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Thanks to Eric Penz, author of Cryptid: The Lost Legacy of Lewis and Clark, for stopping by for a chat. 
Q: What gave you the idea for Cryptid?
A: Crafting a novel is such an organic process it’s difficult at times to point to specific inspirations and sources of thought. But there are at least two sure sources of inspiration for Cryptid. The first is the short time I spent in the primeval woods of Glacier National Park as a boy. There, grizzly bears still roam free. And as a visitor to those woods you definitely feel the tension of walking among the very same trees with a creature who is surely one link ahead of you on the food chain. It was this feeling I wanted to evoke in the reader with my first thriller which became Cryptid. The second inspiration came out of a need to fix a problem with the plot. The story and beast weren’t credible enough. They both needed to be grafted into the reader’s own familiar history. While struggling with this problem I was also reading for pleasure Stephen E. Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage. It turned out the answer was there in front of my own nose. Lewis and Clark. My story was missing Lewis and Clark.
Q: Did you research using the Internet? If so, any advice for writers whose novels require a lot of research?
A: The bulk of my research was done in the late 90’s when the Net was still new and I unaccustomed to it. So much of my research was done the old fashioned way–books, articles, expert interviews, trips to related locations. Today, I most certainly utilize the Net. Google and Amazon.com are my two best resources. Nevertheless, there will always be a need, for new writers and old, for the old fashioned methods.
Q: Did you discuss the book-in-progress with experts in either the Bigfoot or Lewis and Clark fields?
A: I most certainly did discuss the book with the average person–for I gathered as much eyewitness encounter information as I could. As for experts, not many. There wasn’t much need as I found what I needed at the library. I did, however, seek out the infamous Dr. Grover Krantz at Washington State University. I could only catch his voicemail, though. And then, sadly, shortly thereafter he passed away from cancer.
Q: You’ve said that you were a member of a writer’s group. If so, what was your experience, and what advice would you give to a new novelist about joining a writer’s group?
A: I’m a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, which holds an annual conference every year. There’s no better venue in which to network than at such conferences. The group I believe you’re referring to though, Nancy, is my critique group. I took a two-year certificate program in commercial fiction at the University of Washington. Through that course I came to be part of a weekly critique group. Both groups proved invaluable in getting Cryptid published. Every writer can benefit from such organizations. Keep in mind, though, that not all groups are the same. Experiment. Move around. Find ones that work for you.
Q: Do you believe that Bigfoot exists?
A: I find the use of the term “believe” rather interesting in such context. Certainly everyone asks me that, as I ask so often of others. The word just feels wrong. Every time I ask the same question of others I feel silly, like I’m asking them, “do you believe polar bears exist.” It’s as if the matter is more one of faith than knowledge. Nevertheless, the question is quite valid and if I can get off my soap box for a moment I’ll give you an answer, as vague as it may be. If I encounter a Sasquatch on the trail I’d be as stricken with shock, and likely fear, as the next skeptic. That said, I do KNOW that there is far more evidence in support of its existence than of its non-existence.
Q: What did you find to be the most challenging part of writing a first novel?
A: That there was no easy part. Everything about it was a challenge. The craft is extremely complex, made even more so 
by its very intuitive nature. There is–much to the dismay of beginning writers–no formula one can follow. And each project requires a slightly different method and skill. The good news is that writing is still a craft, therefore it can be learned. Currently I’m somewhere along the continuum between incompetence and competence.
Q: Why did you decide to go the self-publishing route instead of a mainstream publisher? And would you recommend self-publishing for other authors?
A: By self-publishing you mean being published by iUniverse, a supported self-publishing house that utilizes print-on-demand technology. The answer is I never actually decided to self-publish. I simply followed my strongest supporter in the publishing industry where ever she went–I was a bit like gum stuck to her shoe. Diane Gedymin was my agent and was in the process of shopping my manuscript when she took a job at iUniverse as their editorial director. Unable to free herself from the sticky mess on her shoe, she gave in and and published Cryptid there at iUniverse. Unplanned as it was, I am very pleased with the experience. And for anyone who is frustrated with the gatekeepers of publishing in New York or who feel they have a book with a market too small for New York you need to know that supported self-publishing in the way that iUniverse does it is a valid and viable option. One you should definitely explore.
Q: You’ve done radio interviews about Cryptid–any advice on how an author should prepare for an interview?
A: Be prepared, which sounds odd if you’ve never done interviews before. But you can still prepare. Think of questions you’d ask yourself if you were the interviewer. Or questions you’d want the interviewer to ask you. Write them down as sample interview questions along with sample answers. Send the list to the interviewer in advance of the interview. Chances are, rather than make up their own questions, they will happily just use yours, ones you already know the answers to. Then all you have to do is be confident and pretend people will care about what you have to say–just as I’m doing now.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to say about your experience with Cryptid that I haven’t asked?
A: Only that I’m glad I didn’t quit. I tried to many times, but found that I couldn’t. And that’s the best advice for new writers. If you have doubts, quit. If you find that you can walk away, then never come back. The craft is too hard and the rewards too slow in coming. But, if you can’t stay away, then race back and welcome yourself home, for you ARE a writer. And you will write because it is who you are. Whether you will have a large audience or small, you won’t care because it will be about the craft not the money.
Thank you Eric! Visit EricPenz.com or Cryptid.com to learn more about Eric’s novel.
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