TAEM- The Arts and Entertainment Magazine has always sought new and interesting authors so that our vast readership can experience the many genres of storytelling. There have been many American authors that we had interviewed, but we often look beyond our borders to display talent that we have yet to uncover. Many times we have introduced some fabulous writers just north of us, in Canada.
Recently we just found new talent in the name of Marc Bauer, who just entered the literary field. Marc, please tell us about your early childhood, and the hometown that you hail from.
MB- I was born and raised till the age of 12 in a small Saskatchewan town by the name of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. We were your average family with lots of relations and close family friends in the immediate area. We always had places to go and people to see.
TAEM- You later moved to another area of Canada as a young boy. Tell us about this move and the new surroundings and how they affected you.
MB- At the age of 12 my family relocated to a small Albertan town by the name of Medicine Hat. It was a place we visited often as a family because we had some relatives there on my father’s side. Medicine Hat was in a big oil and gas energy boom. Alberta as a whole is in a big energy boom and is often referred to as the Texas of Canada. So there was a faster pace and more money flowing through the town.
My parents also suffered a pretty emotional divorce almost immediately after the move so I was left to pretty much figure things out on my own. It was good though, as I developed a really tight knit group of friends-some of them I still keep in close contact with today, not sure where I’d be without them.
TAEM- Tell our readership about your early career.
MB- I didn’t put much thought into my career choice. It was pretty easy to just get in line and follow the rest into the energy industry. I took on an industrial mechanic trade after high school. The job at the time required extensive travel and no schedule, was really about what you were willing to sacrifice to make it in the industry.
TAEM- How had this influenced your writing?
MB- My experience in the industry eventually led me to write a very accurate, captivating and totally original novel.
TAEM- As we are read by students in campuses around the world, what educational pursuits did you undertake to assist you in your new writing career?
MB- I honestly have no secondary writing education past high school. However if I had actually paid attention to what my strengths were in school, writing would have been an obvious career path. To write this novel I literally just sat down one day and started writing.
TAEM- Your novel Alternative Energy captures the daily life that workers cope with in the oil and gas industry. Who is the lead protagonist in the story, and who is the role model for him?
MB- The protagonist Brandon Baker actually switches role models a few times throughout the story as it is a coming of age tale and the character evolves and discovers different personal values.
TAEM- What is the theme behind the story, and how does it project the toils of those working in the industry?
MB- It is a coming of age story and although it is based around the tale of an oil industry worker it focuses more on the ways that working in such a demanding industry can affect one’s personal life and relationships.
TAEM- Does the book’s title offer insight to what other forms of energy could be used within the story, and why?
MB- Although the title may suggest that this is a green energy manual, it’s really a metaphor for the spiritual journey we all face or perhaps should all take the time to face on life’s journey.
TAEM- You eventually left the industry. Can you tell us of the reasons of this choice ?
MB- I haven’t actually left the industry at this point but it is something I’m looking to in the future. On the day my father died, I had actually made the decision to forget about my book, even though all I had left was copyediting. That night my father passed away suddenly in a tragic oilfield incident that bears a striking resemblance to an incident in my book. He had only been working in the industry for about 6 months. I handed in my resignation to my high profile job and returned home to my family where I completed the novel.
TAEM- Tell us about how this decision affected your life, and the benefits that you gained from it.
MB- The decision affected my life in the way that I am now a published author. For myself, writing a novel was a very spiritual journey and I have grown into a totally different person, and in my mind a better person. But I gave this project every opportunity to fail because I think at that time I didn’t really want to go through with it. But it just kept going seemingly on its own will. At this point I feel like it’s taking me along for the ride.
TAEM- Where can our readership find your book, and who is the publisher for it?
MB- Friesen Press is the publisher but the book is available for order in paperback or hardcover at any major online bookstore and also in all forms of e-book like Ibooks or Kindle, just search Marc Bauer.
TAEM- Do you have plans to publish more of your work, and what genres would you wish to work in?
MB- I am 20 chapters into my second novel as well, and because of popular demand I will be writing a sequel to “Alternative Energy.”
TAEM- Marc, your novel generates a lot of interest on one of the most talked about subjects on the minds of many people today. It also reveals great insight into the work of many in the gas and oil industry. Much of that is usually lost in the economic issues, and you display that segment of it for all of us to see.
We want to thank you for your time with our interview, and know that our readership will be looking for your book to gain a better knowledge of this highly volatile subject. We also wish you luck in all that you do.
TAEM
Thank you to TAEM for this opportunity.
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