Questions From a New Reader

Every now and then I hear from a new reader so enthusiastic with either The Gateway Chronicles or BREEDER (or both!) that they come to me with a plethora of questions, and sometimes those questions are blog-worthy because I feel there might be more people out there interested in the same information. This is one of those situations! The following questions came in last month from a new reader of The Gateway Chronicles... 

1) Okay, I can't stand it anymore. I must know. What addictive substance did you hide between the lines of your books?? 

Fairy dust. That addictive substance is fairy dust. 

:)

Actually, in all seriousness, I've worked quite hard over the years to make sure my books follow established literary patterns without being cliched. I believe the human brain looks for patterns subconsciously,  and because of this, there are certain storytelling techniques that will always feel more fulfilling in the end than others (or than a story written with no plan at all). This is one reason why I also beat on the "plan ahead!" drum when I give seminars on creative writing.

2) Ever since my first read-through, I've been trying to figure out how much of yourself you put into a character, if not more than 1. So, obviously Darcy is from your town and went to your camp. I tend to think you put some other parts of you in her, too. When at camp, did you have those magical feelings about the camp? Did you feel that perhaps you were meant for a different world, not fitting in? Or have you so aptly captured those aspects from other things you've read and from hearing it from others? Or are you more like Lewis, always carrying around a backpack full of journals? Did you have a friend - or were you the friend - like Sam, who was always by your side, never giving up on you even when you were mean-ish to her? 

Darcy is definitely the character into which I poured the most of myself. I did use my hometown (from my teen years) as Darcy's hometown, and the camp they attend in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the real camp I attended every summer of my life from birth until college (with the names changed). There was absolutely something magical and different about that camp, and not in a mystical, creepy, I-can't-seperate-fantasy-from-reality, delusional sort of way, but in a total separation from the rest of the world, from the rest of civilization, sort of way. The real camp, which I'll just call Cedar, was a constant for me in an otherwise changing world. Every summer when we went there, it was virtually unchanged. Obviously the flowers and trees and sun and water and rocks and sky didn't change, nor did the smells or sounds or sensations of being there, but even the camp itself went through very little change. For 18 years, I don't even remember the quilts on the camp beds being replaced with new ones, or the carpet being torn up and replaced. The furniture and artwork was always the same. There were small changes made here and there, but nothing big was done until I was an adult. I know the forest trails out there like the back of my hand, and it's so achingly remote and beautiful. When the sun comes through the trees, or glimmers in off the water, at just the right times of the day, it really is a magical place. It was an escape from reality, and it did make me feel like I was meant for another world. I really didn't fit in well in my "real world" life, at least I didn't feel like I did much of the time, so going to Cedar was like an escape into a fantasy world for me. It revived my spirit. In writing The Gateway Chronicles, then, I wanted to cause the reader to have this same sort of revived sensation by "visiting" the camp - and Alitheia - through the pages of my books.

I was (still am) a bit like Lewis, too. I don't carry a backpack around full of journals, but I'm rarely without one! I keep a small journal in my purse, and I probably have ten to twelves scattered around my house that are full of story ideas, notes, sketches, names, sample chapters... you name it! I put that aspect of my personality into Lewis's character. 

I definitely was not the loyal Sam-friend, although I wish I could have been! I've always been a bit too self-centered to be a Sam. But I had a Sam-friend, who is still one of my closest friends today. Even when I grew exasperated with her and did mean-ish things to her so I could go off and have "me time," she never gave up on me. And she always saw (sees) the good in everyone. That combination of loyalty, optimism, and overall goodness is so rare. I knew I had to write in a character like Sam who had those same traits. A Darcy needs a Sam. (And the parallel in names to Sam in The Lord of the Rings is not entirely unintentional! :) ).


3) Did you make up narks, or are those an across-the-board fantasy creature? 

I made up narks! They are entirely unique, although I tied them loosely to Tolkiensian elves to give people a frame of reference (I believe I say in the first book that they are in the elf family, or something like that). Every successful fantasy series, in my opinion, has to have a unique fantasy creature that has been created just for that particular universe. Lewis has his marshwiggles and dufflepuds, Tolkien his hobbits, and Rowling her house elves. I went with narks, which was a word I pulled from a form letter at Cedar (apparently a "night nark" is actually just a counselor who enforces night curfew). I came up with the concept of having night narks and day narks sharing one body, and the physical and social characteristics fell into place from there. I was super nervous about it before the publication of the first book, though, because I felt that of all the things in the story, the narks were what could flop the worst. Either people would love them, or people would think they were terribly cheesy and hate them. Thankfully, some of the first feedback I got on The Six was that people loved the narks - specifically Yahto Veli. I was relieved!

