1. I got my PADI certification at 14.
2. A beauty pageant runner-up in High School
3. My wedding dress was a costly $60 off the rack at Macy’s.
4. I stalked my husband until he agreed to marry me.
5. My middle name is Grace, but I’m far from graceful (likely why I got runner-up in the beauty pageant- darn those high heels)
Five facts about your newest book that people won’t know. Some background history on one of your characters maybe? Maybe it was going to be called something completely different to start out with? Is it the same genre it started out as?
1. A lot of people felt the cover of DRAG.N was a mistake – saying the image was misleading. I understood why they felt that way, but I liked it. So I left it – it ‘felt’ like the story to me. Maybe that means that my book will never be well received, but, as an artist, going with my gut is about as important as anything else.
2. The first character that appears in the story is named after my father – Benton.
3. I consider DRAG.N to be a political semi-satire built on the ground of a dystopia, others disagree – seeing the modern-day meaning behind my words as more tragedy and true. Let’s just call it dystopian dark comedy with a political undertone that readers can opt to ignore.
4. I wrote it in roughly 20 hours and then spent a week editing. I think it’s some of my best work.
5. The chapter with the President in bed with the cleaning maid in the White House originally verged on pornographic. I cleaned it up before publication – which was probably a smart choice considering I’ve been told that I lack the ability to write a convincing smut scene.
Five facts about your next book… Name, genre, expected date of release…
1. Tears of Chios is loosely based off the Legend of Saint Isidore of Chios and will be released this Summer.
2. Mastic spice is said to have healing properties.
3. I wrote half of the book and then decided to change an element of the plot – causing me to spend months re-writing the half I’d already written.
4. My ‘villains’ have precious stones embedded into their skin – in intricate patterns surrounded by swirling tattoos.
5. The perspective switches from 3rd to 1st then back to 3rd and follows dual main characters across separate landscapes.
Three tips that you think might be useful for other authors… anything you want. It could be, to write a certain amount every day, only write after midnight and never get Gizmo wet (Sorry, that’s Gremlins not writers! My bad.) Maybe it’s some information that was given to you that has helped your process…
1. Learn to take constructive criticism well and use it to your benefit. Criticism doesn’t change you; it teaches you how to respond to the world in a way that better showcases your talents and intent. You have the ability nay the right to pick and choose which criticisms to implement.
2. Find a lifeline to mentor you through the process. You don’t have to go it alone. You may be surprised, but there are successful writers out there who are willing to share wisdom and advice.
3. Take full advantage of social media for marketing – Twitter, Facebook, a personal website – all of these will help you build an audience.
To explore Eli Constant's work click the link below!
Dead Trees, Amazon.com