1.
What
inspired you to write this book?
When I was ten, I had a friend, a boy in my third-grade class, who was an avid
fan of the TV cult classic Dark Shadows. He hurried home every day after
school to watch it. This was in the daytime soap’s heyday after Canadian actor
Jonathan Frid joined the show and its ratings went through the roof.
This little boy, my classmate, could
pass for a vampire himself—the complete package with the dark hair and eyes,
the long cuspids—and his ability to act the part. He had a flashy cape too, not
just any old cheap one, with which he regularly entertained our classroom
performing Barnabas Collins impersonations. I was curious about Dark Shadows,
but my parents censored that one for me at the time because they thought the
show would frighten me. And they were probably right.
Years later I revisited the memory, this
little boy’s whole live action role-playing in third grade, really before
LARPing was a thing. He did it because he loved the TV show, and his theatrics
were fun-and-games when school got boring. But it posed a question to me: what
if a young boy roleplayed a vampire for a much more serious reason, and where
would that take him?
2.
What exactly is
it about and who is it written for?
In this story, nine-year-old Tommy Lucas
needs a bone marrow transplant to survive. But he’s a very imaginative little
boy and he’s convinced his disease is a curse on his bloodline, that he’s a
vampire. His mother’s an oncologist, but Tommy insists that only magic can cure
him—or the same synthetic blood substitute developed for urban legend (and
vampire) Viscount Claudius Fallon.
Fallon comes from a ruling class of
vampires in Cardiff and is said to have traveled to Eureka Springs, Arkansas
seeking a cure for his own leukemia during WWII. Tommy’s stoked when he
discovers a five-part series about Fallon in an online pulp fiction magazine
called Philly’s Argosy and believes the information from this story
will help him locate Claudius Fallon.
His quest leads him to befriend a local
artist in Eureka Springs named Callan Masters, who struggles with his growing
affection for Tommy’s mom, June—for Masters is Fallon, cured in 1939 at
the Baker Cure-for-Cancer Hospital there. Since Fallon a.k.a. Masters is
dedicated to living off-grid and keeping his identity a secret, he must decide
whether he’ll take the risk in helping Tommy or falling in love with June.
He’s also survived over half a century on
a blood substitute, is committed to living as a human, and he fears
being studied or outcast. Because of Fallon’s own illness, his bite was never
capable of turning anyone—or so he thinks.
I think my editor, Bill Grabowski, lays out the
target readership for Falling Stars very poignantly:
“Falling Stars is
an exceptional novel. The storytelling and its emotional momentum are
enthralling. Having had personal experience with cancer and its profound
horrors, I can only add that I’m convinced readers will connect with Tommy and
June—with all its sharply drawn characters—and find the light pulsing in what
might seem infinite darkness. Falling Stars is
a magical feast, and it moved me deeply. I see the book appealing not only to
Anne Rice readers, but also historical fiction buffs. The narrative approach
adds pleasing depth to the story, and charges it with realism.”
3.
What
do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?
I’d say a deeper exploration of our own biological
mortality and insights from generational redundancy. On the road trip across
America in this story, Lt. Gaye tells Claudius Fallon about the 1939 New York
World’s Fair, specifically the Trylon-Perisphere attraction, and its feature
cinematic experience, Dawn of a New Day. Out of recovering industrial
capitalism in a world that had yet to see the Second World War or even nuclear
deployment—and in a country that had only recently developed escalators and RCA
amphitheater sound—environmental engineers were already demonstrating a model
world of symbiotic regions. We displayed some incredible human ingenuity for
making the world a better place even way back in 1939. If that utopia had truly
taken off, we would’ve begun making huge inroads against global warming then.
But a world war was brewing, and collective trust had been flattened by hard
times.
Claudius Fallon was one of the last children
to leave Cardiff before Hitler invaded Poland. Soon after his arrival in the
States, Gaye introduces Fallon to several examples of American isolationism, a
country distracted by its own financial recovery from the Great Depression. We
were quick to manufacture munitions to aid the skirmishes while delaying our own
entrance into “Europe’s War.” Such still is the struggle with any hostilities
“over there,” until it’s not.
