Author David Estes: "Signing books with Bailey the cat—in this one I'm signing hundreds of bookmarks ahead of a Library book signing event. Our cat, Bailey, is 'helping,' which basically consists of her hitting all the bookmarks off the table." (Photo permission and courtesy of David Estes. Credit: Photo by Adele Estes, June 21, 2014, Honolulu, Hawaii.)
This blog post represents part two of my Skype interview (May 19, 2016) with author David Estes. This is a lengthy reflection on his work. As David has avid readers and ardent fans who follow him closely, I hope that they will be interested in what I have pulled together here for a retrospective of his work. For those who are not familiar with his work, I hope this article inspires you to check his writing out for your own delight and pleasure of a powerful young writer. The interview continues below.
When do you get inspired?
The creative wellsprings for writers vary as widely as the number of authors and creators that have ever existed in the world. Secular, non–secular or somewhere in the middle, the sources of inspiration they have are treated with great respect. Many have even held these sources to be sacred to them. For with no vision, the writer perishes. The hope of a story dries up and withers away into darkness.
It is always with great sensitivity I ask this question, then, to a creative artist. I replaced the word what with the word when because it makes it easier for the writer to respond to what is often considered as a too frequently asked question to him or her.
David provided me with three different examples about when he is inspired to write.
He first explained to me that the three books comprising Angel Evolution represented the first series compilation he ever wrote. David thought that he would just start free writing and see what would happen story wise.
He believed that writing this story would be a different experience for him than any other because “it felt like it was the only idea I had. Humans evolved as creatures of darkness and light. I stripped away religion. Once I got into it, and during the five weeks of writing it, I had another list of five books to write.
“When I was creative, it brought more creativity. I discovered that in opening up that channel it gave me the opportunity of letting the ideas flow.
David also discussed the importance of “Taking a moment of reflection after my writing is done.
“I learned that taking a step back from writing provides another conduit for ideas. When my writing for the day is done, I spend half an hour to reflect on what was written. It helps me to recognize the flaws in my narrative, as well as giving me the chance to see if any errors were made, or areas missed, in my writing for the day, including getting ideas for what comes next.”
“Adele Reading in Greece- as part of our two-year trip we went all around the world. When I wasn’t writing, we could usually find a good spot to read a book. This one is in Ammoudi Bay in Santorini, Greece.” (Credit: Photo by Jesse Hunter, April 23, 2013, taken at Ammoudi Bay in Santorini, Greece.)
His third example was that traveling for him unleashes that conduit of creativity. He and his wife Adele traveled extensively for two years.
“We visited almost all the continents,” he said. “We became immersed in different cultures and in different ways of looking at life. When we visited Mexico, I wrote Fire Country there.
“When I began to concentrate on who the main character in Fire Country was going to be, I got this voice in my head. It was in a different accent and saying the most confounding things. Her accent was a combination of a Southern twang mixed with a Texas one. The book was also inspired by Australians making up their own words, which is what I also added into this story. It took me three weeks to get down what she was saying. Readers say she [Siena] is their most favorite character.
“I wrote 100,000 words in three weeks during that time.”
I almost fell out of my chair when he stated this incredible amount of literary activity. I was shocked at this level of productivity.
. . . I take a ton of influence from the great Dean Koontz, who manages to infuse humor into almost every book that he writes, no matter how dark the plot. That’s something I’ve managed to do in most of my dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels. For example, in BREW (my witch apocalypse series), I have a magical dog. In FIRE COUNTRY, one of my most popular novels, has gained a cult following because of the way I bring a cactus to life as an almost imaginary friend to the main character. The talking cactus even has his own twitter account! In STRINGS, the character of Fig, a tiny AI with a big personality, represents Jiminy Cricket. However, not only is he Pia’s conscience and friend throughout the story, he also brings a much-needed dose of comedic relief into a story that builds layers of darkness from start to finish. My goal with Fig was to ensure my readers could occasionally laugh, even as they were being swept along in the mystery of the fairy tale retelling. Plus, who doesn’t love a funny sidekick?
— Discussion in ‘Science Fiction‘ started by daigoro, Mar 28, 2016.
His writing is like a force of nature, is what I thought.
Instead of saying so out loud, I asked him if that was, in part, the reason why he says he “prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.”
His laugh, which is a delightedly infectious one, broke out freely at my question.
“Writing on Waikiki—This is the infamous shot of me writing on Waikiki. I was working on the sequel to The Moon Dwellers, titled The Star Dwellers. It took me a month of sitting on the beach and working (poor me) before I finished. After I hit ‘save’, my computer died from over-exposure to the sun. Luckily, I recovered the hard drive and saved my book. But I had to replace the laptop 🙂 The next time I wrote on the beach I used an umbrella.” (Photo permission and courtesy of David Estes. Credit: photo by Adele Estes, June 8, 2012.)
