How did you become a writer?
I have been an information junky since my teens. I used to get the Herald Tribune, published in Paris, which always arrived a few days late. Reading it from cover to cover, sometimes catching up on the weekends, a world view emerged that demanded more and more attention. As I was fortunate enough to have access to literature from Britain, America, France, and Switzerland at the time, looking for exciting reading material in local book stores often took me towards spy stories from Britain, political intrigue from France, historical fiction from Switzerland, and westerns from America. The stuff of any teenager’s dreams!
And I have a peculiar habit: I sleep with an earpiece listening to the radio. For decades I used a shortwave radio to tune into distant voices, gleaning opinion and little-known facts from around the world. There was always a magic hidden between the crackle and fuzz to be listened to, learned from. Nowadays, of course, there’s the Internet with increased clarity and access to voices from across the planet. Not all of it is true, being often propaganda (which is in itself revealing about culture), but the fact gathering continues every night.
At some point, there comes this urge to share what I have learned, experienced in the field (no matter where on the planet), share what’s known to be true about some wonderful – and some not-so-wonderful—people, places, or events. In 1992 I started to contribute a weekly article to a local newspaper of some of the things I had learned. In 1999 that weekly article was taken up by The Millerton News, of NY and sometimes its sister paper The Lakeville Journal of CT. Every week since then I write an article for the editorial page. Every week, year in year out.
Then, in 2003, the international recognition of the plight of elephants made me write my first book—stuffed full of real political, zoological, and ivory trade facts and featuring a hero of mine, Mbuno of the Liangulu. From there, the writing urge continued. It is such fun—such a personally satisfying pastime—to write--- why would I not continue?
Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.).
Let’s start with Mrs. Barnett when I was six. She assigned us homework to describe the house we lived in and where the house was. It took me ten tries to get it right. There’s a mathematical precision when laying out description of what’s real—an exercise she taught me well. Never a poet, my writing is linear and, as a consequence, I am always influenced by greater thinkers and writers than I could ever be. Oh, true, my stories may be similar in impact and plot, but their writing far surpasses anything I can achieve; writers like John LeCarre, Douglas Reeman, Daphne du Maurier, Graham Greene, Bob van Laerhoven, Hammond Innes, and Thomas Harris. Then there are yarn-tellers (more like me), writers like Gavin Lyall, Alistair MacLean, James Church, Pieter Aspe, John Enright, and Ron Lealos who make cooler evenings by the fire such fun.
When and where do you write?
When the mood strikes, I binge, days of sitting, typing away, books spread all over, pages printed from Internet searches, phone calls to friends in faraway places to verify facts, and food somehow miraculously appearing, my dog warming my feet. Totally self-indulgent, this is a time of pure selfishness. Now, as Hemingway said that writing is re-writing... that takes place over the coming months, each change a revelation or personal cringing; a necessary process, but editing is never as much fun as creation via a stream of typed consciousness.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the next book in the Mbuno and Pero series. Mbuno and Pero are now desperate to have a break from all the dangers they have faced, so they take on a revolutionary walking TV documentary following a herd of elephant on their migration north... into Ethiopia...
Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?
In the sense of not wanting to write? No. In the sense of searching for a word? Not really, I just keep hammering away until it comes. In the sense of not developing the plot? Since my characters take me on their journey (I never know where the tale will end until they show me by character traits and events), I just go along and see what will happen.
What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
Sometimes you can learn by watching others and seeing what not to do. Since I do not pretend that my stories are “literary”, but are more page-turners, seeing great writers, like my mother, joyfully take weeks to write a few pages and construct a turn of phrase into something poetic—well, that’s great advice of what I must avoid. Writing for me is pure fun. Now, to be honest, if I had that ability like John LeCarre, Victor Hugo, or my mother, perhaps I would similarly be plagued with the need to emulate them.... Come to think of it, if I had their ability, I would get no fun out of writing unless I did emulate their pure dedication to the written word. I guess I’m lucky I just want to tell a story.
What’s your advice to new writers?
As a literary agent for decades, I often give them advice. First, Shakespeare had it right; Unto Yourself Be True. Second, remember who you are writing for. It’s a modern world and no one has time to waste anymore. If you cannot expose your protagonist(s) and a basic idea of the writing and where a story could unfold within the first five pages, go back and re-write. A writer should be generous to the reader, assist the reader to get everything they can from what the writer has to say—with as little effort as possible. Oh, and if writing is not fun, find something else to do. If it is not fun for you, it’ll be obvious to the reader.
Peter Riva is the author of Kidnapped on Safari. He has spent many months over thirty years traveling throughout Africa and Europe. Much of this time was spent with the legendary guides for East African hunters and adventurers. He created a TV series in 1995 called Wild Things for Paramount. Passing on the fables, true tales, and insider knowledge of these last reserves of true wildlife is his passion. Nonetheless, his job for over forty years has been working as a literary agent. In his spare time, Riva writes science fiction and African adventure books, including the previous two titles in the Mbuno and Pero Adventures series, Murder on Safari and The Berlin Package. He lives in Gila, New Mexico. For more information, please visit https://peterriva.com.
