THE NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP 2.0
My gratitude to fellow author Alesha Escobar for inviting me to participate in this event. You can click the following link to learn more about her work: http://www.aleshaescobar.com
She asked me to answer ten questions about The Lost King and my latest work-in-progress (giving you a sneak peek). I’ve also included some behind-the-scenes information about how and why I write what I write: the characters, inspirations, plotting and other choices I make. I hope you enjoy it!
Please check out Alesha’s work and feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!
1: What is the title of your book and what other possible titles did you come up with before settling on the official title?
The working title for my current project is The King’s Ransom although I haven’t ruled out my first working title, The Changeling Prince.
2: What inspired you to write your book?
It’s a sequel to The Lost King. I got to the end of that book and realized that there was more to tell about King Bewilliam. Plus, readers have been clamoring for more.
3. If you had to sum up the story in a few sentences, what would you say?
The King’s Ransom finds Robin, the hero of The Lost King, at sea both literally and figuratively. At first directionless and purposeless, he determines to reunite with his sons and with them restore his shattered kingdom but Fate has different plans for the lost king. Driven far from his home in the Chalklands, Robin pits his will against a dragon, a fortress’s duplicitous and deadly guards, high winds on the open water, and a horrifying sea monster only to meet his most formidable challenge.
4: Are your villains bad, super-bad, or the spawn of the devil?
The sea monster is scary bad, but the other villains are perhaps more destructive because they are insidious, devious, covert. Robin doesn’t realize that they’re working against him until the damage is done.
5: How would you describe your hero or heroine?
Though he’s a king, in many ways Robin is just a regular guy trying to put his life back together after a crisis tore it apart. He’s stubborn and strong willed. That gets him into trouble but also serves him well when he’s faced with overwhelming challenges.
6: What was the greatest compliment you received regarding your book?
I have had a number of readers tell me that they wouldn’t usually read a fantasy book but they loved The Lost King. I even had one reader tell me that he hadn’t read “anything to speak of” in decades but The Lost King revived his interest in fiction. What greater encouragement could a writer ask for?
7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Like The Lost King, The King’s Ransom began as a project for National Novel Writing Month. I wrote about 50,000 words during the month of November, 2012. This month, during another writing marathon, Camp NaNoWriMo, I’m aiming to add another 30,000 words.
8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
As a reader, I’m just starting to explore the fantasy genre. Like The Lost King’s fans, fantasies are not my usual “read.” I’m as surprised as anyone to find that I wrote one but that was how the story wanted to be told.
9: Are there any “writing rules” you’ve broken in your book (and do you have a good reason for doing so)?
I’d have to say “no.” The story has a beginning, a middle and an end. It has characters and action and dialog. It even has a dragon!
10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
They’ll get to go sailing–without motors or electronics (no GPS in the 13th century!). They’ll discover that the way books get published and sold today doesn’t differ much from how it was done in the Middle Ages. And the story includes one recipe. Sort of.
