AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Darin Gibby, author of 'Chasing Hindy' & $25 Amazon GC Giveaway
In addition to a thriving career as a novelist, author Darin Gibby is also one of the country’s premiere patent attorneys and a partner at the prestigious firm of Kilpatrick Townsend (www.kilpatricktownsend.com). With over twenty years of experience in obtaining patents on hundreds of inventions from the latest drug delivery systems to life-saving cardiac equipment, he has built IP portfolios for numerous Fortune 500 companies. In addition to securing patents, Gibby helps clients enforce and license their patents around the world, and he has monetized patents on a range of products.
Darin’s first book, Why Has America Stopped Inventing?, explored the critical issue of America’s broken patent system. His second book, The Vintage Club, tells the story of a group of the world’s wealthiest men who are chasing a legend about a wine that can make you live forever. His third book, Gil, is about a high school coach who discovers that he can pitch with deadly speed and is given an offer to play with the Rockies during a player’s strike. Gil soon discovers, however, that his unexpected gift is the result of a rare disease, and continuing to pitch may hasten his own death.
With a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and a Master of Business Administration degree, he is highly regarded in Denver’s legal and business community as a patent strategist, business manager, and community leader. He is also a sought-after speaker on IP issues at businesses, colleges and technology forums, where he demonstrates the value of patents using simple lessons from working on products such as Crocs shoes, Izzo golf straps and Trek bicycles.
An avid traveler and accomplished triathlete, Darin also enjoys back country fly-fishing trips and skiing in the Rocky Mountains. He lives in Denver with his wife, Robin, and their four children.
His latest book is the thriller, Chasing Hindy.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
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About the Book:
ADDY’S DREAM AS
a patent attorney is to help bring a ground breaking energy technology to the
world. Addy’s hopes soar when she is wooed by Quinn, an entrepreneur, to join
his company that has purportedly invented a car that can run on water using an
innovative catalyst. After resigning her partnership to join Quinn, Addy
discovers things aren’t as they seem. The patent office suppresses the
company’s patent applications and her life is threatened by unknown assailants
if she doesn’t resign.
When she is arrested for stealing US
technology from the patent office she realizes Quinn has used her. Now, Addy
must find a way to clear her name while salvaging her dream of propelling this
technology to the world, all while powerful forces attempt to stop her.
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Q: Welcome to The Writer's
Life! Now that your book has been
published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the
beginning? Where did you come up with
the idea to write your book?
How did I come up with the idea
that a car could run on water?
Ideas for books come in the
strangest ways. For me, they often just seem to fall out of the sky, usually at
the most unexpected times. I’ve written books or articles from ideas that woke
me up in the middle of the night, from thoughts that came to me while running
triathlons, and while taking hikes deep in the Rocky Mountains.
I’ve even had some ideas come while sitting on a ski lift during a freezing
blizzard.
The genesis behind Chasing Hindy came from a surprising
source—a hypnotist. When I was in high school, we had an assembly where a
hypnotist put a group of volunteers under hypnosis. One of the questions he
asked them was what would be the fuel of the future. What fuel would people
pump into their tank? Almost without exception they all said, “water!” The
hypnotist then told the audience that every time he asked that question he
received the same answer.
That was several decades ago, but
I’ve always wondered whether that could possibly be true—and why all these
people thought we’d all be driving cars that used water. In the following
years, I realized that a car wouldn’t run on water per se, but from hydrogen
that is extracted from water. The question, of course, is that if we know how
to produce hydrogen, why aren’t there hydrogen cars? The answer is quite
simple. As an engineer and patent attorney I know the science behind extracting
hydrogen from water. The problem is that it takes more energy to do this than to
just run a car on gasoline, or even electricity.
But what if somebody invented a
way to make it happen? That’s the germ of an idea that led to Chasing Hindy.
Q: How hard was it to write a
book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make
the journey easier for other writers?
It was hard enough that it took
me nearly fifteen years—whereas my other books all took less than a year.
I think the hardest part was
finding an idea for a main character. For me, a good character is far more
difficult than finding a story idea. Not only does the character need to make
the story line happen, but the readers need to relate to what the character is
experiencing. I wrote the book five
times and threw them all in the garbage can because I didn’t like the main
character. What made the story finally click was my discovery of Addy—a patent
attorney with a dream to change the world. I decided on a female character (who
was also a patent attorney) for several reasons. Perhaps the main reason was
that female patent attorneys are in short supply and I wanted to encourage
women to enter the profession. So I created Addy to hopefully show what a
difference one person can make, and through her experience more women would
want to become patent attorneys. What I love about Addy is her determination to
make the world a better place, no matter the cost.
But explaining how a car can
actually run on water was also a challenge. I had to condense some pretty
complicated technology down to a very simple level and also try to make it
sound somewhat sexy.
And what did I learn from all
this that I could pass on? Don’t give up is the first piece of advice. If you
are passionate your story, keep working at it. The second piece of advice is
get a good writing coach. I write a lot for my profession, but getting all the
parts in the right places requires the help of someone who has been down the
road before. I found my coach to be invaluable.
Q: Who is your publisher and
how did you find them or did you self-publish?
My publisher is Koehler Books.
They also published my last two books, The
Vintage Club and Gil, and we’ve
had a great working relationship over the years. As such, I decided to use them
for Chasing Hindy as well. I was
introduced to Koehler Books by David Hancock of Morgan James Publishing when
they joined forces a few years ago. My first book, Why Has America Stopped Inventing? was published by Morgan James. My next book was
fiction and when I floated it past David, he suggested I send it to John Koehler.
Fortunately, John loved the manuscript and we’ve been together ever since.
The good thing about a small
publisher is that they work with you and usually let you call the shots. I love
that flexibility.
Q: Is there anything that
surprised you about getting your first book published?
Yes, finding a literary agent.
That’s a lot more difficult than finding a publisher. I tried the letter route
for about a year, with no luck. Then I went to the Maui Writer’s Conference and
pitched my idea to Jillian Manus. She loved the idea and agreed on the spot to
take me on. She did all the heavy lifting in getting me published.
The other surprising thing was
how fun it was to be part of the marketing plan. When I released my first book,
I did a two day PR event in New York City.
A limo ran me around to about 8 studios for interviews. It was a blast. I ended
up doing over 50 radio shows and made several television appearances.
Q: What other books (if any)
are you working on and when will they be published?
I am currently working on a piece
of historical fiction based in the mid-18th century. I was just at the New Jersey Historical
Society doing research. I’m going to
tell about an important and fascinating part of American history that has
somehow been overlooked. The research (which has taken several years) is now
finished and I’m going to start writing as soon as I finishing my marketing
campaign for Chasing Hindy. If all goes well, it will take me a year to
finish.
Q: What’s one fact about your
book that would surprise people?
That it might just be possible to
run a car on water. If you want to find out how, you’ve got to read the book.
Q: Finally, what message (if
any) are you trying to get across with your book?
I would like people to know that
there are all kinds of technologies out there that could really benefit the
world, but are not commercialized for a variety of reasons. It’s amazing that
we are still running cars on gasoline. It doesn’t have to be that
way!
Q: Thank you again for this
interview! Do you have any final words?
As Stephen King is fond of
saying, as long as you can wake up and write, life is going to be okay.
Terms & Conditions:
- By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
- One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card.
- This giveaway ends midnight June 30.
Good luck everyone!
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