Hello Peter

Me – What an awesome title your thriller has, Peter.

My first question is -Which aspect of the writing process do you enjoy the most? And why? 

Peter - I enjoy the actual writing of the content the most. By that I mean sitting down, usually on the couch, and literally writing my story down into a notebook. I know that sounds old fashioned, but I find my ideas flow more freely when I use pen and paper versus typing onto a laptop. When I transcribe my material onto the laptop, that is when I do my first editing

Me – I don’t think it’s old-fashioned to write longhand before typing, I believe there are many authors who do this. Not me, my handwriting is worse than my typing.

What distracts you when you are in writing flow? Is there anything you do to counter this? 

Peter - Usually just my mood. Getting into the right “frame of mind” for the project I am working on is vital. For my first book, which is a fictional thriller that has dark subjects such as drug addiction and murder, I would listen to music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from NIN. Any of their movie soundtracks helped me get into that proper mood to help elevate my writing flow.

Me – Using music to inspire a writing mood is a good tip, thank you.

What part of the story pushes itself into your imagination first? Story premise, character, setting, plot, ending? 

Peter - Definitely the setting; where and when the story takes place is to me the canvas of the story, then I begin to “paint” the story from there.

Me – That’s a lovely image for the process of writing a story.

What influenced the underlying issues dealt with in your thriller? 

Peter - Mostly the story was derived from a lot of what I saw working in retail pharmacy here in Florida: the great lengths people would go to in order to get their pain medications and so forth. Even though the story is fictional, I have had a few people tell me that they could easily see this taking place. 

Me – Yes. Fiction is a great medium for telling facts.

Can you give one piece of advice to anyone thinking of writing a thriller? 

Peter - Don’t worry about who or when you submit your story to until it is complete, and once it is finished, submit it only to literary agents who have a history of publishing stories like what you wrote. Submitting a fictional thriller to an agent only because they accept fictional stories is going to lead to a lot of wasted time and effort on your part. Narrow your submissions to only those agents that would like your story.

Me – Thank you. Wise advice for all who seek traditional publishing.

I believe you are writing more stories. How do you choose which to write next? 

Peter - I write whatever is “front and center” in my brain at the time. Whatever is on my mind and in my imagination currently. We all have numerous stories we want to tell, but writing the one that you feel most passionate about at the time is the one to go with first.

Me- Passion is a good way to choose the next story. I juts whish I wasn’t passionate about so many stories!

What is the strangest observation from the real world that has made it into one of your books? 

Peter - Interacting with a true sociopath. There are more sociopaths in society than people may care to realize. Paul, the main character is one. He is intelligent (a pharmacist), but he lets one traumatic event in his life take over all of his moral judgements, and this cascades into a series of bad decision making on his part. 

Me – That’s a scary truth.

What aspect of your personality have you explored through writing? 

Peter -The “what if” aspect if that qualifies as an answer. What things could I get away with, given my background, on paper. And is it believable? 

Me – I like that answer. What if is a powerful question.

Of all the stories you have written, which have you learnt the most from? 

Peter - From my first book “To Steal From The Dead.” I’ve learned so much about literary agents, vanity presses and publishing on your own, whether through Kindle, B&N or IngramSpark. I wish I knew then what I do now, it would have made the whole writing experience much more pleasant. Many authors feel that publishing their book onto Kindle is a tedious process, but it really is not. Submitting your story to numerous literary agents is! Sadly, I feel literary agents are overrated.

Me – Yes I think we all wish we had more insight into the publishing aspect before we began the rocky path.

This last question is purely because I’m curious as to how author’s kickstart their brains and fuel their writing. What do you like to eat for breakfast?

Peter - I drink a cup of coffee (Kenya Highlands) with lots of sugar and cream. To be honest, most of my writing is done at night, when it is dark outside and there is no one to distract me from my work.

Me – Thank you for your time and answers. It’s been great chatting.

Please do check out Peter Barski’s books and enjoy the thrill. 

5.0 out of 5 stars A riveting tale rooted in USA's opioid crisis

Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2020

A disturbing, yet page-turning account of a pharmacist that is based in the backdrop of America's worst epidemic of the century - the opioid crisis. In a shocking happening, a heartbroken pharmacist sets out to make fentanyl in his home lab. Solid facts meet dramatic fiction in this lucidly penned story that, amongst other things, puts out a red signal against unwarranted drug use.