4) You mentioned teenagers as your target audience. Do you hear from male teenagers about the books? Are they drawn to the battles and strategy?

Yes! Surprisingly, I hear from lots of male teenagers - actually, I hear from lots of males, period! I wasn't sure how The Gateway Chronicles would be received by boys since it's written around a primary female protagonist, but the boys who have read it have responded overwhelmingly positively. Some of my biggest fans are boys, especially boys between the ages of 11 and 14. After the publication of book 4 (I think), I had 8th-grade boys (who were my students at the time), coming up to me the next day, bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived and red-nosed, saying things like, "Thanks a lot, Mrs. B. You made me cry!" or "This is your fault, you know. Your fault!" It was great. I've also recently had a lot of grown men reading them and giving me positive feedback. That's blown me away. I think part of it is that they like the battles and strategy, but I really think that's only a small part of it at the end of the day. Some themes are just universal. If you write a story that speaks to the human condition, you're going to have a crossover story on your hands. 

5) Any tips on where I can look up the names/places?

Baby name books or generators online, lol. But it's the truth! I have a big book of baby names that includes names from all around the world with country of origin, meaning, variations, etc., and I've relied heavily on that for choosing names with specific meanings I wanted for The Gateway Chronicles (and all my writing). A Greek translator online would help with many of the Alitheian names, too, but not all of them! Some of the nark names incorporate Finnish and Hebrew and Native American languages. If you ever really are desperate to know what a particular name means, though, and can't find it online, just shoot me an e-mail at kbhoyle.author@gmail.com and ask me, and I'll spill the beans. :) 

6) Is it tough to switch gears to your teacher-hat?

Yes and no. At this stage in my career, it's really more about the time crunch. My writing and teaching career have coincided for about eight years now, so I know more or less how to balance things. There are times of the year when, as a teacher, I just have to focus on getting teacher stuff done, but then there are other times where I have more energy and it's easier to come home and write for a couple of hours at night. But because I teach history at a classical school, which means I'm not bound by a textbook or a curriculum some government suit put together, I basically get to stand in front of my students and tell stories - true stories, but stories - all day long. I get to dramatize historical stories for a bunch of teenagers every day. And I get to read to them from primary source material that is hundreds of years old, and I get to talk it out with them, and gnaw through the tough bits, and study them and their reactions to things... It's kind of fantastic! As an author of Young Adult material, it feels like the other side of the writing coin, if that makes sense. I do wish, however, that I just had more time. But I think we all wish for that! And as Gandalf says, "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

T-Shirts for Sale!

In honor of the release of The Bone Whistle, my friend Dana has made a limited number of t-shirts that will be for sale at the release party on September 18th (and there may be some available after that date, as well!). She will have shirts available in the following sizes:

kids 10-12, 14, & 18 

Fitted women's x-small-large 

Unisex small-large

This is a great way to celebrate and promote my books, and also just a fun, limited-time item to own. I will even sign the shirts for you, if you'd like! She's not taking preorders, so it's first come, first served, and she has limited quantities of each size. 

*If you live out of state and would like a t-shirt, please contact me at kbhoyle.author@gmail.com to arrange purchase and shipping and handling. 

Please find the pictures and prices below: 

 

$15 each ($10 if you bring your own shirt to have it screen printed)

The backside has my website address

(front)

(back)

$18 each ($13 if you bring your own shirt to have it screen printed)

Back Cover Summary - The Bone Whistle!

All right, loyal fans and readers, it's that time again! I'm excited to share with you the back cover summary for The Bone Whistle, the upcoming final release of The Gateway Chronicles. Enjoy!

Darcy burned with the pain of knowing she’d failed. What happened when a prophecy didn’t come true? It must not have been much of a prophecy in the first place. And if they couldn’t trust in that, then they couldn’t trust in anything at all.

Five years ago, Darcy first received the prophecy of the Six, which stated she and her friends would save the land of Alitheia from a shadowy foe. For five years, she hasn’t known what the end will look like, but she certainly didn’t expect this.

Thrust back into Alitheia through unexpected means, Darcy winds up alone, scared, and without her recent memory. As she struggles to regain her lost memories and reunite with the ones she loves, she pieces together the prophecies and the oracles to find they all converge into one story - a story that tells her just how much she’ll have to give to save both worlds, and everyone she loves.

