Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Former geologist and software engineer. This is my first book, initially written many years ago. Finally prepared it for publishing and listed it in Amazon in 2020.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Log of the Desert Lake” It chronicles a ten day sojourn on Lake Powell in a kayak. It was something I was inspired to do in my youth, and finally got around to doing it in my late thirties, when time and budget and other considerations allowed.
Really three tomes in one: a chronicling of the experience, a memoir of personal events and experiences, and a somehat scholastic treatise on the lake itself, delving into the historical, geological, ecological, and political circumstances of its genesis.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like hanging out in a back table in restaurants with a laptop. I’ve closed down my local Denny’s more than once, typing away furiously.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
When I was young, I read a *lot* of scifi. Tops on the list were Heinlein and Asimov. But, I think Heinlein was the most influential in terms of writing style.
Later, the classic American authors – notably Steinbeck, Hemingway, Conrad. I embarked on a program of reading all the things I was supposed to read in school.
I really like stories where people discover something about themselves, or grow from an experience. One of my favorite movies in that regard is “The Razor’s Edge”.
What are you working on now?
Mainly getting my website and blog together. I have plans for at least a couple more books. Not sure beyond that.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still working on that, since this is my first book.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Again, I’m a first author, so, I’m still working out the details.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write about something you know, but write.
What are you reading now?
A collection of H.G. Wells stories. We know his popular works, “The Time Machine”, “The Island of Dr. Moreau”, and “The Invisible Man”, but he was a very prolific author and wrote many short stories and essays on just about everything and anything.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I spent three months in India (Delhi), initially for some medical procedures but also renting an apartment and immersing in the culture. From there I explored Srinigar and Rajastan. It will yield two books: one on the “medical tourism” experience, and the other a photographic and prose treatise on those regions.
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?
Oh, gosh. Probably first would be Heinlein’s “Beyond This Horizon”, which I’ve read several times. Other than that, some classics that I want to catch up on. Conrad is an interesting writer – anything by him that I haven’t yet read.
Author Websites and Profiles
Eric (E.E.) Theissen Website
Eric (E.E.) Theissen’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account