Today, I'm happy to have author Daniel Roozen visit with us. Daniel has a book coming out soon.
I’m calling it Chronicles of Ariel:Path of
Darkness, and it’s still a work in progress: a sci-fi thriller/adventure, the
first in a series of at least five novels that I plan to write. Here’s a blurb,
also a work in progress:
Eons after
Earth became a thing of myth and legends, the factions of humanity spread among
the stars had come together under one government in a bid for peace and unity.
Only hints of alien life have so far been encountered but never fully
acknowledged by authorities.
Ariel, 17, lost her father as a child after an encounter with an alien race, to be raised by her Uncle Marcus on Starbase One, the seat of human government. Now framed for murder and on the run, Ariel must fall in with the darkest that humanity has to offer to discover an alarming truth about Starbase One and the origins of humanity.
Ariel, 17, lost her father as a child after an encounter with an alien race, to be raised by her Uncle Marcus on Starbase One, the seat of human government. Now framed for murder and on the run, Ariel must fall in with the darkest that humanity has to offer to discover an alarming truth about Starbase One and the origins of humanity.
Rachelle: Sound like Ariel is in trouble. How did you come up with the idea for that
book?
This one came at me in a couple different
directions. First I was basically just doodling, writing a short story of a
little girl on a deep space mining barge. I wrote it from her perspective, of
how life must be like for her, and some ideas of just some things that could
happen came out of it that would set up a good character. But I didn’t have a
plot yet.
Then, I don’t know how the next piece
started. I was thinking about it while I was half asleep, so perhaps a piece of
a dream got in there. The last chapter of what is currently going to be the
second book in the series grew. It’s a creepy sci-fi conflict the main
character partakes in. (Sorry, I can’t spoil the ending here. ;) ) But I didn’t
know how to get from the young girl to that ending.
Finally, a third piece started over a year
ago. I was thinking of a neat board game one could make where the players each
controlled a different race and they worked cooperatively to defend the galaxy,
and earth in particular, from invading cyborgs. A few elements of that board
game idea played into the story ideas and finally I had the basis for both
short story and novel arcs in this new universe under creation.
I’ve already had one short story from this
world published, another on its way, and two more making the rounds.
Rachelle: Very interesting. So you're writing primarily science fiction. Do
you pay attention to genre rules or bend them?
Most science fiction, though some
of my short stories have been general or fantasy, though I tend to veer away
from magic themes, despite that being popular these days. As far as rules for
the genre, there might be a lot going on subconsciously, based on what I pick
up from what I read and how I think people might take it, but in general I
believe genres are a good way to categorize books after their written, guiding
a reader to other books he or she might enjoy, as opposed to boundaries or
rules that writers must stay within. There’re so many genres nowadays, anyways,
that it might be difficult to write for a particular genre. How do you classify
Cowboys vs. Aliens? Sci-fi? Western? Okay, so now there’s a genre known as a
sci-fi western. These days, I think the books and movies are making the genres,
not the other way around.
That being said, I like space, future,
time-travel, and the general unknown, so I tend to write in the science-fiction
area.
Rachelle: Write what you like to read, right? So, what kind of books do you like to read?
Which authors influenced you?
I’ve read a lot more fantasy than you might
expect, so I’ve enjoyed Tolkien and Robert Jordan in the past. What especially
intrigues me is the ability of those writers and others like them to both
create a new world and weave and intriguing and epic story. Jordan, for
example, has elements placed in the first books in the series that aren’t fully
realized until the last books. I admire that ability, and it was one of the
things that first made me want to write a novel of my own. I said to myself:
“Man, this is so cool. I want to write something like that!”
Then we have Orson Scott Card and his Ender’s
series. I especially admire how he and Jordan can really get in the heads of
their characters and tell the story as the characters would see it. I like how
Card can work out brilliant scenarios, like when Ender first beat up Stillson
in the first couple chapters, so hard and vicious, and then we get the
reasoning. He was not going to fight
that every day, so he fought this one fight to make all the other kids wary of
testing him. Amazing.
Rachelle: Sounds like you are in great company. Are you a character driven or plot driven
writer?
