Interview by Brock Eastman Featuring the Glass Castle The Glass Castle is an exciting new series about four kids who take control of an underground network of kidnapped children and work diligently to reunite these kids with their parents. The Glass Castle starts off our series with all the intrigue and adventure one would hope for. Brock: Thanks, Trisha and Jerry, for giving us an inside look on your new release The Glass Castle. Trisha and Jerry: Thanks for taking interest in the book! Brock: First, why did you choose to write a middle-grade adventure novel? Trisha: I grew up in the home of two high school teachers who maintained the policy that before I could read a book from the library, they either had to be familiar with the author or have read the book. I would spend hours in our tiny local library perfecting my stack of paperbacks, only to return most of them to the shelves before checking out because they didn’t meet the requirements. When I was in sixth grade I decided I wanted to write novels someday that would be parent-trusted and kid-approved. Now that I think about it, it sounds like a decent cereal ad. Also, kids write the best fan letters imaginable. Who wouldn’t want to write for kids? Jerry: I was honored when Trisha asked me to come alongside. I have grandchildren the age of the readership, and Trisha has been a great assistant and writing student. Brock: As a parent I know how important it is to find good media safe for my kids. In five sentences, tell us about The Glass Castle? Trisha and Jerry: The king is growing old and is concerned about who will replace him. His new wife wants to produce an heir to the throne, but the problem is, thirteen years ago, the king’s first wife gave birth to a son, and no one knows for sure what happened to him. The solution is simple: dispose of all the thirteen-year-olds in the kingdom. Avery, Kate, Tuck, and Kendrick take charge of an underground network of sequestered teens. The secrets they uncover—specifically the identity of one amongst them—could blow the kingdom apart. Brock: Can you give us a unique trait of each of the characters, not revealed in the book? Trisha and Jerry: Avery is lonely. Tuck is restless. Kate is accountable. Kendrick is terrified. Brock: What do you hope readers will take away from this story? Trisha and Jerry: Kids are capable of doing extraordinary good long before they reach adulthood. Adults don’t give kids enough credit, and kids need to believe they are able to make an eternal impact. Brock: Can we expect more titles in this series, and if so can you give us a clue to what each will be about? Trisha and Jerry: Yes! Book two is underway. The Ruby Moon opens as preparations begin for the upcoming Olympiads. Dignitaries are coming. Athletes are training. In a moment of goodwill, the king announces that all members of the kingdom—adults and children alike—will be allowed to attend the Olympiads freely without discrimination. Lucky break or royal trap? Everyone knows the queen is still on the hunt for the king’s rightful heir, and now children are disappearing from their place of hiding. When Avery learns that a runner is needed for an important race, she steps up. If she wins, she will be granted an audience with the king. If she loses, she will face a trip to the gallows. Much is at stake while the kingdom enjoys the greatest games on earth. Brock: What are some of the challenges faced by authors collaborating on a project? Trisha: Hands down, the biggest challenge for me was preparing to send my chapters to a ridiculously talented and prolific writer and then bracing myself for his precise (albeit sometimes sarcastic) replies. Writing with Jerry has been the privilege and education of a lifetime. Also, he’d probably like to re-write this paragraph. Jerry: Surely Trisha means sarcastic in the way one teases a younger sister. The idea, the story, the writing, the creation were all hers. I really served as the initial substantive editor. Brock: What was the process for the two of you to write this series? Trisha: We sent a few million e-mails back and forth. I wrote the rough draft, he fixed draft two, I filled in the gaps (and answered his witty comments in the margins) on draft three, and then we sent it to the publisher. Jerry: As I say, she was the creator, I was the reactor. Brock: Trisha, share with us how your got involved with Jerry? Trisha: I’ve had the incredible privilege of learning from Jerry about writing for many years. I first studied writing by reading his books, and then I graduated to attending his conferences, and eventually I worked as one of his assistants. In January, when he opened The Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, I was one of the first to sign up. Brock: Thanks again for answering some questions and pulling back the cover on The Glass Castle. Trisha and Jerry: Thank you for the invitation! The book continues to do well, and we are grateful for every reader who takes the time to enjoy the story.
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Interview by Brock Eastman Featuring Dreamtreaders, Book One I recall the first time I saw a Wayne Thomas Batson book, I was in a Borders (I miss those stores and their apple cider) in Peoria, Illinois. There on a table in the teen section sat Isle of Swords, I couldn’t help but pick it up and read the back cover. At the time I had just finished college, and hadn’t yet been immersed in the world of publishing. Still I was drawn in by the story and quickly made the purchase. Well I’m proud to say that 7 years later and almost as many books, Batson is still delivering exciting fiction. Without another word, check out my interview with him about his new series. Brock: How did you come up with the idea for Dreamtreaders? Wayne: I found an article online about the science of dreams. It blew me away. I mean, dreams have always been a curiosity. Sometimes they leave us with such a feeling of “I’ve been somewhere new” or “That was so real.” But to discover that there is actually a field of science devoted to dreaming, that was news to me. After a little more research, I realized that dreams may be worth exploring in fiction. Brock: That sounds cool. I know I’ve woken up in the middle night, thinking wow that was just weird. Tell us about the main characters? Wayne: Archer Keaton has the same issues as any other high school freshman: fitting in, standing out, bullies, crushes, etc. But he’s got one additional issue: he’s a Dreamtreader, one of three people chosen each generation to protect humanity in the realm of dreams. Rigby Thames is another freshman, but he’s arrived halfway through the school year and carrying a suitcase of mysteries, including a Mad Uncle who might have been guilty of murder. Kara Windchil is a young lady with plans. Also just a freshman, Kara knows what she wants in life and how she’s going to get there. She’s always seen something special in Archer, but when Rigby arrives, she becomes distracted. Her ambitions change and a secret hobby threatens to lead her into uncharted territories. Honestly, the plot of the story came first. But once I had the general storyline, all these people leaped into my mind to carry out the story. Brock: If I had a nickel for every character that came out of the woodwork during my writing. It’s amazing how characters come to life. In three sentences what is this book about? Wayne: What if Dreams were much more than we ever imagined? What if a threat loomed within the realm of dreams, a threat to everything and everyone we hold dear? And finally, what would happen if people gained the power to control their dreams? Brock: Intriguing! What is the biblical background or basis for the series? Wayne: Dreams play a pretty significant role in the Bible. Just do a search, and you’ll see that some very important events occurred due to dreams. So, the general topic (dreaming) is of Biblical importance. But as the story developed, a new theme began to dominate: the idea of having anchors of truth. When people have God and the Bible as their anchors, they can withstand any storm. But when we lose sight of those anchors, we invite disaster. Brock: That’s so true. How many books are planned for this series? Wayne: Three books. Book 1 will be out May 6th. Book 2, later in the year. Brock: That sounds like an aggressive schedule, but your fans and I thank you! Did you outline the entire series, or do you write as you go and let the characters take control of the story? Wayne: I outlined all three books. I need the structure, and having the major plot points worked out ahead of time reduces the number of rewrites I have to do. But my outlines aren’t carved in stone. There’s enough flexibility in them that, if an epic idea shows up later, I can always change the outline. And keep in mind, the characters really don’t take control of the story. Even in seat-of-the-pants writing, the author is still in control. But no matter how you write, you want your characters to have real personalities and make decisions that are true to their identity and situation. Brock: Any certain research required for the book, or is it all straight from your imagination? Wayne: I had to do a bit of research on the fields of Sleep Science, Sleep Physiology, and Lucid Dreaming. This wasn’t too taxing, however, because it’s all very cool stuff. Brock: What do you hope kids take away from the series? Wayne: Back to the “Anchor” theme. No generation in the history of the world has ever seen its moral compass destroyed then this generation’s has been. Politics, news media, entertainment, music, social media, peers, and even ill-informed parents are sending mixed messages (at best) or false messages to our children. And we dress up those messages with lacey labels like “tolerance” or “fairness” or even “loving,” but it’s really societal poison. If kids don’t have anchors, the solid truths they will stand on no matter what, then they will get washed out to sea and drown in sin. Brock: Is it difficult to be accurate to Biblical perspective/facts when writing fiction fantasy? Wayne: It’s not difficult to write fantasy fiction from a Biblical perspective. Not hard at all. What’s difficult is having to break through walls of “well intentioned” Christians who object to just about anything on the ground that it’s not Biblical because they wouldn’t do it that way. Drives me crazy how some Christians go after other Christians—why? Just because they are uncomfortable with the means by which the Gospel of Jesus is being spread. Can’t Heavy Metal Music spread the Gospel? Is God so powerless that He cannot touch a child’s heart through a story with unicorns or wizards? The apostle Paul would want to slam his head against a wall if he saw the picky attitudes of some Christians today. He was the one who immersed himself in a variety of cultures just so that, by any means, he might save a few. There is freedom in Christ, remember? And that freedom extends to creative expression. Brock: What are some of the strongest influences on your writing? Wayne: I’m an author’s mutt. I mean, I’ve read so many authors in so many genres that I really have no idea whose style I most emulate. I suppose Tolkien’s sense of the grand adventure is something I really want to capture. But I like the pacing of modern authors better. And I like to include a lot of poetic technique in my writing. In poetry, one thing you learn very quick is not to waste words. That’s really handy for writing novels too. Brock: How do you write? What’s a normal writing day like for you? Wayne: There’s no such thing as a normal writing day for me. I’m a full time English teacher at a public middle school in Maryland. I have four teenaged kids, a wonderful wife, and a handful of very close friends. But, as a result of these blessings, the one thing I do not and cannot possibly have is a regular time to write. It just isn’t there. Therefore, I write whenever I can. An hour here, two hours there, fifteen minutes too. It all counts. Brock: Wayne thanks so much for the interview. And I totally understand the fifteen minutes here, an hour there. Wayne: One last thing for readers to remember: Anchor first. Anchor deep. Andrew Klavan is quickly becoming a household name for many Christian fiction fans, including me. With books for adults and young adults as well as credits for major blockbuster movies, you’ve probably watched or read something he’s had his hand in. It’s my pleasure to share a look at his latest YA trilogy, MindWar. And if the title isn’t enough to convince you to add the book to your wishlist, I’m sure the following interview will. Brock: How did you come up with the idea for the MindWar Trilogy? Andrew: I'm a gamer. I've always loved games and puzzles and when video games came along I was swept away. I played Space Invaders so much I developed a swollen wrist! And as the games became more sophisticated, they became so incredibly immersive, it was like actually being in space or in a haunted house or underground. So I just began to wonder: what if the border between life and games became permeable, what if you could pass from one into the other and back again? I guess that was the start of the MindWar idea. Brock: I too was very into video games, defeating Dr. Robotnik (Sonic the Hedgehog) became a daily goal for me. And in college I got into a Navy Seal game called SOCOM. You could actually talk to your team mates via headsets, which brought the game that much more to life. Tell us about the main characters in MindWar? Andrew: The main character is Rick Dial, a guy who feels he has lost everything that matters to him. He was the quarterback on his high school football team, a real athlete-hero type. Then his car got broadsided by a panel truck and his legs were shattered. He's on crutches now. And on top of this, his father has disappeared and may even have run off with another woman. So Rick has lost his faith: in life, in God, in himself, in everything. But when he's sent as an avatar into the MindWar Realm, he has a chance to recover the hero in himself. It's just a question of whether he can find it. Brock: Wow, that sounds pretty awesome. In three sentences what will the MindWar trilogy deliver to the reader? Andrew: Action, first of all. Because the stories take place both in real life and in the game, there is both the sort of action you get in fantasy novels — sword fights and dragon battles and so on — but also normal thriller action with guns and bad guys and chases and so on. And, of course, you're going to follow the evolution of this young man Rick as he goes deeper and deeper into this beautiful but essentially evil place. Brock: Andrew, can you share how you have intertwined biblical themes into the series? Andrew: You know how it says in the King James Genesis that the imagination of man's heart is evil... and then Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 that it's not just the crimes we commit that condemn us - the adultery or murder or whatever - it's the crimes we imagine — the lust and anger in our hearts. This is a story about a young man who has to confront both: the perils of the inner world and the outer one. The MindWar is essentially the war for the imagination. You have to win that before you can win any other. Brock: And it seems this is a battle parents are trying to win every day. I hope they’ll be encouraged by Rick’s story. What sort of research did you have to undertake for the book, or was it all straight from your imagination? Andrew: Well, I could try to keep a straight face while I told you how many video games I had to play before I could really get the hang of the thing! But the truth is I actually did have to do quite a lot of background research. For one thing, the computer world of MindWar is actually a weapon to use in the real world. The villain Kurodar is trying to imagine acts of terrorism into being. So, without giving too much away, I can say that I had to find out how some of those terrorist acts would be committed. And I really did need to get some sense of how video games work, and how computers can be hacked and polluted. Brock: You may very well be on several government watchlists now from your research. And I guess now I could be listed as an accomplice. Oh man, who knew interviewing could be so risky. Can you give us a hint at the second and third book? Andrew: Not too much, but I'll just say this: things get very weird in the second two books because entering the MindWar has some very gnarly effects on the brain and Rick has to start to deal with that. And there's a kind of love story you maybe haven't seen before. And some cool twists and turns. And now I'll shut up before I give something away. Brock: Thanks for pretty much nothing! But we respect that. We want to be surprised by the plot turns and twists. You have many great releases already out and I am sure many more planned, are you a full time writer? Andrew: More than full time! I'm usually at my desk by 7:30 am and what with phone calls and required reading and so forth, I don't shut up shop until ten at night. I used to take weekends off, but that's so twentieth century! I'm just glad you have to turn your cell phone off in church! Brock: You just gave me a very sad chuckle of self-realization. Taking weekends off is so twentieth century has to be one of the truest statements I’ve read in a long time. Then I think about Downton Abbey and how they waited days, weeks, for information. We certainly have increased in ‘productivity’ if that’s what we can call it. Speaking of productivity and efficiency, how long does it usually take you to write a single book in the series? Andrew: About nine months, although longer for the first one because that's where you're developing the characters. Brock: What were some of the challenges you faced when writing MindWar? Andrew: Keeping the plot going strong in two realms: in MindWar and reality, and making the timing work in both. I had to make it plausible that there could be, say, a car chase in one chapter, and a fight with a gigantic fantasy monster in the next. Brock: I can only imagine how hard that would be to keep your outline straight. What do you want readers to take away from MindWar? Andrew: You know, I believe in stories as experiences. I'm not trying to send a message exactly, I just want readers to live through what Rick lives through: the search for his lost hero-self, the