Interview with Estevan Vega + Giveaway!

I recently had the pleasure to ask Estevan Vega, author of The Sacred Sin, a few questions. Mr. Vega was gracious enough to take the time to leave readers with some delightful answers!

Don't forget to read until the end to find out how to enter for your chance to win a signed copy of The Sacred Sin!

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Hi Estevan! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions! I was was so thrilled to get a chance to review your book The Sacred Sin and absolutely loved it!

Thank you. While I sometimes feel guilty accepting compliments for my work, it is so nice to hear when people like it.

I’m going to be honest, Estevan, in the very beginning I was intrigued by the fact that you are published at such a young age - your first book being Servant of the Realm at age 15 and now The Sacred Sin at age 20, am I correct?

Well, you're half right. Servant of the Realm was published when I was 15. I started writing SOTR at the end of 5th/beginning of 6th grade, and spent 3 years trying to get the story right. I didn't have a clue about publishing or writing a book; I just had it in my mind that writing a book was what I was going to do. I had lofty dreams of fame, fortune and driving around in limos (still waiting to be picked up curbside). The Sacred Sin took three years as well, from start to finish, even though I had the first draft finished two months after SOTR was released. Much editing, rejection letters and frustrating life stuff occurred before TSS was unleashed to the world. I was 18 when that bad boy came out.


Does the fact that your young age getting mentioned often, become a tiresome topic?

No. At first I thought it was going to be a negative sort of thing. But the press and media, as well as bloggers like yourself, have been intrigued by my age. It kind of allows me a foot in the door. I think some people assume that because I'm young I can't write, so their guard goes down, or their expectations aren't high; but when they like what they read, they're like, "Wow, you're how young?" So, it's more of a blessing than a curse.


Can you tell us a bit about The Sacred Sin, what was the hardest parts to write?

The Sacred Sin started out a bit different from the finished product, as they always do. My father and I discuss book ideas and stories frequently, and this one came up during one of our discussions. The questions was: What if someone could kill somebody without ever touching them, like a soul stealer? In Latino cultures, I believe this is referred to as El Chupacabra. I took that and made it a more supernatural story (I like to do that). I'm fascinated by this dichotomy of Good and Evil, the better parts and the darker parts of our nature. The angel and demons on our shoulders. So that's where TSS begins, in the darkness of men. I chose detectives for their ability to investigate serial murders, but I don't think detective writing is something I'm going to be confined to. So, my upcoming novels will still have this unexplainable, supernatural aspect to them, but I feel I'm moving away from the pattern of detective/cop style.

The hardest part was figuring out how to end it and begin it. It's actually something I struggled with on ARSON, my next book, releasing later this year, rearranging events in the story, finding a good starting and ending point. Also, the descriptions of the evil presence, what occurred when each person was "infected" by the evil. But, man, was it fun, too!

After reading The Sacred Sin, I was truly intrigued and can’t wait for your next project to come out. Your writing reminds me a bit of Stephen King and early Dean R. Kootz. Do you have authors that inspire your writing and if so, who are they?

Please, I do not deserve to be compared to them. Stephen King has always been an inspiration to me, even though I haven't read a ton of his stuff. I love how versatile he can be, writing in between genres and changing. He's very creative, witty, sometimes sarcastic. I like that. I started reading Dean Kontz's The Face while I was writing The Sacred Sin, but I never finished it. Sorry, Dean. It wasn't that it wasn't good, I just never finished it. I think it got lost since then. But I'm a fan of Ted Dekker. I love The Great Gatsby, for reasons I don't even remember anymore, and The Road was pretty powerful. I tend to fall in love with books, more than with authors. And movies, love movies!

Can you tell us a bit about your writing process and what writing means to you? Where do you come up with your characters, ideas, etc.?

Can I sum up what writing means to me in a paragraph? Not sure. But I'll try. Writing is like breathing. I've tried to think of other things I'd rather do, and I can't think of anything that influences, or triggers my passions like the written word. It has this power behind it that can inspire, depress and redeem. It's beautiful.

For me, the writing process usually begins with an idea, like a conversation with my dad, or sitting in a class and something the professor says triggers something, so I write down the idea. Then I just start writing. I try to see if the book will let me write it. Sometimes, the book says no, and I have to move on to something else. I started a book back in 2004, but never finished it, because I got into editing TSS and starting to write ARSON, that I couldn't go back to it. I tried in 2008 and made some changes, but it's still basically in the same shape. I also tried writing 2 other books and it just wasn't happening. So, a lot of the writing process has to do with the book in question. It has a lot more power than some might think. Anyway, the process: a lot of writer's block, energy, good and bad sentences, obscure hours in front of a bright screen and eventual satisfaction...maybe.

