Pedro Gabriel interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

My name is Pedro Gabriel. I am a Portuguese medical oncologist currently residing in Portugal. I am also a writer in my spare time. I love mythology and fantasy. My main influences are Tolkien, Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, and Charles Williams. My dream is to create my own mythology, from Creation to Apocalypse, similarly to what ancient peoples did, or to what Tolkien did in “The Silmarilion”. For this reason, I have recently launched “Ironcraft”, the first instalment of the Chronicles of Dumah series, and my first book in English.

When did your love of books begin?

More than love of books, it’s easier to speak of love for the written word. I started reading at the age of 4, even before enrolling in school. During my childhood I enjoyed reading the books that were assigned to me at school. I would also devour encyclopedias in search for knowledge. But the first book I read out of my own initiative (and which created enough of an impact on me) was “The Iliad”—when I was 15 years old. Since then, I was “hooked” by mythology.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

My love for writing started even sooner than “The Iliad”. When I was a child, I would have a very fertile imagination. Whereas some children have imaginary friends, I had an imaginary world that I had created and wherein I would immerse myself when I had time. A teacher at my elementary school was sensitive enough to notice this. She told me to funnel this creativity into the pages of a notebook. So, I was writing short stories at 6 years old. Later, I would finish my first full novel at 15 years old. In this sense, I would not say that it’s accurate to speak of a “wish to become an author”. It’s a part of my DNA to be an author. I don’t remember not being an author.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

Only practice. Of course, my writing style has improved much as the years have gone by. But mainly, there’s no better process than simply sit in front of the computer and start writing.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Keep writing. There’s simply no better advice than that. Your first books will not be very good, and that’s okay. You don’t lack talent, you lack practice. Keep writing and you will acquire experience. Later on you can even revisit those first books. Just never give up.

Tell us about your book/books:

As I said before, my aim is to write a whole mythology from Creation to Apocalypse. My idea is also to try an original approach to fantasy, where I try to worldbuild outside of the usual framework of humans, dwarves, and elves in a medieval setting. In the first book—“Ironcraft”—a race of gentle giants hears a prophecy from a celestial being: a new species, called “men”, will appear in Dumah and destroy the giants and all they have built.  For this reason, the giants mobilize to conquer the city where humans are fated to appear. It is a story about power struggles, for the mighty giants are up in arms against a threat of puny humans, who have not even come to existence yet. 

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

I have been very pleasantly surprised by the support writers in the writing community provide to each other. It’s very heartwarming to see how they encourage and support each other.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

I hope that my readers will enjoy reading my books, as much as I have enjoyed writing them. There is a saying that a writer should write books he or she would like to read, and this is certainly true for me and the Chronicles of Dumah. But I sincerely hope other people will enjoy reading them as well.

Where can people connect with you?

People can connect with me at my website here: http://pedrogabrielwriter.com

They can also check the official website of the Chronicles of Dumah: http://thedumahproject.com

I would particularly recommend the booktrailer for Ironcraft: https://youtu.be/mLOWJrTUMXY

I am also at Facebook (https://facebook.com/pedrogabwriter) and Twitter (@DumahChronicles)