A native of Philadelphia, Steve Alten holds a 
bachelor’s degree from Penn
State University, a masters in sports medicine from the University
of Delaware, and a doctorate in sports administration from Temple
University. He is the New York Times bestselling author of MEG:
A Novel of Deep Terror and Domain.
Page One: Where did you grow up and was
reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest
influences and why?
Steve Alten: I grew up in Philadelphia.
I loved to read shark attack stories, which certainly influenced
my MEG series. I also enjoyed the Ian Fleming James Bond books,
Dracula, and action adventure thrillers.
Page One: Why do you write?
Steve Alten: It's how I make my living,
and I love it. It wasn't always that way, but I've been fortunate
to have achieved some level of success.
Page One: I understand that your aspirations
were to be a basketball coach, not a writer?
Steve Alten: True. I played a little
at Penn State, then coached at the University of Delaware as
a grad assistant, and spent 4 years at Temple University learning
under the legendary John Chaney.
Page One: You are living the 'American Dream'
-- At one time your company went bankrupt, you lost your house
and went thru a divorce. How did writing turn all of this around?
Steve Alten: Writing rescued me from
JOB. Which stands for Just Over Broke. Despite having earned
a doctorate degree, I was selling water treatment systems door
to door and working in a meat plant when I sold my first novel,
MEG.
Page One: What does MEG stand for and where
did the idea for a 'prehistoric great white shark' come from?
Tell us about your new book MEG: PRIMAL WATERS.
Steve Alten: MEG is short for carcharodon
Megalodon, the 70-foot, 70,000 pound prehistoric version of the
great white shark, the most fearsome monster ever to have lived.
MEG;Primal Waters is the third and best in the series, with our
hero, Jons Taylor, now a middle aged father of two teens, struggling
to make ends meet, when he gets the call to action, and eventually
his family faces these amazingly frightening creatures.
Page One: In your opinion, did Herman Melville
invent the 'ocean monster versus man' genre with Moby Dick? Did
Peter Benchley take this genre to a new level? Has Steve Alten
continued to advance the genre?
Steve Alten: It's flattering to be mentioned
in such company. I would agree that all three of us have this
genre in common.
Page One: You have written the screenplay
for MEG -- Do you enjoy writing screenplays? How does writing
a screenplay differ from writing a novel?
Steve Alten: I enjoy writing screenplays,
it's a nice break from novel writing. It's also a completely
different task. Everything must fit Hollywwood standards with
little deviation.
Page One: You have had 6 novels published
now. What do you know now that you didn't know when writing book
one?
Steve Alten: I understand character
arcs more, and my level of storytelling has become more complex.
Page One: At the moment you are working
on getting your novel MEG turned into a movie; how have you found
dealing with Hollywood studios and executives?
Steve Alten: My manager and our producers
really handle that. I've met with studio execs when MEG was first
optioned back in 1996. Hopefully it will happen again, and between
our terrific producers and director, and the advances in special
effects, MEG should be a terrifying thrill-ride of a movie.
Page One: Tell us about your Adopt-An-Author
program --
Steve Alten: The program began almost
5 years ago when high school students began sending me e-mail
stating they hated to read...until they read MEG and The TRENCH.
Suddenly reading became fun, and now teachers are using my novels
in classrooms to excite their students to read. The program is
free, I pay for everything, and we offer curriculum materials,
tests, quizzes, study guides...and personal contact between the
teachers, students, and authors ussing e-mail, classroom calls,
and visits. We just passed 3500 teachers registered in the program,
with 4-6 added everyday. Most important, the books HOOK students.
Page One: What do you hope to achieve with
your books? What do you hope readers will take away after reading
your books?
Steve Alten: My books are designed to
be fast reads, entertaining, and filled with science. Readers
enjoy them because it makes them think while providing an escape
from the real world.
Page One: What has been your feedback from
readers?
Steve Alten: I'd say very positive. They
also love that I e-mail them back within a few hours.
Page One: What's next?
Steve Alten: THE LOCH, a very real Loch Ness monster
thriller, filled with a just-discovered secret about the creature,
set to be released in May 2005.
Page One: What was the last book you read?
Steve Alten: I read books all the time,
but for research purposes. The last novel I read was The PACT,
the authors of which are now part of Adopt An Author.
Page One: Do you have any hobbies? What
are they? How do they enhance your writing?
Steve Alten: I enjoy working out, playing
basketball, and playing the drums. I enhance my writing by doing
tons of research.
Steve Alten can be reached at MEG82159@aol.com
Free excerpts of all his novels are available
at www.MEGsite.com
Teachers interested in his Adopt-An-Author program
can get more info at www.AdoptAnAuthor.com
