DAVID ESTES INTERVIEW
YA/ CHILDREN'S AUTHOR
First, i wanted to thank David for doing the interview with me. This is my first author interview so i was exicited and nervous at same time.
David Estes is a Young Adult & Children's Writer.Evolution Triology, and has new series Moon Dwellers coming out June 30th.
Q:What inspired you to write?
A:In the back of my mind, I always had this crazy notion that someday I would write books for a living, but I always found some excuse not to write. I moved to Sydney two and a half years ago for work and met my wife, who helped convince me to start writing in late 2010. Now she can’t get me to stop!
Once I started writing, I think I knew pretty much right away that it was what I wanted to do with my life. It’s just who I am! When I’m in the throes of a writing session (I mean like living, breathing, feeling the characters, the plot, the drama), it’s the most amazing feeling in the world for me.
So I’m pretty much obsessed with writing now and recently began doing it full time. I published my first three books in October 2011 as a trilogy (The Evolution Trilogy: Angel Evolution, Demon Evolution, and Archangel Evolution).
My current project is a YA dystopian series written from the perspective of two characters in alternating chapters. Without giving two much away, the two characters (one male and one female) come from very different walks of life, but are thrust together unexpectedly. As their lives intertwine, they must seek to bring balance to a world that is out of control. I’ve finished the first book, called The Moon Dwellers, which I will release on June 30th of this year!
I have also recently finished a YA novel about a boy with a very unique disability and one hell of a sense of humor who meets loads of interesting teenagers on a suspenseful yet funny adventure to uncover the truth about the father he never knew. This book is scheduled for release on July 31st of this year.
I have also completed the first four books in a children's series aimed at kids between the ages of 7 and 10. It's a classic superhero story about a girl who meets a strange animal who leads her to a treasure chest in the middle of the forest. The chest contains a gift that allows the girl to perform miraculous feats. I have another two books planned for the series, which I will be working to complete in 2012, although the first four books in the series will be published on August 31st 2012.
My remaining projects range from a variety of children's novels from the fantastical to the downright silly, to my next venture into YA fantasy, and to the creation of an adult suspense/mystery series with a strong and interesting male character. I have written the first page of more books than I can count without taking off my shoes
Q:What type of genre do you prefer to write about?
A: Anything YA and Children’s I love, pretty much in any genre, although dystopian is my current favorite. But I really enjoy fantasy and paranormal too.
So many things attract me to YA and children’s books. I guess first and foremost it’s the chance to write for a young audience. I loved loved loved reading growing up, as both a child and teenager, so it is so exciting to help young adults and kids use their imaginations while developing a love for reading. I am also so excited about what is happening within the YA and children’s genres. The interest in it has expanded across generations and so many not-so-young adults are reading YA books these days that there are really no age restrictions anymore (I know I regularly explore the YA an children’s sections in the library!)
Although I am in the gender minority for authors in the genre, I feel right at home in the space. I am a bit of a romantic, and I prefer writing about younger characters, so it’s a perfect fit for me!
Finally, I’ve never really grown up myself, always enjoying reading books across all genres and age groups, so it was just natural that I should write in such a versatile genre.
Q:Your new book, The Moon Dwellers comes out soon, what inspired you to write it?
A:Great Question! My interest in YA dystopian really goes all the way back to 2008, when I first read The Hunger Games. That was before everyone had read it and I was being a major book pusher (which is pretty normal for me), trying to get all my friends to read it. My the time I’d written and published my first trilogy (The Evolution Trilogy), the YA dystopian revolution was in full swing and I was pretty much obsessed, reading every dystopian book I could get my hands on. One day I thought to myself, “Self, you could write a pretty darn good dystopian book,” so I got started right away, which is what I do.
It’s well documented that I have serious OCD, such that when I dive into a project, I am all the way in, to the point of crazy, my-wife-wants-to-strangle-me obsession. So I finished the book in about thirty days, let’s call it a month just to be conservative. *winks, yep, that was my sarcasm* I dove into the beta stage with a fervor, and to my utmost delight, my early readers came back with extremely positive feedback, along with some awesome constructive feedback. I edited, rewrote, revised, edited, added a prologue, changed the tense, and edited some more, and finally the book was ready!
Q:Do you have any favorite authors? books?
A:I have so many favorite authors, but to mention a few: J.R.R Tolkien, Dean Koontz, Suzanne Collins, Maggie Stiefvater, Lee Child, Veronica Roth, James Dashner, and Cassandra Clare
Some of my favorite books/series are: The Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games, The Scorpio Races, Harry Potter, Odd Thomas, Divergent, The Maze Runner, Unearthly, and The Mortal Instruments.
Q:Where do you prefer to write?
A:When I lived on Manly Beach in Australia, my favorite place to write was at the pool, but now that I’m travelling the world, I try to write whenever and wherever I can. Currently, I’m in Hawaii and so, naturally, I write at Waikiki Beach each and every day!
In general, however, I like to write outside when I can. Nothing beats a cool breeze and some beautiful scenery for inspiration.
Q:What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
A:
• Write every day. Even if it’s only a couple hundred words, it keeps you in your story and makes it easier to pick it up and continue writing. Plus, you’re less likely to forget something and change the storyline or details partway through.
• If you can’t afford a copyeditor (which I couldn’t when I first started), get a few eagle-eyed people to review for silly errors. Read it yourself at least five times too! No one likes a book they paid for to have a bunch of typos.
• Use independent beta readers! This is something I didn’t do for Angel Evolution and now wish I did. I asked friends and family to read and provide feedback and I made some good changes from it, but it wasn’t enough. Make friends on sites like Goodreads and ask people to read your unpublished manuscript to provide feedback, particularly around character development, the beginning, the ending, what annoyed them, etc. I wish I would have done this so I could have avoided some of the negative reviews from my readers.
Just to conclude, I love hearing from all my readers and I strive to respond to each and every comment or question I get from them. I’d love to hear from you all using one of my favorite social networking sites:
My blog/website: http://davidestesbooks.blogspot.com
My Facebook page/s: http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-E...
My Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/davidestesbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/davidestesbooks
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