The Scroll WIP Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Blog Hop! My friend, the great Hogwarts Professor John Granger, tagged me to carry on the torch this week, so I answered the interview questions below for my Work in Progress: Book 5 of The Gateway Chronicles, The Scroll. You can find John Granger's interview at his blog here.  And do be sure to check out at least one of his many books! My favorite of his is How Harry Cast His Spell.

If you're new to my blog, welcome! Even though I answered these questions for the fifth book in my series, there's still plenty of information about the series in general, so you shouldn't feel too lost. I hope you enjoy the interview!

1. What is the working title of your book?

The working title of book 5 of The Gateway Chronicles is The Scroll. 

2. Where did the idea for the book come from? 

Well, I finished book 4, and I figured I should go ahead and write book 5. 

Seriously, though, anybody who has read the first four books in my series knows that book 4, The Enchanted, gets a little romantic, and some of my male readers expressed that, although they enjoyed book 4, they hoped I would go back to a little more action in book 5. Lucky for them, that was always my intention. It starts with a bang and, I think, continues fast and strong straight to the end. I wanted it to have a good balance of personal story arcs, such as the romance between Darcy and Tellius, but plenty of meaty mysteries, riddles, and fights. It is the final installment before book 6, which is going to be the last book in the series, so it also needs to begin wrapping a few things up. All of these elements drove my writing of the story. 

3. What genre does your book come under?

Young Adult/Middle Grade Fantasy Adventure (and a little Romance now that the characters are older) 

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I get asked this ALL the time! It's very difficult to "cast" my main characters, though, because they get one year older every year, and likewise, young Hollywood changes, well, every year. In my perfect world, when book 1, The Six, is made into a movie, I'd like to see previously unknown actors cast in the six title roles, just as they did with Harry Potter. 

Max Irons

Diane Kruger

For the adult cast of characters, though, there is one actor I am bound and determined to see play Yahto Veli, and that is Max Irons. I could also see Diane Kruger as Voitto Vesa. If Jared Harris were a little older, he'd make a great Rubidius. 

Jared Harris

Drew Roy

 Although Tellius is also a character who grows older every book, and therefore the actor cast as him would have to start out a kid and grow with the movies, there is one actor I have discovered who perfectly epitomizes Tellius at the age he is in The Scroll (19), and that actor is Drew Roy. He has the perfect coloring and overall look! Tan, dark brown hair, brown eyes mixed with green. The only thing he's missing is the smattering of freckles, but that's okay. :) 

Bryce Dallas Howard

I'm also introducing a NEW character in The Scroll named Talutah Shani who could be played handily by Bryce Dallas Howard. 

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

All Darcy Pennington's plans for her future life in Alitheia are put on hold as she discovers something horrible has happened while she's been away from the magical world, which leads to her facing a singular goal: save Tellius, even if it means giving Tselloch something in return. 

6. Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?

My books are publishing by The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House (TWCS), an independent, but thriving, publisher based out of Sydney, Australia. All I can say about the release date for The Scroll at this time is that it will be out later this year! 

http://ph.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/authors/detail/33

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Well, I started in August, but I only wrote about 50 pages at that time as I got really busy once school started back in session (I'm also a school teacher). I picked at it when I could during the autumn months, bringing my page total up to about 150 when November ended. I wrote the majority of the novel, therefore, during the month of December, bringing my final rough manuscript up to 415 pages. 

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

The Gateway Chronicles as a series is like if The Chronicles of Narnia met Harry Potter at a summer camp and decided to become something new together. Books 1-3 in the series (The Six, The Oracle, The White Thread) are more Middle Grade in nature, but just as in how the story in Harry Potter matures as the characters do, so do my books mature as my characters get older. Book 4, The Enchanted, and this book, The Scroll have more of a true Young Adult flavor to them. That being said, I always keep the story lines family friendly. (I know it probably seems hubristic to compare myself with such lofty and successful titles, but this is a comparison many readers have made of my books as well, so I don't feel too bad about it.) :) 

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

These books simply had to happen. They are based loosely off my experiences at a summer camp I attended every summer of my life from infancy to college. My friends at the camp and the camp itself were so influential to me as I grew up that I knew when I started writing that I had to write some stories set there to sort of pay homage to that stage of my life, which is now past. I've always loved fantasy as a genre, so they naturally took the shape of fantasy stories. 

10. What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

I've had two beta readers read through it, and they had similar reactions to it. One was so mad at me for how I ended it that she refused to talk to me about it for several days. She's mad in a good way, of course, and can't believe I haven't finished book 6 yet so she can continue the story. The other beta reader, likewise, said he thinks this is the best one yet and is also on my case about book 6. My editorial team is also so excited about this installment that they gave me the best editorial review I've ever received. That's always a good sign! 

I will also say this - my readers should expect the unexpected. The Scroll will turn many of your assumptions upside-down. 

Stay tuned to my blog, my Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/K-B-Hoyle/155377154576880, The Gateway Chronicles Facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/groups/178307558003/, and my Twitter @kbhoyle_author for more sneak peeks at book 5 as the months count down to publication! 


Next Wednesday the Blog Hop jumps over to fellow TWCS YA author T. M. Franklin. http://www.tmfranklin.com/blog. Be sure to check it out!