Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was both born and raised in Burbank, California, and have since lived in the hustle and bustle of it for upwards of twenty years. Currently, I have written, illustrated, and collectively published over eighty titles encompassing both independent works, as well as collaborative projects.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, “Dear Ravers,” is a twenty-four page satirically humorous bashing of your everyday college/young adult concert dwellers and partygoers, with each page giving further insight on aspects of perceived stupidity, negligence, and bafflement of those mentioned. While initially intended as a parodical observation of a subset of people, use of strong language and adult situations are portrayed to further drive the point home. “Dear Ravers” is a simple book, and is intended more in fact for the standard coffee table than it is for your everyday bookshelf, and is available on most major online retailers and distribution services. The estimated time spent fully drafting, writing, and illustrating the project took upwards of one month, with the majority of time devolving into developing witty statements for specific festival-esque situations.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My writing habits traditionally adopt more sporadic tendencies along with satirical undertones and themes. Often times, descriptive aspects are utilized in order to portray a scene, character, inner monologue, etc. with a sarcastic mood that connects with the audience on a particularly humorous level. This is one of my very own methods of allowing my own true to life mannerisms and dialogue have a spotlight within my own works.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Favorite authors of mine range from the fictional works of Aldous Huxley to satire akin to Mark Twain. Satire and dark humor respectively also happen to be my favorite genres to read, and the aforementioned Mark Twain is among one of my few primary inspirations to dabble within my own satirical perspective.
What are you working on now?
My general strategy is to tackle multiple projects at a time, so as to allow myself ample opportunity to work on one at a time in whichever given time frame of my choosing, as well as to not procrastinate with getting a general workload done. Aside from my illustrative children’s series “The Adventures of Daniel” (Rene Ghazarian, 2015), several other side projects have taken shape, along with a pseudo-prequel to one of my first published literary collections, “Just Desserts.” (Sebastian Schug, 2016)
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Simple social media sharing, as well as acquiring a standalone business website often works well with getting a prominent word out. Besides this example, word of mouth, and cold-calling often yields promising results.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Generally speaking, get started. I see numerous “would-be” authors and artists with amazing potential for both storytelling and visualization alike without either the proper know-how or motivation to simply put pen to paper. It’s understandable if one happens to feel self-doubt about his/her own personal project and/or whether or not people will believe it’s any good, but if there’s another piece of advice I can tack on, it’s to not write for other people. You’re not writing for your friends, peers, or even your most cherished loved ones, deep down, so don’t try to. Art within a published medium shouldn’t be held to the standard at which you arbitrarily give it from an outside opinion.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
As referenced previously, “get started. Art within a published medium shouldn’t be held to the standard at which you arbitrarily give it from any given outside opinion.”
What are you reading now?
Currently, I am reading Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” for what is going to be my fourth time since being introduced to it in my senior year of high school. Truly a dystopian masterpiece rife with elements of scientific satire and statement alike.
What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next for me as a writer remains more often than not up in the air at the moment. Since my literary gestation in 2015, where I was signed on to my first contract of being not an author, but instead an illustrator for Rene Ghazarian’s “The Adventures of Daniel,” I have since taken the reins into my own direction of recruiting other potential authors, artists, etc. to both develop and center their works under my publishing platform.
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?
If the “stranded island” trope were to occur at any point within my life, three or four books at my immediate disposal alongside my predicament are to be Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged,” given that in terms of political influence, she stands atop as one of my all-time favorites. I would then be tempted to take William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” for the sake of temperamental coming of age being an incredibly interesting concept in storytelling. Lastly, Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn” would be regarded as my choice of satire.
Author Websites and Profiles
Sebastian Schug Website
Sebastian Schug Amazon Profile
Sebastian Schug Author Profile on Smashwords
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