‘Authors Tagging Authors’ Blog Hop

That’s right I’m up next on the

 ‘Authors Tagging Authors’ blog hop. 

Just to introduce myself, for those of you new to this blog, I am Mikey Brooks and I am an author/illustrator. Here you'll find lovely tips on writing, illustrating, and more, as well as fantastic interviews by people who know the answers. All the books that I currently have out are picture books, and I feel I have talked about them for ages. So I’ve decided to share a little about the other side of my writing—Middle-Grade fantasy. CasPeace, who invited me to on the blog tour, gave me a list of questions that I hope I can give fun responses to. Check out here fabulous blog at http://peacewrites.blogspot.com. She shares info on her new novel, King’s Artesan, book three in her awesome fantasy series, The Artesans of Albia. 

So here goes the questions:

What is the working title of your next book? 

The Dream Keeper. It is the first book in a series of adventures that takes place in both our world and the dream world. I’m still working on the tile for the series. I’m kind of leaning toward The Dream Keeper Chronicles.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

What’s funny is that this book is about dreams and it came from a dream. I remember the night it happened. My wife and I were lying in bed at it had turned 11:11pm. She told me it was what she called the ‘wishing minute’ and for the next 60 seconds I could wish for something. I had just finished writing a chapter book about fairies and thought I should wish for an idea for a new project. A few minutes later I was somewhere between sleep and awake when the whole story of the first book unfolded. I sat up in bed, woke my wife up, and told her the storyline. She had me write it down. That was the beginning of The Dream Keeper.

 What genre does your book fall under?

It is defiantly a middle-grade adventure with both a toe in the real world and the fantastic.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

This is an awesome question! I had never thought about it before. Cas Peace and I spent a while online chatting about the best actors to cast in our future movie production. It was a lot of fun! Because she edited my manuscript for me, by the way she's a fantastic editor, she was familiar with some of my characters. But for you who haven't read the book yet, here's a little info:

The book has three main characters: Gladamyr—the Dream Keeper, Parker—a 12 year old gamer, and Kaelyn—his dream sidekick. For some strange reason I always imagined Gladamyr in my head as Nicholas Cage. Imagine him in a trench coat with purple skin and you’ve got my dream keeper. Parker was actually a real person I knew. I took everything about Parker from the main source. If I chose an actor, probably Gabriel Basso would do a good job. Kaelyn is a conglomerate of two women I admire: my wife and my sister. She is smart, beautiful, and probably the bravest in the book. I think Elle Fanning would make a perfect Kaelyn.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

A Nightmare named Fyren has taken over the gateway to the dimension of Dreams with the intention of controlling mortals, and it falls on Parker, Kaelyn, and Gladamyr – the Dream Keeper – to stop him.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I have been holding out on this book for almost two years now. I want it to have the right home. If I can’t find an amazing publisher to take it on, I’ll be independently publishing it on my own. It’s too good a story not to share.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I started this book right before I went into my bachelor’s program at Utah State University. I would work on it every so often while writing papers for school. It took almost 3 years to finish. The second book I wrote that draft in about 2 months.

What other books would you compare this to within your genre?

This book kind of doesn’t mess well with what is out there now, which is why I think I’ve had difficulty getting an agent for it. If I could pick a mixture of books it would be better served. I’d say a highbred of Alice in Wonderland, The Pendragon series, and the 39 Clues. Think action adventure in dreams.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

It started with a dream, but after I got to know the characters then they became the inspiration for it.

What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

Aside from encounters with mythical dimensions, and creatures such as shifters, zombies, even a psychotic clown, this book is about two kids learning to overcome the challenges of being true to themselves in a social world that doesn’t encourage such skills. It’s really about facing your nightmares and overcoming them.

 

Thanks for the opportunity to share.

We've got terrific writers next up on our 'Authors Tagging Authors' blog hop. Make sure you check them out:

Mercedes M. Yardley writes whimsical horror and wears poisonous flowers in her hair. She is the author of Beautiful Sorrows. Check her out at: http://www.mercedesyardley.com/

Wendy Knight is a writer of YA Urban Fantasy, with her first book, Feudlings, coming out with Astraea Press in March. Check her out at: http://writethroughthenoise.blogspot.com/

Konstanz Silverbow, novel writing, book reading, dragon lover! Currently getting ready to begin querying her first novel. Check her out at: http://nothoughts2small.blogspot.com/

Scott Bryan loves stories about the strange and unusual. He is the author of the Night Children series about two vampire children battling the evil vampire Dominic (i.e. Dracula). Check him out at: http://night-children.blogspot.com/