Today, my guest is Mr. Byron A. Wells, who has written Amalgam, the first book of The Valaran Chronicles. I have not had the pleasure of reading this one just yet, but it has gotten fantastic reviews, and I definitely love the cover!
Author Interview
Byron Wells
Amalgam, The Valaran Chronicles: Book 1
GL: Please introduce yourself to everyone.
BW: Hi, my name is Byron Wells, and I live just outside of
Toronto, Ontario in a town called Uxbridge.
GL: Now, tell us a bit about your book.
BW: My book is about a young man named Hobs whose life is
changed after a serious accident.
Befriended by an Artificial Entity, he must challenge everything he
knows in order to become what he needs to be to defend his home.
GL: What was the inspiration for this novel?
BW: Over the past ten years, the thread for this story weaved in
and out of my imagination, the core of the story always the same. I finally decided to commit it to the
computer last year and I am glad that I did finally.
GL: Are any of your characters based on people from real life?
BW: No characters are based on real life (unless I did it
subconsciously, lol)
GL: Who is your favorite character? Favorite setting?
BW: Hobs, of course… I think my favorite setting takes place in
the beginning, before Hobs is forced to make some serious decisions and change
his life forever.
GL: Which character or setting was the most challenging to
write?
BW: It would have to be the scene with Lena, when Roland, Cades,
and Piers assault her. The first draft
was too brutal, so I struggled over it until it was toned down to what was
released. I wanted that chapter to
produce rage, anger, and a desire for revenge in Hobs.
GL: Were there any scenes that you really liked, but just did
not make the cut?
BW: With how long I had been mulling over this theme, not much
was cut – what I did cut wasn’t essential to the story so it wasn’t missed.
GL: What do you have planned for the series? How many books, clues about where it's
heading, etc.?
BW: There are two more books intended for the series, I Am
Archon is currently written and in the revisions stage. What you can expect for this book is Hobs
leaving his home planet and joining the starts of an uprising against the
Scarian. He will discover that he is NOT
the last Valaran. In this book you will
meet Aaralyn Jerica, Allayn Kameryn, and other characters I hope the reader will
enjoy. Obviously you will have to read
it to learn more.
The series will conclude in Causality. Hobs will bring the
fight full circle back to the Scarians in this addition to the Valaran
Chronicles. This story is in a finished
outline, with the first few chapters already written. Unlike some authors where their series’ go on
FOREVER, this one will end here…
GL: Yes, some series do tend to wear out their welcome!
BW: I have been asked questions about Valara and the backstory
for the Valaran Chronicles. I am
considering a two volume prequel called the Fall of Valara (maybe three,
depends on the outlines).
GL: Do you have any particular writing routine? Music or quiet? Handwritten or typed? Etc.
BW: I prefer to be in my office by myself. I sometimes have music, but more often than
not, quiet. TYPED always, lol; I can’t
read my own handwriting sometimes.
GL: Did you face any particular challenges during the
writing/publishing process?
BW: Well, going the self-publishing route was a learning
experience. There are some things I
would do for the next book, others I won’t.
I had a friend ask me this same question so I posted a series of
thoughts on my blog (http://myscifinovels.blogspot.ca/
and http://myscifinovels.wordpress.com/).
GL: Who designed the book cover (which I love)?
BW: I had the cover professionally designed by my publisher
(Outskirts Press). They did a fantastic
job on it. While the book itself is
where you want to excel, I firmly believe that the cover should grab
people. My fourteen-year-old daughter
took one look at the cover and said, “He’s Hot.” Man do they grow up fast.
GL: My daughter is just four, but I'm not necessarily looking forward to those years. But, yeah, he is nice looking :-)...
GL: Most interesting place you've ever traveled? Place you would most like to visit?
BW: I have lived in Scotland, Ecuador, Hawaii, Guam, various
parts of the US, and Canada.
I would like to visit countries in Europe.
GL: Favorite music? Movie? Television show?
BW: I love classical, pop, and classic rock.
Lord of the Rings
(can’t wait for The Hobbit at the end of the year), Avatar, Star Wars Series, Star Trek
Series, and many others – we have quite the DVD collection.
24, Lost, Smash, Big Bang.
GL: I am dying to see The Hobbit. I know it is going to be amazing! Can you believe I was not a LOTR fan until AFTER I saw the first film. Then, I was completely hooked. I'm a total LOTR nerd now :-)!
GL: Worst thing you've ever eaten?
BW: Hmm, I hate Mango
GL: Best piece of advice that you've received or given?
BW: If you don’t try, then you can’t succeed.
GL: Please share your links and where we can purchase the book.
BW: My book is available to order through any bookstores since
they are distributed by Ingram and Baker and Taylor, so this includes Borders,
Barnes & Noble, Chapers, Indigo. Then through the various online venues:
Amazon, Kindle, and Kobo. Hopefully by
the time this interview is posted, the two I am waiting on will finally be
ready: iBooks and Nook.
www.w3-innovations.com
has direct links to purchase from Amazon, plus follow the links to the Facebook fan page, Twitter, etc., and check out the blog.
Thanks so much for stopping by today, Byron! I can't wait to read Amalgam and the rest of the series. I hope you'll come back as each of the books releases!
