Interview With Author Dan Le Fever
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I'm a big nerd. I play video games, watch movies, read, and practice American Kenpo. I've a degree in history from Salem State College where I focused on Byzantine/Ottoman history, most notably the border culture that developed between the two empires. I'm fascinated by linguistics and orthography and have been studying Norwegian for a while now. I'm not fluent, but I can get by in a pinch. My writing career began a few years back when I was decided to write a short story for my friend's independent publishing house, Fundead Publications, and I've had the bug ever since.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first full-length novel comes out on 9/27/22 and is titled The Ashen War. It was inspired by a long drive home from work and listening to the song The Book of Sand by At The Gates. I had been reading a lot of post-apocalyptic stories recently, and I had begun to wonder what would it have been like if an apocalyptic event happened during a major conflict in the world and chose the American Civil War. It was a time before the internet and most of our modern conveniences, so the only thing holding the world together were the governments and beliefs. I took what I knew about the fall of great societies, such as the Roman Empire, and added new cultures and even languages based on what was going on at that time in history. The most important being the Industrial Revolution. If I were forced to sum it up quickly, I'd say The Ashen War is Mad Max meets Gangs of New York.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don't think it's that unusual, but I listen to extreme metal while I write. A lot of melodic death metal like At The Gates and Dark Tranquility. For the stories that have to be emotional, I might put on neo-pagan folk groups like Wardruna and Heilung.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I'd say I'm influenced by the works of Frank Herbert, Chuck Palahniuk, Richard Kadrey, and R.A. Salvatore.
What are you working on now?
Right now? I'm promoting my new novel, The Ashen War, I think I mentioned that before…
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I'm new to having to self-promote, so I'm learning as I go. Mostly I've been using Facebook and Twitter as well as Goodreads.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Listen to the advice of other authors. Follow them on Twitter. Ask them questions, even if you think they're too famous to answer you, sometimes they will and it's magical.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you get paid enough to buy yourself a burrito, you can call yourself a professional author.
What are you reading now?
Sands of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien, and The Complete Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson(It's over 11,000 pages..oh boy.)
What’s next for you as a writer?
After The Ashen War, I'll be working on the next book in that trilogy. So, hopefully it'll do well.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Well, one would be The Complete Malazan Book of the Fallen(Because, seriously, that might take me forever to read), Dune, and Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk.
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