Author Interview-Eric Smith- The Geek's Guide to Dating

Are you a single Geek who wants to find his soul mate, are you tired of being the third wheel in the cog or are you just tired of spending all your down time with Geeks like yourself and are ready to settle down with your very own Geekfriend. Then my friend co-founder of Geekadelphia Eric Smith has your answer. Or maybe you know a single Geek who wants to find that special someone. This would be the perfect Geek stocking stuffer!  

                                                                          

Take it away Eric!

• ISBN-13: 9781594746437
• Publisher: Quirk Publishing
• Publication date: 12/3/2013
• Pages: 208

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 Overview:

You keep your action figures in their original packaging. Your bedsheets are officially licensed Star Wars merchandise. You’re hooked on Elder Scrolls and Metal Gear but now you’ve discovered an even bigger obsession: the new girl who just moved in down the hall. What’s a geek to do?

Praise:
Publishers Weekly:
With Smith stressing understanding and respect for women, this is a welcome alternative to the “pick-up artist” phenomenon courting this same demographic. (Dec.)

From the Publisher

“...this is a welcome alternative to the 'pick-up artist' phenomenon courting this same demographic.”—Publishers Weekly

“[The Geek’s Guide to Dating] offers serious advice for getting a girl and knowing how to keep her…a perfect stocking stuffer!”—Anna Jedrziewski, Retailing Insight

“The Geek’s Guide to Dating is a must-have for anyone who feels like they’re foundering in a dating galaxy far, far away.”—Carrie Tucker, author of I Love Geeks: The Official Handbook

“Single geeks, plunk down your quarters for this book!”—Tara Bennett, co-author of Fringe: September's Notebook and LOST Encyclopedia

Eric, I’m so happy to welcome you to The Reading Frenzy

And I’m happy to be here! Thanks Debbie!

Tell us about your new Geek how-to book The Geek’s Guide To Dating

Sure! So the Geek’s Guide to Dating is a fun, appropriately quirky book that talks about traditional dating through a geek lens. Or maybe not a lens. Maybe a pair of steampunk goggles. Let’s go with that.

Basically the book tries to take things from geek culture, like video games, comic books, and movies, and use them in a way to talk about dating.

What was the catalyst for writing this book?

Well, I’ve been writing about geek culture for years now, starting with my local blog Geekadelphia. I’ve gone on to write about geek life on a number of different places, from the Philadelphia Weekly to websites like Geekosystem. It’s a community I’m passionate about, and really honored to be a part of.

Quirk’s publisher, Jason Rekulak, approached me about taking all the many lessons I’ve learned through out geek culture, and wanted to see if I could frame them up into a dating book. Thus, the book was born. It was challenging and a lot of fun.

Eric I love the cover. Did you create that too?

Thanks! I wish I could draw like that! From the start, Quirk wanted the book to have fun 8-bit illustrations. So they brought on Juan Carlos Solon, an artist from Toronto that I’m a HUGE fan of. I highly recommend checking out his work at kickpixel.com.

What is the Geek’s biggest problem in finding “The One”?

Hm. That’s a good question! It might be narrowing their search to finding a specific person who fits into their very specific niche. Like, if I was obsessed with dating someone who was very into video games, comics, and Futurama… and refused to date anyone who wasn’t.

The result? You close yourself off to a lot of people. Remember, you can always introduce someone to your passions, and subsequently, they can introduce you to new things.

What has been your most positive feedback?

Well, people sure do love the artwork! I think my favorite piece of feedback came from Publishers Weekly, who saw the book as a great alternative to the whole “pick up artist” phenomenon. The book might be fun and silly, full of references to video games and what-not… but it’s also all about respecting those you’re about to date. No pick up artist nonsense here, thank you!

Eric looking at the overview of the novel it seems to be talking about college aged or older. Is there a certain demographic you’re aiming for?

I like to think its targeted to geeks of all ages! But I suppose it does resonate well with people in their teens through early 30’s. The references definitely hit that spot.

Is this guide book only for men or can girl geeks use it too?

It’s definitely written from the male perspective, but sure, it can work for anyone, I think! I mention that a little bit in the opening. A lot of the advice can work for guys and gals.

Eric this isn’t your first foray into authordom. You’ve also written a romantic comedy that started as your senior project. Was it more fun writing fiction or non-fiction?

Ah! Yes. Textual Healing was a fun, major learning experience.  I didn’t know much about publishing when I put that book out on my own. I think I’ve grown a bit, and definitely want to return to writing novels soon!

It was definitely different trying to write non-fiction. I mean, I’ve written it with blogs and various articles… but long form? That was hard. It required a lot more research, a lot of time, a lot of fact checking.

I don’t know, part of me feels like fiction is a lot more personal. You get attached to the characters, to the story, to the world you’re trying to build. You know?

What’s next for you?

Well, I have an awesome literary agent (hi Dawn!) over at Red Sofa Literary, who is actively pitching a YA series I’ve written. Other than that, it’s just more writing! Can’t stop.

Eric, let’s get a little personal. What’s a nice geek like you do on a day off?

If I’m not writing (sometimes writing is my day off), I can usually be found playing video games, kicking back with a few graphic novels, or spending time with my fiancée.

We like to do a lot of flea marketing, boutique shopping, and just love vedging out with a little Hulu or Netflix. Oh! And working on her blog. She actually just started a blog, so I’ve been helping her with that lately. Check out BeautyandBritches.com! 

Thanks Eric for being my guest.

Anytime!

Will there be a tour for this book release?

We’re working on some Philly area events, and some stuff in New York City, but that’s really all we’ve got planned. But hey, if the book really takes off, who knows!

Connect with Eric – Website - Twitter - Facebook

Meet the Author:
Eric Smith is the cofounder of Geekadelphia, a popular blog covering all-that-is-geek in the City of Brotherly Love, as well as the Philadelphia Geek Awards, an annual awards show held at the Academy of Natural Sciences. He’s written for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Weekly, and Philly.com.