Independent Author Interview: Eric B. Thomasma

Eric B. Thomasma is the author of SEAMS 16: A New Home. After reading the novel, I was blown away by the realness of his characters (and especially by the relationship between Charlie and Susan). Thomasma has a knack for dialogue, which only aides in the grounding of this sci-fi adventure. Read the full review here.

SEAMS 16: A New Home shares the otherworldly story of Charlie and Susan Samplin. Previously down on his luck, Charlie is offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to work as a technician for SEAMS 16 off planet. What inspired you to create this story?

The original inspiration was from a dream I had, but the resulting story bears no resemblance to that dream. None-the-less it was the catalyst that got me started. Different elements of the story were inspired by different sources.

My early career life consisted of several different jobs, for several different employers, none lasting more than a couple years and several only nine or ten months, so I could easily relate to being in uninspiring and/or unchallenging jobs, but I’ve also had some decent employers. I infused the S.E.A. with the attributes I found most attractive in each of the employers I’ve had.

We’ve all worked with that guy. You know the one, full of himself, dismissive of criticism, arrogant and annoying. And inevitably you have to follow his orders.

Charlie and Susan’s relationship was inspired by my marriage to my wife, Therese, (we just celebrated our 32^nd anniversary). Let me be clear. I am not Charlie and Therese is not Susan. But I believe successful, long-term relationships share certain traits, and Charlie and Susan deserve a long and happy marriage.

Charlie and Susan have an incredible relationship and you’ve successfully created two characters that develop throughout the story. What is the importance of real characters in science fiction? Do you believe this broadens your intended audience?

“Real” characters are absolutely required for any story, but particularly in science fiction. Sci-fi characters tend to be larger than life because they usually live in a setting that is outside of the reader’s experience. But even larger than life characters need to be seen as real, on some level, in order for a reader to relate or care about them. I’ve always thought that the best heroes are ordinary people that manage to do extraordinary things when thrust into unfortunate events. They do what they do, not because they are seeking glory, but because they feel it’s what they must do, given the circumstances.

While I enjoy sci-fi, many of my family and friends prefer other genres, and I wanted to tell a story that they would find interesting, maybe even compelling. But I learned in a past writing attempt, that I have to write within my experience and knowledge base, and sci-fi fits that better than any other genre.

What is your background and why science fiction?

My background is primarily in electricity, electronics, and computers. I have been a journeyman electrician for over 20 years and have worked as a technician installing and/or servicing alarm systems, telephone systems, factory control systems, and computer systems for even longer. I’ve also hobbied in computer programming and video production. Obviously, I am fascinated by technology, and it’s the reason I write sci-fi, but I’ve also held non-tech jobs. I’ve been a retail sales clerk, delivered furniture and building materials, mopped floors, cleaned golf clubs, and pumped gas. None of these involved much writing, but offered a wealth of interpersonal relationships from which to draw when developing my characters. Although, one can’t point to any one character and directly relate them to someone in my life, (past or present), nearly everyone should be able to find something in at least one of my characters to relate to.

Is SEAMS 16 your first novel? If so, what can readers expect from you in the future? If not, what other works have you created?

It is my first completed novel. Several years ago I started writing a story for my niece, Amanda. It was supposed to be a story about a girl and a horse, (her passion), but it didn’t take long to realize that I know nothing about horses and even less about teenage girls. (My wife and I raised two sons and no daughters.) Without adequate research and knowledge it quickly morphed into a parallel universe type sci-fi story. Unfortunately, I wrote myself into a corner and ultimately abandoned that story. I am currently working on a sequel to A New Home, continuing the lives of Charlie and Susan aboard SEAMS16. I’m hoping to have it completed in time for the holidays.

What is your writing style? Do you write with an audience in mind? Are you a morning writer or evening writer? Do you outline?

My writing style is to just type whatever comes into my head next. As I mentioned before, A New Home started with a dream. I woke up and outlined what I could remember of it. But when I started writing, the story took on a life of it’s own and the outline became meaningless almost immediately. Through much of the story, I did not know what was going to happen next. My favorite example of this is one point in A New Home, the chapter ends with alarms sounding, emergency doors have snapped shut and emergency lighting has kicked in. As I was writing it, I had no idea what caused all of that to occur. Fortunately, by the time I sat down to continue the story, the reasons had come to me.

I write whenever I can, morning, noon, or night. I try to write at least a little each day. Even when I don’t know what to say, I just force something out. This usually needs rewriting later, but at least it keeps me going and continues the story. I don’t think too much about an audience, because, in a very real sense, I am the audience. I did want it to be interesting for adults, but the inspiration for Skeet was my, then, 13 year old niece, Tara, so I wanted to make sure that I would be comfortable letting her read it when it was complete.

SEAMS 16 is well edited. Did you self edit or employ the help of others? What was this process like for you?

