10 Follow-Up Questions with Everville Author Roy Huff (@EvervilleFans)
This Author Spotlight features
10 Follow-up Questions
with
Everville author
Roy Huff
for
Roy is a man of many interests including but not limited to science, traveling, movies, the outdoors, and of course writing teen and young adult fantasy fiction. He holds five degrees in four separate disciplines including liberal arts, history, secondary science education, and geoscience. Roy Huff's background includes work in art, history, education, business, real-estate, economics, geoscience, and satellite meteorology. He was born on the East Coast but has spent more than half his life in Hawaii, where he currently resides and writes his epic fantasy sagas.
1. This is a follow-up interview, but for people who are not already familiar with your work, tell us what kind of books you write and what readers should expect from your stories, and what is your latest novel Everville: The City of Worms about?
Well, the second volume in the Everville series starts from where the first book left off. Owen sage and his friends must resolve a lingering issue and a darkness that is redoubling its efforts to take over Everville and the earthly realm. More races of creatures are introduced, and lingering mysteries are being uncovered. I don’t want to give too much away, but fans of Everville: The First Pillar should like where the second book is headed.
2. What was the duration of the writing process for City of Worms?
I wrote the first 15 pages in 5 months and the last 185 pages in 14 days.
3. When Everville is adapted to film, and the producers ask for your dream cast, what will you say?
Peter Jackson for the director hands down. Jennifer Lawrence would be a good female character. John Malkovich and Ed Norton would be good characters for some of the older male characters in the story, and I would like an unknown actor to play Owen Sage.
4. Stephen King often makes a cameo in films adapted from his work. Stan Lee is also enjoying doing so these days. What supporting role would you like to play in the film adaptation of Everville?
Dante’s Uncle Jack might be a good character for me to play as a cameo.
5. For a writer, word of mouth is everything. What was the last book you read that you enjoyed so much that you wanted to share it with everyone you know?
I read more non fiction than fiction, but as far as fiction goes, The Tale of Genji was the last fiction book that made me want to talk to other people about it.
6. As of this writing, the trend in publishing is toward series novels as opposed to stand-alone books. Is Everville part of a series? If so, where do you see the story going (ie how many books in the series)? If not, do you have a series you’ve written or plan to write, and if so, what is it? And if not, good for you. The squeaky wheel gets the grease!
Yes. Everville: The City of Worms is the second in a seven or eight part series.
7. Saul Bellow said “You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” Where do ideas for your books come from, and where are you and what are you typically doing when inspiration strikes?
I get inspired at all times from many different things. I think I often get most inspired when I have been writing for 10+ pages in a day and then walk away and let those pages sit for a few hours.
8. Brett Easton Ellis once said, “Do not write a novel for praise. Write for yourself; work out between you and your pen the things that intrigue you.” Indie publishing phenom Amanda Hocking has said that it messed with her head a bit when she realized so many people were going to read the books she’s now writing. Now that Everville: The First Pillar is rapidly gaining recognition in the publishing world, has an established fan base anticipating Roy Huff’s next novel, and is being talked about in the highly-reverent third person, will reader expectation influence how and/or what he writes? Or will he hold to Ellis’ suggestion?
It’s hard not to be influenced by what is happening around you, but I think the best thing to do is to just keep writing. Once you get in the zone, everything else around you just falls away.
9. The world of Indie authors is the new slush pile. What are you going to say/do when a traditional New York publisher and/or agent contacts you and asks for a meeting?
I’d be happy to sit down for a meeting.
10. Someone once said, and it may have been my dad, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Where do you want your writing career to be in five years’ time?
I expect to be finished with this series, and be working on another. I also hope to have finished a few single books in the fantasy or sci-fi genre.
Finally, because no artistic endeavor is a solo flight, would you care to share the names and contact info for your supporting players, namely your cover designer, editor, proofreader(s), research assistants, hairdresser, dog groomer, chauffeur, maid, butler, etc?
Damon is the best cover artist hands down. I want to thank my good friend and fellow author Ann Pearlman for her support, as well as all the other friends and family who supported me during both books in the series.
I wrote the first 15 pages in 5 months and the last 185 pages in 14 days.
3. When Everville is adapted to film, and the producers ask for your dream cast, what will you say?
Peter Jackson for the director hands down. Jennifer Lawrence would be a good female character. John Malkovich and Ed Norton would be good characters for some of the older male characters in the story, and I would like an unknown actor to play Owen Sage.
4. Stephen King often makes a cameo in films adapted from his work. Stan Lee is also enjoying doing so these days. What supporting role would you like to play in the film adaptation of Everville?
Dante’s Uncle Jack might be a good character for me to play as a cameo.
5. For a writer, word of mouth is everything. What was the last book you read that you enjoyed so much that you wanted to share it with everyone you know?
I read more non fiction than fiction, but as far as fiction goes, The Tale of Genji was the last fiction book that made me want to talk to other people about it.
6. As of this writing, the trend in publishing is toward series novels as opposed to stand-alone books. Is Everville part of a series? If so, where do you see the story going (ie how many books in the series)? If not, do you have a series you’ve written or plan to write, and if so, what is it? And if not, good for you. The squeaky wheel gets the grease!
Yes. Everville: The City of Worms is the second in a seven or eight part series.
7. Saul Bellow said “You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” Where do ideas for your books come from, and where are you and what are you typically doing when inspiration strikes?
I get inspired at all times from many different things. I think I often get most inspired when I have been writing for 10+ pages in a day and then walk away and let those pages sit for a few hours.
It’s hard not to be influenced by what is happening around you, but I think the best thing to do is to just keep writing. Once you get in the zone, everything else around you just falls away.
9. The world of Indie authors is the new slush pile. What are you going to say/do when a traditional New York publisher and/or agent contacts you and asks for a meeting?
I’d be happy to sit down for a meeting.
10. Someone once said, and it may have been my dad, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Where do you want your writing career to be in five years’ time?
I expect to be finished with this series, and be working on another. I also hope to have finished a few single books in the fantasy or sci-fi genre.
Finally, because no artistic endeavor is a solo flight, would you care to share the names and contact info for your supporting players, namely your cover designer, editor, proofreader(s), research assistants, hairdresser, dog groomer, chauffeur, maid, butler, etc?
Damon is the best cover artist hands down. I want to thank my good friend and fellow author Ann Pearlman for her support, as well as all the other friends and family who supported me during both books in the series.
Thanks, Roy. Congratulations on the series and on its success. I'm looking forward to seeing the next installment.
Be sure to pick up a copy of both *Everville books via the links below:
(*Everville: The First Pillar is FREE!)
(*Everville: The First Pillar is FREE!)
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