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MEET EYTAN KOLLIN
by Bonnie O'Brian

What books influenced you most when you were growing up?

Eytan Kollin

I would say the big three in fiction were, LORD OF THE RINGS, THE FOUNDATION TRILOGY and Heinlein's STARSHIP TROOPERS.

Did you write stories when you were growing up? at school? Or at home as a hobby? As a young child, or as a teenager, or both?

I wrote stories to release the pressure in my head. I would read or see something and it would bug me. The way I would resolve it was to write a story. It was a way of imposing control on a world where there is never really any control. I would also write in emulation of things I liked. I once wrote a story that was basically an iteration of the original Battle Star Galactica Television show. I did not realize at the time that it was old BSG, as a sixteen year old I thought it was the most original thing ever written. But when I went back and read the pages years later, (yes I actually typed it, and that should give you an idea of how different the world was back then), I was embarrassed, amused, and intrigued. The embarrassed and amused you can understand, but I was intrigued by the characterization. It was actually pretty good. The individuals were clear and understandable.

When you were a child did you ever have moments when you decided that you were going to be a writer when you grew up?

It is not that I decided I was going to be a writer. I really didn't. But we all have dreams of what we would like to be when we grow up. For most of us it’s an actor, sports star, doctor, cop, fireman, president, etc. That 'big' thing we would like to be if the genie granted us our childhood wish. For me the only big thing I ever really would have wanted was to be a science fiction author. But as a child I never decided to actually become one. Weird ain't it?

If you didn’t write as a child, then when did you start writing and what inspired you to start?

I was coming off a horrible divorce, living with my parents while in my thirties and basically not working. I was the classic definition of failure in modern American society. My brother came back from Israel and said we should write a book together. He always liked my ideas and was convinced that they would make for great reading. If, at that time, I had had any type of life that I wanted I would have blown him off like so many other people who tried to get me to act on my ideas. Fortunately failure is often a better inspiration than opportunity. I went for it. In America it is acceptable, even admirable to be a struggling writer (no one who has seen me would ever accuse me of starving). Even if the book never went anywhere, it made me feel worthy. The ability to look yourself in the mirror and see someone you like was my reason to start writing.

What really triggers your imagination?

My imagination gets triggered by problem solving. Usually an idea will form. This could be; everyone is immortal or no one can tell a lie or everyone can suddenly fly or as we actually used in our novel, everyone is personally incorporated and their personal stock can be bought and sold. At this point if, the idea passes the smell test, my mind gnaws on the question and two things must be answered. If X,how? And if X, what next? How did this change take place and now that it has what does this mean for us? After those questions get answered to my satisfaction. all I do is live in the world that has been summoned forth and observe what it is like. How do people in this imaginary world, turn on the lights, order a pizza, go on a date, report a crime, kick back after a day on the job? What job, who do they complain to, where do they complain at and what do they complain about? But it all gets started with that initial idea.

Do you write every day and do you have set hours that you work?

No I do not and no I don't. It is my greatest fault as a writer that I do not have the discipline for that type of writing. For me the idea builds and builds until I have to get it out of my head, then I can write a hundred pages in a week. However it could be weeks before I can type another word. My brother is pretty good at getting me to write, but only if he is in the room with me. On the plus side if I promise to deliver by a certain time I will. Our third book is due at TOR this April. It will be done by then. It would be dishonorable to fail.

When is your next book going to be in book stores?

Our first book, THE UNINCORPORATED MAN, is due out March 17, 2009.

What do you most want the students to get out of your school visits?

I tell them about my dyslexia. I tell them that I could not speak a word until I was five and could not read a word till I was eight. I tell them that I had to go to a 'special' room to read with the other, 'special' kids. I tell them that I was not at grade level until I was fourteen and it sucked. I show them the rejection notices for our book when we first sent it out. There was an especially nasty one we all still get a laugh over. Then I show them the acceptance letter from TOR. I tell them that I will be having a book come out in March. I remind them that it is not what others think you can do. It's not what a test says you can do. At the end of the day it's what you know you can do. If a guy with the reading and comprehension problems I have can become a published author, then a kid who is struggling to learn English can become a solid student. The kid with ADHD can find a way through and learn what they need to have a decent life. A kid who is surrounded by crime, poverty, and an almost universal assumption of failure can succeed. Not that they will succeed, but that they can. That is what I want students to get out of my visits.