Friday 12 August 2011

Author Interview: Daniel L. Carter



Daniel Carter is one of the authors featuring in the September giveaway. Daniel has written The Unwanted.


1. What is your name and where do you call home?
My name is Dan Carter and I live with my wonderful wife Margo in Western New York just south of Rochester.

2. Do you have a pen name?
My first pen name was "The Awesome Doctor Flex" but my publisher rejected that one for some reason. I now go by Daniel L Carter.

3. What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?
My first book is called The Unwanted book 1 of The G-6 Chronicles: The Unwanted Trilogy. The Unwanted is an origins story of unwanted children that must rise up against adversity and become heroes.

4. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
The Unwanted Trilogy is only the beginning of The G-6 Chronicles. Book 2 of the trilogy, Children of Anak, is just about to be published and I'm currently writing book 3 Unholy Resurrection. The prequel will be a stand alone story called Spirit Walker which tells of how the group G-6 (GSIX Global Security from Inter-dimensional X's. X's stands for the 10 known dimensions.) came into being.

5.   What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?
My wife inspired me to start writing. I would share my stories with her and she would keep telling me to write them down. I finally caved in and out came The G-6 Chronicles. As for writing I've written short skits and plays over the last twenty years. Being involved with acting and directing made writing almost a necessity at times.

6.   Do you gift books to readers for book reviews?
I do give out review copies. I will occasionally have a reviewer contact me if they are interested in my series. My criteria for sending out review copies often depends on the reviewer. Where do they place reviews? (IE Amazon, B&N, Blogs) Do they have a reputation for reviewing fantasy or sci-fi stories? Often reviewers will give me a site or two where they've posted reviews to give me an idea of what they like. When I have additional copies available from the publisher I will also post on forums and groups that they are available.

7.   How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book?
The new cover for book 1 The Unwanted came out of an idea I sent to my publisher for book 4 Spirit Walker. I wanted something that was a bit more mystical and fantasy looking. So OakTara, my publisher, had their design team come up with the new cover of a single hooded dark haired man in the forest shrouded in mist. The man looks a lot like one of the children, Marcus, as a teenager. So to answer your question it was a collaboration between the design team and my vision.  
 
8.   How did you come up with the title for your book?
Unwanted is a theme throughout the series and has a much more significant meaning as the stories progress. To be unwanted is something I think we all can relate to at some point in our lives. I wanted to have a human element to the series that hit home with the readers. To see characters rise above their origins and become something that no one ever thought or intended them to be is something I cheer for in a story.

9.   Is there anything you would change about your book? And why?
As a writer you always go back and read your earlier works and think, "I could have done better." For example sentence structure or pulled out a thesaurus more often. I think I could have made it longer as well but I wanted the reader to walk away from reading the book like they had just seen a block buster movie and can't wait for the sequel.

10. Do you have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book trailers?
I love the book trailer idea. Often it gives me a better glimpse of what the author's intent was when writing their story. The music especially will give me an idea of what the feel is of the book. Personally I had done a video for book 1 but with the re-launch of The Unwanted going into it's second edition for international distribution I am working to get a new trailer out.
 
11. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?
I'm a big geek so I'm into technology. Plus my mother bought me a Kindle for Christmas so I'm loving the e-books. I think I actually prefer them now over paperback but there is something about actually owning a physical book to hold or display.

12. Are you a self-published / Indie author?
When I started submitting The Unwanted out to publishers we got very little positive response. As like many authors trying to get published it was difficult and after a year and a half of rejections my wife and I started talking about self-publishing. With the market the way it's changing, being an Indie Author has more advantages than ever. However I was blessed to have been picked up by OakTara Publishing which is an upcoming publisher that uses the POD technology that almost all publishers are using now. Started by Ramona Tucker and Jeff Nesbit they had a lot of experience and connections in the publishing business. On a side note, I believe someone told me Simon & Schuster, one of the largest publishers in the world, uses POD for 80% of their books.

13. Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it?
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the White Gold Wielder by Stephen R. Donaldson. I read this series a couple times in my youth. It's a hard read but very unique and a bit twisted. The protagonist is not your typical hero. He's a leper in modern day and is shun by the town he lives in. He starts to have visions of a man, whom is hinted to as God,  and then is transported to 'The Land' after an accident. There's much more but it definitely left an impression on me.

14. What book are you reading at the moment? And in what format?
I don't want to give away the e-book I was reading recently because I had to stop. The story had great promise but when the author got into detailed thoughts of a sick rapist I couldn't go any further. So currently I'm looking for a good fantasy or sci-fi story for my Kindle.

15. Do you have any advice for other writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?
There's so much typical advice to give which is so true. Like, write every day, do your research, show don't tell, point of view.... on and on I could go. However there are many new authors trying to get published and more often than not they quite. My advice is this; don't worry about getting published, finish the book. Make it the best you know how and then go over it again. Don't give up because you won't be able to publish your book if it's not finished. Writing takes time and in today's society we want instant results. You won't get that in the publishing world. Be patient, write and don't give up!

16. Where can your readers follow you?


Facebook page:

Twitter: @danlcarter




Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!

3 comments:

  1. Nice interview, very candid and interesting. I can't wait for the giveaway!

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  2. Love the Awesome Doctor Flex! It's interesting how deeply you delved into both indie and small press publishing. I'm glad you're happy with where you wound up.

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  3. Hi Jenny and COllette. Thank you for stopping by to read the interview. Rachel's done a fantastic job with her blog and I'm so very honored she asked me to come share.

    Blessings,
    Dan

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