Interview with author Rick Pipito about Bones At Breakfast

We are back with a third interview on the series of novels.  This one revolves around book 3: “Bones At Breakfast.”  The questions are a combination of inquiries I have received from fans as well as a few anticipated ones.  I hope you enjoy and find it informative, and if you haven’t purchased the novel yet, then I hope you consider that as well.  Finally, if you have not read the book then I must warn you.  There are slight spoilers, though I have kept it as minimal as possible.  Enjoy and please continue to give me your feedback. – Rick Pipito

Q:        Did you follow the same format and layout for this book as your previous two in the series? 

A:         Yes.  Whereas the overall plot is something continuing from both “Flesh”, and “Blood”, “Bones” is similar in that it contains ten short stories that are stand alone.  Of course I recommend starting with the first book and reading through to catch up, but the individual cases can be read alone.

Q:        What made you pick this type of layout for these stories?

A:         My original concept was done in a way that I wanted the reader to visualize everything as if it were a movie.  There is so much lore associated with zombies, vampires, and werewolves that it is almost silly.  One author says one thing and discredits another.  I don’t do that.  I wanted to take all of these great and silly ideas and make them all be able to exist in the same universe through my own story telling.  So far, it has worked very well.

Q:        You’ve done zombies and vampires.  Why werewolves this time around?

A:         It’s funny.  This whole thing started with me getting frustrated because there were so many takes on zombie lore that the entire definition of a zombie changed.  So at first I wanted to create a world that merged all of those differences together in different scenarios.  That worked quite well, but it also made me come up with this grand plot for multiple books.  I wanted each book to be different, so after vampires, and the appearance of how Darius Moon is described, I felt the next logical choice was all of the takes on lycan lore.

Q:        What is your favorite werewolf story, that is not your own?

A:         “The Wolfman” starring Lon Chaney… definitely, but I really also loved Steven King’s “Silver Bullet” as well as “Wolf” with Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Q:        Where did you come up with the idea to do the fairy tale story?

A:         Most people are familiar with the 3 little pigs, little red riding hood, and peter and the wolf.  Werewolves are kind of that creature that gets the back seat a lot of the time to other monsters.  I wanted to breathe a bit of fresh air into them by taking something everyone knows and making it an overall thing.  But it isn’t done just for the sake of combining the stories, it is more of a “Well, where did these fairy tales originate and how?”  My fairy tale story is supposed to be what “inspired” the real fairy tales.

Q:        There is also your take on Greek Mythology.  I’m assuming that was inspired the same way?

A:         I guess, but on a whole other level.  I’ve always loved the Greek myths, but the tales have all been overdone in books, movies, video games, that there was no territory for me to cover.  Then I decided to talk about the people who may have been an influence in the beliefs.  I spent hours researching and reading the stories of many of the characters.  I truly believe that all tales have a base in truth, so I wanted to talk about Cerberus, the 3 headed dog.  Then I felt a tribute to some of the other characters would be a fun little nod.  There is also the relationship between Zeus and his brothers as well as Hercules (Herakles in this story).  After the facts were known well, I weaved the story.  It might be my favorite one yet.

Q:        Are there any of these stories that you had a difficult time working into the continuity?

A:         No.  As I said, I have had it all mapped out, but honestly, the Native American Indian story was difficult because I wanted to be true to a culture I knew very little about.  There was so much research on Native American lore that I didn’t even know where to begin.  I found enough and became confident soon after I began that one.

Q:        Do you think that some people will become outraged at the whole Garden of Eden concept and the way it is portrayed in your book?

A:         I hope not and hope so.  If they become outraged, then news will travel and help the book reach an audience (hopefully on a Dan Brown level).  At the same time, I don’t want to “mock” anyone’s beliefs.  People have to understand that it is a work of fiction.  Just because I am writing something a certain way doesn’t mean that that is what I believe or am trying to make people believe.  There are a lot of things in the Bible that make you think.  I am just adding imagination to it.

Q:        M.U.T.S. (Military Underground Tactical Specialists) are back!  I love that group of military black ops.  What made you add two more members?

A:         Actually, I’ve only added one.  The Speaker character has been there from the beginning, it was just never a priority.  It was time for me to let the readers know who the Speaker really is.  As far as Chameleon being added, well, MUTS has its members from all military branches.  It didn’t have a CIA member or a spy, so the story with this new person was easier to take in a different direction and still feel like the two from the prior novels.

Q:        The “newspaper” stories you’ve done in your novels are the best.  Any plans for more?

A:         For me it is a separation from fiction with these “articles.”  They are inspired by true events, and all though it is still a figment of my imagination, it gives a sort of realism to some of the less realistic chapters.  I want everything to be believable and it is fun for me to relate certain real life situations to the horror I am writing.  Yes, there will be more of these types in future books.

Q:        I noticed that at the end of the book Cain seems to have taken a back seat to the evil which is about to come in your story.  What are the plans for the next book?

A:         Cain has taken a back seat, but he is not out of the picture yet.  The conclusion of this book sets up Cain for being less rational, and all revenge.  He is the villain who initially acts on instinct now, while SHANE will be all thought.  Granted, SHANE is not really a true villain, he is a computer, so his line of thinking makes him act certain ways, putting him in the category of villain/mediator.  This is the end of my first trilogy.  Cain was the center there, and so was the Garden of Eden.  For the next three books, we will be focusing on SHANE, and his weapon (which I don’t want to spoil for anyone who hasn’t read yet.)  Order and Chaos will become a central theme.  There is more depth coming to Cain too even though his character is not as prominent.

Q:        Did your brother do the artwork again?

A:         Yes, Dan did the cover as well as the Indian artwork inside.  I wanted to have my cousin, Vince, back for the inside art, but everything was rushing around with the graphic novel.  I’m happy either way.  Dan’s work always impresses me and has become inspirational to me in my writing.

Q:        What will book 4 be about, and do you have a title?

A:         Book 4 is called “Souls 4 Supper.”  Ghost stories will be the focal point.  It will be released early 2013, as I have a couple other books in between.

Q:        You’ve included a timeline of events in the back.  What made you want to do this?

A:         It was done for the fans and for my own sanity in organization.  You can now take a look at when everything happened in the order it happened, plus there is some bonus info in there involving things mentioned in some of the stories.

Q:        You have The “Zombie Incidents” and “Legends of Vampire” completed.  Is there also a plan to have a spin-off graphic novel involving werewolves as well?

A:         Yes.  I love the “Flesh and Leftovers”  and “Blood, The Second Helping” spin-offs.  Work has already begun on “Bones At Breakfast: In Case of Werewolf.”

Q:        How would you defend yourself if werewolves were real?

A:         I’d throw my cat at them and hope that dogs prefer felines better. *laughs* If they are anything like in this book, then I might be shit out of luck.

Q:        You did your first story about the future in this book.  What was that like?

A:         Fun.  I didn’t have to stick to my main timeline because it is an alternate future, so I had the freedom to create that “What If…”   I may even do more like that at some point, but I think I’ll be sticking to the past and present, for now.

Q:        What was the biggest challenge with writing this book? 

A:        When I started I thought “Shit, what the hell can I write about werewolves and make them as interesting as the previous two?”  It took a while, but once I figured out where to go with the stories, and get into the groove, the rest was a piece of cake.

Q:        Where can I get the book?

A:        Like the other novels, it is available at www.lulu.com in print form or at www.amazon.com for the Kindle.