Enemy of the Gods (Sometimes, Dreams are Overrated) received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author C. Hofsetz.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Enemy of the Gods (Sometimes, Dreams are Overrated). It was published on March 22, 2020.
What’s the book’s first line?
The first thing that comes to mind when I watch the fireworks is that prison is underrated.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch.”
The place where humans dream is under attack, and we must protect it. Except we don’t know the rules and who the goodies and the baddies are. And our only guide through this journey is Zeon, an over-confident character who often accidentally—and hilariously—does and says the wrong thing at the worst possible time.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
Honestly, it was just the lack of comedic science fiction and fantasy book. Sometimes, it feels like there’s only The Hitchhiker Guide’s to The Galaxy and not much else. We need more books like The Book of Ralph by Christopher Steinsvold, or Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
As a sci-fi and fantasy reader, I’m always looking for fun and comedic books in the genre. I want to have an adventure and feel good about it when I finish it. Of course, I sometimes read dark and grim dystopian novels, sci-fi horror, hard sci-fi, literary fiction, and others, but my favorites are still the ones that make me laugh. So, if you’re looking for an upbeat story, this novel may hit the spot.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who—real or fictional—would you say the character reminds you of?
My main character Zeon is a mix of J.D. from Scrubs and Chuck from, well, Chuck, both NBC shows. They’re smart and nerdy but often put their feet in their mouth.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
Obviously Zach Braff (who played J.D.) or Zachary Levi (who played Chuck).
When did you first decide to become an author?
It was about five years ago when I was reading a book. I was mad at the characters because they would never behave like that in real life. So, I decided to write my own book and fix everything. Ironically, I sometimes get reviews that say my characters are making the wrong decisions. It’s eye-opening to be on the other side of the glass.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
It’s the second one. This is the sequel to Challenges of The Gods, and part of a trilogy.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I’m a software engineer at Microsoft. Computers and programming are my other passion. When working with software bugs, many times we have to re-check our assumptions to be able to fix the issue. I try to bring a bit of that to my writing. I think the best twists happen when our most basic assumptions are incorrect.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
When I’m actively writing a book, about 20 hours a week. There’s a lot more to a book than just writing. There’s marketing, blogs, interviews, audiobook production, etc. I remember taking professional pictures one time and thinking to myself: this is not how I imagined the life of an author. In the end, we spend way more time promoting than writing a book.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part is having control of everything. You can decide where to publish it, its price, where to promote it, etc. The hardest part is spending time on things that are not related to writing, things that are usually taken care of by the publisher. If you’re not writing full-time, there aren’t that many hours left in the day to write.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Obviously, you should all buy my book to see how it’s done. I’m kidding, of course. I’m far from being an expert, but I’d recommend you have discipline. Readers are looking for throughput, consistency, and quality. Often, they don’t want to try an author that only has one book. In the month following the release of Enemy, I sold more copies of Challenges than I sold in the entire previous year. The second book in the series helped sell the first book.
Besides that, always hire professionals to make your story shine. Editors, cover artists, the works. It’s okay to be indie, but you don’t want to look like an amateur. This is true for grammar mistakes and typos, but also true for flow and story development. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of describing every single object that is in a room, or to info-dump your alien world because you fell in love with it when you designed it.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I have a great relationship with the small press that published my first book (The Wild Rose Press). I would definitely go traditional, because I’d have more time to write. This may change if I ever become a full-time author.
Is there something in particular that motivates you? (Fame? Fortune?)
I am lucky enough to have a day job that I love and that pays my bills, so I’m really just looking for readers. I hope that my books earn me an income when I retire, many years from now, but until then I just want people to read and enjoy them.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
John Scalzi is the whole package. There are many other great writers that inspired me, but they ended up not being the best role model in the end.
Another one is Luís Fernando Veríssimo from Brazil. He showed me it was possible to write comedic books, and his books were a great part of my childhood.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
The Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown. I also like emotional science fiction books, and Red Rising is a masterpiece. Another one is Old Man’s War by John Scalzi.