All About Middle Grade Interview: Steve Whibley (author of Glimpse) + Giveaway
About the Author:
Steve believes in pixies and fairy dust, and the healing power of unicorns. When he’s not writing epic tales of horned beasties, he’s working as a look-a-like for Brad Pitt, Ryan Reynolds, Zac Efron, and Seal. He spends his free time training hairless mole rats to be service animals for the colorblind, and dreams of one day inventing a Thanksgiving dish that will rival the infamous turducken.
Steve also believes most readers do not read author biographies. (but just in case, he’ll do a real one once his website is fully updated :) )
You can haunt Steve Whibley at-
Goodreads | Website |
Interview
1. Alright, you have five words to bring in potential readers of Glimpse, what are you going to tell readers?
24-hours to save a life!
24-hours to save a life!
2. Why do you think readers will like reading about Dean as he tries to figure out if his new found ability of premonition is a blessing or curse?
Dean has these visions that come on quite suddenly. They're horrible and frightening, and he's scared out of his mind. But as he tries to get a handle on things; as he tries to step up and use the visions to save people, I think the readers are going to really root for him.
Dean has these visions that come on quite suddenly. They're horrible and frightening, and he's scared out of his mind. But as he tries to get a handle on things; as he tries to step up and use the visions to save people, I think the readers are going to really root for him.
3. Your character definitely looks like he'l be in for some crazy times. What made you want to give him the ability of premonition? Do you think he'll be up for the challenge of using it to save lives?
I was daydreaming and imagined a kid freaking out in his history class after having a horrible vision of his teacher's death. I started building the world/story around that scene, and before I knew it I had this outline for a story I was really excited to write. As for Dean being up for it... that's a tough question. It's a challenging gift to have. He can do a lot of good, but the guilt associated with being too late, or making a mistake and not saving a life can be a lot to deal with. In the end, Dean's the kind of kid who doesn't give up. He'll get discouraged, he'll fail from time to time, and feel awful about it, but he's not going to throw in the towel. The problem with having visions of people who are about to die, is that if you don't act, you're (to some extent) responsible, and that's something Dean believes fully.
I was daydreaming and imagined a kid freaking out in his history class after having a horrible vision of his teacher's death. I started building the world/story around that scene, and before I knew it I had this outline for a story I was really excited to write. As for Dean being up for it... that's a tough question. It's a challenging gift to have. He can do a lot of good, but the guilt associated with being too late, or making a mistake and not saving a life can be a lot to deal with. In the end, Dean's the kind of kid who doesn't give up. He'll get discouraged, he'll fail from time to time, and feel awful about it, but he's not going to throw in the towel. The problem with having visions of people who are about to die, is that if you don't act, you're (to some extent) responsible, and that's something Dean believes fully.
4. I love the cover for Glimpse, the first book in the Dean Curse Chronicles. Could you tell us a little about the cover for your book?
Thank you so much. The designer's name is Pintado and you can see his work here: http://pintado.weebly.com/ When I was writing the books, I kept thinking about what kind of design I wanted for the whole series. I knew I wanted them darker, and I knew I wanted and have a sense of urgency to them. I also knew I wanted it clear when they were side-by-side that they were part of a series. I saw Pintado's work and thought he'd be a great fit for what I wanted to achieve. I gave him a brief indicating what I wanted, and he knocked it out of the park.
Thank you so much. The designer's name is Pintado and you can see his work here: http://pintado.weebly.com/ When I was writing the books, I kept thinking about what kind of design I wanted for the whole series. I knew I wanted them darker, and I knew I wanted and have a sense of urgency to them. I also knew I wanted it clear when they were side-by-side that they were part of a series. I saw Pintado's work and thought he'd be a great fit for what I wanted to achieve. I gave him a brief indicating what I wanted, and he knocked it out of the park.
5. Let's have a little finish the sentence fun. When I'm not writing, I like to...? I enjoy it because...?
... I like to... travel. I enjoy it because... there is nothing quite like finding yourself in a foreign country, completely outside your comfort zone. Every time I find myself in that situation it's as if I've just opened an adventure novel and I'm the main character.
... I like to... travel. I enjoy it because... there is nothing quite like finding yourself in a foreign country, completely outside your comfort zone. Every time I find myself in that situation it's as if I've just opened an adventure novel and I'm the main character.
