Author POV: Danielle Raver 05/16/2011
Danielle Raver is our special guest today. Her fantasy novel, Brother, Betrayed, features one of my favorite character types: the anti-hero! I’ve always found anti-heroes to be far more interesting than straight up good guys. They have a darkness inside – maybe it’s just a touch, maybe it’s a bucketload – that really opens up the potential for drama. A good guy might refuse to take part in shady dealings. An anti-hero wouldn’t think twice until it was over, and then he would have to deal with not only the consequences of his actions, but possibly guilt, as well. The more complicated the protagonist's emotions, the more involved readers will be! Let's see what Danielle has to say about her novel... Welcome to the blog, Danielle! Could you tell us a little bit about your novel? It is great to be here! Brother, Betrayed is a dark, epic fantasy. Three princes must overcome an obscure prophecy that suggests that Syah, the youngest brother, will betray the others and seek the throne. What led you to write this book? My older brother and I started writing when we were children. He once told me that I was too much of a goody-two-shoes to ever write a good bad guy. I wrote this novel to prove him wrong. How do you make scenes come to life for your readers? I have to dream about them. The scenes play out in my head for weeks before I write them down. Whenever I sit down to add more to my book, I have to read the last chapter to get into the story again. What was the biggest challenge you faced when writing Brother, Betrayed? How did you overcome it? The biggest challenge I had was writing the battle scenes. They were very complicated. I don't understand warfare, so I enlisted help from several military minded acquaintances (my husband being one of them). What is your best advice on writing? My advice for writers would be to find a balance in getting some constructive feedback and following your own instincts. I have learned that you can't please everyone, and if you change your style to meet the tastes of all your critics then you will lose your originality. On the other hand, it is important to not write by yourself without getting any feedback from others. I was guilty of that for the first fifteen years of my writing, and when I finally decided to share it, I realized that I had been writing in a void. Thanks so much for stopping by, Danielle! Bio Danielle Raver grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. When she was a girl, she and her oldest brother used to sit at their father’s table and create stories, competing to see who could write the most. Eventually that game evolved into fantasy fiction writing, and Brother, Betrayed was the result. As she grew up, she continued to write. She spent her free time escaping into Miscia, her fantasy world. She says that her characters were “…a part of my life as my family and friends. I dream of scenes, and they haunt me until I can write them out.” Her next book Flight Moon, is a sequel to Brother, Betrayed. It takes place two generations in the future. Danielle is a teacher and the mother of two baby boys. Besides writing, she loves drawing, reading the classics, studying foreign languages, and attempting to garden. She adores romantic paintings, classical and folk music, lasagna, and cheesecake, and she always makes a wish at 11:11. She lives in Alabama with her children and her husband, Jason. Danielle Raver can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and her blog, http://danielleraverauthor.blogspot.com/. Brother, Betrayed is available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Comments05/16/2011 18:01
That is *great* advice about finding the balance with feedback--what resonates, what doesn't resonate but should, what is what I call, "I never use toaster ovens so why is there a toaster oven in the kitchen?" feedback. Great post, Danielle! 05/16/2011 18:55
Thanks for featuring me on your website! I really enjoyed the interview :) Your comment will be posted after it is approved. Leave a Reply |  Banner (240X240):
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