Welcome to The Chair- Dan Peyton

    Author: Ey Wade Genre: »
    Rating

    Thanks for coming over again today. We have been busy this month. Today's author is Daniel J. Peyton. Author of The Crystal Needle.

    Author's self-portrait
    Daniel  (who has informed me he doesn’t do head shots, or photos of myself….hmmm, wonder what that's about) was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma and lived there for 18 years. He moved to Tennessee and began working at a local video story, then at a major department store. He has been writing since he was in fourth grade. In high school he won the national PTA reflections contest for writing. In 2007 he published his first novel, The Jalan Chronicles: Eyes of Amaterasu. 
    In 2011 he published his second novel, The Crystal Needle. He works as a volunteer in his churches food pantry, as a professional Okinawan performer, Okinawan taiko drummer, and a ghost writer for online games. 
    So, all grab a chair and get comfortable as we chat with Daniel Peyton.

    When did you start writing, and what did you write about?
    I started writing in 4th grade. My first stories were about a private detective named….Private Eye Peyton ( again, 4th grade)
    What is the difference in your perception between now and the time you started writing?
     I always measured by how long the story was, now I am more concerned about quality. I target a word count, but it is not the driving force for the characters. If I come to the end and it isn’t long enough, I will go back and write more to fluff it up, but the main story remains solid as I wrote it, no matter how long.
    Please write a few lines about the books you have published, and what brought you to publishing each one of them. 

    My first book is called The Jalan Chronicles: The Eyes of Amaterasu. It is a fantasy adventure set in another world of magic, but starts here on earth. The Eyes of Amaterasu are terribly powerful magical relics that are sought by the enemy to end the barrier between the Kingdom and Earth so she can return, the hero must find the last one first. I wrote this book because I had never written anything to be published before, and I was encouraged by my mother to set my sights higher and try. 




     My second book is The Crystal Needle

     Oh yes, I read the review of a reader of The Crystal Needle.:  "This is not only a great fantasy, it is also a wonderful romance story filled with magic and intrigue. ” I have to say it peeked my interest. What made you write it?

     I started considering this story a long time before I wrote it. I was inspired by my EGA, Embroiderers Guild of America, who hosted a stitching convention with the theme of magic. I wanted to have it ready for the convention, but the story took off and I did not finish it in time.


    It is set in a fictional New England town, Featherville. The story begins in the current day, but another story is woven through it about the founding of the town by two stitching witches. One turns evil and has to be sealed by her sister in the nearby forest. 300 years later she returns and still seeks to obtain both needles and control mankind through magic. Under a curse for 300 years, 19 year old Yuki, a magical Kitsune from Japan, has not lost her taste for retribution. However, her desire to destroy the witch that killed her father has come into direct conflict with something unexpected—the love of a young human. With the return of her archenemy at hand and the world in peril, Yuki must choose between satisfying her vengeance and saving what she has come to love.
     It grew far beyond my expectations and I decided to publish it on my own. I will soon have a follow up short story published set in Featherville after the events of The Crystal Needle. 









    What are you writing about now and why are you writing this book?
     I am writing a fantasy novel that is independent of anything I have ever written before. I must always write and I could not seem to get my mind wrapped around the full sequel to The Crystal Needle just yet. So I created a mythical land called Aldaria and am weaving a story around it. I do not know if the book is good or not, but I will finish it and have fun at the same time.  

    Tell me, how do you go about writing your books? Do the ideas just pop in your head or do you have to plot and plan?
     
    Sometimes a set a goal for myself in creating a story and then work on finding it. Other times I am inspired by something, a painting, a song, the sunrise over the Appalachian Mountains, anything that stirs a story in my head and I consider how it might be told. Then I start to consider a plot and goal. From there I just write. I do not do much outlining, but I do write a heck of a lot of notes wherever I am when I get an idea and then use those notes to write. I have ADHD and find it difficult to follow a direct path to write something. However, I do write from start to finish, no jumping around. Once done I will go back and add in stuff that helps the story, but the ending is already written by that point. 

    I’m having a bit of a hard time marketing my books. What are your techniques and do you feel they are working?

     I have tried quite a few things. I joined twitter, I started a Facebook fan page, I post it in blogs, Facebook, everywhere that doesn’t mind. I have linked up with other writers and networked. I have bought time with Facebook ads. I have submitted my book to review sites and friends to get reviews. I have given some of my person artwork and prints of the cover art to websites that are hosting online competitions as prize support. Most of my marketing has been lackluster at best. Recently the prize support angle has been beneficial. It has given me great exposure and garnered me the best sales month so far, which is serendipitous considering my next book comes out soon. 
     
    Where can the audience purchase your books?
     For the ebook, Amazon. For the print version, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Createspace.com, and other various outlets.  ( both books) 

    I have a habit of talking (interviewing) to the people in my books.  How do you communicate with your characters? 

    They are a part of me….okay, I do not have voices in my head. I live through them; I am them…both the good guys and the bad guys. In a scene I see, feel, and know what they see, feel, and know. When they are in pain, I am in pain. When they are happy, I am overjoyed. I let the story tell itself. Often I have had wonderful ideas for how a scene will play out, but while writing it I get swept up in the moment and it takes a whole different direction, and often I find that that new direction is so much better than my plan that I go with it. For my more unique characters in appearance, I will draw them to know them better. Sometimes that enhances the characters too. Such as I drew a feline man for a fantasy species in a book. The model had the thighs of a champion swimmer ( in fact it might have been a picture of a swimmer) and that translated into the character and suddenly I had a new depth to him, he would be a cat that enjoyed water. 

    If I were to interview one or two of the characters from your novel what do you thing he/she would say about the role you put him/her in? Do you think they would like the book? 

    Not sure. In The Crystal Needle there are two main characters, Joseph and Yuki. Joseph would probably love his role, he is handsome, charming, and has a good family. Yuki, well, she might not be as happy. She has lost both of her parents by the time the story starts, she is cursed and is afraid of society. Considering the ending, I would say they both would like the book. 

    What hobby or activity do you enjoy other than writing?
    Drawing, stitching, playing music, dancing, charity, video games, I have never been one without at least five things happening at the same time. Did I mention I am ADHD? I am sure that….hey look a cookie. Check out the up-to-date information about my new book.
    Amazon
    Blog

    Facebook
    Thank you for your time and stopping over to chat with us here at IN THE CHAIR, Daniel it has been fun.

    Write About Or Link To This Post On Your Blog - Easy Links :
    Link Directly To This Post :

    Link To The Homepage :

    Leave a Reply

    Does this character move you in any way? You can twitter if you wish.

    Request Review Copies

    If you’d like to request a copy of any of my novels to review, please contact Ey Wade imtheauthor@gmail.com Please put 'request for review copy' in subject line. I also love working with bloggers and other reviewers!

    You can see all of my books (including previews) through the links on our Web site, Wade-In Publishing.com. You can also grab pins @itsmeeywade on Pinterest.com