Thursday 26 June 2014

Felix Faust (The Arcane Insurrection #1) by Dexter Morgenstern: Interview

Felix Faust (The Arcane Insurrection #1)
by Dexter Morgenstern


Felix Faust is a nineteen-year-old semi-genius who has just been accepted into a prestigious college. He discovered telekinesis at an early age and has used it discreetly for his own entertainment.Felix finds himself displeased and malcontent with everything he encounters in the school, except for one student. This other student shares Felix’s gift, and is much stronger, capable of abilities Felix never thought possible. Now a new door opens for Felix as he is mentored and develops his psychic abilities, but this door also brings danger as malevolent forces set their eyes upon him. Tragedy and destruction follow Felix, leaving him no choice but to continue growing and fight back, but danger follows him every step of the way, and failure means death…

The plot contains profanity, violence, and mild sexual content.

Paperback, 1st, 356 pages
Published June 12th 2012 by Createspace


Dexter is a writer and game-enthusiast from North Carolina. He was homeschooled by his parents after being diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Being a creative, highly-motivated individual, Dexter officially began writing books at the age of fifteen, and published his first novel "Felix Faust," at seventeen. When he is not writing, Dexter spends much of his time gaming, studying, or contemplating new plot details and stories in his head. Dexter's ultimate goal is to get a degree in Robotics and contribute to the subjugation of humanity by artificial intelligence.

Email:  Dexter.m@dextermorgenstern.com
Q & A with Dexter Morgenstern

Q:  Tell us a little bit about your main characters.
A: 
My main character, Felix Faust, is an arrogant young-adult with psychic abilities. I felt someone with his upbringing and intellect would naturally have a sense of superiority and be put off by the average peer, but when he meets Randy, a more powerful, slightly less arrogant psychic, he realizes he has a long way to goo. Although Felix's sense of superiority can make many readers dislike him, he does have a sense of loyalty and respect for certain people, which allows for some synergy between him and Randy. After all, two hard-headed students with supernatural gifts can make a great team. I think 

Q:  Who designs the covers for your books and what is that process like for you as an author? 
 A:  So far, the development of my book covers has been aided by different people I'm close to, or at least family friends. I generally imagine the concept and work with someone I know to have the idea brought to picture. For me, that works out quite well since I prefer networking with people I know over buying some stock image. Plus, when the books do become more popular, the cover artist can also receive credit, so it's helping more people than just me. I would like to eventually be able to do them myself, but for now I am content with just imagining the concept and passing them on to people who are actually competent in graphic design.

 Q:  How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?
A: 
As a military brat, I've traveled far from the American South, where I was born. Being able to see different countries and states has definitely aided me in constructing my settings and the cultures of my characters. Being raised with Asperger's, I was homeschooled, and if I'd been subjected to public school through any more of my growing years, I probably wouldn't have started writing in the first place. Homeschool enabled me to locate my creative strengths and ambitions, and make something out of myself.

Q:  What is the best advice you have been given?
A: 
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me."

That pretty much sums it up. I--much like everyone else--have been encouraged to follow my dreams, work hard, think critically, never give up, pursue my talents... you name it. That's all good advice, but if it's so good, why doesn't it seem to work for a lot of people? My guess is: they let those words get to them, or those sticks and stones (self-defense is important, too). So any ad hominems, any rejections, buzzkills... any non-constructive negativity words that come my way, I brusg off, or briefly complain about, and then it's in the past. That mentality enables me to work hard and follow my dreams, and all the other advice people have given me,

Q:  What do you do to unwind and relax?
A: 
Pacing is often therapeutic do to my hyperactive nature, so I often pace to my favorite music. If the music is particularly effective in its job, I may end up *cough* prancing.

Q:  As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A:  Accomplished, generally speaking. My pursuits ranged from becoming an astronaut, to becoming an aerospace engineer, to an airplane pilot, an actor, and an author. Heck, I'd still like to do all of those things. I've got the author part down, but I'm still working on that degree.

 Q:  Which do you prefer, hard/paperbacks or ebooks?
A: 
It depends, because they each have their pros and cons. I am a fan of having both, really, because if I'm relaxing at home, a printed book feels more natural, but out in public, having an e-book on my smartphone is quite convenient.

Q:  What book are you reading now?
A: 
I typically do more writing than I do reading. Actually, that's not true. I spend a lot of time reading school texts for, well... school. That eats up most of my reading time (during my work commute), but I am focusing on a book by another independent author I'm acquainted with, and once that's done, the Malazan series has been recommended to me, so I'll give that a shot."

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