I recently met Andrew in a Google+ Community called "Writer's Discussion Group". It's a fantastic place filled with writers of all kinds. There is more talent and spirit to be found there than I could ever hope to detail justly. Please check out his blog. If you like my writing style, I think you'll find that he is right up your alley.
Without further ado...onto the questions!
Q. What is the name of your work in progress?
A. My novel is currently titled "The Sorcerer's Paragon", but as the draft count increases, so does the likelihood that the title will change.
Q. Where did the idea come from for the book?
A. I actually came up with the story in a backwards manner. I thought of a twist that would take place at the end, something that really made me think, "Wow! That's F-d up!" Okay, okay...that's only part of it. The other part stems from my love of the old-school fantasy games: Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy...anything where you needed to travel over vast, beautiful, and yet dangerous lands in order to reach a certain state (state of mind, state of strength, state of magic, etc.). Only when that state is reached can you go on to fulfill your destiny.
Q. What genre does your book fall under?
A. Fantasy, definitely...I wouldn't quite call it dark fantasy, though I do have ogres, not unicorns.
Q. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
A. Gary Oldman would make an excellent choice for Silas W., the main character's teacher. As for the main character...some up-and-coming actor who hasn't had any major breakthrough roles.
Q. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
A. I'm very sorry for cheating, but I have yet to master the one-sentence synopsis. Here is the 5-sentence version:
Garridan Beastu is a boy almost of age, a boy with remarkable but unknown powers. Although he is unaware of the magic coursing through his veins, The King of Dradu is not as blind. He has visions of a boy capable of destroying his kingdom and calls for Garridan's swift execution. With the aid of a mysterious sorcerer, Garridan manages to escape the attack, but his loved ones are not as lucky. Armed with the teachings of his new friend, Garridan takes on a quest of vengeance, a quest that requires the awakening of his power, one that will end with nothing but the king's demise.
Q. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
A. I plan on running it through the machine out of curiosity if nothing else. Honestly, I am really on the fence whether to self-publish or not. I would be proud to release it either way. Let's see how my tune changes after the first few dozen rejection notices. :)
Q. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
A. Far too long. I'd say about a year. This novel is my first, and I spent a lot of time cleaning up after myself once I figured out what the hell I was doing. I didn't plan properly from the get-go. I didn't outline. I had tons of info-dumps to contend with...yadda yadda yadda.
Q. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
A. This is a loose answer...but if I HAVE to choose I'd say the following: The Hobbit, because of the quest aspect and A Game of Thrones, because of how the different POV characters contribute their own voice to flesh out the different "sides" of the story.
Q. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
A. A few things actually. I have a love for quests, as I eluded to in an earlier question. On a deeper level, I was inspired by the many facets of human nature. The main character has a reason for his quest: revenge, revenge for the family that was taken from him. But during his quests, he learns that there are more important things. The story also has a secondary POV character. Throughout, he struggles with whether to side with his conscience or his king's wishes. In the end, it's the characters that make a story come to life. So I'm inspired by the fact that it's my job to make them as lifelike as possible and that it's my job to tell their story justly.
Q. What else about your book might pique the readers' interest?
A. My story belongs to the fantasy genre...it's true. I have magic, enchantments, wondrous creatures and beautiful/dangerous worlds. But I also have deeply seeded human elements that are discovered through the eyes of very interesting characters. Revenge, betrayal, the love of family, and the willingness to stand up for what you believe in no matter what the costs may be...these are the elements that the reader will find. These are the elements that will pull the reader in and let them breath the same air as the heroes and villains alike.
Whew...that was draining. Now it's my turn to introduce the next writer in the blog hop, +Jessie Mahoney. I have been following her blog for awhile, and it's very good. She's the author of the The Community Vampire Series, and her novels can be purchased on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, LuLu and SmashWords. Stop by and visit her here. She has some excerpts from her books available...you won't be disappointed!
I enjoyed reading this just as much as I enjoyed doing my own post, Tim! It's been a pleasure to read about "The Sorcerer's Paragon" and I'm excited for when it does eventually come out.
ReplyDeleteI did want to leave a helpful comment about one sentence synopses though; think about the most riveting detail of your book and without revealing it, make a reference to it; I believe that is pretty much the key to a one-sentence.
Thanks for the comment and advice, Andrew! I had a lot of fun with the blog hop post too.
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