Author Stephen Winter
1. What’s your favorite coffee drink?
My favorite coffee drink is… tea. Black tea.
2. Your favorite curse word?
F*ck. It’s just such a wonderfully versatile word.
That said, I do try to limit cursing in my work unless it truly fits a character. Little easter-egg though: if you ever stumble across a good old-fashioned “bollocks” in one of my books, I was probably thinking: f*ck.
3. Hobbies besides writing?
I’ve always loved the outdoors! If I’m not writing, I’m skiing, surfing, playing Padel, or hiking with my family. Also, my wife is Swiss (I’m Californian), so we’re often traveling to visit her family and friends.
4. Inspiration for Murder Inferno?
I grew up on video games and got fascinated by a “Hardcore” gaming community challenge where players try to beat classics without ever dying. One day I wondered: What if someone kept the same character alive for a decade—and then lost it? How hard would that grief hit? Like losing a piece of yourself? A loved one? That question sparked the setting for Murder Inferno, as I thought a dual investigation through both virtual reality and the real world sounded like a pretty fun, fresh twist on the whodunnit genre.
5. Favorite part of writing?
My wife calls me a “sponge,” as in I soak in everything around me. With the world feeling so, let’s just say––volatile, that’s not always an easy attribute to have. Writing has given me a healthy outlet to cope with the volatility, and for that, I’ll forever be grateful.
6. Advice for budding authors?
Stay connected. It’s far too easy to feel alone in this profession—hundreds of hours of drafting, writing, revising, re-writing, polishing, then comes the task of tackling an entirely different beast: publishing and marketing. Few people truly understand what it takes to write a book, so find the ones who do.
7. Anything to say to readers/fans?
Thank you for taking a chance on me. I really didn’t know what to expect with the release of my debut (Murder Inferno), but I’ve been floored by the love and support. It’s given me the confidence that my leap of faith into this profession wasn’t for nothing, as well as the drive to keep going.
Also, support smaller authors! There’s so much under-the-radar talent out there. It really is remarkable!
8. What’s next for Stephen Winter?
Too much…but in the best way.
At the moment, I’m finishing Loque Lo’White’s second mystery: A Death in Heaven, which is coming together even more wonderfully bizarre than I ever could have imagined.
After that, I have several projects on deck (TBD on where my mind takes me first):
• Remi’Kai and the Ring of the King — a young adult Polynesian-inspired cozy fantasy
• Sofia’s Space Odyssey — a literary sci-fi exploring parallel universes in search of what makes us human (book two in the Moments Lifecycle trilogy)
• Soft Darkness — a futuristic, Black Mirror-esque collection of short stories
• A Murder in Middle-earth — Loque’s third case, a mystery/fantasy blend (some might even say, the fabled fantastery.)
Cheers! Thanks for reading, and a special thanks to The Secret Stash for spotlighting me.
Sending nothing but love your way.