search for who, in the end, he really is. I hope that experience will give you something that you can use in your own life, but I think you've got to figure out for yourself what exactly that is. Brock: In what ways does your faith impact how you approach writing? Andrew: So many ways. Before I knew God, the problem for me and for my characters was always the problem of Pontius Pilate: "What is truth?" My stories were always about lost and endangered people trying to determine what reality is so they could act. Now though, the problems my characters face are more elemental, more immediate: How do I do what's right? How do I keep my courage in the face of suffering? How do I keep my faith when everything goes wrong? In my humble opinion, my stories have become a lot stronger because their issues are more grounded. Brock: You can’t lose when you’re writing for Him and with Him. He’s the creator and when He’s the inspiration and the foundation for our writing it has to get better! So speaking of a creator, what is your favorite color? Andrew: I read somewhere that little boys like bright colors but when they grow up they like colors that are more subdued. So I'll say bright red. Brock: Staying on the personal side of things. What’s your favorite holiday memory? Andrew: Oh, man, I've had some great, great holidays. Last year, I went to Israel for the first time and walked along the Sea of Galilee. And once, on safari in Africa, I was standing up through the roof port in one of those safari busses and two separate prides of lions walked criss-cross around the bus simultaneously: nothing but lions everywhere. It was like some kind of wild dream. In Hawaii, I once walked over the hardened lava of an erupting volcano, hopping over the burning parts... I could answer this question forever. Brock: Those are some pretty awesome experiences to have had. Do you have a favorite pasta dish? Andrew: Now you're getting really personal. Pumpkin ravioli. Brock: Sounds quite tasty, and not what I might have expected. Do you listen to music while you write? If so what are some examples? Andrew: Never. It's the one thing that disturbs me. When I was a radio news writer, I used to write on two minute deadlines with three televisions blaring, teletypes clattering and the radio playing... so I'm not easily distracted. But I love music and it messes with my rhythms so I have to leave it alone. Brock: Amazing how our brains can be trained to operate in different ways based on our tasts and likes. And lastly, but often the most fun thing to share. Do you have a favorite Bible verse? Andrew: Several, sure. But the one that always leaps to mind is: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." That's smoking stuff. It never fails to move me. Brock: Andrew thanks for giving us a look at your latest release as well as a little more into who you are. We’ll look forward to checking with you when the next book releases. Andrew Klavan is a best-selling, award-winning thriller novelist whose books have been made into major motion pictures. He broke into the YA scene with the bestselling Homelanders series, starting with The Last Thing I Remember. He is also a screenwriter and scripted the innovative movie-in-an-app Haunting Melissa. Twitter: @andrewklavan Facebook: aklavan Interview by Rebecca Pettett Featuring The Galactic Exploration Collection Rebecca: What was the first story you wrote about? Ann: I’ve been writing from a very early age, so it’s hard to remember what my first story was. My first good story was written for a writing contest in fourth grade and was called “Noella” after the main character. I’m proud to say that it made it to the finals. Rebecca: Where is your favorite place to go for inspiration for a story? Ann: My favorite place to go for inspiration would probably be outside on a nice, sunny day. It could be on my porch or somewhere in my yard. Rebecca: What is your favorite part of the writing process? What is your least favorite? Ann: My favorite part of the writing process, I think, is getting to develop the characters and just coming up with a story in general. My least favorite part is revising, because it is EXHAUSTING! Rebecca: What is the hardest thing for you to capture on a piece of paper? Ann: A water buffalo! Just kidding ;) My real answer would be that it is hardest for me to come up with a good ending to a story. Rebecca: What main piece of advice would you give a new writer? Ann: One thing to do if you want to become a good writer is read well-written books. Usually, I prefer the older, classic books that have stood the test of time. Another important thing to do is practice writing. When you write, your writing doesn’t have to be super long, just write often and your writing will become better. Rebecca: For some last minute fun: What do you like to do in your free time? Ann: I really enjoy singing and I also love to read. Rebecca: And what is your favorite dish to eat? Ann: Hmmm...there are so many good ones. One fun dish that my family sometimes eats is taco boats. It’s a yummy mixture of taco-like ingredients put into a soft tortilla shell shaped like a boat! Another good dish is the mashed potatoes that my mom and grandma make at Thanksgiving time. They use the same recipe and it tastes SO GOOD! Interview by Brock Eastman Featuring Raptor 6 An action packed thriller with a touch of romance is just what Ronie Kendig cooked up in her latest military thriller. Raptor 6 (Shiloh Run Press) adds to Kendig’s library of award winning series that have attracted a loyal following of fans. I myself am impressed with Kendig’s ability to deliver realistic mind-blowing action forcing you to burn through the pages quicker than the bullets flying from the muzzles of the terrorists’ machine guns you’re reading about. Brock: Raptor 6 is not your typical romance novel, you incorporate combat, action, and other elements that usually take a back seat in a romance novel. Yet in Raptor 6 you've done a great job creating a balance of action, intrigue, and romance. Is it difficult to strike this balance? Ronie: I confess this is tough for me, because my novels hover on a thin line between “true romance” and “true suspense.” I have readers who beg for more romance, but on the other end of the spectrum, I have those who are quite vocal in their opposition of a romance thread. For me, I’m a romantic. But I do not want a book of just romance—I want the action and adventure, too. I’m pretty sensitive when things swing too far to one side, so when I start to feel that barometer getting heavy on one side, I work to balance it. If I read through a section and there’s not enough romance or the romantic angle feels forgotten, I’ll tease it up a little. And to be fair, the level of romance also depends on the book itself, and the characters. For example, in Firethorn, the romance thread was pretty light because theirs was more of an intellectual romance. In Raptor, the romance is more in the form of my hero providing protection, the only thing he feels he has to offer. Brock: Why have you chosen to right these combat romance thrillers? Ronie: There’s a myriad of reasons, but ultimately, it boils down to two things: 1.) these type of stories are the ones I love to read and watch in a movie theater, whether it be Lone Survivor or Divergent (strong “military” element among Dauntless), and 2.) passion—I have a passion for our military. Brock: Why is the military close to your heart? Ronie: I cannot fully explain why, without saying it’s a purpose and passion the Lord has put on my heart. I grew up an Army brat and even after my dad retired, he took a job as a civilian contractor on a base, so I was around the military, our soldiers well into my early twenties. But really, in the beginning, it was the romanticized notion of our military heroes, those undaunted individuals, that drew me into writing. Then, one day about 6 or 7 years ago, I was in a Sunday School class with my in-laws, and I heard a woman, who was married to a Navy SEAL, speak to the group. She asked for prayers for her husband’s salvation, but also for his anger, what I believe to be birthed out of PTSD. Hearing her request, watching her story unfold and a family destroyed by PTSD, I knew I could never again write a military story without showing the toll it takes on our military heroes. Brock: Wow, that sounds like a very key moment and a God assigned mission for you. What is the reaction from your readers? Ronie: Those readers who’ve been with me from the beginning know what to expect from a Rapid-Fire Fiction (my brand) novel—intense action, raw characters, and real life. They’ve asked me to keep the edge to the novels, and they often thank me for writing “real life.” Brock: What sort of research do you do for your series? Ronie: Research has been ongoing since I started writing military stories, but more so with the Discarded Heroes series (I wrote the first one in late 2008 and early 2009). I subscribe to several online publications and follow many, many military and military advocate sites and Facebook pages, and my choices for reading and movie-watching are often military related, including watching documentaries on special operations command and subsequent fields. For Raptor, the involvement of cyber security was both convenient—my husband works in the industry—but also incredibly challenging since most of the information is still protected information. Though I had two sources with that security clearance, there was not a lot they could divulge without compromising themselves or our soldiers—something I would never ask of anyone. So, I did the best I could with the limited knowledge they could share. Brock: Why did you choose to focus on a male protagonist in this series? Ronie: This almost feels like a trick question, but I’m not 100% sure. The great irony is that, as an author, I am more comfortable writing a male character, but I’m also more intrigued in writing the male character. In the Discarded Heroes series, my protagonists were also male, and in one of the military working dog series, the first book was a male protagonist. Brock: How many books are planned for this series? Ronie: The Quiet Professionals is a three-book series that focuses on a Special Forces team known as Raptor (formerly identified in the A Breed Apart series as ODA452). Brock: Can you give us a hint at the next book? Ronie: The next book in the series is Hawk, a story that will focus on Brian Bledsoe, who is challenged with the great dilemma of choosing who to save—his Green Beret brothers or a group of women and a child depending on him to save them from a brutal storm. Brock: Are you working on the next book? Ronie: Right now, I am working on a novel serialization with my publisher called Operation Zulu: Redemption. OZ:R will come to readers this summer in five installments, starting July 4th. This series focuses on a team of women who, five years ago, were the first all-female special operations team. After a deadly mistake, they are hiding from the enemy who sabotaged their mission. Brock: What is your favorite genre to write for? Ronie: Gah! Another trick question? I am torn between two genres—writing my military suspense/thrillers and speculative fiction, which I’ve been writing since before my first contract for my debut novel. Brock: Where do you like to write? Ronie: Where I write is not as important to me as being sure to have a pair of noise-cancelling headphones or ear buds. I can write pretty much anywhere as long as I can audibly block out the rest of the world. Brock: Are you a full time writer? Ronie: While writing is my only career at this moment, I would say that homeschooling my teens keeps me from qualifying myself as a full-time writer. I have four more years of homeschooling, and I really want to make it the best for my kids. Brock: How long does it usually take you to write a single book in the series? Ronie: This varies greatly one what I’m writing and my deadlines, but in general, it takes me about 4 months to craft a solid draft. Unlike some writers, I do not write in terms of drafts, meaning I don’t create a wretched first draft, then clean it up in a second, and perfect in a 3rd (or 4th. . .5th. . .) draft. Because I am easily discouraged and drained during an editing process, I work very hard to write what I want in a scene. I will not move on from a scene until I *know* it’s right. Each day/night I come to the writing table, so to speak, I will read back through the last chapter or two I’ve written and feel it out, make sure it’s right and moving in the correct direction. If it’s not, I fix it. But if I’m okay with it, I press on. However, that said, this serialization project I’m working on right now is a very different beast—I’m writing 15k words a week and will have about 205k in three months. I’ve never done that, especially not with the content pretty much ready for print. In addition, I’m editing the previous episode and proofing an even earlier one—all in the same week. It’s a rigorous, borderline deadly pace for me, but I’m in love with the story and characters, so I’m making it happen. Brock: Do you plot or outline the entire series before you begin writing, or do your books take on lives of their own? Or is there a combination? Ronie: Again, this depends on the story. For my military novels, I start with a skeletal outline (maybe a page long) and then start writing with the main plot and character goals in mind. However, for the serialization project, my publisher required a detailed outline of each episode (at the time, there were 13 individual episodes). So, I have a thorough roadmap through that story and its characters, though it still demands some creativity and adjustments as I write. A year ago, I would have decried the detailed outline, and in fact, I whined a great deal about having to write that thing out, but now... I am grateful for how “easy” it has made getting the story, arcs, and characters on the page. At the same time, I’m not at the point where I would say I prefer to outline. It—and I—am still a work in progress. Interview by Brock Eastman from 2014 Featuring Legends of the Realm A joyful smile and youthful enthusiasm greets you when meeting Davis Bunn. We sat to talk about his writing, when with an ecstatic smile he asks, “Would you like to hear about my two new series?” A fan and author of sci-fi and fantasy myself, how could I resist? He explained at the time, this was the first interview in regards to these books and that I’d have to sit on the interview until now, so here it is. The two new series written under the pen name, Thomas Locke, are “Legends of the Realm” and “Fault Lines” releasing in 2015. And so Davis Bunn and I sat and discussed our mutual appetite for these two genres and his series that would fill them with light and hope. He explains that when he grew up he had a passion for science fiction and fantasy books, but of late he’s become increasingly distressed about the growing darkness that predominates sci-fi and fantasy these days. “Last year I had an epiphany about what had been lost in fantasy in particular,” Bunn says. He clarifies, “This isn’t so much the case with science fiction, because it is a relatively new thing, so it doesn’t have the same legacy.” He explains fantasy has been around since the Greeks, but the amount or authors writing the classical structure and books of that structure being published has shrunk. When people hear ‘epic fantasy’ they automatically think it’s a long book with many pages, but Bunn points out that the Hobbit is a relatively short book, yet it is an epic fantasy. Epic fantasy follows the hero’s journey and that’s what makes it such, not a large word count. Bunn explains, “The hero’s journey is about the dilemma that the character faces inside (internal quest) as a reflection of the dilemma the character faces on the outside (eternal quest). The only way they will arrive at a positive climax is if the main character learns the definition of right action, right vision, and right moral structure.” Bunn smiles as he gathers his next thoughts, it energizes me and causes me to want to hear more. He has this gift for explaining the depths of his passion for writing, that you draw knowledge and excitement from as he reveals the inside workings of his art form to you. Bunn begins again, ”A year and a half ago there was a real feeling of being impacted by an invitation to do something about the change in styles.” Simultaneously he had been talking about this issue in literature with a dear friend who is the head of the largest publisher in Italy. He decided then that he was going to try to right a classical fantasy for the modern reader. He started by taking the heroic structure and built the classical fantasy around the idea of a contemporary suspense. Davis explains about this first book, Emissary, “The story is not contemporary suspense, but the writing style is so that it has quick description, strong point of view, and two very powerful central characters that are inexplicably bound together long before they ever meet. With a dilemma that gradually grows to the point that either they learn what they need to learn or the world is in great peril.” He stops and thought I wouldn’t have guessed it possible, his eyes get brighter and his smile larger, “I had such a great time, It was a ball, I had such a great time (writing Emissary.)” And though Bunn is a long established author with more than 8 million copies in print, finding a publisher was bit harder than he expected. “I didn’t know at the time, this is so far away from what I normally write.” But he loved the book and the genre so much he actually started writing the sequel before placing the series with a publisher. But then he was struck with a new idea, one based around the same core moral construct, so he stopped writing the sequel and moved to this next project. In the end he had a completed fantasy novel and a completed science fiction novel. He clarifies that, “Its what is called near time science fiction.” This brand of sci-fi is set in the contemporary world, but includes an area of cutting edge scientific research or in some cases like, the movie battle for LA, an alien invasion. The advantage for near time sci-fi is that it’s not sold in the science fiction section of the bookstore, but the mainstream fiction shelves. Davis points to one of his (and mine) all time