Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi my name is Cal. I’m an actor, filmmaker, and author from LA. I’ve written two novels.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest release is called ‘Son of Neverland.’ I’ve always loved J.M Barrie’s original novels. My chief aim was to do justice by the original works, while at the same time building, growing, and evolving the original ideas I saw planted there.
I was inspired by the eternal aspect to Neverland, with the main idea being that the greatest enemy to eternity would be time itself, a powerful, ancient force, and something far beyond anything Peter and Neverland had ever faced. An epic, spiritual battle of light versus darkness. For the first time ever, Peter would meet his match, and he would have to dig down deep within himself and evolve to become something greater to stand against it. Peter Pan would no longer just merely exist, he would have to choose to live…
I also wanted to add more dimension to my two favorite female protagonists in Neverland, Tinker Bell and Tiger Lily. They are both excellent characters, but I felt they were underdeveloped. Although they both love Peter dearly and traditionally support him on his journey, Tink has her own side journey of managing her affections for Peter with her own self-acceptance and self-worth, and Tiger Lily has to deal with weighing her desire for freedom against her sense of duty, while at the same time dealing with the pressures of representing an entire tribe and culture. They both have a lot to take on in the story, and they are both completely formidable warriors in their own right, really second only to Peter in their world. I think it’s awesome to watch them grow and excel as character alongside him.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m by nature a binge writer and a streaky writer, meaning ideas usually come in hot and fast and I’ll ride the inspiration day and night for 12-16 hours a day until the idea is written or until I run out of steam. On normal days, I write for 1-2 hours in the morning with a large French press of black coffee, and then depending on how much work I have to do I’ll write for 2-4 hours at night when the rest of the world is sleeping.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
J.M Barrie of course for his original inception of Peter Pan. The queen of fantasy, J.K. Rowling — that goes without saying — and F. Scott Fitzgerald for his prose and grasp of the American English language.
What are you working on now?
Aside from releasing a novel (the work never ends). I’m working on finishing my feature film directorial debut, ‘The Astrid Experience’, which I also wrote and star in, and I’ll be gearing up to produce and audiobook for ‘Son of Neverland’. My ultimate goal is to create enough demand for the story to turn ‘Son of Neverland’ in feature film. In terms story, size, and scope I believe it’s all there… we’ll see what readers have to say in the next few months.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
SonofNeverland.com, CalBarnes.com, IG: @CalBarnes
Do you have any advice for new authors?
This is tough because the landscape has changed so much in the last 5 years. With the democratization of technology, more people are doing it than ever before. I wish I could say just write a great book or make a great film, and that’s enough. I think that was true at one point in history, but not sure anymore — although that’s definitely the baseline requirement — learn marketing. See if there is any pre-existing source material in the public domain that has an audience that you can riff off and create a brand new story. Just make sure you read and re-read and really get to know that world before trying to write on another authors idea. This is where I see most writers go wrong who try and build off of pre-existing stories — there work fails to live up to the source material or do it justice. You must grow the original authors idea, not kill it. If you do that, you just might find yourself with an audience.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Take the action, stay out of the result. Write regardless of the outcome. If you truly love it, the writing, storytelling, and world-building is the greatest reward in itself.
What are you reading now?
I’ve been reading some Harry Potter again while publishing. I also want to find time to read The Hobbit.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I need to rewrite the screenplay of ‘Son of Neverland’ to match the final novel, then I likely be moving on to the next installment in the series when the time comes.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
J.M. Barrie’s original Peter and Wendy, so I could become the Pan of the island and rule it, and remember that it would be up to me to make the most of it. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (probably my favorite HP book). I’d probably need a spiritual book as well to meditate on and keep my sanity, maybe The Alchemist or The Prophet.
Author Websites and Profiles
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