Steve Alten

interviewed by Cameron Hughes

Steve Alten is a charming and funny man. And passionate. I’ve talked to him through e-mail, phone, and Instant Messenger and his enthusiasm shines through on all forms of communication.

Steve Alten, at heart, is a lover of horror and monster movies. Both MEG and The Loch have a very Clive Cussler feel, amped up to 11. They’re worth the read.

The Shell Game is a great novel and a step up for Alten and it is my hope that it will make people take notice of him and his great talent. It works as a thriller, a political drama, and at the end of the day, it is very very human. It’s a great read and a real throw of the gauntlet by Alten as he goes from science fiction novels with a B-Movie Monster Movie bent to political thriller. It is densely researched and backed up by an extensive bibliography. Even if you don’t agree with its politics, it is, at the end of the day, an incredibly entertaining thriller, with real stakes and drama. Do yourself a favor and go order it on Amazon.

Hughes: Your first novel was MEG? How did it come about? Was it difficult getting it published?

The seeds for MEG began about 24 years earlier when I was voraciously reading every shark attack book I could find as a teen. There was always some blurb about this 70-foot prehistoric great white and a hokey photo of six nerds sitting in a jaw in the Smithsonian, but that was all I could find. Fast forward to1995 and a TIME magazine article on the Mariana Trench. The idea to use this unexplored seven mile deep, 1550 mile long trench to introduce this amazing creature to modern man happened while I read the article.

I worked on the book every night from ten until 3 AM. The difficult part with MEG was finding a literary agent. I sent two-page queries to every agent who handled fiction (about 65). I heard back from one agent (Ken Atchity) who thought the concept would make a great book and movie…but it needed editing - $6,000 worth. I had no money but I had my first car – a ’71 Malibu convertible. I fixed it up and sold it and we edited MEG. Six months later we had a first-look movie deal at Disney’s Hollywood Pics and a 2 book deal at Bantam/Doubleday. Thus began my roller-coaster ride. We lost the movie deal after two bad scripts and the firing of the studio head. I lost the second book in the book deal after Bertlesman bought BDD and my big advance was taken off the books.

Hughes: What made you finally write the book?

I hated my job, which I call a J.O.B.: Just Over Broke. MEG was my salvation. I worked on the book from ten at night until 3 AM and on weekends. Every time I am in a movie theater I imagine being there, waiting for MEG to begin.

Hughes: For readers reluctant to pick up MEG because of shark movies like JAWS and Deep Blue Sea, how is MEG different?

It’s certainly a similar genre, but I delve more into the science of hydrothermal vents and the creature itself. The major difference between the novels MEG and JAWS (and I am envious of Benchley’s well-deserved success) is the amount of shark scenes. JAWS had far more human character development. MEG is more shark action.

Hughes: Your latest novel is The SHELL GAME. What is it about? What was the research process like?

Most difficult book I ever wrote…but far and away my best and most important novel. The SHELL GAME is a cautionary tale about the end of oil and the next 9/11, an event, already being planned, that will lead us into a devastating counter-attack on Iran. It’s a false flag operation…and a bit unnerving because it is surrounded by fact. As such, the research was exhausting. Upwards of 40 books, 400 articles, personal interviews, and info that gave me nightmares. It still does. Three months after I finished the manuscript I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

How did you keep track of so much information while crafting a coherent narrative?

I had to be very organized. I color coded and numbered every document, created a master sheet, then used that in every chapter.

Hughes: Has Hollywood become interested in The Shell Game at all?

Yes. Creative Arts Agency gave it outstanding coverage, and I quote: "If adapted and produced with its plot intact, THE SHELL GAME would be among the most controversial films of the year, if not the decade. That having been said, THE SHELL GAME is a highly entertaining, deeply profound and bone chilling thriller driven by an ensemble of fairly well-rounded and engaging characters…"

Hughes: Do you think The Shell Game has a political bias at all?

It has bad guys. The bad guys are the neo-conservative a-holes who brought us 9/11 and the war in Iraq. No… I see no bias.

Hughes: Tell me about the 9/11 Truth people and their threats against you.

The 9/11 Truth people made no threats. In fact I regard them as the true patriots of the 21st century. These people (which include some of the brightest architects, engineers, and pilots around) have been harassed, arrested, abused…and all because they refused to accept the lies behind 9/11. However, the movement has been seriously infiltrated by people with far different agendas. They publicly recite 90% of the truth movement’s issues…adding 10% of their own really radical stuff (outer space weapons, the Jews did it) designed to cause distrust of the entire movement. Disinformation campaigns have been used by Intelligence organizations for decades. It is very effective. I was harassed by a disinformation group that feared the book’s success. So they sent a few warning shots over my bow. Like publishing photos of my home on blogs, my address, my private unlisted phone number, my wife’s name, my personal e-mails… Sort of makes you wonder what they fear in a novel.

Hughes: What can you do to stop them?

I called the FBI four times and never received a response. I complained to the web host and the photos of my home were finally taken down. So they resorted to attacking my friends who were business associates.

Hughes: The Shell Game warns of another 9/11 coming. What kind of attack would it be and why would it be worse?

Nuclear suitcase bomb. It has to be on this level to justify a chemical bombing of Iran, otherwise the world would never accept it. See, our army is broken. Rumsfeld and Cheney broke it. Too many deployments, not enough soldiers. We are in no shape to invade Iran. So we need to use WMDs…but not nukes. Nukes radiate everything, including the oil fields. And this is all about oil. So another 9/11 becomes another Pearl Harbor. Only this time it will lead to WW-III.

Now here is what is REALLY SCARY! A few days ago, Michael Chertoff, head of Homeland Security, essentially told reporters that he fears the next 9/11, which could be a suitcase nuke. Then, in threatening to veto a waterboarding ban, Bush said, and I quote, "terrorists are planning new attacks on our country... that will make Sept. 11 pale by comparison."

If this plot isn't straight out of The Shell Game then you haven't read the book. Now add this little tidbit: Executive Orders NSPD51 & HSPD20 would place the United States under total Martial Law and Military Dictatorship in the event of another attack. These Executive Orders allow the President to declare a National Emergency at any time, and freeze everything...including a national election. Congress is powerless to prevent such an Executive Dictatorship, as long as the President advises Congress in a timely matter.

Starting to see a pattern here? But it’s just a novel…just a novel…just a novel.

Hughes: What question would you like never to be asked again?

What made you write MEG?

Hughes: What’s next for you in your work?

The Loch debuts in mass market paperback Halloween 2008. Then MEG: Hell’s Aquarium (MEG 4 -- far and away the best in the series) which should be published summer 2009. Meanwhile, Nick Nunziata (owner of CHUD.Com) and I are cooking up a few fun little projects…

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copyright (c) Noir Originals, 2008

CAMERON HUGHES is a reviewer and interviewer for CHUD.COM, January Magazine, and Crimespree Magazine. He lives in San Diego.