Peter Saenz, author and former Port O’Connor resident -Photo by Sue Kubecka
I was asked by the Dolphin Talk editor to meet and interview a new young writer who was visiting here in Port O’Connor and meeting with relatives during the week.
Peter and a friend arrived in Texas earlier from their flight from Los Angeles, and the first thing they did was to seek out a restaurant in the Corpus Christi area that served excellent barbecue! As he maintains he is a Texan in California, he definitely displays the “Texan Cool” wherever he is. Peter is the son of Lydia Porto, formerly Lydia Saenz and has spent many of his formative years in our area, attending school, both at Port O’Connor Elementary and Crocket and Travis middle schools in Port Lavaca.
Born in Fresno, California, Peter with his mother and sisters moved to Texas in 1983 following the breakup of her marriage. As most of her family were living here Port O’Connor, Peter and sisters Amanda, Ann Marie and Angela quickly aligned themselves with various activities locally. A major part of his family at that time was Able Carriles, whom Peter considered his true father as he was consistently there for him.
Peter remarked about some of his teachers in the Elementary School: Barbara Crouch, Lynda Gosnell, Elizabeth Bell and Mr. Singleton who previously taught the 2th grade. Peter spent much of his school days in the School Library and said that the exposure to so many books was what initially led him into writing.
Leaving Port O’Connor with his family in 1989, they moved to Southern California, where Peter finished school, graduating from La Puente High School. While in school he became involved with dramatics, both performing and then later, writing skits for various performances. He was then hired into a professional theatre troupe, performing a series of skits for children in neighboring communities concerning the dangers of alcohol, smoking, and other recreational drugs. From this activity in writing these short plays, Peter began writing in earnest.
He and other authors, both residing locally and in other cities around the globe, then started a book of short stories. Peter’s contribution for that book New Moon Rising later became the plot for his first full novel, Coven of Wolves which was published earlier this year. Peter speaks of his admiration for more seasoned authors Anne Rice, J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl, all expert writers in the fantasy genre. He also mentioned that he was fortunate enough to have met Anne Rice and now owns an autographed copy of her latest book, The Wolf Gift. Peter is now at work on a sequel to Coven of Wolves, entitled “Blood Ties”, which he anticipates to have finished and available in 2013.
He gave me a copy of the first chapter of his new book: his main character Devin Marshall has a startling background being the son of a Mafia princess and also a werewolf father. Devin has the ability of being able to magically change his image from time to time, using his gift in escaping the “bad guys”. The book is written in the first person singular, and descriptive paragraphs are short but succinct. Unfortunately, I have not been exposed to this type of fiction; although I have read and enjoyed both J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl. As for being able to adequately review the book, I do not feel that I am fully capable as of yet. Perhaps when I’ve researched this type of fiction further, I would be able to be more explicit.
But Peter forwarded a copy of the plot summary that was used for his first book Coven of Wolves:
“Devin Marshall is alone and on the run from a coven of dark witches. New to the world of magic, Devin tries his best to outrun and outlast the coven he once swore loyalty to in order to save his soul. In a last ditch attempt at freedom, he discovers help where he least expects it, but also manages to upset a pack of deadly werewolves along the way.
Two supernatural cultures clash as Devin discovers hidden secrets about his past in an all or nothing attempt at survival. The book is able to take readers around the globe and back in time as a new universe of hidden societies, powerful witches, and sinister creatures dominate the landscape in the fight for control of an unsuspecting world.”
Amazon now carries his book, available for the print purchase price of $12.95 and is a part of a somewhat unusual but new “green” publication process; the book is printed on-demand instead of having the need to possess a warehouse full of already printed copies. This process not only saves countless trees, but as the book is also available for eBook download, Amazon and companies like them are leading the way for a new generation of environmentally friendly literary works.
Peter is employed by UCLA in the Human Resources section of the Psychology Department; I jokingly wondered if being around those highly educated personnel, would give him some inspiration for his books. I think he passed on that. Peter is also a student at Glendale College with a focus in Business Administration and expects to receive his business certificate shortly.
One always jokes about the madhouse of driving in Southern California, particularly when the distance is semi-short but heavily traveled. Peter says he compensates for the city’s hectic schedule by using the ability to “zone out”, usually by listening to music on his iPod. Comparing the California and Texas Mexican cuisine, he said that they are definitely not the same; Tex-Mex beats California-Spanish dishes hands down every time. As for the comparison between each state’s barbeque, well, the fact that Peter repeatedly headed for several Texas barbecue restaurants in Corpus Christi, Houston and San Antonio during his visit back home speaks for itself.
At the conclusion of the interview that morning at our Library, Peter had an enormous surprise. Lynda Gosnell, his former third-grade teacher, arrived at the library to find some more books, and a warm and delighted greeting evolved.
And then Peter left our Library to join relatives and friends for a reunion lunch at Josie’s. Arriving from Oklahoma were his sisters Ann Marie and Angela. Additionally, he was able to reconnect with Abel Carriles and his mother, now a resident of Corpus Christi. Following the luncheon Peter was again traveling; this time to Houston to visit with aunts and other relatives. And then, before boarding the plane to return to California, Peter, like a true Texan, visited the Alamo in San Antonio.
I was extremely impressed with the warm and courteous demeanor of Peter Saenz; for a young and published writer, he seems to have it all together. Just wish him further success in the future.
