1…. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE YOUR BOOK?
I don’t think I could pinpoint one actual moment or happening that made me decide that I should write a book. I have always been an avid fan of action/adventure novels and admired the imagination of the authors. Having said that, there is more than one scene in the book that resembled what had taken place in my real life or had taken inspiration from. I guess my imagination gathered momentum so took the plunge to put the fiction story that twirled around in my head in proper words. In my very rare spare time starting 15 years ago where I could sit alone, I would lose myself in the story late at night not taking it too seriously. I actually put the book aside for nearly five years until I spoke to a golfing buddy who had a novel published. I passed my manuscript over to him to read (the story only half completed) who in turn passed it onto what you would call learned people and they were impressed with what was written. I think from that time on five years ago is when I took inspiration and the confidence to start educating myself more about the written word and promised myself that I would finish it, whatever the outcome.
2…. WHAT EXACTLY IS IT ABOUT AND WHO IS IT WRITTEN FOR?
The story is set in the near future where a semi dystopian world exists without fuel, electricity and every day commodities are no longer available to the common person. It tells the saga of an average family man who had run out of patience with the harsh times that had been bestowed upon them. He held a growing anger inside over the things that had been lost and all it took was one incident to release the demons inside of him. After a deadly confrontation with overzealous police, the wheels are set in motion where the main character (Danny Pruitt) finds himself in a chain of events that would soon end in the point of no return. The story follows his trials and tribulations whilst on the run in the mountains from the law as he endeavours to find a plan to re-unite with his wife and children. As he battles his inner torment whilst finding an unlikely haven and ally in the forest on his quests, the destruction left behind because of his desperate actions will be insurmountable as he will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. I don’t think I had anyone in mind when writing this book to begin with. However, I would hope it would resonate with men between the ages of 20 and 60 as I believe that they are the people who read the least. If I could touch a chord with at least 10% of that genre, I think my work would be worthwhile so they could open their mind to read other books.
3…. WHAT DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GET OUT OF READING YOUR BOOK?
After reading the book, I hope the readers contemplate the question of morality. How far would you go to protect your family after choices forced upon you. I hope the readers deeply ponder the fine line that exists between the perception of good and evil.
4… HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON YOUR BOOK'S TITLE AND COVER DESIGN?
This was an easy one as I designed it myself with help from the publishers. To Heaven represents the place he will sacrifice everything to get to, heaven being a metaphor, his long-awaited home where the property is named HEAVEN. The hell represents the sins committed and whether he will be condemned for them while trying to achieve his goal. The bull ants and scorpions was added as a sub title as both creatures played an important role in the book helping the main character keep his sanity. Also, there was another titled book to heaven or to hell based on the Spanish invasion of the Americas in the 15th century. I had to avoid a conflict. The cover design was a split between what represented both heaven and hell in the main characters belief. There is a scene in the book where a wildfire was razing everything in its path. In his endeavours to escape the fire, he comes across a burning horse trying to escape the maelstrom as he escaped the mountains. In the time when it appeared, Danny, (the main character) surely thought he was entering the gates of hell. The metaphor heaven is represented by the tropical beach and the perceived peaceful serenity that comes with it.
5… WHAT ADVICE OR WISDOM DO YOU HAVE FOR FELLOW WRITERS?
- Always have a start and an ending before you begin,
everything in between will take care of itself.
- Your imagination has no boundaries, explore it, use
it.
- Always be open to critique/criticism and advice as you
go.
- Once you get into writing, you will find it he greatest therapy you can have. AND IT’S FREE!
6… What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
I think the book publishing industry has given the opportunity for more authors to get their work out there, which in the end is only a good thing. On the flip side, I see more publicity given to what you would call self-help/influencer/biographies books than what is given to fact-based fiction/fiction novels which I find disappointing, if not alarming.
7.
Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this
book?
Certainly! Where the
story was mostly set is where I grew up in (towns, cities, locations, mountains
etc) It gave me the base so I could use my poetic license, so to speak. A
majority of characters I introduced in the book were based on real life people
in some way or another that I had met throughout my life. I felt it gave more
realism to the characters. Also, there are scenes and small story lines in the
book that were similar to, or had transpired in reality throughout my
life.
8. How would you describe your
writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?
I wouldn’t know how to exactly
describe my writing style. I think I would leave that judgement to
others. I do love the books written by Matthew Reilly and his character
Jack West jnr though, along with Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne books. They are
my favourites. If anything, I probably took inspiration from them in my writing
style so if it is similar to anyone, I would be humbled to be mentioned in the
same sentence as them.
9. What challenges did you
overcome in the writing of this book?
The greatest challenge I found
was to cut words. When I finally finished, the book was 290,000 words strong. I
finally got in down to around 265,000, and then even less by the thousands by
the time editing was finalized. However, as I have found now (I am more than
200 pages & 30 chapters into the sequel) it is a hell of a lot easier after
a little more experience. Secondly, TIME! Being in full time employment hinders
my urge to write. I wish I had more of it.
10. If people can buy or read
one book this week or month, why should it be you?
I think my book offers originality and gives
something to everyone and intertwines many subjects. It is a truly an
Australian based book containing local euthenisms that would be appealing not
only to overseas readers but to locals as well. The plot is not only
centralized around Danny (the main character) but also his wife Greta. It
equally concentrates on the trials that she must confront whilst worrying for
news on her husband. The story tells of love and commitment between husband and
wife and the betrayal, tragedies, corruption, violence, the lures of loneliness
and both the hope and despair that surrounds them along with humorous anecdotes
and adages.
Need
Book Marketing Help?
Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning
blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their
story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of
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About Brian Feinblum
Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter
@theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. Born and
raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and
Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer
and IBPA’s The Independent. This
award-winning blog has generated over 3.3 million pageviews. With 4,400+ posts
over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by
BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018
as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com
as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as
the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two
jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time,
self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors
and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine
Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren
Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy,
Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for
Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers
Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod
Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, and
Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have
been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY
Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington
Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.
For more information, please consult: www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.
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