I would definitely say plot driven, though I
try to work hard at keeping it with realistic characters. In my novels, I tend
to build the elements of what should come together in good conflict, differing
characters and experience, and then build the plot off of that. But when I sit
down to write I am definitely writing mostly dialogue and plot out in my first
draft, with an ear to keeping the characters consistent. Then I go back and
consider what’s missing in each chapter. Or, I had a good basis for this
character, is that coming out in what I wrote? Do I need to flesh the character
more?
Rachelle: Do you have any advice for writers who are
just starting out?
There’s nothing more important to your
writing than to write. Find time, make time, but keep writing. Don’t worry how
bad it is. You can always rewrite and edit later. That’s part of the process.
Give yourself permission to write badly.
That’ll get you writing. Be careful of the
advice you take. Established writers and journals such as Writer’s Digest have
their place, but much of writing is subjective. What’s important, in the end,
is your readers. Get your writing read and critiqued, but you as the author
know your story.
The rest, I’m still learning myself.
Rachelle: Who is your favorite character?
Definitely the main character of my next
book, Ariel Ryder. I feel a bit like I’ve grown up with her as her story has
touch all the years of her life.
Rachelle: You don’t have to tell us, but who in your
life did you pattern him/her after?
That’s interesting, because I had no
intention to pattern Ariel after my wife, but as she grew in the plot and in my
mind she took on a lot of aspects of my wife’s life. Much of it, though, seemed
a natural extension of her childhood. I’m not sure whether this was coincidence
or subconscious.
Rachelle: Have you ever fallen in love with one of
your characters? Was your wife jealous?
Wow, I haven’t even thought of that. No,
actually, I can come to love them, but I consider them more like children than
equals. I have a niece and a cat, and I would mix up their names sometimes like
parents do with their own children. As I got further into my current book, I
started calling my cat or my niece “Ariel” at times. It makes it hard,
sometimes, to do what needs to be done and harm her or put her in hard
situations.
Rachelle: Ha, ha, I wonder if you'll get another kitty named "Ariel" someday. Describe a scene in your book where you
would have liked to be in. Which character would you be and what would you have
done instead?
I’m not sure I’d want to be in my current
work in progress. J It’s very fast paced
and dangerous. In my first novel, Suspended, though, half of a town in 2012
gets transported to 2099. I would have loved to be one of those 2012 characters
and getting to see the future. The world is changing so fast these days. If it continues
on, what would the world be like in 90 years?
I know, I kind of dodged the question, but if
I were to place myself as one of the characters in the scenes I’m afraid I’d
ruin the book. Knowing the whole picture, I’d make sure to do what needs to be
done and I’d do it right. But a lot of drama comes out of the inconstancies
between the characters, with them acting out of emotion or partial knowledge.
It all goes into making a good book. J
Rachelle: That's true. You would be too knowledgeable and make wise decisions, unlike the characters. What is one thing you wish you knew
before you began this journey?
How easy it would be, but also how difficult.
It’s hard work and you have to be disciplined. But it’s not as hard to complete
your work and get it published as you might think.
Rachelle: What is your greatest fear?
Failure. Though you only really fail when you
don’t try.
Rachelle: What keeps you up at night?
The next chapter.
I work a normal, 40+ hour/wk office job,
sometimes from home. When I go into the office, though, I ride the bus where I
can take my netbook with me and write 800 to 1,000 words on the way to and from
work. That’s a big help to getting the chapters done. Then there’s the wife,
the house, and religious responsibilities. It would seem to not leave much time
for writing, and so I had stopped for several years, but I’ve learned you have to
make the time. If it’s important to you, you can make the time.
Rachelle: But you're doing it now. Did you dream of being a writer or
something else?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. Actually,
I wanted to be a best-selling fiction author. I’m still working towards that,
but for now being a writer is enough.
Rachelle: We should never give up on our dreams, right? It's been great having you and boy did I drill you.
Folks, please drop Daniel a comment below or visit him online:
Rachelle: We should never give up on our dreams, right? It's been great having you and boy did I drill you.
Folks, please drop Daniel a comment below or visit him online:
Hi Droozen, it was fun working with you. Shoutout to CritiqueCircle.com where we met.
ReplyDelete-TiaClare
Thanks again for drilling me, Rachelle. :) I might just have to get a cat named Ariel now. Good suggestion. And go CC! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd in case anyone stumbles upon this interview, I did finally finish and publish my book. You can find it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Ariel-Darkness-Daniel-Roozen-ebook/dp/B00GRZ9GYI/
ReplyDelete