An Interview with Paul Locander

Paul Locander is a multi-genre novelist and an award-winning spec screenwriter whose work explores emotional inheritance, family fracture, consequence, and redemption. His storytelling bridges literary drama and cinematic momentum, focusing on people forced to confront what they have buried, avoided, or struggle to overcome. He is drawn to strong character arcs and stories that explore imagination and the unexplored

His work has been recognized multiple times by The Academy Foundation’s Nicholls Fellowship, Script Magazine, Cinequest, Filmatic, and The Austin Film Festival.

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Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I come from a long list of writers. My father was a part-time short story writer, and my grandfather was in advertising. So, as far as I know, I’m the first in the family to focus on film as a story medium.

I would say there isn’t one particular writer that influenced me. I’ve always been drawn to the accelerated storytelling that film brings, so the works of Aaron Sorkin, Christopher Nolan, Neil Simon, and Quentin Tarantino continue to be the bar I hold myself to. Overall, I’ve written seventeen scripts over the years, with Power & Way being the most recognized.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I’m an IT veteran, spending a good forty-four years in the industry until last year. IT has allowed me to travel through most of the world, visit places I never thought I would go, and work with amazing talent in some amazing companies. Aside from that, I’ve been a private pilot for nearly forty years now while being married for more than thirty years.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

Power and Way was my fifth script. I had most of the story developed but was lacking a title and a compelling backdrop for the film. The term Power & Way was taken from a maintenance locomotive that had those words stamped on its side. I was sitting near the MacArthur BART station in Oakland, California, and from that moment, I had my title, with the railroad industry as a backdrop. It all fell together in that moment.

The words in the title are analogous to the journeys and arcs the characters go through in the story, both in the screenplay and significantly more in the novel.

What part of publishing your book made it feel real for the first time?

It was through the editing process, which can be rather violent for a writer when he or she watches their story or prose get sliced, diced, folded, and otherwise mutilated. When the first proofreading remarks came in, with the biggest punches in the novel landing where they were supposed to (be it humor and emotion), I knew the story had successfully made the journey to a novel. That is when it really started to hit home. And of course, designing the cover and watching the hard copies arrive from UPS in a box.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

There’s actually a song inspired by story of Power & Way written by country artist Reed Peterson. From the story, he wrote Chasing a Shadow, which has been very popular for those who have seen the book ads, as well as on Apple Music and Google Play.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

The story is meant for anyone who has not found solace in their relationship with their parents. And in some cases, even beyond that. The book provides a reconciliation that a lot of people don’t get, but they can relate to and understand the feelings the characters experience.

I hope that, through the book, readers can work out what is truly hurting them, and (by the end) just set that baggage down. That’s something I concluded: My father and I were two different people who didn’t get along. There was no hidden meaning, and it wasn’t that I didn’t measure up. I don’t let it own me anymore.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

Taking control of the story’s future and getting out there into the world. Being able to publish Power & Way allowed me to communicate what I hope is healing to those who need it, and step around the gates being held closed by those who fear anything new.

What creative projects are you currently working on?

I’m working on several. Power & Way is in late development as a film. I have a couple of other film scripts I am working into novels, along with a sequel to Power & Way, and a new novel I hope to have with editors soon. I’ve got enough to keep me busy for a while!

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