Interview: Gods & The Writing Process
SW Hammond talks with Amber Stoke about the creative process behind The Final Book: Gods, favorite characters, and the future of the trilogy.
What was the inspiration for your story?
The idea for The Final Book came to me as I was digging fencepost holes in Colorado Springs. I had a lot of time to myself, digging hole after hole by hand in an empty field. Anyone who has been to Colorado Springs knows that you can't escape the shadow of Pikes Peak--the mountain is enormous, majestic, and inspiring. While peaceful and sunny in the middle of town, you can watch storms come in over the top of its peak, the wind blowing snow for miles out into the sky. It seemed to me that if moody ol' Zeus were ever to leave Mount Olympus, this would be his peak of choice. Frustrated, sweating, and barely scratching away at the dirt, my mind became lost in a fantastic tale of the Gods living right above the city.
What kept you going throughout the writing process?
This is a good question because it was a chore. The book took six years to write. My work-life became really demanding about a month after I started and I was always on the road—it made it really hard to find a consistent writing schedule or a conducive environment for creativity.
The biggest thing that kept me going was that I truly love these characters—it makes me so happy when I think about them. Serious. It’s weird, but I adore them. I’d also have these moments of vivid imagination where I’d see the story so clearly—I knew I had to try to do it justice and give it life. Lastly, the book was a big chip on my shoulder. It seems I start a lot of things in life, but never finish them, haha. I really didn’t want that to happen to this book—I wanted to finish something. It took a lot of sacrifice—I had to consciously choose to work on the book over meeting friends for dinner, spending time with family, enjoying favorite tv shows and movies, etc. Of course there’s a sense of balance and you can still have a life—but at some point the book has to come first in order to finish it.
Who is your most meaningful character and why?
Oooo, this is hard… Gods is a team effort. While you’ll quickly realize who the story is centralized around, the book doesn’t have a clear “primary” protagonist. Dr. Hork is probably the most meaningful character, as everything begins and ends with him (*think about the title, hint hint*), but Ana might be my favorite character. She doesn’t have a lot of real estate in the book, but she’s important to me—I just love her spirit and attitude.
I think a lot people would assume that I’d choose Josh as my favorite character—but in all honesty, I look at him as a vehicle that gives life to all the others. He’s needed to allow everyone else to shine.
