Author Bio
I’m a writer. Well, technically an author, because they say that you magically become an author (i.e. true creative) if you’ve published something, and you’re a writer if you haven’t (you know those closet aspiring geniuses who just scribble stuff into notebooks and hide it from the world?). But I still call myself a writer. I’m one of 4 brothers. The middle son. I guess that’s supposed to make me uber weird and dysfunctional, but the jury’s still out on that one. I love mint chocolate chip ice cream. Like, really love it. Watching movies and going to rock shows are 2 of my favorite pastimes, and I am addicted to telling stories.
It all started because a 5th grade teacher decided to become a meddler in my life. That’s right, one of my least favorite authority figures at the time assigned us to write these 1 page short stories for class. We had the freedom to create whatever we wanted (within reason), but the assignments were do every day, and upon completing the school year, the plan was that we’d all bind them to compile a book. Well, at the time I hating reading, hated writing, and wanted to be a comic book artist. I figured I’d one day work for Marvel or Disney or something. And I was pretty good at sketching too. But I always found it hard to create my own characters, and I often just settled for copying somebody else’s masterpiece.
Something was missing.
Well, then a 2nd meddler enters the picture. My pops. He starts helping me with the stories. And by helping me, I really just mean I was there more as a consultant and a constant nuisance, ensuring proper grammar was employed. He was the real writer, in my mind. I just wished I could be him. My teacher started grading the stories, and I was floored to see A+ after A+. And she liked my stories enough…ahem, our stories enough, to read them in front of the class. The response was terrific. My classmates actually gave a crap. They wanted to know what happened next. So I turned 1 story into about 12 or so, and made a little book out of it. Looking back, it’s probably terrible. But the point is…I was hooked on the game.
My father and I began discussing book concepts until finally, in 6th grade, I set out to write a “real” book, all by myself. 3 years later, Servant of the Realm was born. It was so under the radar it wasn’t even funny, but I was just stoked to have my book searchable on the internet. It’s a pretty cool feeling when you’re 15. 3 years later, I released The Sacred Sin, a much darker story about a detective on the hunt for a serial killer who can steal souls. (THE FORSAKEN is the revamped version. I literally rewrote every page, and added about 100 more pages to the story. So if you haven’t picked that baby up, you might wanna.) 3 years after that–I know, 3 is the magical number, it seems–ARSON was unleashed. This story is closest to my heart because it came from a very unique place and time in my life. It’s like I grew up while writing it.
Well, sorta…
Flash forward to now. I’ve got 5 novels and several short stories out. I’ve been interviewed on TV, radio, and the internet. I’ve done several blog tours, have my own Youtube channel, twitter page, FB page, so quite frankly, there’s really no reason for you not to stalk me. I’m still that sort of college kid looking for his path while already on a path. I love to write. I love to ask the big questions, to create raw, flawed characters who do incredible things. And I’m reminded every day why I do what I do, why I write, why I tell stories…because of you. Because of something greater than myself. Because if I didn’t, I’d probably go insane.
Welcome to my dysfunctional world.
Goodreads
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Fun interview
questions/trivia
Chocolate or Vanilla?
Swirl (with chocolate sprinkles in a waffle
cone)
Cats or Dogs?
Laptops
The Mortal Instruments
movie or The Host movie?
Haven’t gotten
a chance to catch the Mortal Instruments movie yet, but The Host was eh. I
liked certain parts, liked the actors, but just didn’t feel absorbed into the
story. Honestly, I’ve felt the YA books to films have been hit or miss lately,
but maybe I’m just a hard critic. I liked Hunger Games and am interested in
Catching Fire, hoping it tops the former, considering it has the uber awesome
Philip Seymour Hoffman. Plus, I’m excited for Divergent because Shailene Woodley
is a great up and coming talent. There, that was probably wayyyy longer than
you expected. You sorta opened Pandora’s box with that one.
Celebrity Crush?
Genesis Rodriguez. I saw Man on a Ledge,
and I didn’t even really care if Sam Worthington made it off the roof safely.
Ha She totally stole the show. She’d be my sugar momma and would totally bring
out the Latin lover in me. She’s like…my…Channing Tatum.
Favorite TV show?