Pursued through Alitheia by forces desperate to kill them, Darcy and her friends take a journey fraught with danger that will lead them, inevitably, to the final confrontation with the Shadow. Armed with newfound knowledge of how the prophecy of the Six will play out, Darcy and the others must have faith in the face of mounting odds and adversity. Ultimately, the greatest courage of all belongs not to those who give something of themselves, but to those who let go of what they could never control.

Filled with stunning losses, heart-wrenching reunions, unexpected twists, and the power of love and sacrifice, the conclusion to The Gateway Chronicles will leave you breathless and begging for more from author K. B. Hoyle. 

Letter to My Readers

Dear Readers,

A long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away . . . sorry, I couldn't resist), I said that I would just like to hit some bestselling list somewhere, somehow. I will admit that I really didn't think this would happen, at least not any time soon, so imagine my surprise when The Scroll, and then The Six, hit Amazon top 100 lists and stayed there . . . for a week! I am truly overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of support for my books, especially as of late, and I wanted to write and let you all know how thankful I am.

I've never been one of those authors who puts the "art" over all else. I am well aware that being an author is to be in the entertainment industry, and if I am not entertaining in the entertainment industry, then I am failing at my job. This has never been about being "true to myself," nor has it been some abstract thing where I just feel compelled to "create." Yes, I do want to be true to the calling that is on my life, and yes, I do want to create (or rather, subcreate, as I see it, but that's a discussion for a different day), but I feel very strongly that telling a good story that people get as invested in as some of you have gotten invested in mine is as much a service as anything else. I feel it is a high calling to be a storyteller, and that calling comes with a responsibility to not only tell a good story well, but to uplift the reader, and to meet their expectations for my work - expectations that I, as the storyteller, have set up. In a way, there is an informal contract that exists between reader and author. You have shown your dedication to my stories by buying them, reading them, discussing them, and (in some cases) leaving reviews on Amazon and elsewhere. I promise to do my best to not disappoint any expectations you may have for how the story should end. At the very least, even if you don't like how I end the stories, hopefully you will all find it to be at least a fulfilling ending. I take this very seriously - I always have!

But, at the risk of getting too much further offtrack from what I set out to do, I really just wanted to say THANK YOU!

 I can hardly believe I can now call myself a bestselling author, and that sort of thing has ultimately very little to do with me, and very much to do with you. There would be no bestsellers without readers like you who support authors like me. Many people have written fabulous novels that have disappeared into obscurity for lack of a good readership base, and I count myself blessed to not be in that situation. I say onwards and upwards, and hopefully, with your support (and the tireless efforts of my unofficial social media army), we will all be rewarded with more and greater things happening for The Gateway Chronicles.

Yours very humbly,
K. B. Hoyle

That Ooey Gooey Feeling

There is something euphoric about starting a new book. And of course I'm talking about writing a new book, not reading a new book. For many of you, I realize that picking up a new book to read can also produce a sense of euphoria, and I have felt that from time to time myself (if the author is a tried and true favorite), but the sense I'm talking about with writing a new book is much stronger. It's like an ooey gooey feeling deep in my chest and gut that produces uncontrollable grins, fits of giggles, and (if I'm not careful) childish hand-clapping. It's really a rather embarrassing syndrome, now that I think about it, but thankfully the discipline of being an author is one mostly practiced in privacy, so giggle and clap away, I say! Last night, as I began writing book 6, I was not in private, however, so my anticipatory energy had to be contained to leg-bobbing and subtle wiggles. I'd been meaning to start book 6 for weeks, but due to a number of circumstances, I hadn't quite gotten around to it yet, and as many authors will tell you, starting is the hardest part, so sometimes it takes a little push to get things going. Well, kids were in bed, and hubs had a new Xbox game to try out last night, so I hopped in the car and drove down to our local Starbucks where I settled in with a frap and The Piano Guys pumping through my ear buds. I was motivated! I was ready. to. go. But truthfully, I didn't get much done at Starbucks. About 30 minutes into my endeavor, the shop was invaded by about twenty junior-high cheerleaders, all wearing pink, and all chattering away. Cheerleading and the color pink. Two things guaranteed to kill my enthusiasm for pretty much anything. I tried not to let my glower show too deeply on my face, but it was nigh impossible to get anything done for the fifteen minutes it took all of them to order, collect their orders, and head out to the patio. And by that time, Starbucks was about to close, so I packed things up and headed home. But it was not an entirely wasted effort, because in that time, I had gotten my word document all set up and formatted, my notes somewhat organized, and I'd even written the first paragraph of my prologue. (Whoa . . . I know. Just let that awesomeness sink in for a moment . . .) But most importantly, I'd gotten my head in the game. Driving home, I came to the realization that I needed to scrap and/or move the single paragraph I'd written in favor of a much better idea for the prologue (this did elicit grins, giggles, and hand-clapping, but I was stopped at a red light, so it was okay), and I began to map out the rest of what would follow from there. Adam wasn't quite finished with his Halo level on Xbox when I got home, and I was so full of that ooey gooey excitement, that I slapped on some workout clothes and ran circles around my neighborhood until my energy was somewhat abated and I had the rest of the prologue solidified. Yes, yes, it was very late to be out running, but it was either that or climb the walls, and honestly, when you are an author who sits on your bum all day (or night in my case) writing, a little exercise is a good idea! Plus, I was a security guard once upon a time, and I kind of pity the guy who tries to mug me. But I digress. Anyhow, back inside, I got changed, returned to Scribbus (my computer) at about midnight, and knocked out roughly 1200 words. So I'm happy to announce that book 6 is off the ground! And I'm even more happy to announce the title for book 6, which I've been sitting on for three years. Drumroll please... book 6, the final installment of The Gateway Chronicles, is called, The Bone Whistle. Yay! If you follow me on twitter (@kbhoyle_author), ask me questions about book 6 using hashtag #TheBoneWhistle, or about book 5 with hashtag #TheScroll or #SaveTellius. I'll answer whatever I can!

