Multi-published author Dennis Young chats with me today about a lot of his writing.
Welcome, Dennis. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I worked a normal job all my life, from high school to my retirement in 2015. In 2005 I began writing what likely turned out to be my Magnum Opus: The Ardwellian Chronicles epic fantasy adventure series. For thirteen years I wrote Ardwel; it’s peoples, places, and saga. Now, the Saga is Complete. And I’m writing… other things. What other things, you ask? Well, I’ve read Science Fiction since I was in the third grade. I enjoy a mystery from time to time. I don’t read horror, but I can write a pretty good tale of horror. Or dystopia. And I’m a First- Generation Trekker.
I currently have nineteen published titles in four genres:
Epic Fantasy – The Ardwellian Chronicles (Six novels, three compendiums, and it’s DONE!)
Military Science Fiction – The Mercenary Trilogy (Hard-hitting action with a lot of heart)
Science Fiction Adventure – The Earthfleet Saga (Novella-length stories about ships and crews)
Vampire Urban Fantasy – The Bloodline Collection (Julie, Tara, and all the blood you want)
With my current collections of Epic Fantasy, Military SF, SF Adventure, and Vampire Urban Fantasy, I’m always on the lookout for a new project or topic. I don’t like to do the same type of stories over and over, and I’m certainly not adverse to researching a new genre. After all, learning new things is a good way to give your brain a workout and put that information to use in a good story.
I tried writing a stand-alone novel (Bloodlines) and succeeded, but the main character wouldn’t leave me alone, so I ended up writing a follow-up book. It’s not really a sequel, since it takes place decades after the original with a different cast of characters except for the protagonist. And a character in that book coerced me into writing what turned out to be a spinoff. So instead of one book, I wrote three. This is my writing career in a nutshell.
Please tell us about your current release.
My most recently published book is Volume Four of The Earthfleet Saga. In it, I return to two starship captains from previous Earthfleet stories, and weave them into a time-travel story that really isn’t a classic time-travel story. It’s basically a 4-part novel, about 65,000 words total.
It was fun to bring these two female ship commanders back again, because they’re so different from each other and have totally different methods of command. The story title is “Edge of the Universe”.
I’m also in the process of reformatting my Earthfleet Saga books, from four volumes down to three. This will save me publication costs and allow me to offer the same stories to readers for a bit of a reduction in price if they want the whole set. I’m also going to offer The Earthfleet Saga books in hardback as well as soft cover.
What exciting project are you working on next?
My current WIP is a followup trilogy to The Mercenary Trilogy (remember what I said about not writing stand-alone books? These days, I don’t even try). A fair number of my readers have been clamoring for more hard-hitting action tales about Talice Wyloh, the former Marine turned mercenary, in a colony world about 1500 years in the future. And I always want to keep my readers happy, so I’m about 2/3 of the way through the first book’s manuscript. I hope to release the new trilogy in late 2024.
Besides that, I have a couple of stories for the next volume of The Earthfleet Saga, and a few other ideas on the back burner.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I wrote my first story in the third grade, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Professionally, I began writing in 2005, but I wrote stories, fan fiction, designed D&D games and campaigns, invented different sorts of role-playing games with friends, and was heavily immersed in Star Trek fandom for over 50 years. I wrote during my working years with reports, project proposals, trip reports, customer qualifications, articles about products, trade shows, and project followups. I’m a writer at heart. I love painting pictures with words.
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?
I’ve been writing full-time since 2005, even when I was holding down a job. Then, most of my writing was done on Friday nights, and Saturday/Sunday mornings. I then did self-editing through the week, bringing up those writings to second draft status. This saved me hours of time in the long run.
The job I retired from was International Sales and Project Management for a local manufacturing company. I had the opportunity to work and travel the world, and participate in major infrastructure projects. I handled the jobs from initial bid through post-installation reviews and inspections. I still have many friends in the Far East, Middle East, India, UK, and other countries I correspond with. The long airline flights also gave me many uninterrupted hours for writing.
Since retirement, I write almost every day, but I find my writing time is much less structured. It’s a time management issue I struggle with, for sure. But I’m still turning out 1-2 new books a year.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Me. I’m not the classic introverted writer. I’m a people person, and I sell mostly at book events and pop-culture conventions. I enjoy meeting and talking with readers, writers, artists, and other creative people. Having the opportunity to talk about my books to interested (and sometimes not-so-interested) readers is a great way to promote my books. And I get to shake the hand of every customer, and personally thank them for their trust in my product.
Books are unlike any other form of art, in that they are a delayed-gratification purchase. Movies, TV shows, artwork, music, these things you know immediately whether you like them or not. Books require a level of trust by the reader, and hours if time investment in a world where many people seem to have a very limited attention span. The books I write are anywhere between 20,000 words (The Earthfleet Saga stories) and 235,000 words (my longest Ardwellian Chronicles novel). Earthfleet stories can be read in a couple of hours. The Ardwellian Chronicles series is six novels comprising over 1.2 million words. There are also three compendiums in the series, but they’re supplements that are not necessary to read for the novels, but contain additional details and world-building. Series like this require a dedicated reader, one who loves getting lost in the words and the worlds.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A jet fighter pilot. I wanted to soar through the skies unimpeded by anything and anyone. I became a writer instead. Not that much different when you think about it.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I’m a creative person. I’ve played in rock bands, dabbled in painting and drawing, built models in my youth and teens, created D&D worlds and other games, chaired Star Trek conventions, immersed myself in the SCA for years, do my own yardwork and landscaping, and during it all, I wrote and composed stories, poems, and songs. I NEED to create. It’s a drive I have that MUST be fulfilled. I’d be miserable without the ability and drive to feed it what it needs.