Annie lives in a world turning to ice. The Starfire that once warmed the twelve kingdoms is failing. She spends far more time with star charts and flight simulation than what is required for any shuttle pilot. Uncle Jordan has become her mentor and tutors the prince of Treya soon to be crowned at a royal ball. Annie dreams of dancing at the ball but her deepest desire is to join the Starseekers and find her parents on the lost planet of Tamaroon.
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The Darkside of the Medallion: Interview with Diane Gronas: STARSEEKER: Flower of...
The Darkside of the Medallion: Interview with Diane Gronas: STARSEEKER: Flower of...: STARSEEKER: The Flower of Tamaroon by Diane Gronas AUTHOR INTERVIEW “Youn...
Friday, August 21, 2015
AUTHOR
INTERVIEW
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
STARSEEKER:
The Flower of Tamaroon
by Diane Gronas
Interview by Edwin D. Ferretti
— Dayne Sislen, illustrator of “Madeline Delilah”
Thank you Diane Gronas for
letting me interview you about your new book: Starseeker— Flower of Tamaroon. To
start with, I included above a quote from one of your many Five Star Reviews. ★★★★★
“Thank
you for having me here today, David. People like you and Dayne have
been a long time inspiration for me.”
What
author(s) or people in your life inspired you to write your young adult novel?
“There are so many, my
influences that would be recognizable include J.R. Tolkien, Walt Disney, Star
Wars creators and a multitude of Sci-fi movies.”
Nice answer. I believe
that your reply is also responsible for my own writing style(s) too.
Why
did you choose the genre of Science Fiction as your first book?
“I always wanted a flying car
and Cinderella is my favorite theme, so the setting became a science fiction
world in the future with castles.”
The Cinderella theme in
space caught my attention as I read your book, worthy of a movie.
Have
any other writers inspired your writing style?
“Yes, I found that Rick
Riordan’s “Heroes of Olympus” style easily connects with young YA readers. I
love his humor and easygoing characters. John Rocco’s cover illustration of the
mechanical dragon is terrific. Rick’s books target the same age group as my
books even though STARSEEKER has been re-read 3 times by adult readers working
for NASA. The comment I hear most from readers is that it is a good story.”
I might point out that
your story is also a page-turner.
If
you could talk to any author, from any year in time, which would you choose.
“Rosemary Wells – I’ve always
loved children’s books in rhythmic verse and would like to know how she
approached this; Noisy Nora is my
favorite. I also like the Berenstain Bears, The
Bike Lesson. My favorite Illustrators I would also like to talk to are
Tomie DePaola, The Mysterious Giant of
Barletta, Sheilah Beckett: The
Christmas Story and Snow White, Mercer Meyer author of Critter books, Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like and Beauty and the Beast, and Greg and Tim
Hildebrant Illustrators of The Gift of
Galadriel and other Tolkien scenes.”
Speaking of illustrators,
your cover art is fantastic.
Do
you have a list of current author’s books that you read for inspiration?
“Young Adult series I’ve read
recently are THE SELECTION by Kiera
Cass, LEGEND by Marie Lu Kirkus, and MATCHED by Ally Condie, but my favorite
was Cinder in THE LUNAR CHRONICLES series by Marissa Meyer. The first book also
had a Cinderella character in a futuristic world. These were all well written
books. THE SEVEN REALMS series by
Chima that I just read was also very good, but these are all for a slightly
older target market.”
What
was the hardest lesson that you learned while writing your novel.
“Re-writes and formatting take
forever and plot changes not only increase the complexity of the story but also
are hard to keep track of.”
I agree with your answer
as it links to my own philosophy of self-editing: If I’d known how hard editing
my manuscript was, I would have done that first, and then written the story.
Any
tips that you would like to pass on to future writers of Science Fiction.
“Outlining the plot in detail
will help create a solid framework to build on. It also helps to see the story
as it plays out through the main characters eyes and write their thoughts and
reactions.”
I
loved Tipper and E-Chip and want to read about them again. Any teasers that you
want to tell us about your next book in the trilogy.
“I’m really excited about Book
2, STARTRAIL TO TAMAROON. E-Chip and Tipper join Annie, Garret, Melody, Brandon
and the crew to explore another world. New surprises in discoveries and
technology will be found as they meet interesting characters along the way.”
I can’t wait to read more.
What
is your favorite scene in your book?
“Truthfully it’s the one I haven’t written yet. But, if I have to
choose one from the first book, it would probably be where Annie meets the
prince. Although the shuttle race, sword fight, discovery of the Lastradanyan luminos
dociles, palace escape, and explosive ending were all fun as well.”
Some
of my characters screamed in my mind, telling me that they wanted more
dangerous action paced scenes. Did the characters of your story turn out the
way your expected them to or did they dictate the scenes as you wrote them?
“I always had some idea of
where the scene was heading, but I must admit I was always surprised by where the characters would take me. I
would like to say I was in control, but other characters would often pop up
without warning. Needless to say this story was fun to write.”
I
wrote an outline for my first story. After a few months, I remembered it. I
only found one scene that was mentioned in my outline and it was out of place
in my story. Did you write an outline and follow it as your story unfolded?
“I started with a general
outline of some chapters. But, by the end, several chapters I added to the
beginning as well as the beginning chapters with Annie’s parents were cut,
twice as many chapters were added and the original ones were rearranged. I
would still recommend starting with an outline so you can build on a solid plot
or story thread. Just be prepared to allow the story to shift and grow. Treat your manuscript as a fluid sea of
words that can morph into most any form until you hit the key Send and Print.”
Is
there going to be a Starseeker Movie?
“No offers have come my way yet
but it would make a great space age science fiction adventure for a family
audience. Thanks for asking.”
Well, I hate to say that
is all for now. Are time is up.
Thank you David, it has been
wonderful being here with you today. As I said earlier, you have been a
terrific inspiration for me. My best wishes for success with your series “The Darkside of the Medallion.” Your
first book is full of wonderful futuristic happenings and I’m eager to read
what comes next.
Thank you Diane for your
words of inspiration to me and many other writers in the Science Fiction and
Fantasy genre. Below is a copy of your beautiful book cover followed by a short
synopsis.
STARSEEKER:
The Flower of Tamaroon
The Flower of Tamaroon
by Diane Gronas
In a distant future, Annie lives
alone with her aunt in a high-rise refugee tower as the world around her turns
to ice. The Starfire that once warmed the regions of the twelve kingdoms is
failing. There is little to do in her cramped quarters and she spends far more
time with star charts and flight simulation than what is required for any
shuttle pilot. Uncle Jordan has become her mentor and tutors her and the prince
of Treya; soon to be crowned heir apparent at the royal ball. Annie dreams of
dancing at the ball but her deepest desire is to join the desperate flights of
Starseekers searching the universe for food and survival. Launching into space
is her only hope of ever finding her parents, missing on the lost planet of
Tamaroon. This is a triumphant Space Age Cinderella tale that blooms into romance
and action.
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CREATIVE ADVICE
YES! Every day is a new opportunity... to get better, practice, study processes, scrutinize other artistic works, conceptualize strategy, and refine your stroke and technique. Find what you do best, strive to consistently do it well, and when you fail to meet your own expectations know tomorrow you may rise and hit one out of the park.Also it is when we are alert and well rested that uniquely special intangibles will come into play.
Thanks to Giuseppe Castellano for the article "Illustration and Baseball" full of inspiring thoughts about how to apply the creative process to all occupations. http://www.gcastellano.com/arttips/baseball-and-illustration