FEATURED AUTHOR
CARL RAFALA

After completing his BA, Carl exiled himself to South Africa for five years. While basking in the sun and hiking the ancient landscape, he managed to complete his masters degree in English. His thesis is an intellectual dialogue between the Homeric Epic and the science fiction text

Stranded on a frozen moon, two women come face-to-face with death--and life; a young boy whose mind is trapped in a strange box; a hunting expedition on a deadly world that turns into a twisted nightmare; the planet Preen, where assassination is the name of the game, and the man Fenn, the best at the trade-- if only he could leave his conscience behind.… A melancholic and haunting collection, in Wildflower, here are eleven offered slices of a dark tomorrow.

When did you first start writing?

I began writing when I was very young--I think I was twelve. I continued
on and off for some years, and even gave up for a long period of time.

Why do you write?

I write for the emotional thrill of telling a story. I like to be able to
invent people and places and situations, and then let them out to
entertain others. I really is a high.

What sort of books do you like to read?

I love to read many different types of books. I love Hemingway,
Fitzgerald, Bradbury, Arthur Clarke, as well as newer voices across the
genres. I also love to read academic books on literature. Right now I am
attempting to read a book called, "Fantasy and the Cinema." It is a very
good study on fantasy in films.

Who is your favourite author and who has influenced your writing?

Good question. Hemingway is certainly one of my favourites, along with
Bradbury and Philip Dick. I also really like Ian M. Banks, but mostly for
his contemporary fiction and not so much his sci-fi writings. "The Wasp
Factory" and "A Song of Stone" are great books of his.
As far as influences, I would have to agree with author Jack McDevitt. One
cannot help but be influenced by everything one is exposed to. It is natural
and inevitable. So I guess I am a hodge-podge.

If you could meet any character from a book, who would it be and why?

Wow. I guess I would have to say the Martian, Muhe Ca, from "The Martian
Chronicles." His description of his lovely world is attractive to me, and
I would love to learn from him and his people the secret of a harmonious
existence.

What are you currently working on?

Many things. I find that I might be working on one story, and then an idea
for another comes up. Sometimes I "run" back and forth between different
pieces. Right now I have a few short story ideas that are taking form. I
also have two novel ideas I am working on. Which one of these ideas gets
finished first is up to Fate.

What have you found to be the best way of promoting your book?

Hard to say. What works in one circumstance might not work in another.
Usually talking to people, taking out small adverts. I have found that you
don't really know what is going to work all the time, so you have to try
what you can and hope for the best.

And finally, what advice would you give to writers starting out?

Just write. Even if it is only a few sentences a day. Just write
something. Sometimes one is drained after finishing a piece, and you need
a break, but try to scribble down at least a sentence or two.

To maintain a proper emotional balance, I have found that a writer must
always keep two distinct ideas in mind in regard to their work: This is the
best thing ever written! and This is the worst piece of drivel ever
written. Sounds strange, I know, but it helps me stay focused in reality.


"Wildflower," by Carl Rafala is available at: www.booksurge.com and
www.amazon.com.
(Special price of $10 at amazon for a limited time only.)

Visit his homepage at: www.authorsden.com/carlrafala

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