Interview with Alejandro Gamen
Published 2014-06-20.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
the Kindle, of course.
When did you first start writing?
As a kid, I wrote short stories and comic-books. I never really stop doing it.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
I'm very independent and tech-savyy so it seemed the right thing to do. Plus, I signed a contract with one of the Big 2 publishing houses and it didn't exactly turn out like I wanted. The publishing world is full of bullshit and it's very elitist. It's very difficult to have someone publish a new author and give them the right marketing push. As an editor told me, "you're going to have to do the marketing yourself", so it's really innocent to think you'll become the next J.K. Rowling or Stephen King overnight. The publishing world has changed too much in the last few years so the only way to 'break in' is to make your own path.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Creating worlds and having fictional characters surprise me with their actions.
Who are your favorite authors?
tough question... there are a lot, and these are some of the ones I love the most (in no particular order and including manga and comic authors, who have influence me as much -or more- than novelists):
Ursula LeGuin, Haruki Murakami, David Foster Wallace, Thomas Pynchon, David Mitchell, Naoki Urasawa, Kurt Vonnegut, J.R.R. Tolkien, Brandon Sanderson, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Michael Chabon, Kazuo Ishiguro, Yukio Mishima, George Orwell.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
By reviews, recommendations from other books' authors, Goodreads, etc.
What is your writing process?
I think about a cool idea, I let it stew on the back of my mind for a few months until I have more 'meat' in the bones and until I see a structure emerge, then I outline the main plot and divide it into chapters, writing a brief description for each of them. Then I make an excel file and track my progress against estimated chapter/novel length, and the actual writing gets done on Scrivener or on Evernote, going back and forth.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
Not really. I started reading when I was very young so I don't really remember. But I remember being excited when I read a new comic book and then some illustrated books, until I jumped right into the deep end with Jules Verne and J.R.R. Tolkien when I was about 10 or 11.
How do you approach cover design?
I think of a cool design that encapsulates the theme behind the novel or a setting, and then apply my photoshop skills to it.
What are your five favorite books, and why?
The Silmarillion (Tolkien) because it's so beautiful and tragic.
Against the Day (Thomas Pynchon) because it's so crazy and epic in scope and depth.
South of the Border, West of the Sun (Haruki Murakami) because it's poignant.
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob deZoet (David Mitchell) because it's like a beautiful poem
The Left Hand of Darkness (Ursula LeGuin) because it's heartbreaking and makes you question so many things
What do you read for pleasure?
Any book I can get my hands on!
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