HomeAuthor InterviewsInterview with Mario Eguiluz

Interview with Mario Eguiluz

Mario Eguiluz is the author of Mastering iOS 14 Programming, we got the chance to sit down with him and find out more about his experience of writing with Packt.

Q: What is/are your specialist tech area(s)?

Mario: iOS

Q: How did you become an author for Packt? Tell us about your journey. What was your motivation for writing this book?

Mario: I started blogging years ago and got contacted by Packt to collaborate in my first book about Swift algorithms and data structure. When I got contacted this second time to write Mastering iOS 14, my motivation was that this book has a broader audience, and the topics to cover are pretty interesting. They include all the new cool stuff that Apple releases in the latest version, so I was thrilled to explore and explain all the new features to the readers.

Q: What kind of research did you do, and how long did you spend researching before beginning the book?

Mario: The research for every chapter is the most time-consuming task. More than building the code and more than writing the chapter itself. The reason is that a lot of the new chapters are about new features that nobody has experience with, so you need to study them properly before explaining them to others.

Q: Did you face any challenges during the writing process? How did you overcome them?

Mario: As every developer know, one will always encounter problems while coding; even if you master the topic, you will still get errors and bugs! The best way to deal with them is perseverance and patience. Take baby-steps back and review the documentation available. And try again until you make it work!

Q: What’s your take on the technologies discussed in the book? Where do you see these technologies heading in the future?

Mario: Some of the technologies or frameworks are very, very cool. The new hand and pose detection can bring a whole new spectrum of workout-related apps. The widgets will also play an important role in the incoming years. App Clips will have its uses, too, in specific niches like shops, bike-sharing, restaurants and more

Q: Why should readers choose this book over others already on the market? How would you differentiate your book from its competition?

Mario: I think this book covers a vast amount of topics that an iOS developer needs in his daily job. The book teaches the most demanded technologies and patterns that an iOS developer needs (networking, core data, protocols, new swift language changes, and new features in iOS14). So even if you are a senior developer, the book will give you a great introduction to the new features that came in iOS 14 and that one may not know yet.

Q: What are the key takeaways you want readers to come away from the book with?

Mario: I wish the readers have a great reading experience, learn something new in every chapter, and build great apps with the book’s concepts.

Q: What advice would you give to readers learning tech? Do you have any top tips?

Mario: Keep learning; never stop doing it. The best developers are those who never stop learning and absorbing knowledge. If you manage to do that for 10-20 years, nothing will stop you.

Q: Do you have a blog that readers can follow?

Mario: I use to blog on www.marioeguiluz.com but lately is not up to date.

Q. Can you share any blogs, websites and forums to help readers gain a holistic view of the tech they are learning?

Mario:For iOS development, I loved https://www.objc.io

Q. How would you describe your author journey with Packt? Would you recommend Packt to aspiring authors?

Mario: Sure. The team was fantastic, helping me at each phase of the book development. It was a pleasure.

Q. Do you belong to any tech community groups?

Mario: Not currently active at any group!

Q. What are your favorite tech journals? How do you keep yourself up to date on tech?

Mario: I like newsletters lately. There are tons of them, and I also use Twitter a lot to follow the latest development trends.

Q. How did you organize, plan, and prioritize your work and write the book?

Mario: It is not an easy task! Evenings, weekends and any free slot I had, I dedicated it to the book.

Q. What is that one writing tip that you found most crucial and would like to share with aspiring authors?

Mario: You really need to know the topic before writing a single word. Research, learn and then write.

You can find Mario’s book on Amazon by clicking on the cover image:

Mastering iOS 14 Programming – Available on Amazon.com