Interview and Giveaway with David Estes, author of The Evolution Trilogy
January 20, 2012
Today, I'm so honored to feature author David Estes on my blog for an interview session. He is the author of The Evolution Trilogy and to make it even more interesting, David is kind enough to offer 5 ebook copies of Angel Evolution, the first installment in the Trilogy in a giveaway at the end of this interview, which readers can signed up to win. Read on as David opened up and talk about himself, his work and writing experience.
Me: Tell us about yourself and how did you end up living in Australia?
Me: Tell us about yourself and how did you end up living in Australia?
David: First off, thanks for interviewing me, you’ve got a great blog and I’m happy to be a part of it. I was born in El Paso, Texas, but my family moved to Pittsburgh when I was very young. I grew up in the Steel town and am a fierce Penguins and Steelers fan. A loss by one of them is like a dagger through my heart (although being halfway around the world slightly eases the pain nowadays ;). I went to college at Penn State and studied accounting and then got a job at one of the big accounting firms. Accounting never really excited me but it was a “safe” job. 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. Now she can’t get me to stop!
M: What's the inspiration behind The Evolution Trilogy?
D: I was inspired to write Angel Evolution by my wife, Adele. Before I met her, I never believed I would have an idea good enough to write about. She convinced me to pursue my first idea and just go with it and see where it would take me. The Evolution Trilogy was born! When I first started writing Angel Evolution, I had no clue that it might turn into a one thousand page trilogy. The more I wrote, the more the story took on a life of its own and some of the characters changed in ways I never expected.
I’ve officially caught the writing bug and have written eight books in fifteen months!
M: As a new YA author, you took a great risk by writing angel-themed story and had a success with it (based on your average ratings on Goodreads) when some new authors failed to impress their readers with their own version of angel stories. Why angels at the first place and how do you plan out the plot, setting, characters, etc?
D: I’m so thankful that my early readers have enjoyed my version of the classic angel vs. demon story. To be honest, when I first got the idea for Angel Evolution, I thought I would be leading the angel book trend. By the time I finally published the Evolution Trilogy, there were dozens of angel books out and I was pretty worried that mine would get lost in the shuffle. I’m ecstatic that readers are seeing how different my plot is than most others in the genre. I strip out any religious aspect from the story (no fallen angels, no heaven and hell, etc.), and instead create my angels and demons from humans themselves via an evolutionary fluke of sorts. I guess I just thought of angels and demons because there is so much you can do with them and so many directions you can take the story.
As Angel Evolution was my first book, I actually didn’t have much of a plan. I had an initial idea and just started writing. I wrote from start to finish, basically building the plot as I went, and thinking of new characters along the way. Because of my poor planning, I essentially went back and rewrote large portions later (including the first 60 pages). Since then, I have written 7 other books, so my planning has greatly improved, and going into Demon Evolution and Archangel Evolution, I had each and every chapter mapped out, characters well-developed, and key scenes outlined. My writing process improves with each book I write.
M: YA literature scene is mainly dominated by female authors and most YA books I read are written by them, only a handful of male authors I know wrote YA books. As a reader, I think that's very refreshing and intriguing as well to read YA literature by male authors. Any comments on the above matter and this is a one tricky question, but when you write your book, do you feel pressured to match their (female authors) prowess in delivering a good story?
D: 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! Plus, 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. I’m not really sure why male authors have either shied away from the genre or been unsuccessful. There are certainly so many fantastic women writers in the genre, but I think that’s awesome. I try not to put any pressure on myself, as I always want to write because I love it and because I want to entertain my readers, not because it’s a job.
M: What is the biggest challenge of your writing career so far and how do you deal with it?
D: Publishing my books, for sure. To be honest, I find the writing part quite easy. I have a nutty imagination that works overtime, so I don’t really get writer’s block or anything like that. I turned to self-publishing like so many other authors who get frustrated with the challenges of traditional publishing. Initially, my biggest challenge was to get an agent and/or a publisher. When I finished Angel Evolution, I researched those agents and publishers that would be most likely to take it on. I sent off dozens of one page query letters and began receiving rejections on an almost daily basis. It was tough, but it gave me plenty of time to continue writing the rest of the trilogy, as well as work on some other projects.
