Christopher Chapman: Shades Of The Stars Blog Tour

Description

Shades of the Stars: A Legend of the Dreamer anthology. Shades of the Stars includes the novellas The Witch's Curse, The Warrior's Code, and an exclusive story called The Enchanter's Fire. Exclusive playlists. Essays on the world of the Order. Interviews. Deleted scenes from Light of the Moon. And an exclusive look at the sequel, Shadow of the Sun.

Author BIO

David James writes books about stars and kisses and curses. He is the author of the YA novel, LIGHT OF THE MOON, the first book in the Legend of the Dreamer duet, as well as the companion novellas, THE WITCH'S CURSE and THE WARRIOR’S CODE. A Legend of the Dreamer anthology, SHADES OF THE STARS, will be released in July 2013, and will include the exclusive novella, THE ENCHANTER'S FIRE. The final book in the duet, SHADOW OF THE SUN, will be released in late 2013. Living in Michigan, he is addicted to coffee, gummy things, and sarcastic comments. He enjoys bad movies, goofy moments, and shivery nights. Be sure to visit David’s blog and facebook to learn more about his various addictions and novels.

When I signed up for the Shades Of The Stars blog tour, I had so much already on my plate that I didn't have the time to read it and have a review ready in time, but I did want to do something. I thought I had signed up for an Author Interview, but really I just signed up for a promotional stop. I didn't realize this until after I sent a few interview questions to David James. He was kind enough to answer the questions.

Author Interview:

-When did you realize that you wanted to be a writer/author?

From very early on, I realized I had a love for stories. I would stay up late at night reading past my bedtime. Get lost in books. Being an author was always in the back of my mind, I think, I just didn’t realize it until college. And then I began to write and never looked back.

-Light Of The Moon was your debut novel, but was it your first story?

Yes and no. Light of the Moon was my first completed story, but after its first draft it had a different titles AND a different plot. I finished that original story years ago, put it aside to work on other projects, and picked it up again later. So, yes and no. It was my first, but not really.

-How long does it normally take you to write a novel?

About 3 months or so to finish a draft, and then a long, long time to finish the actual final draft. My edits tend to be very intense, and rewrites even more so, so the end result is always very different from the first. Actually, I suppose it varies. Light of the Moon took longer than my current project, which is a story different from the Legend of the Dreamer series.

-Why Stars, Kisses, and Curses?

Because stars hold dreams, kisses are magic, and curses are breakable.

-Before you became a published author, who were your inspirational figures?

As far as authors, Maggie Stiefvater has always been an inspirational figure of mine. Holly Black, Libba Bray, Tessa Gratton. I really love authors that are not afraid to take a stand towards certain issues and are as poetic as their thoughts.

-What can we look forward to from you in the future?

I have Light of the Moon’s sequel, Shadow of the Sun, set to release in the Fall of 2013. I also am working on a new project that I’m really excited about but can’t reveal any information on yet. It’s still young adult, though.

-What are your reasons for going Indie rather than traditional?

Timing. For me it was timing. It was the right time for me to publish Light of the Moon, and so I did. I am very happy with the story, the book, and through my team of designers and editors, I love the finished product. There isn’t much difference these days between traditionally published and indie if you decide to take the proper steps to publication, and for me the timing was right.

-I see your post on Twitter about all of these YA novels that you are reading, what is it that draws you into a book?

The writing, mostly. I like a good story, but if a book doesn’t have beautiful writing, I have a difficult time reading it.

-What was the hardest part about writing Light Of The Moon, and Shades Of The Stars?

Details. Not only the details of the mythology behind the story, but the details in the writing itself. For me, every sentence has to have a double meaning. Every chapter a hidden message. I like the idea of creating poetry within a story and blended it all together. Getting those key elements to flow together is difficult, but in the end I think it’s rather beautiful.

-We all seem to have a quote that we live by, what would your quote be?

Probably, "Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart." -William Wordsworth

-For aspiring artists and authors, what is some advice that you can share?

Understand that there is a lot of great advice, but no set rules. For every rule there is one that will delete it. What you need to do is to follow your heart, your passion, and write a story that only you could write. Don’t follow the rules just because everyone else is. That’s not how the world changes. Be the writer who changes it.

-What is it about gummy candy that makes for a perfect writing snack?

Oh, man. I don’t even know but I have bags and bags of gummy candy in my candy drawer. I suppose it’s just the perfect amount of sugar and awesome and sweet. And gummy. Now I want some.