TBR: Welcome to TBR, Steve. Will you
share a little bit about yourself?
Steve: Hi, TBR, thanks so much for having me. My name is Steve Whibley. I’m Canadian. I write children’s literature—middle grade and young adult adventures mostly. My first novel, GLIMPSE, which is part of the Dean Curse Chronicles, was released on April 15th.
Steve: Hi, TBR, thanks so much for having me. My name is Steve Whibley. I’m Canadian. I write children’s literature—middle grade and young adult adventures mostly. My first novel, GLIMPSE, which is part of the Dean Curse Chronicles, was released on April 15th.
TBR: Tell us about GLIMPSE and where
it's available.
Steve: GLIMPSE is about a 13 year old boy named Dean, who becomes gifted with the ability to know when someone has 24 hours to live. He can save them, if he can figure out how they’re going to die before the time is up. But there’s a learning curve when it comes to saving lives, and Dean doesn’t have a promising start.
Steve: GLIMPSE is about a 13 year old boy named Dean, who becomes gifted with the ability to know when someone has 24 hours to live. He can save them, if he can figure out how they’re going to die before the time is up. But there’s a learning curve when it comes to saving lives, and Dean doesn’t have a promising start.
The
book is available as an eBook exclusively from Amazon, but the print versions
are available at all major retailers, and can be ordered in to most bookshops.
I have links on my website: www.stevenwhibley.com
but below is a link to Amazon.
TBR: Please tantalize us with a
story blurb or excerpt.
Steve: Dean Curse avoids attention the way his best friend Colin avoids common sense. Which is why he isn't happy about being Abbotsford's latest local hero—having saved the life of a stranger, he is now front page news. Dean's reason for avoiding the limelight? Ever since his heroic act, he's been having terrifying visions of people dying and they're freaking him out so badly his psychologist father just might have him committed. Dean wants nothing more than to lay low and let life get back to normal.
But when Dean's visions start to come true, and people really start dying, he has to race against the clock—literally—to figure out what’s happening. Is this power of premonition a curse? Or is Dean gifted with the ability to save people from horrible fates? The answer will be the difference between life and death.
Steve: Dean Curse avoids attention the way his best friend Colin avoids common sense. Which is why he isn't happy about being Abbotsford's latest local hero—having saved the life of a stranger, he is now front page news. Dean's reason for avoiding the limelight? Ever since his heroic act, he's been having terrifying visions of people dying and they're freaking him out so badly his psychologist father just might have him committed. Dean wants nothing more than to lay low and let life get back to normal.
But when Dean's visions start to come true, and people really start dying, he has to race against the clock—literally—to figure out what’s happening. Is this power of premonition a curse? Or is Dean gifted with the ability to save people from horrible fates? The answer will be the difference between life and death.
TBR: What inspired you to write
about the theme?
Steve: I’m inspired by a lot of things, but I most of the time, when I set out to write a book, it’s because a bit of the plot played out in my mind and hooked me. That’s what happened with GLIMPSE. A scene played out, and when it was over I knew the boy I had seen was cursed, and that he saw visions of people who had 24 hours to live. From there I just started asking myself questions: Why is he cursed? Who cursed him? After a few hundred questions and page after page of plot, I had the foundation for the story.
Steve: I’m inspired by a lot of things, but I most of the time, when I set out to write a book, it’s because a bit of the plot played out in my mind and hooked me. That’s what happened with GLIMPSE. A scene played out, and when it was over I knew the boy I had seen was cursed, and that he saw visions of people who had 24 hours to live. From there I just started asking myself questions: Why is he cursed? Who cursed him? After a few hundred questions and page after page of plot, I had the foundation for the story.
TBR: Are you a plotter or pantser?
Steve: Touched on it a bit above, but I definitely plot, and usually my plots are quite detailed. That said, if I’m inspired to deviate, I will. But, if I deviate from the plot, I usually stop and make adjustments so I still have a clear direction of where I’m going. I want a clear end point, and I want a map showing me how I intend to get there. I tend to ramble if I don’t have the right directions plotted.