I kept querying, kept getting rejected, and then finished the trilogy. I decided I wanted to self-publish after hearing about how much easier it was to do these days and how some authors were having considerable success with it (eg Amanda Hocking—as an aside, it is my goal to be the male author version of her!). So I hired a cover artist, edited my books to death, utilized beta readers to improve them (resulting in some awesome changes to characters and to the ending of the entire trilogy), and learned the ins and outs of formatting your book for e-book and print. Two long, busy months later I released the entire trilogy on Amazon in print and everywhere e-books are sold!
It was amazing to see my work in print and available on various sites and it has been the coolest experience to read reader reviews, watch the number of fans on my Facebook page grow (I get excited every time the counter goes up by even 1 Like), get Twitter followers, write new posts on my blog (and actually get comments!). All in all, despite the challenges, the publishing process has been so rewarding. That being said, I am absolutely going to continue to seek a publisher for the other books I have written!
M: You've written for young adult and some children's book too. Have any plans to venture into adult books with more mature theme? Some time in the future, maybe?
D: Absolutely. I’d love to writing for adults too, although it’s interesting because so many adults are reading so-called young-adult books now that I feel I’m already writing for adults! I have quite a few ideas for adult novels jotted down in my iPhone right now, but way more ideas for YA and children’s.
M: Tell us about your next writing project. What are you currently working on?
D: Besides spending time with my wife, writing is my favorite thing to do, so I’m keeping very busy. I’m working on a number of other projects while launching the Evolution Trilogy.
My current project is a YA post-apocalyptic dystopian thriller 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 hope to release the entire trilogy in mid-2012.
I have 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. I am seeking an agent for this novel but am still open to self-publishing it if I am unsuccessful.
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. The first book in the series is currently being reviewed by a large children's book publisher.
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!
M: In terms of writing, who is/are your inspiration?
D: Oh, there are so many authors that I cannot possibly list them here. But at the very top of the list are authors like Dean Koontz and J.R.R Tolkien. Tolkien was my favorite author as a child, while Koontz became a favorite of mine later in life. Each of them have an uncanny ability to weave words into a book, like threads into a tapestry. I have also been inspired recently by Suzanne Collins and Amanda Hocking, who have both seemingly come out of nowhere to gain immense popularity. They are both great storytellers, which is what I hope to be.
M: What are you currently reading or what is the last book you read?
D: My reading pile is rather enormous at the moment. I used to read a couple books a week, but now that I spend at least two hours each day while working a full time job, my reading time is greatly limited. I still usually finish at least a book every two weeks, sometimes more. Right now I’m finally getting to the final book in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Series. I’ve also got books like Hush, Hush, I am Number Four, and anything by Maggie Stiefvater (Shiver, The Scorpio Races, etc).
M: Anything else you'd like to say to your readers?
D: While I don’t particularly enjoy promoting my books, I really enjoy connecting with my readers. I do it via my blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, LibraryThing, and Book Blogs. See below for links to where you can find me at all of those places. If you send me a message, I will respond. (I take this promise more seriously than any other!). Oh yeah, and my books are available on Amazon.com in print and anywhere e-books are sold (Kindle, iBooks, Nookbooks, Smashwords.com, etc.)!
Happy reading!
ANGEL EVOLUTION BOOK SUMMARY
When Taylor meets Gabriel at college, she is in awe of the subtle glow that surrounds him. No one else, not even her best friend, seems to notice.
Something about him scares her.
Is all as it appears? While Taylor struggles for answers, she finds herself in the middle of a century old war centered on one miraculous revelation: evolution.
GIVEAWAY (*YAY!!!*)
To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Contest opens for international readers from 20 till 29 Jan, 2012. Terms and conditions apply.
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