Interview with Carlos Carrasco
Published 2016-11-04.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
I wrote my first story sometime, early on, in grade school. I distinctly remember the teacher having us kids choose pictures (photos cut from magazines)from out of a box and told to make up a story from it. After a quick rummaging, I selected one of what I later deduced was a parade of the Buckingham Palace Guards. In my story, these guards were the last soldiers and final defense of the castle (Buckingham) against invading barbarians. The only detail of the writing I recall was the use of 'rat-at-at-at-ats' to describe the sound of machine gun fire.
How do you approach cover design?
I keep it simple. One stark image overlaid with fonts clean and clear enough to be easily read. And having no knowledge of how to do it myself, I pay someone who does.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
Kindle.
Describe your desk
It's a small, clean & well-lit island in a book-cluttered room.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
The technology that allows one to become an independent, self-published author is really quite irresistible. It is becoming easier to self-publish every day and, as a result, traditional publishers have less to offer a writer and are becoming ever more irrelevant.
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
It's too early to tell, but i expect it will.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Typing 'The End.'
What do your fans mean to you?
They mean a great deal to me. Anyone who is willing to plunk down the dollars to buy a book of mine does me a great honor.
What are you working on next?
I have two main projects in the works. The first is the second book of THE OMEGA CRUSADE series, 'The House of Islam,' and the second is a stand-alone science fiction novel entitled 'Novus Ordo'.
I bounce between the two and a couple of short stories.
Who are your favorite authors?
There are so many! In no particular order: Walker Percy, John Gardner (of the 'Sunlight Dialogues'), Gregory David Roberts, JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Edgar Rice Borroughs, Robert E Howard, Orson Scott Card, Gene Wolfe, Dan Simmons, John C Wright, Jim Butcher, David Weber...
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
Farming and reading.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
I don't remember the first story I read, though it was probably a 'Curious George' tale. I do however remember the story that first put the reading bug in me. It was Carl Stephenson's 'Lieninger Versus the Ants'. I found it so exciting that I read it twice in one sitting! I've read it a few times since I was child and always found it to just as thrilling. It made a voracious reader out of me and undoubtedly helped prod me into writing as well.
What do you read for pleasure?
Space Opera and Military Sci-Fi.
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