Writer Wednesday: Stephen Cleath

Through my writing I've been able to meet a wonderful variety of people and have interacted with writers of all types and in all stages of their career. Some have one book just about to come out, others are querying, others have several titles under their belt, and others are just starting out. Although Stephen Cleath is starting to share his work, his flash fictions are already interesting slices of literature that definitely have caught people's attention. In addition, he is one of the kindest people I've ever come in contact with, showing a true heart of gold and potential to create something special. Although busy with many writes and several life adventures, Stephen was kind enough to accept the invite to be part of Writer Wednesday, so here we go. 

1. Firstly, thanks for taking some time from your busy schedule to answer some questions. I always enjoy variety and I think it’s interesting to see a writer who’s beginning to blossom in their writer journey. What does writing mean in your life?

Writing has always been the easiest way for me to communicate, so it is a vital outlet for my hopes, dreams, feelings, and my imagination. Thus far, I am greatly enjoying pouring words onto paper, and witnessing the stories that come alive from them. It is a true passion and full-time obsession for me, in the best possible way.

2. What are some of your goals in the next 5 years in regards to writing?

My main goals are to find a writer’s voice that is 100% my own, to finish writing several stories that I am in the process of developing, and to get these stories published, either with a standard publisher or a self-publishing option.


3. What are some of your influences and if you had to recommend 5 books or series, which would they be and why?

Some of my influences are Simon R. Green, Brian Jacques, Lilian Jackson Braun, Janet Evanovich, and Arthur Conan Doyle. 

My top 5 recommendations would be:

1. The Nightside series, Simon R. Green. An amazing blend of sarcastic wit, horror, fantasy, mythology, pop culture references, and a brilliant private eye straight from film noir.
2. The Cat Who series, Lilian Jackson Braun. A great mystery series about a former news reporter who gets an inheritance and moves to Moose County, about 400 miles north of everywhere, with his two Siamese cats. These books have been a longtime favorite of mine.
3. Redwall, Brian Jacques. A wonderful story about a world inhabited by animals, both good and evil. Full of adventure, vivid characters, and heroes emerging from the most unlikely places to fight evil
4. One For The Money, Janet Evanovich. A story about the action-packed world of bail bondsmen in New Jersey. A great mix of humor, action, hilarious characters, and sexual tension between one Stephanie Plum and two men who are both too wrong & too right for her. Make sure you’re sitting down when you reach a funny part, they are ubiquitous.
5. The Fallen, T. Jefferson Parker. A great mystery story, about an honest detective in San Diego, California, with a gift for finding the truth. He takes on a ring of prostitution and corrupt policemen & politicians, while working on a mysterious murder of a police force overseer.

4. You discover a long lost relative is actually a renowned explorer. It turns out he had left you in the will and entrusted you a special relic. What is this relic and what does it do?

The relic is a gnomon, a hand of a sundial, which belonged to a specific sundial at my relative’s villa in Italy. The only thing that my relative told me was that it opened a door.

5. You can meet one video game character for lunch, who would you have lunch with and why?

I would probably pick 8-bit Mario, because his character was a major influence on how I ended up a full-time geek.

6. You are working on several projects, I have it understood. What can you tell us about those?

The two main projects that I am developing currently are 1) a present day story about long-lost twins with mysterious powers and a forgotten past, and their search for the parents that left them in the foster system, and 2) a story about a girl in 1890s England who has magic in her tears, and a shadowy antagonist who wants to capture her for dark purposes. The first project is a labor of love with my best friend, @wanderingelf2. The second project started as a piece of flash fiction, based on a picture I found on Pinterest. The concept stuck in my mind, new characters and twists for the story appeared, and now I have to see this story through to completion.

7. Mention 3 things you’d like to leave in your legacy.

The three things I’d like to leave behind for future generations would be

1. An example of true love and compassion for all of humanity, regardless of any differences that might separate us or cause hostility.
2. A spirit/attitude of child-like wonder and awe at the world that we live in, since so many people nowadays have cynical, jaded world views.
3. A deep love and hunger for reading actual books, especially the classics (Poe, Doyle, Wells, Hugo, et cetera). I know that e-books are all the rage now, but they just can’t compare to the experience of reading from a real book.

8. What is your Patronus?

I would either want a Patronus in the form of an adult panda bear or a falcon.

9. You have been asked to make a fireworks show for your nephew Timmy. Run us through that show.

I would plan the show to go about five to ten minutes long, because I don’t to overwhelm him with a long display, in his first fireworks experience. I’d pick mostly pinwheel fireworks in many colors, because he’s a huge fan of pinwheel shapes.

10. Where can people follow you and read more of what you are doing and are planning?

I can be followed on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. My early attempts at writing are on Pinterest, but now I share my writing solely on Twitter. Please check it out and leave me feedback on what you like/what can be improved! 

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Huge thanks to Stephen for these lovely answers. Definitely looking forwards to more from this talented fellow. Fyi, he does enjoy contributing to the 1lineWednesday tags on Twitter, so keep an eye out. In addition, I shared a prompt to see if he'd be into writing a collaboration, so for now, enjoy the prompt and stay tuned to this channel for a nice slice of smile inducing random. 

Peace, love, and maki rolls.

Prompt: On his way to Draem, JD gets lost in his dreams and ends up in the Land of Nod. Master Cleath receives him warmly and shares with us his version of a Dreamland.