What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
D. Robert Pease. I grew up in the grey-skied land of Northeast Ohio. But there must be something about it, because I'm still here, living about ten miles from the house I grew up in.
What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?
Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble - While on a quest to rescue animals from history, Noah must first rescue his parents before a madman destroys Earth. (wow, exactly 20!)
Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
I have the first draft for a sequel to Noah Zarc, but it is in need of some major revision after the changes that I made to the first book. I also have another series I'm working on, in a completely different universe, that I'm really excited about.
How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?
In college I tried my hand at writing, but really had no idea what it took to create an engaging story. I took a couple decade break, then when my kids became voracious readers, I got back to it. I loved to see the joy they got from reading, and really felt like I'd like to try my hand at it again. I fell in love with the idea of creating these worlds that never existed before and have been writing seriously for about five years.
Do you gift books to readers to do reviews?
I'm always looking for more reviews, so in short, yes.
How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books? Who designed the Cover of your books?
With Noah Zarc, the whole story came from the title--at least the name, Noah Zarc. I was actually sitting around with a friend years ago kicking around ideas for a children's animated series. I think he was the one who threw out the name Noah Zarc (thanks Greg) and it just snowballed from there. I was really intrigued by the question: "What if the Biblical story of Noah and the ark was set in space, in the future?"
Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you?
Yes, but I'd rather not expand on that. I could get in trouble.
Is there a certain Author that influenced you in writing?
I've read a few biographies of authors I look up to. The one that really got me moving on the path to writing my own books was a book about J.R.R. Tolkien. The thing I remember most was the idea that Tolkien wrote the Lord of the Rings kind of by the seat of his pants. I remember the author of the biography said that when Tolkien wrote Frodo meeting Strider at the Prancing Pony, he had no idea who Strider was. He just knew that Frodo needed a guide because Gandalf was not going to show up any time soon (the reason as yet unknown to Tolkien either). He didn't know Strider would turn out to be Aragorn. He didn't know he was the heir of Isildur. He didn't know he'd end up being king of Gondor. Tolkien just needed a character to fill a role. And he "discovered" later just who Strider was. I loved this idea. I absolutely love to read. I love to discover new worlds, and the idea I could do that while writing, blew me away.
Which format of book do you prefer, ebook,hardback, or paperback?
I am in love with my Kindle. I used to think I could never give up my paper books. I had (still have) this dream of owning a beautiful, victorian library with dark wood shelves loaded with books. But since I got my Kindle, I cannot read any other way. This may sound simple, but the main reason why is I can read with one hand, or now hands at all. I read nearly every day while eating lunch. I can just lay the Kindle on the table while I eat, and not worry about it flopping closed on me. I also love, love, love the fact that I can get a book in seconds. If I finish one book, I don't have to wait for another. A few clicks, and I have it immediately. This has put a strain on my book budget though.
What is your favourite book and Why? Have you read it more than once?
As you probably can guess, it is The Lord of the Rings. This was the book series that turned me into a reader. I fell in love with the world when I was in my teens. I would guess I've read it at least twenty-five times. Maybe that seems a bit sad, but I can never get enough of Frodo, and Sam and hobbits in general. The movies actually increased my love of Middle Earth too, which surprised me.
Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favourite/worst book to movie transfer?
As I said I think The Lord of the Rings was amazing. Peter Jackson nailed it. I even think the changes he made were quite well done. The development of Arwen in the movies was fantastic because it really brought into the story Tolkien's thoughts on their relationship as he outlined it in the appendices (wow I'm really sounding like a Tolkien nerd here). A book I think that has not faired as well would have to be Dune. This book is probably my second favorite of all time, and every movie/mini-series I've seen has been pretty awful. I keep hoping someone will get it right, because I love movies, but maybe it is a story that just does not translate well to the big screen.
What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it?(ebook, hardback or paperback)
"Gone" by Michael Grant. I am enjoying it. Grant is doing a great job of building a pretty large cast of characters, and surprising me at every turn. It does not seem to follow any specific formula. I just read a scene where a cat teleports itself into a book. Not into a story in a book, but physically, bisected by a book. He of course did not survive. But wow, this was such simple little twist, but utterly unexpected. I love it. Of course I'm reading it on the Kindle, were you not listening earlier?
Are there any New Authors you are interested in for us to watch out for? and Why should we watch out for them?
I am actually new to this whole "Indie Author" thing, and would really love to start finding some great reads by self-published authors. I don't really know if the authors I have been reading are "New" or not, but I've been reading a lot of books my son has brought home. They are new to me. I know I'll read the next "Gone" book. I just finished "Divergent" by Veronica Roth (ok, I know she's new, since she's only twenty-three), and I liked it quite a bit too. I've been on quite a distopian kick lately. "Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins, "Maze Runner" by James Dashner, all books I thoroughly enjoyed.
Is there anything in your book/books you would change now if you could and what would it be?
Well since I just published my first book, Noah Zarc, I'm not sure I have anything I'd change. It was as good as I could make it before I published. But there was a time, not so long ago, that I did have lots I wanted to change, and did. I worked with an amazing couple of editors at The Editorial Department, and one thing I discovered is I need to listen more to my own internal editor. Nearly everything they pointed out they thought should be changed had already been niggling in the back of my head. But for one reason or another I hadn't changed it. I am so glad I did though, because the book I've published is so much better than the version of the book I had only a few short months ago.
What do you think about book trailers?
I honestly don't know yet. I have one for my own book, and I know of at least one person who decided to read the book based on the trailer, but I'm just not sure if overall they make a huge impact on sales. They sure are fun to make though.
What piece of advice would you give to a new writer?
It's so hard to think of something they probably haven't heard a thousand times already. Just keep writing. Don't fall in love with your own words. Find great people to read your stories, and give you honest feedback.
I guess something I don't hear too often is, treat your writing as a business. When you finally have something you think is ready to publish, do everything you can to make sure it is the best it can possibly be. If possible hire a professional editor. It isn't cheap, and I can't say yet whether it was financially a good idea for me, but the book could not be where it is quality-wise without it. Treating my writing like a business means I don't want to put an inferior product on the bookshelves (or in an eReader) so I work with professionals who can make sure I don't.
Do you or would you ever use a pen name?
D. Robert Pease is a pen name of sorts. My friends know me as Dale. But I always thought Dale Pease looked kind of wimpy, visually. There are more swoops in Robert (my middle name). I also had a friend tell me I should come up with a pen name so when I was rich and famous he could say he knows me as Dale, kind of like C.S. Lewis's friends called him Jack. I thought this was kind of funny so it stuck.
Where can readers follow you?
Your blog details? http://www.drobertpease.com/site.cfm/Blog.cfm
Your web site? http://www.drobertpease.com/
Your facebook page? https://www.facebook.com/pages/D-Robert-Pease/192175007474208
Your Goodreads author page? http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5134726.D_Robert_Pease
Your Twitter details? http://twitter.com/drobertpease
And any other information you wish to supply?
Thanks so much for this. It was a lot of fun.
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D. Robert Pease
www.drobertpease.com
Now Available! Noah Zarc - Mammoth Trouble
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Noah-Zarc-ebook/dp/B005H5GFNE/
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/noah-zarc-mammoth-trouble-d-robert-pease/1104907603
CreateSpace Paperback: https://www.createspace.com/3542150
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/drobertpease
Thank you for taking time from your writing schedule to do this interview.
Thanks Jeanz. This was fun
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