And now, to help you feel properly excited, here is a teeny-tiny teaser from upcoming book 5, The Scroll:

Don’t let him deceive you, he said. I am doing everything to Tellius you think I am, and more. Tselloch straightened from the banister and stepped toward her so his height became that much more impressive. Every day that passes, he grows weaker.

“You-you promised to give us until the first day of spring!” Darcy said. She tried to step back, but her feet were rooted to the spot. She clenched her hand around her ring, but the coldness asserted itself with greater intensity.

And I shall, but it will not be easy for him. 

Thinking in the Rain

Okay, I lied. This isn't about thinking in the rain, it's about thinking in the shower, but that didn't have quite the catchiness I was looking for. So I tricked you into reading this blog post. Ha.

My best story ideas seem to always come to me in the shower. Does anybody else experience this? I'm not sure if it's the solitude, the white noise of the water, the relaxation produced by hot water and steam,  the perfect lack of distraction, or a combination of all three, but I have always turned into a pensive, thoughtful, and uber-creative person in the shower. If I have a particularly difficult plot problem to work through, often a good long shower will produce a plethora of probable solutions. (Alliteration is fun, don't you think?) The only problem with coming up with ideas in the shower is that I don't have a waterproof notepad. My mom always used to yell at me for taking long showers when I was young, but that was where I did my best daydreaming, and asking me to get out of the shower was like asking me to leave another world. Although now that I pay the water bill, I can also now commiserate with her. I really don't think The Gateway Chronicles would be here if it weren't for my shower, though, and I think every creative person needs their place of solitude where the muses can visit.

Did I really just write a blog post on showering? Yep. Yep, I did. Okay, I need to redeem this somehow... How about a sneak peek?

I introduce a new character/creature in The Scroll, and I think y'all are really going to enjoy him! He's a wyvern dragon, and here's a selection from the scene in The Scroll where Darcy and the others meet him for the first time. Enjoy!

Darcy crept forward as well as she was able on her crutches. The wyvern made a sort of humming trill and lifted his snout to sniff at her. “Where did he come from? Why is he here?”

“Well, I’m not sure if it would be more accurate to say he belongs to Tellius or Tellius belongs to him,” Veli said, a hint of laughter in his tone. “But he and Tellius are-were-virtually inseparable.”

At Tellius’s name, the little dragon perked his head to the side.

“He’s Tellius’s?” Darcy held onto her crutches while she knelt to one knee and reached out to him. He lowered his snout almost to the ground, like a dog wanting to be petted, but shy of the touch.

“In a manner of speaking. He came to Tellius one day on patrol. Tellius said later that he’d been shadowing him for days.”

Darcy laid a gentle hand on the wyvern’s side. His scales were smooth, not slimy at all, and very warm to the touch. “Does he breathe fire?” she asked, looking up at Veli.

“Aye, that he does,” Veli said. “Hence the bond between him and his lordship.”

“Fire,” Darcy said. She stroked his scales, feeling as though she was connecting with an aspect of Tellius himself. “He could sense Tellius’s fire magic.”

