Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in California and have spent the majority of my life stomping around the Bay Area. I graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in Applied Mathematics. I guess with my love of fiction and storytelling my brain thought it would be a great idea to study numbers. Hey, maybe now I’ll be able to invent the time machine and give my younger self a good slapping!
I’m an avid gamer. Name a game and I have most likely played it. If I haven’t, then let me know so I can add it to my infinitely scaling backlog. I also run a small website TalesFrom29A.com where I post short stories. One of them, Aux Adventures, is based upon video game shenanigans.
As of doing this interview, I have officially released one book onto the market. Its title is Kin of Exile. It involves a seventeen-year-old teen who uses a book to shoot lasers from his hands, learns to become less selfish, and attempts to save the world.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Kin of Exile is the latest book I have released. The story was inspired by my love of action-packed books and the myriad of science-fiction/fantasy games and movies I have played or watched. I have always loved the idea of bringing the magic of fantasy together with the marvels of technology from science-fiction.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Seeing as how I grew up around engineers, teachers, and scientists, and how I studied applied mathematics in college, I tend to include some math jokes into my stories. Some of them are fairly blatant and some of them are underlying, but my greatest hope is that they bring some smiles to some faces (and not eye rolls… please, dear god, no eye rolls).
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I could dump a list of names here, but if I was trying to be concise I would have to list these authors: Christe Golden, William C. Dietz, Jeff Grub, and Eric Nylund. Their respective books from the Halo series and StarCraft series were what I read in my childhood, and to this day, I find myself going back and rereading some of their works just to remind myself of how fun it can be to craft a story.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the second book of the Kin of Exile series. I also am writing an episodic collection of short stories (Aux Adventures, found on www.TalesFrom29A.com) based around video game shenanigans.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t have a “best method,” but I have found it is important to diversify your sites. Also, word-of-mouth is stronger than you might think! Never feel embarrassed to talk about a story you have written. The storytellers of old had one method to pass along their tales, and there is no sense in letting that tradition die!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Find a story that you want to- no, you NEED to tell. Then take the most important step in the storytelling process: start writing it! Don’t think about it, don’t put it off- just sit down and start writing.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
90% of life is just showing up…
Why?
’cause 90% of writing a book is just sitting down and writing it.
What are you reading now?
I am currently reading the Planeswalker books from the Magic The Gathering universe, leading into War of the Spark.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have about four different series that I want to start work on… I’m going to focus on getting the first one out!
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?
Ender’s Game, Halo: Fall of Reach, Liberty’s Crusade, and possibly one of the Harry Potter books. Though, just having one of them there might push me into insanity…
Author Websites and Profiles
Tyler Bunyard Website
Tyler Bunyard Amazon Profile
Tyler Bunyard’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account