Today it gives the Speculative Fiction Showcase great pleasure to interview Ben Pick, whose first novel Falling Through (Into the Void, Book 1) has its debut on August 6.
You say: “Falling Through is about a reverse Superman, wherein one of the main characters starts with too many powers, but loses them and grows weaker as the series goes on.” Tell us what that means.
Derek is one of a few heroes who grow weaker. That is something I’m building toward more as the series goes on. At the start of Falling Through, Derek has considerable power, both in pure magical strength and in the abilities he can use. He shares his power and becomes weaker. There are a few points where he is unable to use his powers in the same way at the end of the novel as he was at the beginning.
The characters growing weaker is one of the most lifelike details I added to the story. I’m a runner and since I first had the idea to write Falling Through, I have aged considerably and needed to alter how I run. I can’t roll out of bed and go for 10 miles in 100 degree weather any more. I need to stretch properly, take time off, and cool down after or I will injure myself. So many heroes I read about only get stronger. I wanted to show a different story of a shooting star.
Your main character, Derek, finds he has powers of telekinesis. Who is Derek and how do we first meet him in Falling Through?
Derek is a high school senior who realizes he and his friends will be going off to separate colleges next year. Shortly prior to Falling Through, one of the friends had moved away, which is something that Derek and his friends are coming to grips with. In the first chapter, he confides in a trusted friend about his powers with the hope she’ll help him figure out where they came from. Similarly, his friend Tracy wants to help Derek to be safe as his powers are clearly dangerous.
Derek and his friends have to deal with the consequences of a single mistake. What made you decide to write about the downside of superpowers, especially when wielded by teens?
I’m always fascinated watching how seemingly insignificant choices, good or bad, lead to massive changes. In Falling Through, Derek’s choice to save his friend is the right one, but he does it the wrong way. Thus, they all have to suffer unexpected consequences.
As for writing the downside of superpowers in general, magic and powers are so often a solution to problems. I’m more interested in how these powers create all new problems.
Is Falling Through set in our world or a parallel universe? And why have this group of young people begun to develop magical powers?
I designed Falling Through to be set in our world. However, as there are a few subtle differences, I’ll have to say it is a parallel world. Also, the mystery of where their powers came from is a driving question within the novel, so you’re going to have to read the book to find that out.
What can you tell us about the force that Derek unleashes and where it comes from?
This is another mystery which will be answered within the book. In the first chapter, though, Derek sees a bear-like monster in his mind. This monster gets pulled into Derek’s world as he seeks more power, which causes all kinds of repercussions.
What are the particular strengths of your writing?
I like my ability to work in a slow burn. I thoroughly enjoy the climactic battle of my novel and how it merges the various plots and subplots. In order to reach that emotional moment, I wrote a tiny trail of breadcrumbs within the story beneath the major events the characters are causing.
What is the novel’s USP and who are your intended readers?
Derek must deal with the repercussions of creating a monster while discovering his powers. Can he keep his friends together despite the dangers he draws them into? Plus time travel.
My intended readers are upper young adults and the series will fall into the new adult bracket. There is occasional swearing and while there is no explicit content in this novel, I do intend to build toward more adult themes as the series progresses and the characters grow up.
Why did you choose to self-publish as opposed to going with the trad or small-press route?
Timing. I have been working on this novel and series for over a decade. I want to publish and I feel the novel is at a point where it’s ready to be published. Also, as the first novel is not romantically charged, I was not able to find an agent who wanted to pick this up. I told the story I wanted to tell, regardless of whether it matched specific keywords or story beats which most agents desired as those are easy to market to a mass audience.
Tell us about your writing routine. You’re a keen runner and you have a YouTube channel, Running2Write. How important is that to your creative process?
Running is an essential part of my writing. My best writing days are Saturdays, where I start the day early with a long run. During that workout, I think about what I want to write, whether that is a plot point, character development, or specific piece of dialogue. If it’s good, then I’ll spend the run committing it to memory so that when I sit down to write later that day, the words flow much more easily. I mentioned earlier how some of my characters will be growing weaker as the story continues. That was influenced by multiple tough runs and summer heat.
What is the importance of found family and friendship in the novel?
Friendships drive the novel. The characters' friendships are strained at the low points in the novel and they raise the characters up during the peaks. The emotional scenes and the climax would not work without establishing the friendships and the strong desire of these friends to support each other.
Why is the idea of found family such a compelling one in contemporary fiction?
The idea of a found family is universal. No one I know was born to be a wizard or a chosen king or queen of destiny. Yet everyone I know has a group of friends who are as close as, or even closer than family.
Have you used your real life and experience in writing Falling Through?
Absolutely. Some of the characters are based on combinations of people I know or real events that have happened to us, although the characters themselves and the events are all fictionalized. One of the triggering moments in this novel is a car accident which sends multiple characters spinning out of control. That was based on two of my friends who were in a car that flipped. In real life, luckily everyone was fine. In the story version… not so much.
Will there be a sequel and what are you working on now?
Yes. I have written the sequel, which is currently in editing. I want it to come out at the end of the year. I’m also writing the third book. I have big plans for the series and hope to expand it out through at least 5 books.
Tell us something about your favourite authors and the writers who influenced you - and why.
My favorite authors are Raymond Feist, Jim Butcher, and Ursula Le Guin. These three are masters at fantasies, unique characters, and exploring incredible settings, both external and internal. By combining the three of my greatest influences, I have written a portal fantasy about realistic modern magic running amuck where the heroes struggle against overwhelming odds, the greatest of which is the monsters they create.
What are you reading now?
My TBR is out of control. I went to a local conference a few months ago, and have a lot of great indie reads that I am slowly reading through, including the magical western, His Ragged Company by Rance D. Denton.
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About Ben Pick:
Ben Pick is an avid runner and application security analyst who enjoys writing character-focused stories in his spare time. He also posts weekly videos on YouTube about the writing process as Running2Write, where he compares writing to the struggles of running. He loves getting lost in worlds, from the books and games he enjoys to the stories he creates. When not writing, running, or gaming, he takes care of potentially the laziest Plott hound in the world.
This is such an awesome book and well worth the read!
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