Howard J. Peters

 

I have no previous publishing history, except for producing regular articles under the title of ‘Philosophy of the week’ in my London University college journal called ‘The Beacon’. (1959-1961). It was produced once every two weeks and my articles were always controversial at that time. Some of the titles were: CND Campaign for unilateral Nuclear Disarmament) are like Ostriches burying their heads in the sand.’ - ‘There is no such thing as an individual’ - ‘What would have happened if Hitler had won the war?’ EXTRA PERSONAL INFORMATION: Born: December 1940 - I am a British Optometrist by profession. I have a Green Card in the USA due to being involved in hi-tech refractive laser surgery since 1991. I was licensed in UK at the age of 21 yrs (1962) and in District of Columbia US (1997). Politically motivated towards the right, being a member of the British Conservative Party and an elected Borough Councilor for Barnet in North London UK in 1979. I held the position of Secretary of the Knightsbridge Speakers’ Club” in London. (1976-8)and spoke at the Royal Society in London about the ‘The Rotting Earth’ and man upon it being like maggots at a rotten apple (1976). My lifetime idols are Winston Churchill & Albert Einstein. I wish to spend the rest of my time writing. I have already started a conquel or paraquel for this novel working title "Upload".

 

"Bible stories are always more than what they seem. Even today they resonate in our collective consciousness because their ancient messages are still so timely. Debut author Howard Peters' bold, brash, and fiercely funny trilogy takes its premise from the story of Noah's Ark. Written in three books, "Castle in the Sky," "Your Body is Where you Live," and "The Third Rising," this is an ingeniously written novel that's part Thomas Pynchon, part Ray Bradbury and altogether original.

Somewhere in space and time, the world is in chaos. There's no green grass and the air is polluted. There's nothing left but memories of better times and fears about nuclear disaster. Hybrids populate this world, along with humans and gorilla people, and greed and cruelty is rampant.

Suddenly, a strange video hologram arrives, full of knowledge about another civilization, and Noah begins to wonder who sent it and why? Was there a similar solar system that might sustain life? Noah begins to plan for a brave new world, transporting people on the spaceship ARK toward a very familiar sounding planet. But will the future be better than the present? Peters' eloquent message is clear: What we do in our world now is a legacy for our children tomorrow. What kind of world do we want to leave them? Do we want to redevelop our wasteful ways and continue to be inhumane or do we want to make permanent change for the betterment of our world and ourselves?

Peters' writing zips and flows on the page, creating a panoramic cast of original characters and extraordinary situations. There are the lovers Svi and Lika, the gorilla people pondering their place in the cosmos, and of course, there is Noah, endlessly musing about God and fate and the future. Fiendishly clever and whiz-bang enjoyable, this is a page-turning trilogy that is both provocative and profound."  New York Times best selling Author 'Ellen Tanner Marsh'

 

PageOneLit.com:  Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?

Howard J. Peters: I was born to my mother at 16.30 hrs on the day after Christmas, the second day of Chanuka 1940 in Glasgow, Scotland. My mother was back with her family after being sent home by my father during the Blitz which was starting to look bad in London, England.  My father was in the volunteer fire service before the war and was immediately called up to serve in the East-End of London as a fire officer and wanted my ‘mum-to-be’ as far away from the bombing as possible. He saw more action than many soldiers.

I remember my early pre-school days in the air-raid shelters I claim to be of Scottish descent but I’m Jewish second generation immigrant. My paternal grandparents were from Russo-Poland and they changed their name to Peters between the wars from Pisecki. (Pronounced Pisexski but nobody could ever spell it properly, that was the excuse! Co-incidently it meant ‘writer’ in English. I only found that out a few years ago!)  My younger brother was born in London seven years later and claims to be English, as was my father from London.

I grew up in London and went progressively through an education always at a good school. I was never wonderful at writing essays or compositions and hated it! I could never think of anything to write and for me it seemed too much like a toil. My school report always said ‘Promising’.  

I started my first writing attempts, as I recall, in the second year at Grammar School in the UK.  I had read an English novel about ‘Jennings at School” by Anthony Buckeridge in which Jennings had produced a classroom newspaper and pinned it on the wall. I followed suite and it lasted two or three issues before I found more important things to do like study for my Bar mitzvah.

Although my mother used to write home to Scotland every week she would sometimes compose an odd poem or commentary on family things that were very publishable and often she was highly complimented upon them. I am sure that was always at the back of my mind.

