411 on Books, Authors & Publishing

Romeis a city like no other, protected by a man like no other.

He is the unnamed Immortal, the Man from Rome, and he is

under attack.

An agent of his secret order has been murdered, her tongue ripped out,
her throat coated in molten silver. The killing is meant to be a
message, a warning that old enemies have resurfaced to punish the Man
for the sins of his past.

Forced to retaliate, the Man sets in motion a sequence of events which pit
an American thief, a Roman policewoman, a heartless mercenary, and a
fallen Olympian against one another in all-out war. The streets of
Rome become a battleground where the supernatural clash with the
mortal, and the Eternal City bears witness to yet another chapter in
its storied history of violence.

Vengeance reigns supreme in this, the newest Novel from Dylan James Quarles.

With a passion for films, music and writing, Dylan even had the honor of
being featured in the Port Townsend Film Festival for his short film
“La Niut Des Vampires”.

After high school, he attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia where
he directed two more films, “Resurrected”, and “House
On The Borderland”.

Graduating a year early with a BA in film, he moved to South Korea and taught
English in an after school academy. Deeply impacted by the
experience, he returned to the States a much different person than
when he left.

Shortly there after, work began on The Ruins Of Mars Trilogy and the next
chapter of Dylan’s life opened wide.

---

 

What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?

A: That is a very hard question to answer. Off the top of my head, I suppose my list would look something like this:

The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)

The Subtle Knife (Philip Pullman)

Rendezvous with Rama (Arthur C. Clarke)

The Iliad (Homer)

The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)

Shane (Jack Schaefer)

Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero (Henryk Sienkiewicz)

Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy)

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Ron Hansen)

In Search of Lost Time (Marcel Proust)

What book do you think everyone should read?

A: Fahrenheit 451. Just look at the state of the world today, the outright rejection of intelligence and intellectualism. People tune in to tune out, preferring to consume entertainment and news that conforms to what they already think and believe. Books force you to live inside another human being, see the world through their eyes, feel what they feel. It’s hard to hate someone you understand and empathize with on a deep level. I think the world needs a refresher on the importance of that lesson, and books are the best teacher.

How long have you been writing?

A: I’ve been writing since I was a kid, but I only started to write seriously around 2011/2012. Before that, I wrote several screenplays, short stories, and graphic novels—none of which survived to the present.

What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?

A: I typically do extensive research both before and during the writing process. That said, I feel that too much research in the beginning can stunt creativity later on. You get hemmed in by the sense that you should be using all that research, rather than allowing yourself to explore new avenues of thought that might require additional research.

What do you think about the current publishing market?

A: The current publishing market is very strange. Not to take shots at anyone in particular, but there is still so much nepotism in the industry. The children of famous authors get book deals based solely on that fact alone. TV personalities have best sellers, as if they really need another platform to spread their ‘message’. I don’t want to sound bitter, but I haven’t got much faith in traditional publishing these days. It’s simply too much of a business. Indie authors are taking bigger risks than the big publishers. They’re telling stories that don’t necessarily have a clear commercial angle, and I find that really emboldening.

Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?

A: I read like I eat—every day with as wide a variety as possible.

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?

A: When I’m working on a book, I’m all in with that story. I don’t jump between books because I think it’s an easy way to procrastinate when you’re stuck. I see a lot of procrastination among new authors. Just being creative isn’t enough. You have to finish/publish books to be an author. However, if your constantly jumping around between stories, your chances of finishing any one will go down.

If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose?

A: The Bible. I’d either be rich, or God—depending on what you believe.

Pen or type writer or computer?

A: It’s 2017—computer.

A day in the life of the author?

A: Wake up feeling like you didn’t get enough done the day before. Check sales/downloads/reviews. Get to work. Think about writing all day long, somehow juggling your other responsibilities in the process. Get through the workday, the drive home, and the rest of the day-to-day bs. Get home. Post up in front of your laptop. Start writing like a fiend. Don’t stop until your eyelids droop. Rise, wash, and repeat.

Advice they would give new authors?

A: Don’t give up. Stay focused. Write every day. Put your smart phone down. Facebook is the devil. Read lots and lots of books by people smarter, and more successful than you. Copy them.

What are they currently reading?

A: I am currently re-reading Don Quixote by Cervantes. It’s a newer translation done by Edith Grossman and it is very, very good.

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?

A: I do a bit of outlining in the beginning, but I view the outline as more of treasure map than an explicit set of directions. I like to have a few big scenes already planned out. How I connect the scenes, what happens in between them—that’s where my freeform creativity comes into play.

---