interview with author mike palleschi
- Annalee Scott
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
"My book is called Falling into Shadow for a reason. Yes, the weather is changing and parts of the world are literally falling into shadow but it’s really about the characters struggling with their inner demons. It’s easy to be moral when your needs are met. It’s easy to convince yourself you would have been one of the good people at a tumultuous time in history. But do we ever really know how we would have acted in those times? Have we ever really been tested? I believe that every human being has an inner struggle between good and evil, my book is just a reminder that this struggle is always going on and to be careful, because it only takes a couple of pushes to let the wrong side win."
I had the chance to chat with Mike about his debut novel, "Falling Into Shadow", that Kirkus called "A richly imagined fantasy adventure full of slashing action and nervy psychological tension." It's a sweeping eco sci-fi epic that tackles big themes like the sociological impact of a rapidly changing climate, and the deeply personal journey of a group of reluctant heroes standing up to power.
Even though the stakes are high, the world building is huge, and the plot is complex, Mike manages to keep the entire story grounded through multiple POV's that position the reader directly into the hearts and minds of each character which creates a rich emotional tapestry that is both heartbreaking and inspiring to read, and narrate in my case!
Without further ado...
Falling Into Shadow is your debut novel but you’re not new to writing, what else have you worked on?
When I first moved to L.A. I had a written a screenplay for a Sci Fi movie and a bunch of comedy scripts. People wouldn’t even look at the Sci Fi screenplay because it would have cost a billion dollars to produce, but people responded to the comedy. I also realized there was more I could ‘do’ in the world of comedy: I did stand-up and studied improv and sketch comedy with the Groundlings, I sold some sketches to a late-night show, wrote freelance for some gameshows, then I got a job at an ad agency writing promos, then my first full-time TV gig was writing for Bill Nye the Science Guy, which was a fantastic experience! After that I worked pretty steadily in comedy and I even had a few TV pilots that came close to getting made but you know how those things go. I always wanted to do something more challenging and character based and my love for Sci Fi never waned. I decided to write Falling into Shadow so I could just write exactly what I wanted instead of worrying about what trends are going to sweep through TV next year.
Any favorite memories from Bill Nye?
I got to be on camera a couple of times which was fun! I played “Stripeman” (A superhero whose only superpower is confusing predators by running in a pack with other Stripemen). I did a tiktok where I bragged about my 3 cent residual check and it’s got 50,000 views so far!
Did you incorporate any theoretical science when creating the futuristic landscape of Novena?
The Sci Fi trope of “One world, one climate” always bugged me (There could never be a ‘forest moon,’ that’s just not how weather works.) I came up with the idea of people living on the moon with drastic changes in seasons that would force people to move once a generation before their cities freeze. The weather ends up becoming a character (or at least a ticking clock). And yes, it’s a little theoretical. I had to come up with a scenario that was technically possible but not very probable.
One of my favorite things about this book is how deeply flawed and nuanced all the characters are. There is no altruistic hero in this story. Why was it important to you weave such a rich emotional tapestry and do you have a soft spot for any character in particular?
Nothing bores me more than heroes who are perfect and villains who are evil just for the sake of being evil. I think every villain needs to believe they are the hero and every hero needs to be flawed.
I have a soft spot for Sophie. For years men wrote a lot of ‘damsel in distress’ characters or female characters that existed just to give the male hero motivation to act (basically a prize that he would win at the end of the day). Then came the ‘strong female character’ that was basically a woman who was an unfeeling killing machine (They’re calling the trope “Robot with boobs”). I wanted to write a strong female character that had flaws, and weaknesses, but still gets stuff done. Sophie’s the one I’d most want to hang out with in real life. It helps that there’s a lot of my wife in Sophie. And a lot of Hayley Williams. Two badass women who get stuff done despite flaws and insecurities. (Although Sophie’s powers do not include hitting the high note in “All I Wanted.”)
On the flip side, I’m also proud of Dante. There are the obvious comparisons to Walter White and Michael Corleone but I also based his downward spiral on Crime and Punishment, mainly in the way he lies to himself. The Kirkus review compared him to Macbeth which made this English major pretty happy!
Not every book has to have a message but was there anything you were hoping to leave readers feeling or thinking about?
Jung had this concept called ‘the shadow.’ We all have a perception of ourselves and anything that doesn’t fit the narrative we’ve created—the person we’ve convinced ourselves we are—gets buried. The bits that get buried are the shadow, and our brains will do anything to convince ourselves that we are not our shadows.
My book is called Falling into Shadow for a reason. Yes, the weather is changing and parts of the world are literally falling into shadow but it’s really about the characters struggling with their inner demons. It’s easy to be moral when your needs are met. It’s easy to convince yourself you would have been one of the good people at a tumultuous time in history. But do we ever really know how we would have acted in those times? Have we ever really been tested? I believe that every human being has an inner struggle between good and evil, my book is just a reminder that this struggle is always going on and to be careful, because it only takes a couple of pushes to let the wrong side win.
Mike Palleschi has worked as a television writer for over 25 years. He won two Emmy Awards for his work on "Bill Nye the Science Guy" and was the Head Writer / Co-Executive Producer of AFV. He has written several TV pilots some of which came oh so close to getting made then sadly went into 'turnaround.' He decided to write a novel so he could write whatever the heck he wanted to without worrying about what any studio or network had to say. His adorable wife just kicked leukemia's ass! ( which is a much bigger deal than anything he's done.) His son is pretty awesome too and so is his dog.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/palleschimike/
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