Meinos Kaen Interview

I happened to speak with another writer on social media the other day. He is a relatively new writer in the Sci-Fi/YA/Superhero genre. Check out more about our friend in the following interview!

When did you start writing?

I have been writing since I was in grade school. I was already an avid reader thanks to my grandpa, and my Italian teacher then went and did something wonderful: she started reading to us The Story of A Seagull and The Cat Who Taught Her To Fly by Luis Sepulveda, in weekly episodes, acting out the voices of the whole cast. I still distinctly remember her rendition of the distraught seagull asking Zorba if they wanted to eat her. Soon after I started writing and then completed a thriller. Yes, a thriller in grade school. I was engrossed with this Disney comic called Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine at the time. The final result was not bad, considering who wrote it. It had many ‘borrowed’ elements taken from M4 and even the Virtua Fighter anime, but I showed promise. The killer was a dog.

Why do you write?

To do what my grade school teacher did for me when I was a young kid. I want to write something that as many people as possible can enjoy and react to the same way I did to Sepulveda’s writing. I want them to be engrossed, to want to know what happens next as soon as possible, for their emotions to show clearly on their face as they go through the tale. To hate the villain and cheer for the hero, and like the story so much to rant about how it continues on Internet forums. You don’t get angry for something you don’t love, after all.

What would be your choice for a superpower?

Now, this is the question. I’m writing a book about super-humans after all. At the end of the day, though, I’ll always want to have the power of the character Forge, from the X-Men comics. For those not Marvel-educated, the guy can basically create anything he can think of. He thinks of a concept, he knows how to build a device to that effect. Endless possibilities. We’d need just one guy like that and half of what we write about wouldn't be just a dream anymore.

Who is your favorite author?

Really hard to choose. I have a favorite book -The Portrait of Dorian Grey- but it’s not exactly easy to compare the level and effectiveness of a fantasy author to that of a noir writer, for example. With all the genres I read... But, if I really have to choose one above everyone else, I’ll have to go with Neil Gaiman. His Sandman is maybe the best comic series ever created, and I love American Gods to death.

What are you reading now?

I’m reading the spin-off books for the Supernatural TV Series. I’m on the Boney Key by Keith R.A. DeCandido right now, and I’ve really enjoyed Witch Canyon by Jeff Mariotte.

Who is your favorite character to write?

Jason, the lead from my novel S-Class. He’s not only the center of the story, he’s the center of his little dysfunctional family. Writing about his interactions with the other characters and how he approaches new situations, problems and threats is always entertaining, although not always happy for the characters themselves. Also, I like putting in his mouth references that I wonder how many people will get. Like when he describes a certain mistake in a famous cult movie that made it into the final product.

"There! Did you see that?!" Jason hollered while the scene kept on playing on the screen. "In the reflection of the sunglasses, he was still sitting in a chair!"

Do you have a writing process?

Of course. Strictly concerning writing...

Step 1) Look for inspiration, but I don’t believe in ‘researching’ the perfect subject for a book. The basic idea for it has to come to you naturally, and it can arrive from the most unexpected sources. Like a conversation with a fellow writer about cats, of all things.

Step 2) Think and write down the scenes you’d like your story to have. The milestones, so to speak, that came with the basic idea. Example: if your idea is a story about ‘cats almost taking over the world’, the scene when they almost do so.

Step 3) Fill the empty space. Once you know what scenes you’d like to happen, go ahead and write everything that comes in-between them. This allows you to appoint yourself a goal and grants you enough flexibility to make even major changes to your plot.

Step 4) Check everything as many times as you need, especially when you make changes to your plot or your characters that may influence scenes you’ve already written.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?

Research your market. I haven’t at the beginning, and I’m only now catching up. Learn what an Author Platform is and build it. This goes double if you decide to go down the Indie Road.

What inspired you to pursue writing?

I’ve had many trysts with writing something original since that mishy-mashy thriller, but I never exactly brought it anywhere, no thanks to my once mole-habitat level of self-esteem. I stuck to Fanfiction. Then I read Eragon, back when it was a big deal. 2005, I believe? Anyway, I read the age when Paolini started writing the book. I was the same age as I read it. I told myself: ‘If he could do it, I can at least try.’ I was glad I did, even more so after I worked out all my self-esteem problems. If you can’t appreciate yourself, you’ll never appreciate the effort you put into your endeavors.

Tell us about your books

My first published book is called Proud Parents Blog. A Sci-Fi story set in a semi-dystopian future, where the whole of humanity has evolved following a never fully explained catastrophe that also wiped out almost the entirety of the planet’s digital data banks in a world which had almost completely turned to Cloud Computing. It focuses on a small group of people who, by chance, come together attracted by the contents of the titular blog, which forces them to face the various problems and mysteries of this new world and its new humanity, changed forever, and gets one of them caught up in a spiral of political intrigue.

Proud Parents Blog also acts as a prelude to S-Class, which will be my first major work, with a release date for March 2013. Set in the same world as Proud Parents Blog shortly after the events narrated in the first book, it focuses on a small group of young people which also happen to be some of the most dangerous beings in existence as they deal with their powers, the hate and fear they receive on a daily basis and a plot which threatens to unravel a world who has just now found a delicate balance. While a Sci-Fi at heart like its prelude, S-Class features many elements which also mark it as a YA novel.

And last, but not least, I’m working on a small novel called Catmageddon: That time cats almost took over the world, which I hinted at in one of the above questions. Born out of a Twitter chat with author Michael R. Hicks, I think I chose the most explicative title ever. It’s a fantasy story, focusing on fantasy and humor. I’m doing my best to try and release it by the end of January, hope I can make it. I can be a bit of a perfectionist with my stories, you know.

But, hey. The best thing about being an Indie author is that you set your own deadlines. Thank you for your time.

Thanks for stopping by, Meinos~Best of luck moving forward!

 Please join me and the other amazingly talented authors over @ Skulldust Circle where we have formed a Writer's Circle that must be seen--a collection of brilliant, up & coming independently published speculative fiction authors with much to give both now and in the future!

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