Hello Blogosphere!

I hope you’ve all been doing well. I haven’t done an author interview in a little while due to some recent health stuff (boo!), but I’m happy to get back into the groove with my interview with Arthur David, scifi and thriller author.

I met Arthur through the illustrious Kelly Blanchard and her awesome group of fellow authors. Welcome, Arthur! Let’s get into things, shall we?

Arthur David

Bio:

I’m currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, with my wonderful wife and two kids. (Who are only wonderful sometimes, but I still love them). I grew up in Southern California before moving to the Bay. It was after this move that I first really started writing. That created the first book I ever wrote, which will be the third book in the Agents of the Third Party series.

At home I enjoy spending time with family, watching all the movies, playing video games and gazing out into space both in my mind and through my telescope.

The Interview

Hi Arthur, thanks so much for stopping by. To keep things interesting, I like to ask my interviewees a random question to get the blood flowing. Here’s yours!

In a strange twist of fate, you inherit a vast fortune from an unknown relative that has recently passed. What do you do with the money?

Arthur: My wife and I have often had the “when we win the lotto” discussion. You know the one. Of course we have all of the typical wants, house, cars, etc. But the two big things we discuss is my wife would open a food bank, helping those in need. And I would get a huge 6’ telescope, complete with cameras for astrophotography, but I wouldn’t want to hog this beauty to myself. Open it up some nights for others to gaze into the depths of space with me and share the night sky with everyone.

Jonny: Nice answer! It’s always good to give back however we can, and I bet you’d open an amazing food bank. I like to think I’d open up an animal shelter cafe where you can chill with great kitties and doggies and hopefully adopt them. That and pay off my student loan debt, ha!

Arthur and the Writing Process

For starters, tell us a little bit about your writing.

Arthur: My writing has focused on a short series of books and short stories called “Agents of the Third Party”. So far I have released the 1st book, am working on the second, have the third ready for a rewrite (cause my order is weird) and have released 2 short stories, with a 3rd about to be released soon. The books focus on agents of a secret organization known as The Third Party, that is working to make the world a better place. But for them the ends justify the means, and they will go to any length necessary to get what they want.

Jonny: Congrats on your achievements and best of luck on continuing your series! I like the idea around your series. I’m learning with my Reaper sequel that doing a series can take some serious elbow grease. 

What kind of setting do you write in most times?

Arthur: This varies. For a long time I was writing on my lunch breaks, but changes in job and schedule put a stop to that. Recently I was writing while down at the pool with my kids. Most times its just at night once everyone has gone to sleep and I have some time to myself, with my headphones and some music playing. Probably Red Hot Chili Peppers and the like.

Jonny: I hear ya there. Some days the routine just doesn’t work, but I’m glad you are able to find some time for yourself and get some writing done. I scramble for every minute I can get during the week. Before work, at lunch, and in the evening I write, though not for long periods of time. I usually listen to ambient music that varies depending on the scene and what fits. 

I always find it interesting how authors lead multiple lives. What is your dayjob? Do you enjoy it?

Arthur: Multiple lives is one way to put it. In addition to writing, I am married and have two kids, plus my day job. I work as a Territory Sales Manager which takes up a lot of my time. But for the most part I do enjoy my job. Getting to work in multiple locations and helping my people to hone their skills and become better at their job is a rewarding experience.

Jonny: Oh wow, that sounds like quite the hectic schedule! I can totally relate to the balancing act struggle, but it helps to enjoy your dayjob. I’m due for grad school next year, so there’s going to be another element of insanity for me to deal with quite soon. 

What first inspired you to start writing?

Arthur: The first thing I really remember writing was a script for a new show as part of some kind of contest back in High School. It was pretty heavily influenced by a book I had recently read. I didn’t really start to write though until several years later. A friend had been writing for some kind of contest and had encouraged me to write as well. For the hell of it I decided to start writing as well. This turned into the first book I ever completed. It also turned into the Agents of the Third Party, though its slightly out of order.

