Small Town Problems
by Chris Ritchey

Robert just wanted a normal Thursday morning, but things can take a quick turn when you find a dead alien next to your barn. Why do these things always seem to happen in small towns? Robert is quickly swept into a mystery and a much larger journey than he wanted to take this late in life.

5 out of 5 fairies

This was such a unique and fun story. The characters had great depth, and were very believable. Be prepared to challenge your ideas of a typical small town, and the people who live there. These aren’t your typical small town problems, but ones with an otherworldly origin. I loved the little quirks of the characters, and that people reacted in a way you’d expect, and not with some totally out of character burst of heroism just to force the plot in a certain direction. I loved the old school sci-fi feel it had, reminding me of movies and shows I watched growing up. If you’re looking for a fun sci-fi read that’s a bit off the beaten path, then you’ve found your next read!

Lily:  Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview, Chris, Small Town Problems was a delight to read. What inspired you to write this?

Chris:  I’ve always loved science fiction and when I was playing around with different story hooks, the concept of trying to put my spin on how a small farm town might deal with aliens took hold. I felt like we often get mischaracterizations in popular media of what people in small towns are like and we also have the trope of aliens largely only bothering people in rural areas. Ideas started to fill my head and that was that.

Lily:  It was a fun and unique story. Have you ever known someone like Robert or Bill?

Chris:  Most definitely. There’s not a one-to-one comparison I can make for any of my characters to people I have known in real life. They’re an amalgamation of personality traits from the many colorful characters I’ve known. There’s influence from other fictional characters as well, but I layer that on top of people I’ve known so that when I put myself in my characters’ shoes, I can access what I feel like is an authentic reaction to the scenario.

Lily:  They were very believable characters, and I think you did a great job giving them depth. What would you do if you encountered an alien?

Chris:  I’d like to think that I’d assess the situation and determine if they were a threat or not, but like most interactions in our lives the context of the encounter is going to have a significant influence over how we act. If the chain of events in my story had been any different, it could have turned out to be a completely different story.

Lily:  It’d definitely be an interesting experience, and I could see how the context of the encounter would change your reaction. Did the story end up where you expected it to when you first started writing?

Chris:  I was trying to get serious about writing instead of just constantly thinking and occasionally adding notes to a long-term project. Since I just kept adding notes to that one, but I wanted to feel a sense of accomplishment, I decided to write this as a pantser project. So, while I had a rough framework, I didn’t know where it was going until I got about 40% into writing it. 

Lily:  That’s awesome! Now we’d like to talk about you as a writer. Do you prefer noise or silence when writing? Is there something you prefer to listen to if you prefer noise?

Chris:  I prefer to listen to instrumental music. There are always distracting sounds, so having a pleasant noise cancellation method helps me stay on task.

Lily:  Totally understandable. What time of day is easiest for you to write?

Chris: Anytime that my kids aren’t around or are at least heavily occupied. I really don’t have a set time and take to it whenever I’m in the mood.

Lily:  Makes sense, life can get pretty hectic, especially with kids. What does your writing space look like?

Chris: It’s mobile. I mainly use my phone or a laptop, but I also have a notepad in case I don’t have the internet available. I don’t feel the draw to have a dedicated space.

Lily:  It probably helps to be flexible, especially when you don’t have a dedicated time to write. Let’s finish up with some fun questions and get inside your mind. What’s your favorite breakfast?

Chris:  A three egg omelet with cheese, bacon, green bell peppers, and salsa is a pretty solid go-to.

Lily:  Sounds delicious. I might have to make omelets for dinner tonight. If you could make one mythical creature real, what would it be? What would you do if you met one?

Chris:  I think giant eagles would be pretty cool. They’re intelligent creatures that could take care of themselves during a work day. I would try to make it my friend and negotiate out letting me ride it whenever I needed.

Lily:  That would be a lot of fun, being able to befriend and fly with a giant bird. Would you rather explore outer space or the depths of the ocean? Why?

Chris:  The depths of the ocean. I was fascinated with the ocean from a young age and several of the disciplines in oceanography were my first serious “I want to be this when I grow up” jobs. The reality is that we know so little about the ocean and what it really holds and that’s just really fascinating to me.

Lily:  I’ve always been curious about both, but it would be amazing to learn more about what lies below on our own planet. Would you be one of the first people to live on Mars if you could?

Chris:  Nope. I’ve seen way too many space-based movies to know that if you don’t have to be the first to do something, then hold off. Let others go out there and make the mistakes so the rest of us can be safer when it’s our turn.

Lily:  I can’t blame you there, it seems like everything always goes wrong when you’re the first in the movies. What’s your favorite hobby?

Chris:  I really enjoy playing D&D. The cooperative storytelling and roleplaying are hard to beat for a good time.

Lily:  I bet that helps keep your imagination fresh, too. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go, and who would you go with?

Chris:  I would go to Italy with my wife. I visited there many years ago and my wife has always wanted to go, so I’d love to explore it all over again with her.

Lily: That sounds like a great time! Thank you for stopping in today.

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Chris Ritchey was born in Oklahoma. He began self publishing his creative stories in 2019 on his author website (www.jesterslibrary.com), and has received some recognition for his short stories. After a few years serving in the Navy, he returned to Oklahoma and lives in Tulsa. He enjoys writing fictional stories based in sci-fi, paranormal, slice-of-life, historical fiction, and dabbles in poetry. Small Town Problems is his first book.

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