PHOTO: Christopher D. Ochs brings a unique intellect and creativity to speculative fiction, drawing from diverse life experiences and career paths.
Mastering The Art Of Blending Fantasy, Science Fiction, And Horror
Christopher D. Ochs discusses his passion for speculative fiction, blending fantastical elements with deep human themes, and balancing an engineering career with his creative pursuits in writing compelling, genre-bending stories.
Christopher D. Ochs is a dynamic storyteller whose creative journey spans across genres and mediums, offering readers a unique blend of intellectual depth and imaginative flair. Whether crafting immersive fantasy worlds, exploring the eerie realms of horror, or weaving tales laced with sci-fi intrigue, Ochs brings a singular voice to the art of speculative fiction. His works, such as the epic fantasy Pindlebryth of Lenland or the spine-chilling short story collection If I Can’t Sleep, You Can’t Sleep, reflect an exceptional ability to blend the fantastical with the deeply human. With every story, Ochs offers readers not just an escape, but a mirror to the human condition.
The diversity of Ochs’ career shines brightly in his storytelling. Drawing on a rich background in physics, engineering, CGI animation, and even musical performance as a classical organist, his narratives are steeped in an intuitive appreciation for both the bounds of science and the boundlessness of imagination. Eldritch, Inc., a thrilling interweaving of fantasy and super-science, exemplifies this distinct synergy, as does his award-winning novel My Friend Jackson, a poignant exploration of bullying, empowerment, and redemption, elevated by a touch of supernatural mystery.
At the heart of Ochs’ work is a deep respect for story as a living, evolving entity. His influences—ranging from Arthur C. Clarke and Tolkien to the cinematic brilliance of Hammer Films—infuse his writing with a sense of timelessness and genre-bending charm. Whether mesmerising audiences with twisted takes on folklore or crafting rich, character-driven epics out of feverish imaginings, Ochs’ inventive voice continues to captivate, leaving readers eager for where his next literary paths will lead.
What inspired you to become a writer and how do you balance your creative pursuits with your work as an electrical engineer?
I’ve always enjoyed writing, beginning with tapping out an 8-year-old’s ham-handed attempts at Hardy Boys mysteries on a toy typewriter. It was rekindled with writing comedy skits for a circle of friends on college radio. How we didn’t get kicked off the airwaves, I’ll never know…
Now that I’m retired, it’s not my previous careers in engineering, software design, computer animation, etc., that get in the way. It’s my volunteer work in non-profit organisations that can gobble up my waking hours, if I let it. I try to set aside my mornings for writing, before my first cup of coffee slaps the logical half of my brain into full wakefulness, and before the daily humdrum intrudes.
Your books often blend elements of science fiction, fantasy, and horror – what draws you to these genres and how do you combine them in your work?
My earliest influences were Arthur C. Clarke, J.R.R. Tolkien, H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. From these grew my love of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and the humorous observation of the human condition.
Though mashups are quite common in literature these days, I became enamoured with mixed-genre through British film. The Legend of Hell House, with screenplay by Richard Matheson, and Hammer Films’ Quatermass and the Pit are two masterworks, seamlessly dovetailing together elements of fantasy, horror, and science(-fiction). They don’t make ‘em like that any more, more’s the pity.
Can you tell us about your writing process and how you develop your characters and plotlines?
Short stories are where I am a “pantser.” Quite often, these stories take on a life beyond my original intention and grow. If they cross into novella length, I transform into a “plotter.” I must, or I will lose critical plot threads.
On the topic of developing those plotlines, I am a big believer in Stephen King’s advice in On Writing—always be ready to pounce when two random ideas collide and stick together.
The protagonist in Eldritch, Inc. is a graduate student who becomes embroiled in a world of magic and super-science – what sparked this idea and how did you research the subject matter?
Eldritch, Inc. began as a series of short stories targeted for a recent “paranormal detective”-themed issue of Weird Tales. The promise of an open submissions call was dropped at the last second, so I made lemonade, reworking the character and the themes into its current novel form (with plenty left over for three more novels in the series).
As far as research goes, most of Eldritch, Inc. came from the boatloads of factoids I’ve soaked up like a sponge during my professional life, and just plain curiosity about everything, all crammed into one disorganised file-cabinet of a brain. The only true research I did was a) consulting the staff at Lick Observatory for the particulars of their facility, and b) ploughing through USGS and other official records, to string together dates of various natural disasters that anchor the history and time period of Eldritch, Inc.’s protagonist, Michael Avery Yeager.
My Friend Jackson features a strong female lead and explores themes of bullying and empowerment – what message do you hope readers take away from this book?
Redemption is always possible, no matter how low you go. That, and don’t take crap from bullies.
On a side note, this work was inspired by Rosalind Wiseman’s Queen Bees & Wannabes, a serious study of the psychology and social dynamics of girl-on-girl bullying. I was gobsmacked by her deep-dive into a world I scarcely knew existed. For My Friend Jackson, I merely added a monster from legend and let the story unfold.
Your collection of short stories, If I Can’t Sleep, You Can’t Sleep, is described as disturbed and disturbing – what inspired this anthology and how do you come up with such unique and unsettling ideas?
For this collection, I drew from my experience from the Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild, where I practised with professional storytellers the art of weaving tales in front of live audiences. These fine folk inspired me to take ideas from classic sources—myths, legends, faerie and folk tales—and turn them on their head, adding my own sardonic tweak à la Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone. One of my favourite twisted tales from the collection is Adopt, Adapt, and Improve, in which Rumplestiltskin runs a modern-day adoption agency.
Pindlebryth of Lenland is a fantasy epic with a richly detailed world and complex characters – can you discuss your world-building process and how you keep track of the various plot threads?
Every novel is different. In the case of Pindlebryth, it was birthed and grew from a process I hope to never repeat.
I had been hospitalised with a “liver, kidney and bladder infection.” At least, that’s how the doctors diagnosed it. After several sleepless nights at the hospital (who can sleep with monitors beeping warnings every thirty minutes?!), I was well enough to be sent home. However, my insomnia continued for six more nights. I was plagued with sleep-deprivation hallucinations, directed dreams, or whatever you wish to call it. After the second night, I stopped fighting it, closed my eyes, grabbed a bowl of popcorn, and let the movie roll. When I finally slept on the seventh day (where have we heard that before?), I realised all these piecemeal visions made an entire story, right down to the Edwardian-period flavour of Pindlebryth’s world. So, I set to outlining: including setting down a significant amount of the dialogue directly from my fevered dreams. Four years and 200K+ words later, on the day before undergoing cancer surgery (that pesky liver/kidney “infection” again!), I pressed the self-publish button on Pindlebryth.
PS – I’m happy to report that I am 11 years cancer-free!
What advice would you give to fellow authors who are looking to break into the science fiction and fantasy genres, and how can they balance their creative vision with the demands of the publishing industry?
Never stop learning your craft. Read the authors who are successful in your genre(s) as well as those you admire. Write what you can every day.
The hardest lesson I am still learning?—networking. Like many authors, I tend to be quite an introvert and suffer from impostor syndrome. Oh, I stink at marketing, too.
Networking is my best solution so far—join writers’ groups, go to conferences. Given my squonk-ish nature, every day is a struggle to break out of my shell and make new friends in the business. So, I’m grateful for opportunities like this. Wish me luck!
What’s your next project?
After I wrap up a few short stories, it’s back to writing the second novel in the Eldritch / Yeager series. That, and a science-fiction/horror written from an alien’s POV. I always love challenges!