As Claudius lives on in the story, he
observes a recurrent personal pain in each consecutive generation. I’d like readers
to explore why this pain keeps happening.
4.
How
did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?
Titles usually come rather intuitively to me, although I expect from a
marketing standpoint, there’s always room for improvement. In truth, the term “falling
star” is inaccurate, and the story explores just that—truths and untruths—echoing
in the prologue a quote often attributed to Pontius Pilate: What is truth?
Since we live in a world of deepfakes, I think it’s reasonable to accept that
we all lie to ourselves some of the time, and that lies are usually borne from insecurities
or perceptions that are skewed. Even our best science can redact its previous conclusions.
At the time of this writing it is generally accepted that we are essentially
composed of stardust, and that if anything fell, we fell here. So, here we lie
for a period of time until the atmosphere carries us elsewhere, because we are
in essence falling stardust. And the reality of aging comes to many of us, even
our seemingly more permanent icons and celebrities; they fall as well. Falling stars
also bring to mind the stark juxtaposition of these gaseous giants to the
average size of our daily dilemmas. Our missteps are infinitesimal compared to
the mind-boggling size of our universe.
The cover! OMG. I’d already fully developed
and vetted six cover ideas through my beta readers, reaching for something
beyond the old stock-photo standbys—when my then-to-be publicist stepped into
the game. This is not a YA book, so capes and fangs—symbols generally unique to
vampires—just wouldn’t do. I scrolled through hundreds of stock photos, just
about to give up, when—hey, that one looks like a nighttime residential
street scene in Eureka Springs, yep.
The photographer had done one helluva job
setting it up, too—eyes disproportionately large peering through the trees. That
could be Claudius Fallon living his off-grid, low-key life, uh-huh. Although
I usually design my own covers, I worked with an Australian graphic illustrator
on this one to enhance the street scene using his own artwork and pulp vibes.
5.
What
advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than
run!?
I think if you have a compulsion to create
something, it comes into your heart for a reason. The idea suited up, showed
up, and knocked at your door. Don’t ignore it, and for Pete’s sake, don’t shoot
it! The bigger picture of why any of us are here also involves this idea that
keeps on knocking at your heart’s door. Yes, we are a book-glutted, information-glutted
society, but this idea came to you.
Now, the hard part—it’s your
responsibility as a writer to share that idea—your story—to the best of your
ability. That’s where it’s important to continue to trust that this idea came
to you for a reason, to see you through the process. Now more than ever, we
have legitimate, reasonably priced resources to ensure your book is of professional
quality. Part of that professionalism is concise communication—the tic and tac
of getting the grammar right, for example. Then there’s the heart stuff. For people
to listen to your heart, your book needs to speak to their hearts. If you’re
not ready to publish your idea in book form just yet, blog it. I’ve blogged to
a book before, and it works really well.
Once your book is published, do not
ever question the value of marketing and publicity. Books don’t grow legs and
jump off the shelves to find readers. Without an effective marketing campaign,
the people who might be inclined to read your book will never know it’s out
there.
6.
What
trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book
publishing industry is heading?
I think we’re in somewhat of a humpty-dumpty with the
book industry today. Before POD, AI, and other online technology took off, publishing
options were far more limited. Traditional publishers were the gatekeepers.
Vanity publishers and offset printers were the wildcards, the other options for
writers who didn’t want to keep sending out SASEs. With the advent of the Internet
and all the other available options today, the lines have blurred. As new online
author tools have joined the pile-on, many indie books can stand on the wall alongside
the big boys, and the writing talent is truly there. Many don’t, however. Bestseller
has a totally different meaning than it did twenty-five years ago. I doubt the
global market will ever truly support all the books being published every
single day—and in truth, it never did. I’ve always felt that our personal freedoms
stand on diverse voices and differences of opinion—and we certainly have them
now.
7.
Were
there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when
writing this book?