favorite authors, Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park (the first one only.) The world was now, but the science was cutting edge and resulted in a change to what exists at this time and place. So in June of 2013 Davis was sitting on two completed novels one sci-fi and one fantasy, with no publishing home. He chuckles, “They were just orphans, little globules, of electronic data sitting in my computer. Just lonely lost diamonds and I was so pleased with them, thought they were incredible.” He showed them to a couple of his publishers, but they thought he was nuts. The stories were so far away from the writing that his fans looked to him for. Then Revell stepped up and decided to take the books, with two conditions. One, the books would come out under a pen name and Davis Bunn would not be attached to the physical book in any way, only on the web would the connection be known. Second, he had to write 2 books a year, 1 sci-fi and 1 fantasy, with 6 books total. The fantasy books would come out each January and the near-time-sci-fi would come out each August. He explains that these books are not overtly Christian books, while they contain nothing that would turn a Christian reader away, they will appeal to a much broader audience, much like Lord of the Rings has. Indeed the fantasy, Emissary, has a Tolkienesque heroic structure, while Trial Run is a mainstream near time sci-fi. I asked Bunn to explain more about the six books. Would the sci-fis be connected to each other and the fantasies be connected to each other, or would they all be individual novels? He explained that all have a central theme and central characters, but each story brings in new characters and places, the question asked in each book is different. Again he mentions, Michael Chriction, as an example. “The problem with the sequel to Jurassic Park (Lost World),” he begins, “was that it asked no new questions.” His books will be different, each asking a new question to be solved. For example, Trial Run, will ask the question, “What if we arrive at the time where privacy became a myth, what happens?” After all, we live in the time of Snowden and the NSA data mining. Lastly, I wanted to know what his expectation for his fans adapting are? He explains while many he hopes will enjoy these new books, he does expect to engage with a younger new audience that his other works have not appealed to. He will also continue to write other evangelical family friendly fiction under Davis Bunn. Interview by Brock Eastman Featuring the Marcher Lord Press Brock: Do you enjoy Sci-Fi as much as I do? Or how about speculative and fantasy fiction? You may not have heard of the recent acquisition of Marcher Lord Press by Steve Laube, and you may be wondering why it matters to you. Well, Marcher Lord Press has produced many award winning books over the years and even launched several authors specifically in the genres I mentioned above. Genres, I love, genres I write about. So I wondered why Steve, who also has a literary agency, found Marcher Lord Press such a prize to be had. What did he see in these genres that made him feel this was good investment of his resources? This question gave me hope. He must know that these genres are often overlooked by the industry; from his experience of placing his authors in contracts. So I asked, “Why did you (Steve) acquire Marcher Lord Press?” Steve: Jeff Gerke, who I have known for many years, had asked me for some advice about his company. In the course of the conversation I wondered if he had considered selling Marcher Lord Press. That led to a series of questions and my interest was piqued. I’ve long been an advocate of the Speculative genre. So the idea of taking over Marcher Lord Press felt like a God-directed opportunity. My passion for this genre has never wavered. It has been a privilege over the years to work as an editor and as an agent with some of the best this genre has had to offer in Karen Hancock, Kathy Tyers, Chuck Black, Patrick Carr, Randy Ingermanson & John Olson, Lisa Bergren, Donita K. Paul, Carla Laureano, Tosca Lee, Bryan Davis, Sharon Hinck, Jared Wilson, and others. My hope is to continue those efforts as a publisher and build upon what Jeff Gerke created these past few years. Brock: What is your outlook for the genres Marcher Lord Press will serve? Steve: The Speculative category has three umbrella genres that MLP will serve. Fantasy, Science-Fiction, and Supernatural (or what some call paranormal). Each of those umbrella genres have a multitude of different stories within them. For example within science fiction we have time travel, space opera, first contact, military, space exploration, and more. If you go to a general market bookstore and look at that section you will find the wide spectrum of genres available. Brock: Any new releases planned or on the horizon? Steve: New releases will start late Summer or early Fall. As of this interview there are 4 or 5 new releases planned for that season. Brock: Are you currently seeking new projects for Marcher Lord Press? Steve: Absolutely. And always will be looking for the very best writers with the very best stories. Brock: Will you keep the name intact? Steve: Yes. Jeff Gerke built Marcher Lord Press into a strong brand. It is common for MLP titles to be a finalist or win a number of prestigious awards. You can see the nearly 40 titles we have already and sign up for a monthly newsletter @ www.marcherlordpress.com. Brock: How will Marcher Lord Press fit into your agency? Steve: Marcher Lord Press is a separate company from the agency. As such it is run in a way that all authors and agents, including those with The Steve Laube Agency, must submit proposals to MLP for consideration. Brock: What advantages do you see to having an agency and a publishing house? Steve: An excellent question. There is much about the publishing business that goes on behind the scenes and can be somewhat mysterious or difficult to get specific answers; questions concerning sales channels, metadata issues, piracy, managing print and distribution costs, etc. All of it is usually proprietary information and is not readily shared. By entering the publishing side of the equation it will provide insight into what works and what doesn’t in marketing, work-flow efficiencies, acquisitions, and a host of other things. Brock: I want to thank Steve for taking the time to answer my questions. As a reader and author of Speculative Fiction, I am encouraged by his outlook and excitement for the genre. Be sure to stay tuned for many great things from MLP. Steve Laube, a literary agent and president of The Steve Laube Agency (www.stevelaube.com), has been in the book industry for over 33 years, first as a bookstore manager where he was awarded the National Store of the Year by CBA. He then spent over a decade with Bethany House Publishers and was named the Editor of the Year. He later became an agent where he has represented nearly 1,000 new books and was named Agent of the Year by ACFW. He was also inducted into the Grand Canyon University Hall-of-Fame by their College of Theology. In addition, he is the president and owner of Marcher Lord Press (marcherlordpress.com). His office is in Phoenix, Arizona. Note: After buying the publishing company, Steve Laube changed the name from Marcher Lord Press to Enclave Publishing. Interview by Brock Eastman Featuring Realm Walkers I am honored to have interviewed Donita K. Paul about her new book series Realm Walkers. Donita is known for being a pioneer in Speculative Christian Fiction and she brought dragons to life in a phenomenal and God honoring way with her best-selling DragonKeeper Chronicles. Now she brings us an exciting new series. I hope you’ll enjoy this brief look into her sure-to-be-best-selling series. Brock: What inspired you to create Realm Walkers? Donita: One day I was thinking about Christopher Columbus. Then I thought about all the people who thought the world was flat. And I wondered what would happen if your world was flat? How would you get from one pancake world to the others? Is there a federation to demand your allegiance? Are there dragons? Of course there are dragons! Brock: Yes dragons! Can we expect any new kinds of dragons in this series? Donita: The dragons we come across in this fantasy realm are mor dragons. They are shapeshifters. Most mor dragons can manage 4 forms. Their dragon form, a fighting form, a flight form, and a camouflage form. Brock: Sounds complex. 4 forms? Do you sketch out what the dragons look like in each of these forms? Could we see a sketch or two if you have one? Donita: I can’t send you pictures. It would have to be a picture of a haystack or a cow or a boulder or a warhorse or . . . When a dragon shifts, the purpose it so look like the object or person or animal. However, on one of my Pinterest boards, I have some rabbits who look like shapeshifters to me. Click here to see them. Brock: How did you come up with the name Cantor D’Ahma? Donita: A cantor is the chief singer of the liturgy in a church. He is also a religious official. In One Realm Beyond, our hero is destined to be a realm walker, who will serve the people as a representative of the God-figure, Primen. Primen is pronounced in two syllables, the first one like mathematical prime, a prime number. D’Ahma indicates that he was trained by someone named Ahma. Brock: Can you describe our main character? Donita: Cantor was given into the care of a very old, retired realm walker, Ahma. He’s an average, healthy young man, eager to fulfill his destiny. He’s been brought up to be a realm walker. Now all he has to do is attend the last of his training, polishing his skills under the watchful eye of the Realm Walker Guild. Oh, and on the way he has to acquire his lifelong partner, a sidekick, called a constant. And this constant will be chosen from the shapeshifting dragons on another plane. Brock: Can you tell us anything about the Guild? Donita: The guild is made up of men who are not realm walkers. Initially, they gathered information and sent the realm walkers to ease the difficulties in a certain area. The realm walkers might teach natives to plow, sow, and harvest. They might build a bridge. They could bring to justice a criminal faction. Over the years, corrupt men gained power within the guild. There are 99 guildmen, and only three are said to be trustworthy, but no one knows which three. Their existence is only seen in hidden ballots when the three vote for righteous acts. Brock: What is a Realm Walker? Donita: All around us, portals are opening and closing. We don’t see them, but realm walkers are born with the ability to see and use the portals. These gateways lead to other planes. This planeary (not misspelled) system includes worlds that are not round, but flat. They resemble pancakes in a roughly formed stack with great spaces between them. There is no space travel. Brock: Wow, very interesting. Care to tell us how you travel between them? And what makes up the space between the planes. Is it a breathable atmosphere. Donita: No breathable air. It is the realm walkers who travel through portals to the different planets, or as they are called here, planes. Brock: How many books can we expect in the Realm Walkers series? Donita: Three! Brock: That’s sad, because we always want more from your creative imagination. Infinite is really the only satisfying answer you could have given me. But we’ll be honored to have these three. Will they be larger (page count) then The DragonKeeper Chronicles? Donita: My books are usually between 90,000 and 110,000 words and these are hitting that same range. Brock: Is the world anyway tied to our beloved Dragon Keeper Chronicles? Donita: No, this is a fresh new world populated with serious folk and a sprinkling of zany individuals. Brock: How has it been getting behind the keyboard again and diving into a new world? Donita: It’s been difficult. I had a stroke in March, and when I started the second book, I couldn’t remember what happened in the first. Also, I had to be patient while my brain retrained to function with one damaged eye. Things are much better now, but I tire easily and I connect with God frequently to get His wonderful power to persevere. Fortunately, the characters are engaging, and they pull me in and let me get carried away! Brock: Thank you so much for bringing us this wonderful look at your new series. So be ready for this exciting new adventure. I’m not sure I have ever told Ms. Paul, but her DragonKeeper Chronicles were the first Christian fiction books I’d read as an adult and they hooked me. In fact they inspired me to take my own work out of the box and get published. So thank you Ms. Paul! You can join her for Monday night chats, and keep up to date with the latest information on this new series or learn about being an author, visit: www.donitakpaul.com. Meet her in the chat room at 7:00 pm Mountain time. One Realm Beyond (Book 1): Cantor D’Ahma has waited his whole life for this day. Born with a gift, the young Realm Walker is finally ready to leave his elderly mentor and accept his role as protector and defender of the realms. But mere hours after he first steps through a portal, Cantor discovers that his job will be more dangerous and difficult than he ever imagined. The realms are not as safe as they once were, and members of the Realm Walkers Guild have become corrupt and can no longer be trusted. To make matters worse, his first assignment—finding a dragon to assist him on his quest—has led him to one who is clearly inept. With the help of his new friends Bixby and Dukmee, Cantor must uncover the secrets of the corrupt Guild before they become too powerful to be stopped. But can his skills progress in time? And will Cantor remember where his true allegiance lies? Interview by Brock Eastman Featuring The Dark Harvest Trilogy I want to introduce you to a series you may not have heard of, but one any spec fiction fan should read. I've been following Jeremiah's series from the beginning and have enjoyed the story's development thoroughly. He's published with P&R, which is also my publisher for The Quest for Truth series. Brock: Jeremiah thanks for joining us. First, will you tell us how you came up with the idea for Dark Harvest? Jeremiah: A friend of mine sowed the first seeds of Dark Harvest several years ago when he suggested to me that I read about the Synod of Whitby, a real event that occurred on the island of Britain in the kingdom of Northumbria in AD 664. After reading about the outcome of that synod, the questions arose: what if the synod’s decision had gone the other way? What would be the implications? Would the losers sit back and accept defeat, or might they try again, years later? Brock: Northumbria just sounds like a fantastical world, yet it really existed. Tell us about the main characters. Who are they, what makes them unique? And will you give us one fact about each that no one else knows? Jeremiah: Morumus is a monk for whom life is as serious as death. His seriousness stems from two sources. First of all, he is intelligent and introspective by nature. But secondly, horrific memories stalk the corridors of his mind. As the younger son of a king, Oethur is a prince turned monk. He is possessed of an easy humor, yet beneath the surface he is solid. When grim events force him to forsake the monastery for the battlefield, he will confront both foe and fear – and learn the true nature of courage. Urien is a woman imprisoned from her youth in a world of dark rituals. When she comes to realize the true character of her childhood faith, she rejects it. In time she comes to appreciate the beauty of the faith of Morumus and Oethur, but struggles to know whether or not it is actually true. All of the above you can learn from the books. But here are a few things you may not know … Morumus’s mastery of several languages is the embodiment of my own love for foreign languages. Yet unlike Morumus, I have yet to become fluent in anything beyond English. Oethur’s persistent dislike of peas is another echo of my own personality. I’ve heard it said that tastes change as we age. In some cases, that has proven true for me. But not for peas. Of all the characters in the series, Urien was the one who changed most from the first conception to final conclusion. In the first draft of The Dark Faith, she was not introduced until near the end, and shortly thereafter became a convert. But another friend convinced me that her conversion was too easy, and my editors persuaded me that she needed to arrive earlier in the story. And so I began to rework Urien’s tale, fleshing out her history and taking her along the tortuous path from paganism to skepticism to inquiry… and finally to faith. By the end of the trilogy, something quite surprising had happened: Urien became the main and most important character in Dark Harvest. The whole story begins and ends with her. Brock: It is interesting how a character who we (authors) don't intend to be significant can soon become a favorite. This happened with Obbin in my series. I never intended for him to continue from the first book and we'll he's still there four books later. In three sentences tell the us what this book about? Jeremiah: The Threefold Cord brings the theme of Dark Harvest – that there is an enemy far deadlier than dark magic – to its climax and resolution. It shows the reader how this theme irrevocably changes the life of each of the main characters. And finally, it demonstrates that every outward conflict in history is but another cycle of the great “invisible war” (to borrow a title from the late Donald Barnhouse). Brock: That's one of the things I connected with most in this series; the "invisible war." Too often we (Christians) don't consider how it's affecting our daily lives. Can you expand on the biblical background or basis for the series? Jeremiah: Dark Harvest is based on the overall biblical contrast between the Christian gospel and every other religion in history or today. The gospel of Jesus Christ is insistently exclusive, yet persistently gracious. Every other religion (or attempt to blend religions) is ultimately a manifestation of humanity’s darkest impulses toward self-salvation and self-worship. Brock: That’s a great explanation. Are any other books planned for the Dark Harvest series? Jeremiah: Though The Threefold Cord leaves several cupboards cracked and threads