Jonny: What a great story! I love that your friend had such a big impact on you getting started with writing. I hope you guys still keep in touch. I started as a kid. I’ve always had my hands in many jars creatively throughout my life, but I finally settled on writing about eight years ago. Hey, no worries on starting out of order. At least you know how it ends, right? 

How long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

Arthur: This varies. I can’t say I really spend any time researching before I begin a book. But during the writing process I’ll spend various amounts of time doing research. It all depends on where the story is going and what I need to research. I have a short story coming out soon (As of this interview) as part of an anthology where I dove down a rabbit hole of how long a trip to the asteroid belt takes, what kind of drives could potentially get there, what companies could be working on such a thing, in Australia, and this rabbit hole then led me to an arboretum in a park in Australia near a college and the company I was now researching. I’m not sure how much time this took up, but is common in how I’ll research various things as I write and the story takes shape.

Jonny: That sounds about right. I generally don’t do a ton of research before starting writing, but I’ll stumble upon things as I go where I’ll doubt my knowledge of random things and have to put on my research hat. It’s always fun to learn new things, so I don’t really see it as a chore of anything. I’m glad you got to learn some interesting things about Australia. I’ve been dying to go to New Zealand one day. 

Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

Arthur: I do read them. So far the lowest review I’ve had is a 3 star review. Not sure I consider it to be bad. I think that reading reviews is important to help grow as a writer, so long as they are constructive. A review that says “this sucks” doesn’t help without an explanation as to why. However if you can’t take criticism it’s going to be hard to grow. Having said that, I know not everyone is going to like my book. No one has ever made anything that everyone likes. When I do eventually get that 1 star review I’ll consider what they say, provided they have a reason, and decide if it has merit or not.

Jonny: Well said, friend. I think it is healthy to periodically read reviews for your work since some growth can come out of it, but I try not to dwell on things too much. It took me a while to grow a harder skin with tit for sure. For what it’s worth, I think you have a really healthy viewpoint on reviews.

Fun Facts About Arthur

Are pineapples on pizza blasphemy or no?
Arthur: Are you serious? Pineapples should be on everything! Turkey, burgers, and most definitely pizza. One of my favorite pizzas is Pineapple, Ham, Olives, and Jalapenos. Pineapple is seriously the best topping ever! But to each their own.

Jonny: I like your adventurous spirit. I’m not big on mixing sweet with savory, but more power to ya! 

Marvel or DC?

Arthur: Most of my comics knowledge came from all the awesome comics cartoons in the 90’s. So I grew up watching X-Men, Spider-Man, and Batman. I’ve never been a big Superman fan and didn’t watch his cartoon. So because of this I know Marvel way better than I do DC. But I still enjoy both. Teen Titans was an awesome show. And I loved Young Justice. But between the two, I come down on the Marvel side. But that’s not a reason to not enjoy both.

Jonny: Oh my gosh, me too! I loved the X-Men cartoon so much that i started reading the comics, which had WAY more darker material and sinister plots. I am also a huge fan of Teen Titans (the original, not that remade monstrosity. I think they call the new one Teen Titans Go, and I can’t stand it.).

I think I recall the Superman show you mentioned and I remember not liking the cartoon rendering of Superman, so I never got into it (I have always been very opinionated, since birth pretty much). But yes, all the comics! I don’t discriminate between Marvel or DC as much as I used to, but Marvel typically wins out.

Who are your favorite writers?

Arthur: Oh man, I am so glad you put that on writers. I couldn’t narrow this down to just one. I absolutely love Jim Butcher, and the Dresden Files and his Codex Alera series. Kevin Hearne has become a new favorite of mine, with the Iron Druid series and his new Seven Kennings books. But my all time favorite is Peter David. I was introduced to Peter David via his Star Trek books. From there I branched out to his Sir Apropos series, Babylon 5 books, Knight Life and so many more. There are other authors I follow, but these are the ones that I’ll likely buy their books without knowing anything about them.

Jonny: Nice name drops! I’ll be honest, the only ones that look familiar to me are Jim Butcher and Kevin Hearne, but that’s the glory of reading. There’s always a great new author with awesome books to explore. 

