Interview with sci-fi author Nicholas Dufresne

Sci-fi author Nicholas Dufresne is chatting with me today about A Planet to Nowhere.

During his virtual book tour, Nicholas will be giving away a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:
Nicholas Dufresne is a Canadian writer from Montreal. An avid reader and lover of stories, delving into the worlds created by others is a passion of his that inspired him to write one of his own to share with the world. Fantasy and science fiction are his preferred genres, both to read and write. When not reading or writing, he’s probably dreaming up new worlds to explore.

Welcome, Nicholas. Please tell us about your current release.
My current release, A Planet to Nowhere, is a first contact science fiction where a human experiment is the alien species. It explores what would happen if humans were to be experimented on. With what purpose or goals would these experiments have? What would the consequences be? And most importantly: why? The novel follows a cast of characters as they embark on a journey to find these answers. We see them grow and evolve after horrifying events, only to learn the truth behind them as the story goes on.

What inspired you to write this book?
I was reading a sci-fi book one day and thought that it was very well done. However, there were elements and aspects that were never explored in the story. The base concept of human experimentation drew me in and I wondered what a story would look like if it encapsulated all the elements I wanted to read.

So I went looking for a book to buy with what I wanted, only to be unable to find one. And so I thought to myself: what if I wrote the story instead? After that I began to think and plot and the end result was A Planet to Nowhere.

Of course, the story is nowhere near done, as there are more books in the series (already written, just not yet published). I look forward to the day when I can hold them all in my hands.

Excerpt from A Planet to Nowhere:
The last thing he remembered was his futile struggle against the blue. Everything had been blue. He’d felt himself fade as the last vestiges of life fled from his body. His mind had shut down, turning itself off. And then, everything went black.

The darkness.

That crushing, never ending darkness.

Adrian shivered for entirely different reasons as his body heat leached away into the ground beneath him. He breathed deep lungfuls of air, immersed in the simple feeling of being. Blinking owlishly, he rid his eyes of the substance that clouded them while he lay on his back and stared at the ceiling.

What exciting project are you working on next?
I’m continuing the series! So far I’ve written books two and three, as well as a prequel to A Planet to Nowhere. Right now, I’m about a quarter of the way done book four and I’m hoping to finish it in about a year. The story isn’t anywhere near done and I can’t wait for it to all be written and published.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I think I considered myself a writer the first time I ever wrote the words The End once my first draft was complete. It was at that point that I had the realization I’d written an entire book. After that, I felt like I could proudly call myself a writer.  And now that I’m published, I can proudly call myself an author.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Sadly, I do not write full time, although I wish I could. I was writing full-time when I wrote the first draft of A Planet to Nowhere and during that time, I was writing four to ten hours a day, seven days a week until I finished the draft. Now, I’m working as a financial analyst and writing in my spare time. I make time to write during my lunch break and after work whenever I have a minute to be able to spend on my next book. It can be difficult, juggling work, life and writing, but I try my best to make time for writing, since it’s something I love and I can’t wait to see the rest of the series published. But for the now, I still have to write it all down!

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I love listening to music while I write. When I settle down for a writing session, I usually have my noise cancelling headphones on playing music. I drown out the world around me and get absorbed into my own little bubble so I can focus on what I’m writing without any distractions.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A professional reader, if that even exists. I’ve loved reading since a very young age, and I’ve lost track of the countless stories I’ve read over the years. Young me thought that would be an excellent thing to do as a job when I grew up.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
A Planet to Nowhere is part of a planned series. So far, I have a second and third book, along with a prequel to the story already written, but just not published yet. I’m working on the fourth book in the main series, and there may or may not be another one after that. There’s so much left to the story and I can’t wait until everything is written down and published for everybody to enjoy!

Links:
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