Straight Chatting from the Library: Dave Maruszewski

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE INTERVIEW

If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?

When I think of paranormal, I think of dead people. So, let’s go with that. I’d like to talk to dead people. How fun would that be? Think of all the people you could ask the questions. You could ask a question to someone that you wish you had, or maybe there is historical figure that you’d never have been able to meet.

When writing descriptions of your hero/ine, what feature do you start with?

This is where I might lose people. I tend to start with personality or something hard for the reader to visualize but understand. I like to have my readers fill in the blanks. So, I try to describe the physicality of my three protagonists as little as possible. It drives other writers nuts, but I want the reader to see themselves, their favorite stars, people they know or people they can imagine in my characters. I’ll even leave out “he” and “she” from side characters sometimes so that my readers can make them out subjectively.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’d like to say that I am a plotter. However, I always joke that the left and right are constantly struggling to take full control on my brain. So, improvisation and procrastination have their place in my method. Not intentionally, but they have a way of making a surprise appearance. I guess that I start off with a good plan and will outline a little. Then, things don’t go as planned, and I see where it takes me.

Did you learn anything from writing this book? If so, what?

That it’s fun to creative, but it’s scary to get judged on your creativity. After my first book, I was surprised how much anything negative in a review would affect me. When I started this project, it was almost endlessly satisfying. There were some hard days but it was also gratifying and hopeful. Then, I realized that someone would be reading my work. They could and either like it or completely not.

I’m a person who likes to please everyone if I can. There is no way to do this when you write. At the very least, you won’t be someone’s cup of tea. Rationally, I understand this. Emotionally, I worry about the rejection.

Now, I worry how it affects my writing. I’ve had to practice to be objective, allowing the criticisms of the past to help make my writing better without making me write someone else’s book. Separating subjectivity from quality advice is hard enough. Employing it can be a struggle. However, it should work if I do it correctly.

Big City, Suburb, Small Town or Country?

I grew up in a small town, big city and suburb. I enjoyed that small town the best, so I tend to romanticize most about that. I definitely feel better when I have a little land on my yard. Right now, I am in a Suburb of Indianapolis and I like it a lot. I like the community aspect, but I may get a little more acreage once my son moves on to college. Who knows?

READ THE BLURB

Raven, Romda and Ravai are settling into their new knightly duties well. With the Dark Beast defeated, their normal tasks almost seem mundane.

Amidst the boredom, Ravai asks, “Why does no one talk about villains from the past?”

Romda reasons, “What would be the point?”

There is a point. Even though villains may have been defeated in the past, they may still be around, waiting in the background ready to resurface once again.

Malketh has returned to the kingdom, but something is different about him this time. He is back with an entire army … an entire army of undead soldiers!

“Whether you want to read this aloud to your little one or let them explore this magical world on their own, parents can rest assured that this second installment in the Raven, Romda, and Ravai series will be a playful, whimsical addition to their bookshelves.” –The Book Review Directory

“… the squires are appealing characters, as is their comical banter.” - Blue Ink Review

A great story for the fantasy loving youth, this adventure will appeal to those who like action and humor in an easy reading environment.


READ AN EXCERPT

They keep going until they hear a large rumble. A small mass of rocks fall to the ground. The three look up and see a gigantic figurine of a man holding a giant emerald. Romda puts her lantern up to the emerald, and the light refracts and bounces off the many faces such that the whole room is lit. This brings relief to the three.

Unfortunately, they notice something else. When the room comes up from the dark, Raven, Romda and Ravai notice all these eyes staring at them. The undead are here. The three are surrounded.

Perplexed, Raven, Romda and Ravai freeze. They are scared. However, the entire horde of undead does not approach them. What is wrong with them? What do they want?

At last, the undead begin to slowly stir. They begin to walk slowly. At first they seem to move in random directions. Then, a pattern to their motion becomes apparent. They move about, revealing an opening in their numbers in the shape of a small circle. That opening reveals a hooded figure. The hooded figure says…

MEET THE AUTHOR

Dave Maruszewski is blessed with a great family. He was originally inspired to write stories by his wife and son.

He strives to develop stories with sound moral values that will be enlightening as well as entertaining to youths and adults. The Raven, Romda and Ravai books are targeted especially for children who shy away from reading. His stories are created from an accumulation of experience from careers/backgrounds as a physicist, engineer, teacher, artist, video game designer and software developer.

In between writing stories and running his own company, Digital Tumult (DigitalTumult.com), Dave enjoys video games, watching internet videos and hanging out with his family.

Website
Facebook
Goodreads
NetGalley
Amazon Author Page

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway