Neanderthal - About the Author

Neanderthal

About the Author

Kendall Callas is a writer and computer consultant based in San Francisco. He is a computer trainer, programmer, and 30-year veteran law office automation consultant. California born and raised, he was educated at UC Berkeley (B.S. in Business Administration). Technology columnist and past president of the San Francisco PC Users Group, he's been profiled in InfoWorld and WordPerfect Magazine. His interests include travel, photography, science fiction, and ancient cultures.

Interview with the author

Why this story?

I read Jared Diamond's Pulitzer prize-winning book, ‘Guns, Germs and Steel’ about the rise of cultures. Among its fascinating observations, it reminded me that two human species once shared the Earth; evidence is clear that Homo sapiens and Neanderthal shared Europe and the Near East for thousands of years ... and then Neanderthal went extinct. Did we do that?

I began to speculate about all the classic questions: How did we interact? Did we war? Did we mate? Did we eat them? (In the harsh reality of the past, there is frequent evidence of cannabilism.) Did we compete for resources? Did we hunt them to extinction? Or did we watch their demise with gritty indifference?

What became of Neanderthal? I made one assumption, that they did survive, then the rest of the story followed along quite logically.

What's it really about?

I think the story illuminates many interesting issues. When we look at Neanderthal, I think we can't help but see our primitive selves. This primal reflection makes it easier to see our desires and motivations clearly, undisguised and less sophisticated. Are Neanderthal's baser instincts any worse than those we exhibit in the modern world?

Have we evolved? What does the continuing practice of war in the world today say about the human lineage? Is racial conflict any less stupid than violence between species? How long should ancient grudges be kept? Does remembrance of past wrongs hinder peace? I hope the story prompts viewers to draw parallels with modern conflicts.

What's next?

LIES ABOUT LOVE - A freshly original 111-page spy comedy romance something like WHAT WOMEN WANT meets GET SMART. Log line: Poor Frank's life unravels as he tests the CIA's latest eavesdropping device to reveal people's private twisted contradictions, lose his girlfriend, and find true love.

CRUSOE MARU - An original science fiction action+adventure story, set in the year 2210, something like ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS meets THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. Log line: Betrayed after a heist, marooned on an alien world, Rob is transformed by his struggle for survival and sanity — until an assassin brings rescue and revenge.