In Focus: Woodbury Man’s New Sci-Fi Novel

After his children discovered some of his old sketches and asked about the characters portrayed in the drawings, Woodbury resident Erik Steen told them the story.

Their reaction—wanting to know more, eyes wide with anticipation—was part of what prompted the Woodbury native to publish a science-fiction novel through Amazon for the Kindle.

The book is Max Focus: The Hollow Moon.

Patch asked Steen about his book and the writing process.

Patch: What is Max Focus about?

Steen: After narrowly escaping a beating by the school bully, Max Focus stumbles into a cave where he finds his schoolteacher working inside a crashed UFO, the space-time ship known as the Manta Ray.

Soon, Max is traveling aboard the Manta Ray and along with Professor Piney Shumaker, his new best friend Bixby the kung-fu fighting extra-terrestrial, and his cute-but-nerdy computer hacking classmate Terah Sky, he is plunged 10 years forward into a bleak dystopian future.

In this impending future the legendary Naga of Hindu myth, the giant Nephilim mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, have returned and conquered the Earth, reclaiming the planet as their own.

After escaping from a tribe of rag-tag post-Apocalyptic refugees, Max returns to the Manta Ray and travels back home to the present day only to find that his little brother has been taken by men dressed in black suits. All that is left behind is a note that threatens to keep his brother hostage unless Max surrenders the space-time ship.

Later clues lead Max and his friends to a prison fortress that remains hidden within the hollow moon, and there he must go to rescue his brother and avert the diabolical plans of the Naga Queen.

Patch: Tell us about the writing and publishing process?

Steen: Currently, the book is available on Amazon as a Kindle book. There are several apps available, so that if you do not own a Kindle, you can still buy the book and read it on your PC, tablet, etc. I am actually quite excited about the process, because the internet has become such an incredible resource, offering writers an opportunity to express themselves without waiting for someone else to come along and wave a magic wand.

Of course, I do plan to publish the book in hardcover and paperback, this was simply an effective way to get the story out there and create an initial buzz.

Much of the research for this book comes from listening to programs on Coast to Coast AM, reading books on history and science, studying ancient cultures and religions, and watching shows like Ancient Aliens on the History Channel. I have also experienced teaching the martial arts for more than 20 years, and much of that philosophy finds its way into the book.

Patch: What prompted you to write the book?

Steen: The main factor that influenced the writing of this book was the advent of my two wonderful boys. My sons, Sebaztian and Braiden (9 and 6, respectively), discovered some of my old sketches and they began asking about the characters portrayed in the drawings.

As I told them the story, they continued to want to know more, eyes-wide with anticipation, and I realized it was finally time to sit down and piece this tale together. A few of the monsters featured in the book, such as the hilcrilen and foroon, were even inspired by drawings created by my eldest son, Sebaztian.

My amazing wife, Carrie, has also been very instrumental in the success of this book by constantly encouraging me to keep writing.

Patch: Who are your influences as writers?

Steen: Frank Herbert of the Dune series, anything by Edgar Rice Burrows, Homer’s Iliad, Stephen King, Anne Rice, Mark Twain for his raw poetic dialogue, Ernest Hemingway for his brief yet poignant prose, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, the prophetic mastermind Philip K. Dick, and Michael Crichton for his ability to merge the real with the unreal.

Patch: Anything else you'd like to add?

Steen: One element that I was very conscious of when writing this novel, was to take the reader and inspire their imagination while simultaneously teaching something about the known universe.

Yes, there is much to this story that is pure fiction, but there are also portions of this story that are based on real scientific discovery.

I grew up in Woodbury and live here now, so the town featured in the novel, Doodlewood, is based upon my beloved home town, and I hope that readers will delight in partaking in an epic adventure that begins right here at home.