4. Some authors state the story is for them like an outline they follow, and others say the way characters develop alter the author's original vision as they write it.
a. Are you an author that knows from the beginning the path your story will take?
Not always? Sometimes I know the final destination and I just kind of merrily skip or face punch my way towards the end. a. Are you an author that knows from the beginning the path your story will take?
b. Or are you an author who lets the characters decide the direction the story will take?
I let the characters interact with the world and each other and try to decide for themselves what’s going to happen. It makes things more realistic and it’s easier to write, I think.
c. Were there any surprises or bumps along the way that altered the story?
Well for Thieves at Heart a lot of it got fleshed out more in the edits so I got to unravel more of the issues Tavi bumps up against that happened to coincide with some of the later plot lines and things she has to come up against. And it cemented the roles of some characters in various...well, I don’t want to give stuff away! Let’s just say there are more organizations than The Cup of Cream in the Valley. There’s a good handful of people who want different things and some work together while others bump heads.5. On your website, www.backthatelfup.com , it says that Self-Made Scoundrel is the next book to be released.
a. Is it available now? If so, where? And if not, when can readers expect it to be released?
b. This is a prequel of sorts as it's Tavera's "adopted" father's story, right?
Yes, that is correct.
c. Was there a reason why you chose to release/write the books in this particular order? Why do a prequel and not start the series with Dirk's story?
Well, first of all, because I wrote them that way initially. Chronologically, T@H was written first and then SMS. And secondly because the story is about Tavera. She’s the...hero, ha! I don’t know that ‘hero’ is the right term to use. But I wanted everyone to become invested in her primarily and then Derk. Derk’s got a bit of mystery that affects the both of them, so I wanted to spell that out a bit. 6. Are there going to be more books in The Valley of Ten Crescents series?
a. Are you currently working on another project/book?
b. Can you give us any sneak peek information?
Well, the plan is to get the third book done quickly and go to GeekGirlCon again. I went last year and spoke on a panel and sold Thieves at Heart. We will do a Kickstarter before then so keep your eyes peeled for that. Our last Kickstarter which was for Thieves at Heart we made perfumes based on Derk and Tavera for rewards. This time we’ll have shirts, as well as perfumes, paperbacks and maybe some extra art by the awesome illustrator that does our covers. As far as The Valley of Ten Crescents go, well...let’s just say Tavera’s not going to be alone for too long. The Valley opens up as well as the world in general. I hope that’s a good enough peak! Heh, I worry about spoilers and all.
7. Where can readers go to keep track of your writing progress and book releases?
Twitter is your best bet these days. I generally write about what I’m working on there. I do try to make bigger announcements on my blog but I do a lot of tweeting. It’s a bit addicting but I’ve also made some really good friends through it. Kind of nutty. And I take questions about the books and the series on there.
Special Announcement:
Tristan J. Tarwater's eBook, "Thieves at Heart: The Valley of Ten Crescents, Book One" is free on Amazon for a limited time (March 16 & March 17)!!! You have to (have to) get yourself a copy of this one!!!
