Interview with Marcus Dino, Author of Young Adult Fantasy Diary of a Mad Gen Yer
Dorothy Thompson
August 10, 2009
Marcus Dino has had an interesting professional career, first as an Aerospace engineer, next as a passionate math teacher teaching in urban Los Angeles which he currently still does, and finally, as a part time literary fiction author. It is Mr. Dino´s being a die hard movie buff that led him to writing Diary of a Mad Gen Yer in addition to his first novel, Fifi, Anything goes in the Double Os, first published in 2003. Mr. Dino is a graduate of Chapman University and he also has Masters Degrees in both Education and Electrical Engineering. Diary of a Mad Gen Yer and Fifi can be found at www.smashwords.com and www.summertimeproductions.com. Mr. Dino´s personal website which includes numerous blogs, short stories, and poems involving his central character Fifi Larouche, which helped inspire him to write his anthology, Diary, can be found at www.authorsden.com/marcusdino.
Thank you for this interview, Marcus. Can you tell us briefly what your latest book, Diary of a Mad Gen Yer, is all about?
Marcus: Diary of a Mad Gen Yer is a humorous collection or anthology of short stories, poems, and personal blogs of Fifi Larouche, a young struggling gen y age actress trying to survive in Hollywood. Diary is sort a prequel to my last novel about Fifi, Fifi Anything Goes in the Double Os, first published in 2003. Besides Fifi I have included a number of colorful characters such as Biff, Fifi´s on again off again boyfriend who is also a struggling actor, Alocki who says she is from the planet ´Zatoris´ and is Fifi´s best friend, Flifi, Fifi´s alter ego fairy who hails from the ´Alternate Earth,´ ´the 200 year old Great Writer,´ a long dead ´astral figure´ who sneers at the poor quality of literature and drama that he sees today, Dick a young Oxford graduate and scientist whom Fifi, a devout Christian calls a ´stuck up evolutionary atheist,´ and Fifi´s cantankerous college professor father who thinks Fifi is wasting her time in ´LaLa´ land and needs to go back to her home town in Des Moines and work as a banker.
Can you tell us who or what was the inspiration behind your book?
Marcus: I can tell you perhaps what inspired me to write Diary. I remember as a kid reading Arabian Nights and I was just fascinated by all these interesting adventures. The adventures of Ally Baba, Sinbad, and Aladdin, also short story collections from great writers such as Edgar Allan Poe inspired me to write this anthology. I´ve always loved reading short stories, perhaps even more than novels. As for who inspired me to write Gen Yer, well let´s just say that some of the short stories come from….real life experiences…..But it´s also the great slapstick comedians of the past, people like Danny Kaye or Jackie Gleason, and the unforgettable adventures that they went through on television or on screen whom I thought about when I wrote these short stories involving Fifi Larouche and her companions.
Is this your first published book and if so, can you tell us your experiences in finding a publisher for it?
Marcus: No, like what was said before, this is my second published book. The first book, Fifi Anything Goes in the Double Os, is a true novel which concentrates more on the ups and downs of Fifi trying to find work in Hollywood as opposed to Diary which concentrates more on her daily adventures as she is looking for acting work. While Fifi is a novel, Diary is an anthology of short stories, poems, and personal blogs.
How has Summertime Productions been to work with?
Marcus: They have offered excellent support.
Do you have an agent?
Marcus: Yes
Can you tell us how long it took you to write your book and also how long it took from the time Summertime Productions sent the contract and the time it was released?
Marcus: Well in terms of writing of the book, I would say it took about two years. I would just come up with say an idea for a poem or short story and then write it down. A lot of this collection of poems, stories, and blogs I first put into my website at Authors Den, Now in terms of publishing the book from manuscript to print, including a lot of editing, it´s taken about a month. That´s what I like so much about E-Publishing, convenience and timeliness.
Do you have any words of inspiration from other writers who would like to be wearing your shoes?
Marcus: Writing is a passion; you write what you are passionate about. I am passionate about my characters and stories and I think that makes me a better writer. Writing, like anything else, is also hard work. It takes time and effort to be a good writer. I think over the last few years that I have improved my writing. So I am telling any aspiring writer to expect rejection and it may take a lot of time and effort to be successful, but also not let anyone or anything discourage him or her, just keep on doing and believe in yourself.
I understand that you are touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion in August and September via a virtual book tour. Can you tell us all why you chose a virtual book tour to promote your book online?
Marcus: I want to reach a large target audience. I have done a lot of marketing for my first book Fifi the last couple of years and I am convinced that promoting a book online and doing a virtual tour is perhaps the best way to get sales today. This in my opinion includes authors who have had their books published by big traditional publishing houses, not just self published authors.
What´s next for you?
Marcus: Well in the near future I plan to publish Diary in print form. After that more adventures involving Fifi? A children´s book involving Flifi, Fifi´s alter ego fairy character from Diary? Perhaps a science fiction novel involving Alocki and Helos, my two alien characters from Diary? Who knows? Who knows? It will be whatever theme or idea that ´arouses my chakras,´ or the next crazy idea that comes out of my ´right cerebrum.´ You know I´m starting to sound a lot like my character Fifi, like any writer I need to get out more and get away from this laptop.
