Steve Spears

I was raised by a family if racoons in Shawnee National Forest. They taught me everything I needed to know in life: how to stay up all night and annoy people, how to dumpster dive, how to climb trees, when to turn on the cuteness, etc...

My influences are mostly. Rod Serling. Watts, Joseph Campbell, Marilynne Robinson, C.S. Lewis (non-fiction), Harper Lee, Shel Silverstein, Mary Oliver, Paul Davies, Wislawa Scymborska, David Foster Wallace (an interview I read of Wallace was what made me want to write), T.S. Elliot, Stan Lee, Somerset Maugham, Hemingway, ...and so on.

My imagination has been strongly shaped by cinema. And I especially gravitate towards those screen-plays which offer some insight into the mystery of our existence or at least into the mystery of other human beings and their cultures. Here's my top 5:

1. Fearless- with Jeff Bridges and Isabella Rossellini.

2. The Razor's Edge- with Bill Murray

3. Black Robe- with Lothaire Bluteau

4. Housekeeping- with Christine Lahti

5. Blade Runner

I write mostly with dialogue and only a hint of exposition. Also I like to keep things moving at a good clip, because I believe a good story teller has a sacred obligation to serve the story like a good meal, where every necessary ingredient is included and the presence the unnecessary is scrutinized with diligence.