There are only a couple of authors in any generation who make a deep impact on the literary world and you can count Walter Stephen Geeding in this class of author. His breakout book ‘Endless Times: Volume One: The Path of Kokopelli’ has been a huge success with readers, having recently hit the bestsellers list, and he is no doubt destined to have all is books on the bestseller list for years to come. When you talk to readers they point out that he is gifted at creating intriguing characters, plots that deliver throughout the adventures he weaves, and a sense of action that is second to none.
In this time travel themed book Jack and Jim, his protagonists, who just so happen to be footloose, lifetime friends and beer drinking buddies, go on a grand adventure, and take readers right along with them. One fateful day they are out back-roading when they spot the cabin. Aha, it’s treasure, and much more. As Jack runs out with some little gold figures, deputies start shooting. They have discovered a way to travel the time road disguised as a dilapidated shack. The only problem is those deputies. A “start no violence” command is broken; now, travelers must dodge lawmen. Jack throws the gold back in; time returns to normal. Some old letters reveal the secret: twenty-four figurines, twenty-four destinations; just dodge the law.
If you want to know what happens, and you know you do, then this book is for you. Recently Geedling made some time for us so that we could chat with him about the art of storytelling, his work, and what is coming next.
Endless Times Volume One: The Path of Kokopelli recently hit the best-seller list, which is an awesome accomplishment. What was that like for you on a personal and a professional level?
Once I started writing, I completed my first works, a trilogy called Colony, plus compiling two volumes of poetry. After that, I poured the better part of three years into the first novel of this series and then its three subsequent books. I finally thought, wow, maybe this is a good time to see if they are worth reading and, by extension, if I am any good at writing. Whereupon, I took the plunge, entered my book in an awards contest or two, submitted it for a review, and placed my head on the chopping block, so to speak. Two favorable reviews later, one from Kirkus Reviews and another from Readers’ Favorite, a first-place win in the International Book Awards, and on top of that, Amazon Best Seller status gave me my answer. I’ve always believed it would be hard to write seven bad novels in a row, but now I’m certain I didn’t. Personally, I’m relieved knowing over three years of my life wasn’t wasted, and professionally I am vindicated. This isn’t too shoddy of a record in a land where two million new novels are written annually. I’m happy because my wife is more relaxed these days; she’s seeing some results. My wallet could be happier, but that’s not why I write anyway; enough to support my habit would be nice.
You have crafted some rather amazing characters in this book. How much of yourself do you put into your characters that you develop?
This book is almost one hundred percent character-driven; one of the main protagonists, Jack, draws all of his memories from real-life experiences that happened to Jim and me after we ran away from home in a little county in Southwest Missouri. Jim was my best friend, my brother from different parents, and we grew up fast in our years on the road. There weren’t too many places north to south, between Canada and Mexico, or east to west, and all points joining the two we didn’t explore. Living, loving, fighting, running from the law, or just trying to stay alive, as remembered through the author, are almost as hard to believe as the fictitious scenarios that occasion some memory in the book to start with. Sadly, my brother left this world young, so I put all of me into remembering what an absolutely free life we lived. There were no rules to adhere to, and no one told us what to do; it bleeds through in my writing. The reader can relate to the craziness of two wild young country boys’ trip of personal self-discovery after they had been set loose upon the world. Unfortunately, most can only dream of or wish they had known such a life. It takes guts and luck to stay alive out there; we had both.
You are a gifted writer; where did your passion for storytelling come from, and what was it like for you when you first sat down to put your stories on paper?
My dad could spin unbelievable tales about his time as a radio-man, flying planes for the navy. He was based in Africa, and the stories I heard were straight out of a modern Arabian-nights how-to. Dozens of fascinating escapades, and over the years, they never varied because, as I learned, his tales were all true. In the end, I’ve become just like him; somehow, the great unknown called life allowed two generations of adventurers and storytellers in the same family. Of course, dad was a suave international teller of escapades; as for myself, I’m just a piker; mine are all home-grown domestic experiences, but they serve me well. The kicker is that all of our experiences are true.
I’ve written poetry since I was seven; however, it was my wife who encouraged me to write down all my stories in a book. This was after years of telling her to make a note of some forgotten adventure so I wouldn’t forget it again. Once I got started, all those memories kicked in; what a fine feeling. Put a fictitious incident down, and match it up with three of mine, all true, often just as crazy and unbelievable. How nice is that, two novels appearing in your head simultaneously!
What writers do you look up to most, either for their writing or as human beings?
If I had to pick a writer I admired most, it would probably be Charles Dickens. Dickens wrote in a time when language and the written word were somewhat stilted and stuffy. However, as one of the early modern novelists, he managed to convey a gripping story, be it A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, or A Tale of Two Cities. All the while, Dickens was able to brilliantly detail a second story within the main plot on the plight of the common man in the grips of an early industrial revolution. Or is that evolution and devolution? Have we, since Dicken’s time, evolved into a better society with all our machines? The jury is still out; battles rage in hallowed halls and concrete war zones. The alternative is devolution into an intelligent mechanical jungle, intent on swallowing ourselves through the internet or poisoning humankind out of existence. Where would Dickens stand today, peering into his laptop, agonizing over disappearing glaciers, countless lost forests, and even more foregone freedoms? “Please, sir, I want some more.”
Is there anything you have that you are working on that you can tell your readers about?
Currently, Murphys Diggins is due out in August 2022; the next volume, Making Tracks, needs editing and will be out this year. This novel utilizes four different times within the destination itself. Anyone in love with the history of the transcontinental railroad will love this saga. From Washington D.C., 1864, in the waning days of the Civil War, where the most astonishing land appropriations of all times were handed to investors, to the pounding of the golden spike in Promontory, Utah, 1869. Making Tracks will open your eyes to the unscrupulous men who crossed the U.S. with steel. Journey with Jack as he and his partner watch Lincoln barely miss being shot when Southern General Jubal Early attacks Washington in June 1864. Later, join them to fight Indians and brave the “hell on wheels” town, Platte City, Nebraska, October 1867. Live five hundred years through Abascans, the original Canadians, as they migrate south, becoming ancestors of the Pueblo and Apache Nations. Finally, stand in the crowd at Promontory, Utah, in May of 1869 and watch the golden spike be pounded; then it’s all over, or is it? Something tells me Jack will journey again. Spoiler, he does. West Coast Turnaround is ready to be edited, and Gringos is coming.
If you could have any super-power, what would it be and why?
Teleportation without limit would be my choice. I love to travel but hate going and coming. Most of the time, you are in between somewhere, the food is shitty, and accommodations usually leave something to be desired. Blipping all over, you could cover a lot of ground in one day; you know, French Rivera for lunch, Amazon Basin for late afternoon Peacock Bass fishing, that sort of thing. You would have to have a fairly varied wardrobe, though, and be up on all your shots. Then there is interplanetary travel; why not see a few human-friendly planets, make some new friends, and get a few more adventures under my belt? Now those would be some unbelievable stories. Hi honey, I’m home; I hopped over to planet Z for crumpets with the grand Zapoli today. What? Oh yes, he’s fine; Mrs. Zapoli sends her best. What do you mean I’m late? That’s a long trip. It took me at least 10 seconds to go a million light years! Take off my shoes? I’m not wearing any; man, a fellow can’t even go visit a friend for the afternoon. Yea, teleportation without limit, that’s the ticket.
To find out more about Walter Stephen Geeding and ‘Endless Times: Volume One: The Path of Kokopelli’ head over to his website.