- Something about myself and how I became writer
Not sure about others, but I actually started out hating
writing. I found it to be a chore. I particularly remember rebelling against my
assignments at school and my parents demand that I write something.
Then when I was in 7th grade, I was tasked with writing, I forget
what, but I decided to write a scary story. It was pure horror – people dying,
blood and guts everywhere – and people liked it. It wasn’t Shakespeare by
any stretch of the imagination, but it was the first time I found enjoyment in
writing. I wrote a couple more horror pieces, but then my mom told me if I
didn’t write something non-gory she wouldn’t read my stories anymore. So
I wrote a story about a lost puppy name Spaghetti and his attempts to find his
way home. I once tried to find that story but it was long gone from my
home computer (this was back during the Apple IIe days).
And as the years passed and I became more proficient in writing,
I found it easier and more enjoyable to write. Now I write far more than a few
simple paragraphs even for a guest post like this.
- Where were you born/grew up?
I was born in upstate New York in the suburbs, as unassuming and
uninteresting as can be. When we first moved to the area it was mostly woods
with a few houses, so my friends and I were able to explore large swaths of
forest. As a I grew older, it was torn down for housing, which was sad because
it meant less opportunity for adventure.
I feel like the world has become more concerned with safety
(especially with the pandemic now), which has stilted children’s exploration
capabilities. It was fine back when I was a kid to be out for hours and time
without telling my parents where I was going. They were sure I would return.
Now there is the fear of abductions and sex offenders and similar dangers, and
I refuse to let my children out beyond the neighborhood block.
Also, they spend a majority of their time on technology devices
making it less likely for them to explore outside. I’m grateful for
technological improvements but at the same time I feel like it has impacted the
extent and depth of childhood. Kids are just growing up way too fast.
- How do you find time to write as a parent?
I don’t. When they were first born, it was easy because all my
kids did was sleep. And now that they’re getting older, it is becoming a
little easier because they can mostly entertain themselves.
Unfortunately, that entertainment usually involves iPads and video games and I
fear the anti-social behavior that will develop. So I have to give up the
opportunity to write and instead focus on them. This is especially true with my
son who needs a little more help with focusing than my daughter who is older.
On top of that, all of their activities like Piano and Karate are online with
the pandemic, making it even more important for me to be there to help them
remain focused. It’s ironic, but I’m more involved with them stuck at home,
then I had been when I was shlepping them to the actual location for their activities.
And despite me not going anywhere, I still feel exhausted. Writing is
simply a luxury now I simply do not have. Maybe once the world starts moving
again it’ll be easier, but for now, the kids come first.
- Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?
I am a diehard anime fan, and as a fantasy writer, I write with
the view that my entire series can be made into an anime. I feel like that
would be the epitome of achievement, were I to see my characters moving on
screen. That being said, I feel like movies are too short a medium. I still
remember how one of my favorite novels — Michael Crichton's Timeline — was
absolutely bastardized on the big screen. They simply removed far too much to
make it enjoyable. I couldn’t stand the thought of that happening to any of my
novels. So I’d be more inclined to have it be a series, preferably animated,
then as a feature-length film. Maybe a limited series at the least.
- What inspired you to write this book?
This book is actually version 12 of the original manuscript. The
original manuscript was over 115K words long and while it still had all of the
same characters, there was no depth or substance to any of them. My earlier
readers actually despised Daena (the main character) for her lack of growth. I
am grateful that I wasn’t actually able to publish that first version because
it forced me to go back and figure out how to make it more marketable (not only
length-wise but character-wise as well). I split it into two stories and worked
on the first half over and over again, giving Daena more depth with each pass
and also making the story darker and real, until finally ending up with the
version I published. You would be amazed to see the Daena’s transformation from
that original story; I’m certain she wouldn’t recognize herself.
- Do I have any “side stories”?
Yes. The ones I’ve written so far center around Asha Vahishtya,
who is the main protagonist in the series, but not in each individual book in
the series, which certain around specific characters that come in contact with
him. The plot is either what Asha is up to between Divine Potential books (like
how he got from Iburdeen to Keskt) or something related to his backstory, and
are released a little ways before the main story it is associated with. I have
ideas for other side stories but these are the main ones so far.
- How did you come up with the title?
“Clarity” is the name of one of
the seven Divine Potentials, which are abilities that embody the powers of
specific Mahrahspand Gods or Goddesses. Clarity embodies Aspen, the Goddess of
Devotion and Pure Thought. Those with the Clarity ability are able to articulate and convey messages
full of meaning and depth with relative ease. Many become public speakers in
one fashion or another. Furthermore, they can construct definitive arguments
and have a higher likelihood of swaying the minds of those spoken to. They are
also capable of better understanding situations and how to respond to them
(although this is not innate and must be worked at). Finally, those with this
ability tend to be devoted to a higher cause, be it moral or immoral, and will
focus all their intention and drive (and often their physical resources) on
achieving that purpose.
The other six Divine Potentials
are: FarSight, Remedy, Fluency, Permanence, Transcendence, and Justice.
Each of the books in the series will focus on someone that has gained
that ability.
- Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
I wholeheartedly believe that my characters are living the story
and I am simply recording events as they happen. I am no more in control of my
story than a horseback rider is on a mountain trail: sure you have reigns and
you can pull this way and that, but if the horse doesn’t want to go in the
direction you tell it then you ain’t going that way. There have been times
where I wanted my characters in the story to act a particular way, but when I
attempted to write them into that situation, I either couldn’t figure out how
to get them there or the result felt forced. There’s nothing more frustrating
than writing a page worth of material only to realize that it is completely
counter to how the character is known to behave. When that does happen, I
reluctantly scrape those passages because I know it’ll be a better story if I
let the character organically control where the story is going.
- What is your favorite part of this book and why?
My favorite part of about Clarity is the bumblefruit. And that’s all I’m going to say
about that.
- Have you written any other books that are not published?
The Divine Potentials series is slated to be 8 books. I have
written four books so far in the series and am working on publishing one per
year. Clarity is available
now, FarSight is available
for pre-order, Remedy will
be available sometime next year, and Fluency:
Awakening the year after that. I had to split Fluency into two parts
because it was simply too long in its original format and I wanted to let the
characters tell the story without being limited by time.
