Here on Diane Capri Reveals, we’ve featured some of the biggest names in our genre, including my friends and colleagues Lee Child, the father of Rambo, David Morrell, my colleague at the Bar, Steve Berry, the dynamite writing duos Maxine Paetro (and James Patterson), Grant Blackwood (and James Rollins), and more. You can check out those posts by clicking HERE.
For the next few weeks, by popular demand, we’re introducing Licensed to Thrill readers to new authors and new voices in this continuing series focused on Indie Authors.
Today, it’s my pleasure to feature the award winning and best selling indie author Fabio Bueno who has taken the world by storm with his very first published novel. Fabio writes Young Adult/Urban Fantasy/Paranormal novels. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and kids. When not writing or reading, he geeks out with family and friends, solidifies his reputation as the world’s slowest runner, and acts very snobbish about movies. Even so, he’s very lovable. Just look at that face!
Fabio Bueno
Diane Capri: Tell us about your new book that’s been such a hit with readers, Fabio. Who knew witches inhabit our world, organized in covens and hiding behind a shroud of secrecy—the Veil? The cover art is beautiful!
Fabio Bueno: I’ve just released Wicked Sense, a YA paranormal romance. It tells the story of an unusual couple: a teen British witch who goes to a Seattle high school on a mission and the nice guy who falls in love with her. I loved writing it: it’s told in alternating chapters between the two protagonists, so I got to write both points-of-view. I added a sprinkle of romantic comedy too. The novel is getting a fantastic response.
Diane Capri: Wicked Sense won 1st place at the Sandy Literary Contest – YA category, which is very impressive.
Fabio Bueno: Thank you. It’s the first book in The Singularity Series; the second book in the series will be released in early 2013.
Diane Capri: You seem to have a keen grasp of high school culture. What group did you hang out with in high school?
Fabio Bueno: In high school, I was in search of an identity, like much of us were. I ended up turning into a geek who played sports, got A’s, skipped class, and listened to heavy metal. You’d guess I belonged to all tribes, but that was not the case: because I had no defined characteristic, I didn’t truly belong to any of them. I ended up with that old feeling of “not fitting in”—which is very high-schooley.
Diane Capri: Too true. I remember it well. I’ve never been brave enough to attend a high school reunion. Have you? What did you learn?
Fabio Bueno: I did attend our first reunion last year! I was reticent to go—I didn’t know what to expect. But after a few minutes, I’ve learned that everyone was feeling the same way. It wasn’t awkward at all. With some folks, we picked up the conversation where we had left it a few years before. They were all grown up, and they had grown into their looks. The cliques had pretty much vanished. We revisited some memorable moments and had fun remembering crushes on one another. We all had a great time. We’re already planning the next reunion on Facebook J. If you’d like to know more about the reunion, I wrote about it on my blog, Back to High School.
Diane Capri: Even though Wicked Sense is your first published novel, you’ve been writing a long time. At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
Fabio Bueno: Like many kids, I started writing very early. I wrote terrible stories at home, but my writing assignments at school got high grades, which was an incentive (I wish I still had some of those). When I was fourteen, I wrote two articles for a small-town newspaper, and they offered me a bi-monthly column. But I was lazy, dumb, and scared, and I didn’t take it. Since then, I went back to writing a few times: short stories in high school, a novel right after college, screenplays a few years ago. Finally, I decided to take writing seriously (not an early mid-life crisis, by the way :), and the result so far has been three novels. Wicked Sense is the first one to be published. So, I’ve “decided” to be a writer many times, but the decision to become a professional writer is recent. And now I wonder why I didn’t start earlier. *smiles*
Diane Capri: It takes a certain amount of bravery to be a writer because putting ourselves out there is quite risky. We never know how readers will react to our work. But you’re brave in more ways that one, hmmmmm? What the heck is going on in this photo?
Fabio Bueno Can Fly!
Fabio Bueno: In January, my friends and I bought Groupons for trapeze lessons on a whim. We had no experience, but we went anyway. It was great! As it turns out, I’m not bad at all. With a little strength and a little flexibility (well, and a lot of courage), I was able to swing and time correctly a catch by the trapeze artist. On my second time, I was flying towards the catcher! I felt like Iron Man: “Yeah. I can fly.” *laughs*
Thanks for a fun interview, Diane!
Diane Capri: It was great to have you with us, Fabio. And readers can connect with Fabio Bueno online in several places, including his website: http://fabiobueno.com and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FabioBueno.Author
So fun to learn more about the fabulous Fabio! Thanks for a great interview guys!!
Hi, Julie! LOL at “fabulous Fabio.” 🙂 Maybe I’ll use it as my pen name sometime in the future… Thanks for stopping by!
The Fabulous Fabio, indeed! If this writing thing doesn’t work out, he’s got a career as a member of the Flying Welendas, right? 😀 Thanks for stopping by, Julie!
Hey! I thought I was the world’s slowest runner. Never mind, I’ll defer to you on that one, Fabio. What a fun interview. Thanks, Fabio and Diane!
