Interview with Dusten J. Munden
Hello, I'm Deston J. Munden, author of the Dargath Chronicles and Dusk Mountain Blues series. I'm from the rural areas of North Carolina and I have a major in Game Art and Design. It's a pleasure to meet you!
Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.
Undergrove is the third book of the Dargath Chronicles, continuing stories that both Tavern and Duke’s Brand left off. It’s more of a Dungeons and Dragons adventure in comparison to the other two books of the series, taking inspiration for campaigns that I’m currently in. There are huge fantasy inspirations that are coming through in this book that I’m proud of. There’s plenty of returning characters from the previous two books as well as new characters such an elven barbarian, a sky dwarf bard, and a dragon alchemist. Keep an out for any news involving this new book.
Where did you get the idea for this book or series?
It’s hard to say where exactly I get my ideas from. I play a lot of video games, read a lot of books/comics, and listen to a lot of music. From there, I’ve just got so many different types of ideas that come into my brain. There are times where a certain appearance, interaction, or demeanor of a stranger strikes a chord within me to make a character or a book. This is why I have to have a particular document for keeping my ideas.
For this series, I was largely inspired by video games. I’m a huge fan of stuff like Elder Scrolls, World of Warcraft, and Dragon Age so that came through a lot in the Dargath Chronicles. Lately though, I’ve been taking a lot of Dungeons and Dragons influences because I’ve been playing it a lot more.
Do you write in more than one genre?
Yes, I write in science fiction and fantasy!
Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention.
What I consider unique about my writing is my take on character driven stories. It’s important for me to represent characters and themes accurately while keeping to that fun, playful, or emotional style that I want to maintain. I enjoy vivid descriptions, powerful themes, and character driven motivations within my writing.
Another thing that I take care in doing is making my worlds feel diverse in races, sexualities, cultures, neurodivergence and etc. I want to make it a place where people feel welcomed and represented, so it’s always a goal for me to have characters and themes fill that mold. I think that everyone can enjoy something within my worlds.
Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing?
I do think my past and my general experiences has shaped how my writing has come through. There are personal issues, traumas, and experiences that come directly through my characters while others come through in more subtle ways. I do say that my humor and general personality also plays a large part in my writing. It makes it feel personal to me since I know how to bring myself through the tale while keeping true to the characters that are most definitely not me.
I think it’s particularly difficult to balance you as an author versus your characters. You want to have just enough of you in the story, but the readers do not want to read about you personally (unless they are reading your autobiography or memoirs then well…they knew what they were signing up for). With Xel, my main character, he has gone through a lot of similar issues that I have but the key is how he has been shaped by it. There’s a balance you need to maintain and it's important for everyone.
What else would be helpful for readers to know about you?
I do think it’s important to know that I’m a very vocal about diversity and equality in my books without making hardcore political statements. I want to make a change both in and out of the industry. The plights of BIPOC, LGBT, and neurodivergent people are often overlooked by readers and publishing companies alike. I’ve taken upon myself as a self-published author to try to make the change that I want to see in the industry while still making it accessible for everyone!
Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why?
I have quite a few recommendations, especially in the self-published realm. I would love more people to read Deck Matthews, Emmet Moss, Bernard Bertram, Verse Atoui, and Renee April. These are all self-published authors that has made amazing books that are grossly underrated. They each have interesting styles with so many different styles. Try them out!
Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why?
I would recommend starting with Tavern. It’s a great start to getting to know my writing style and me as an author. Fantasy is my true passion while science fiction is more of a side project. So, if you wanna start with my work, that’s a good place to go.
Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most?
Oddly enough, it took getting sick to truly start my writing career. After college, I fell upon some hard times and my health degraded. To break through, I decided to get serious about novel writing. I sat down and began writing what would become Tavern. From there, I tried at the traditional publishing route to no avail, so I decided to do some research on self-publishing. I found that it was a good place for me to start. Now, I’m somewhat comfortable and making a name for myself.
What question do you wish you would get asked more often?
A big question that most authors like hearing is “what is your favorite character?” We tend to have a lot of background behind the characters that people don’t get to see.
Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?
“For me, it’s always been a process of trying to convince myself that what I’m doing in a first draft isn’t important.
One way you get through the wall is by convincing yourself that it doesn’t matter. No one is ever going to see your first draft. Nobody cares about your first draft. And that’s the thing that you may be agonizing over, but honestly, whatever you’re doing can be fixed. …
For now, just get the words out. Get the story down however you can get it down, then fix it.” – Neil Gaiman
This one has gotten me through so many problems when drafting. I get so caught up in my own perfection that it didn’t occur to me to just get it down. Now, it’s much easier to draft novels with this in mind.
Follow me on social media! And have a good day
Social media links:
Website : www.djmunden.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Instagram: https://www.
Facebook: https://www.
Book Links:
Tavern: https://www.amazon.
Dusk Mountain Blues: https://www.amazon.com/
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