About Anthony W. Eichenlaub:
Anthony W. Eichenlaub's stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including A Punk Rock Future, Fell Beasts and Fair, and The Community of Magic Pens. His novels are a furious mix of cyberpunk and western, taking place in a future Texas ruined by tech. In his spare time he loves gardening, woodworking, and taking long walks with his lazy dog.
What inspires you to write?
I'm inspired by the people around me. I'm inspired by the good people who work hard on things like electronic medical records, research, and A.I. which have the potential to do so much good in our world. Even more so, I'm inspired to write by those people who use technology to enrich themselves at the expense of others. They make poorly designed systems that are impossible upgrade and proprietary systems that lock solutions in, even if it isn't the best for the people using it. Greed and generosity are fascinating things to me, and every time I witness this in day to day life or in how people design or interact with technology, I'm inspired to write.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
I'm a big fan of John Scalzi, mostly for the light fun he bakes into all his novels. Max Gladstone also has some incredible writing and delivers on some fantastic ideas. Rachel Aukes writes some fantastic sci-fi westerns and I always appreciate the directions she takes the genre.
Tell us about your writing process.
I recently switch to full time writing, which means I set a wordcount goal for myself each day. I wake up early, hammer away at my keyboard until I hit my goal, then take some time to do chores around the house. By the time it's afternoon, I'm ready to do some editing, and that takes up another hour of my time. Being a hybrid author means I have plenty of non-writing tasks that I can do later in the day, like cover design, promotional activities, and maintaining my patreon.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I believe in a very character-driven approach to writing, and this involves listening to what the character really wants. I make a distinction between what they THINK they want and what they REALLY want, and if I can listen to what they're telling me, that conflict usually delivers a pretty good story.
What advice would you give other writers?
Be ambitious in your writing. Always try to do the thing that is one step harder than what you think you can do. That way you'll keep growing as a writer.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I'm a hybrid author, so I have works that are independently published and traditionally published. The traditionally published books are done that way because the publisher is able to reach a different audience. They also take care of editing and cover, which sometimes I just don't want to bother with. The independently published books are done that way because I really want more control over them. I like to be able to change covers, add to the series, and change the blurb whenever I like so that I can really tweak my marketing. It's a lot more work, but it also gives me a lot more power over the final product.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think there's room for both traditional and independent publishing, but I also think both will continue to change. Traditional will need to become faster and more flexible. Independent publishers will continue to learn how to get a professional quality product in front of readers. It's a growing business and an exciting time, and I'm glad I'm here for it.
What genres do you write?: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Western
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Anthony W. Eichenlaub Home Page Link
Your Social Media Links
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
