The Writer's Life Chats With Hank Quense Author of the Fantasy Novel Falstaff's Big Gamble
Award-winning
author Hank Quense lives in Bergenfield, NJ with his wife Pat. They have
two daughters and five grandchildren. He writes humorous fantasy and
scifi stories. On occasion, he also writes an article on fiction writing
or book marketing but says that writing nonfiction is like work while writing
fiction is fun. A member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, he refuses
to write serious genre fiction saying there is enough of that on the front page
of any daily newspaper and on the evening TV news.
Welcome to The
Writer's Life, Hank. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how
long you’ve been writing?
A:
When I was 50, I decided I needed to decide what to do for a second career
since it was only a matter of time until my corporation told me to take a
hike. I decided I wanted to write
fiction. I began writing stories, mostly
on the bus during my morning commute. A
few of my early stories received encouraging rejections, so when the
corporation offered a lucrative buyout offer, I took it and I’ve never
regretted it. That was in early 1996 and
I’ve been writing ever since.
Altogether, I have a dozen books published, over fifty published short
stories and a number of non-fiction articles, all on fiction writing.
Can you please tell
us about your book and why you wrote it?
A:
I love rewriting Shakespeare's plays and ancient myths and legends.
Falstaff's Big Gamble happens to take that love of rewriting to extremes.
Here is the 'official' book blurb:
This
novel is Shakespeare's Worst Nightmare. It takes two of the Bard's most famous
characters, Hamlet and Othello, and recasts them in Gundarland. There,
Hamlet becomes a dwarf and Othello a dark elf. If that isn't bad enough,
these two tragedies are now comedies with Falstaff, Shakespeare's most popular
rogue, thrown in as a bonus.
Both
Hamlet and Othello are plagued by the scheming Falstaff, who embezzles money
from Othello. After Hamlet becomes king (with help from Falstaff) the
rogue becomes the dark nemesis behind the throne.
Never
read Shakespeare? Not a problem. No knowledge of Shakespeare's
plays is required to enjoy this romp through the Guandarlandian
countryside.
What kind of
research was involved in writing Falstaff’s Big Gamble?
A:
I read synopses of Shakespeare's plays, read up on the characters and bought a
copy of Reduced
Shakespeare
by Martin and Tichenor. I highly recommend that book
Has it been a bumpy
ride to becoming a published author or has it been pretty well smooth sailing?
A:
It's been a struggle at times, but I can't say if that is unusual or if it is
normal. Probably, it's equal to accomplishing anything else in life.
it wasn't all that easy, but what is?
For this particular
book, how long did it take from the time you signed the contract to its
release?
A:
The book was published by Strange World Publishing and it took about six months
to get it out the door. The ebook versions became available on September
1 and the print version a month later.
Do you have an
agent and, if so, would you mind sharing who he/is is? If not, have you
ever had an agent or do you even feel it’s necessary to have one?
A:
I don't have an agent and I've never had one. When some early reviews
raved about the Falstaff book, I decided to try for an agent (once again).
I contacted more than a dozen via email. I got one "No"
within minutes, much too fast for the agent's company to have read the
material. One agent requested a sample then rejected it and the others
never bothered to reply. Not even a "Thanks, but no thanks"
message.
Do you plan
subsequent books?
A:
At the moment, I have a novella almost completed and extensive story designs on
another novella and three novels. So many stories, so little time.
Can you describe
your most favorite place to write?
A:
In my office, a former bedroom for one of my daughters. Since I got an
IPad, I also do a lot of work sitting in a recliner. That's where I'm
writing this material.
If money was no
object, what would be the first thing you would invest in to promote your book?
A:
I think I'd buy full page ads in the New York Times Book Review Section
How important do
you think self-promotion is and in what ways have you been promoting your book
offline and online?
A:
Without self-promotion, there is no promotion. I use the usual social media
stuff, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin. In the last year, I decided I spend
too much time in my office talking to imaginary characters, so I
developed presentations on fiction writing and self-publishing. I've
given these in schools, libraries and cafes. It improves my name
recognition, gets me talking to 'real' people and sells some books.
What’s the most
common reason you believe new writers give up their dream of becoming published
and did you almost give up?
A:
Despite the stuff you see on the web, self-publishing a book is not easy. It's
a complex undertaking that unfolds over a period of several months. I
believe a lot of potential authors approach self-publishing without a clear
idea of the process or the costs involved. Many of them also don't
understand that publishing a book, no matter how it was done, means the author
is now the marketing manager and the sales manager for that book. That is
daunting assignment.
I
never faltered. The phrase "too stupid to learn" comes to mind,
doesn't it?
Any final words of
wisdom for those of us who would like to be published?
A:
Don't give up. It may seem like a mountain that is too high to climb, but
it isn't. It is high, but not all that high. Once you get part way up, it
gets easier.
Thank you for your
interview, hank. I wish you much success!
A:
I enjoyed being here. The questions were the type that made me think and
come up with a unique response. I couldn't just copy and paste a stock
answer here and I have a lot of those stock answers on file.
Award-winning author Hank Quense writes humorous fantasy and sci-fi stories. His motto is fantasy and sci-fi stories told with humor and satire. He has over forty published short stories and a number of nonfiction articles. On occasion, he also writes an article on fiction writing or book marketing but says that writing nonfiction is like work while writing fiction is fun. He refuses to write serious genre fiction saying there is enough of that on the front page of any daily newspaper and on the evening TV news. Hank lives in Bergenfield, NJ with his wife Pat. They have two daughters and five grandchildren.
Hank’s previous works include Zaftan Enterprises, Zaftan Miscreants and Tales From Gundarland, a collection of fantasy stories. Readers Favorite awarded the book a medal and EPIC designated it a finalist in its 2011 competition. His Fool’s Gold is a retelling of the ancient Rhinegold myth and Tunnel Vision is a collection of twenty previously published short stories. Build a Better Story is a book of advice for fiction writers.
He has a number of links where
you can follow his work and his occasional rants:
Hank’s Blog:http://hank-quense.com/wp
Strange Worlds website:http://strangeworldsonline.com
Follow him on twitter: http://twitter.com/hanque99
Facebook fan pages: https://www.facebook.com/StrangeWorldsOnline
Purchase Falstaff’s Big Gamble in
paperback or kindle format at Amazon
About
Falstaff’s Big Gamble
It takes two of the Bard's most famous plays, Hamlet and Othello, and recasts them in Gundarland. There, Hamlet becomes a dwarf and Othello a dark elf and Iago and his wife, Emilia, are trolls.
If that isn't bad enough, these two tragedies are now comedies with Falstaff, Shakespeare's most popular rogue, thrown in as a bonus.
Both Hamlet and Othello are plagued by the scheming Falstaff, who embezzles money from Othello. After Hamlet becomes king (with help from Falstaff) the rogue becomes the dark nemesis behind throne.
Purchase
Falstaff’s Big Gamble in paperback or kindle format at Amazon
About The Strange Worlds of Hank Quense
Hank
Quense has written about the Strange Worlds that he has developed as a
background to many of the books he has written. One of these worlds is called
Gundarland, a planet inhabited by humans and fantasy creatures. The second is
Zaftan 31B, home world of the alien race known as Zaftans. The books contain
information on culture, races, religion, politics and other topics. His latest
book in this series is Zaftan Enterprises.
Strange
Worlds website:http://strangeworldsonline.com
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