dangling (real history usually does), it is the last planned volume in the series. Brock: Sad, but understandable. Life is a continuing story that never truly concludes, it carries on from one generation to the next. Did you outline the Dark Harvest trilogy, or do you write as you go and let the characters take control of the story? Jeremiah: From the beginning, there was an overall outline to the series and a rough outline for the first book. Yet as I’ve alluded to above, The Dark Faith underwent some serious changes, and these cascaded into the sequels. The main story arc stayed the same, but there were several developments that I did not foresee when I first began. Chief among these was the transformation of Urien’s journey. But there were lesser surprises as well: the storming of Cuuranyth in The Scarlet Bishop, and the discovery of Melechur in The Threefold Cord. Neither of these existed in the original trilogy notes. These confessions aside, I am a stubborn proponent of outlines. After the changes to The Dark Faith, I made it a practice to create detailed outlines for The Scarlet Bishop and The Threefold Cord. After these outlines were drafted, I reviewed them with my editor. Having a complete outline in place allowed both sides of that conversation to examine the story as a whole, and surprising as it may sound, it was the process of thorough outlining that enabled me to work in creative developments. Because I could see the whole landscape clearly, it was relatively easy to know where I could make changes that would enhance the story without disrupting its overall movement. Brock: Being that this book has some roots with an actual historical event, what sort of research did you have to do? What things did you come up with on your own? Jeremiah: Dark Harvest is based in a world that intentionally parallels our own cultures and history. As you might expect, then, it involved a fair amount of research. Yet most of this research came through life experience. I spent many hours of my young adult life walking wooded paths and reading fantasy stories, and I enjoyed many semesters in seminary studying Ecclesiastical history and theology. As a late teen I had the privilege to visit the cities of London and Edinburgh, which gave me the opportunity to walk through castles, cathedrals, parks, and palaces. Where life left gaps, friends and further research filled the voids. I corresponded with an antiquarian book expert in order to describe certain aspects of a Dark Ages library. When I wanted to see a picture of a Roman bridge or an old church, I used the Internet. Brock: Certainly our ability to use the web for research has increased the accuracy to factual representations for our stories. I know for one of my series I used Google maps to walk inside places I was describing; it was amazing and a lot less expensive than flying there. What are your hopes for your future as an author? Jeremiah: As the pastor of a mission church in a diverse community, I hope to author resources aimed to help bring the unchanging Christian faith to a rapidly changing society. Brock: What can you tell us about any future releases you have planned? Jeremiah: I am working with my publisher to edit a new edition of The Westminster Shorter Catechism in Modern English that will include Scripture proofs. Interview by Brock Eastman Featuring Golden Daughter Anne Elisabeth Stengl has been working on her series Tales of Goldstone Wood since 2010 and now has 6 titles in the series. I sat down with her to ask about the newest release, Golden Daughter. Brock: Anne, for readers who may not be aware of Tales of Goldstone Wood, give us a high level overview of the stories you have written? Anne: The Tales of Goldstone Wood is a series of adventure novels set in the Near World of Mortals, the Far World of Faeries, and the Wood Between (also known as Goldstone Wood). The novels touch on various periods of history and visit many different kingdoms in the world, but the events of each story have profound effects on all of the others. Primarily, the series tells the saga of the Song Giver’s love for mortals and immortals alike, and the Dragon’s efforts to destroy both worlds by refashioning the hearts of men and women in his own dark image. Much classical imagery is present in the spinning of these tales, enhanced by vibrant humor, fairytale magic, and a large cast of endearing characters. Brock: You've envisioned such a magnificent sweeping world, full of many characters and places readers want to learn about. How have you mapped out this world of yours? Anne: I have been in the process of creating the world of Goldstone Wood since I was fifteen. I began by writing down simple paragraph summaries of various storylines spanning the history of this world (or worlds, rather). I still have many of the old notebooks in which I wrote down early versions of the tales I am now actively writing. Because I have been developing this world for so long, it’s easier than you might think to keep all of these storylines together. I know how the events of 1600 years ago shaped the events of now. I can write a story set in one time period, remaining fully aware of the history leading up to these events. Thus there is always a sense of Bigger Story in each Goldstone Wood novel—a sense that there is more to the picture yet to be revealed. Brock: This proves true when you read the series. You are left with this sense of a greater story unfolding. Tell us what drove you to write the latest tale, Golden Daughter? What about Masayi Sairu's story compelled you to tell it before the many other stories you have in those notebooks? Anne: Part of the decision to write Golden Daughter was pure chronological sequencing. The events depicted in Golden Daughter were referenced very specifically in my third book, Moonblood. After writing Moonblood, I jumped back 1600 years in the history of my world and began writing the books in chronological sequence leading back up to the first three novels. Thus I came to the time period of Golden Daughter and realized I needed to tell the story which had been referenced in Moonblood. The basic premise of the book came long before the plot and characters. But the story didn’t come alive until I discovered the character of Sairu, who serves as this adventure’s primary protagonist. Originally I had intended to make a different character in the story the primary heroine—the mysterious Lady Hariawan. But she was too cold and distant and, honestly, too powerful. I found her difficult to relate to, difficult to bond with. So I rethought the story, wondering what it might look like if told from the point-of-view of Lady Hariawan’s handmaiden. And, after all, a woman of such prominence and sacred importance to the empire would certainly have a very special girl as her handmaiden, right? So the mythology of the Golden Daughters came to be—these intelligent, dangerous, talented young woman trained to look like sweet and innocent flowers but who, in reality, are dangerous and devoted bodyguards. It was such a fun concept to explore, particularly in context with the cosmic stakes of this particular novel. Ultimately it’s a story I couldn’t resist writing! Brock: What is at the heart of this book? Anne: This story is about a sacred Dream Walker of the Temple of Hulan, a woman named Lady Hariawan. She has the ability to travel outside of her body into the realm of dreams, where she searches for a gate to the gardens of the moon goddess, Hulan. She is very powerful, and many different factions and nations want to either capture or kill her. Thus, to protect this sacred woman, the High Priest of Hulan hires a bodyguard—the titular Golden Daughter, Masayi Sairu. And Sairu finds herself in over her head as she battles forces she cannot begin to comprehend in her efforts to protect her new mistress! But Lady Hariawan has an agenda of her own. And the Dragon is at work in the hearts of men, motivating them to desperate, wicked deeds. The story culminates in a cosmic clash of false gods and monsters that deals with the painful question: Where is God in times of suffering? Why does He apparently allow such evil to reign in the world? This story is an epic like nothing I have ever before written, and I am thrilled to present it now to my readers. Brock: Who is Masayi Sairu? Anne: Sairu is the heroine of this adventure, a brave and bold bodyguard masquerading as a demure little handmaiden. She is pitted against phantoms, dragons, and assassins in her efforts to protect her mistress, the sacred Dream Walker. Brock: How do you think your readers will connect with her story? Anne: Sairu is an apparently strong young woman who hides deep wounds behind her smile. She is a damaged character, but the extent and nature of that damage is not readily apparent. As readers dig more deeply into her story and motivations, they begin to uncover the truth of what has been done to her over the years, and they realize how truly vulnerable she is. In this vulnerability, she is very relatable. She is possibly the most complex and interesting heroine to yet feature in the Tales of Goldstone Wood, and I have no doubt readers will enjoy her story. Brock: You’ve mentioned several villains. Can you explain who they are and their motivations? Anne: Well, there are many villains featured through the epic that is Golden Daughter! There are the Crouching Shadows, a legendary band of assassins bent on protecting their goddess at all costs. There are the barbarian Chhayan warriors, angry at the loss of their land and desperate for revenge against the emperor whom they see as a usurper. There is the tragic character of Sunan, a half-breed Chhayan who longs to leaves his barbaric heritage behind, but who is forced into an evil role and ultimately pursues his own destruction. But at the core of this story is the Dragon himself, also called the Death-in-Life. He longs for nothing so much as to see himself as the dark god of all worlds, to see mortals and immortals alike formed in his own image. He is a terrible creature of malice and destruction, and quite a formidable foe! Brock: The Dragon is indeed a terrifying villain. The threat he puts upon Goldstone Wood, parallels the dangers in our own. How does this villain differ from other villains in your series? Anne: The Dragon has featured many times throughout the series, either as the primary villain or as an agent of evil behind the scenes, so to speak. Sunan, however, is a particularly interesting villain in that he has had small features in previous stories. He makes a short appearance in Veiled Rose, my second novel, when he helps the hero of that story on his journey to the Far East. In my novella Goddess Tithe, Sunan plays the heroic lead. His history is hinted at in both of those tales, but Golden Daughter begins to reveal the truth of his story . . . a story which is continued in my upcoming autumn 2015 release, Poison Crown. Brock: The latest release was not released by Bethany House, but instead Rooglewood Press. Can you tell us why you made that decision and tell us about Rooglewood Press? Anne: Rooglewood Press is my own independent brand. That’s right! After six books, four Christy Award nominations, and three wins, I am moving indie. And I am very excited about this new direction my series and my career have taken. My goal is to continue producing books of the same quality and caliber as my readers have come to expect, but now I get to make more creative decisions about series direction, length of the books, thematic elements, etc. Brock: What sort of advantages have you found in indie publishing? What sort of disadvantages? Anne: I absolutely love the creative control afforded by indie publishing. I used to labor long and hard to fit my epic storylines into the short word counts my publisher gave me. Now I get to determine the length of the book—and while I still try to write each story as short as it can be (tight writing is strong writing!), I can tackle much bigger ideas and premises than I ever dared try before. It’s a wonderful feeling, and Golden Daughter is easily the book I am proudest to have written. The disadvantages of self-publishing go hand in hand with the advantages. Assuming creative control also means assuming much more labor than I ever had to deal with when publishing traditionally. I am now in charge of managing my own editing, formatting, cover imaging, typesetting, marketing, etc. Whether I’m hiring freelance artists and editors or learning new skills and putting in the work myself, it’s all time- and labor-intensive. But the rewards are tremendous, and I’ve never been afraid of extra work. Brock: What sort of advice would you give to aspiring novelists? Anne: My advice to aspiring novelists is always the same: Write, write, write, and read, read, read. The more you write, the better you’ll get. Like any other art, writing must be practiced to be perfected. Don’t expect yourself to write literary brilliance right away! And certainly don’t rush into publication. Develop your voice, your style, your technique. Develop your confidence by putting in those long hours of practice. And, of course, the more you read and the more broadly you read, the more you’ll know what is possible for good writing! Spend time on the classics, discover those authors who have lasted through the ages. Spend time on modern voices who are succeeding in the current market, and learn what they know. You can never read too much if you want to be a novelist! Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a kindle of kitties, and one long-suffering dog. When she’s not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and practices piano, painting, and pastry baking. Her novel Starflower was awarded the 2013 Clive Staples Award, and her novels Heartless, Veiled Rose, and Dragonwitch have each been honored with a Christy Award. To learn more about Anne Elisabeth Stengl and her books visit her blog. Interview by Brock Eastman Featuring The Warden and the Wolf King Brock: So Andrew we know you first as a music artist. What made you want to write the Wingfeather Saga and how did the idea come about? Andrew: I’ve loved these kinds of stories since I was a kid. My reading interests are pretty broad—which is to say that I don’t necessarily love fantasy as a genre, but I love good books, good stories, whatever genre they happen to be. That said, fantasy has a certain kind of power that drew me in when I was young, and I still get butterflies in my stomach whenever I walk through the young adult or fantasy/sci-fi section of a bookstore. So when I finally decided to stop talking about someday writing a book and to actually write one, there was never any doubt that I wanted to try and tell a big, sweeping adventure story. Brock: That you did, with four books and a creaturepedia in the series, you’ve created and immersive world with wonderfully engaging characters. Who are the main characters in the series and what makes them unique? Andrew: The three main characters are siblings named Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli. Janner (12) is the eldest, he’s a bookworm, and he wants more than anything else to be at peace in the world along with his family. His little brother Kalmar (11) is the artist, and he has a tendency to get into trouble because he’s impulsive. Leeli (9) is the musician. She walks with a crutch because of an injury to her foot when she was a baby, but that doesn’t keep her from being fiercely independent. Brock: Might you give us one fact about each of the characters that no one else knows, even your most avid fans? Andrew: Facts that no one knows: Janner likes apples, but he likes cheese more. Kalmar once stole a berry bun from the Dragon Day festival and felt so bad about it the next day that he bought three berry buns from another stand and slipped them onto the platter of the first baker. Then he decided three buns was too much penance and ate one. Leeli always thought Faddy, the elder of the Blaggus boys, was very handsome, and before she met Thorn O’Sally (of the Green Hollows), she assumed she would marry him, even though she hated the idea of her name being Leeli Blaggus. Brock: Ha, ha, you put a grand smile on my face. And this is the sort of wit and humor I’ve come to expect and enjoyed while reading the series. In three sentences what is Warden and the Wolf King about? Andrew: Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli Wingfeather—Throne Warden, High King, and Song Maiden of the Shining Isle—are children, but find themselves nonetheless at the center of a great battle for the freedom of the world from a monster named Gnag. While Leeli, using her music as a weapon, leads the warriors of the Green Hollows in the battle against the Fangs of Dang, Janner and Kalmar attempt to sneak through Gnag’s dungeons to face him alone. Ultimately, though, the story is about Janner’s struggle to learn what it means to be a hero. Brock: That’s a theme we can all relate to in our own lives in our own situations. What does it take to be a hero in the plan God has for us? Though you have said the series has come to a conclusion, any chance of more books? Your fans really got behind you on KickStarter, I am sure they would again. Andrew: Yes! I can’t wait to write my next story. I’ve started one, but music is a big part of what I do so I have to focus on the next album right now. We’re putting together a collection from the last 15 years of music, called After All These Years, then I’ll start writing songs for a new record next year. After that I’ll be able to dedicate more time to a book. I don’t know exactly what it will be yet, but I’m sure there will be plenty of danger, adventure, and strangeness. I can’t wait. Brock: And neither can I. Did you outline the entire series, or do you write as you go and let the characters take control of the story? Andrew: There was a sort of outline, but it was mostly in my head. I had a general sense of where the story was going, and when I got stuck I would write quick chapter synopses in order to get the thing moving again. But that thing you hear about, where the characters start doing their own thing? That totally happened, weird as it sounds. More than just the characters, though, the story seemed to suggest itself to me. Unless you’ve written something like this it’s hard to understand, but there’s this real sense that the story “wants” to be told in a certain way, that it’s better at times than the author could have planned. Brock: That I understand 100%. I’ve often tried to explain this to students when I speak, or in interviews. It’s truly amazing how one’s characters can lead you down a path and create a story that comes so alive. I’m a card carrying, “You might think I’m nuts, but my characters speak to me,” author myself. You noted on your website that you had to combine a planned book 4 and 5 together. Was that hard? Did you leave anything out, or is it just a thicker book? Andrew: No, I didn’t really combine two books. Back in the day, after I finished book one, I planned out the story as well as I could, and it divided neatly into five books. But halfway through book two I realized that things were happening faster than I intended, and four books made more sense. The reason this one is twice as long as the others is because there were so many loose ends to be tied up. Remember at the end of The Lord of the Rings when the ring of power is finally destroyed and there’s still two hundred pages left? The first time I read it I wondered what on earth still had to happen. But it turns out, those last two hundred pages are my favorite in the whole book. Even once the bad guy is defeated, there’s this massive mess to be cleaned up, I realized, and the story just couldn’t end there. Not only that, there were lots of questions and characters that I wrote into the story early on and kind of forgot about. Then I’d get emails from readers saying, “I can’t wait till you bring So-and-so back!” Oops. So I had to make sure and bring the whole saga’s story arc to a finish—not just the fourth book’s. It was much more difficult than with the other books. Brock: You and I need to exchange notes more often. I’m in the edits for book 4 in The Quest for Truth right now, and my editors biggest concern was the disappearance of some characters that readers have come to love. Alas it makes editing a 100k word manuscript very interesting when you have to integrate new storylines in to the book after it’s written. And now the fourth book Warden and the Wolf King has been out for a little while,what has been the reaction to the final installment from your readers? Andrew: To be honest, the reaction has been overwhelming. After ten years of work, I desperately hoped the readers would resonate with the ending. I’ve gotten several emails that were so gratifying I actually cried while reading them. More than just the thrill of knowing that I’d written a book (which is a thrill that fades in about five seconds), I wanted to tell a story that would really get into peoples’ hearts. I hoped that they would close the final book and really feel something. It’s not like everyone is going to have that reaction, but I’ve gotten enough feedback to know that at least a few people have, and I thank God for that. I really wanted the story to still be alive and kicking in the readers’ hearts long after they finished the story, which is why it ends with a question mark. Brock: Probably the most humbling and honoring thing of writing, is finding that someone reading it has been truly impacted. How does your music complement your writing? Andrew: It gives me something else to do while I’m working on a story. I have a songwriter friend who took up painting a few years ago, and he says it’s been a tremendous help—not just to his songwriting, but to his soul. There’s a mysterious connection between one artistic discipline (like painting) and another (like songwriting), in which one improves the other. Back when I first started the Wingfeather Saga I drew a toothy cow (the most horrifying of creatures in Skree!) and was surprised that my drawing was better than it had been in high school when I was building a portfolio for art college (which I never applied for). For some reason, ten years as a songwriter had made me better at drawing, though I hadn’t practiced my technique a bit. So even though I can’t explain it, I suspect studying songwriting may help my storytelling, and storytelling may help my drawing, and drawing may help my gardening, or whatever. So even though I’m sometimes frustrated that I’m supposed to be writing a book when I really want to be working on music, or that I’m working on an album when I wish I could dig into another story, if I was only working on one or the other I’d likely be bored out of my skull. Brock: With that said, has any of your writing (brainstorming) influenced new song ideas, or song writing? Andrew: Nothing specific comes to mind, but there’s a common theme that seems to run through both the books and the music—an ache for home, a hope that our dissatisfaction with life and the brokenness of things points to a day when there will be justice and peace and ultimate healing. Brock: How did you balance your music touring with writing the novel? Andrew: This may sound like a trite answer, but it’s true: day by day. My family and I are used to flying by the seat of our pants, making it up as we go, and then looking back at the end of the year without knowing how we pulled it off. I just tried to write whenever I could, and I toured whenever I had to. Meanwhile, Jamie and the kids are the most encouraging, kindhearted people I know. Brock: It’s so key to have a supportive and loving family. I’m blessed by my wife and three girls. What do you hope kids take away from Wingfeather Saga? Andrew: First, I hope they simply love the story. As I was writing the book I was thinking, “What needs to happen that will make the reader want to turn the page and keep reading?” That’s the first thing. Beyond that, I hope they’re able to believe that even though the world is at times a terribly dark place, there’s a power and a light that dwarfs the darkness. The bad guys are scary but the good guys win. I hope they feel some kind of longing. I hope they’re ultimately comforted and reminded that they’re not alone. That’s what my favorite books did for me when I was young. Brock: Was that when you realized you wanted to write a novel? Andrew: When I was in the eighth grade and I read my first Dragonlance book. I tried writing a lot back then, before music took over. Brock: Well many of our thankful for your music, and we’re glad you got to put your hand to writing as well. In what ways does your faith impact how you approach writing? Andrew: My faith informs every aspect of the creative process. It’s no exaggeration to say that before I turned whatever gifts I had over to Christ, I had nothing to write about. Every song was a lame girlfriend song, every story attempt was hollow. But once I began to truly believe that the stories I grew up reading in church were true stories—true in both senses of the word—the world seemed to be brimming with beauty and story and song. If I believe that God is the source of everything good and true and beautiful, then I should pay close attention to the way He tells stories. I should pay attention to the motifs and symbols and metaphors He uses. I should approach the writing of a song or a story with a sense of humility and wonder, because every creative act is possible only because of the Creator. That’s what Tolkien was doing with The Lord of the Rings—he was telling a eucatastrophe story (which is the opposite of a catastrophe) because he recognized that kind of storytelling being employed by God in all of creation and even the Incarnation itself. Brock: I often get excited when I think about how we (Christian Artists/Authors/Creatives) have a real advantage over non-Christians, we’ve got a direct link to the Creator of everything. And if we truly seek His will and follow His lead, amazing things can happen. We’re simply the vessel to deliver his message! What was your favorite book as a teen? Andrew: I keep bringing it up, but nothing really comes close: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t read it until I was about 18, and up to then I’d read a lot of Poe, C. S. Lewis, Arthur Conan Doyle, along with a bunch of terribly written but terribly enjoyable fantasy novels. I loved the Prydain books by Lloyd Alexander (which are enjoyable and well-written). Brock: Now some fun questions, less related to the writing and music. What’s your favorite place to vacation? Andrew: Castlerock, Northern Ireland. We went as a family on a tour/sabbatical last year, and fell in love. If I ever disappear, that should be the first place the authorities look. Brock: Do you have a favorite Bible verse? Andrew: I love the beginning of Colossians, about the preeminence of Christ: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation,” and it goes on to describe Jesus as the center of everything. I read it at the end of every Christmas concert, and it always gives me chills—especially in light of having just sung about him being a little infant. Brock: Do you listen to music while you write? If so what are some examples? Andrew: I usually write in a public place, whether Starbucks or a library or outside in a park. I like the feeling of being present in an active place but slightly detached from it, observing from a corner. Then I put on headphones and listen to movie soundtracks. For the first book it was Thomas Newman’s amazing score for A Series of Unfortunate Events. With this last book I mainly listened to Michael Giacchino’s Super 8. It’s creepy and intense at times, but when it’s tender and beautiful it evokes a lot of my childhood feeling of adventure—or the potential of it. I even made playlists for “Creepy” scenes, “Tense” scenes, and “Warm” scenes, and put them on repeat until the chapter was finished. Any music with words gets me thinking about lyrics, so it has to be instrumental. Brock: Again we must exchange notes sometime. I do the same thing with certain playlists to invoke the mood of the scene or action sequence, and for me as well lyrics find their way into the text of my book if I am not careful. Lastly, Coke or Pepsi? Andrew: Neither. It’s either coffee or water for me these days. Brock: Thanks Andrew so much for the glimpse into your writing of both books and music. We look forward to reading great new books from you in the future. Interview by Brock Eastman Featuring the Son of Angels series I could not put down the Son of Angels series. From the dynamic character development to the intertwining of spiritual themes into a world that each of us lives in, Jerel captured my attention and didn’t let go. Communicating spiritual themes to kid through a story of fiction, can be a challenge in itself, but Jerel did a fantastic job maintain the biblical truths while creating an exciting adventure. With four books out, Spirit Fighter, Fire Prophet, Shadow Chaser, and Truth Runner, readers can really dig into the world and befriend the characters. After reading these four books, I really wanted to know more about the series, so I asked Jerel for an interview. Brock: What is your inspiration for writing this series? Jerel: I find loads of inspiration for my writing in my three quirky, funny kids! They love to read adventure and fantasy books, and I wanted to give them something that would put their very real faith in a world of action and adventure. Combine that with my own curiosity about some of the more mysterious passages in the Bible and the Jonah Stone: Son of Angels series was born. Brock: What do you hope kids take away from the series? Jerel: As a writer, my challenge is to make each book nearly impossible to put down! Beyond that, though, if I could take the question to a deeper place, I want kids to find themselves in the book. I want them to see themselves as Jonah, Eliza, or Jeremiah, figuring out how to make sense of their faith in God in the middle of sometimes-dire circumstances. I hope they’ll come away with a sense of how awesome God is and how much of an impact their faith can have in our world. Brock: Why did you choose to write the fourth books topic about Jonah running from God? Jerel: Jonah and his brother and sister go through something very tragic at the end of Shadow Chaser, book 3. They experience a loss that no one should have to face, but many do. And like a lot of people, he chooses to deal with the crushing pain of the loss by running away. I tried to carry through the theme of running from God that we get in the biblical Jonah, and then how God gently – but firmly – helps him understand a huge truth – you just can’t outrun God! Brock: What do you want families to take from this series? Jerel: A lot of families in novels these days are extremely dysfunctional – and let’s be honest, sometimes that makes for interesting reading. But I wanted to show a fictional family that, yes, has their issues, but is also encouraging one another in their own ways to follow God – no matter what. I hope that families who enjoy the series together will be encouraged to help each other figure out the ways they can serve God best with their lives. Brock: Expound on the spiritual theme? Jerel: I find myself writing without a certain theme in mind, but inevitably, when I look back at the books, themes have arisen. I’d say some of the big themes are the reality of the spiritual battle all around us; the fact that we each have gifts and abilities given to us by God that we can use for good; and that everybody, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant, has the power to change the world. Brock: Is it fun to write a spiritual fantasy adventure? Jerel: I love writing in this genre! There are so many possibilities with each page. I love the challenge of communicating spiritual truth in a way that kids can grab ahold of. I think that will always be something I am drawn to. Brock: Is it difficult to be accurate to Biblical perspective/facts when writing fiction fantasy? Jerel: Yes! I’m so thankful for a great editor at Thomas Nelson, who helps me stay as close as possible to biblical truths. Part of the fun is communicating these bedrock truths in fresh, creative ways. But it’s critical that we make sure we land with two feet on a biblical perspective. Brock: Are there more books planned? Jerel: We are through book 4 right now…I have as many as 8 planned for the series! I can’t wait to unveil them at some point in the near future. Brock: Jerel thanks for the interview and I certainly am looking forward to more books in the series, or in a new series. God has blessed your writing. Interview by Brock Eastman Featuring the Ether Series Brock: What was your inspiration for writing this series? Laurice: My inspiration to write the Ether series came from my own fascination with angels and their mission to protect and guide us. Angels are God’s fiercest warriors who wage battles on our behalf. Brock: Tell us about the main characters? Who are they, what makes them unique. Laurice: Vero Leland, 12, thinks he’s a typical suburban kid until one day he discovers he’s actually a guardian angel, which would explain why ever since he was a toddler, all he has ever wanted to do was fly. It would also explain the many strange creatures he sees. Laurice: His older sister Clover, 13, was always tight with Vero, but lately as Vero begins to act strangely, she distances herself from her brother. Yet, Clover has her own secret abilities. She has visions that others cannot see. Brock: Give us one fact about each main character that no one else knows. Laurice: Vero knows exactly how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop. Clover has no idea how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop. She’s too impatient. Brock: In three three words what is this book about? Laurice: 3 words: Good versus Evil Brock: Do you outline the entire book before starting, or do you write as you go and let the characters take control of the story? Laurice: I usually know the beginning of the story and the ending, but not too much in between. So I just start writing and see what happens. I’m a big proponent of “plot is character in motion.” Brock: How do you believe this story relates to the lives of readers? Laurice: I believe that every single person has a guardian angel watching over him or her, and should listen to them and call upon their angels for help. Brock: What is your favorite genre to write for? Laurice: My favorite genre is dramedy. I love to make people laugh, then cry – sort of like real life. Brock: What is the biblical background or basis for the series? Laurice: A great deal of biblical background from the series came from both the old and new testament. So much of what we know about angels comes from there. Brock: How many books are planned for this series? Laurice: It’s a three book series – Vero Rising, Pillars of Fire and The Dragon’s Descent. Brock: Any certain research required for the book, or is it all from your imagination? Laurice: A great deal of Biblical research was involved in writing the Ether along with some Judeo-Christian folklore. Brock: How do you strike the right balance in your book? Laurice: I’m always juggling between action and character. If I think I’m too action heavy, it’s time for some character moments. Brock: What do your readers think about your latest series? Laurice: The response has been great. My favorite website is DOGO Books (all kid reviews.) I love reading what the kids have to say about the book. Brock: How does it feel to have your work published? Laurice: I’ve written screenplays most of my career, and the Ether is my first book. I’m often asked which I prefer. And I’d have to say that I actually don’t have a preference. It was just as exciting to sit in the theater and see my movie for the first time as it was to hold the book in my hand for the first time. Brock: Are you working on the next book in the series? Laurice: The first book came out last year. The second, Pillars of Fire, comes out January 2015, and I’m hard at work on The Dragon’s Descent, the final book in the series. Brock: Can you give us a hint at the next book in the series? Laurice: In book 2, Pillars of Fire, Vero and his fellow angels compete in the Angel Trials, an Olympic style competition that will test everything they’ve learned and pit them against advanced angels from other realms. But when a new evil threatens his sister at home, Vero has to choose which battle he can’t afford to lose. Brock: Do you plot or outline the entire series before you begin writing, or do your books take on lives of their own? Or is there a combination? Laurice: I usually know the