Photography: Mario Escobar, Facebook profile.
Mario escobar He is from Madrid. With a degree in History and a Diploma in Advanced Studies specializing in Modern History, he writes novels, essays and articles, as well as giving lectures. He started self-publishing and now has sold thousands of books. Thank you very much for the attention and time devoted to this interview where he talks about his career and other topics.
Mario Escobar—Interview
- ACTUALIDAD LITERATURA: You write historical novels, detective novels, science fiction, biography... What genre do you think you perform best in?
MARIO ESCOBAR: I like to think that I am a seeker of stories, I do not choose them based on their genre, rather I am concerned that they contribute something to the readers. It is true that as a historian I really enjoy researching historical novels, but the fast-paced plot of police stories also fascinates me.
- AL: Can you remember any of your first readings? And the first story you wrote?
ME: One of the first books I read was Around the world with Korilú, a children's novel in which the traveling spirit guided you around the world. Also all the stories Julio Verne and several illustrated biographies that came out with the Bruguera publishing house. Another of the books that I read as a child was the Biblia.
I wrote several plays of those swashbuckling, then urban stories and a series of short stories. Unfortunately I don't keep them. The first book I tried to write as a teenager was The house of wisdom. In this novel he narrated the Abderrahman's journey from Damascus to CórdobaI never got to finish the book.
- AL: A head writer? You can choose more than one and from all eras.
ME: One of my favorites was always Stephen King, but I have also been a great lover of XNUMXth century books and authors like Margarite Yourcenar, Robert Graves or Gore Vidal.
- AL: What character in a book would you have liked to meet and create?
me: without a doubt Don Quijote de la Mancha y Sherlock Holmes. I find them two fascinating characters, very similar deep down. Both fight for good in their own way and give rise to the other characters telling their stories.
- AL: Any special habits or habits when it comes to writing or reading?
ME: I don't have many hobbies. I like to write listening classical musicbut I don't always do it. Before, I wrote very early in the morning, but now I don't care if I do it at one time or another.
- AL: And your preferred place and time to do it?
ME:PI mean write in the morning, but I always do a thousand things before putting on and at the end I end up doing it in the afternoonBut deep down I don't really care. When I start to tell a story I forget everything around me.
- AL: Are there other genres that you like?
ME: I like them almost every, although the least romantic literature, but from science fiction, going through crime or historical novel, I do not disgust anything. I can't stand pretentious or excessively symbolic books.
- AL: What are you reading now? And writing?
ME: Right now I'm reading Andrea Camilleri, I want to enjoy your 33 books about your character Montalbano. I am also reading posteguillo, his second book on the emperor Trajan. In essay I am involved in a book that talks about artificial intelligence and I have just finished several biographies about Camilo Cienfuegos. That is exactly the subject of the book that I am writing at this moment. Its titled the village commander and it goes about the Cuban Revolution and one of its most emblematic heroes.
- AL: How do you think the publishing scene is and what made you decide to try to publish?
ME: The publishing world is very changeable. We have spent several years absorbing large publishers against small ones. This makes it difficult to choose a publisher and overly concentrates the market. Another problem is that too many novelties are published and books are not allowed to endure on the tables of bookstores. Publishers only promote the books of the most famous authors.
It took me four years to publish my first novel, after dozens of rejections, my third novel managed to be published in 2006. Since then I have not stopped publishing. My books have come out in more than twelve languages, in fact I sell much more in English or Polish than in Spanish. Since 2012 I also started self-publishing on Amazon. Usually I get four books a year or five, in three or four different publishers.
- AL: Is the moment of crisis that we are experiencing being difficult for you or will you be able to keep something positive for future stories?
ME: The truth is that 2020 and 2021 have been the years that I have sold the most books and projects. This year is also being very good and for next year two historical novels, one essay and two crime novels will initially be released. I can not complain. I believe that the secret to publishing so much is to work frantically and not wait to see what happens with your previous book.