Ask the Author: Paul Boulet
Answered Questions (5)
Paul Boulet
Serial Murders of Mars came from a lot of different sources, too numerous for anything short of an essay. For those who are looking, you’ll see some Voltaire and Verne strewn about in those pages. How could you not given the genera? Did anyone find Harry Blount familiar? Also, you might find some Lord Byron lurking behind the mask of a different name. If anyone has an eye for the “true crime” aspects, how about references to one of the most notorious serial killer in US history? (Note, spoiler omitted.) In truth, there’s some concrete inspiration derived from my employment in corporate America which offers as much material for a good horror story as any other.
Paul Boulet
Inspiration is a process that craves input and, at least for me, a scatter fire approach works best. It can take almost any form; imagery, concepts, media, dialogue, conflict, etc. It really just needs a supply, a delivery channel and an eye to stop and let it hit you when it comes along. I purpose myself to be inspired and therefore surround myself with such channels. My issue is the time required to take all the input and craft it into something entertaining, i.e. like the written word. At least I’ve found a few such opportunities with more to come.
Paul Boulet
I always work in the concept of “series” so I do have two more novels that follow (or I should say augments) Serial Murders of Mars. Though for now, I’ve moved on to a five-book series based on research into the possible aftermath of a large-scale nuclear war. It’s a bit unfortunate, but Charles Pellegrino wrote a very excellent work called “The Last Train to Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back,” now reedited under the title, “To Hell and Back.” I’ll leave the book’s controversy aside and say I found the account life changing and subsequently read a large number of related books. More to come shortly. Aside from that, I’m always working on short stories and recently some copy for interactive storytelling, i.e. video/mobile gaming. Hopefully you’ll be seeing a lot more added to this page in due time.
Paul Boulet
I’ve never really experienced writers’ block as much as “dissatisfaction block.” I sincerely thank William Gibson so is credited as saying, “You must learn to overcome your very natural and appropriate revulsion for your own work.” I find this very freeing when at the stage where I’m pouring a concept from head to keyboard. That flows nicely into the phase where I experience the revulsion of endless iterative rewrites. Somewhere thereafter lies the overcoming stage when I surmount the block and move on to the next passage. It seems like I always have concepts offering plenty of new opportunities to overcome.
Paul Boulet
I’ll keep it short as I could go on & on. I didn’t really lean to love reading until junior high but when I did I dove in full-throttle; novels, short stories, personal letters, everything. I have a very vivid memory of finding a book of Native American lore at a yard sale and devouring every story. I still love everything related to myth across the landscape of ancient & modern religion. My father influenced me to read sci-fi classics; Asimov, Clarke, Niven, Heinlein but it really culminated when I started reading anything and everything written by Frank Herbert. Of course, Dune is the novel series that immediately comes to mind but the Worship and Consentiency novels are also great reading. Yet, while at university, my appetite for literature evolved moving me toward Orwell, Vonnegut, Faulkner and on & on. Now it’s hard to tell as all this has all merged together internally. Is that the answer you were looking for? And, thanks for asking.
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