Some of my recent faves have been A.F. Stewart and Neal Shusterman, but I’m sure I’ll find new favorites before the end of the year. There’s so much talent out in the stratosphere. 

What are you reading now?

Arthur: At the moment I’ve been reading No Country for Old Gnomes by Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson. Its the second book in the Tales from Pell series.

Jonny: Nice, that’s actually how I heard of Kevin Hearne, through the series. I haven’t quite gotten to it yet (my TBR is insanity), but maybe someday I will. At the moment I’m reading Thunderhead (Scythe series book two) by Neal Shusterman. Though I’m not quite as wowed as I was with the first book so far, it’s still very solid dystopian fun. 

What is your favorite genre to read? Why?

Arthur: At the moment it’s Urban Fantasy. But I’ve always really enjoyed Science Fiction and then fantasy. My bookshelf is filled with these two genres…and really nothing else.

Jonny: Ooo, I love a good urban fantasy. Scifi and fantasy are my go to’s also, though I also love me some horror especially with what time of year it is. Halloween every day! 

Star Wars or Star Trek? OR Doctor Who?

Arthur: Yes.

I love all three! Doctor Who is just a lot of fun. Star Wars is too. But between all three, Star Trek is my all time favorite. It’s the only one that tries to get the science…semi-right, but there’s always a message and lesson in it. Star Trek has likely shaped my life and views in ways I didn’t even realize thanks to watching it as a kid.

Jonny: I’m right there with you. I grew up with all three, but the biggest impact was from Star Trek TNG (the 80’s one for all non-Trekkies out there). To this day I will occasionally pull up an episode and binge a little bit. The magic is still there of what made it work all those years ago. *sighs dreamily*

Arthur and His Works

Tell us about your new book.

Arthur: I’m working on the next part of a 3 part series of Agents of the Third Party. This book follows Jade, introduced in the 1st book, on a mission that will take her deeper into what The Party has been doing.

Jonny: Oh, that sounds intriguing. I’ll have to check out your first one, but I’m glad you’re powering forward with this series. 

Do you have a favorite character in your new book? Why are they your favorite?

Arthur: Adelaide. I introduce Adelaide in a short story, Red Hand Day, which is coming out in the soon to be released (as of this writing) Warps in the Tapestry anthology. He’s a lot of fun two write and ride along with. He’s not as serious as the other characters and has a love of life that I think Jade, and BlackMail are missing.

Jonny: Oh man, I love short stories! I may have to check that out first. By the way, I love your character names so far. They’re really memorable. 

If your book would be made into a film, who would you like to play the leads?

Arthur: Adewale, aka Croc, would definitely be played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.Or Idris Elba, or Chiwetel Ejiofor. But seriously Adewale should be played by Adewale.
For Jade, I think Charlize Theron or Jennifer Lawrence. Probably Jennifer Lawerence.

Jonny: Oh wow, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is very handsome! I’m also a huge fan of anything Charlize Theron or Jennifer Lawrence. I’ll occasionally rewatch Aeon Flux and just lose myself in the dystopian greatness of it all.

Well Arthur, it looks like our time here’s about up. Before we go, what other projects do you have in store for the world to see in the future? Anything you can share with us?

Arthur: Agents of the Third Party is currently envisioned as a three part series. Because I started in a weird way, book 1: The Beginning, has already been published. I’m working on Book 2, and Book 3 was written 1st. Though it’s in need of a rewrite. I’ve already completed 3 short stories that tie into the series. 1 as a stand alone, and the other 2 as part of the Tapestry Anthologies. I have no doubts I’ll have more of these short stories in more Tapestry Anthologies later on. I don’t know what they are yet, I’m looking forward to learning about those adventures too!

Jonny: Very nice! I look forward to following your writing journey. Best of luck, and thanks again for taking the time to do this!

That’s a Wrap!

All righty book worms, that wraps up my interview with Arthur. I had a great time chatting it up with him, and I hope you enjoyed the experience too!

If you’d like to learn more about Arthur and his work, he can be reached at the social media links provided below.

Thank you for stopping by, and have a great day!

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