Dyrk Ashton

 I write in the fantasy genre, more specifically Epic Urban Fantasy and Progression Fantasy.

I grew up in rural northwestern Ohio, with pastures, woods, creeks and rivers to explore. I think the sense of wonder I developed at that time has definitely influenced my writing.

I've been a lover of fantasy since a very early age, beginning with Dr. Seuss and all those children's books with talking animals. The Hobbit, The Chronicles of Narnia, Stuart Little, and The Borrowers were early favorites that still stick with me today.

I'd love to be able to write prose like Tolkien, Zelazny, Scott Lynch, or Josiah Bancroft. Very different styles, but I'd be thrilled if I could compare to any one of them.

Oh boy, that's a hard one! I'm going to have to just go with the first five that come to mind. J.R.R. Tolkien and HP Lovecraft for the classics, and probably for current authors, M.R. Carey, Nicholas Eames, and Josiah Bancroft.

That's an interesting question, because I don't know if I've ever gifted book other than the ones I've written.

My first reaction would be none of them, though with further thought I suppose there are elements of both Fi and Zeke in The Paternus Trilogy, and of Zee in the Kraken Rider Z trilogy.

Again, my first reaction would be none of them, though I may have a special fondness for what I was able to do with Wrath of Gods, the second book in The Paternus Trilogy.

I wrote nearly all of the first two books of The Paternus Trilogy at coffee shops, and the third book at a small desk in my bedroom. The books in Kraken Rider Z I've written in a newly renovated basement office with nice bookshelves and fantasy art on the walls, watched all the while by a collection of Funko Pops :D

I can read anywhere, but I do the vast majority of my reading sitting up in bed before it's time to sleep because that's really the only time I have for reading. Ideally, I suppose it would be nice to read in a comfy chair with a foot rest surrounded by my collection books. I have such a place, but I never seem to be able to take advantage of it.