Interview with Peter Darrach, Author of Tavern on the Edge of Time

Peter Darrach has lived in New York, London, Prague, Munich and Vienna. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and a Master of Arts degree in German Literature, both from Pennsylvania State University. Darrach pursued a career in sales and marketing in fields as diverse as amusement parks and retail before moving to Europe in 1991. Since then he has worked in Eastern and Western Europe, holding a series of executive positions with blue chip FMCG companies.  Most recently he has returned to the U.S. to pursue his career as a business coach and fiction author and currently lives in Florida. For more information on the author and his books see www.peterdarrach.com

Where did you grow up?

New York, London, Pennsylvania, and Germany.

What is your fondest childhood memory?

Lying in the August dry grass in the early evening and listening to the red wing black birds sing on the bands of Berman’s Pond.

When did you begin writing?

When I was eleven. Then again when I was twenty. And once more at fifty-one.

Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?

The time of day is irrelevant.

What is this book about?

The action begins in the year 2125. The first book in the series (SECOND SKIN) follows the asteroid miner Max Cody who is wounded and repaired with some unexpected enhancements by aliens while prospecting. He and his navigator / girlfriend Elaine Zhou face vicious ice pirates in the asteroid belt and on the enormous MARS ORBITAL SMELTER ARRAY (a.k.a MOSA) who plan to attack Mars and Earth.

In the second book (SECOND SKIN TOO) the duo is called upon to join a diplomatic effort to try and avoid war with Earth over Mars’ mining prowess, a conflict driven by billionaire arms merchant Xanthus Rex.

The latest book (book three, THE TAVERN ON THE EDGE OF TIME) brings us directly in contact with the alien who repaired Max, not to mention numerous other aliens, who frequent a peaceful place call the Tavern on the Edge of Time. Unfortunately, Earth, Mars, the Tavern, and even Mars’ poor fledgling colony on Callisto come under attack both from human and far stranger adversaries—especially the Assemblers. It looks like Max has met his match this time.

What inspired you to write it?

Both the formal and informal reviews have been quite positive. It’s very inspiring to have strangers tell you your that reading your books is like “dreaming with your eyes open.”

Are you a member of a critique group? If no, who provides feedback on your work?

Most of my feedback comes these days from consumers who tell me how they like my work via reviews and comments. I am humbled by comments such as “reading your books is like dreaming with your eyes open...”

Who is your favorite author?

Actually, I most prefer Patrick O’Brien and Bernard Cornwell, both authors of historical fiction.

Do you have an agent or are you looking for one?

I have a publicist (Barrett Communications, Los Angeles).

Was the road to publication smooth sailing or a bumpy ride?

Since I self-published, it was relatively smooth.

If you knew then, what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?

No.

What is the best investment you have made in promoting your book?

You mean which had the least negative ROI? Hard to say. I bought the back covers of Analog and Asimov for two months. That brought some attention. Radio interviews also seem to work...sometimes.

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?

Don’t give up. Keep writing. Believe in yourself and don’t pay over much attention to critics.
.
What is up next for you?

I’m writing the fourth book in the Second Skin Series and then we’ll see.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Yes. I would like to thank my friends, the characters, who make it all possible by having fully rounded personalities and supporting the action. For example, in order of importance, Max Cody and Elaine Zhou are a pair of young asteroid miners thrust into the thick of cross-continuum challenges who bear their lot with humor and an unrelenting amorous attraction. Daniel Sinclair is a grizzled fifty year old who runs the MOSA smelting arrays which continually sling ingots of nickel, iron, etc. off rail launchers toward Earth. He has fallen for Marion Greenland, the passionate, red haired governor of Mars who bears the brunt of the on-going conflict with Earth. While she may be a charmer, Xanthus Rex is not a nice man. Wealth and absolute power have allowed him too much leeway and he spares no effort in wreaking vengeance on the Martians after what happens in book two. Xu Ngyu was one of his earlier projects—bought from her family in Saigon and gene modified to allow her to bulk up on special enzymes and thus withstand crushing G-forces. Oh, and there are a cast of aliens, but they require more space to explain. Let’s choose only the Assemblers, animate fields which selectively animate esthetically chosen bits of matter and become increasingly inimical to humanity’s and the Tavern’s interests under Xanthus’ tutelage. Catch up on the latest developments at www.peterdarrach.com.