Exploring Life, Death, and Everything In Between – An Interview with V.K. Pasanen

In this exclusive interview, we delve into the extraordinary writing journey of V.K. Pasanen, author of the captivating “Interview with Death – Tales from the Afterworld “. From the profound influence of family history and personal experiences to the intricate world-building and thought-provoking themes that permeate his work, Pasanen shares insights into his inspirations, creative process, and the unique blend of mythology with modern narratives. Join us as we uncover the remarkable story behind the author and the compelling tales from the Afterworld that continue to captivate readers worldwide.

But First, Who is V.K. Pasanen?

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V.K. Pasanen’s Books

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1. What initially drew you to writing, and how did you decide to become an author?

My grandfather, William Pasanen, was at Pearl Harbor on Dec 7 and was always a hero to his doting grandson who was named in his honor. In 1985, I heard Metallica’s second album and loved Cliff Burton’s haunting bass riffs on For Whom the Bell Tolls. After I met Burton following a Master of Puppets concert and he died 2 months later in September 1986, I was inspired to read John Donne’s poem, No Man is an Island, and read Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls. When I finished his masterpiece, it became my life’s obsession to write a book about my grandfather. This would lead to a reunion with my Finnish family in Suomi on a quest to know his father’s family and teach my mother their stories. This was after my third-grade son, Evan, came home with an immigration project in 2009. My wife, Kayla, suggested we be Finnish, because I am, and that’s what we were. In 2010, thanks to Facebook, Ancestry.com, and a cousin who lived in Puyallup, WA, I was able to reunite with a cousin on my Finnish great grandmother’s side. He opened the door to my ancestral country and family. The book I wanted to write now became a road to a place called Majalahti in the Savonia region of Finland. It was only after my first 13 days in Finland and the death of the Finnish grand uncle on February 8, 2012, that I started to write. As my son and I neared the end of our project during his senior year in 2017, the nonfiction was derailed in April 2017 by an idea to write a fiction novel about an Interview with Death. Before that, I had no inclination to write fiction, but I found that I could be more honest in fiction. The idea quickly blossomed into a saga that is now in its seventh year with six novels and one novella in the pipeline after an initial false start in 2000-2001.

2. “Interview with Death” delves into complex themes of life, death, and the afterlife. What inspires you to explore these themes, and how do you approach such profound subjects in your writing?

There are so many inspirations and they surround my life’s journey, people I’ve met, friends and loved ones that have come and gone, the person I’ve been at different points in my life and the experiences that have allowed me to evolve into the person I am now, my various journey’s through histories and studies of cultures that have sent me on a life changing and mind altering quests, family stories that can be morphed, twisted, inverted. This writer’s journey started the day my grandfather died in 1979, so I’ve had 44 years to collect inspiration.

3. Your background as a relief veterinarian is quite unique for a writer. How has your experience in this field influenced your storytelling or the themes you explore in your books?

Psychologically, the job can be taxing and one of the hardest things we do is gently ushering the faithful four leggers of pet owners across the Rainbow Bridge. Suicide rates are very high. In fact, after a beautiful human being and behaviorist, who so influenced how I practice medicine, took her life, the Not One More Vet Facebook group was established to honor Dr. Sophia Yin. I sometimes feel like Morton Death. I’m a nice guy but sometimes I have a very difficult job, but it’s my job to help pet owners deal with the loss as best I can.

4. The process of creating a world as rich and detailed as the one in “Interview with Death” must be intricate. Can you describe your world-building process and how you keep track of its complexities?

As I mentioned in a previous answer, I had no desire to write fiction before this idea popped into my head. One April evening in 2017, I wrote a synopsis journal entry and a 10-chapter outline, much of which is included in the final version. That weekend, I came up with a 9-novel saga, split into 3 three-part trilogies. I also wrote a rough version of the finale in Narva (though it wasn’t in Narva) while staying at the Timberline Lodge (famous since Stanley Kubrick used it for the exterior shots of the Overlook in his version of Stephen King’s The Shining). Needing an antagonist, a friend of mine, who was part of my musical journey, gave me an idea that become a four-book series, originally entitled, Touch of Pestilence. The world building came later since I wanted to draw readers into the supernatural after making them believe I was writing about the reality they knew.  I wish I could tell you the world building was methodical, but it wasn’t. It was a clunky process of eureka inspiration while driving and feverishly dictating into my voice recorder. I also frequently wrote in my journal in addition to writing copy. Interview with Death was the fifth book I wrote. By then, the Afterworld had fully taken shape. Unpublishing the five books and putting Interview where it belonged was a wonderful decision since it now allows readers to see the fruits on my seven years of clunking around in fantasy fiction and provides a fabulous platform to build upon.

5. Characters in “Interview with Death” undergo significant transformations. How do you develop your characters, and what do you think is the key to creating a compelling character arc?

The key is not to force a character to be something they’re not. At least, that’s what I attempted. I start with a model that can be pieces of someone I know, myself, or historical people. Human nature is consistent but reactions to various events allow for various options that lead to good or bad consequences with final outcomes that can’t always be predicted. Many outcomes are just as surprising to the writer as they are to the reader. I don’t cater to what the reader expects. I mean no disrespect to readers. It’s just the kind of story I like. I love to be surprised and so my characters make their own decisions, and the outcome is the outcome. What can I say, I loved Choose Your Adventures stories as a kid.

6. The blending of mythology with modern themes and technology is a standout feature of your work. What challenges do you face when integrating these elements, and how do you overcome them?

