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Author Eric Foley, the "E." in E.G. Foley
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Constructing imaginary worlds where ghosts, giants, aliens and werewolves roam free comes easy for E.G. Foley. The author duo was born out of the marriage, literally, between one self-described ex-math geek with a penchant for horror stories and one fairytale-weaving history buff with a passion for whimsy.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt when the latter half of this writing team also happens to be Gaelen Foley, the highly-respected New York Times bestselling author of over twenty historical romance novels.
But for Eric Foley, the “E” in the E.G. Foley pair, co-authoring the immensely popular middle grade adventure stories in “The Gryphon Chronicles” and the “50 States of Fear” books was something he never dreamed he’d be doing.
I caught up with him by phone on a frigid February night, and he shared some reflections about his newfound career as a successful author. He also gave me a behind-the-curtain glimpse into how The Dork and the Deathray, the Alaska story in the “50 States of Fear” series and E.G. Foley’s latest release, crystallized into being.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt when the latter half of this writing team also happens to be Gaelen Foley, the highly-respected New York Times bestselling author of over twenty historical romance novels.
But for Eric Foley, the “E” in the E.G. Foley pair, co-authoring the immensely popular middle grade adventure stories in “The Gryphon Chronicles” and the “50 States of Fear” books was something he never dreamed he’d be doing.
I caught up with him by phone on a frigid February night, and he shared some reflections about his newfound career as a successful author. He also gave me a behind-the-curtain glimpse into how The Dork and the Deathray, the Alaska story in the “50 States of Fear” series and E.G. Foley’s latest release, crystallized into being.
E.G. Foley All Rights Reserved
JANEEN ELLSWORTH: Where does your desire to write spooky stories for kids come from?
ERIC FOLEY: I’ve always liked reading horror. And from teaching middle schoolers, I know that age group really well. I don’t want to write horror; I don’t want to hang out in that world of blood and guts and killing and all the vile things that they do to women in those books.
A lot of what I’m doing is horror books for children. I get to make it fun and make it goofy. There are definite boundaries that the (middle grade) genre doesn’t really let you cross. You know, no bad language. I don’t even use the word “crap” in my books. That’s why Jake (of “The Gryphon Chronicles”) says “crud.” Now that’s become sort of a thing for him, that he says “crud.” It’s cool. It’s fun.
J.E.: In your new book from the “50 States of Fear” series, The Dork and the Deathray, we get to take a wilderness adventure through Alaska and explore a mysterious research facility that’s been the source for all kinds of conspiracy theories about government mind control. How was writing this book different for you from the others that you and your wife have written together?
E.F.: This book is probably the best blend of the two of us. The first three “50 States” books were really mostly me and a little bit of Gael. Gael’s got her romance series going and she’s more in charge of “The Gryphon Chronicles” while I’m more in charge of the “50 States” series.
With Deathray, I wrote the first draft of it and it was kind of weird, and then it just sat for a while. It sat for a long time. And then Gael went back in and she really reworked a lot of the language in those first four or five chapters and then handed it back to me.
I think that’s one of the reasons this book came out so dynamic. Her language is so flowy; that’s really her strength. I’m really good with moving the plot along; that’s where I come in. But it’s a constant back-and-forth dialogue between us. There’s a lot of each of us in everything that we’ve been putting out as E.G. Foley.
J.E.: In The Dork and the Deathray, you really managed to embody the voice of an angsty pubescent girl in the heroine, Gabby Reynolds. Where does that come from inside of you?
E.F.: Well, I guess from teaching, from hanging out with these kids. I know a majority of them are like that. It wasn’t that difficult to pull that out.
When you think about all the nine E.G. Foley books that are out now, Deathray is the only one with a female protagonist. And I was just scared to death to write a female. And, you know, fortunately I have Gael.
Because Gabby is an expert in ballet and gymnastics. I don’t know anything about ballet and gymnastics, so I must’ve watched, you know, forty different YouTube clips on it. I just scoured everything I could find, because Gabby needed to do something with her ballet in order to save the day.
And I finally found this cool move she could do, and I was like, “Now I have to find out what that move is called!” I didn’t even know what a plié was at the time. The super cool move turned out to be karate, but it was so perfect I worked it in anyway.
And, believe me, you feel a little bit weird when you’re a 45-year-old guy and you’re watching 12- and 13-year-old girls doing the pommel horse! And then YouTube puts that on your “recommended” list. For the longest time, I was being recommended all these gymnastics girls. It was horrible!
And it took a long time for me to get the feel for Gabby’s character. The first time I was writing her, she was sort of flat. I mean, I just wanted her to be a typical, average kid, and then she ended up turning into one of these tough, kickass, go-getter kids, which she did not start off like that at all.