Steve: Touched on it a bit above, but I definitely plot, and usually my plots are quite detailed. That said, if I’m inspired to deviate, I will. But, if I deviate from the plot, I usually stop and make adjustments so I still have a clear direction of where I’m going. I want a clear end point, and I want a map showing me how I intend to get there. I tend to ramble if I don’t have the right directions plotted.
TBR: Which of your characters would
you least like to invite to dinner, and why?
Steve: The main character, Dean, would not be a good person to have for dinner. His visions come at the most inopportune time, and they’re frightening. With my luck he’d be in the middle eating of a bowl of soup and I’d be wearing it.
Steve: The main character, Dean, would not be a good person to have for dinner. His visions come at the most inopportune time, and they’re frightening. With my luck he’d be in the middle eating of a bowl of soup and I’d be wearing it.
TBR: While creating your books, what
was one of the most surprising things you learned?
Steve: That the Happy Birthday song is copyrighted and you can’t use it, or portions of it in books. Also, that university libraries generally don’t use the dewy decimal system to catalogue their books.
Steve: That the Happy Birthday song is copyrighted and you can’t use it, or portions of it in books. Also, that university libraries generally don’t use the dewy decimal system to catalogue their books.
TBR: Tease us with one little thing
about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Steve: Fictional world? Everything I write is true! Okay, maybe not. In my fictional world there is a secret society of people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for others. They’re called The Congregation of Sacrifice.
Steve: Fictional world? Everything I write is true! Okay, maybe not. In my fictional world there is a secret society of people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for others. They’re called The Congregation of Sacrifice.
TBR: What's next for you?
Steve: Well, book two, RELIC, is slated for release in the summer, so I’m quite excited about that. Also, my agent is pitching a couple unrelated novels to publishers, so hopefully I’ll have some news to report later in the year.
Steve: Well, book two, RELIC, is slated for release in the summer, so I’m quite excited about that. Also, my agent is pitching a couple unrelated novels to publishers, so hopefully I’ll have some news to report later in the year.
TBR: What’s the most challenging
aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Steve: Writing is solitary, and I don’t just mean that in the sense that you have to write alone, which you do. It’s also solitary in the sense that publishing is an industry that not a lot of people understand. So when you really want to vent or talk to someone about a challenge, you’re often on your own.
Steve: Writing is solitary, and I don’t just mean that in the sense that you have to write alone, which you do. It’s also solitary in the sense that publishing is an industry that not a lot of people understand. So when you really want to vent or talk to someone about a challenge, you’re often on your own.
TBR: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Steve: A few people have pointed out that I did a fairly good job depicting the sibling relationships. I found that interesting since it was the easiest part of the book to write and I never really had to think about it. But I think that comes to the whole, “write what you know” meme. I am the seventh of nine kids, and have a little over 30 nieces and nephews so I get to experience family dynamics all the time.
TBR: Who are some of your favorite
authors and books? What are you reading now?
Steve: I’m a huge fan of Kenneth Oppel. His Skybreaker series is one of my favorites and I keep hoping he’s developing another in that series. I have two books going at the moment, one is Clive Cussler’s Plague Ship, and the other is Mark Frost’s The Paladin Prophesy. I am enjoying both immensely and recommend them to everyone.
Steve: I’m a huge fan of Kenneth Oppel. His Skybreaker series is one of my favorites and I keep hoping he’s developing another in that series. I have two books going at the moment, one is Clive Cussler’s Plague Ship, and the other is Mark Frost’s The Paladin Prophesy. I am enjoying both immensely and recommend them to everyone.
TBR: Where can readers find you on
the web?
Steve: The best place is my website – www.stevenwhibley.com .
Steve: The best place is my website – www.stevenwhibley.com .
TBR: Thanks for visiting TBR, Steve. All the best to you.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Talk to TBR guests!