Peter Amsel was born in Toronto and moved to Sudbury as a young child. He began his musical training there, but continued his studies at the University of Ottawa and then in Montreal, at McGill University. While his passion for music has never waned, and he continues to compose, Peter has always been drawn to a love for the written word and has constantly turned to that as an expressive tool, especially when music has seemed an inadequate vehicle for the emotions he was trying to convey.

Peter has now entered the realm of non-Fiction writing, exploring the genre of the Novel for the first time. The first volume of the five-volume Felis Alliance Series is now available for Pre-Order on Amazon and will be released on August 15th, 2016, follow ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Peter Amsel questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Peter Amsel Fortunately, this is not something that I've had to deal with in the past fifteen years because of some strategies that I learned from an amazing writ…moreFortunately, this is not something that I've had to deal with in the past fifteen years because of some strategies that I learned from an amazing writer named Julia Cameron and her book, "The Artist's Way". She discusses a technique called "The Artist Date", wherein you go, on your own, to something or someplace to "recharge your batteries". I used to do this about once a month, or so, and it was quite effective. Now, I do this regularly, nearly every day, with long walks, and I've never been more inspired in my life.

As proof of this, I have a book in which I keep outlines for future projects: at last count, not including the next two books that remain to be written in the series I'm currently working on (the first three have been written), I have at LEAST sixteen books outlined, and that does not include a three-volume series that had already been outlined. So, there are nineteen books on the horizon, each one already planned to the point that I could sit down and start writing any of them today.

Whenever I go for a walk I take my Mp3 player and listen to one of my playlists of classical. Symphonies, concerti, string quartets, piano music, or "meditative music", depending on my mood. I'll walk for about two hours some days, or one on others, depending on the weather, but don't be fooled, taking time away from your work to move your body is time well spent! I used to think that you had to spend as much time as possible sitting there, staring at the screen, even if it wasn't working, but when I started walking I discovered that the more I walked, the more I was able to work.

It sounds weird, but I'm getting more accomplished in LESS time than when I tried to get more done in more time. My head is clearer and I'm in better shape: it's a win-win situation. When you get things flowing inside, it gets your brain flowing as well. Also, when you get fresh air into your lungs you think about things differently. When you're not attached to your computer you are forced to think about things in a different manner, and that makes a huge difference in the way you approach your work.(less)

flag

like
Comment

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Peter Amsel Perhaps the best thing, within the realm of Science Fiction, is the creation of an entirely different schema for society, new science and technology, …morePerhaps the best thing, within the realm of Science Fiction, is the creation of an entirely different schema for society, new science and technology, and everything else. In essence, you are creating the world in your image, fulfilling the ultimate call that many feel to create something, but on a scale that is much larger than if you only had a set of Lego or an Erector set to aid in your construction.

One of the things that I particularly enjoy, as odd as it may sound, is creating a well-crafted sentence and paragraph. Writing something that is both interesting and reads well is like writing a good piece of music (the other hat I wear), the balance of phrase, harmony, melody, and counterpoint all coming together into one elegant idea. It all comes down to the balance between the use of technique and the expression of the ideas: without the one, the other is meaningless; as a writer, I become the mediator between the two, using them to create the best thing possible in the pursuit of the expression of my ideas. (less)

flag

like
Comment

See all 6 answers from Peter Amsel…

Combine Editions
Peter Amsel’s books

Average rating: 0.0 · 0 ratings · 0 reviews · 2 distinct works

	Sun Killers (Felis Alliance Series, #1) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2016 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Time Changers (Felis Alliance Series) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

2 posts
Peter Amsel's Blog

Thus it Begins

One of the first thing that an author discovers is that the writing of a book is only the beginning. It would be lovely to think that you could spend all of your time writing, devoting every waking moment to the perfecting of your craft, but that is rather unlikely if you’re an independent author and have to contend with the realities of what goes into getting a book from the screen to the marketp Read more of this blog post »

Like • 0 comments • flag