I don’t feel like that part was that much of a challenge since we live in a world based on science, but at the same, a world where many still live by faith in things they can’t see but believe they are real and will be experienced when they die. The modern themes, especially 9/11, were deeply felt by many around the world and a source of PTSD for me for almost 20 years. My birthday is on the 12th and my daughter was born 9/13/2001. When something that deeply felt like Pearl Harbor was to my grandfather, having been there and lost many personal friends, and to parent’s generation, it’s like Hemingway was credited for saying, writing’s easy, just open a vein and bleed on the page. The future technology was fun to create with the marvelous substance of dreams and imagination as I dropped subtle hints of mythologies to come. The drone battle, like what has been seen in Ukraine, has been eerie since I first wrote it before the Ukraine War. One of my longtime readers and very distant cousins, who traveled with me to Narva, has in-laws in Borodyanka, Ukraine. He read the original version a few months before Putin attacked in 2022.

7. Every author has a different writing routine or set of rituals. Could you share yours? How do you find it impacts your productivity or creativity?

I work 4-6 days a week, but as a relief veterinarian, I have more freedom than I would working a normal job. I usually get up at 3:30-4:00 am so I can get to Starbucks, or near wherever I’m working, to write for 2-3 hours. Mornings are always my most productive. I also have time between appointments and get some writing done without affecting my client’s workflow. Surprisingly, I get less writing done on my days off. I love music and listen to various genres while I write depending on my mood and the scene I’m writing. For anyone interested, my eclectic and often heavy mix can be found on Spotify, playlist Tales from the Afterworld by villepasanen1970.

8. Reading and listening to books are listed among your hobbies. Could you recommend a book that has significantly influenced your writing or your life?

I love the Lord of the Rings. Discovering the connection with the Finland’s National Epic, the Kalevala, was pretty cool. It shows up in Interview with Death and will have a role later in the saga. The Harry Potter series is also fantastic. J.K. Rowling taught my son to read and my second book which will be released this summer has a homage to Rowling. Obviously, everyone should read Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls at least once in their life. I know you asked me for one book, but it would be wrong not to mention the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, Jim Butcher, Steve McHugh, Neil Gaiman, Neal Shusterman, and Tony Hillerman. And special mention needs to be made for Markus Zusak. Book Thief was phenomenal. Likewise, I can’t forget all the historians who filled my mind with themes and ideas that can be twisted into fantasy. Two of my favorites are Erik Larsen and David Grann. I also can’t forget, my one semester history professor at Texas A&M, Pulitzer finalist, H.W. Brands. Still cherish the A+/Wow (though he didn’t say Wow) that he gave me on the final in his class. His many history books are great, well-researched reads.

9. The concept of Eternals introduces a fascinating aspect to your narrative. What research or inspiration went into creating these characters, and how do they reflect your views on fate, destiny, or free will?

I’m the son of a Missionary Baptist preacher, and while I loved him, respected his beliefs, and miss him every day, I’m not a believer myself. This allows me to be more fluid with how I deal with the different mythologies and belief systems that go into creating the poly-mythological Afterworld. I always try to work in duality, to show the good and the bad in the beliefs people hold true and the ones that are no longer popular and now relegated to fantasy and mythology. My religious journey was just another thread wound through the others during my evolution as a human being and now as a writer. My interest stems from the parable of the blind men and the elephant. There are so many different and disparate beliefs in the world, and everyone believes that theirs is the only way, or the most correct way, or the correct-est way within the correct way as I observed growing up in the Baptist Christian denomination. But no one has reported to the living what it’s like after death. And more me, I believe it is a never-ending sleep, but I’m just as blind. My concept arose from the thought, what if I’m 100% wrong and everyone else is 1% right. So, I personified certain concepts to create a world beyond those created from disparate beliefs to accommodate everyone who does not violate a Black and White Rule. And fate, destiny, and free will―there just part of the mix of opinions about predetermination and the grace of a god I grew up believing in. One last influence was Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development and the final in old of integrity vs despair. To die contented with the life one lived is the ticket to Heaven.  Despair is the ticket to Samara Station and returns to the Wheel for another revolution and hopefully better luck on the next death.

10. Looking beyond “Interview with Death” and the Tales from the Afterworld series, are there other genres or themes you’re passionate about exploring in your future work?

Currently, I have a first draft written of a non-fiction project, Road to Majalahti, about my journey to reunite with my Finnish family that had been estranged for almost a century. When I first met my cousin in 2011 in the U.S for a 90^th birthday party for a grand uncle I never knew existed, my dad was dying of colon cancer. It was the love of the Finnish family I had never met who helped me struggle through that beautiful, terrible summer. One of those families was half of the inspiration for the tale of Toivo and Kaisa in Interview with Death. Before my father’s death, my Finnish mother and I didn’t get along, but our relationship has been improving since my son Evan’s immigration project which included an interview with her. That interview sparked a quest that led up to her death in 2018. My father’s death bonded us, and the journey became about learning all the amazing stories she got wrong from what little her grandparents told her about the old country.

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Thank you, V.K. Pasanen, for sharing your extraordinary writing journey and the captivating tales from the Afterworld. Your insights into the inspirations, creative process, and the seamless blend of mythology with modern narratives have provided a fascinating glimpse into the world behind your compelling work. We appreciate the depth and sincerity with which you have shared your experiences, influences, and the remarkable story behind your literary endeavors.