This “novel of lunch and mayhem” was inspired by the desire to make his kids laugh. It succeeds.He’s already near ready to release his next book, Very Truly Run After, but before he does, Will Duquette does a “fast take” with Aleteia regarding his highly imaginative novel Vikings at Dino’s: A Novel of Lunch and Mayhem, released by Zymurgia House.
1) What inspired the book?
I had a new iPad and external keyboard, and I felt like I needed to justify the purchase. Plus, I wanted to write a novel that would make my kids laugh; but I should add that at the time my kids ranged from high school to elementary school, and they’d all listened with great appreciation to vast swathes of Terry Pratchett. And then I said, I want to write a novel that starts with a completely implausible situation … and then have great fun making sense of it. The Vikings showed up in the hamburger joint a few minutes later.
2) If you could give this book another title, what would it be?
If I knew, I’d have done it. Vikings at Dino’s was only supposed to be the working title, but I’ve never come up with one I like better.
3) What person in this book do you most personally identify with?
Michael, the hero and first-person narrator—but only because the tale is told from his point of view, and so I have to get seriously into his head. He’s a software engineer, but other than we’re not particularly alike.
4) If there is one person you want to reach with this book, who would that be?
I’d like to reach that one person who will enjoy it so thoroughly that he’ll tell all of his friends and buy copies for everyone he knows. That guy. You know.
5) What is the ideal beverage to have in hand while reading your book?
Probably a nice Newcastle Brown, but really, anything that pairs well with a cheeseburger and fries. Alternatively, a nice single malt, so long as you’re careful to sip it between spit takes.