As a freelance ghostwriter and editor, I
constantly encounter new creative ideas and writing styles. I guess you could
say ghostwriting pulls me out of my own mental trenches and habits. After I’d
ghostwritten a number of books and screenplays, I took some time off after my
parents’ deaths and thought about the direction I was headed. I had six books
of my own in a variety of genres. Did I want to start a seventh one? I’d
written so much by that point; I’d developed a bit of a jaundiced attitude
toward story fare. What makes a story worth telling? I had a list of
story ideas and posed the same question to a very intuitive writer and friend, Lois
DiMari. Which one do you think is worth it? She chose Falling Stars,
and I had a good feeling about it too.
8.
How
would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing
similar to?
As a ghostwriter I’m a bit of a chameleon,
an admirer of many voices and styles. I’ve been told I write like Richard Bach
in my children’s book, Hootie. Dionysius the Areopagite in Simeon.
Stephen King in Seven Shorts. Of all the styles I most admire and hope
to emulate, however—I would say it’s an amalgam of Annie Dillard and M. Scott Peck.
9.
What
challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?
I’d written a few op-ed and inspirational
pieces about people recovering from or succumbing to cancer, but I wasn’t sure I
could pull off a story where the arch-nemesis was cancer and cancer treatment. I
also knew I couldn’t exclude the courage, humor, and insight I’d observed in
those very same people. I outlined the story after my maternal grandmother passed
away from melanoma and pitched it as a screenplay treatment at the Maui Writers’
Convention in 2001 to Alison Rosenzweig, one of the producers of Windtalkers.
She didn’t go for it, and I put the story away with all the other pitches
that weren’t greenlighted at the time.
My father lost a five-year battle with
multiple myeloma in 2018, and Mom, adrift without him, died during the pandemic.
I didn’t write for a year. In 2021, I pulled the project out of the closet, but
with the intention of writing it as a novel. The original screenplay version
had a YA or PG feel to it because I put the major focus on Tommy Lucas. In a
novel, though, I had more room to weave in some incredible Eureka Springs’ and
WWII history, as well as the whole Claudius Fallon persona, this vampire-human
hybrid who struggles with his own disease process, how he integrates a
successful art gallery in the middle of a tourist destination without being
discovered. I also realized I was the wrong person writing this in the wrong
way in 2001.
10. If people can buy or read one book this week
or month, why should it be yours?
I’ll always come to this kind of question with some trepidation because I’ve worked on so many types of books and stories and encountered so much material as a ghostwriter. It always comes back to why this one? I’d say it’s because I set out to write Falling Stars to encapsulate several universal life themes, ones that will hopefully compel readers to think and even reconsider how those came to be.
Julie Rogers is the author of seven books,
including Seven Shorts; Letters: Sidereal Insight for a
21st Century Mystic; Hootie; and Simeon: A Greater Reality. Her
muse for Falling Stars began in childhood, followed by harsh
realities of terminal illness and the discovery of a magical place called
Eureka Springs. Julie’s articles and award-winning stories are
featured in self-help, inspirational and fiction publications like Coping
with Cancer, Daily Meditation, and the annual anthology Writes
of Passage: Every Woman has a Story! The 1999 Writer’s Digest Writing
Competition Grand Prize winner for her horror short story, “House Call,” Julie
also freelances as a ghostwriter and an editor for Edioak in New York. For more
info, please check out: https://www.julierogersbooks.com
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
experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him
be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!
Read This!
Should You Write Another 10 Books?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/should-you-write-another-10-books.html
Can
Libraries Overcome The Pandemic Setback?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/can-libraries-overcome-pandemic-setback.html
What Helps Authors Get Media?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/what-helps-authors-get-media.html
Book Trends Coming Out of the London
Book Fair
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/book-trends-coming-out-of-london-book.html
Impressions Of My First
London Book fair
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/impressions-of-my-first-london-book-fair.html
Avoid These Book Marketing Mistakes
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/avoid-these-book-marketing-mistakes.html
What Is The New Media Landscape For Authors?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/what-is-new-media-landscape-for-authors.html
Blog Posts That Sell Books
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/blog-posts-that-sell-books.html
The Book Ban Conundrums
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-book-ban-conundrums.html
Is American Media In Severe Decline?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/is-american-media-in-severe-decline.html
Why Don’t More People Read Books?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/why-dont-more-people-read-books.html
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.