Ask the Author: B.E. Crittenden
Answered Questions (5)
B.E. Crittenden
My daughter Angel was the inspiration for Eriana. She was a very good girl when she was little, around the age of four. She picked up her room after being told playtime was over. She of course always pulled every single toy she had out of her toy box before playing. She also could not lie. She just would not do it, even if it meant she would be in trouble.
Torva was inspired by my cousin's daughter Lari, because I met her around that time. She was a tom boy and a very strong minded kid. She was about nine when together they inspired me to make up the story in my mind.
I used to tell Angel a very short version of it up to the age of eight. Sixteen years later I learned about self-publishing and started turning it into my book Avangar.
Torva was inspired by my cousin's daughter Lari, because I met her around that time. She was a tom boy and a very strong minded kid. She was about nine when together they inspired me to make up the story in my mind.
I used to tell Angel a very short version of it up to the age of eight. Sixteen years later I learned about self-publishing and started turning it into my book Avangar.
B.E. Crittenden
In this day and age. The escape to a better world. A world where I know who the bad guys are.
B.E. Crittenden
My grandfather was a full blood Cherokee. He used to tell me stories when I was little and he lived with us in Peavine, Oklahoma. That was my inspiration to tell myself stories. This was my favorite story as best as I can remember. I was only five when he died.
I was riding my wagon to Stilwell to get some supplies. I had my rifle by my left leg and a jug of whiskey by my right. I came across a white man walking down the road. He was a raggedy looking man, he probably drank more than I do. I stopped and offered him a ride. He jumped in the back and I kept going.
He was talking like he was scared or something. I know now he was just nervous. Trying to work up his courage. If he had just asked me for a drink I would have got him plenty drunk long before we got to Stilwell. Instead he grabbed my jug and jumped off the wagon. He didn’t run away. He just went over and sat behind a little tree. He started drinking my damn whiskey. So I slowly got my rifle, aimed it at the tree and cut it in half right above his head.
He walked over to me and I never said a word to him. He handed me the jug and said, here you go sir. I just left and he lost his ride to Stilwell.
At three years old I found that story to be fascinating. Paw-paw was a big man, Redd Foxx always reminded me of him. When he asked me do you know why that man did that. I thought in my head in other terms of course. Basically, because my Paw-paw is a bad ass. I didn’t know what to say.
He said, because I am an Indian and he was a white man. He thought he could get away with it because of that. Guns are the only thing the white men respect.
At the time white, black, Indian meant nothing to me. I couldn’t really absorb the message. All I knew was he was my Paw-paw and I loved him. And that my Paw-paw is a bad ass. If I have any true storytelling ability it came from him.
I was riding my wagon to Stilwell to get some supplies. I had my rifle by my left leg and a jug of whiskey by my right. I came across a white man walking down the road. He was a raggedy looking man, he probably drank more than I do. I stopped and offered him a ride. He jumped in the back and I kept going.
He was talking like he was scared or something. I know now he was just nervous. Trying to work up his courage. If he had just asked me for a drink I would have got him plenty drunk long before we got to Stilwell. Instead he grabbed my jug and jumped off the wagon. He didn’t run away. He just went over and sat behind a little tree. He started drinking my damn whiskey. So I slowly got my rifle, aimed it at the tree and cut it in half right above his head.
He walked over to me and I never said a word to him. He handed me the jug and said, here you go sir. I just left and he lost his ride to Stilwell.
At three years old I found that story to be fascinating. Paw-paw was a big man, Redd Foxx always reminded me of him. When he asked me do you know why that man did that. I thought in my head in other terms of course. Basically, because my Paw-paw is a bad ass. I didn’t know what to say.
He said, because I am an Indian and he was a white man. He thought he could get away with it because of that. Guns are the only thing the white men respect.
At the time white, black, Indian meant nothing to me. I couldn’t really absorb the message. All I knew was he was my Paw-paw and I loved him. And that my Paw-paw is a bad ass. If I have any true storytelling ability it came from him.
B.E. Crittenden
I am editing all my books one last time. I will have them all out within two weeks. Then I will be working fulltime on Haalandor, my second book in The Crystals of Destiny Trilogy. I have some of it already done. I plan to have it out at least before Christmas and the third book out by next summer.
B.E. Crittenden
After finally finishing Avangar, it inspired me to rewrite all my books in first person past tense. Just touch ups now and I should have them all back out within two weeks.
When I first wrote my books it was third person present tense. A lot of people don't like present tense and I now see why. It was a struggle to write in present tense. No one tells you a story as it happens. The human brain naturally rejects present tense.
I found I can expand my writing greatly by going into someone’s head in first person. No one can tell their own story as well as the person it has happened to. I learned a lot from Avangar. Because I already had the stories in third person I had a lot to work with. I just had to pick the person that had the best perspective to be my first person storyteller.
So my advice would be to try first person past tense. First person because you can bring your own experiences as a human into your story telling. Put yourself in the characters place. Tell the story with the characteristics you think they would project.
When I first wrote my books it was third person present tense. A lot of people don't like present tense and I now see why. It was a struggle to write in present tense. No one tells you a story as it happens. The human brain naturally rejects present tense.
I found I can expand my writing greatly by going into someone’s head in first person. No one can tell their own story as well as the person it has happened to. I learned a lot from Avangar. Because I already had the stories in third person I had a lot to work with. I just had to pick the person that had the best perspective to be my first person storyteller.
So my advice would be to try first person past tense. First person because you can bring your own experiences as a human into your story telling. Put yourself in the characters place. Tell the story with the characteristics you think they would project.
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