Tuesday 31 January 2012

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - E. J. DABEL



What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?

             My name is Ernst J. Dabel and I was born in Montreal, Canada.  I live in Georgia.

Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
             Ever since I finished reading The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and the Silmarillion
             when I was twelve years old, I wanted to be a writer.

When did you first consider yourself as a "writer"?
            Back in 2006 when I finished writing ALBINO.

Did it take a long time to get your first book published?
             My first book ALBINO will be released in March 2012.

Do you work another job as well as your writing work?
             Yes, I’m the co-owner of Dabel Brothers Productions LLC.  I’ve published authors
             such as  Dean Koontz, Laurell K. Hamilton, Orson Scott Card, Jim Butcher, George
             R.R. Martin, Robert Jordan and many others.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?
             My latest book is called PANTHEONS.   In less than 20 words: “Isaiah, the son of Zeus discovers that all the gods of the ancient world are real and teenagers!”

Who is your publisher? or do you self publish?
             I self-publish but am distributed by my brother’s company Sea Lion Books.

How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?
            The fastest I would say three weeks.

Which of your books were easier/harder to write than the others?
             PANTHEONS was the hardest, because I was dealing with so many gods and goddesses, it just boggled the mind.  ALBINO was the easiest to write. 

What can we expect from you in the future?  ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?
             You can expect PANTHEONS (YA Mythology) to be a rather lengthy series.  ALBINO, my other series, an epic fantasy on woodland creatures will also be a lengthy series.  I have a third series, but I’m not ready to talk about it yet.

Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
             PANTHEONS Book #1 will be released this month.  ALBINO Book #1, will be released in March, and PANTHEONS book #2 will be out after ALBINO.

What genre would you place your books into?
                         YA Mythology for PANTHEONS, and epic fantasy for ALBINO.

What made you decide to write that genre of book?
             My brother Les asked me wouldn’t it be cool if I wrote a story where the gods of all the Pantheons went to the same school.  He also mentioned, how cool would it be if Zeus fought Odin? The idea made perfect sense to me and so I jumped on it right away.

Les also gave me the idea for ALBINO.  He mentioned taking woodland creatures and writing a deep, epic story about them that both young and old would enjoy very much.  I liked that idea very much, because before J.R.R. Tolkien came along and inspired adults to read books about elves, wizards, and dwarves (making such magical creatures respectable and worth the notice of adults), such things were considered fit only for little children.  My greatest wish is not only for kids to enjoy Albino but for adults to fall in love with it as well.

Do you have a favourite out of the books you have written? If so why is it your favourite?
           I love both for different reasons, but ALBINO was my first and so it holds a special place in my heart.

Do you have a favourite character from your books? and why are they your favourite?
            In PANTHEONS, I really like Isaiah, especially in his relationship with his friends Jeremy, Monty, and Pipsqueak. 
            In ALBINO, I really like the mother of the raccoon Lutador.  I like the way she speaks with Lutador.  The whole conversation between mother and son is just lots of fun to read.

If you had to choose to be one of your characters in your book/books which would you be? and why?
             In PANTHEONS, Oliver Touu, because some of the things he says about his own body really cracks me up!
             In ALBINO, I would be Albino, because of the way he was able to figure out the truth about Old Corvus. 
           
How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?
           I’ve been writing ever since I finished reading the Silmarillion back when I was twelve.  J.R.R. Tolkien’s books inspired me to write.

Where do you get your book plot ideas from?What/Who is your inspiration?
            So far, both PANTHEONS and ALBINO were ideas mentioned to me by my agent, Les. 

Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?
            I don’t have a certain routine for writing at all.
 
Do you have anybody read your books and give you reviews before you officially release them?ie. Your partner, children, friends, reviewers you know?
              I read my books to my wife, Aba.  My father, Ernst Sr. reads my books, and so does
             my sister Myrna whenever she finds the time.
           
Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?
                         I do read all the reviews of my books

What was the toughest/best review you have ever had?
            The toughest/best review I ever had was from Katy Sozaeva, because she was the first blogger to review Pantheons.

Would you ever ask a reviewer to change their review if it was not all positive about your book/books?
            No, I would not

Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?
             I write the book first and choose the title last.

How do you market/promote your books?
             Gladys Atwell, my publicist is the person who is in charge of marketing/promoting my books.

What do you think makes a book a really good/bestseller ?
             The fans do. 

Have you ever suffered from a "writer's block"? What did you do to get past the "block"?
            Yes, I have, and nothing gets rid of writer’s block more than research. 

What do you do to unwind and relax? Do you have a hobby?
            To unwind, I change my son Nathan’s diapers.  I give him the bottle, play with him, but most importantly, I tell him stories.

Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you?
            No, I don’t.

Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story is..")
            Yes, one moral is “teenagers be careful how harshly you judge your flawed parents, because in the future you will become a flawed parent yourself and you just might learn what it feels like to be weighed on the scales of judgment from your own children.

Is there a certain Author that influenced you in writing?
            Many authors influenced me in one way or the other, but J.R.R. Tolkien influenced me the most, because I read his books first!

Which format of book do you prefer, ebook,hardback, or paperback?
            I like them all, as long as I get to read.

What is your favourite book and Why?  Have you read it more than once?
            The Hobbit, because it was my first.  No, I only read it once.

Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favourite/worst  book to movie transfer?
             I think they do.  My favorite book to movie transfer is Pride and Prejudice, the A&E version was by far the best. 

What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it?(ebook, hardback or paperback)
             I’m currently reading Ravenshade by C.S. Marks.  It is paperback, and I’m enjoying it very much.

Do you think ebooks will ever totally replace printed books?
            Only the future can tell

Did you read a lot at school and write lots of stories or is being a writer something newer in your life?
            I read a lot at school and also wrote lots of stories

Is there anything in your book/books you would change now if you could and what would it be?
                       There’s nothing in my books that I would change.

What do you think about book trailers?
            I think book trailers are really cool and very effective.  My company, in the past, did one trailer for our graphic adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s The Hedge Knight, and also one for Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time: New Spring.  You can check out the one for New Spring http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S6c23m1RBg

What piece of advice would you give to a new writer?
             Never give up on your dream of becoming a writer :)

Where can readers follow you?

Your blog details?
http://ernstjdabel.blogspot.com/
Your Goodreads author page?
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5388944.E_J_Dabel
Your Twitter details?
http://twitter.com/Sealionbooks

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