Interview with author of The Moon Dwellers, David Estes!

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Denise Alicea

This blog was created by Denise in September 2008 to blog about writing, book reviews, and technology. Slowly, but surely this blog expanded to what it has become now, a central for book reviews of all kinds interviews, contests, and of course promotional venue for authors, etc

The Moon Dwellers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Book Blurb:

In a desperate attempt to escape destruction decades earlier, humankind was forced underground, into the depths of the earth, creating a new society called the Tri-Realms.

17-year-old Adele, a member of the middle-class moon dwellers, is unjustly sentenced to life in prison deep underground.

When a war breaks out within the Tri-Realms, Adele must escape from prison and seek to uncover her parents’ true past, armed with only a wicked roundhouse kick and two fists that have been well-trained for combat by her father.

In her world someone must die.

 

Where are you from? Tell us a little about yourself!
First off, thank you so much for having me on your lovely blog! I was born in El Paso, Texas, but grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I got a BOOOOORING job as a public accountant (sorry all you accountants out there, but I did it for seven years and that was more than enough!), which eventually took me to Sydney, Australia where I met my wife, Adele, who encouraged me to start writing more seriously, which is what I really love doing. The rest is, as they say, history.

Tell us about your book? How did it get started?
Well, I wrote and published a trilogy (the Evolution trilogy) before the one I’m going to talk about today, but it was really The Moon Dwellers that gave me my start as a writer. I started and finished writing The Moon Dwellers in January of 2012, but didn’t publish it until June 30th, hence we’re celebrating its first book birthday!

The Moon Dwellers came about from my obsession with dystopian novels and a strong desire to create my own world that was different than all the other ones out there. When I started writing the book, I had no idea it would gain such a large following and grow into a seven-book series combining two different plotlines (The Dwellers Saga and The Country Saga).

Where most dystopian novels are set in cities above the earth’s surface, I took my characters and sent them into caverns and caves deep beneath the earth’s surface, into a world controlled by a harsh, power-hungry dictator. It’s a story of the strength of friendship and family, and how the relationships that bind us can become the drivers for positive change in a world that sorely needs it.

How do you create your characters?
They come from so many places it’s hard to put my finger on it, but most of them are a collage of inspiration from places like real people that I know or just happen to see, and my own imagination. Most of the time it’s really hard work to create characters that are three-dimensional and come alive on the pages, but in rare cases a character will have such a strong voice in my head that they practically write themselves. A good example of this is Siena, from the first book in the Country Saga, Fire Country. She spoke to me so loudly that I was writing her dialogue, both internal and external, in my head before I ever typed a single line of the book. Once I finally did start, I almost never had to think, because she was so present in my every thought. It was strange and awesome and fun and distracting, but it made all the difference in developing her character.

What inspires and what got you started in writing?
Other writers definitely inspire me the most. But I don’t just mean novelists, I mean ALL writers. Poets, songwriters, scriptwriters, columnists: the ones who can tell a story or get a message across or make me feel something I wouldn’t have felt without reading their words INSPIRE ME. In the unusual instances that I have writer’s block, all I have to do is read some really good writing and I realize that I CAN DO IT.

I’d say I started dreaming of being a writer after I read Lord of the Rings, when I was eight. Since then I’ve read it more than a dozen times. But I always thought it was a silly childish dream and that I needed to pursue more practical employment—hence, being an accountant.

But then, as I alluded to earlier, I met Adele, and while I had a couple weeks break in between jobs, she encouraged me to write a book. I was worried about not having the “perfect” idea, one that would inspire my millions of future readers. Ha! As if. Well, she told me to just go with my FIRST idea, no matter if it was epic or not, and just see where it takes me. Just start writing for fun. So I did! Two and a half years and 15 books (13 published so far) later, she can’t get me to stop! My dream has come true as I now write on a fulltime basis.

Where do you write? Is there something you need in order to write (music, drinks?)
Great question! I did a blog post on my favorite places to write as part of the Water & Storm Country release blog tour. Long story short, I’ve written in LOTS of places: on the ferry to work, in cafes on my lunch break, at the pool, at the beach, etc. But in the end, the place I feel most comfortable and efficient is IN BED! Who would’ve thought that all I needed to do in the morning was roll over, grab my laptop, and get going. I typically write for 4-5 hours each morning, starting between 8 and 9am. That’s what it takes to publish 5-6 books a year.

What do I need? Well, practically speaking, I need my laptop, of course. Other than that, I just need silence, or at least that’s my preference. If I’m somewhere loud, then I can listen to music and still write, but I prefer not to as even that can be distracting. The only other thing I like to have is some coffee, which I sip on between chapters. Adele usually brings that to me because she knows I’ll never make it on my own when I’m in the middle of a project, and she’s just awesome that way!

How do you get your ideas for writing?
Who knows? From thin air, from dreams, from my buttocks! Honestly, they pretty much just come to me at random times, in random places, but I get the most ideas when I’m in the throes of the creative process. When I’m writing and my imagination is humming, I always think up ideas for other books and have to jot them down quickly so I don’t forget. Then I go back to writing and review them later to see if any of my random thoughts are any good! I have more than 30 ideas for future books/series, now I just need to find the time to write them all!

What do you like to read?
Young adult! YA is by far my favorite, and I prefer books that don’t have a lot of swearing in them. I’m sort of a prude like that. Within YA, my favorites are dystopian (of course), fantasy, and paranormal. Some of my favorites are The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking series) by Patrick Ness, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, and Delirium by Lauren Oliver. And I can never forget Lord of the Rings!

I do read a bit of adult fiction as well. Anything by Khaled Housini (The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns), Dean Koontz (Odd Thomas and Frankenstein are AMAZING!), Lee Child (Jack Reacher is one of the most likeable characters ever), to name just a few.

I read A LOT. At least as much as I write.

What would your advice to be for authors or aspiring in regards to writing?
Although I get lots of requests for advice from already published authors about how to promote their books, I get just as many from not-yet-published authors asking for how to get started, what to be thinking about, etc. I wrote a blog post about Everything I Wish I Knew When I Started Writing, here’s a link: http://davidestesbooks.blogspot.com/2013/04/everything-i-wish-i-knew-when-i-started.html

But to summarize the key points, here’s my advice:

1) Above all else, work on your craft. Read books about writing by those authors who know it best (Stephen King, Donald Maas). Your goal should be to create beautiful, entertaining stories, not selling books. Make sure you do it for the love of writing, your future readers will appreciate that.

2) Have confidence! Know that you have something to offer. Don’t ever forget that.

3) Be patient! This is a marathon, not a sprint. Writing careers are built over decades, not years, and certainly not months. Make sure you’re in it for the long haul.

4) Always, always, always put your readers first. They are your heroes!

5) Embrace constructive feedback. No one starts as an expert writer. If someone tells you they hate something about your writing, don’t get offended, seriously consider whether they’re right. Not everything will love your writing, and that’s OK, but take constructive seriously. You won’t necessarily always agree, but at least you’ve considered it, and in many cases you might AGREE. I’ve grown by leaps and bounds because I actually listened to some of my biggest critics, and in many cases even became friends with them.

Anything else you’d like to share?
Yes! Thank you sooooo much for having me, it was a blast! And I want everyone to know that I made a promise to myself when I started writing that I would ALWAYS respond to my readers, because they’re the ones who allow me to do what I love. I love getting messages on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, etc, and I respond to every one, so please check out my social networking info below an

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