Supernatural. I love randomly quoting Dean
Winchester. Oh, and b-t-dubbs…I really miss Smallville.
Current favorite song?
The entire new self-titled album from the
band Nothing More. A solid rock record with an occasional melodic tune thrown
in. Go check it out!
What one book got you
into reading or writing?
Three authors
who got me hooked were Stephen King, Ted Dekker, and Edgar Allen Poe. All very
dark and awesome. Plus, when you
read ’em, you get a decent look at the soul. I model my writing after that.
If you could be
transported into any book, which one would you choose?
When I was a kid, I always used to be like, “Man, it would be so cool
being the hero in some crazy time where everything I believe in is illegal and
people are hunting me.” What the heck was I thinking? I must’ve thought it was
tough or something. Looking back, I realize that was a tad insane, and I’m kind
of a chicken. I love books that get to the nitty gritty and make you question
what you think and feel, but those books, and those journeys tend to have dark
conclusions, which I’m not entirely sure I can handle. If I had to choose,
though, I think I’d like to be a part of Hearts in Atlantis, the story with
Bobby Garfield. I think it’d be so cool to have some random stranger with
special powers enter my life and totally flip my world inside out. It’s
dangerous enough to make me feel like my life is intriguing, but safe enough to
where I don’t see myself dating a guillotine anytime soon.
If you could cast anyone
to play some of the main characters in your book, who would you choose?
As far as Arson, I had always envisioned
Anton Yelchin or Logan Lerman for Arson and Chloe Moretz or Emma Roberts for
Emery. For Sparrow, I’d pick Brit
Marling to play the role of Mary. I think she’s phenomenal and could totally
handle the weight of that character. I haven’t given enough thought to Joshua
and Lucas, because they’re both complex characters, and you have to choose
right, and maybe I’m just too indecisive to narrow them down. I am open to
suggestions, though, so feel free to sound off below.
Did any music inspire
you while writing Winter Sparrow?
Not
particularly, but music always inspires me in general. With this book, I was
more inspired by the story of enduring love, set in motion about 2,000 years
ago. In my opinion, love is the greatest emotion we humans get to feel.
What was your favorite
scene to write in Winter Sparrow?
This
is such a hard question. I think I have three favorites. That’s allowed, right?
The beginning, a middle spot, and the end. Some people may not know, but WS was
supposed to be a short story. I wanted to tackle the idea of love, which I
should’ve known wouldn’t be able to happen in just 10 pages. It’s such a big
topic, you know? But the first time I sat down to write it, so many pages just
kept coming, and I was being introduced to the way Mary felt, or better yet,
being reintroduced to aspects of my
own nature. One thing about writing is that every time you write, if you’re
honest, parts of you are exhumed, some parts you intended to let out and others
you didn’t. The beginning really set the stage for the characters and shaped
the overall conflict and tone of the story. Then there’s a middle spot, where Joshua
finds a deer on the side of the road. It’s one of the most powerful and
poignant parts of the story because of what it means at a deeper level to their
marriage. And then I also love the end, because…aw, well, you just gotta read
it. Yeah, I’m totally that guy. (smirk, smirk)
Out of all of you books,
which one is your favorite?
A tie
between Arson and Winter Sparrow. Selfishly, I love Arson. So much of my
teenage feelings and beliefs were in that book and so much questioning and hurt
breathed out of those characters. I mean, I was 17 when I started the thing and
21 when it came out, so I did a lot of growing up between when I started it and
when it was released. My heart was on those pages, and it is very human and
very vulnerable. But with Winter Sparrow, I wanted to communicate with more
than my heart. I wanted to give you a glimpse into my soul, my spirit. If you
don’t believe in the spiritual, you’re just not gonna get WS, so all skeptics
are invited to suspend your disbelief for those 190 pages, because it’s worth
it, I promise. I often wonder what God might ask me if I get to Heaven. Would
he be proud of my work? Would he care? So as an artist, I realize some things
are much bigger than my circumstance, bigger than I am. And to be perfectly
honest, that’s WS. If I died tomorrow and God asked me which one I was most
proud to have given the human race, I’d say Winter Sparrow.
If you could spend the
day with any of your characters from any of your books, who would you choose?
Arson. I suck at mini golf, but maybe we
could do Lazer tag or something. No
powers.