Pat, I’m pretty sure I’m the slowest runner. We can race for the title, and the one who comes last–wins! Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for reading, Pat, but I was very reluctant to let Fabio steal that slowest runner title from me!! 🙂
I adore Wicked Sense. It’s such a neat concept, where the witches are almost like the “regular” people, except they possess specific charms (I want some of them, sigh), and can perform certain spells. But they are not the creatures straight from the fantasy novels, where they have amazing powers and their spells can change the world. In Fabio’s novel, the witches fit perfectly in the human world and appear to be just very ordinary. Their charms vary from on to another, and can’t be acquired in any way. These witches are born with them. That’s what I like the most about Wicked sense – a different outlook at what many readers associate with word “witch”. Plus, of course, Fabio’s voice is fantastic. I can hardly wait for the second book in The Singularity Series.
Angela! Thanks so much for your nice words, and for your help bringing Wicked Sense to life. See you tonight at the critique meeting 🙂
Wait – Angela – you mean witches are not like regular people??? WOW! I guess those mean girls I met in high school don’t qualify after all! 😀 Thanks for reading and for such a thoughtful comment!
Diane, thanks for revealing Fabio! I have Wicked Sense on my TBR list. 🙂
Thanks for reading, Jennette, and we’re looking forward to Revealing YOU!
Thank you for the visit, Jen! I hope you enjoy Wicked Sense!
Love getting to know more of the Fabulous Fabio! Good luck with Wicked Sense!
Thanks for reading, Alicia!
Thanks, Alicia! Hey, you just gave me an idea: “Fabulous Fabio” could be my trapeze artist name! 🙂
Hey! That was my idea! You already stole the slowest runner title!! 😀
Great interview Diane! Loved getting to know more about you, Fabio. I’m afraid I’d have been too chicken to do the trapeze thing. Looks like you had fun though. Kudo to you for your bravery. 🙂
It wasn’t easy, Rhonda. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go, but now I’m glad I did. It was exhilarating! I recommend it.
I know what you mean, Rhonda — I am totally jealous that Fabio did this (but not jealous enough to try it myself!). Thanks for stopping by!
Great interview, Diane. I love the cover of Wicked Sense, Fabio. And I’m thrilled to know someone who took trapeze lessons!
Thank you, Karla! The cover was designed by my friend and critique partner Martina Elise Dalton. I just love it!
I totally agree, Karla! What a gorgeous book Wicked Sense is — and a great read, too!
I have Wicked Sense on my TBR pile and am looking forward to reading it. It was great to find out more about you, Fabio. Thanks for the wonderful interview!
Thanks for adding Wicked Sense to your TBR list, Sheila. Diane has a knack for great interviews, doesn’t she? She made me look good 🙂
See, Sheila? First he swipes my slowest runner title, then my idea for his trapeze name, and now he wants to suck up by saying I made him look good! Ha! Don’t let him kid you, — he doesn’t need any help from me to “look good”! 😀
Love this interview, Diane. It’s cool learning more about ‘Fabulous Fabio.’ I agree that’s a perfect trapeze name for you, Fabio! I finsihed Wicked Sense the other day and enjoyed it very much. I’m looking forward to book 2. Isn’t it something how most of us felt like we didn’t fit in back in our high school years and many years later realize we weren’t the only ones who had those feelings? Best wishes with all your books, Fabio.
Thank you, Lynn! My daughter finished “Curse of Double Digits.” She loved it!
You’re right about high school–at the reunion, we felt a stronger connection than when had had when we were still in school. Weird…
Fabio is ever so much braver than me, Lynn. I’ve never had the courage to go back to my high school reunions! Thanks for reading and the lovely comment!
What a fun interview! I love how you combined things about his personality and information about the book. Really great!
Thanks, Emma. Fabio made my job easy. 🙂
Hi, Emma. This was all Diane! She has a way of weaving all those loose bits of information together. It was fun connecting the book’s high school setting to my own experiences in high school.
Hey, Fabio! Great to see you here. You’re an interesting guy. Slow runner, and a trapeze artist (and I’d win last place in a race, so you and Pat are going to lose that one…sorry). Love the cover…but then I have since the first time I saw it. Wishing you much success with Wicked Sense. 🙂
Thanks, Kristy! You know, there’s a scene in Wicked Sense where everyone runs past our heroine. Let’s just say I didn’t have to do any additional research for that scene 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Kristy. Fabio’s a good subject for an interview. He made my job easy!
I wish I was brave enough to try trapeze lessons. I drove by a trapeze school the other day in DC..and wondered what it would be like. just for a moment! Then I realized that for me, probably a very bad thing lol. Too short, round, and clutsy. Ah well…I’ll live vicariously through you! Best of luck with Wicked Sense Fabio!
Melinda, I’ll do it if you will! 😀
Thanks for a wonderful interview, Diane!
Fabio, I have “Wicked Sense” waiting patiently in my Kindle, and when I finish my current read, it will be next in line. Can’t wait!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Laura, and I’m glad you enjoyed “The Fabulous Fabio!”