My writing developed only when I was at University studying Optometry in London. I used to write for ‘The Beacon’ a college two weekly rag to which I contributed ‘The Philosophy of the week’.  I was never paid but I got tremendous satisfaction from it.  Some titles I remember would be . . .

“If Hitler had won the war?”   

“People who follow CND* are like Ostriches that bury there heads in the sand”

“There is no such thing as an individual you are affected by your environment.”

 

Although they were always controversial the last one created the most flack. They thought that I was saying that Jesus could never have existed! It had not ever dawned on me. That subject had not ever crossed my mind!  (That is not an unfortunate pun!) 

My two most important influences were my parents. I loved them both and often thought would I ever like it if I were to be changed from them. “No!”   I thought. My mum was always there and although my dad was somewhat of a disciplinarian, I still loved him, although he did stop me from pursuing a more literary career in journalism or law.   I liked acting and often went for that type of thing.   I became an Optometrist because it seemed like an easy route for me and I would not have to find my way!  It was a means to an end and I would earn money immediately after qualification.

 * “Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament”

 

PageOneLit.com: Why do you write? 

Howard J. Peters:  I enjoy it! It is a mild form of relaxation and I enjoy making a point. It must be the politician in me!  For a short while I was an elected Councilor in the Borough of Barnet, north of London UK.  I also was the Secretary for the Knightsbridge Speaker’s Club in London for a couple of years. I enjoyed making an exhibition of myself, but later years have made me more mellow and perhaps more subtle?  I also look upon writing as a constructive art. I believe that I can leave something behind me after I have passed on, other than a request on my tombstone like Peter Ustinov who when asked, said he would suggest “Keep off the Grass!”

PageOneLit.com: 'DOWNLOAD' AN ALTERNATIVE STORY OF NOAH AND HIS ARK -- Describe the title as it relates to the 'book'. 

Howard J. Peters:  I cannot believe that you should ask that question. Is not that obvious?  Perhaps it is one of your standard requests!

I will answer anyway.  ‘Download’?   When I first started this story there was very little known about computers and Mr. Gates was still at school or at work in his garage. I had done a course in FORTRAN and computer science was for the Einsteins of this world. One needed a large air controlled building with at least two floors to build a moderate business size computer. It cost millions and people rented out time and space to cover costs. I worked as an Optometrist very close to one of these monstrous machines that printed out tapes with holes. I watched as over the years they became smaller and smaller. Could you imagine then in 1987 the size that they would become? You can now carry one around in your almost closed hand.   

I had a problem. I knew my story and I could not bring it from pretend to reality. That was very important to me! I believe that I felt this story was to be more like a faction than a fiction!  I want everything that I write to be possible in order to be believable. This is my doctrine and modus operandum. 

My question was how did this guy Noah get his samples of humanity etc. to Earth without leaving any trace from where they came?  You read about that in the chapter SELEKTION, but he still had to erase their memory, thus ‘Download’ 

There is even a volcanic island in the Aegean Sea, Santorini near Greece where Neyl dumped his craft causing the Island to partially fall backward into the sea. It is fiction but this could be believable, could it not? 

Wait for the sequel / conquel, yes, ‘Upload’. A very difficult novel to write because it happens in 2061. I have to avoid libel and slander as names are needed and countries and religions will be highly offended. Salamon Rushdie will be an angel compared with my writings. Nostra Damus was clever.  I will have to be superbly clever to avoid too much offence. I will perhaps speak to Neal Boortz for advice?

 An alternative story of Noah and his Ark.

This could be put hard up against the original in the bible and will be seen to be an analogy with a few added characters for effect but true to its original concept.

Perhaps it was as is? There will be many who will be offended because it could be so close to the truth. After all, the world is not flat, as it was not then!  There are some times when I even believe my own story!

 

PageOneLit.com:  'DOWNLOAD' AN ALTERNATIVE STORY OF NOAH AND HIS ARK is the best book I've read ALL year - This is an amazing and fresh written book of ''another way the original legends could have been told' - Where did the idea for this book come from? How much research biblically did you have to do?

Howard J. Peters:  In 1986 I was previously married to someone else and arranged to take my mother and two young daughters, Louise and Sarah then aged around 11 & 13 for a weekend to Holland. It would be a break for my mum and allow my then wife, Anna to study for her law exams in peace. We went to Amsterdam with my car. After visiting Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam we the drove to the Polders and on the Dyke to see Holland in general. We saw many windmills and lots of water and some pretty Dutch villages, but apart from that the countryside was somewhat boring. I had to keep the girls amused so I told them the story I had in my head. Which unbeknown to me at that moment in time I had been inspired to tell as having this story in my head just as that of Anne Frank!  I then proceeded to tell my story. That which you have just read. The span of time and computer technology have over the years allowed me to turn pretence into that of possible reality.