beginning of the story and the ending, but not too much in between. So I just start writing and see what happens. I’m a big proponent of “plot is character in motion.” Brock: Were any scenes or characters cut from the book? Can you give an example? Laurice: No characters were cut, but definitely a few scenes were cut mainly for the flow of the book. And even then, most of the cut scenes showed up in some form in the later books. Brock: Is it difficult to be accurate to a Biblical perspective or Biblical facts when writing fantasy fiction? Laurice: Yes, I try to stay as accurate as possible, but my series is a work of fiction so I definitely need to use my imagination quite a lot. Brock: How do you hope parents will use this book with their kids? Laurice: My hope is that parents will read the book along with their children. It’s a great way to get a dialogue about spirituality going. Brock: What do you hope kids take away from this book or series? Laurice: I want kids to know they are never alone in this world. Their angel is always with them, and hope they will listen to their angel. Brock: Where do you like to write? Laurice: I have an office in my house. Once my children go off to school each morning, I write until it’s time to pick them up because once they’re home, it’s chaos. Brock: Are you a full-time or part-time author/writer? Laurice: I’ve been lucky enough to be able to be a full-time writer for all my adult life. Brock: How long does it usually take you to write a single book? Laurice: I wrote the first book in four months, but with the following books, I’ve needed more time. Each book gets progressively harder to write as the story builds. Brock: What do you hope readers take away from the series? Laurice: I hope that readers will see the world in a different light, that angels surround us all. Brock: Expound on the spiritual themes in the book/series? Laurice: My book is ultimately about faith. The archangel Uriel says it best when he tells Vero, “The opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith… is fear.” And my character needs to grow in faith as we all do. Brock: What is your "how I got published" story? Laurice: I was a fellow at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, and my very first screenplay was given to an agent while I was still attending AFI. She sold it within 24 hours to Ron Howard’s company “Imagine,” and the movie was green lit a few weeks later. It was the movie, “My Girl.” I quickly became a working writer. After years of writing screenplays, I thought I’d try a book. Brock: When did you realize you wanted to become a writer? Laurice: Right after college, I was an NBC page at 30 Rock in NY. The first time I walked onto the Letterman set and watched the writers giving Dave lines, I realized I wanted to be a writer. Brock: What was your favorite book as a teen or child? Laurice: As a child, I loved the Judy Blume books and as a teen, it was “To Kill A Mockingbird,” that sparked a love of reading. Brock: What is the one author, living or dead, who you would co-write a book with and why? Laurice: The playwright Horton Foote. He wrote the best characters. Brock: Coke or Pepsi? Laurice: Diet coke. Brock: Soft shell or Hard Shell tacos? Laurice: Hard shell. Brock: Favorite place to vacation? Laurice: My cabin. Brock: Favorite season? Laurice: Fall. Brock: Do you have a particular drink or food you consume when you write? Like coco, raspberry tea, animal crackers? Laurice: My nails and Diet Snapple Ice Tea. Brock: Favorite color? Laurice: Yellow. Brock: What’s your favorite holiday memory? Laurice: Walking to midnight mass on Christmas Eve with my grandfather during a snowstorm. I didn’t know it at the time but it would be my last Christmas with him. Brock: Do you have a favorite Bible verse? Laurice: I love the Beatitudes. Brock: Favorite pasta dish? Laurice: Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce. Brock: Do you listen to music while you write? If so what are some examples? Laurice: I only listen to music when I’m writing emotional scenes. And they have to be sad, weepy songs. Brock: Your first movie was My Girl... why do you enjoy writing for kids? Laurice: I love writing for kids who are about 11 or 12. It’s around that age that they’re starting to figure out the world, and I love that perspective, seeing the world through their eyes. Brock: Who are your favorite literary characters? Laurice: Scout, Owen Meany, and Mrs. Bennet. Interview by Brock Eastman Brock: Mary thank you for taking the time to answer some of our questions about this exciting new series.
Mary: Brock, THANK YOU for letting me!!! What an absolute thrill!!! Brock: I always like to start at the beginning, how did you come up with the concept for Storm Siren and the world of Faelen? Mary: I was researching Joan of Arc one day (because she’s totally awesome!) and came across the old, hauntingly beautiful poem, “Saint Patrick’s Breastplate.” In one of its stanzas, Patrick is basically calling forth the elements to shield him, and I thought, “How cool would it be to incorporate those into a fantasy world?” That’s where the concept and setting came from. And then, of course, I spent days hashing it over with my sister (who’s brilliant at fantasy and plots) and my husband (who’s like this encyclopedia on all things superhero) until it came together. As far as the heart of the story – that developed from the teen girls I work with as a youth pastor. I wanted to create a story they’d not only (hopefully) love, but would be empowered by. There’s so much in our culture throwing mixed messages at them about what strength and beauty are. On one hand teen girls are encouraged to just “be themselves” but then they’re quickly heaped with a host of shallow expectations. In that way, Storm Siren is my shout out to them and the fact that each of them – that each of us – is born with unique value and destiny. And when we embrace that? We’re powerful. Beautiful. Unstoppable. Brock: Mary what a great inspiration to write a story. I always feel like when I write for a reason and for an audience I care specifically for (in your case your youth group girls), the story really takes hold and God provides the inspiration. And when mentioning St. Patrick’s breastplate, I actually wrote the outline for Challenge on the Hill of Fire (Imagination Station #10) and was very intrigued by that part of St. Patrick’s story like you were. God can do some pretty amazing miracles when we fully trust in Him. Okay a creative challenge here, give us five individual words to describe the book? Mary: For. People. Who. Like. Fun. Brock: My kind of book then. Tell us about Nym and her unique ability, without giving away any spoilers of course. Mary: Nym is an Elemental, born with the ability to summon storms and manipulate the weather. Technically, she’s not supposed to even exist since her kind have always been born male and automatically killed at birth (due to their level of power and a disturbing treaty her kingdom made long ago). Sadly, having never been taught to control her power, Nym believes she’s a curse rather than born for goodness. Brock: And as our readers read the book, I think they’ll find confidence in their own purpose from Nym’s story. Would you please use five words to describe Nym? Mary: Broken. Hungry-for-redemption. Powerful. Sarcastic-but-loyal. Tenderhearted. Brock: Nym sounds like a character many of us could relate too very easily; perhaps aside from the powers to control the elements. Expound on the spiritual themes inlaid within the book. Mary: Okay, so I honestly think all good stories have what I call the “thread of redemption” in them. And it’s something you’ll definitely find in Storm Siren. Other themes close to my heart are: Laying down one’s life for a friend, heart surrender, valuing life at every level, racial and social justice (including caring about the underprivileged and those with special needs), and embracing our God-designed destinies. Brock: Powerful messages that fit so perfectly into our time. What do you want readers to take away from Storm Siren? Mary: To quote John Eldredge in his book “Waking the Dead”: “You are not what you think you are. There is a glory to your life that your Enemy fears.” Brock: Share with us the story of how you were published. Mary: Short version: It took a village! (Thank you to my critique group, mentors, parents, sister, and husband!) Long version: Before Storm Siren, I’d been writing a number of years and had recently shopped around an adult paranormal manuscript that racked up eighty-seven agent rejections and four rewrites. When a dear friend paid my way to the Mount Hermon Writers’ Conference, I was able to submit part of that paranormal MS (in brown ink because my printer broke – so classy I know) to the conference ahead of time. While there, Allen Arnold, the then-publisher for Thomas Nelson HarperCollins approached me and invited me to chat. He’d read my submission as well as my blog, and he broached the idea of writing YA. Shortly after, he introduced me to one of TN’s editors whom I began corresponding with. Over the course of six months I pitched two stories. They eventually bought the second, and I screamed like an excited, rabid banshee. :0) Brock: Like you, my first books were published without an agent and direct to the publisher. It’s an exciting experience but a lot of work. I have grown to appreciate what the agent is able to take off your plate. (You’re awesome Amanda L.) What does it feel like to see your book in print and know that your story is being shared with so many? Mary: I’m not going to lie…I’ve been squealing a lot. And also a little terrified. Brock: Yeah, I’ve got several selfies of my books and me, as well as a few pictures my wife snuck while I slept with my books cradled in my arms at night. How many books are planned for this series? Mary: Three!! Brock: So your husband should be ready for a bit more squealing, I’d say. Can you give us the tiniest of peeks into the next book? Mary: Sure! We’re going to see Nym continue her internal journey of discovering who she is and what she was born for. We’re also going to see her face some very real challenges – including those involving her ability, Lord Myles, and Princess Rasha. Oh, and we get to travel to the Bron kingdom! There might be wraiths. Ahem. Brock: Oh, well now I’m intrigued. I’ll need an ARC asap please. Which book are you working on? Mary: I recently turned in book 2 and now I’m plotting out book 3. There may or may not be kissing. Brock: Do you have a favorite drink and/or snack that you drink/eat while writing? Mary: Okay, so I have this $40 espresso machine from Walmart that seriously makes THE BEST lattes. Before heading to my writing desk, I whip one of those babies up. I also keep a bag of almonds on hand because I tend to forget to eat while writing. Well…unless I’m stuck on a plot point. In which case all bets are off and I’m raiding the fridge like there’s no tomorrow. I’m not exactly proud of that. Brock: The Latte thing I totally get, I make a mean Caramel Latte to start my sessions. And yes the forgetting to eat can seriously become an issue. You have a rather unique bio, can you explain a bit more about the unicorns you feed? Mary: *laughs* The unicorns are rather pesky things – always interrupting with nonsense. Someone really should tame them. Brock: Perhaps you could include a chapter on this in an upcoming book, or a blog post. Another intriguing question raised by your bio, how might one go about taking over a make-believe world? Mary: I’m going to be honest - it takes time and a good theme song (preferably sung by a boy band). Oh, and a rockin’ 80’s costume. Brock: So many questions to save for our next interview. What is your favorite thing to do at the beach? Do you ever write while you are there? Mary: Aww, I love this question! Okay so my favorite thing to do at the beach is watch my kids play. They’re so carefree, jumping in the ocean spray and trying to force-feed poor unsuspecting anemones. Although as far as writing at the beach, I can’t. Mainly because I’m the most distractable person I know. I’m the girl who’s like, “Ooh look, a snow cone machine!” And “Oh-my-gosh - what if that surfer gets eaten by a SHARK?” That said, the ocean is most definitely my “walk-on-the-pier-with-my-husband-and-hash-out-plot-points” place. Books one and two would not exist if it weren’t for those dates. Or for my husband. Brock: Mary thanks for sharing the great insight into the book and your life, our readers really appreciate it. Mary: Thanks so much for the fun, Brock!! Loved doing this with you! Brock: Check out Storm Siren at your local Christian retailer or wherever books are sold. Interview by Brock Eastman Featuring Somebody on This Bus is Going to be Famous! Brock: How did you come up with the idea for this book or series? or What was your inspiration for writing this book? Janie: I like to tell people that I don’t get ideas—they get me! When I was a kid I wanted to be famous, and spent of lot of time in school (when I should have been learning stuff) imagining myself as an actress or movie star or director or Madame President. “Fame” is the gold ring of our celebrity culture, but I think kids who aren’t looking for fame per se are still grasping for a sense of significance and meaning. Anyway, one day I was imagining a high school reunion where one of the class members had moved on from graduation day to be very famous—how would the others react? What would be their memories of that person, and did they have any inkling of future fame? Brock: Tell us about the main characters? Who are they, what makes them unique. Janie: The most obvious feature of SOTB is that it boasts nine main characters! They all live in the same subdivision and take the same bus to school every day. Most of them can be tagged with a recognizable “type,” but if you know anything about people, you realize the tags don’t stick. As we get to know each of the characters better, their masks will slip, but here’s what they look like at the beginning: Shelly’s the rock star, Bender’s the bully, Miranda’s the earnest candidate for “best friend,” Kaitlynn’s the chatterbox, Spencer is the brain, Matthew’s the quiet one, Jay’s the jock, Igor’s the clown, and Alice is the shy girl you barely notice. But underneath . . . Brock: In three sentences (or you can choose three words) what is this book about? Janie: Growing up. Learning yourself. Seeing others. Brock: Do you outline the entire book before starting, or do you write as you go and let the characters take control of the story? Janie: I wish I could outline the entire book before starting out, because then first drafts wouldn’t be so hard. But I can’t do it—I have to start with a setting and situation, a handful of characters and a rough idea where I want to go, and usually stall out about three chapters in. Then I back up, rewrite, and hope the story will carry me a little farther. Usually, it’s not until I’m about two-thirds through the rough draft that I get a sense of the whole plot and how it’s going to work. Brock: How do you believe this story relates to the lives of readers? Janie: At this age, kids start looking outward for affirmation. I’ve noticed it while teaching writing classes, even among homeschoolers: from the ages of 7 through 11, if I’m reasonably entertaining I can get them to look at and listen to me. Around the age of 12-15, it gets tougher—I have to stand on my head (or the equivalent) to get their attention, because they are so focused on each other. They’re beginning to separate themselves from their home and parents and look around at their peers for clues about what kind of people they are. They are obsessed at this age with what their peers think about them. That’s what most of my kids on the bus are like: each has personal ambitions, but different levels of confidence. Brock: What is your favorite genre to write for? Janie: If you mean age: I had to find this out by experience. Starting around the age of 25 and for the next two decades, I wrote a total of four novels for adults. Not one of them were published, and it wasn’t for lack of trying! Then I had an idea for a novel directed at younger teens, and The Playmaker became my first published novel. After that I gravitated to a slightly younger age, and middle grade is where I ended up. Ironic because middle school is where I was most miserable as a kid! If you mean literary genre: When I was a kid the genre I liked best was historical fiction, and that’s still largely true. So that’s what most of my children’s novels have been: The Playmaker and The True Prince are set in Elizabethan London during Shakespeare’s time; My Friend the Enemy is a World War II story, and my next novel, out this fall, is about Hollywood and the early silent movie industry. Brock: Any certain research required for the book, or is it all from your imagination? Janie: Most of my novels require some research. For this one, I was writing about a school bus when I’d never ridden a school bus. My local school transportation contractor let me explore some of the busses in his fleet and ask him questions. Brock: How do you strike the right balance in your book? Janie: Hmm. . . .The “right balance” usually strikes itself. Most of my books have a serious point, but I try not to be too serious—I strive for a light touch. Brock: Why did you choose to focus on nine main characters? Janie: Because interaction throughout time is part of the theme. As I mentioned, kids ages 12-15 are starting to look to each other more and more for correction and affirmation—hence all the agony about what’s cool and what’s not—and relationships are becoming more fluid for them. Also, I wanted to stress that we all don’t know nearly enough about each other as we think we do. Each of my characters has his or her own life, but they are all mysteriously related—not least, around a real mystery. Each will turn out to hold a clue to the mystery, whether they realize it or not, and they will solve the puzzle together. Brock: If your book changed as you wrote it, how is it different than how you originally planned? Janie: I originally submitted the manuscript to my previous editor at Random House. She thought it had possibilities but suggested some fairly minor revisions that would strengthen Miranda, tone down Shelly, and change the motivation of one pivotal adult character (of whom I can’t tell you, since they’re part of the mystery!). I made the changes, which improved the manuscript, but the editor passed on it anyway. The changes my new editor suggested mostly had to do with cutting material—she’s very big on cuts! The basic plotline and characters, though, are essentially the same as when I submitted the manuscript the first time. Brock: How much leeway do you give yourself with facts in a Historical GENRE TYPE (Romance, Thriller, etc.)