Interview with Author Nathaniel Danes

My guest today is Nathaniel Danes.  Hello!  Welcome back to Writing in the Modern Age!  It’s such a pleasure to have you here again. 

 

 

 

Hello! Thanks for having me.

 

 

Oh, of course! It's an honor.

 

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?

 

First, thank for having me on your blog.

My latest novel, BattleMaster, is the first in a new trilogy, BattleMaster Corps. The foundation of the story is a future where women’s naturally superior multi-tasking abilities allow them to become the masters of the modern battlefield.

It came out yesterday, is exclusively on Amazon and is a part of the Kindle Unlimited program. You can find it here.

 

It sounds fascinating! Congrats on your new release! :)

Is there anything specific that inspired you to write BattleMaster?

 

A lot of little things I’ve learned over the years came together to form this story. For example, a while back I watched a report about the US Air Forces research into controlling craft via brain waves. Their initial research also showed that female controls performed better than men. Mix that into the fact that modern warfare is becoming increasingly complex and drone-focused, and you’ve got the beginning of a good novel.

 

Isn't it interesting how the muse works? ;)

 

Let's try a different question, all right?

 

 

If this book was made into a film, who would you cast in it?

 

Chris Pratt for the male lead.

Emma Stone for female lead.

Perfect combo of Parks and Rec and Zombieland.  

 

Great! Well, that is quite the cast!

 

How about some general questions?

 
When reading, do you prefer traditional printed books or ebooks? And why?

 

Actually, I only consume books through Audible now. I’m losing my vision to a genetic disorder and it’s gotten too hard to read entire books. Audible is a godsend, though. It’s allowing me to increase my “reading” and I’m getting to many of the classics I haven’t been able to.  

 

Sorry to hear that. :( But at least you've found a way to adapt to those changes.

So, what are you reading now?

 

Just finished A Short History of Nearly Everything, which is a non-fiction history of scientific discovery and before that, Stranger in a Strange Land. I know…it has taken me awhile to get to that one.

 

All right.

 

When you get an idea for a book, what comes first usually? Dialogue, the characters, a specific scene? Or do you plot it out before you write?

 

I know the general grand design, but really it doesn’t come out until I start writing. The ending of BattleMaster honestly took me by total surprise. I was writing and it evolved moments before the words hit the screen.

I think I’d find writing boring if I already knew how it would all play out. What would be the point then?

 

True. I consider myself a hybrid author; I am a pantster to a point, but then I break down and write a full outline before I research and finish writing the novel. Still, my characters usually surprise me.

 

So, what do you have planned next, Nathaniel? Or is that a secret?

 

No mystery. I’m already on chapter 15 of the next installment of the BattleMaster Corp Trilogy, BattleSwarm.

 

Wow! That's great progress! We look forward to seeing it!

 

Is there anything you'd like to add? Any advice for new writers?

I tell anyone that is interested in writing you have to do two things.

LIVE and WRITE. Never stop with both and you will be amazed at the worlds you'll be able to create with your imagination.

 

Such great advice!

 

 

Well, thank you for visiting, Nathaniel!

 

 

Thank you for having me here!

 

It's my pleasure, of course! Thank you so much. :) Happy to have you here any time! 

 

 

Readers, here is the blurb for BattleMaster.

 

 

 

 

It's a women's army; men are privileged to catch bullets in it.

Private Michael Stanner is continuously reminded of that fact, but he refuses to give up. He will fight for victory and the chance to become something more. That is, if he can avoid getting killed on New Calcutta.

Members of the all-female BattleMaster Corps are the elite warriors of the modern battlefield. Their naturally superior multitasking abilities allow them to control teams of drones in combat more effectively than any man through neural links.

The Corps is the cornerstone of the American colonists' decades long struggle for dominance in the Eden System. As three powers fight for control of a terraformed world left vacant by the mysterious disappearance of the Indian colony ship, questions linger about the true motivation for the war.

 

Here is an excerpt.

His eyes shifted toward his own line. That’s when he saw her, saw the BattleMaster. The twin moons stood at her back, illuminating her presence with a mystical glow. She was alone on the ridge but not for long.

Eight machines-of-war, battle-drones, emerged along her side. Half were small tracked vehicles with twin fifty-calibers and rocket launchers on a turret. The rest looked like six-legged spiders with a ball-shaped laser cannon and mortar tube on top.

She flung her arms forward and her minions erupted.

Purchase Links:

Universal Amazon:  https://bookgoodies.com/a/B06XNTTQPN

CreateSpace:  https://www.createspace.com/7012825

It looks great!

 

Thanks, Nathaniel! We'll be sure to check out this military sci-fi novel!

Author Bio

Nathaniel Danes is a self-diagnosed sci-fi junkie and, according to his wife, has an over active imagination. Mostly blind, he writes to create universes where he has no limitations. He lives with his wife and daughter in the Washington, DC area.

 

Author Links:

 

Website:  www.nathanieldanesauthor.com  

Blog:  http://nathanieldanes.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nathaniel-Danes/1528587637363979

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/nathanieldanes

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Nathaniel-Danes/e/B00NJ9SXSU/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9757568.Nathaniel_Danes

 

 

Nathaniel's Books: