Thursday, May 31, 2012

Author Interview: Byron A. Wells, author of The Valaran Chronicles

Good morning, everyone!  I hope you all are having a wonderful week so far and getting ready for a fun weekend.  Tomorrow is my oldest baby's 7th birthday, so we definitely have a lot happening this weekend!  It's gonna be all about Angry Birds and baseball!!!


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!