What are you going to be
for Halloween?
A JD Salinger zombie. And
don’t you dare come to my house for candy, ’cause you ain’t gettin’ none.
What would one of your
characters be for Halloween?
Arson would
be Iceman from X-men. He’d shrug and say he was being ironic, but no one at the
party would get it. And Emery would be Michael Myers’ vertically-challenged
step-sister. When questioned about her inferior terror-inflicting abilities,
she’d chuckle sarcastically and proceed to poke them with her cardboard knife.
The two star-crossed lovers would drift throughout the party in search of
pumpkin pie, then they’d catch a half-hour of The Ring, and conclude the
evening with a late night stop at Mickey D’s for some quality McFlurry action.
Guest Post topics:
Ten Things You Didn’t
Know about Estevan Vega
The next Ten Books on
Estevan Vega’s TBR pile/E-reader
Behind the Scenes of
Winter Sparrow
The evega Album: 10
Things You Didn’t Know about this guy:
I was in the play “Scrooge/A Christmas Carol” from 5th
grade to 7th grade, and I totally Kobe Bryanted on it (google that
song, amigos)
My brother is a sick musician
When I take a girl out, I always let the dame pay ;)
I cut and style hair
I watched Princess Diaries when I was a kid and actually
liked it. (Say whaaaaat?)
I wore a military-style flattop haircut from the time I was
about 18 months until I was about 12 (feel free to envision my pre-adolescent
attractiveness, ladies) I didn’t even know I had curly hair until I decided to
grow it out.
The end of the world freaks me out, even though I know who’s
gonna win
I have no clue how to whistle. I think it has something to
do with some teeth to tongue ratio or maybe there’s spit involved. I have no
freakin clue. Plus, I think people who try and can’t just look ridiculous, so I
threw in the towel.
I can make the mother of all sammiches, and they always
happen to taste better post midnight
I once had a dream that the devil was chasing after me,
kinda sketchy. I mean, did I owe him money or something?
Behind the scenes of
Winter Sparrow
So…this was supposed to be simple….
I wanted to tackle a story about love. But not the 50 Shades
kind of love. The real deal. The kind that endures whatever comes. I thought it
was just gonna be about a husband and wife who would somehow come to the
realization that their love was valuable after a few hiccups had enlightened
them. Oh, and I wanted there to be a “deeper meaning” as well, because with me,
that’s sort of a given.
So
I went to the library and wrote, about 10 or 12 pages. I figured it would be a
short story, and it couldn’t end up being much longer. But then I wrote again,
and more just kept coming. I realized that maybe this story was bigger than
even I thought. I was beginning to get a glimpse into Mary and Joshua’s life,
and I understood I had a lot to learn. I think sometimes people tend to think
that writers have it all figured out. Maybe that’s true if said writer used to
be an engineer, but my reality is a lot more like this:
Bradley Cooper from Limitless
Disorganized, a little unkempt, but full of awesome. Beneath
this dangerously attractive exterior lies a creator who can empathize,
sympathize, and recognize what binds us all together: our humanity. I never
really bothered with outlines. Maybe I will someday, but so far, my blasé
attitude has allowed me to write 6, going on 7, novels, and they’ve turned out
okay. (On a side note, I was actually talking today to someone about my
process, and he was shocked I didn’t have an outline to which I adhered. He
viewed it as slightly chaotic. I shrugged, thinking that on the contrary, I
wasn’t sure I could perform under such intense structure.) I prefer to let the
story guide me, and with Winter Sparrow that definitely happened.
Once I “got the big picture,” I broke up the story into
seasons. I thought it’d be cool to have a themed plotline. I explored this
without even knowing it in my When Colors Bleed collection. But the seasons are
actually a mirror into where Mary and Joshua are at in this season of their
lives. It sort of foreshadows the experiences to come. It was so fun trying to
capture each sentiment, but the challenge was in figuring out which emotions,
and how much of them, could go in which particular season.
Fall and winter were where I had to get most creative. I had
not intended the story to be as grand as it had become, so I knew the ending
had to fit into the world I had created. I also threw in some deliberate
twists, which you know is how I do. The story is very intense, and you get that
raw, uninhibited emotion most in fall and winter. Everything before it is set
up into who these characters are, and everything that transpires during these
seasons defends the foundation and allows for a glimmer of hope to pierce
through the darkness. But there will be consequence, and there will be
sacrifice.
