Welcome to our Writers Wednesday Spotlight! Each week we will be highlighting a different geeky writer we think you might like to check out. For this week’s spotlight, we are excited to introduce you to Patrick Dugan!
His first book “Storm Forged, The Darkest Storm Book 1” was just released May 18, 2018!
You can purchase it here: Storm Forged, The Darkest Storm Book 1
About Patrick Dugan
(in his own words)
Patrick Dugan was born in the far north of New York, where the cold winds blow. This meant lots of time for reading over the long winters. His parents didn’t care what he read as long as he did. This started with a steady diet of comics and science fiction novels, Heinlein being his favorite in those days.
After two degrees and lots of odd jobs ranging from Blockbuster Video manager to Lab Researcher to running a video game arcade, Charlotte, North Carolina beckoned. Packing up his dog sled he headed for warmer climes and a lot less snow. Still a voracious reader, he read all sorts of great books. Rothfuss, Butcher, Duncan, Sanderson, Hobb, Farland, and Feist sparked his imagination and he started writing horribly. Bad short stories and worse novels would follow. Thankfully these are nowhere to be found.
A husband and father of two great kids and one opinionated dog, Patrick works as a software engineer by day before his author shifts on nights and weekends. When he’s not writing, Patrick enjoys brewing and drinking craft beers, watching Science Fiction and Fantasy movies/shows, and building things out of wood and metal for use around the house. Patrick’s first novel “Storm Forged” was released by Falstaff Books in May of 2018.
5 Questions with . . . Patrick
- When did you first realize you were interested in becoming an author? What drives you to write?
I started writing in high school, but in my junior year of college I took a class in Science Fiction creative writing. At the end of the class the teacher told me that I wasn’t cut out to be a writer. Stupid me, I listened to him. Over the years I would start novels, get about half way, then quit. Believe me, this was not good writing by any means, but they were practice. About ten years ago I started taking online writing classes to learn how to write. Reading other people’s examples taught me more than anything I ever wrote myself. Storm Forged came out of that effort.
My drive stems from loving to tell stories, especially ones that explore the gray areas of the world. The villain never sees themselves as such; the hero’s drive in pursuit of their goal blinds them to the consequences. - How would you describe your style or genre of writing to a potential fan?
I would describe Storm Forged as a dystopian super hero, Science Fiction novel. X-men meets the Hunger Games is a good representation of the series. My story starts after the Heroes have lost and are now the oppressed. - What are you currently working on? What are you working on next?
Currently, I am finishing the second book in the Darkest Storm series. It picks up after the events of the Storm Forged. I’m also in the planning phases of a new series that I’m really excited about. I’ll start writing that while going through edits on the second book. - What existing book do you wish you had written and why?
Just one? That’s like trying to pick your favorite child. I would have to say Pat Rothfuss’ Kingkiller series. It is beautifully written, each word polished like a gem in a necklace until it shines. The characters are complex and nuanced, bringing with them a history that you never get to see, but you know is there. The world is enormous and well defined, the magic system is elegant. In ‘The Slow Regard of Silent Things’ he brings Auri to life in ways you’d never think were possible. - What is one piece of advice you would give to a budding writer?
Listen to constructive criticism, but follow your own vision. In the early draft of Storm Forged I used flashbacks to show the world how it had been. I gave the first half of the book to my friend and she read it. The main piece of advice she gave was to pull those chapters. I thought they were great, but when I read the book without them, the story flowed smoothly. I tossed the chapters and the book was better for it. Other suggested changes that went against what the story was, and although I thanked them for their input, I moved on. It’s really hard to look at your own work objectively, but you are telling a story that only you can write. It’s the balance that’s tricky.