Rob Dircks - Sci-Fi Odyssey With a Big Helping of Nikola Tesla

Rob Dircks - Sci-Fi Odyssey With a Big Helping of Nikola Tesla
author of the day

When Rob Dircks isn't helping other authors to get published or recording podcasts and audiobooks, he writes riveting novels. His book, Where the Hell is Tesla, boasts a near-perfect Amazon score and has been likened to the work of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. As our Author of The Day, Dircks talks about publishing, how his characters tend to go off on their own and reveals how fans convinced him to write a sequel.

Please give us a short introduction to what Where the Hell is Tesla? is about.

Where the Hell is Tesla? is a science fiction comedy about Chip, a less-than-motivated security guard who finds the lost journal of Nikola Tesla and talks his best friend Pete into exploring Tesla’s secret invention, the Interdimensional Transfer Apparatus. They bounce from one misadventure to the next trying to get home until the existence of the entire multiverse winds up depending on these two unlikely heroes. Throughout, Chip pines for the love that slipped through his fingers, and fights to win her back. So it’s actually a sci-fi odyssey, a comedy, and a love story – with a big helping of Nikola Tesla thrown in. 

What inspired you to write about Nikola Tesla?

Ever since elementary school, I’ve been into comics, then sci-fi books and movies, and I’ve got this fascination with conspiracy theories. They're very out-there, and usually hilarious. One in particular that I always thought was cool was the theory that Nikola Tesla, in his later years, kept a series of secret journals that contained plans for advanced technologies, some of which might be used as weapons, or as free energy for all. The story goes that the government (of course) took these journals upon his death, and they were never seen again. At some point I said to myself: What if Tesla had something REALLY crazy in those journals? Like an Interdimensional Transfer Apparatus? (Also, the fact that New York was home to Tesla, one of history’s great inventors, responsible for alternating current, radio, x-rays, and more — and we don't hear much about him — made him even more intriguing to me.)

Tell us a bit more about your main character, Chip - who is he and what makes him so special?

In most ways, Chip isn’t special at all. He’s such a regular guy, kind of unmotivated, lets his friend Pete pay for beers, is trying to figure out relationships just like the rest of us, etc. And that’s where most of the humor in the book comes from – this regular guy thrown into absolute craziness.  What makes him a little different is his off-kilter, roll-with-it attitude, his loyalty to his friends, and his sometimes surprising sensitivity. 

Your book has been compared to the DiscWorld Series and Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy. Are you a fan of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams?

I wouldn’t say I’m fanatic, like I’ve read all their books or anything, but they’re both excellent writers, Hitchhiker’s Guide was hilarious, and Good Omens by Pratchett and Gaiman is one of my favorite books – the humor and the heart mixed in with the action was perfect. 

You help other authors publish their own work. What would you say is the hardest thing about being an author?

Wow, there are so many things, it’s difficult to pick the hardest! I’d say aside from climbing the Mount Everest of actually writing a novel – which you could write many, many posts about – maybe one of the hardest things is that modern writers not only have to write their book, but market themselves. Unless you’re a big brand name like Stephen King or James Patterson, the work of cultivating a following, pitching your work, looking for opportunities, and moving copies is falling more and more on an author’s shoulders. 

Where do you see publishing going in the future?

I’d continue what I said to the previous question, about the author becoming more in charge of the success of their “brand,” whether they’re self-published or published traditionally. I think self-publishing will continue to mature (not necessarily grow like crazy), that the traditional big publishers will pick up higher-profile authors and help them gain greater readership, and that the middle ground of “assisted publishing” will grow and mature as well. That’s where Goldfinch Publishing fits in, actually – helping authors who want to write but don’t necessarily have the time, tools, or know-how to get a book out there and start to promote it. 


A lot of your readers say this is the funniest book they have ever read. What is your secret to writing humor that works?

I don’t think there’s one secret, it’s more like a mish-mash of things, like taking a normal guy and throwing him into a comic world, setting up a personal dynamic that lets two friends argue but still love each other (the classic “buddy comedy”), unexpected surprises at the least opportune moments, farcical situations, even slapstick. But above it all, and I know this’ll sound corny, but above it all is heart. There has to be a real, emotional bond with a character that makes you want to laugh along with them, or laugh at their pain but still be on their side, or laugh at the crazy world through their eyes. 

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I love audio recording and voiceover. In fact, I’ve narrated and recorded both of my sci-fi novels, and have gotten incredible response to it. I love everything about the process. So much so that I’m also writing, narrating, and producing a monthly podcast of free sci-fi audio shorts called Listen to the Signal (http://listentothesignal.com). And I also play a pretty mean ukulele. 

Are you working on a sequel? Will we be seeing more of Chip and Pete?

As a matter of fact, I’m in the middle of the sequel right now! When I finished Where the Hell is Tesla? I didn’t think I was a sequel kind of guy, but the response has been great, and so many people have asked about a sequel, and I’ve caught myself thinking things like “I wonder what happens to Bobo?” and “Does Chip really never see Tesla again?” So I dove into the deep end!

If you could pick a dimension to visit in your multiverse, where would you go?

I kind of fell in love with the idea of a lighter-gravity dimension, where folks from our dimension are super-strong and can leap a half a mile. That’s sort of a sci-fi/superhero/geek fantasy I’d love to indulge. 

The book contains a lot of twists - did you plan them all out before you started writing or did they just "happen" along the way?

I definitely had an outline for the book, the three-act structure, the major plot points, but I’m almost hesitant to admit, I don’t know why, that there was a LOT of “pantsing” going on. I would just get into the characters, and there would be entire chapters where I literally didn’t know what was coming out of my fingers onto the keyboard. It was wonderful. 

Do you have any interesting writing habits? How do you manage to actually finish a book? When's the best time of the day for you to write?

I try to meditate and journal a little before I write, clear out the old head and make way for some fresh ideas. And I play a lot of instrumental music, and customize it to what I’m writing. Like if I’m writing an action scene, I’ll go to YouTube and play “5 Hours of Epic Adventure Soundtracks” or something. Regarding time, I still manage my ad agency full time, so the writing is early, late, whenever I can fit it in.

 Actually finishing a book? There was definitely a day not too long ago that I wouldn’t believe I could ever write 50,000 words. But if you just keep chipping away at the mountain, one scene at a time, one day at a time, you eventually get to the summit. And the view from there is awesome. 

Do any of your characters ever take off on their own tangent and refuse to do what you had planned for them?

TOTALLY. For example, in Where the Hell is Tesla?, I found myself constantly trying to push Bobo into doing something, and having him push back, saying “Bobo wouldn’t do that.” It happens all the time. It’s almost like you’re writing with your character, throwing ideas out there and deciding together whether something works or not. 

Can you tell us a little about your latest novel, The Wrong Unit

The Wrong Unit is about a “unit” named Heyoo with a problem: how to deliver his package, out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to guide him. Oh, and with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance. It’s a science fiction tale of technology gone haywire, unlikely heroes, and the nature of humanity. (Woah. That last part sounds deep. Don’t worry, it’s not.)

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

My website is robdircks.com, my podcast is ListenToTheSignal.com (free sci-fi audio shorts every month), my Twitter handle is @RobDircks, my Goodreads page is goodreads.com/robdircks, and my facebook page is facebook.com/robdircksauthor

This deal has ended but you can read more about the book here.