Fletcher Best is an American author of humorous fiction and science fiction. He is the author of the Stranded In Time series of science fiction novels, including Pirates of the Storm, The Corpornation, and the upcoming third installment, Timeless. His 
humorous works include Sniffing Out Stink Ape, The Great Chupacabra Kerfuffle, and The Eight Fingered Fiend of Lake Porker.
In addition to his novels, Fletcher Best also writes short stories that are published exclusively for the enjoyment of visitors to his website, FletcherBest.com. These include the popular, Manatee Vengeance – Blood at the Boat Launch, Alien Invasion of the Zombie Apocalypse, Operation Black Friday, and A Fabulous Business Opportunity.
Born in Miami, Florida, Fletcher has lived in Texas since 1988. He (or more correctly, his real-life alter-ego George Best) attended Parker College of Chiropractic in Dallas before beginning a chiropractic practice in San Antonio in 1992. He has resided in San Antonio ever since and now lives in sin with his girlfriend and their 4 cats (the sin being strictly with the girlfriend, not the cats).
Readers are invited to connect with Fletcher through his website at http://www.FletcherBest.com.
Would you call yourself a born writer?
Well, I was born and I write; therefore I suppose I am a born writer. But to give a more serious answer, I did show some promise as a writer when I was a kid. Life intervened, and it has only been the past couple of years that I’ve resumed writing fiction and for the first time have started publishing my work.
What was your inspiration for The Eight Fingered Fiend of Lake Porker?
The idea for the book came initially from a combination of learning about Japanese tentacle porn from an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s travel show that explored Tokyo (and definitely not from a sexually deviant search on Google) and reading about reports of freshwater octopuses in lakes in Oklahoma.
What themes do you like to explore in your writing?
I like to explore human relationships and interactions in a somewhat outrageous context. Sexuality features prominently in my writing, as does a certain amount of violence, but ultimately I want to delve into how people behave publicly versus how they behave privately.
How long did it take you to complete the novel?
About 6 months from start to final edit.
Are you disciplined? Describe a typical writing day.
I’m fairly disciplined when I’m working on a specific project. I get up, get dressed, have breakfast, and usually start working by 9:00. I’ll then work pretty steadily for a few hours with a short break to get up and move around whenever I reach a good stopping point. At some point before lunch, I’ll usually do about a 30 minute workout in my home gym and then go back to writing. I take a lunch break around 1:30 most days and will usually check email and surf the internet while I eat. I’m usually back to writing by 2:30 and will then work for a few more hours, again with a few short breaks to stand up and stretch, and perhaps go outside and get some fresh air. I usually stop for the day at around 6:00, although I occasionally will work for a little while before I go to bed if I’ve got a really good idea that I want to get in writing.
What did you find most challenging about writing this book?
The biggest challenge I think was writing the sexual content without being too explicit. I wanted the book to be humorous with sexual content, not humorous erotica.
What do you love most about being an author?
The biggest thing for me is the freedom. I enjoy having the option to work pretty much anywhere anytime. In addition to being an author, I also practice part-time as a chiropractor. With that type of business, you have to be in your office during business hours to make a living and it can be really difficult to take even a short vacation or to take time off if you get sick or have a family emergency. I was in full-time practice up until a few years ago and at one point when I looked back, I realized that I had taken only about 6 weeks of total vacation time in my first 15 years in practice. I’ve been taking at least 2 weeks per year since then, but it’s still hard to leave my practice for more than a week at a time. I’m hoping to gradually transition into being an author full-time so that even if I’m not 100% on vacation, I can go places and do things for extended periods without it being a problem.
Did you go with a traditional publisher, small press, or did you self publish? What was the process like and are you happy with your decision?
I have self-published all of my books and I think that’s been a good decision for me so far. There is definitely a learning curve for self-publishing because it goes way beyond simply writing your books. You essentially are your own marketing/PR department and there’s a lot of work involved in developing a fan base on your own. You also have to learn about formatting your book for print and the various ebook versions and that can be a bit daunting at first. I can see that there are probably advantages to working with a publisher, but self-publishing has not been a bad experience and as I go along , I’m getting better at handling the various tasks involved.
Where can we find you on the web?
My website and blog is FletcherBest.com. I also have a Facebook page at Facebook.com/AuthorFletcherBest and I’m @AuthorFBest on Twitter.
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