What is a “day in the life of Estevan” like? Can you share with readers a bit of the person behind the fascinating stories?

When I'm not saving the world from evil, I'm a multi-billion dollar company man by the name of Bruce Wayne.

Haha. Well, the day usually begins late, because I'm kinda like a vampire. I like night more than the day. I go to class, try to argue with the professor about something I don't agree with, then get lunch. More classes and more food. Some friend time. Maybe end the night with a movie. I write in between some of these things. Oh, and homework occasionally sneaks in from time to time. Man, that day sounded boring. See, that's why I just tell people I'm The Dark Knight.

Do you see yourself staying with the horror genre, or would you like to branch off into different genres later on down the road?

Horror is not something that I ever intended to be categorized under. The book just kind of went that way. I wrote it thinking it would just be dark, because I like dark stuff, but then people started getting freaked out and put it into horror. I wouldn't say I'm a horror writer; I'm a human writer. What I mean by that, is that I write about what means a lot to me: humanity. The struggles, the lusts, the imperfections. What is our darkness, what defines us? Are we what people call us or are we something more? Identity, stuff like this, really intrigues me. So, my next book, as well as TSS reflects that. Or, at least, I tried to.

Ok, here are some fun questions:

What are some of your favorite foods?

My father makes great food. I sometimes wonder what's gonna happen when I get married. I'm not that great, so the future love of my life's gonna have to be good. And he sets the bar pretty high. He makes great lasagna, rice and beans, and fish. But of all of them, I'd say his Pork with rice and beans is the all-time favorite. Has been since I was a kid. Whenever I go home, I ask him to make it. Well, beg.

I also love pizza and chicken cordon bleu (I hope I'm spelling that right). Favorite ice creams: Mint Chocolate Chip and Black Raspberry.

Favorite soda: It's a three-way tie: Birch Beer/Root Beer/Cream Soda

What do you enjoy doing when you have free time?

Chillin. I like to hang out with people. Or isolate myself in my room and write. I read or go out to dinner. I love going to concerts, too. Big fan of all kinds of rock, from the heavy stuff to the light stuff. But for ultimate fun, I usually consult the box office. That experience is still one of my favorite things to do. So stoked for the new Wolverine film, as well as the new Terminator film. Let's hope Christian Bale can save us...again!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I try not to look that far ahead. Hopefully, I'll have another two books published, would have graduated, and obtained the love of a beautiful woman.

Who and what do you like to read?

I like to read unconventional stories. 1984 comes to mind. The Road. I am Legend. But any story, if it's written with skill, I'll probably like it. I'm finding that when I'm reading books, I'm looking for how the writer phrases or says certain things, how he gets his point across, how he shocks the reader. To me, I pay attention to this more than I do to how well-constructed the story is, though that is definitely important. It's a writer thing, I guess.

Do you have a favorite movie or t.v. right now?

I was in to 24 for a long time, though I've been kind of disappointed as of late. I really like Smallville, Supernatural, Psych and Heroes.

For movies, some favorites include Life as a House, The Fountain, The Matrix, Slumdog Millionaire, Superhero stuff.

Is there anything that you would like to add, Estevan? Or anything that you would like readers to know about you or your writing?

Right now, I'm being hosted by Jo Ann from www.Bronzeword.wordpress.com for 10 days. So, that's fun. This summer, I'll be embarking on my first Virtual Blog Tour, and working with my publisher on ARSON, my next book. It's going to be awesome. Get stoked for it. It's planned for release in late fall.

Check www.estevanvega.com for updates, book info and other cool stuff, like my blog, which, thankfully, I have been posting on again.

Thank you so much, once again, for taking the time to answer my questions and I can honestly say that I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you! You are a great talent, Estevan!

Thank you for having me.

For those of you who have not read or seen Estevan's book, The Sacred Sin, please be sure to do so! You can go here for my review: http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/2009/04/review-sacred-sin-by-estevan-vega.html

**Now, for an extra treat, I have a signed copy of The Sacred Sin by Estevan Vega to giveaway to one lucky winner! US and Canadian addresses only please. All you have to do is leave a comment below! I will draw a winner on May 11th! Good Luck!**