But this is why writing a lot of the female aspects just sort of terrified me. Fortunately I’ve got Gael, because she’ll be like, “There’s no way a girl would say that!” So it works out really well having the husband/wife dynamic here. It comes in really handy. But I try to stick with not necessarily things that are me, but just things that are in my knowledge base, just so it makes it easier on my writing.
But that’s sort of how I write. First I want to know where I’m going plot-wise, and then I really like to just let the characters sort of unfold.
ERIC FOLEY: I’ve always liked reading horror. And from teaching middle schoolers, I know that age group really well. I don’t want to write horror; I don’t want to hang out in that world of blood and guts and killing and all the vile things that they do to women in those books.
A lot of what I’m doing is horror books for children. I get to make it fun and make it goofy. There are definite boundaries that the (middle grade) genre doesn’t really let you cross. You know, no bad language. I don’t even use the word “crap” in my books. That’s why Jake (of “The Gryphon Chronicles”) says “crud.” Now that’s become sort of a thing for him, that he says “crud.” It’s cool. It’s fun.
J.E.: In your new book from the “50 States of Fear” series, The Dork and the Deathray, we get to take a wilderness adventure through Alaska and explore a mysterious research facility that’s been the source for all kinds of conspiracy theories about government mind control. How was writing this book different for you from the others that you and your wife have written together?
E.F.: This book is probably the best blend of the two of us. The first three “50 States” books were really mostly me and a little bit of Gael. Gael’s got her romance series going and she’s more in charge of “The Gryphon Chronicles” while I’m more in charge of the “50 States” series.
With Deathray, I wrote the first draft of it and it was kind of weird, and then it just sat for a while. It sat for a long time. And then Gael went back in and she really reworked a lot of the language in those first four or five chapters and then handed it back to me.
I think that’s one of the reasons this book came out so dynamic. Her language is so flowy; that’s really her strength. I’m really good with moving the plot along; that’s where I come in. But it’s a constant back-and-forth dialogue between us. There’s a lot of each of us in everything that we’ve been putting out as E.G. Foley.
J.E.: In The Dork and the Deathray, you really managed to embody the voice of an angsty pubescent girl in the heroine, Gabby Reynolds. Where does that come from inside of you?
E.F.: Well, I guess from teaching, from hanging out with these kids. I know a majority of them are like that. It wasn’t that difficult to pull that out.
When you think about all the nine E.G. Foley books that are out now, Deathray is the only one with a female protagonist. And I was just scared to death to write a female. And, you know, fortunately I have Gael.
Because Gabby is an expert in ballet and gymnastics. I don’t know anything about ballet and gymnastics, so I must’ve watched, you know, forty different YouTube clips on it. I just scoured everything I could find, because Gabby needed to do something with her ballet in order to save the day.
And I finally found this cool move she could do, and I was like, “Now I have to find out what that move is called!” I didn’t even know what a plié was at the time. The super cool move turned out to be karate, but it was so perfect I worked it in anyway.
And, believe me, you feel a little bit weird when you’re a 45-year-old guy and you’re watching 12- and 13-year-old girls doing the pommel horse! And then YouTube puts that on your “recommended” list. For the longest time, I was being recommended all these gymnastics girls. It was horrible!
And it took a long time for me to get the feel for Gabby’s character. The first time I was writing her, she was sort of flat. I mean, I just wanted her to be a typical, average kid, and then she ended up turning into one of these tough, kickass, go-getter kids, which she did not start off like that at all.
But this is why writing a lot of the female aspects just sort of terrified me. Fortunately I’ve got Gael, because she’ll be like, “There’s no way a girl would say that!” So it works out really well having the husband/wife dynamic here. It comes in really handy. But I try to stick with not necessarily things that are me, but just things that are in my knowledge base, just so it makes it easier on my writing.
But that’s sort of how I write. First I want to know where I’m going plot-wise, and then I really like to just let the characters sort of unfold.
I always had the notion that I can't do this, and Gael would tell me, "Yes, you can."
E.G. Foley co-authors Gaelen & Eric Foley
J.E.: Your villain, Kelvin Mackowsky, is hilarious, but he’s also vulnerable as well as being evil. We can empathize with him because you get the sense that he’s bitter because he’s socially awkward. How do you build your villains to be believable?
E.F.: I tend to feel out characters as I’m writing. I’m really much more of a plot guy. I think the characters just kind of walk on the stage and start developing. I don’t know if I necessarily planned to give him all of these characteristics. A lot of that stuff just sort of comes out as you’re writing it and you just go with it.
At first, we wrote the whole thing with no villain at all. It was all the scientists without Kelvin and without Dr. Figgs, the old guy, and they were a rogue faction. But we needed a kingpin villain, and then Gael’s like, “I have this great idea!” So we just started banging it out with Kelvin.