Enter
the world of Winter Sparrow. But be careful…you may discover it looks quite
like your own.
The Giveaway:
Estevan Vega is offering one giant prize pack.
The Prize:
signed paperback of Winter Sparrow
e-copy of When Colors Bleed full short story collection.
signed copy of Arson
e copy of my short story Music Box
Custom Arson t-shirt in their size (small thru xl)
free digital hi-five.
![](http://www.blogger.com/%3Cdiv%20class=%22separator%22%20style=%22clear:%20both;%20text-align:%20center;%22%3E%20%3C/div%3E%20%3Cdiv%20class=%22separator%22%20style=%22clear:%20both;%20text-align:%20center;%22%3E%20%3Ca%20href=%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEjbAGY_Hnaf5a9xEk7Ft8G5yyTI05rvkAO996hXR_BMoRGHZ8duKjEJNUwrPGVw0NTM4Zv_7C_8B2indxdQuQKWJgDXqZ30bWjFrMHtNxrqMp8d61MNtd9dUmZwWEr49sGfoZzQqIzQ/s1600/Kat+Scratch+Blast.png%22%20imageanchor=%221%22%20style=%22margin-left:%201em;%20margin-right:%201em;%22%3E%3Cimg%20border=%220%22%20height=%22250%22%20src=%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEjbAGY_Hnaf5a9xEk7Ft8G5yyTI05rvkAO996hXR_BMoRGHZ8duKjEJNUwrPGVw0NTM4Zv_7C_8B2indxdQuQKWJgDXqZ30bWjFrMHtNxrqMp8d61MNtd9dUmZwWEr49sGfoZzQqIzQ/s400/Kat+Scratch+Blast.png%22%20width=%22400%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/div%3E%20%3Cbr%20/%3E%20%3Cu%3E%3Cb%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/b%3E%3C/u%3E%20%3Cbr%20/%3E%20%3Cdiv%20dir=%22ltr%22%20style=%22line-height:%201.15;%20margin-bottom:%200pt;%20margin-top:%200pt;%20text-align:%20center;%22%3E%20%3Cdiv%20class=%22separator%22%20style=%22clear:%20both;%20text-align:%20center;%22%3E%20%3Ca%20href=%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkcDHLs1z2DZ4OHDLo75qbWNXqmAEW_REV51rAFn7lvdgOMtkEFedLL1SZ4h49zCmB6wFedA2zbfZtwEeiiKFw_WYftLt4U3TwTgmyEMkE0yP9Q4ZyY-FMnxM9uOp9cR0cWJC36teMLs/s1600/Kat+Scratched.jpg%22%20imageanchor=%221%22%20style=%22clear:%20left;%20float:%20left;%20margin-bottom:%201em;%20margin-right:%201em;%22%3E%3Cimg%20border=%220%22%20height=%22400%22%20src=%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkcDHLs1z2DZ4OHDLo75qbWNXqmAEW_REV51rAFn7lvdgOMtkEFedLL1SZ4h49zCmB6wFedA2zbfZtwEeiiKFw_WYftLt4U3TwTgmyEMkE0yP9Q4ZyY-FMnxM9uOp9cR0cWJC36teMLs/s400/Kat+Scratched.jpg%22%20width=%22262%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/div%3E%20%3Cdiv%20style=%22text-align:%20left;%22%3E%20%3Cspan%20style=%22background-color:%20transparent;%20color:%20#cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u><b>Kat Scratch Fever </b></u></span></div> </div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>Kat Scratched Trilogy #1 </b></i></span></span></div> </div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By- D.T. Dyllin</span></div> </div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Genre- Adult Paranormal Romance</span></div> </div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Publication Date- October 1st, 2013 </span></div> </div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <b id="docs-internal-guid-2cb01948-cc12-0ba5-e36d-173aa981c9b4" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b></div> </div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">It’s tough being a cat in a dog eat dog world. Something that Katrina Walker learned </span></i></div> </div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>the hard way being a were-cat raised by a pack of werewolves. And after her taboo </i></span></div> </div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>love affair with the future Alpha is discovered, Kat has no choice but t)