? Janie: That’s an interesting question. Generally, the closer the setting is to our own time, the more accurate I try to be. In My Friend the Enemy, I caught a dating error just before the final copy was to be printed. My editor and I discussed how important it was, and I decided it needed to be changed, even though it wasn’t anything like as significant as V-J Day. But there are still folks around who remember the War, so I wanted to be as accurate as possible. It meant rewriting one chapter and adding a few paragraphs elsewhere, but I’m glad we did it. For my Shakespeare books, I fudged a few dates and people to suit the plot, and excused myself in the historical note at the end. Nobody has complained! Brock: How do you hope parents will use this book with their kids? Janie: It’s a good read-aloud for slightly younger kids (ages 9-11), as long as the listeners can keep the characters straight. For the age for which it was intended, it’s a unique character study. Parents who have read the book might want to direct their kids to the caricature on my website, and see if they can guess each caricature represents. It might also be fun to talk about analogies: who do we know who’s most like Bender? Shelly? Miranda? Jay? Brock: What do you hope kids take away from this book or series? Janie: Partly that their lives are taking them somewhere—all the small (and big) disappointments, triumphs, agonies, and fun times are shaping them into the people they essentially are. And God made us all different. And that’s good. Brock: Are you a full-time or part-time author/writer? Janie: Full time—I also write regularly for World Magazine, I blog, and I am co-founder and writer for RedeemedReader.com, a children’s book resource for Christian parents and teachers. Brock: How long does it usually take you to write a single book? Janie: They’ve all taken about 10 months, unless I have to do a massive rewrite (which happened once). That doesn’t include the editorial work, which can drag on for a year and a half. Brock: Expound on the spiritual themes in the book/series? Janie: We are a work in progress, and “he who began a good work in us will surely see it through to the end.” When you’re in early adolescence, as most of my characters are, small setbacks can seem like THE END, but they’re actually the tools God is using to shape us and help us grow. At the very end the book, after a serious bus accident, one of the characters realizes how great a gift life is. That’s what we should be feeling every day—“and be thankful.” Brock: When did you realize you wanted to become a writer? Janie: Not until I was in my mid-twenties. As a child, on up through my teens, I wanted to be an actress (or failing that, a costume designer!). As a young wife whose husband did not want her to work (which suited me just fine), I had a lot of time on my hands, and only so much of it could I spend reading, even though I read a lot. So I decided to try my hand at writing a novel. It ended up taking eight years, what with babies coming, and all, and it wasn’t very good, but by my absolutely final rewrite, I understood something: Novel writing is a lot like acting out a play in your own head. And you get to play all the parts! Brock: What are some of the strongest influences on your writing? Janie: If you mean authorial influences, T. H. White’s Once and Future King was my favorite book as a middle-grader, and pretty much all through my teens. White taught me about depth of character and how to portray it. In my thirties I encountered the Canadian writer Robertson Davies, in particular a series of novels called The Deptford Trilogy. What most impressed me about his work is the use of detail and how he was able to put the reader right into a scene. Brock: What’s your view on e-books and the new publishing revolution? Janie: Not even publishers know what to think of e-books yet! I think I’ll always prefer physical books, but it sure is easy and convenient to order something from Amazon and have it show up on my Android reader within 30 seconds. I’m still amazed by that. But if I don’t mind waiting, I’ll wait for a book with pages. In children’s publishing, the only thing that bothers me is apps. An e-book is still a book, but a book app is something else. More like a video game. I wrote about that here. Brock: In what ways does your faith impact how you approach writing? Janie: It’s reinforced for me the value of prayer! More times than I can count, I’ve been blocked or stymied in the fiction-writing process, and the Lord helps me see my way through it. Beyond that, every writer writes from a certain worldview. A Christian worldview helps me to be more discerning about what I write—don’t make wild promises (“You can be anything you want to be”) or grim futures (let’s put a bunch of teens in a controlled environment and see how long it takes for them to kill each other!). A story doesn’t have to be squeaky-clean or happy-happy. But it should end with hope. Brock: Coke or Pepsi? Janie: Sweet tea. Brock: Soft shell or Hard Shell tacos? Janie: Chalupas. Otherwise, hard shell. Brock: Favorite place to vacation? Janie: You had me at “vacation”. Brock: Favorite season? Janie: I’m with C. S. Lewis: autumn. Brock: Do you have a particular drink or food you consume when you write? Like coco, raspberry tea, animal crackers? Janie: I write lean. Brock: Do you have a favorite Bible verse? Janie: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, if I had to pick. Also Colossians 1:17: “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” I’ll never get to the bottom of that one. Brock: So, what’s your next book? Janie: I’m glad you asked! We finally decided on a title, after kicking around a lot of options: I Don’t Know How the Story Ends. It was my editor’s idea and I wasn’t crazy about it, but it’s growing on me. Especially after I ran an informal poll on my two Facebook pages and her title won over mine by about 5 to 1. Anyway, it takes place in the summer of 1918, when a 12-year-old girl and her little sister move down to California for the summer to stay with their aunt, who lives in a poky little suburb called Hollywood. Only it’s not so poky anymore, and the aunt’s stepson has gone plumb loco about motion pictures. He has a cameraman, an idea, and now he has a female lead—let’s make a movie! It’s scheduled for October: “like” my Facebook page and you can see the cover reveal in a month or two. It was the giant Spinosaurus on the cover that stole my attention while I perused the bookshelves of my local bookstore. I knew that moment I had to have the book, I opened it up, read a few pages and was hooked. Dinosaurs have always been an interest in mine. Growing up my room was full-on dinosaur, from the bedspread and curtains to the shelf of books and the toy box filled with dinosaurs. I was the only second grader that could spell paleontologist. And then Jurassic Park the movie release and I further fell in love with Dinosaurs. Edge of extinction brings together two of my favorite types of stories; post-apocalypticism and dinosaurs. A unique and never before background to this story set it apart from the other middle grade books and series out there. Readers looking for something new and full of action, will want to get their hands on this. After finishing the book I knew I wanted to reach out to Laura and do an interview, what I didn't know was that she too is a believer. Brock: What inspired you to write the Edge of Extinction series? Laura: I took a quick trip to New York with my mom, and we spent an afternoon wandering around their Natural History Museum. The dinosaur display there is amazing. But amongst all those gigantic bones, I spotted one little dinosaur skeleton set off to the side. It was roughly the size of a dog, and I wondered if we brought dinosaurs out of extinction, would we have them as pets? Would they replace dogs? Cows? Would we have them in zoos? And in that instant, I had a vision of a girl running like mad to get the mail, gigantic dinosaurs hot on her heels, and the very first scene of Edge of Extinction was born. Brock: Can you tell us about Sky Mundy? Who is she? Laura: Sky Mundy is resilient. She lives in one of the last underground refuges of the human race, and she’s despised by almost everyone around her. But despite that, she hasn’t given up hope. She knows there is more to her father’s disappearance, and she’s not stopping until she finds out what happened to him. Brock: Would you mind giving us one fact about each main character that no one else knows? Laura: I love this question!
Brock: It's one of my favorite questions as well. I like learning a bit more about the characters in the books I read. In three words what is this book about? Laura: Dinosaurs. Friendship. Survival. Brock: You had me at, 'Dinosaurs.' Did you outline the entire book before starting, or do you write as you go and let the characters take control of the story? Laura: I didn’t! I’ve heard people call writers like myself “panters” because we fly by the seat of our pants! I usually just start with an idea and let the story go where it will. My characters dictate what happens next. Brock: I'm a by the seat writer too. I always tell kids when I speak that if your characters aren't talking back to you or leading you into the next moment of the story, then you (as the author) don't know them very well. How do you believe The Ark Plan relates to the lives of readers? Laura: Sky’s story is essentially about overcoming the odds and believing in yourself no matter what everyone around you is telling you, and I think that relates to all of us. Sky has the grit and determination to see her plans through, but she realizes along the way that it’s okay to accept help from friends. Brock: What is your favorite genre and audience to write for? Laura: I taught seventh grade English for six years, so the middle-grade category has my heart, and probably always will. Genre? I’d have to say Fantasy and Science Fiction are my favorites, just because that’s what I tend to read the most. Brock: Is there any biblical background or basis for the series? Laura: I grew up going to Christian schools all the way to college, so I had Bible stories etched into my brain and memory verses inscribed in my soul by the time I stepped out of my protective Christian school bubble and into the “real world.” When I started working on Edge of Extinction-The Ark Plan, I used the familiar story of Noah’s Ark as a vehicle, and the symbolism of Noah’s ark is woven throughout both books. (Book two is titled “Code Name Flood.”) So while my book wouldn’t technically be considered a Christian book, readers do have to have a working knowledge of the story of Noah in order to really understand what’s happening, which I like! Brock: I like that too. The Bible is full of wonderful stories with interesting people and events. The truth behind it for us Believers makes these stories something more, but the allegorical value and story arcs inside are great road maps for storytelling. Do you have a favorite Bible verse? Laura: Ephesians 3:20-21- Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. This verse was in my acknowledgments, which unfortunately didn’t make it into the first edition of my book. Brock: What sort of research did you do for a book about dinosaurs? Laura: All of the dinosaurs in my book really did exist, and I had to do some extensive research to make sure that I represented them as accurately as possible, which was tricky, as new dinosaur discoveries are coming to light almost daily. For example, there is now a controversy over whether our not our favorite dinosaur the T. rex had lips! I kid you not. But I was also lucky because we don’t really know everything about dinosaurs; they lived a million years ago after all, so I was able to fill in the gaps with my imagination. (If you want to read about the mess I made with the brontosaurus, just check out the author’s note in the back of my book!) Brock: I did enjoy your author's note. In fact the back of the book acknowledgements, author notes, etc., are typically the first place I look after reading the first few lines of book. Did you pull any of your characters from your life? Laura: I think as a writer we pull bits and pieces from here and there as we weave our stories together. For example, Todd has a lot of the characteristics of my younger brother Aric, but it took family and friends reading the book for me to realize that Ivan is a lot like my late grandfather. Brock: How does it feel to have your work published? Laura: Surreal. I’ve been a bookworm ever since second grade when I discovered C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and I’ve always wanted to be a writer. (To be honest, my original plan was to be a vet and a writer a’la James Herriot, but I dropped the vet bit and went the teaching route instead!) Getting published for me was a lengthy process, and when I finally got the call that my book was going to be published, I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it. In fact, the whole thing didn’t feel quite real until I was holding my book in my hands, and, even then, it took a few days to sink in. Brock: There's nothing better than holding that 100k plus words of hard work in bound form. If your book changed as you wrote it, how is it different than how you originally planned? Laura: My book went through A LOT of transformations in its path to publication. It started out life as a YA book, but, in my hunt for a literary agent, Alec Shane, my literary agent’s assistant, suggested that the story would really work better as a middle-grade adventure novel. And he was SO right. So after revising it into a middle-grade novel (a too long middle-grade novel I might add), I landed my fabulous agent Jodi Reamer, and she brought the book to the publishing houses. It was sold as a two-book deal with HarperCollins, so my original book was then split into two books. The first book, Edge of Extinction-The Ark Plan is actually about ¾ of my original novel. Book two Edge of Extinction- Code Name Flood is the remaining ¼ plus a bunch of new material that I absolutely love. But as I look at the finished book sitting on my desk now, I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Brock: And it's a great middle-grade novel at that. How do you hope parents will use this book with their kids? Laura: I hope parents use this book to help their kids LOVE reading. It’s why I wrote the book. As a seventh grade English teacher, I made it my mission to get kids reading. I have a firm belief that it just takes one book, the right book, to turn a non-reader into a reader. Many of the kids who repeatedly told me that they “hated” reading were boys, and in a lot of ways I wrote this book for them. Was it my best marketing strategy to create a book specifically for people who don’t read? No, it wasn’t. But being a passionate teacher makes you do crazy things sometimes. Brock: Well I'm an adult who hated reading as a kid myself, and after finding the right series grew to love and eventually became an author with the same passion (as yourself) of getting books into the hands of resistant readers. What do you hope kids take away from this book or series? Laura: This is a hard one. I’d say I want them to take away Sky’s tenacity, Shawn’s ingenuity, and Todd’s heart, but more than that, I hope that they take away a LOVE of reading. That they emerge from Edge of Extinction and have to look around and blink a bit before they remember that there really AREN’T dinosaurs still wandering around. I want them to have lived within the pages of the book, breathed the heady topside air along with Sky and her friends, and that the story churns in their brains for days after they finish the book. Brock: What’s your view on e-books? Laura: E-books don’t smell as good as the real thing. The end. Brock: Couldn't agree more! What was your favorite book as a teen or child? Laura: If it had pages, I probably loved it. That sounds like an exaggeration. It isn’t. I was addicted to books, and I used every excuse possible to slip between the pages of a story and get lost in the worlds I found there. There used to be a rule that I couldn't bring books to friend’s houses…because I wouldn’t play with the friends. Addicted I tell you. If I HAVE to choose, I’d say anything written by Tamora Pierce, The Thoroughbred Series (I had a major horse obsession as a kid), The Chronicles of Narnia, Lillian Jackson Braun’s Cat Who series, and Harry Potter will ALWAYS have my heart. Brock: Harry Potter was the series that got me reading. Like it or hate it, the series brought reading back to popularity for the younger generation who was leaning toward television and video games (The latter being me.) What are your hopes for your future as an author? Laura: I want this book to be the first of many more. I have so many stories yet to tell, and I want to still be in the author game ten, fifteen, fifty years from now. I want to die with a book half written…and everyone to be horribly sad about that! Brock: Well that just made me smile. What is your favorite quote? Laura: “Dreams don’t work unless you do.” Brock: Now for some rapid fire questions of the non-book sort. Coke or Pepsi? Laura: Neither. Green tea. I lived on Diet Coke in college, up to six or seven a day, and I have a mouthful of cavities to show for it! Green tea is a million times better and better for you. Make the switch! Brock: Soft shell or Hard Shell tacos? Laura: Soft. I’m not coordinated enough to eat the hard variety without losing all the taco guts onto my plate. Brock: Favorite place to vacation? Laura: My family’s lake house in Monticello, Indiana. I grew up going there every summer. It’s where my heart is happy. Also, my parents are there, and they are some of my favorite people in this whole wide world. Brock: Favorite season? Laura: Fall. Or as I call it, hooded sweatshirt weather. Brock: