July's Spotlight author interview we welcome Drew Avera
Welcome to 'The Hive' Drew!
1. Where are you from?
I'm from Meridian, MS, but I joined the Navy when I was 17. I now live in Virginia with my wife and kids.
2. How long have you been writing?
I've been writing for just over a year, but I did take some creative writing classes in high school.
3. What book(s) have you published so far?
I published the first book in the Dead Planet series, Dead Planet: Exodus, in March 2013. I released a novella called Reich on July 1, 2013.
4. What are your current projects and can you tell us a little about them?
I'm working on the sequel to Dead Planet: Exodus. I don't have the name for it yet, but it's going to put the main character, Serus, up against an enemy far worse than the Syndicate.
5. What inspired you to write your first book?
I was struggling to write a fantasy novel and was on the verge of giving up. I decided to start writing short stories in the meantime and I discovered NaNoWriMo. I knew that I had to start from scratch so I quickly plotted out what became my NaNoWriMo 2012 story, Dead Planet: Exodus.
6. How long did it take you to publish it, after you started trying?
I wrote the entire first draft on my iPhone in just twenty days. I took the entire month of December off from writing to let the story sit and I began revisions and editing in January. I published it at the end of March.
7. How much of the book is realistic?
The relationship and fears are realistic, but the setting and technology are pretty out there. Mars isn't able to sustain life so I had to invent the "technology" to make that happen.
8. Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
The only thing that I really took from my life is my feelings in regards to a corporate run government. I think that once humanity is run like a business, then life as we know it is over. I'm not a conspiracy nut, but a lot of cool ideas can be found by asking "what if".
9. What book(s) have influenced your life the most? Why?
I can't choose just one, but when I first started writing I was reading the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher. That was probably a big influence on using a main character's point of view as the basis for telling the whole story.
10. If you had to choose, which author/writer would you consider a mentor?
I've come into contact with many self published authors with varying degrees of success. I guess I would put Hugh Howey at the top of the pyramid since he is really paving the way for most of us. The indie author community as a whole is one where each of us supports the other. I have yet to find an indie author who is not willing to help out in some way. It's really amazing to be a part of.
11. Who or what inspires you to keep writing?
The fact that I can do what I want within the context of the story motivates me. I get to play god in a universe that I've made. It's a lot of work to write a book, but the end product is rewarding.
12. What do you consider to be your best accomplishment so far?
Finishing the first book.
13. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I don't know, if I had the money I would hire an editor and book cover designer, but I did the best I could with what I had and I've had some positive reviews because of it.
14. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you for reading, and I would love to hear from you about your thoughts on the characters and stories themselves. If you liked Dead Planet then definitely check out Reich.
15. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Don't gauge your success on someone else's.
You can find information on Drew on these below links.
www.facebook.com/authordrewavera
www.twitter.com/DrewAvera
www.drewavera.wordpress.com
Reich is here
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPUYLOI
Dead Planet is here
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C1KP6SS
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