Interview with author Steven Craig Barrett

By Elizabeth Milo and Christopher Stokum

We recently spoke with Steven Craig Barrett, author of the The Apocalypse Chronicles, the first book in the series of the same name.

WNW: You make heavy use of Christian imagery and narratives. Did other religions influence your story?
Barrett: Not really. The story-line of the first book as it relates to the Apocalypse, as well as other story lines of other books in the series, is based entirely upon the Christian belief system. However, my slant on how the end times unfold is a totally new take that, to the best of my knowledge, has never before been considered.

WNW: Did you draw on real-life experiences when writing any of the anecdotes in the book?
Barrett: In many cases, yes. While the majority of the series is, of course, fictional, many of the events, places, experiences, and people which the main character describes from his past are based on my own. Also, all the theories, viewpoints, etc. that are expressed through the primary characters are my own that I simply transpose onto them.

WNW: You’ve said that you intend this to be a nine book series. Have you planned all nine books, or are you designing the overall story arch as you write?
Barrett: Yes, the entire story line has already been planned out. The skeleton, if you will, of the story is complete.  Now it is just a matter of putting the meat on the bones.

WNW: Do you plan on continuing to include stories about the past and childhood in the rest of the series, or is that a device that you intend to use only in the first book?
Barrett: Yes, I intend to continue using that device.  In the way the books are laid out, the main character (the one ‘writing’ the books) brings you through his life, as well as what is transpiring in the world around him year-by-year (hence chronicles), in order to draw out a very detailed and engrossing account of his fate and the world’s as everything moves toward the coming apocalypse in a most surprising way. The past and the present connect in the final books as the story switches from past tense to present tense.  As the grit of the final days are upon him, the main character recounts events in real time, as opposed to the past-tense which is used leading up to the finale. However, throughout the series there will be many hints and suggestions toward what will be coming in the days of Revelation through the main character’s dreams, visions of his life, and other experiences and thoughts. As the series progresses, each book will have more and more material in it related to the Apocalypse and how the world is moving toward it.

WNW: What do you hope to accomplish with this book? Are there particular themes you want your readers to think about or consider?
Barrett: There are several themes that run simultaneously through the series: political, moral, and of course Christian, to name a few. The main character will use the events and experiences through which he takes the reader to illustrate social and moral dilemmas that we face both as a society and as individuals.  He will provide his take on them through a Christian prism, even though he may not have always viewed them as such. I have tried to touch on every emotion—good and bad—and every type of event—tragic or triumphant—that we have all faced in our own lives in a way the readers can relate to on a very personal level. While characters such as a wizard, vampire, or superhero have proven successful for other authors, I have attempted to create a character that every reader can easily identify with, and not one who we have to reach to imagine being.

WNW: A lot of the situations and crises that you describe in this post-apocalyptic world are actual issues that the current world faces today. Do you intend your series to be a kind of “wake up call” to the world?
Barrett: Yes, in part, many times the future can be accurately predicted by simply looking at the past and the present and making logical conclusions about where the present course of things might lead. While they are fiction, most of my theories, predictions, etc. about future events are based on those logical conclusions and assumptions, and very few are wild “out there” ideas like some apocalyptic-type stories portray. I try to keep the parts concerning world events (especially when talking about future events which are easy to take liberty in fictionalizing), as real and probable as possible to make the story seem more real to the reader and not just like crazy fiction.

WNW: You’ve really utilized the Internet in getting the word out there about your book. Have you enjoyed promoting your book through such a medium?
Barrett: Yes, though I have only scratched the surface of what the Internet has to offer. It has proven a valuable resource but a very time consuming one as well, especially with some of the restrictions placed on how fast I can promote through outlets such as Facebook. Nonetheless, it has been very helpful and productive in the pre-marketing of the book so far.

WNW: Where did the inspiration for your story come from?
Barrett: I have always felt the desire to write. I wrote my first book, a cheesy horror piece, back when I was 13. Of course, nothing came of it because I was only 13, but that was when my love of writing began. Over the years it has evolved and gone through many changes. I got the initial idea for this story about 20 years ago, out of the blue, and worked on it off-and-on over those years as the story format and title went through many changes. The very first draft of this story, other than the primary plot, was nothing at all like the end product. I have always had a fascination with the Apocalypse and wanted to write a story about it as well as a story that promoted God, which is what I hope this will do. While the series does have those elements, especially in the last few books, this is more of an epic drama meant to personally connect to every reader and not just a mindless story about meteors, earthquakes, plagues of locusts, and evil government conspiracies.

WNW: Are you concerned the religious nature of your work will alienate some readers?
Barrett: I have had that thought. I am aware that there is a deep, spiritual premise behind the series, though I try to avoid being “religious,” as it were. I have attempted to incorporate these elements into the story subtly and fluidly so as not to make the reader feel like they are being preached to at any given time, but rather simply reading an intriguing story.  But the messages I hope to share are still being planted, just not in an intrusive manner.

For more information about Steven Craig Barrett and his Apocalypse Chronicles series, please visit his Facebook page or his SterlingHouse Publisher page.