Do you have a particular drink or food you consume when you write? Like cocoa, raspberry tea, animal crackers? Laura: I love having a cup of coffee when I write. Part of it is the ritual of sipping something warm, but I also have a baby that doesn’t sleep through the night yet, so without it, I’d fall asleep on my keyboard. Brock: Favorite color? Laura: Orange. Brock: Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what are some examples? Laura: I sometimes put on Pandora when I write to block out the sound of my husband watching television in the other room. I can’t focus enough to write if the songs have lyrics, though, so I listen to a station based on the Forrest Gump soundtrack. Brock: Thanks for answering all my questions on The Ark Plan. I can't recommend this book enough to my readers. If you enjoyed the chapters with TIffany and Oliver on Featured Products Lyt, then you'll really like The Ark Plan, Book 1 in The Edge of Extinction. In case you need a reminder of an awesome dinosaur scene on Re Lyt. Check out this moment when a velociraptor busts through the top of the corridor. Plus scrolls down to see some of the art from the visual glossary in Unleash. (Unleash, Book 3 in The Quest for Truth) Laura Martin believes in chasing her dreams and she brought that philosophy to her classroom for six years as a seventh grade English teacher. Edge of Extinction-The Ark Plan is Laura’s first novel—and a dream come true. When she isn’t writing stories about dinosaurs and underground civilizations, she can be found in the Indianapolis area with her dashing husband, Josh, her adorable kids, daughter London and son Lincoln, and two opinionated bulldogs. Interview by Brock Eastman Featuring The Tethered World Chronicles Brock: Hi, Heather! I understand your second book, The Flaming Sword, is about to be released for pre-order. Before we learn about that, what can you tell me about the first book, The Tethered World that we will be giving away on this blog? Heather: Hello and thanks for having me! Yes, it’s hard to believe my second book is almost spit-shined and ready to meet the world. I’m still enjoying the afterglow of giving birth to my first little darling. Book one, The Tethered World, introduces readers to sixteen-year-old Sadie Larcen. She’s the oldest of six and has a bit of a quirky family. Her father owns a cosmetology school, her mother is an expert on Bigfoot and other legends, and she and her siblings are homeschooled. One of her twin brothers is autistic. Sadie has always been embarrassed by her parents’ oddball professions and can’t wait to graduate, head to college, and begin a literary career. But her mother’s professional hobby becomes Sadie’s worst nightmare when her parents are kidnapped by creatures that once lived in the Garden of Eden. Creatures most people don’t believe exist. Now, Sadie and her siblings have to venture into a land populated by beings from folklore and save their parents. Poor Sadie would much rather read about adventures than experience them. She’s not the average female book heroine, ready to defeat the forces of evil and take names later. Brock: And how do the experiences in the first book affect Sadie in the second book, The Flaming Sword? Heather: Sadie more readily accepts what has to be done the second time around. Although at first, she struggles with the same insecurities and fears. She claims she’d like traveling to the Tethered World better if it didn’t involve life or death situations. But now she has friends in this place, and their life is being threatened. Add to that the risk to her autistic brother Brock—who stayed behind in book one to train to be High King. His life is one of many in danger. In fact, if Sadie and her family don’t help to protect the Flaming Sword of Cherubythe, the entire planet is in danger. Definitely, the stakes are much higher for Sadie in The Flaming Sword. Also, my publisher, Mountain Brook Ink, suggested I add a secondary point of view in book two. Readers will get to see the action happening from two different vantage points this time, which makes for a pretty intense journey. Brock: What’s the third book in the series called, and can you give us a little taste of what to look forward to? Heather: Certainly! The third book is The Genesis Tree. I’m currently writing my first draft. Although Sadie and some of the others will have to head back to the belly of the earth to do battle, the enemy wants nothing less than world domination. They’re willing to expose themselves to the scrutiny of the media and the powers that be topside (the term they use for those of us on TOP of the earth’s crust), in order to grasp the power and recognition they crave. Things will get downright dicey and dangerous. The third point of view is used in book three, which will add yet another layer. Although I don’t write with an outline (I’m a ‘pantser’), I do have major plot points I springboard toward (with a lot of prayers!). Often I’m just as surprised as the reader when characters hijack my story and wreak all sorts of havoc. I love it when that happens! Brock: Never a dull moment at the keyboard, it sounds like! In conclusion, tell me why you are writing The Tethered World Chronicles? What did you hope to share with readers by letting them into this mysterious world? Heather: Great question! The Tethered World introduces readers to the secret place where God moved the inhabitants of Eden before the flood of Noah. They’ll meet dwarves, gnomes, leprechauns, trolls, Nephilim, and more. I noticed that cultures all over the world share similar folklore (long before the internet, newspapers, or even printed books). For example, from the Pacific Northwest to Tibet, there are rumors of a “wild man in the mountains” (Bigfoot, yeti, abominable snowman etc). My stories suggest there may be a reasonable explanation for such worldwide sightings. Along with Sadie, our reluctant heroine, I hope to take the reader to a land that is almost convincing enough to be true. I love stories that seem quite possible, even if they are not probable. The Chronicles of Narnia have that quality and I desired to write a series laced with the same believable potential. I hope that readers will yearn to find a dragon in the fog, faeries within a circle of toadstools, and gnomes guarding a powerful sword…just like they yearn to find a lamppost glowing in the woods. Heather L.L. FitzGerald lives in Fort Worth, Texas with four someones that call her mom and one special someone that calls her his wife. She homeschooled her children--one of whom is autistic--and teaches ballet at a fine arts school on her off-time. Heather is a member of the North Texas Christian Writers and helps to facilitate the Fort Worth-based Manet writer’s group, and she loves drinking ice lattes, cloud watching, and getting lost in a good book. You can connect with Heather on her website/blog, Facebook, Pinterest (Belongs to her main character, Sadie), Character blog: (Sadie’s mom has a blog about legendary creatures.), Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads. The Tethered World is available from Amazon. The Flaming Sword will be available for pre-order on Amazon August 1st, and released November 1st, 2016. Written by Brock Eastman In 2008 I moved to Colorado Springs as a newlywed starting out on a new adventure. My wife and I accepted a position with Focus on the Family and were excited about our new life together in a place new to both of us. Yes it meant new friends, a new church, a new community, but it also meant those things were both of ours, not just the church I grew up in, her high school friends, and a city with the same old familiar haunts we visited through our season of dating each other. We were beginning a new adventure together and like the early pioneers had little idea as to what we might experience. What we did find were many of God’s blessings ahead, including the beginning of my writing career. I hope to share parts of this adventure with you in my column this year and perhaps inspire you on your journey. If you’ve ever been to Focus on the Family you’ll know they have a beautiful campus with a wonderful bookstore and of course Whit’s End. But this article isn’t about my favorite audio drama Adventures in Odyssey (Whit’s End,) it’s about the bookstore and a very special lady I met there. A lady who inspired me in my writing career, her name is Donita K. Paul. Many call her the Dragon Lady. I’d only been working at Focus for a few short months when the bookstore hosted a book signing with author Donita K. Paul. I’d never heard of her, in fact even though I was working at a ministry I wasn’t a big reader of Christian fiction, for that matter I was hardly a reader at all. But I thought, well this is cool, I can meet a real live author. Although I admit I was a bit nervous I crossed the parking lot and got in line. My small bit of anxiety was quickly washed away as I heard her laughing with some kids and saw her bright smile. She’d set up a wonderful table with the first four books in the Dragon Keeper Chronicles, she had a ‘prize dragon’ (a stuffed dragon you reach into it’s mouth and pull out a prize,) and every color of pen you could imagine. When it was my turn I scooped up each of her books and she asked what color I would like her to sign them in. I chose a different color for each book and made sure the color of the ink matched the book’s cover. We had a brief delightful conversation, she told me about the series, I told her I was new to Colorado Springs and had started at Focus on the Family. She welcomed me and assured me I would love it here. We said goodbye (as there was still a long line behind me) and I took my books to the counter, checked out, and left. That night when I started reading the books I fell in love with not only fantasy fiction, but Christian fiction. The Dragon Lady had woven a story (about our Redeemer and about sacrifice) into this fantastical world she had created. I flew through the four books and then had to wait. It wasn't until almost a year later when the fifth book finally released and saw her at the local Borders store where she was signing again; pens, prize dragon, and all. You see Borders was my wife and I’s favorite place to go. Again Donita was a joy to be around and I could tell not only was she passionate about her writing and characters, but she was passionate about using this medium to share the love of Jesus with others. So fast forward a year or so. By now I had been consuming Christian fiction and was working in the product marketing area of Focus on the Family. I was working on kids’ books and my favorite brand Adventures in Odyssey. I’d also started to learn about the publishing industry itself thanks to my co-workers and new friends at Tyndale. Having fallen in love with Donita’s writing, I’d dusted off a manuscript I’d written in 2005 and prepared it to show publishers. A few short months later I had a contract for The Quest for Truth and while there were many other author and industry friends along the way that inspired, coached, and encouraged me, the reality of my publishing journey started with Donita K. Paul’s series The Dragon Keeper Chronicles. And as with that first series, her latest series is continuing to inspire and captivate. In April of last year I wrote about the first book in her new series Realm Walkers. Donita continues the adventure and excitement in the second installment Two Renegade Realms (Available now from Zondervan.) The series isn’t just for kids, its a series for adults who love fantasy and science fiction. The characters are loveable, the story will keep you turning the page, and the world she created, although makebelieve, is believable because of her writing skill. Donita inspired me through her writing and I know she will inspire you. Before you check out Relam Walkers make sure you’ve cleared your calendar for the next few weeks, because once you’ve finished this series, you’ll be grabbing her other books as well. But before you do here is a brief Q&A about Two Renegade Realms with Donita K. Paul. Brock: In three words what is at the heart of Two Renegade Realms? Donita: Preparation requires leadership Brock: Names. How do you come up with the names of your characters and places? Donita: My female protagonist was named after a favorite actor, Bill Bixby. Totobee-Rodolow was named after the dog in Wizard of Oz. Cantor was named after singers in formal church services. Tegan was named after President Reagan. I know. It’s a stretch. Brock: Were there any characters or scenes that were cut from Two Renegade Realms? Can you share about them or even include some of the text that was cut? Donita: Um, I edit so rigorously as I write that I rarely get to the end and have to cut scenes or characters. The last time I did that was in my first book published. The editor had me cut a segment with a cute dog, a cute kid, and vile villains. Brock: What is the message that you hope readers take away from this book? Donita: Be wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. Know enough to make wise choices Brock: Give us a hint on what to expect in the third book. Donita: Since it is the last book in the trilogy, you can expect to have everything wrapped up all nice and tidy. You can expect a bumpy ride to get there. Specifically, in an attempt to create bogus realm walkers, our evil ne’er-do-wells are ruining the lives of innocent, and not so innocent, normal folk. Brock: After this series completes do you have other series or books in the works? Donita: I have no contracts at present, so I’m assigning myself some fun projects including another reader http://bit.ly/HouseonTrollHill ; a new picture book http://bit.ly/DragonandTurtle ; another Sage Street adventure http://bit.ly/2TicketstotheChristmasBall ; and some old-fashioned prairie romance http://bit.ly/TamingtheWildWind . Plus, we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of DragonQuest. Lots of things to keep me busy! Brock: What advice would you give an aspiring author? Donita: READ! Your brain subconsciously accumulates information about writing do’s and don’ts while you read. It accumulates examples of shabby techniques and stellar prose. What you like to read is what you will be most successful at writing. I don’t mean genres. You can read westerns and write thrillers, but the style and syntax of your favorite novels will bleed into your approach to storytelling. Interview by Brock Eastman Featuring the Imagination Station series Brock: Everyone seems to have a "how I got published" story. What is yours? Marianne: I was a receptionist for FOTF periodicals department for three months before being promoted to an editorial assistant for the FOTF Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. magazines. So it was fairly easy to get published in those periodicals because I had an editor/mentor Ray Seldomridge to help me. My first book contract story is so not-the-norm, but I’ll tell you the story because you asked. The children’s editor, Liz Duckworth, at the now-defunct Victor Books called and asked me to submit a children’s book proposal—they wanted some more books for the next year’s line. I sent the proposal in on Good Friday in 1995, and the Monday after Easter Victor Books had accepted it. Brock: When did you realize you wanted to become a writer? Marianne: When I got my first paycheck. I had been a waitress for years and was tired of carrying around 50 pounds of quarters and a log-sized roll of dollar bills. Brock: Tell me a little about your books. Marianne: My most recent series is with FOTF and the Adventures in Odyssey team. They are historical fiction/time travel books for kids 7 and up. The main characters are Patrick and Beth, cousins who travel through John Avery Whittaker’s invention The Imagination Station. Brock: What are some of the strongest influences on your writing? Marianne: The newspaper. The Internet. The kids I tutor. My sons. Brock: How do you write? What’s a normal writing day like for you? Marianne: Fits and starts, depression, overeating, then a sudden passion where I type out about 50 pages all at once. Brock: Who are your books aimed at? What are some of the challenges of writing for older teens versus younger kids? Marianne: Kids 7 and up. I try to keep the interest level high and the excitement and educational value of my books pumped. The hard part is the fact that I can use only 1 or 2 complex sentences per chapter. Brock: What’s your view on e-books and the new publishing revolution? Any e-book plans in your future? Marianne: Books in any form are wonderful. Go e-books. Brock: What was your favorite book as a teen? Marianne: That rabbit one . . . Watership Down. I so love dystopias. Brock: What are your hopes for your future as an author? Marianne: To not go back to waitressing. Brock: If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be? My family, every night. Brock: What inspired you to write? Marianne: The need for a paycheck, and it was fun to have characters in my head all the time. I kind of live in a circus all day long. Brock: What do you want readers to take away from your book? Marianne: The fact that God has a plan. Nothing is an accident. Brock: In what ways does your faith impact how you approach writing fiction? Marianne: I am spoiled because my books have eternal value for those who seek to find God in their pages. I don’t think creating a book that is just about history would be as much fun or satisfying. Brock: Coke or Pepsi? Marianne: COKE. Brock: Soft shell or hard shell tacos? Marianne: All of them all the time. I should have been born in Mexico. Brock: Favorite place to vacation? Marianne: Anywhere with a beach or a large body of water. Brock: Favorite season? Marianne: Summer. Brock: Do you have a particular drink or food you consume when you write? Like coco, raspberry tea, animal crackers? Marianne: If it’s in the fridge, I’ll eat it. Brock: Favorite color? Marianne: All of them. Brock: What’s your favorite holiday memory? Marianne: It involves mistletoe and it’s none of your business. Brock: Do you have a favorite Bible verse? Marianne: No. Brock: Favorite pasta dish? Merianne: Fettuccini Alfredo with chicken and broccoli. Brock: Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what are some examples? Merianne: Sometimes I listen to mellow instrumental music. |
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