Ask the Author: David Lee Summers
Answered Questions (12)
David Lee Summers
I have offered classes and workshops in writing at different science fiction conventions and through schools and libraries. If you're interested in something like that, follow my blog and watch for any announcements. If you have a specific topic you'd like me to address and it can be covered in a blog post or a series of posts, please feel free to suggest it and I'll be happy to do so. If you're looking for something more interactive or more in-depth, I might suggest taking a look at my Patreon -- http://www.patreon.com/davidleesummers -- I'm currently revising my first novel The Pirates of Sufiro. I share the original version plus my thoughts on it after 25 years of writing, then I share my revised version. I'm always happy to take questions from my patrons. Plus, if a patron would like a video class or a live class on a particular topic, I would be happy to work with them to find a way to make that happen.
David Lee Summers
He entered the room, turned on the light, locked the door, and strode to the center of the room. A hand grabbed his shoulder and hot, rank breath moistened his neck.
David Lee Summers
My answer may be premature because I'm still reading the book, but I was just thinking I'd love to travel to the world of David D. Levine's Arabella of Mars so I could make a voyage on one of his interplanetary ships. He imagines vessels that combine great sailing ships and airships that traverse the thin "atmosphere" between the planets. I love both types of vessels and it just sounds like a grand adventure.
David Lee Summers
I'm currently working on the fourth novel of my Clockwork Legion series, Owl Riders. In the novel, I jump ahead a few years from where I left off at the end of The Brazen Shark to see Ramon and Fatemeh living in New Orleans. All seems well until the notorious Doc Holiday comes to Ramon for help with a territorial dispute out west.
David Lee Summers
I'm just finishing Brian McClellan's Crimson Campaign now and hope to read his book The Autumn Republic as well. I also plan to read The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon and Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine. Finally, because I plan to travel to New Orleans later this summer, I plan to read The Lost Reflection by Bruce T. Jones. Also, even though I'm in it, I plan to read Straight Outta Tombstone by David Boop. My story aside, there are just too many writers I admire in the book to pass up reading all the rest!
David Lee Summers
Around twenty years ago, my wife and I had rented a new house. We moved a few things in right after signing the lease agreement. The next morning, we found the front door kicked in, graffiti sprayed on the walls, and our stuff tossed out in the yard! Who did that? Why did they do it? We never had any idea, other than a guess that perhaps there was gang activity we didn't know about in the neighborhood and they were using the empty house for their business. Our daughter was small at the time and we chose not to mess with what looked like a bad situation, but it could certainly be revisited for an interesting story!
David Lee Summers
Make sure you have a thick skin. Not everyone will like your work. Be as objective as you can when listening to criticism and use that criticism to grow as an author, while staying true to yourself. Be prepared for the long game. Overnight success is rare, and even if it comes, it's easy to burn out quickly. By the same token, sometimes people will discover and fall in love with your work years after it first went out into the world. Finally, read as much as you can in as many genres as you can. Reading in your own genre, it's all too easy to repeat tropes that are growing tired. Reading outside your genre is a great way to get ideas that will help you bring new life into your fiction.
David Lee Summers
My favorite fictional couple are Jamie and Claire from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. They have strengths that compliment each other. Because they are people from different times, they each gain unexpected insights from one another. When there is conflict, it feels like it comes from the characters' experiences, rather than artificially introduced jealousy or distrust. In the end, their love is shown as having grown and developed naturally, so that you actually believe it's genuine.
David Lee Summers
I find inspiration all around me. Sometimes I'm inspired by my "day" job operating telescopes for the National Observatory. Sometimes I'm inspired by my kids. Sometimes I'm inspired by something I read or a movie I watched. I do my best to go through life with a sense of wonder. Writing then becomes a way to convey that wonder to others.
David Lee Summers
Being a writer allows me to give form to the myriad ideas I have and share them with those who are also intrigued by the future and the fantastic.
David Lee Summers
For me, "writer's block" is something that happens when my mind refuses to focus on the project at hand. I find I'm thinking about what I need to get at the store, or the movie I saw the night before, or something like that. If my mind is on chores, I find the best thing is to get those out of the way. The exercise helps me and I can focus better. Otherwise, I go for a walk around the neighborhood, take in the scenery, listen to some music that evokes the mood I want to create in my scene and use that as a way to focus my attention.
David Lee Summers
The idea for my novel Lightning Wolves came from visiting Tombstone, Arizona. I wanted to explore the area as it was before Wyatt Earp and his brothers arrived, when miners were still exploring the area. Since this was a steampunk novel, I imagined an inventor arriving and having the idea of building a mining machine. Because it's a sequel to Owl Dance, I also had the opportunity to explore how the area was different because of the events of the first novel.
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