J.E.: So, where do we get to see glimpses of you? You used to teach middle school math, and I notice there’s plenty of nerdy math and science stuff in the book. Is any of it autobiographical?
E.F.: I think there’s a little piece of me in each of the male protagonists, for sure. Colin, in Alabama (The Haunted Plantation), he was a little, I guess, angsty. I have that angsty side as well that a lot of people don’t know about.
I just try to keep them sort of an aspect of me, because it just makes it easier. Gabby was definitely not me. I think the teacher in the Arkansas book (Bringing Home Bigfoot) was a really good example.
He was kind of zany, goofy in front of his kids, and his students sort of like him but also laugh at him like, “What a dork.” You know? “What a moron.” He may have changed through some rewrites, but at least when I originally wrote that guy, he was me teaching a science class.
And the whole conspiracy aspect in Deathray, that fascinates me. Like last night, we watched on YouTube this show about civilization on the moon, wreckage on the moon, and cool photos that people have taken from earth. And they can see things; a silo or a broken-down spaceship on the moon.
My line – well, it’s not my line but I keep using it: “I’m not saying I believe it, but I’m not not saying I believe it.” I stole that line, but it works really well. I love conspiracy theories. And they say that half of all Americans believe in at least one conspiracy theory. I thought that was really cool, that would be an excellent topic for a book.
J.E.: What’s the writing process look like for you on a typical day?
E.F.: I have pretty much the morning blocked out for writing; say, three hours for writing. I occasionally come back in the evening for an hour session, but in general, three hours. And that is strict time of no running around on the Internet. The only thing I let myself online for is just some research stuff, if I need to watch a YouTube video or something. So it’s creative right from the get-go, then onto the business stuff.
Right now, for Deathray, I’m trying out some new advertising. I’m trying to get something going with goodreads.com. I’ve been back and forth with our audio guy on getting some audio books going, and that takes a long time. We have some cover art that we’re working on right now.
All the business stuff really sort of adds up. For any self-published author, really half the day can be writing and half the day can be business. I have to get that creative work out of the way before I start diving in dealing with the business side.
We have three artists, we have our audio guy, we have two editors, we’re going to be working with another artist, and then there’s cover designers. So it’s a ridiculous amount of people we work with to get these projects finished in the way we want them done.
Now, if I weren’t self-publishing, then I could probably just write all day, because you don’t have to do any of that stuff. You trade a lot by selling it to New York, but in many ways, the business stuff is fun. It can be frustrating at times, but in general, I find all that fun. Everything from planning, plotting, business, everything from A to Z, I just love it.
J.E.: Since your wife’s historical romance novels regularly appear on the bestseller lists, how do you navigate those times when you might disagree with her on some aspect of the writing or the business?
E.F.: I usually just give in. Honestly, I do! I don’t even argue with her about it. It’s really intimidating, to be honest with you. I’m always amazed; I’ll be like, “Gael, I’m having a little trouble with this scene,” or whatever, and she’ll just fix it in thirty seconds. I’m like, “Ohhhh, you suck!” She tries to encourage me and everything, but she’s studied this for years.
I always had this notion that I can't do this, and Gael would tell me, "Yes, you can." Growing up in an environment where I was pushed towards math and science, I never really thought about developing the creative side of my brain.
So I’ve studied the craft and I’ve taken classes on it, the whole rhythm to writing which, when I started, I had no idea about. But I think I have some strengths. I’m really good at plotting and all the actiony, adventury story lines.
But, my God, the language she can use. I can’t pull that up like she can. And hanging out with Gael is like taking a college level course all the time. She’s really good at explaining the craft.
But, so it works and it’s a blast. You get to make stuff up. How cool is that? It’s so much fun. I love the creative process and the writing and getting that right brain all fired up.
J.E.: What’s coming up next in the “50 States” series?
E.F.: Well, I’m not totally sure. I really want to get a big state out there. People write to us to tell us they can’t wait for their state to come out. Arizona is actually written. It needs some work though. It’s called Eight Legs, No Mercy.
I’ve been working on California, and it’s just giving me the hardest time. I’ve written it several times now. My last attempt it was coming out like an adult horror novel. It was so edgy. It was all zombies and graveyards and blood and guts. So we worked on it and now it’s turned into a whodunit mystery, and I’m still having the hardest time with it. So I’m going to work on making it more suspenseful.
But that’s the beauty of this. I’m just taking it for what it is. I can write pretty fast, so it’s just a matter of finding the right story. I’m just waiting for inspiration to really strike.
E.F.: I tend to feel out characters as I’m writing. I’m really much more of a plot guy. I think the characters just kind of walk on the stage and start developing. I don’t know if I necessarily planned to give him all of these characteristics. A lot of that stuff just sort of comes out as you’re writing it and you just go with it.
