Author: blogespresso

Book: Crucible of Fear

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Q1.  Hello Sir, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.

Hello! My name is D.W. Whitlock. I’m a professional animator that writes thriller novels. I love spending time with my family, video games, watching films and riding my Triumph Scrambler motorcycle. And reading, of course.

Q2.  What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Crucible of Fear’ book?

I’ve written many short pieces to practice and learn, but writing full-length novels has always been my goal. The biggest challenge I think was wrangling a tight, compelling story from tons of research material I gathered and the various ideas I had. There is a ton of stuff that didn’t make it in to the book, but what did make it in is that much stronger.

Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

Books by Michael Crichton, Robert McCammon, Michael Connelly, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child and so many others from Arthur C. Clarke to Margaret Atwood, but I’d say these writers and their works have influenced me the most.

Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?

I grew up in the local mountains of California, so I go back to those types of areas as much as I can. The clean, clear air, the smell of pine and sage and the absolute quiet is like nothing else.

Q5. Is there lots to do before you drive in and start writing a book?

Absolutely. I do a lot research after deciding on what type of story I want to write. Many of the elements that form the basis of the story are revealed through this process. Technology, locations, potential situations, elements of danger, along with character motivation and what types of skills and flaws they have.

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Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘Crucible of Fear’ book?

Working about 1-3 hours per day, I was able to finish Crucible of Fear in about six or seven months, from outlining to final pass after beta reads. When I’m not writing, a lot of time is spent thinking about the story and characters while I’m on motorcycle rides, in the shower, trying to get to sleep! Some of the best ideas happen when you’re NOT at the keyboard.

Q7. On what all platforms readers can find ‘Crucible Of Fear’ book to buy?

Amazon.com and all Amazon international markets. It is also available to Kindle Unlimited subscribers for free.

Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Crucible of Fear’?

I wanted the cover to be simple yet striking and not too typical of the thriller genre, which usually has the silhouette of character running against the backdrop of a monochromatic city in either punchy red or orange. I hired an artist to create the image and it showed promise, but I wasn’t really happy with the final result so I reworked it into the version you see now.

Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?

I ask myself, what is the most interesting or exciting thing the characters can do in this scene and still make it believable? I also have a hard and fast rule: No Deus Ex Machina saving the characters. They always figure a way out themselves, but it will most likely cost them.

Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?

Nope!

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Book Is Available On Amazon

Crucible of Fear

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Q1. Hello Sir, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.

Originally, I come from a screenwriter and independent filmmaking background with over twenty years of experience in the arts and entertainment industry. My directorial debut was entitled, 17 & Under, and won my first awards, garnered successful distribution and landed me squarely on the filmmaking map. Since then, I’ve been a part of many successful productions, with my latest film The Boatman. I won Best Director Idyllwild Film Festival among many other wins and a Best Director and Best Film nominee of the prestigious 33rd Annual Imagen Awards. Now I like to turn my storytelling skills into long-form narrative fiction. My first novel is entitled, Weeper. Weeper is the multigenerational story of the relationships between the members of two 19th century Appalachian families; the True’s, a family of “warners” (early funeral directors), and the Fenn’s, a family of “weepers” (paid mourners). My current is Collodion. It is the second in a companion series after Weeper. All three will submerge into the macabre world of the nineteenth century death industry; postmortem photography & embalming.

Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Weeper’ book?

My first novel was a huge learning curve. Adept at screenplays, novels posed a challenge. I learned from editors over and over again, with multiple versions. I got a little better with Collodion

Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

Charles Frazier (Cold Mountain) Pat Conroy (Prince of Tides) I don’t even come close to the prose these guys produce, but they are an inspiration.

Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?

I’m a man of water. I love lakes, beaches, streams, rivers. I like visiting any place that has those.

Q5. Is there lots to do before you drive in and start writing a book?

Yes. I’m a plotter and plot out the entire story first. But I know it will change after many drafts. Something doesn’t work out, so you have to change it over here and so forth. Since I’m a historical fiction writer, research into history helps me bring in interesting facts and many times helps with plot.

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Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘Collodion’ book?

About six months with many more months of revisions.

Q7. On what all platforms readers can find your books to buy?

Both of my books are on paperback, Kindle and Audible audiobook.

Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the cover and the title of your books?

I want something ironic or something that would make a reader say, “What is that?” The title of Collodion comes from the substance that is used both in wet plate photography and in embalming, the two professions of my two main characters. The cover for my second book is an interesting story: The two people on the cover I found in nineteenth century tintype photographs. They are real people that lived long ago. I bought them and used them on my cover of Collodion. I do not know who they are. Just regular people that lived long ago.

Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?

I need a story I’ve never heard of before. I don’t want to write a story that is a different take on another story. That’s not my style.

Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?

Many of the characters, places, ships and things in the story were true historical people, places, battles and things. In the kindle edition you can use their “X-ray” and click on their names and it gives a ton of interesting facts about the place or person or thing.

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Book Is Available On Amazon

Collodion

Weeper

Book: Hairy Back Jack And The Three Little Hairs

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Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.

My name is Chris Perreira Jardine and my wife’s name is Rachael Perreira Jardine. We love art, fashion, interior design and pretty much everything that allows us to be creative including painting- which we both did a lot while living in Costa Rica. Rachael has her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Visual Arts and Chris holds a Bachelor of Commerce Marketing Degree along with a Master of Business Administration in Community Economic Development. Our three children keep us quite busy in our spare time!

Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Hairy Back Jack And The Three Little Hairs’ book?

We wrote Hairy Back Jack and the Three Little Hairs nine years ago, while living abroad, teaching English in Costa Rica- where we lived for two years. Since returning to Canada, we had not stopped thinking about bringing this book to fruition, so we did! If there is a silver lining of this global pandemic, that would be it! It allowed us to come together creatively and get both the publishing and illustration process underway.

Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

Hairy Back Jack and the Three Little Hairs is a children’s picture book for children of all ages. In a recent interview, the interviewer quickly did the math… “nine years ago, and your oldest child is five- so this means that you wrote this book way before having children!”. At that time, when writing this book, it just felt right. We knew at some point that we wanted to have children, and why not create a magical experience of our own that both of our children and ourselves can be proud of. In retrospect thinking back, we were probably inspired by both Pinocchio, for the magical fairy tale component and Goldilocks and the Three Bears for the name- those are true classics, who isn’t inspired by those books?

Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?

Our favourite spot to visit in Canada is a little town called Mattawa, which is located in the Canadian province of Ontario and located in the Nipissing District. When we are in this little quaint town, which is usually once a summer, we stay at the Nature’s Harmony – Shamayim Cabin, where we can unwind, relax as a family, get creative and breathe in everything that nature has to offer.

Q5. Is there a lot to do before you dive in and start writing a book?

For us, the process was a little bit different- we dove in and wrote the book while we either sat pool side or beach side, at that point in Costa Rica, where we had complete mental clarity. The process of actually publishing and illustrating came later, as we mentioned, nine years later. It is important to do your research to find the right publisher that makes the most sense for your goals and objectives. It is also imperative to find the perfect illustrator that can make the visuals in your head come to life- with the most appropriate style of illustration.

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Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘Hairy Back Jack And The Three Little Hairs’ book?

We worked on it for probably a month or two- fine-tuning the language and sentences. Once we were on a roll, we were on a roll and we super motivated to keep it going, both adding new ideas and concepts to the plot and story line.

Q7. On what platforms can readers find Hairy Back Jack And The Three Little Hairs for purchase?

You can find Hairy Back Jack And The Three Little Hairs on Amazon, Wal Mart, Barnes and Noble, Chapters Indigo.

Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Hairy Back Jack And The Three Little Hairs’?

The title was a given. Could there be any other name than Hairy Back Jack And The Three Little Hairs?! As for the cover. We designed a quick sketch with a stick figure- it was almost as if we were in the same brain (Chris/Rachael), thinking the same thing. We knew exactly how we wanted it to look. See below. From beginning to end.

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Book Is Available On Amazon

Hairy Back Jack And The Three Little Hairs

Book: Delsar: The Champion & The Hero

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Q1. Hello Sir, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.

My name is Solomon Andre Dawson Morway and I live in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts. I loved to play baseball and do karate. I even managed to get myself a black belt in Kenpo. After I finished my high school, I joined the Army National Guard at 19. That didn’t last long due to medical complications, but it did allow me time to write my book. Two weeks before I turned 22 I began my new adventure. My hope is that it brightens the day of even just one person, like writing it brightened mine.

Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘DELSAR: The Champion & The Hero’ book?

Starting a new scene or chapter. I always knew where I wanted to go with the story, I just didn’t always know how to get there.

Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

My favorite book series has to be ‘Republic Commando’ by Karen Traviss. It was a series that never finished and it was my dream to finish it for her. Then I wrote something completely different.

Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?

Not necessarily a specific spot, but one of my favorite things to do is attend Renaissance fairs. Here in New England they have them all the time. They’re some of the best places to unwind and enjoy fantasy.

Q5. Is there lots to do before you drive in and start writing a book?

Sometimes, it’s as simple as just sitting down and beginning. Other times, it’s something someone said that inspires me or something I’ve seen. Once I have that drive, it’s very difficult for me to think of anything else.

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Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘DELSAR: The Champion & The Hero’ book?

To write, edit, and publish DELSAR, it took me six months.

Q7. On what all platforms readers can find ‘DELSAR: The Champion & The Hero’ book to buy?

It’s all over the place…. Barnes & Noble, Nook, Amazon, Kindle, Writers Republic, Books-A-Million, eBay, Kobo, LibroWorld, Booktopia, and Waterstones. These are all online. We are currently working hard to get it in the book stores.

Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘DELSAR: The Champion & The Hero’?

The cover went through a couple phases. The first looked very fake and didn’t quite fit the aesthetic of the book. We used that first cover as the concept for the final cover. I felt the cover really speaks what the book means.

Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?

I like to add real conversations with friends, family, or anyone else I’ve spoken to recently. It’s never word-for-word, but I feel it helps keep dialogue organic and flow nicely. It also helps make the characters feel ‘human.’

Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?

There are a lot of Easter eggs and foreshadowing on events to come. A keen eye and solid sleuthing skills may allow you to figure a few things out. Trust me, if you enjoy Book 1, you’re not going to want to miss Book 2.

Author’s Profile

Book Is Available On Amazon

Delsar: The Champion & The Hero