6. What three books have had the biggest influence on you as a reader? Why?
Oh, a tough one. Let's see...
1. The Harry Potter series. I started reading those books in the 90s and fell in love with them. They reminded that books targeting a younger audience can capture the attention and imagination of older readers too. I didn't know I wanted to be a writer at that time, but when I started writing years and years later, I remembered how captivated I'd been with those stories and set out to target a similar audience.
2. Any one of the Hardy Boy books. If it weren't for those two brothers, I don't think I would have read anything as a kid. As it was, I read dozens and dozens of those books. I devoured them. I still remember the light blue, cloth bound collection my parents had. I've continued to read them as an adult too, and they're just as fun as I remembered them.
Oh, a tough one. Let's see...
1. The Harry Potter series. I started reading those books in the 90s and fell in love with them. They reminded that books targeting a younger audience can capture the attention and imagination of older readers too. I didn't know I wanted to be a writer at that time, but when I started writing years and years later, I remembered how captivated I'd been with those stories and set out to target a similar audience.
2. Any one of the Hardy Boy books. If it weren't for those two brothers, I don't think I would have read anything as a kid. As it was, I read dozens and dozens of those books. I devoured them. I still remember the light blue, cloth bound collection my parents had. I've continued to read them as an adult too, and they're just as fun as I remembered them.
7. Are you kidding, author bio's are a must read for readers, especially reviewers. So, Steve, what do you think you'll include on your bio when you update it? Anything you think readers should know about you?
I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about; my bio is 100% truthful :) Okay, okay, so I don't really believe in the healing power of unicorns, and I might not be a lookalike for Brad Pitt. I guess I'd like readers to know that I'm an adventurer at heart, and to that end, I try to write books that take readers on the kinds of adventures I'd loved to experience.
I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about; my bio is 100% truthful :) Okay, okay, so I don't really believe in the healing power of unicorns, and I might not be a lookalike for Brad Pitt. I guess I'd like readers to know that I'm an adventurer at heart, and to that end, I try to write books that take readers on the kinds of adventures I'd loved to experience.
8. The world has fallen to a robot invasion and only one heroine/hero can possibly save the day, who do you choose?
Does it have to be from one of my books? I hope not, because my characters wouldn't stand a chance against a robot invasion. Can I say Superman? He'd get the job done! Robots wouldn't stand a chance. The best any character in my book could do is warn me when I'm going to die. I guess that would buy me a bit of time. Do you think the robot batteries would run out?
9. Care to tell us about your writing cave (include picture if you want)?
The kitchen table is where I do most of my writing (very early in the morning). One day I hope to have an office of some kind, but I don't see that in the cards for my near future. My saving grace is that I sleep a lot less than most people, so I get blocks of quiet, focused writing done in those wee hours.
The kitchen table is where I do most of my writing (very early in the morning). One day I hope to have an office of some kind, but I don't see that in the cards for my near future. My saving grace is that I sleep a lot less than most people, so I get blocks of quiet, focused writing done in those wee hours.
10. Any upcoming projects that you can sure with us?
Lots! Book three in The Dean Curse Chronicles will be out this year. Book four will be on its heels though likely early 2014. My agent has a few novels of mine queued up, ready to start pitching to editors, so with a little luck I'll have some news on that front this year as well.
Thanks again, Orchid. I really appreciate the opportunity to participate in this interview. It's been fun!
Steve, thanks so much for stopping by and answering some questions for readers. Ah, so excited to see that you loved the Harry Potter books, too. They are some of my favorite books...still.Lots! Book three in The Dean Curse Chronicles will be out this year. Book four will be on its heels though likely early 2014. My agent has a few novels of mine queued up, ready to start pitching to editors, so with a little luck I'll have some news on that front this year as well.
Thanks again, Orchid. I really appreciate the opportunity to participate in this interview. It's been fun!
Giveaway: Thanks to the author, Steve Whibley, one lucky winner is going to win the first two books in the Dean Curse Chronicles, Glimpse and Relic. To enter, leave a comment and fill out the rafflecopter form.
"Save them, Dean. Save them all...."a Rafflecopter giveaway
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.
You can add Glimpse to your goodreads shelves.
Honestly, I like his first answer--there's such an urgency to "24 hours to save a life"!! Thanks!
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