“It all comes back to being in that cubicle world for so long,” he replied, “not wanting to be in it and dreading to be. I got accustomed to writing in different places. I wrote the sequel to Moon Dwellers sitting in Waikiki Beach. I sat in a comfortable beach chair and typed away.
“I didn’t use an umbrella. The computer crashed when I reached the end of the story.
“I thought I would be okay as I use Dropbox, which is a cloud backup service. But nothing of the story I had just written was there.
“Adele saw my frustration with the whole situation. She called a friend, who called a friend, who was a computer friend. He took the hard drive and copied it to a flash drive.
“I type about 1,250 words an hour. The lesson I learned was that I thought that setting the computer on autosave every ten minutes was enough, but it isn’t. I now set it on every two minutes, instead.”
I expressed to David how astounded I was at his ability to sustain the pace of writing he has been on for the past five–and–a–half years. To understand the steamroller he’s been on, I have provided the following outline of his literary productivity below:
The Country Saga Trilogy
Fire Country (January 12, 2014) 402 pages
Ice Country (March 29, 2013) 348 pages
Water and Storm Country (June 3, 2013) 386 pages
1,136 pages
The Earth Dwellers (September 3, 2013) 470 pages
The Dwellers Saga
The Moon Dwellers (January 12, 2014) 366 pages
The Star Dwellers (September 24, 2012) 374 pages
The Sun Dwellers (November 27, 2012) 398 pages
1,138 pages
The Slip Trilogy
Slip (December 1, 2014) 416 pages
Grip (December 1, 2014) 400 pages
Flip (March 2, 2015) 374 pages
1,190 pages
Salem’s Revenge Trilogy
Boil (October 1, 2014) 416 pages
Brew (October 1, 2014) 486 pages
Burn (January 26, 2015) 372 page
1,274 pages
The Evolution Trilogy
Angel Evolution (October 29, 2011) 380 pages
Demon Evolution (October 29, 2011) 345 pages
Archangel Evolution (October 29, 2011) 347 pages
1,072 pages
Nikki Powergloves Series
A Hero is Born (September 2, 2012) 162 pages
Nikki Powergloves and the Power Council (September 2, 2012) 150 pages
Nikki Powergloves and the Power Trappers (December 13, 2012) 150 pages
Nikki Powergloves and the Great Adventure (December 14, 2012) 156 pages
Nikki Powergloves vs. the Power Outlaws (August 18, 2015) 164 pages
Nikki Powergloves and the Power Giver (August 18, 2015) 176 pages
958 pages
Strings (February 15, 2016) 294 pages
Please note that the total number of pages I am going to give you in a moment that he has written does not include his short stories. I have also not given every book he has written, either. However, I think you will agree that 7,532 pages is a monumental achievement for any writer over his or her lifetime, let alone for what he has done in half a decade.
“First ever virtual book signing- the first time I ever signed books for loyal readers I was visiting my parents in Pittsburgh and signed the books at their dining room table, the table I grew up eating Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner at!” (Photo permission and courtesy of David Estes. Credit: Photo by Adele Estes, August 16, 2012, taken in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)
I get the feeling that David is just warming up, and that the best is yet to arrive.
I asked him about how many short stories he has written to date.
“Ten,” he said. “I did a short story that appears at the end of The Sun Dwellers (Dwellers Saga, #3), and then three more Dwellers short stories that appear at the end of The Earth Dwellers (Dwellers Saga, #4).
“I also recently wrote a short story based on bestselling author, Hugh Howey’s, book, Half Way Home. This year there will be a book released called Half Way Home Chronicles with a bunch of short stories, including mine, based on Howey’s original work. Hugh Howey is fully behind this project, which is very cool.
“Finally, I’ve recently written five short “origin” stories that will become a companion for my new high fantasy series.”
“Do you like writing short stories?” I asked.
“You know, at first I didn’t think I would like writing short stories, but they’ve grown on me. I like the challenge of developing a character very quickly, as well as creating a compelling plot line with a beginning, middle and end that fits into less than 10,000 words. One nice thing is that I can write a short story in between 1-5 days, which can be more exciting than trudging through a two-month project.”
I then asked David, “What do you find is easier to write, short stories or novels? Why?”
He answered, “Overall, I still find novels easier to write. You have more time to develop characters, build suspense, and plan your twists. A short story requires a lot more planning, in my opinion. You have less time to grab your reader’s attention, so every sentence has to be perfect.”