“Especially now that his lordship has passed his test,” Wyn said. “He’s a full master magician now.”

Darcy flushed as a swell of pride swept through her. 

Character Bio - Lewis

A LONG time ago I promised a character bio on Lewis, and then I got distracted with other things, and it slipped my mind. Well, I apologize, and here, at long last, is the promised bio...

-Full Name: Lewis Daniel Acres (Lewis is of course named for C. S. Lewis, and his middle name is for my nephew)
-Parents: Louise and Ronald Acres. (His mom is rather abrupt and has never really liked Darcy. We have never met his father in the context of the story, but he's named for Ron Weasley.)
-Siblings: Brother Jonathan is four years younger, sister Joanna is nine years younger. (Jonathan is named for J. R. R. Tolkien, Joanna for J. K. Rowling. The only summer Lewis missed going to Cedar Cove was when his sister was born. This is from real life as the only summer my family missed going to our family camp was the summer my little brother was born.)
-Personality: Lewis is introspective, like Darcy, but in a more, well, masculine sense. Where Darcy (in the first book) is sulky and self-absorbed in her introspection (obviously her greatest character flaw), Lewis is just aloof and oblivious in his. When he is younger, in the first books, he is content to just be in his own little world, and he's rather protective of his private musings (shown in how he carries around a backpack and spends more time writing in the journals in the backpack than conversing with actual people.) As the series progresses, the backpack gradually disappears and he becomes more in-tune with the world around him. He remains thoughtful and above much of the teenage "drama," but he tends toward pessimism. Early on, Sam is the only person he's ever opened up to, and his best friend, but as Sam gains Darcy's friendship, Lewis's role in her life diminishes somewhat. At first he's resentful of the intrusion, but then (after book 1) he decides to take it in stride and befriend Darcy instead. By the middle books of the series, he's closer to Darcy than either of the other two boys in their group of friends. This relationship is aided by the fact that he, Darcy, and Sam all live on the same street and go to the same school I've always intended Lewis to be smart, a little nerdy, and, at heart, simply a good guy.
-Physical Characteristics: Lewis is small for his age in the first books, with mousy-brown hair, light blue eyes, and glasses. Out of touch with modern fashions, he really doesn't care about his appearance. He shoots up to be quite tall in the later books and, although he remains oblivious to it, a decent-looking boy.
-In Alitheia: Lewis is the Scribe. His talent is to write things that are prophetic or otherwise supernaturally helpful. He can't perform his talent on command as the words must come from Pateros, although sometimes he finds that something he has written long ago applies to a present situation. His standard is an Owl, and he is bonded with the Owl Koukoubagia (Kouk). He is overlooked for fighting/warrior training in the first books since he is small and not interested in it, but as he gets older, he decides he'd like to take part, although he's never much of a fighter. His gift from Rubidius is an enchanted phoenix quill.
-Trivia: When I was writing book 1, the reason I had in my mind for why Lewis didn't like Darcy was that he actually had a crush on her, and resented the fact that she never noticed him. As the story progressed, however, I realized that didn't really make sense, and it would make more sense for him to end up having a crush on Sam instead. (*spoiler alert for book 4) I LOVED writing in the romance between Lewis and Sam because I never intended for them to actually be right for each other, and it meant I could make it awkward and uncomfortable. I think everyone probably had relationships like that in High School - "dating" someone in name, but not really acting like you are dating. I know I did! So I wrote that from personal experience, and I think it was relatable for many readers as well.

Fan Art Spotlight!

Over the past couple years, I've had a few readers create various bits of art and crafts associated with The Gateway Chronicles. One of the first readers to ever create something was a student of mine named Anna who transformed one of her books into a book from the library in the Great Hall at Sanditha (from book 1, The Six).

The title of the book is, Celmian Imports and their Economic Impact on Alitheia, and here's the story behind it... Darcy snatches this book off a shelf to make herself look busy when Tellius comes into the Great Hall. I wanted it to be a humorous scene because she discovers that she has chosen about the most boring book imaginable, and then, to save face, she has to act interested in it when Tellius engages her in discussion. I hated economics when I was in High School, so naturally I made the book about economics. This was just one of those little things I put into book 1 to build tension between Darcy and Tellius, who are really young, and really opposed to the idea of marrying each other someday. 

When Anna sent me this picture, I was thrilled. She's a very creative girl, and I love that she put her creative energies into such a tiny story element. It made me realize that some of my readers were reading my books with greater devotion, and attention to detail, than I'd dared hope. 

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!