This week, we're talking with Duane Simolke about his new book Sons of Taldra: A Science Fiction Adventure.
Tell us something unexpected about yourself!
I love the scifi TV series Babylon 5. It’s an underappreciated show with a mythology and cast to rival Star Wars and Star Trek. Not surprisingly, I also love both of those franchises.
How did you get into writing?
My teachers encouraged me, seeing my interest in words and stories. Other people noticed it as well, long before I tried to write my own tales. It’s been a lifelong journey.
What are your top 3 books of all time?
Tough question, and I’ll give different answers different times.
1.) Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson. I discovered it while writing my collection, The Acorn Stories, also set in a small town.
2.) Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Beautifully written and emotional.
3.) Something by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Lois McMaster Bujold, H. G. Wells, David Weber, or Patricia Nell Warren. I just can’t. Let’s move on before more books and writers pop into my head.
Where did you get the inspiration for this book?
Sons of Taldra sprang from another of my books. Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure was a stand-alone scifi novel that took me two decades to write. Though I made it self-contained, it included a few hints of a separate tale, waiting to be told. Also, I had an unused character that I had created for that novel who demanded some of my creative attention. ,
A gay relationship develops near the end of Degranon that brings together an unlikely couple, and I wanted to see where that went. Finally, I had always wanted to write a story based on Native American mythology, and the family in Degranon was Native. It all came together from there.
As with Degranon, I made sure Sons of Taldra worked as a separate novel and stood on its own for people who hadn’t read anything else by me. However, it brings back some of the characters, themes, and settings from Degranon. Aside from all of that, I just wanted to tell an exciting sci-fi story.
How long did it take you to write this book?
Several years, off and on.
Have you got any writing rituals?
Not really, but I need quiet and space. It would also help if I could unplug the internet when writing.
How important is marketing and social media for you?
I’ve been focusing on both the past few years, to the point that I get very little writing done. The ideas are still percolating in the back of my mind, though.
Too much of my time goes into twitter, but it’s led to interviews, book reviews, and more. As others have pointed out, though, followers aren’t the same as readers. Ideally, it’s better to have the right people marketing my work, not just me.
Do you read your book reviews?
Yes, always. Some are mean. Some don’t make sense or don’t sound like the person actually read the book. However, most of the ones I receive are insightful interactions of the reader with the writing, and that’s what I expect from a book review.
Everyone doesn’t like the same things. I might hate a book, song, or movie that everyone else loves or vice versa. Reviews reflect that reality. It’s just someone reacting to a work. Writers need to keep that in mind before reading reviews of their books. Don’t expect nonstop gold stars and rainbow emojis. I’ve found some of the feedback helpful, even when the reviewer didn’t like the book.
Sometimes, reviewers see something in the work that I never saw, maybe even something that only that person reading that book would find. Most of those surprises are pleasant.
I wouldn’t say all writers should read their reviews, especially if they’re among the lucky few who get hundreds of reviews. That’s up to them.
What advice would you have for other writers?
Write for the love of writing, the love of words and language, the fun of creativity. If you’re just trying to make money, go with something more practical than writing, because financial rewards are highly unlikely.
Get feedback from people who will give honest criticism, which probably rules out friends and family. Spend more time revising than any other part of writing, and spend more time reading than writing.
If you join social media, don’t hard sell your book or pressure anyone into reading your blog. Delete any post that contains “check out” or “buy.”
Occasionally share excerpts, book covers, reviews, etc., but between writing posts on other topics and commenting on other people’s posts.
Write about your favorite books, songs, movies, places, etc., to help you create common ground with your readers. They might surprise you with their recommendations and other comments. And please follow me on twitter (@duanesimolke); I follow back, with the usual exceptions.
If you trade retweets, be smart about it, and don’t spam each other’s readers with barrages that make them say, “Oh, I guess this person owed that person three book promotion retweets and that other person seven more. Enough already.” Retweeting often devolves into spam. In moderation, though, it can increase your following and exposure.
Don’t spend too much time on social media, though. Find blogs, webcasts, newsletters, etc. that will let you share your work. If you get coverage, link to it where you can, acknowledging the efforts of the people involved. It’s a classy move, and it helps readers find more about your writing.
Use PDF or other digital forms for review copies. I don’t know how much time money I wasted sending out paperbacks. The only response some recipients gave was to quickly post the book for sale as a used item. Giveaways seem to work for some writers, but I saw the same problems. Send review copies to people who seem genuinely interested in your work. Use a service like NetGalley, which presents your work to potential reviewers.
What are you reading now?
The Way to Babylon by Paul Kearney (no relation to Babylon 5). It’s a clever fantasy novel about a fantasy writer and his interactions with his characters.
What's your next step?
After taking so long to finish my novels, I’ve gone back to writing short stories for now. I hope to get some of them published at websites or in anthologies, to find new readers. Character-driven stories made The Acorn Stories my most popular book. To me, the characters matter most anyway.
Still, I wouldn’t rule out a space epic—maybe something my fellow Babylon 5 fans would enjoy.