Regarding his ability to write series after series, he said, “As a series writer it is difficult to keep at it [in a strict linear fashion]. I learned that switching between two trilogies, such as going from writing the book Brew in the Salem’s Revenge series, to writing Slip in the Slip Trilogy series, helped me from getting burned out.
“Also, I just finished writing a high fantasy novel and, instead of diving into its sequel, I decided to go back and write a kind of origins story. By the time I finish it, I can write the sequel next.
“I’ve never written a stand–alone novel before: Strings is that novel. Regarding the main character, all she knows in her life is the complex she grew up in and the strings attached to her body. But nothing else is explained. I didn’t go into any world building scenarios with this story.”
I asked David about the origins of his Slip Trilogy.
“Neal Shusterman, particularly in his novel Unwind, is so capable of making a magical, creative, story, so much so that each one is different from one another. He also writes in a Sci fi dystopian vein. He’ll take a real issue currently affecting us now and brilliantly extrapolates it to the future.
“At the same time, Dan Brown’s Inferno helped sparked Slip. Brown has a mad man [Bertrand Zobrist, a brilliant and innovative, Transhumanist scientist who is completely enthralled with Dante’s Inferno] in this novel who believes there needs to be a culling of the population to benefit mankind. He is set on destroying a couple of million people. Brown cites real sources. What if we do get at that point?”
Combining these two great writers’ ideas and influence on him, David Estes proceeded to write out a thought experiment that resulted in a very dark view of the future.
I asked him who one of his most favorite authors was when he was a child.
“Tolkien,” he quickly replied. “I read The Lord of the Rings at least a dozen times as a child. I wore out those books.”
He then proceeded to tell me that he was now working on a new series, a fantasy one in the manner of Tolkien’s own storytelling domain.
I’ve mostly written in the SciFi (primarily dystopian and post-apocalyptic) realm, as well as some Urban Fantasy, so tackling a major epic fantasy project is completely new for me. Yet, epic fantasy is a genre that I have always been interested in, both as a reader and a writer. I grew up reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (I read the covers off the books my parents gave me) as a kid, and later fell in love with the Eragon series, as well as Game of Thrones. I am definitely inspired by epic fantasy authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Paolini, and George R.R. Martin, to create a fully fleshed out world with complex and vibrant characters who will be forced to change significantly over the course of the series.
— Discussion in ‘Science Fiction‘ started by daigoro, Mar 28, 2016.
“I now feel like I am a good enough writer to attack the genre,” he said.
He also added, “I’m an anti-outliner. I usually avoid them. But with this story, I have been drawing a map of this world.”
“An early photo of the map I posted on Instagram, with our cat, Bailey, helping. I added in a lot of details after this, but it at least shows the beginnings of my new world!” (Photo permission and courtesy of David Estes.)
He then took his own Skype camera and showed one full wall inside his home that was being completely filled with the geography of this world. To avoid any spoiler information, mum’s the word for now. Besides, telling people details about it is not my place, it’s David’s. From what I saw, and from what he explained about it, I think he is onto writing a blockbuster of a series.
In providing an overall explanation of the series he states,
My high fantasy series is set in a world of my own creation, the Four Kingdoms, the plot spurred by the classic story of a war amongst kingdoms to rule the land. Thrown into the mix are characters with magical markings that give them strange powers. Some greater power ties them together as they strive to understand the role they each need to play in the fate of the realm. The world I am in the process of creating is quite large, so I am planning five books for the series (at least), with an additional 4-5 volumes of origin stories for the characters.”
He also more fully explained why he was writing it at this point time.
“From childhood, high fantasy was my favorite genre. But when I started writing, I was worried I couldn’t do this genre the justice it deserved. If I was going to write a high fantasy, I wanted it to be EPIC. I wanted to be READY. Finally, I am.”
I asked him what was compelling him to tell this particular story.
He responded by saying,
“Not what, but who. The characters are driving this story. Though this is a story about war and power and good and evil, it’s more about a mix of complex characters with varying background whose stories weave in and out of each other’s. They are the true storytellers here.”
From what he was telling me, I think he already knows the end of the story, which can be very helpful to a writer in crafting a very powerful tale.
I returned to the character of Siena and how she first appeared in David’s awareness. I asked him if he could say something more about Siena’s sidekick, Perry the Prickler.
“Ha! Perry is the most random character I have ever created. After all, he is a talking cactus. In reality, Siena created Perry on her own. She was in prison, during a very bad time in her story, and she needed a friend. That’s when Perry entered the scene, speaking to Siena in her head, offering her light banter, unwanted advice, and friendship. It is up to the reader to decide whether Perry is just a part of Siena’s vivid imagination, or something more real.”
