It’s always nice to meet a fellow indie author who is just breaking into the business. There’s so much to learn about sales and promotions when all you want to do is just write the books and send them out into the world. Dave J. Williams is a new author of a medieval fantasy novel who is learning to navigate the complicated indie author world. Below is my interview with Williams. Be sure to check out his book, Sineria: The Great Kingdom and follow him on Instagram and Twitter.
About the author and book
Name: Dave J. Williams
Title: Sineria: The Great Kingdom
Genre: Fantasy
Links to buy (links open in a new tab):
Book Summary
When young, poverty-stricken Sinerian Hayden hears of a land harboring riches, he takes a risky journey to the land that will better his life. With only a horse and a sword, Hayden must brave the dragons, monsters, natural disasters and other threats residing outside of Sineria. Meanwhile, Sineria is soon attacked by a mad wizard, wanting to rule the kingdom for his own. However, Hayden is one of the few with the courage and bravery to battle the wizard, and to add on, his sword is an object that can weaken the being majorly. If only Hayden survives.
Book Excerpt
It was a new day. School was about to be in session. Fiona was feeling just a bit better. The siblings headed to school. When they got there, there was a surprise not just for them, but for all of the other students and employees. The school was completely demolished. It had been eaten by little wood trolls.
Wood trolls were like termites, but slightly worse since they had the same amount of intelligence as a mouse, which is smarter than any termite. These trolls, just like termites, lived in colonies and loved wood. They were gray with black hair that stood up on their head. They had four arms and two legs. They were roughly the same size as a pinky mouse. Wood was their priMuriel diet, hence their name.
“I told you we should’ve invested in those wood geckos,” Mr. Gerald said, shaking his head.
Wood geckos were named after their diet of wood trolls. Just like most other geckos, these lizards could easily scale walls and other surfaces, perfect for chasing down the trolls they desired.
“Welp, there goes the school,” Hayden said, disappointed.
“Looks like a day, eh, or, a few months off,” his sister added. Hayden and Fiona just walked around for a bit.
“Um, I’m uh, sorry about the whole, you know… snake thing,” said Hayden, scratching the back of his head.
“It’s all okay,” Fiona told her younger brother. Hayden looked at her and smiled.
“I love you little bro,” Fiona said.
“Love you big sis,” Hayden said back. A scream was then heard. An old, scrawny, dirty man was running away with something. Hayden and Fiona ran after him.
The man was surprisingly fast. He finally came to a stop when he found himself cornered.
Talking Shop
What is the central theme or message of your story? What do you want readers to take away from it?
The theme is motivation. Not only is Hayden a child, he also has many terrible things happen to him. All of this just motivates him to better his life. This is why he goes on the journey to this strange land, knowing that the risks will be worth going up against to find riches for his family.
Name a fact or detail about your story that can’t be found within the pages of your book.
Fantasy creatures, especially dragons, aren’t just restricted to Europe (and Eurasia, where Sineria is located). Just like animals in real life, dragons, ogres, and other fantasy beasts can be found worldwide in this universe.
What’s the best review/compliment that you’ve received about your book?
A friend of mine said he liked the action and thought that the certain something that happens to the villain (spoilers) was nice, especially since it kind of has something to do with the earlier events.
What were your expectations for writing and publishing your first book? Have they changed since then?
I thought that it would all be a lot easier than what I expected. Writing the story is fun, but writer’s block, not so much! The hardest part, however, is selling the book. I assumed it would be much easier, but marketing your work takes a lot more than what I thought it would. So yes, my expectations have changed for sure.
What is the most fun part about writing? The most difficult?
The most fun part about writing is making the adventure for the characters and creating some nice action. The most difficult part of writing is trying to beat writer’s block.
“What If” Scenarios
If your book ever becomes a movie, and you get final say over the cast, which actors would you hire to play your characters?
I never could think of who I would want to play Hayden, but I have imagined Chris Pratt playing his father and possibly Julia Roberts to play his mother. I think Sabrina Carpenter would be a good fit for Hayden’s older sister even though the sister is younger than Sabrina. Benedict Cumberbatch as the head knight would be cool. I could list a few more, but I don’t want to make this too long!
Your favorite character that you’ve written comes to life for one day. What do you do together for 24 hours?
Of course the main character Hayden is my favorite (sorry everyone else). I would show him how much the world has changed since the Medieval times. We could go hang out with my modern era friends, get him a phone, and go to the movies.
If you could have one person that you admire, living or dead, read your book, who would it be?
I can’t think of one specific person, but since I like Marvel, any of the main actors/actresses in the MCU reading my book would be nice.
You are transported inside your book for one day. What role do you play? How do you alter the events of the story?
I’d most likely just be a normal citizen that will make friends with some of my characters. I would definitely go find some dragons and other beasts. Maybe bring a dragon egg back home.
Your book becomes a best seller. What do you do next?
I would start to build up on the sequel to get my readers excited. After a while, the sequel would be released.
Just For Fun
One bucket list item you’ve completed and one that’s still on your list.
One bucket list item I’ve completed is visiting all the theme parks in Disney World. It may not sound that exciting, but for years I have only been to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, so I’ve wanted to visit Hollywood Studios and Epcot for a while, which I finally got to do two summers ago. One that is still on my list is to go on an African safari.
A movie that changed your life.
How to Train Your Dragon. I was really young when the first movie came out, and seeing all of the different dragons, hearing the beautiful music, and the action all blended together made me love this franchise forever.
Favorite place you’ve visited/place you want to visit.
I haven’t been to that many places, so for now I’d have to say Orlando. The city is beautiful, there’s many restaurants, and being able to see theme parks’ icon from the road is all just an amazing feeling.
Food you’d like to win a lifetime supply of.
Sam’s Club pizza. For sure.
Celebrity you’d want to be friends with.
Robert Irwin. He just seems happy all of the time, he loves wildlife, and he’s just like his father, who was a big inspiration for many people including me, and is just an amazing person in general.
Buy it!
Buy a copy of Sineria: The Great Kingdom here, and help support local bookstores. This is an affiliate link, and I will earn a commission on any sales.
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