“Spilling Ink With…” is a special blog series dedicated to authors who have taken the time to answer to a series of questions which I have written especially for them. The purpose is to connect writers across nations, to promote their work and their creative process.
Q: Welcome to Ink&Papercuts, David! Could you introduce yourself to the audience in just three short sentences?
A: Great to be here! I am an Aries. I am a father of two and husband to an Aussie. I am a writer of all things epic fantasy and end-of-the-world.
Q: Let’s talk a little bit about your urge to write things. When did you become interested in writing? When did you decide that you will publish your works?
A: I was a late bloomer when it came to writing. Honestly, I preferred reading for most of my life. The itch came when I was thirty and tired of the corporate world. I dreamed of creating worlds like those that my favorite authors created. Amazing world builders like JRR Tolkien. I started writing in September of 2010. I’ve written more than 35 books in 8 years and I still haven’t managed to scratch that itch!
Q: You are the author of quite a few series including The Dwellers Saga and The Fatemarked Epic. While your novels definitely fall under the umbrella of fantasy or science-fiction, I’d like to ask you which is your favourite genre to write and why? Which is your favourite novel from all of those you have already written and your favourite character?
A: Although I got my start writing mostly dystopian stuff (I was as obsessed with The Hunger Games and Divergent as anyone), epic fantasy has always been where my heart is. The Lord of the Rings became my favorite series at all of age ten and it still is. Thus, when I finally built up the skill and courage to write my own fantasy epic, I poured my soul into it. Fatemarked was born! In my opinion, it is my best work. Although there are numerous characters from the series I loved writing, my favorite is probably Rhea. She starts out as a beautiful princess without a care in the world, becomes someone darker when her greatest fears are realized, but then transforms into someone even I didn’t expect her to become.
Q: Your portfolio is amazing. So many series, so many people talking about your work. You appear to be one of Amazon’s self-published stars. Why should someone go after self-publishing, and how can they increase their reach?
A: I am fortunate to have found an audience by self-publishing. Many others have had great success as Indie authors, but there are thousands of others who haven’t done nearly as well. There is no secret sauce, unfortunately. I think it starts by working on one’s craft, writing great books that will entertain readers. Focus on writing to market, writing in genres you love but that are also popular. Because of A Game of Thrones, epic fantasy is hot, which is part of the reason why The Fatemarked Epic has managed to sell over 150,000 copies in only two years. The biggest thing, however, is to never give up and keep on writing. Why self-publish you ask? There are no barriers to entry, so you don’t need to rely on a traditional publisher to decide whether your book ‘has worth.’ Plus, your own hard work dictates how successful you will be. That’s pretty awesome.
Q: Based on my own David Estes experience, I admire your skill to write from different perspectives and different angles in a single book. When it comes to the female experience, is it challenging to write from her point of view? Do you think that contemporary male authors favour the female voice over the male one or do you regard fantasy and science-fiction still as male-dominated?
A: Thank you! It is extremely challenging as a male to write from a female point of view! I don’t pretend to do it perfectly, but I do try to do it right, and I get a lot of feedback (which I incorporate) from my female beta readers. I think we are lucky these days to have a plethora of both male and female voices in fantasy and SciFi. It is sad when controversies arise because ignorant male writers try to reduce the value of female voices in the genre. However, I truly think these are the minority and that most writers and readers realize that MORE voices only allows for MORE awesome books.
Q:The Moon Dwellers includes The Tri-Realms: an alternative society, one that has developed underground due to the destruction of the surface of Earth. Slip tackles the issue of overpopulation and frames the future generation within the confines of a state ruthlessly controlling birth rates. The Country Saga comments on forced procreation in a dystopian backdrop. Whenever I read the blurbs of your novels, I fail to fathom the ways you weave new worlds, and breathtaking ones which appear as a distorted reflection of our own. Why have you chosen dystopia as the backbone of so many of your books? How much time do you dedicate in the creation of a single world?
A: I surprise myself sometimes with my dark vision of the future! There’s something exciting about predicting the future, even if it’s on the darker end of the spectrum. I typically spend the first week or so developing each world from the ground up, creating maps, characters sheets, setting, political environment, cultural/religious aspects, etc. I feel like an artist with a blank canvas just waiting to be filled up!
Q: Let me shift the focus to your newest publication, The Fatemarked Saga. A high fantasy epic with its own map, a variety of characters, spanning almost 4,000 pages, is available on Amazon. Why did you decide to shift to high fantasy? Why did you decide to produce an epic? How many months did you dedicate to pen it?
A: Thanks for the shout out for Fatemarked! To be honest, I needed a break from SciFi/dystopian. I needed a new challenge. Plus, I’m a huge fan of epic fantasies like A Song of Ice and Fire and The Lord of the Rings. I knew I wanted my own epic to be just that—EPIC. Thus, I dedicated a full two years of my life to writing this 5-book, 4,000-page epic adventure that spans multiple kingdoms with dozens of unique characters. It is my favorite of my books to date.
Q: Using just a sentence tell us the reason why Fatemarked should have a place in our bookcase.
A: If you love character-driven epic fantasies with unique magic systems, war and romance, Fatemarked is the series for you!
Q: Do you draft? Do you keep notes? How do you manage to keep the writing flow and the inspiration go? Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?
A: I do not write from an outline, which makes me a pantser. I keep a bunch of notes in no particular order prior to starting a new project. Then, as I go, I organize them so that it fits into a logical structure. I basically just read what I wrote the prior writing session and then begin writing. Luckily, when I am writing the words and ideas just seem to flow. Thankfully, I have never gotten writer’s block, I hope that doesn’t change!
Q: Which are the words your family use to describe your journey and success as a writer?
A: Unexpected but not surprising. That seems like a contradiction, but let me explain. It was unexpected that I started writing in the first place considering I was auditing mutual funds and hedge funds at the time. However, once I started writing, they were not surprised that I committed to it and found a measure of success because that’s how I’ve always attacked the things I put my mind to: tenaciously.
Q: What’s next for David Estes? Should we expect a new novel or another instalment of the The Fatemarked Saga or something else entirely?
A: Ha! I wish I knew! I’ve taken some time to do some side projects under pen names, as well as a bit of ghostwriting for an actor/model, believe it or not. I do, however, plan to start writing my next epic fantasy later this year.
Q: Finally, tell us the places from where we could order your books and include your social media for everyone to know.
A: Thanks for reading my ramblings! My books are primarily exclusive to Amazon these days in ebook and paperback, and available on Amazon/Audible in audiobook format. You can find David Estes Books on social media:
My Website
BookBub
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Instagram
Read my honest reviews of The Moon Dwellers and of Fatemarked by clicking on the book titles.
INK AND PAPERCUTS 