Q & A with Pete Planisek

Frankenstein A Life Beyond  (Book 1 of 3)

The Resurrection Trinity

by Pete Planisek 

Ten years after the loss of his entire family to madness and death, Ernest Frankenstein finds himself compelled to return to the city of his birth, Geneva, in order to discover if his elder brother, Victor, might still be alive. Only Victor can provide the answers to questions, which have long plagued Ernest. The quest for answers will force Ernest to confront demons, both internal and external, from his past, which refuse to be at peace and which ultimately will endanger both he and his new family. Hunted across Europe their only hope may lie with a French spy, Ernest’s childhood friend, and a mysterious gypsy girl whose people believe that Ernest will lead humanity to its salvation or final destruction. 

Frankenstein A Life Beyond (Book 1 of 3) The Resurrection Tirnity by Pete Planisek is a direct sequel to Mary Shelley’s iconic story, Frankenstein, which examined Victor Frankenstein’s quest to both create and kill an unnamed creature that ultimately destroys all but one member of the Frankenstein family, Victor’s brother, Ernest. Frankenstein A Life Beyond explores many of the issues left open by the original, while establishing new characters and mysteries.

322 pages

Published August 1st 2012 

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Read It & Reap:  
Book 1 October 1, 2017
Book 2 October 3, 2017

Pete Planisek lives in Columbus, OH, where he teaches English, runs Enceladus Literary LLC, and is co-host of an entertainment podcast called Hindsight is 20-20. He received his Masters from Ohio University where he founded a student literary arts magazine called Recently Eclipsed. He has published newspaper articles and is a member of Independent Book Publishers Association. He served for seven years as adviser/co-adviser to a NCTE award winning student literary arts publication. He has published two novels in his Resurrection Trinity series titled Frankenstein A Life Beyond (Book 1 of 3) and Frankenstein Soul's Echo (Book 2 of 3) and a children's chapter book titled Princess Bella and the Dragon's Charm, which won a 2016 Silver Honoree IBPA Benjamin Franklin Digital Book Award.

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Q & A with  Pete Planisek

Tell us a little bit about your main characters.

Frankenstein A Life Beyond (Book 1 of 3) The Resurrection Trinity is really a story about family, trust, and justice.  These are issues the main character, Ernest Frankenstein, must confront after ten years of trying to out run his family’s dark past.  His young Irish wife, Ailis Tierney Frankenstein, who is key to Ernest’s personal rebirth, must confront choices that may destroy both herself and her unborn child.  Her mysterious half-sister, Abrielle, must decide if she is more loyal to her spy masters in Napoleon’s Imperial France or to the family that abandoned her. 

Victor Frankenstein’s creature seeks justice from Ernest Frankenstein and will draw Ernest and his family into a deadly war between two rival groups of gypsies who fight to control the outcome of an ancient prophecy involving Ernest and the creature.  One of these groups is led by an imposing gypsy named Jal, whose daughter, Baseria, has been rejected by her people but may hold the key to humanity’s salvation or final destruction.

Frankenstein Soul’s Echo (Book 2 of 3) The Resurrection Trinity continues and expands upon the storyline from the previous novel.  Ernest must now journey northward to the creature’s stronghold and confront his complex relationship with it, Baseria, his past, and face grim realities that will determine his future.

Meanwhile, Abrielle is forced to return to France in an effort to secure the safe return of her niece.  Fractured by untold loss, she must navigate an uncertain future and balance the complex needs and demands of duty to herself and family, Jack Clerval’s unique situation, and an unforeseen love. 

Ernest and Abrielle are surrounded by enemies, short on time, and possess only their flawed hearts to lead them, as they struggle to fulfill a shared promise as they fight to reunite family and to discover a path beyond the unrelenting forces of darkness.

In your opinion, what makes a good, strong lead character?

A relatable character, that faces clear conflicts that the reader can both understand and increasing relate to as they progress through the story.  If the character is underdeveloped or isn’t one the reader can relate to then the reader is unlikely to care about their struggles.

What or who do you see as influences on your writing style?

I find inspiration from a diverse set of experiences, resources, artistic mediums, and a desire to explore the possibilities of being an author. I never know where inspiration will come from but I know now it’s important to embrace it when it does because you never know where it will lead you as an artist. I’ve also learned to trust myself more than I once did by trying to judge less and listen more, be it to people or my own instincts as an author. My writing style comes from a diverse tapestry of artistic voices and styles.

Do you ever research real events, legends, or myths to get ideas? 

I revisit real events, legends, myths, and classic literature on a regular basis as I find them the Rosetta stones of storytelling.  My Frankenstein Resurrection Trinity series and most of my free short stories (visit https://www.enceladusliterary.com/?page_id=466) demonstrate this. If you’re going to tell new stories, expand on existing ones, or blaze new trails in storytelling, it is best to understand what came before.

What is the best writing advice you have been given?

Your worst story is the one you don’t write. We grow by practicing and expanding our skills as writers. If you’re not writing, you tend to stagnate.  Not everything you write will be brilliant or will be something you want to publish but everything you write can help you to mature as an artist.

If you could have any superpower, what would you choose and why? 

These may sound incredibly lame but I’d say the ability to get more people to empathize with others is my most desirable superpower.  We seem to be living in a time when this is unfortunately in short supply. Think of how many problems could be addressed, problems solved, or pointless conflicts could be avoided if more people were empathetic to their fellow human beings as we journey through this reality.

What do you do to unwind and relax?

Be close to family and friends, hike, bike, paint, photography, write, hang out with friends, cook, garden, discover new artists, brew beer, play with my pets, pursue dreams, support others in my community, challenge myself to discover new interests.

 What book are you reading now? 

I have to praise Montana 1948 by Larry Watson as my most enjoyable read this year (it’s an older book but definitely worth the read).  Before the end of the year I want to complete A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis and am currently reading a book I’ve been wanting to get to for years,  the 2011 Pulitzer Prize Biography winning nonfiction work Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow. 

Genres: Fiction, Literary fiction, Horror, Historical fiction, Romance fiction, Sci-Fi fiction

YouTube book trailer: https://youtu.be/mPvmP6Lephs

Book page for Frankenstein A Life Beyond: