An Interview With J. Scott Savage, Author of the "Farworld" series

I had the pleasure of interviewing J. Scott Savage, an extremely talented author of the "Farworld" series a few months back.  The intentions were to post the interview along with our review of "Farworld: Land Keep" however there were some delays in receiving the book and since we are only reviewing our contest's sponsor publishers throughout the duration of the contest, we are unable to give you a review at this time.  However, we did review book 1 in the series, "Water Keep" and absolutely loved the book.  Scott was kind enough to give me an interview, and I didn't think it was fair to make it wait any longer.  The review of "Land Keep" will come after the end of the contest.  So, without further delay, here is what Scott had to say:

TLG: The Farworld series is very well written, engaging, and book 1, "Water Keep" had me hooked the entire time.  Book 2 of the series, "Land Keep" just recently hit the shelves. Where did the concept for the series come from?

JSS:  Well first, don't to point out the $1,000 check I am paying you for all the nice things you are saying. Isn't that the law now. (I'm kidding about the check, fellow bloggers. Please don't start invoicing me!) I'm so glad you found it engaging though. I like to say that my writing style is just-one-more-chapter-please. I want my books to be hard to put down. As a

writer, I almost always start with character and let the story expand from there. Until I care about my protagonist, it's hard to see the whole picture. I really wanted this series to be about finding the magic inside all of us.

TLG:  So the Farworld series will contain 4 books in all as far as we know. When you started writing Water Keep, did you already have the entire plot of the series mapped out or do you create as you go?

JSS:  Hah! Trick question. There are actually five books in the series. Water Keep, Land Keep, Air Keep, Fire Keep, and Shadow Keep. Without giving too much away, Shadow Keep is about what happens when you leap before you look. I definitely knew the big picture of the series when I presented it to Shadow Mountain. I also knew lots of little details, but definitely not all of them. I really like when a series sets things up early and then reveals the things that were only hinted at in later books. It's hard to do that if you don't know where the series is going.

TLG:  Are you currently working on or is anything in the works for when Farworld is complete? Any plans or ideas for a stand alone novel in the future?

JSS:  Lots and lots! I always have tons of things in the works. Probably the hottest one right now is a YA series called Demon Spawn about a teenage demon who lives in hell and is recruited to help an angel get back to the city of Judgment. It ends up being not exactly what she expects.

TLG:  Every author has a goal in mind for their book or series. What is your goal for how many copies of Land keep or for that matter, the entire Farworld Series you would like to see sold/printed?

JSS:  Well my main goal is to continue expanding my readership with each book. Exact numbers are such a crazy thing. So many thing can affect your sales, marketing (or lack thereof), similar books that take off, even a particular endorsement. It's hard to control any of that. What I can control is making each book so much better than the previous one that readers really begin to spread the word. I still believe that word of mouth is the best long term way to build up a base of readers who will stick with you for the long haul.

TLG:  When you write, do you follow any format or do you just put the pen to the paper and go with the flow?

JSS:  I don't know if you'd call it a format or not, but I try to write what I'd like to read. If I'm excited to write what comes next, readers will usually be excited as well. I never start a book until I know the end of it, and I try to make sure every chapter has a high point for at least one of the story lines. I can't stand chapters that are only there to link two scenes to each other. I want every chapter to have at least some "WOW" factor to it.

TLG:  What do you do when you are not writing?

JSS:  Honestly? Think about writing. My family knows when my head is in another world. I start staring aimlessly. I also love anything that involves doing things with my wife and kids. We are huge Disney fanatics. We like camping and games and traveling. And I am a voracious reader. I honestly read ten to twenty books a month.

TLG:  Please tell everyone something interesting about you that possibly no one has asked you about before.

JSS:  Well for one thing, I lived in your neck of the woods for three year, New Providence, NJ. Also I was nearly arrested for disturbing the peace my senior year in high school. In involved leading a team of searchers for the "golden banana" a historic artifact of mythological proportions. Long story.

TLG:  The Farworld series is a YA/middle grade reader/Fantasy series. Are you interested in trying a different Genre, or do you just feel at home there?

JSS:  Oh, yeah. I've actually written a high tech thriller and a mystery series as Jeffrey S Savage. But this is my first fantasy series and my first attempt at writing for younger readers. I love the YA world as well, but will probably stick to the fantasy area. (For now!)

TLG:  Any favorite authors/books? What have you read recently that you loved? What do you plan to read in the near future?

JSS:  I have so many favorite authors. Stephen King, Garth Nix, Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, SE Hinton. And I'm a big John Steinbeck fan. I just finished The Giver, The Seventh Tower Series, and Anansi Boys. I also recently read the Uglies series and Catching Fire. Can't wait for the new Stephen King book.

TLG:  Our signature question! What would you, J. Scott Savage, do for a klondike bar??

JSS:  Well I am a big, big, fan of Klondike bars. Especially the ones with the extra thick chocolate. So it's really more like what wouldn't I do? I would definitely eat a live cricket, while attempting to cross the Provo River (which isn't all that wide to be honest) on a unicycle.

TLG:  Scott...thanks so much for the interview! I really did love Farworld and I couldn't put Water Keep down. I am so looking forward to reading and reviewing Land Keep.  After the contest is over, it is a top priority for me!  I think you are extremely talented and hope that you share much more of your imagination with us in the years to come. I wish you the best of luck with the recent release and you have a fan right here for as long as you continue to write.

JSS:  You're welcome. Tell the whole Lateiner gang hi for me.

An Interview With Illustrator Brandon Dorman - You All Have Seen His Work....Read On!

Many of you have seen his amazing work before.  Having done covers and artwork for book such as "Fablehaven",  "The Wizard", "Farworld", and "Pingo" to name a few, Brandon Dorman has amazed us with his talent.  We were lucky enough for Brandon to agree to let us interview him. Enjoy!

TLG:  As with an author, do you have an agent or work for specific publishers/authors?

BD: I do have an illustration rep.  His name is Peter Lott.  I first met him five years ago when I was still in school and we’ve been working together ever since.  I do work for many different publishers and Peter represents me with nearly all.

TLG: What is the actual process as far as you getting a book to read and then you just start to draw, or do you work with the authors together and brainstorm?

BD: Rarely do I work with the authors of a book.  In fact, most I’ve never met or talked to -- sad huh?  I am contracted by the publisher to do the job.  I will usually get a call from my rep that an Art Director has an up-coming book job.  Most of the time it’s to illustrate the cover art, but many times I will do illustrations for the inside of the book as well.  Usually I will then talk with the Art Director and he/she will give me a summary or concept that they think will work.  Sometimes they will send me the manuscript for the book, but not always.  I still have yet to read any of the Goosebumps books I’ve done work for (shhh...don’t tell anyone).  Many times when I can’t read the manuscript my wife or one of her sister’s has read the story to me while I work on other projects.  I’ve found that I can draw/paint and listen quite well; a skill I practiced a lot in school.


After I have an idea of what we’re are trying to “say” on the cover I will draw up some sketches.  Sometimes it’s just 1 and other times I send in 10, it just depends on the job.  After the Art Director takes the sketches and shows them to the editor and others there on the publishing team, he/she will condense all the comments (which I appreciate immensely) and I will adjust the sketches accordingly. Sometimes I’ll be given the green light to paint he finished artwork and others I will redraw and redraw and redraw until I get that green light.  From there, it’s all about painting.  Since I paint digitally I can usually finish a little quicker than if I were doing it traditionally.




TLG: The million dollar question...How on Earth do you turn a story into a drawing that tells it's own story?  It's obvious that you do it extremely well, so share a bit of your process for when the time comes that you actually put the rubber to the road, or in your case, the pencil to the paper and start drawing.

BD: Bottom line, I love to create images.  I think all images tell stories, or at least make viewers ask questions.  It definitely is never a sit down and just casually create something awesome.  I am constantly sketching and re-sketching, adjusting and re-adjusting until something clicks inside my twisted head.  So you might just call it trial and error.  I don’t think I would ever be a good teacher because I would give an answer like “because it just feels right” to the question “why did you do that?”  One of my teachers in college used to say that all great images have magic, so I just kinda play with a piece of art until I find that magic and then I nail it to the ground so it can’t go anywhere.

TLG: Have you always been this naturally talented or has schooling played a part in your success?

BD: Oh heavens no.  School, especially college played a HUGE part in my career.  In High School I did the art on the homecoming t-shirts and banners and yearbook and drew on my homework, and it was ok.  But I really started to improve in my fourth semester at BYU-Idaho.  The summer before my wife and I got married and it hit me like fifty elephants smashing me into the pavement, that I needed to get my act together and come up with some way to take care of a family.  So, I focused. And focused and focused some more.  I came to class early, I stayed late.  I carried a sketchbook constantly and drew things from my head as well as my surroundings.  I forgot about the grade and just tried to make the best images I could with each assignment. Sometimes they turnrd out were “all-right” and sometimes they were a flop, but I just kept makin’ more.  My last year I made a goal to create one illustration a week outside of class.  It was chance for me to work on something with not pressure of deadline and gave me the opportunity to apply the techniques I was learning.

I was very fortunate to have a supportive wife and great teachers. All of them bent over backwards to help all of us art students.  I will be forever grateful to them and consider them all good friends.

TLG: What, if any, current projects are you working on that you can tell us about so we can be on the lookout?

BD: Current projects? Hummm. . . I just finished painting the cover for Brandon Mull’s  fifth and final Fablehaven book, which I think turned out really really sweet!  I’ve been working on a new series called Falcon Quinn by Jennifer Bolyan.  I’ve got two picture books in the works, one will be authored by Elizabeth Bird about a girl who teaches crotchety giants to dance, the other I’m writing about a pirate captain named Jack Batbone.  I’m painting away on four more Goosebumps covers and tying my hand at some “cosy mystery” books for cute grandmas who like to knit.

TLG: I know this is a tough question, but out of all the authors you've worked with, any favorites?  Also, are there any books you've worked on that you really enjoyed illustrating more than any others?

BD: That’s more of a loaded question and a tough one.  All the authors I’ve had contact with have been great, no seriously, I have yet to meet/talk to an author that after the conversation I went “dang he/ she was a puts!”  I do have a favorite comment from and author however.  After The Wizard hit the bestseller list, I met with Jack Prelutsky (who is awesome) in Seattle for a small book signing and presentation.  When I walked in my wife, son and mother were with me.  I stuck out my hand to Jack to which I got as a reply, “I have zits that are older than you.”  It was hilarious!

TLG: What would you, Brandon Dorman, do for a Klondike bar?

BD: Ooo. . . if it was a Heath Klondike bar I could probably be talked into running around my block in a dress yelling something like “I’m a crazy monkey and like to each nachos,”  mostly because it’s true.  I really like nachos. :o)

Thank you Brandon for the interview.  We look forward to seeing much more of your work in the future!  To see more of Brandon's art work and to check out his site, click HERE.

We guarantee you will look through his cover art and say "Oh wow, that's so cool, I didn't know he did that book!" just as we did.  We hope you enjoyed our interview.  Lastly we leave you with one more piece of Brandon's work that we thought was super cool.  Be sure to go check out the rest!

The Lateiner Gang

An Interview With James Dahner, Author of "The Maze Runner" released 10/6/2009

In just a few short hours, the moment we have been waiting for has finally arrived...The release of "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner.  I was able to interview James and it brings me great pleasure to share some of his thoughts with you all.

As most of  you know, I am a huge fan and have been waiting for this for a long time. I LOVED "The Maze Runner" and in my opinion, it will become the "Lord of the Flies" of the 21st Century! James is also the author of another awesome series, "The 13th Reality." I am a huge fan of that as well. Let us chat a bit and find out some more about "The Maze Runner" and some more about you James....Shall we?

tlgbrs: When writing " The Maze Runner", did you already have the whole story in your mind, or was it an idea that you built on as you wrote?

JD: The initial idea came to me in a rush one night, keeping me up very late, jotting down all kinds of thoughts and plotlines. It grew from there, especially when I came up with a certain twist that made me turn it into a trilogy. 

tlgbrs: You've put in all the "hard, grunt" work to get to where you are. Where do you think "Maze" will land you as far as your status as an author?

JD: Well, that's hard to say, but I do have two goals: hit the NY Times list and go to a 2nd printing. We shall see!

tlgbrs: Besides obviously continuing "The Maze Runner" series and "The 13th Reality" series, do you have anything else you are currently working on? If so, can you talk a bit about it?

JD: Not really, though I have ideas pop in my head all the time. When those 2 series are done, it'll be so fun to begin something completely new.

tlgbrs: Is there a book/story/idea you have ALWAYS known that will be your "best seller" of all time? Is "The Maze Runner" "IT?"

JD: I've had a great feeling about MAZE since the beginning. Mainly because it's so unique.

tlgbrs: Do you do any research at all when writing, or is everything concocted in that brilliant mind of yours?

JD: Brilliant? Ha! I do research when I have to, but not a whole lot. I like to make up my own research!

tlgbrs: Maze, 13th, and even Fincher are all part of a series. Have you any plans/thoughts of writing a stand alone novel?

JD: I definitely want to do a stand alone novel. One that I really want to write is something I describe as Pinocchio meets The Matrix, but it's way better than it sounds! haha. Kind of a dark, virtual reality, coming of age, journey story. We'll see.

tlgbrs: This one is the question we ask everyone we interview. What would you, James Dashner, do for a Klondike Bar??

JD: Well, unfortunately, I'm not much of a sweet tooth. But I'd run over three grandmas for a bag of Doritos.

James, Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you. Today, Tuesday October 6th, 2009 the soon to be smash hit, " The Maze Runner" will hit the shelves. This is one you will not want to pass up! Do yourself a favor and go pick up a copy! To check out  the review we did for "The Maze runner" a few months back, click HERE. (does not contain spoilers!) 

James is currently touring for "The Maze Runner."  For a list of his tour dates and locations, click HERE. 

Lastly, to check out James' blog site, click  HERE. 

Dave

Author Interview: LAURA BINGHAM author of "ALVOR"

I had the pleasure of interviewing Laura Bingham, author of her first novel titled "Alvor". I have posted a review of Alvor as well so check it out! It was a FANTASTIC book! As well, Laura has given me a signed copy of Alvor to give away which I will post a contest for here in a different post. Since the name of our site is sooo long, I will call us T.L.G.B.R.S throughout the interview. So......drumroll please.....I introduce to you, Laura Bingham.

T.L.G.B.R.S: Do you think you would have thought of the idea for "Alvor" if you did not have a set of twins yourself? The reason I ask is that I could not really imagine "alvor" without Bain and Erin in it.

Laura: It's impossible to know. The whole idea of the story included twins in the first place. I even tried to figure out how to make it not be twins, but I couldn't. It had to be.

T.L.G.B.R.S: As an author, especially right after your first book comes out, when someone compliments you on your book, or for example you told of a little boy who bought your book and you saw him a few hours later laying on the grass reading it, or the little girl who came up to you at one of your signings and sat down next to you and just chatted with you for a while...obviously it must feel great, but describe the feeling, tell us how you felt when those things actually happened.

Laura: Each experience is different. The boy reading on the grass happened a week after my book was released. It was the first piece of evidence I had that maybe Alvor was good enough to catch kids. With each experience, I don't think about how great my book is, I think about how great it is that there are people out there who want to read and learn and aren't afraid to live in the moment. It isn't until the moment is over that I realize how precious it is that I was given the opportunity to become a small part of someone else's life.

T.L.G.B.R.S: Lets see, mom of 5, wife, clogging and other dance teacher, you own a dog and 3 small horses (which i think is so cool by the way), seriously, how do you even have time to think, let alone have the time to create a book that is as wonderful as Alvor?

Laura: I usually tell people it's because I don't watch tv. But, really, I love writing. It's like a book that I can't put down. When I'm writing, I think about it and want so much to get back into the world and story that I'm creating. I only write for a couple hours a day, and only a few days a week most of the time.

T.L.G.B.R.S: You had mentioned that working with a smaller publisher is not a lot of pressure. No deadlines, no marketing expectations or expectations of future work. Now that you have completed your first "masterpiece" and the opportunity came along, do you feel "ready" to take on the big boys?

Laura: It's not like I would have said no to a bigger publishing house. I just decided to take the contract in front of me instead of waiting to find out if anything better would ever come along. My career goal is to keep moving forward.

T.L.G.B.R.S: You were told "writing a book is 1/3 of the work of writing a book". Obviously there is much more involved, but what would you say has been most difficult as a new author in writing your first book?

Laura: I may be able to write a book, but how do I get the rest of the world to buy it? That's the hard part.

T.L.G.B.R.S: SO, we know you are working on a part 2 to "Alvor" now, what is your actual goal? is it to be a trilogy? you must have some idea of where you want this to end up..share with us what you can.

Laura: Right now, I would say trilogy.

T.L.G.B.R.S: Do you have any other stories you are working on, or are you going to complete the Alvor trilogy and then begin any new projects? And also, if you are going to write other stories, will they be YA/fantasy as well, or do you have another genre that you are interested in writing?

Laura: Yes, I do have more ideas up my sleeve, as it were. I have completed a totally unrelated to Alvor fantasy story, which I have hopes of cleaning up soon. But there are still more concepts I want to explore. All young adult writing. I think that's where I fit the best.

T.L.G.B.R.S: Even though you have said that after your husband gave you an inspirational thumbs up to write you had the whole idea for Alvor just pop into your head, how long did it actually take you from start to finish, including revisions, editing, etc to come up with the finished product?

Laura: I spent 6 months writing Alvor and four months revising and editing it.

T.L.G.B.R.S: Even though there is a big age gap between your twins and the twins in the book, is the relationship with yours similar to that of Bain and Erin? Bain and Erin seem to be best friends and share such a love for each other. Is it the same for your kids?

Laura: The personalities of Erin and Bain are not shared by my own children, but the relationship is. Twins are such an unusual thing. There is a bond between them that I can't compare to anything else I've witnessed. They do look out for each other, understand one another and so many of the characteristics I have seen in my own children inspired the relationship with Erin and Bain share in the book. One of the sweetest gestures I see in my twins is them holding hands, especially if their nervous, excited, afraid or eager to share something. It is a potent thing to behold.

T.L.G.B.R.S: I have seen on your website that you have so many books that you love. Can you name a few that you have read that stand out as your "favorite" or a few authors that you most admire....

Laura: I'm not at home where I can see all my books, but I know a few I fell in love with. I don't want it to seem cliche, but I love the Harry Potter series, the Twilight series, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and Maximum Ride series.

I admire the authors as well as the books for the 13th Reality series- James Dashner is a shining example of opening doors for the world to get to know him, Fablehaven- Brandon really paved the way by taking small press and ending up on Times News Best Sellers, Hound of Rowen, The Tapestry series by Henry Neff- nice man, illustrates his own books- which I could never do, but I think is very cool.

But there are tons of other books that I love. I could no easier choose a favorite star in the sky. Each book teaches me something different and takes me for a different ride.

T.L.G.B.R.S: For anyone who has read your book, they will know why I am asking this. As a young girl, was CinderELLA one of your favorite books or was it just fitting?

Laura: I was just having a little fun, but what girl doesn't want to end up living happily ever after?

T.L.G.B.R.S: So you love ice cream...what food do you most despise?

Laura: Pineapple, bell peppers and anything deep fried.

T.L.G.B.R.S: How do all of your children and your husband feel about Alvor?

Laura: My husband says that, "Um, I've always been excited about the story. Um, You don't need to put everything that I say. hhhh. It's a fun story with very vivid descriptions that help me picture a world that I would want to be part of. I also enjoy seeing my wife's creativity."

Me- "Do I have to say that?"
him- "Yes."

My eight year old still dreams about it. My twelve year old helped me write by giving me feeback along the way. He made me read to him almost everyday.

Now my husband is reading it to my five year old twins, and they beg him for more every night.

It's so weird hearing someone read my book to my kids.

T.L.G.B.R.S: Do you ever have ideas about what you are writing "pop" into your head randomly when you are doing other things that you need to write them down, or do you do most of your creating when you actually are sitting down writing?

Laura: Yes. So much. In fact, I dream about books that I haven't even written yet. I never write things down unless I'm actually sitting at a computer or purposely writing in a notebook. I let the thoughts linger in my head and grow into a workable piece of material.

T.L.G.B.R.S: Besides dancing, do you have any hobbies that you love?

Laura: Reading and playing with my kids and taking walks. Do those count?

T.L.G.B.R.S: If you could possess any magical abilities or magical "tools" which one would you choose and why?

Laura: I'd like a changing brooch. I could do so much with that--- travel the world, that's definitely one of my biggest dreams.

T.LG.B.R.S: When you did teach science, what grade did you teach, and what was your favorite part of science to teach?

Laura: I taught eighth grade Earth Science. My favorite thing to teach was AP Biology. That rocked.

T.L.G.B.R.S: Give us a book and/or an author that you are very much looking forward to reading in the near future...

Laura: Maze Runner and Catching Fire

T.L.G.B.R.S: What is your favorite T.V. show?

Laura: I don't watch TV. Hardly ever. Probably have too much laundry or something. My most favorite TV experience in the world is sitting in my grandpa's living room while he's in his lazy boy recliner flicking through a hundred and twenty channels. I love that. We never really watch anything, but it's our unspoken way of hanging out together.

T.L.G.B.R.S: What would YOU do for a Klondike bar? (sorry, had to ask!)

Laura: Nothing. I'd pass. Now if you're talking cheesecake, you might have something.

T.L.G.B.R.S: You seem to be the type of author who really loves her fans and appreciates them. Tell us about your most memorable fan moment.

Laura: You're right. I love all my fans. The one that made me cry on the spot was a little seven year old who skipped into a book store I was signing at. She came up to me and gave me a big hug, and with her arms still around my neck, she told me that her big sister read my book and said it was just as good as Harry Potter, only better and because of that, she knew she was going to love it too. What could I do? I was powerless.

There you have it. Laura Bingham, author of the amazing book "Alvor". You can check out Laura's site from our homepage or by visiting her site at:

http://alvor-daretodream.blogspot.com/

Laura was kind enough to give us a signed copy of Alvor to give away so check out our contest post for details. Laura, thank you so much for your time. It has been a pleasure speaking with you and I hope I speak for everyone when i say that i can NOT WAIT for the next book in this series!

Dave

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