Thank you for this interview, Marcus. Can you tell us how we can find out more about you and your new book?
Marcus: Well I will continue to write as I can see and as long as my fingers work, you can read more about my two books Diary and Fifi at almost every major online bookstore in addition to the sites listed above. I just hope anyone form 9 to 109 who reads Diary will be entertained by it. Thank you for the opportunity of giving me an interview about my book.
Thank you for this interview, Marcus. Can you tell us briefly what your latest book, Diary of a Mad Gen Yer, is all about?
Marcus: Diary of a Mad Gen Yer is a humorous collection or anthology of short stories, poems, and personal blogs of Fifi Larouche, a young struggling gen y age actress trying to survive in Hollywood. Diary is sort a prequel to my last novel about Fifi, Fifi Anything Goes in the Double Os, first published in 2003. Besides Fifi I have included a number of colorful characters such as Biff, Fifi´s on again off again boyfriend who is also a struggling actor, Alocki who says she is from the planet ´Zatoris´ and is Fifi´s best friend, Flifi, Fifi´s alter ego fairy who hails from the ´Alternate Earth,´ ´the 200 year old Great Writer,´ a long dead ´astral figure´ who sneers at the poor quality of literature and drama that he sees today, Dick a young Oxford graduate and scientist whom Fifi, a devout Christian calls a ´stuck up evolutionary atheist,´ and Fifi´s cantankerous college professor father who thinks Fifi is wasting her time in ´LaLa´ land and needs to go back to her home town in Des Moines and work as a banker.
Can you tell us who or what was the inspiration behind your book?
Marcus: I can tell you perhaps what inspired me to write Diary. I remember as a kid reading Arabian Nights and I was just fascinated by all these interesting adventures. The adventures of Ally Baba, Sinbad, and Aladdin, also short story collections from great writers such as Edgar Allan Poe inspired me to write this anthology. I´ve always loved reading short stories, perhaps even more than novels. As for who inspired me to write Gen Yer, well let´s just say that some of the short stories come from….real life experiences…..But it´s also the great slapstick comedians of the past, people like Danny Kaye or Jackie Gleason, and the unforgettable adventures that they went through on television or on screen whom I thought about when I wrote these short stories involving Fifi Larouche and her companions.
Is this your first published book and if so, can you tell us your experiences in finding a publisher for it?
Marcus: No, like what was said before, this is my second published book. The first book, Fifi Anything Goes in the Double Os, is a true novel which concentrates more on the ups and downs of Fifi trying to find work in Hollywood as opposed to Diary which concentrates more on her daily adventures as she is looking for acting work. While Fifi is a novel, Diary is an anthology of short stories, poems, and personal blogs.
How has Summertime Productions been to work with?
Marcus: They have offered excellent support.
Do you have an agent?
Marcus: Yes
Can you tell us how long it took you to write your book and also how long it took from the time Summertime Productions sent the contract and the time it was released?
Marcus: Well in terms of writing of the book, I would say it took about two years. I would just come up with say an idea for a poem or short story and then write it down. A lot of this collection of poems, stories, and blogs I first put into my website at Authors Den, Now in terms of publishing the book from manuscript to print, including a lot of editing, it´s taken about a month. That´s what I like so much about E-Publishing, convenience and timeliness.
Do you have any words of inspiration from other writers who would like to be wearing your shoes?
Marcus: Writing is a passion; you write what you are passionate about. I am passionate about my characters and stories and I think that makes me a better writer. Writing, like anything else, is also hard work. It takes time and effort to be a good writer. I think over the last few years that I have improved my writing. So I am telling any aspiring writer to expect rejection and it may take a lot of time and effort to be successful, but also not let anyone or anything discourage him or her, just keep on doing and believe in yourself.
I understand that you are touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion in August and September via a virtual book tour. Can you tell us all why you chose a virtual book tour to promote your book online?
Marcus: I want to reach a large target audience. I have done a lot of marketing for my first book Fifi the last couple of years and I am convinced that promoting a book online and doing a virtual tour is perhaps the best way to get sales today. This in my opinion includes authors who have had their books published by big traditional publishing houses, not just self published authors.
What´s next for you?
Marcus: Well in the near future I plan to publish Diary in print form. After that more adventures involving Fifi? A children´s book involving Flifi, Fifi´s alter ego fairy character from Diary? Perhaps a science fiction novel involving Alocki and Helos, my two alien characters from Diary? Who knows? Who knows? It will be whatever theme or idea that ´arouses my chakras,´ or the next crazy idea that comes out of my ´right cerebrum.´ You know I´m starting to sound a lot like my character Fifi, like any writer I need to get out more and get away from this laptop.
Thank you for this interview, Marcus. Can you tell us how we can find out more about you and your new book?
Marcus: Well I will continue to write as I can see and as long as my fingers work, you can read more about my two books Diary and Fifi at almost every major online bookstore in addition to the sites listed above. I just hope anyone form 9 to 109 who reads Diary will be entertained by it. Thank you for the opportunity of giving me an interview about my book.
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