I asked him how he sees these two characters linked with one another.
“They are linked by time and circumstance. They are both utterly alone when they meet, and seem to rely on each other to get through life, using humor to buoy themselves up.”
“Just how popular has Perry become with you readers, David?”
“Very popular,” he replied. “I’ve been truly shocked by the cult following Perry has received from my readers; they talk about him all the time. He even had to get his own Twitter and Goodreads accounts!
I couldn’t let this interview end without asking two more questions. Thank God he has so much patience with me, I kept saying to myself.
Final First Question:
“Regarding your journey as a writer, is there a character that you have created that best exemplifies your writing journey? If so, who is that character? Why did you select him or her?”
David gave me this wonderful response as follows:
“Probably Benson Kelly from Slip. Benson starts out as a lost kid without much direction. Early on, he doesn’t even know his own name! That’s kind of how I felt early on in my career. It was all new to me, from writing to publishing to marketing…I wasn’t even sure whether to use my real name or a pen name (I decided on my real name.). Over the last five years, just as Benson Kelly grew into a capable, strong leader, I’ve grown into a writer with a lot of experience, both in crafting stories and finding readers for them. I always say it was a combination of luck and hard work, which is exactly the way things turned out for Benson Kelly.”
First copy of The Moon Dwellers- this is me holding the very first copy of The Moon Dwellers, the book that changed my life! (Photo permission and courtesy of David Estes. Credit: Photo by Adele Estes, July 15, 2012, Taken in North Shore, Hawaii.)
Final Second Question:
Regarding the photo caption you so kindly provided me with, the one where you are holding a first copy of the The Moon Dwellers, you said it was a “book that changed your life!” Please explain how this book changed your life!
“If I hadn’t written The Moon Dwellers, there’s a very good chance that I’d still be sitting in a cubicle today. The Moon Dwellers put me on the map, helped me land my agent, and brought in thousands of readers to my backlist of books. When The Moon Dwellers was featured on Buzzfeed’s list of “Series to Read if You Enjoyed The Hunger Games,” things really took off. I haven’t looked back since, and the series has sold more than 50,000 copies and counting, and allowed me the flexibility to become a full–time writer.”
David Estes is a remarkable writer. His output in writing is phenomenal. His courage, dedication and discipline in doing so is also quite admirable, if not remarkable. His love of writing is a testimony to the heart a writer has in giving his or her utmost to the storyteller’s art.
At a particular moment in my interview with him, he brought up how much the writer Neal Shusterman influenced his own storytelling.
“He calls himself the storyman, which is what I like to call myself now.”
I believe that David truly has become “the storyman” . . .
Related Links:
Links to David Estes’ Storytelling:
https://www.facebook.com/Davidestesbooks/
http://www.amazon.com/David-Estes/e/B007R75PEU/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/70863-david-estes-fans-and-ya-book-lovers-unite
https://twitter.com/davidestesbooks
Links to Hugh Howey’s Storytelling:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Howey
http://www.amazon.com/Hugh-Howey/e/B002RX4S5Q
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3064305.Hugh_Howey
Links to Dean Koontz’ Storytelling:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9355.Dean_Koontz
https://www.facebook.com/deankoontzofficial/
https://twitter.com/deankoontz
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Koontz
Links to George R. R. Martin’s Storytelling:
http://www.georgerrmartin.com/
http://www.amazon.com/George-R.-R.-Martin/e/B000APIGH4
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/346732.George_R_R_Martin
https://www.facebook.com/georgerrmartinofficial
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_R._R._Martin
Christopher Paolini’s Storytelling:
http://www.amazon.com/Christopher-Paolini/e/B001IGLLNK
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8349.Christopher_Paolini
Links to Neil Shusterman’s Storytelling:
http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Shusterman/e/B000APTN0I
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19564.Neal_Shusterman
http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Neal-Shusterman/1531698
https://www.facebook.com/nealshusterman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Shusterman
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products or services that I have mentioned here. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
© 25 May 2016 by A. Keith Carreiro
For information about my series, The Immortality Wars, please go to my home page: https://immortalitywars.com/
4 comments. Leave new
A wonderful tribute to a great writer! Stay tuned readers, for the launching of “The Penitent, Part 1, by : A. Keith Carreiro!!
Thank you, Carolyn!!!
This tribute may push me to read a “fantasy fiction” novel. Or, just wait for yours!
Hi, Barbara: Well, one never knows! Always good to hear from you!