At first, we wrote the whole thing with no villain at all. It was all the scientists without Kelvin and without Dr. Figgs, the old guy, and they were a rogue faction. But we needed a kingpin villain, and then Gael’s like, “I have this great idea!” So we just started banging it out with Kelvin.
J.E.: So, where do we get to see glimpses of you? You used to teach middle school math, and I notice there’s plenty of nerdy math and science stuff in the book. Is any of it autobiographical?
E.F.: I think there’s a little piece of me in each of the male protagonists, for sure. Colin, in Alabama (The Haunted Plantation), he was a little, I guess, angsty. I have that angsty side as well that a lot of people don’t know about.
I just try to keep them sort of an aspect of me, because it just makes it easier. Gabby was definitely not me. I think the teacher in the Arkansas book (Bringing Home Bigfoot) was a really good example.
He was kind of zany, goofy in front of his kids, and his students sort of like him but also laugh at him like, “What a dork.” You know? “What a moron.” He may have changed through some rewrites, but at least when I originally wrote that guy, he was me teaching a science class.
And the whole conspiracy aspect in Deathray, that fascinates me. Like last night, we watched on YouTube this show about civilization on the moon, wreckage on the moon, and cool photos that people have taken from earth. And they can see things; a silo or a broken-down spaceship on the moon.
My line – well, it’s not my line but I keep using it: “I’m not saying I believe it, but I’m not not saying I believe it.” I stole that line, but it works really well. I love conspiracy theories. And they say that half of all Americans believe in at least one conspiracy theory. I thought that was really cool, that would be an excellent topic for a book.
J.E.: What’s the writing process look like for you on a typical day?
E.F.: I have pretty much the morning blocked out for writing; say, three hours for writing. I occasionally come back in the evening for an hour session, but in general, three hours. And that is strict time of no running around on the Internet. The only thing I let myself online for is just some research stuff, if I need to watch a YouTube video or something. So it’s creative right from the get-go, then onto the business stuff.
Right now, for Deathray, I’m trying out some new advertising. I’m trying to get something going with goodreads.com. I’ve been back and forth with our audio guy on getting some audio books going, and that takes a long time. We have some cover art that we’re working on right now.
All the business stuff really sort of adds up. For any self-published author, really half the day can be writing and half the day can be business. I have to get that creative work out of the way before I start diving in dealing with the business side.
We have three artists, we have our audio guy, we have two editors, we’re going to be working with another artist, and then there’s cover designers. So it’s a ridiculous amount of people we work with to get these projects finished in the way we want them done.
Now, if I weren’t self-publishing, then I could probably just write all day, because you don’t have to do any of that stuff. You trade a lot by selling it to New York, but in many ways, the business stuff is fun. It can be frustrating at times, but in general, I find all that fun. Everything from planning, plotting, business, everything from A to Z, I just love it.
J.E.: Since your wife’s historical romance novels regularly appear on the bestseller lists, how do you navigate those times when you might disagree with her on some aspect of the writing or the business?
E.F.: I usually just give in. Honestly, I do! I don’t even argue with her about it. It’s really intimidating, to be honest with you. I’m always amazed; I’ll be like, “Gael, I’m having a little trouble with this scene,” or whatever, and she’ll just fix it in thirty seconds. I’m like, “Ohhhh, you suck!” She tries to encourage me and everything, but she’s studied this for years.
I always had this notion that I can't do this, and Gael would tell me, "Yes, you can." Growing up in an environment where I was pushed towards math and science, I never really thought about developing the creative side of my brain.
So I’ve studied the craft and I’ve taken classes on it, the whole rhythm to writing which, when I started, I had no idea about. But I think I have some strengths. I’m really good at plotting and all the actiony, adventury story lines.
But, my God, the language she can use. I can’t pull that up like she can. And hanging out with Gael is like taking a college level course all the time. She’s really good at explaining the craft.
But, so it works and it’s a blast. You get to make stuff up. How cool is that? It’s so much fun. I love the creative process and the writing and getting that right brain all fired up.
J.E.: What’s coming up next in the “50 States” series?
E.F.: Well, I’m not totally sure. I really want to get a big state out there. People write to us to tell us they can’t wait for their state to come out. Arizona is actually written. It needs some work though. It’s called Eight Legs, No Mercy.
I’ve been working on California, and it’s just giving me the hardest time. I’ve written it several times now. My last attempt it was coming out like an adult horror novel. It was so edgy. It was all zombies and graveyards and blood and guts. So we worked on it and now it’s turned into a whodunit mystery, and I’m still having the hardest time with it. So I’m going to work on making it more suspenseful.
But that’s the beauty of this. I’m just taking it for what it is. I can write pretty fast, so it’s just a matter of finding the right story. I’m just waiting for inspiration to really strike.