True Color of Betrayal
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I am embarrassed to say that as a teenager, I played Dungeons and Dragons; and in fact, had created my own world to run adventures in as the all-powerful Dungeon Master.
A few years ago, while going through some of my old stuff at my mom's house, I came across those materials. On the one hand, I laughed at my 14-year old self for his naivete; but at the same time, I liked the basic premise of the world building. I recreated the world by redrawing the maps and formulating logical reasons why things were the way they were.
Then on the seventh day, I rested. In that time of reflection, I realized I would never role play again; so I decided to write stories instead.
I asked myself, what would happen if a race could only have male offspring? And everything developed from there.
What genre does your book fall under?
High/Epic Fantasy*
If you ever played the game Civilization, then you know about taking historical cultures and putting them on original maps. Throw in magic, elves, dwarves, orcs and ogres, and voila.
*Those of you in the know... well, you know :P
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
One sentence? Seriously? Ok, I will give it a try: A spy must help his Princess escape from a trap, leading to a perilous journey that changes them both.
Ugh, that is so bland. Some of the themes I wanted to explore were a person's internal conflict between duty and personal desire; and the masks they wear to perform those duties. The bigger story looks at how nations transform as their founding principles are reinterpreted by later generations.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Vicky Zhao to play Jingjing
Hideaki Takizawa to play Tian.
Maggie Q to play Jie.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Taking inspiration from fellow writers at Critique Circle, I will probably self-publish first; and then maybe approach a traditional publisher later, just for the prestige of saying that I played their game and won.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I threw the first draft together in three weeks, during a winter when we were constantly snowed in. However, revisions and rewrites have taken about three years so far :P
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
On the surface, I think there are aspects similar to Game of Thrones with a little Lord of the Rings and Dragonlance sprinkled in; or perhaps Chung Kuo in terms of everything that is going on.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
My 14-year old self, who wanted to be a writer, despite having no writing skill or creativity.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Unfortunately, it is the mind-blowing (someone else's words, not mine!) plot twist at the end-- I have to find a way to keep a reader interested until that it is revealed.
Other WIP Blog Hop participants:
Nadine Ducca's Serving Time
Lanise Brown's Timekeeper's Journal
I think some story ideas must rumble around a writer's head from childhood, because I've always been interested in time travel and making characters. I just looked up the actors you picked and oh wow! They so totally fit your characters! And Tian is kind of cute, lol.
ReplyDeleteLOL, I think Tian is kind of cute, too, and I'm a flaming heterosexual.
ReplyDeleteI saw Terminator when I was like, 14, and it totally blew my mind away. Not because it was the first time I ever saw bare breasts on film, but rather because of the John Connor paradox. I was hooked on Time Travel from then on (and there's actually some time travel in the way way back back story of True Colors, as well).