Tantalizing Talks! Victim #3: David EstesHold on to your ...

Tantalizing Talks!


Victim #3: David Estes

Hold on to your hats, ladies! We’ve got the ever-so-charming Mr. Blue Eyes (as his fans affectionately call him) for this installment of “Tantalizing Talks.” If this is your first visit to “TT” then you already know my quirky style of Q&A. However, I couldn’t help but add a few eccentric ones just for David. *Snicker, snicker.*
I am thrilled to introduce his newest novel, The Moon Dwellers . Even the title is exciting! Estes has created a dystopian world like no other. Not only are his characters compelling, taking you on a journey you absolutely must follow, but the writing style is alluring in a raw, gritty sort of way. The first line of the book: “Hands grope, men shout, boots slap the rock floor.” Ooooooo. Esteshas masterfully written a gripping story that won’t disappoint. Now, let’s hear what he has to say . . .



THE AUTHOR:
1.) A simile that best describes you?

I am like the Energizer bunny, I just keep going and going (and going). I tend to wake up early and go to bed late and write a new book every six weeks. I’ll be publishing 4 children’s books in a series in August and the sequel to The Moon Dwellers in September! I’m also on Goodreads constantly and love participating in book discussions, random discussions, meeting new people people, and playing games.

2.) Three of your favorite things?

* Goodreads! As many people know, I’m pretty much obsessed with Goodreads.
* Books! Without books I’m not sure what I would do with myself!
*Animals! I love all animals, especially cute and cuddly ones!

3.) Where you live and who lives with you?

After living in Australia for the last three years, my Australian wife and I recently left Down Under to travel the world for two years so I can write and she can write and take photographs. We’ve been in Hawaii for the last 5 weeks and we still have another 4 weeks here! Next stop is Nashville to listen to some country music and then Pittsburgh to visit my family. After that, who knows? The Caribbean, Mexico, Africa, Europe, Asia!

4.) The best thing about where you live?

Well, right now the best thing is getting to see a different place every month. We’re staying in each place we decide to visit for at least a month at a time so that we can really immerse ourselves in the culture and get to know the people. I also love that we have the flexibility to leave a place and go wherever we want next!

5.) The worst thing about where you live?

Living out of a suitcase! We can never really unpack and get settled as we know we’ll be leaving soon. Oh and all the plane rides get annoying too, I can never seem to sleep because my legs are so long!

6.) Currently your favorite author and why?

Right now my favorite author is Veronica Roth, author of Divergent and Insurgent. She has such an amazing ability to create a world so grim and tortured, and yet make you cheer for the characters to win in the end. Reading Divergent was one of my many inspirations to write a YA dystopian novel.

7.) Quote by your favorite author of all-time?

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” As I’m sure many of those who read this will know, this is from The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. There are a million amazing and inspiring quotes out there, but this one has always been my favorite. It was the perfect line for Tolkien’s characters and their story, but the beauty of it is that it can be related to many other books, as well as to real life. Sometimes the first step is the hardest, because once you take it you are out of your comfort zone. But I can promise you that it’s always worth taking anyway!
 

THE BOOK:
1) Name of main character and three adjectives to describe him/her?
I have two main characters, Adele and Tristan, and I tell the story from each of their points of view. They are from very different backgrounds, which I hope makes for an interesting contrast.

Adele is strong, compassionate, and sarcastic. The stuff that comes out of her mouth surprises even me sometimes, which I love. It’s almost like she wrote her own lines using my fingers to type! She has her father’s strength and her mother’s compassion, too, which is an intriguing combination.

Tristan, on the other hand, is honest to a fault, loyal, and reliable. Sometimes his honesty gets him into trouble, but I also think it’s what makes him so endearing. Throughout the first book and even more so in the sequel, the bond and loyalty between Tristan and his best friend, Roc, is shown. He’s reliable in that you can count on him to come through for you in difficult situations. He’s definitely someone I would want to watch my back in a fight.

2) If your main character could be earth, wind, fire, or water, what would he/she be? Why?
Adele would be fire. When she strikes, she’s hot and fiery—not someone you want to mess with. But as the adrenaline subsides, she starts to simmer like hot coals.

Tristan is earth. He’s solid like rock and dirt. Stable, steady, reliable. And he’s the type of a guy a girl would want to set down roots with.

3) Name of villain or antagonist in your story and three verbs to describe him/her?
There are two main villains in the book: Tristan’s father, President Nailin, and his killing machine, Rivet.

Verbs huh? Interesting. President Nailin is lying, cheating, and stealing. He’ll do anything to anyone to get what he wants and puts the self in selfish.

Three verbs to describe Rivet are killing, killing, and killing. He gets extreme pleasure from extinguishing the life of other people, and wants nothing more to take down Adele and her friends.

4) If your villain were any flavor ice-cream, what would he/she be and why?
Hahaha! Great question! President Nailin would be extra dark chocolate, the more bitter the better. Rivet would be bright red cherry sherbet, the color of blood.

5) Describe the main plot of your story in one sentence.
The Moon Dwellers: In a world where humans have been forced to live underground due to the uninhabitable earth’s surface, seventeen-year-old Adele—a citizen of the middle class moon dwellers—must attempt to escape from prison, and find and reunite her shattered family armed only with two very capable fists and a wicked roundhouse kick.

6) The best theme of your story?

That’s a tough call as my story has many themes that I hope readers will enjoy, including family, honor, loyalty, and friendship. But of these I would say family is the most common theme. For Adele it’s all about bringing her family together, while Tristan is trying to escape his father’s shadow and find his mother. Many of the supporting characters go through similar quests involving their own struggles and joys of their families.

7) One of your favorite sentences in your book?

“Me, the queen of sarcastic comments—self declared—has been outsarcastified.”—Adele

I like this quote because it shows a bit of Adele’s personality, which is very sarcastic. I also got to invent a word, try and guess which word is made up! Haha!

8) One thing you’d like readers to know about the world you created or the characters in them?
I guess I just want my readers to know that the emotions the characters display throughout the book are the real deal. They don’t mince words and they don’t hold back. The world they live in is a dangerous and sad world and so they are all dangerous and sad. But at the same time, they manage to find great joy amidst all the turmoil because of the relationships they develop, which is one of my favorite things about it.

Finally, I just want to thank Stephanie for allowing me to come on her blog for this interview. The questions were awesome and thought-provoking and I hope you enjoyed my responses! I can’t wait to see what your readers think of The Moon Dwellers!! Also, I made a pledge when I started writing a couple of years ago that I would always respond to questions and comments from my readers, so I encourage everyone to talk to me on one of my favorite social networking sites that Stephanie has provided for you. I can’t wait to hear from you and happy reading!! Thank you, David, for your delightful and witty responses! Your generous spirit puts a smile on my face. To read more on Estes and his novels, which I highly recommend, please access the links below.  Also, check out his Angel Evolution series, and stay tuned for the upcoming sequel The Star Dwellers !

Website: http://davidestesbooks.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-E...
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/davidestesbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/davidestesbooks

Where you can buy The Moon Dwellers :

Kindle Ebook: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008FJV8SQ/r...

Amazon Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Dwellers-S...

B&N Ebook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-m...

Smashwords Ebook: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

The Star Dwellers: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15...