6 pack on ICE
Today I sat down with Dr. Dyrk Ashton, no it's not his pen name, it's real and it's awesome. Dyrk is the author of Paternus, a Contemporary Mythic Fantasy Adventure that will debut May 1st. You can check his site out here: www.paternusbooks.com He has been an actor, writer, educator, and filmmaker and now author.
C: When writing, do you prefer seclusion or a packed house?
D: Though I do write in the seclusion of my home office, I do most of my writing at coffee houses. Because, you know, coffee. But there's something about the noise and bustle that helps me focus. Oddly enough I find less distractions. At home it's to easy to find something else to do, like clean the toilet.
C: Wait what, you would rather clean...nevermind. :) Who/what influenced you to become a writer?
D: As far as people, I'd have to say my parents first. They have a deep appreciation for literature (even the Dr. Seuss kind), and instilled that in me very young, and also encouraged flights of imagination. My third grade teacher, Mrs. Close, would read to us for an hour every day, too, and I loved that. The stories, the voice, you know? And she read great stuff, like Jack London and Robert Louis Stevenson. As far as authors, too many too mention all, but early on it was E.B. White (Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web), then Tolkien of course, and Lewis and Doyle and Howard and Verne and...
C: We are big Seuss fans in my household. What do you do when not writing?
D: Sleep. I squeeze some movies in there too, and read every night (reading goooood). And drink coffee. Well, I do that when writing too, but...
C: Follow up: What are you reading now, and what was your last enjoyable movie seen?
D: The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss. It came highly recommended, and I'm loving it so far. I tend to bounce around, to get a taste of writing and storytelling styles, and don't often continue a series unless I'm really really hooked. I did rip through all of Pierce Brown's Red Rising pretty fast, though wink emoticon Last movie I saw was Dead Pool and I loved it. Cynical/sarcastic/send up of sorts, and that usually marks a shift in a film genre, so I'm excited to see what comic book films become. Because I love them. (Did I say I love them?)
C: Deadpool is the Sh*t and I totally agree with theseries thing. Gotta catch me quick. How much of your real life is put into your writing?
D: Good question. I can't say that I've put any actual experiences of my own in Paternus, but a large part of the personal interactions, speech patterns, character traits and attitudes, philosophical or cosmological ideas come from my experience observing others, personal interactions, people I've known, places I've been, things I've learned through conversations or reading.
C: Follow up: Can you give us a character from Paternus that is based off someone in your life?
D: It's cool you're making me think about this stuff, because generally I don't do it on purpose. But in Paternus there's a character named Billy who is, well, quite the character. I've had friends and known people who talk and act just like him, so he's definitely based on some real people. Even some of his dialogue I've heard been said by these guys, and they crack me up. One of the main character's, Zeke is a bit of a combination of smart creative types I've known, too... I guess
C: If you could spend a day with a book character, who would it be and what would you do?
D: Neat. Gandalf. We'd smoke pipes and set off rockets and talk about dragons. Or King Arthur (does he count?). We'd go to Cedar Point amusement park and ride roller coasters.
C: Oh he definitely counts, and could you imagine his face on a roller coaster? I can hear it now: "What kind of sorcery is this vile beast of metal?" Finally, I need a different book character for each, Who would you like to have a drink with, sleep with, and push off a balcony?
D: Uh oh... I'd have a drink with Stuart Little, because I'd want to see how he holds a thimble of gin with his tiny hands. Sleep with? Here's the uh oh... damn, that's a tough one. Galadriel, maybe I'd get some magic. Or Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy-AFTER she was old enough and already "active," if you know what I mean. She's crazy. And hot. Oh the last one is easy, I'd love to push Jezal dan Luthar from Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself trilogy off a balcony. Hated that guy. Not even love to hate, but groaned every time I had to suffer through another one of his POV chapters. It's like in Game of Thrones, "what? I have to suffer through another chapter of this Iron Island bullshit before I get more Arya Stark?!" Sorry Joe... and G.R.R.
Fantastic, I gotta say this was a blast. Thank you for your time sir. Dyrk can be found on
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnDyrk?lang=en
FB: https://www.facebook.com/dyrk.ashton?fref=ts
and Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/28809507-paternus
Please do yourself a favor and follow, like, and converse with this guy.
