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Interview with Scott Wyatt, author of Wax Dragon

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My Novel is called Wax Dragon. It is a post apocalyptic story that pays homage to the Homeward Journey trope and is organized around some key elements of the Odyssey, although it smashes many of the expectations that we would expect to find in an adaptation of that epic.  The story follows Daniel Fisher, who wakes up from a hypnotic delirium to find that the power is out, communication is impossible, and he is almost completely alone in the world. He has survived a sickness that has claimed nearly everyone around him and he is eight hundred miles from home.

As he sets out across the countryside to discover the fate of his family he encounters other survivors who have shared the same illness, and who are now trying to reconstruct their lives based on the assumptions that each holds about what happened; what it means to them; and how best to rebuild them. They have all discovered that the world, without our complex network of food and supplies, has become an unregulated frontier: It is unpredictable and dangerous. In order to survive Daniel must learn to adapt to the shifting conditions of a constantly changing landscape of characters, interacting with those he can, and defending himself against those he must.

What genre is it?
I don’t know if this story fits neatly into a category.  It is primarily science fiction and Action/Adventure I suppose, but It – at it’s core – is a story about relationships.  

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
This will sound weird, because many women find Daniel to be an arrogant jerk, but I believe that it carries a message sympathetic to women’s issues, while still supporting a strong action oriented backdrop.  It’s a chick lit, that your husband will enjoy completely.

An arrogant jerk? Maybe you should tell us more about Daniel and how you came up with his character.
My story repaints the role of Odysseus as he would be contrasted against the image of the faultless Penelope in a world that we would understand by today’s standards. If we were to measure those characters against a modern role play, I don’t think either character would be able to withstand the idealistic nature of their character trope.  In my reading of the Odyssey, clever as he may have been, Odysseus was a bit of an arrogant jerk, and he has paid little to the debit of his transgressions against his marriage throughout the course of history. In this story, Daniel as Odysseus must account for the fact that; only as a failing husband would he rather trundle off to war and adventure.

I don’t think that he would be coming home to a docile and faithful wife. I think she’d have a completely different take on being left alone for ten years while he sleeps his way across the Mediterranean. In fact, in my telling, the reason he is away from home at all was to escape the expectations of his marriage.

Sounds like it builds up to quite a climax.
I was completely going for that “Oh Wow!” experience.  I have had some wonderful first reactions to the story.  People are feeling very strongly about it, and so far, although some people have been frustrated with my main character within the pages, everyone seems satisfied when he stumbles into the angry remanents of his former life.

Complete this sentence for us: if you like _________________, you’ll love Wax Dragon.
I think, more than anything, this book would appeal to the readers who list The Stand among their favorite books.

Have you written any other books that we should read next?
I have a short story that will be released this summer, and I am deep into a follow-up story to the Wax Dragon.  The new novel will explore a completely different take on the Post Apocalyptic world that Daniel found himself in, and will answer the leftover questions about the fate of Daniel’s daughter in the first novel.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I was an enthusiastic student of Philosophy and Literature at a State college in Illinois.  I am a father, and a grandfather.  I have, apparently, some rare centrist political ideas, and like to imagine myself as a balanced individual.

Generally I am happy to be alive, having found that I love life.

Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work?
I have an author’s biography and blog on Goodreads, and you can also find my blog at www.scottcwyatt.wordpress.com.

How can we follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook?
Wax Dragon has a fan page on Facebook, and I also have a
twitter account.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wax-Dragon/505329269508820

or on twitter at: @ScottCWyatt.

What’s next?
For me, I will keep writing.  Struggling and writing.  It’s what I want for myself.

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One Comment

  1. Donee L Myny

    It is good to hear from this author as he describes his experience in writing this book and the details he states. I await the follow-up to Wax Dragon…

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