I don’t believe anyone can properly edit their own work. I originally asked my niece, Linda, to proofread/edit for me, and she started to, but as a full time student going after both her masters and doctorate at the same time, she just didn’t have the time. In my arrogance, I went ahead and published as-is, since publish on demand allows the ability to correct any errors for future printings. When I received my first print, I discovered several sections where a different font was used for no apparent reason. The fonts were close enough that I couldn’t see it on the screen, but it was obvious in print. More errors became apparent and I continued making and uploading changes until I got to the point where I thought I was done.

My sister, Pat, (Linda’s mother), had offered to proofread it for me, so I asked her to give it a once-over before uploading my “final” version. I am blessed with a sister who held an English minor in college, edits a newsletter for her local historical society, and has edited other organizational newsletters in the past. She credits our mother for her knowledge of, and interest in, proper sentence structure. (And here I thought she was just nagging, all those times she corrected my grammar. Thanks Mom.) Pat’s husband, Carl, is the former editor of a nationally published newsletter, who worked writing articles and proofreading for his town’s local daily newspaper during college. They worked together to do the editing, talking things over, sometimes arguing until they were both satisfied. It was a somewhat humbling experience when I received my manuscript file back, so full of yellow highlighting. In reality, there were relatively few errors, repeated dozens of times throughout the book. So I was wrong, but consistent. The errors were primarily punctuation, (specifically commas), so very little of the actual text was changed, but the changes certainly made it easier to read. There were a few things that were highlighted that I disagreed on, so I discussed them with my “editors”, some I changed once I understood their reasons, some remained the same after they understood mine. There was one minor plot point that my sister felt wasn’t true to the character, and after re-reading it, I agreed. So I re-wrote what amounted to two sentences and it kept the major plot point in tact, while bringing the minor point in line with the character. I also received some feedback from fellow writers/self-publishers that helped me with the formatting to give it a more professional look.

I think it’s important that you work with your editor(s), and pay attention to any feedback you receive. Only you know what you’re trying to say in your story, but your editor(s) and others are in a better position to tell you if you’re really communicating what you’re trying to say.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I don’t think of myself as a writer. I’ve written a story and published it in a book, but to me, being a writer implies far more than that. I wouldn’t know where to begin to write a newspaper or magazine article or column. I don’t have a clue how to write a script or screenplay. I feel completely inadequate to review someone else’s work, and I would be hard pressed to fulfill an assigned writing task. (My teachers would attest to that.) I think of myself as a storyteller, and I’ve been telling stories longer than I can remember. I once wrote a fantasy story for my children that I’m thinking of digging up and after some cleanup, partner with my brother to do illustrations and publish as a children’s book.

What authors have inspired you?

It would be easy to list off a few names like Heinlein, Clarke, or Bradbury, but the truth is that I’ve been more inspired by the likes of Gene Roddenberry and Irwin Allen. It was television that captured and developed my interest in sci-fi (and more generally technology). That interest led me to read the books written by those listed earlier, as well as others, but I was not inspired to write by them.

Okay, maybe I was inspired to write by William Shatner (yes, the real Captain James T. Kirk), after all, if he can write novels, anyone can, right? So, why not me? I’m kidding, of course. I think Mr. Shatner’s Star Trek novels are quite enjoyable.

My true inspiration to write comes from the fact that I am surrounded by readers. My wife, my children, my mother, sister, and brothers, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews: readers everywhere I look. These are the people that inspire me and these are the people I want to write for.

What are your thoughts on being an independent author? Did you immediately self publish or first attempt the traditional route?

When I finished my book, I tried to find information on getting it published through traditional means, but I was woefully ignorant of that process, and there is so much conflicting information on the internet that I didn’t know who or what to believe. Publish On Demand seemed to be the only way that I would ever get to see my story in print, so that’s the way I went. But if I got a half-decent offer from a traditional publisher, I’d take it in a heartbeat. POD services make seeing your work in print easy, and the results can be as good as any traditionally published book. But if you want to make a commercial effort with your writing, then there is a lot of work needed beyond writing the story and getting it in print. Actually getting bookstores to order it and getting readers to buy it is a lot of hard work, requiring completely different skills, and a traditional publisher provides these services for you.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

I’m reluctant to offer advice myself, so let me paraphrase and repeat the advice that I have received from various sources.

1. Read. A lot. But don’t just read, observe. Pay attention to how different authors communicate the setting, the characters, the emotions. If you come across words you don’t recognize, take the time to look them up. Learn synonyms. Expand your vocabulary.

2. Write. Whatever, whenever. Put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, whichever you prefer, but get in the habit of making time to write every day. Make it a priority.

3. Find someone who will give you honest feedback/criticism on what you’ve written. It could be anyone, but it should be someone with a strong grasp of the language that you write in.

4. Understand and learn from the feedback/criticism you’ve received. Set your ego aside and accept any feedback as an attempt to help you improve, (even if it wasn’t meant that way). That doesn’t mean you have to follow any and all suggestions, but don’t just dismiss anything without giving it due consideration.

5. Write or re-write based on the feedback you receive.

6. Repeat.

Thanks for the opportunity to share a little about myself and writing.