 I had always had my suspicions about the veracity of Noah in the bible and this was to become my interpretation.

How much research? Only a lifetime of personal experience of life and a reasonable Old Testament education through my religion and school education. I also re-read my Hebrew bible and commentaries to check my ‘facts’. It is a very small section of Genesis.

 

PageOneLit.com: What is your point of view and political ideas/feelings on our environment now and the future? 

Howard J. Peters: I have sent a copy of my book to both Al Gore and Arnold Schwarzenegger. I am a conservative and would be a republican if I had a vote. I believe that the environmental problems are not political and should go across party lines. Those who are using it for political purposes are misguided and spoiling the meaning of the danger putting people on their guard, rather than being a catalyst for their interest!  There are always political interests that will try to capitalize on anything, but this subject is not a subject that will benefit from that. Man is being very unkind to his planet.

At the Royal Society in London in 1976 or thereabouts during a Goodman Lecture by the then High Court Judge Lord Scarman to the Optometry profession, I stood up and suggested “that the human race was on our planet like maggots eating at a rotting apple”.

I was both applauded and almost booed. It had a very mixed reception. To my knowledge I was the first person to mention it in a minuted talk.

PageOneLit.com: 'DOWNLOAD' AN ALTERNATIVE STORY OF NOAH AND HIS ARK - You may have some religious narrow minded bible scholars/preachers in an uproar - Did you consider this at all and what do you have to say to them if they do come out of the woodwork targeting your great work of FICTION?

Howard J. Peters: I have pre-answered this earlier but first I will say that it is fiction and from where the inspiration came for the original writings I have no query, it is the way mankind was able to understand those stories at that time. Today we have eaten more from the fruit of the tree of knowledge. It may not have been good for us? See my comment and apology to Adam & Eve. Please bring them out of the woodwork and let them accuse me of heresy. It will sell more books!  It will help to promote the film rights!
What about the Afro-black population how will they react if compared with hybrids? Humans did not like being compared to apes by Darwin. He faced a lot of flack due to his theory of evolution!

PageOneLit.com: What did you learn from writing 'DOWNLOAD' AN ALTERNATIVE STORY OF NOAH AND HIS ARK?

Howard J. Peters: It is my first novel and I was surprised how I got to know my characters intimately and found that there were certain things that I could not write for them to do!

I also found that it is very easy to get rejections and nobody reads anything but will readily express an opinion about it.

Learning is something that continues throughout life and when the time is due, in most cases, one even learns how to die.

PageOneLit.com: What do you want readers to take away from after reading 'DOWNLOAD' AN ALTERNATIVE STORY OF NOAH AND HIS ARK?

Howard J. Peters: To appreciate the world we live in and that they have a duty to our planet to keep it safe and secure for all future generations who will benefit from the enjoyment of their planet home. As the once Russian leader Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev once said (1990) “There will never be another Noah’s Ark!”    I say ‘Let us pray that we never need one!’
 

 
PageOneLit.com:   What's next?

Howard J. Peters: A sequel or conquel (paraquel) Called ‘Upload’. What happens/ed next? It is centered around the next passing of Halley’s Comet around 2061

PageOneLit.com:  What was the last book you read?

Howard J. Peters: I have not yet finished ‘The book of Fate’ by Brad Meltzer.  Previous to that I read ‘Shogun” which I found in the attic. I enjoyed it very much.

PageOneLit.com:   Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?

Howard J. Peters: Apart from Writing*:  At present this is a hobby, but I hope to make it my new career.

Swimming*:  Not the best, but was better. I love snorkeling.

Astronomy: I have minimal interest & telescope. Could manage without!

Traveling: I like to go to far away places. My other half does groups

Calligraphy*: I learned that on a rainy day at boys club when I was 15.

Snow Skiing*:  I contracted the addictive disease at age of 26 in Feb 1967

Computer Graphics: I do brochures for my other half’s travel business. It is good for presentation of my book. See my book cover.

Video & Photo: For special occasions

Chess & Bridge:  Just games I play

Do it yourself Décor: It interferes with my writing!

 * Dread the day when I cannot do this any more

 

I have other things like golf, Cycle and horse riding, but these are not my devoted sports.

I have an unmarried daughter and two grand sons from the married one.