Review Fix Exclusive: Felipe Cabrera Talks ‘Basket Case’

Review Fix chats with “Basket Case” author Felipe Cabrera to find out what inspired the novella and more.

Review Fix: How was this book born?

Felipe Cabrera: Five years ago I started writing while listening to a Strokes’ demo on repeat while sitting on my parents’ deck.

Review Fix: What has the writing process been like?

Cabrera: The writing process has been fun. I genuinely enjoy writing fiction and I write for pleasure as well as a need to say something.

Review Fix: What makes this book special?

Cabrera: There are books that take you on a ride and while short in length, I believe this novella grabs you by the hand and guides you through a world–whether it’s Manhattan night life or the Ivy League or an individual perspective on mental illness. I read to get my hair blown back. And I think I’ve succeeded in editing this story down to something that a stranger would enjoy.

Review Fix: What other books influenced this one the most?

Cabrera: Probably Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. This book is not similar in content, nor in style, but I read him a lot when I was younger. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan was also a major touchstone.

Review Fix: Any fun stories or wild moments during the writing process?

Cabrera: The book partly stems from a need to say something about what it feels like to have bipolar I disorder. The writing process itself was fun, but nothing wild happened, just keys clacking on a key board. The wildest part was writing about traumatic events and fictionalizing raw events to say something more about illness, the media, and the present moment.

Review Fix: What were the major lessons learned?

Cabrera: The biggest lesson I learned is that you can’t substitute for quality. I had a long watered-down version of this book I was going to put out, but my wife gave me some sage advice about leaving a good first impression with fiction readers and I am glad now that I followed it rather than bending to the need to put out a crappy long version.

Review Fix: The marketplace is crowded. How do you think you stand out?

Cabrera: I love literature. I truly do. During college I used to put off homework to read classic novels in the main library. I have worked as a bookseller and an assistant editor. I have reviewed books and interviewed authors, sometimes for free. I think the biggest thing to keep in your mind–and I say this as an overly ambitious person–is yes, you may be able to write well and tell a story but no one owes you a book deal or their readership. And the market can only support so much. So I decided that at this point I am just doing the best I can with what I have to tell a story about mental illness that I think people will not only relate to but find something worth saving. I am pleased with the number of people I have been able to reach so far.

Review Fix: How have your previous experiences in the industry helped this book?

Cabrera: Probably mostly in the little things in terms of marketing and social media. But I say that as someone who has terrible social media game. So maybe I didn’t learn enough.

Review Fix: How do you want this book to ultimately be remembered?

Cabrera: An enlightening little distraction as we ease out of the Pandemic.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Cabrera: Outside of my day job and bike rides and watching soccer and reading about art history, I am not sure. I need to find a topic that grips my attention long enough to wrestle out a novel, I suppose.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Cabrera: Thank you for your time. The book will be available for free on Amazon Kindle from Monday, June 14 through Friday, June 18. I also have a short story out–El Golpe–a historical fiction about a Cuban dictator who ruled before Castro, which is currently available on Kindle, as well.

Link to Amazon Kindle store: https://www.amazon.com/Basket-Case-Felipe-Cabrera-ebook/dp/B095NZX1S9/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=basket+case+felipe+cabrera&qid=1623626203&sprefix=basket+case+fel&sr=8-1

Instagram/Twitter: @FelipeGoesWest

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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