
The menu would depend on the guests, and I would absolutely cook it myself, unless a guest asked to cook (my circle of friends do take turns, mine is just the usual gathering spot.)
2. What is your beverage of choice?
Coffee, then water.  I rarely drink anything else.  When I was in my 20s I realized that my love of white russians could quickly lead me down a Bukowski-like path, and opted against it.)
3. Physical book Vs an E-Reader. Your preference and why?
Physical Book, all the way.  A hard copy absorbs the warmth of the hand, the scent of the reader during the various moods provoked by the reading...  The sensory experience of the reading is more than the views in the minds eye.
4. What kinds of books make up your personal library?
With over 6,000 books in my condo, there are few genres I do not have.
5. How and when did you catch the writing bug?
At age 6, I decided to tell my Mom the bedtime story instead, and never looked back.
6. What is your writing routine?
That is another odd one.  it really differs on a day to day basis.  Sometimes I need noise and activity around me, sometimes quiet.  I do not have a set routine other than taking the time to write SOMETHING each day.
7. If you ever encounter writer’s block, what steps do you take to get past it?
Write.  Even if it is trash, the only thing that beats it is to write.
8. Do you have a hidden talent?
Many.

9. What was your best subject in school?
My grades were actually fairly consistent across the board.  I have always enjoyed learning about anything and everything I can.
10. As in any entertainment, there are current trends. How much do these “current trends” influence what you write?
I do try to avoid current trends.  As a small press writer I am able to avoid trending, though I have no doubt that as I grow in readership I will encounter publishers wanting specific things from me in terms of writing to trends.
11. Mac or PC?
Both.
12. Where do your ideas come from?
Hmm.  I’m not sure I really know.  I do know they start small and incomplete, then evolve as I put thought into them.
13 What advice would you pass on to an aspiring author?
1) Finish the project.  Go back and revise later, just finish it first. 2)You know if you are good.  3) If you aren't good, keep writing.  No one starts great, you have to practice to get good.  4) Research the heck out of HOW you want to get published.  The more time you put into that research, the less likely you are to have regrets about the path you take.



Monday, July 4, 2011

Review: Second Paradigm

Second Paradigm
by
Peter J.Wacks
Available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Good evening constant reader.
In a nutshell, if you like fast-paced time travelling science fiction with a plot that's fun to follow (How many times have I ever said that about a science fiction novel?  Never.), and interesting characters, not to mention some food for thought regarding the nature of time, then this book is for you.



Packed with action, we follow members of the Time Corp as they try to manipulate time to keep paradoxes from occurring that would literally rip holes in time.  Add one confused Dr. Chris Nost, who isn't sure why he's on trial for something he doesn't think he did; one Alexander Zarth who may or may not be a good guy...or is he a bad guy?...and add in a host of supporting characters who move in and out of time and you've got a fantastic read.

The book starts out with a topsy turvy trial that does not go like anyone thinks it should and then the action takes off.
I don't want to give too much away, all I can say is Second Paradigm is a well thought out time travel science fiction novel, well- written, and can stand up there with the best science fiction novels out there.
I'm not one for time travel as a theme, I'll admit that.  It hurts my brain sometimes, and even though Second Paradigm flips from one point in time to another, I didn't feel like a lost ball in the tall weeds.

Peter J. Wacks presents some interesting theory on time travel, positing some quantum physics as he goes.
If he didn't do a lot of research for this book, I'd be surprised.  If he did, he certainly knows how to present complicated theory well.
What could have been confusing and dry was fun to sink my teeth into and whetted my appetite for more from Wacks.  I know lately on his Facebook he's  been talking about writing.  I hope so, because anyone who can pull off this subject matter and make it entertaining needs to be writing.

I'm a hard nut to crack when it comes to time travel.  It usually gets so tangled up it irritates me to the point of not caring.  Second Paradigm is so well written, it didn't do that.  It was entertaining, suspenseful - hell I learned something about time travel and gained some new perspective on time and how I think about it.
If Peter J. Wacks does NOT write any more, I'm going to find him and kick him.  You've been warned Mr. Wacks!


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