Today we’d like to introduce you to Guy Quintero
Hi Guy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started as a young boy with a love for the nerdier things. Fantasy and horror was always something that I felt drawn toward even during a time when it was expected of me to focus on only sports. My friends and I entertained each other with dice and paper role playing games that required us to use our imaginations extensively. As I grew older I found myself desiring to write my own novels, believing I could provide the same entertainment value to my future readers. My stories are about a clandestine agency that recruits combat veterans and psychics to battle supernatural terrors. Applying my operational experience as a veteran with my love for the occult and the darker elements of biblical theology. The stuff average Christians are scared to talk about.
The journey to becoming an author has been a rollercoaster ride, with its ups and downs. I would say my greatest hurdle was dealing with racism in the mainstream literary community. I had constantly endured rejection, while being told that I had a great vision. It wasn’t until a gentleman replied back with a stern warning that I was not what the industry was looking for and that publishers wouldn’t take a chance on me, that my romantic blinders for the industry were removed. I was seeing clearly for the first time, curious as to what that gentleman had meant.
As I went through yet another agency’s webpage I had seen what I always did. “We are looking for BIPOC (black indigenous people of color) authors.” Yet this time the words hit differently when I read them. I decided to take a look at the BIPOC authors that had been accepted. What I learned was sad, frustrating, and a little disheartening. These major agencies and publishers were indeed looking for BIPOC authors, but only those individuals that wrote about the ghetto, black struggle, urban influenced genres. They weren’t looking to help black authors seeking to meld homogenously with the community, rather they were placing black authors into a segregated category. Which at the time outraged me, because there was more to being black than urban, ghetto struggles, pan-africanism, and criminal culture. This was also alarming because the main stream literary world is a major gatekeeper to the thought processes and consciousness of western culture. Black people were being reduced to caricatures of extremist idealism, not to mention segregation was still alive and well in the community, They wanted black authors, that were controlled and limited to their whims. This was a disingenuous attempt at racial harmony and inclusion. Which opened my eyes even more after realizing the plethora of publishers and agents that were doing this. Segregation was still alive and well, and being enforced. It just went covert and into avenues that wouldn’t be readily identified by the average person. I think what hurt the most was that I didn’t see skin color. My work has heroes from all backgrounds, genders, and ethnic backgrounds.
I moved forward regardless of the pitfalls and impediments I discovered. I went the independent route forming my own publishing company. And with the help of so many wonderful supporters, my third novel ‘Door to Darkness’ has reached number two for world wide distribution on IngrahamSpark’s list for Military/Thrillers/Fiction novels. So I hope that my story here inspires others from all walks of life to pursue their dreams. You only fail when you quit.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Nothing worth doing is ever easy. I’ve always tried to put my best foot forward with everything that I do. Writing a novel is not easy. There’s a lot of time and emotion that goes into it. The launches can be exhausting. But, it’s all worth it when someone buys your work with their hard earned money, and enjoys it. That makes everything worthwhile.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an author that writes about a clandestine agency that recruits combat veterans and psychics to battle supernatural terrors. A few readers have likened it to Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six meets Supernatural or X-files. I love to incorporate my operational experience from my military career as a reconnaissance soldier, and my love for the occult. My work combines lots of action, mystery, thrills, and drama with the darker elements of theology that most christians are scared to touch. Agents battle rabid zombies, maniacal dark sorcerers, ferocious werewolves, unhinged back water cultists, blood thirsty and sadistic vampires, nefarious demons, and fallen angels with reality warping powers. All in an effort to protect the civilian population from these horrors that go bump in night. The men and women of the U.S.A Unholy Slaying Agency are fighting battles against darkness that they might not always win.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
My wild imagination is what I believe allows me to entertain my readers. It’s still very much grounded in a logic that is easy to follow, keeping the readers immersed in the world. I don’t like to purposefully subvert expectations simply for the sake of it. Rather, I tell a story that makes sense, while always keeping my readers on their toes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://guyquintero.com
- Instagram: @GuyQuintero
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/guy.quintero.73
- Other: https://discord.gg/2z8GY6Zt
