Please welcome Dimities Jones author of Doorway to Scorn
Dimitrius Jones will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Doorway to Scorn
byDimitrius Jones
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GENRE: Fantasy
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INTERVIEW:
1. What or who inspired you to start writing?
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. Oddly, my toys inspired me to write. Starting at 7-years-old, I began to spend a lot of time in my room playing with action figures and plush dolls.
Each of them had a specific role to play, and there was always an overarching plot. For instance, my Felix the Cat doll was trying to save everyone from a giant Bowser plush who had recruited Darth Sidious and the Power Rangers to take over the planet.
I’d sometimes write down my ideas for new storylines, and it wasn’t long until I was crafting original stories with my own characters.
2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?
World-building is essential for any fantasy novel. More than likely, you’re crafting a world that is unique with its own set of laws, myths, and legends. It’s important that everything works together seamlessly.
The magic system is also one of the most important elements of fantasy. With any universe, there has to be a limit. A Mage can’t just cast a spell and solve all of the day’s problems. There has to be some sort of cost to the spell or major consequence as a result of magic. Otherwise, every problem in the book can be solved simply by asking a nearby wizard.
3. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?
I am a lover of JRPGs. They practically raised me. I’ve always wanted to create one of my own, but video game design was never my gift. I struggled with an RPG Maker project many years ago. However, it inspired me to create a story that revolved around the mechanics of a JRPG video game.
Each game has a magic system, myths and legends, and there’s usually extensive world-building. Soon, the idea hit me to create a story with JRPG mechanics, and I immediately got to work.
4. What expertise did you bring to your writing?
I’ve worked on an RPG Maker project before and had to figure out basic game mechanics such as the battle system, equipment inventory, music, and cutscenes. It taught me a lot about how video games are programmed. I have a lot of respect for developers. They have a tough job!
I also used to consume every bit of information in strategy guides when I’d get stuck at a particular part of any video game. I’m certain the Gamestop employees got tired of me coming in every day just to read books.
5. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
I don’t just write. I sometimes sing and dance. I’d like to release a song and donate any proceeds to charity, especially now with the pandemic going on. It’s also close to the holidays, when even more people will be in need.
6. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
I plan to follow-up Doorway to Scornwith several more sequels if my readers enjoy it. There’s quite a bit to explore, and honestly this first entry is the smallest fragment of a much larger story.
I’m also planning an urban fantasy novel with a paranormal detective main character and an LGBT teen fantasy romance.
7. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?
I would honestly choose Bibi. She may not be as annoyingly intelligent as her foster brother, Lex, but she’s not to be underestimated. Even with the odds stacked against her, she’s a capable warrior and can hold her own. She represents the survival instinct and the resiliency most of us don’t know that we have.
8. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
9. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?
Yes, I am a part of a critique group, and we meet every Wednesday. It’s important to have another set of eyes looking over your story to make sure it makes sense. Does a passage need more information? Does the pace shift too abruptly between chapters? Is a character’s decision at odds with their personality? These are things I may not catch at first, but my group is excellent about pointing them out.
10. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you totake this big step?
My boyfriend was a huge supporter of me finishing this project, encouraging me every step of the way. I made him read through quite a few revisions of the first chapter alone, but he consistently showed patience and understanding at my nitpicking.
11. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)
The best writing advice I’ve ever received was to think of myself as a writer. What would a writer do to make sure they could finish their novel? What kind of desk would they buy? How many words per session do they typically complete? I started asking myself those questions, and the rest came naturally.
The worst publishing advice I received was to pay a vanity press to publish my book. Thankfully, I didn’t take the advice, but I learned that there are predators in every field that I must be aware of.
12. Do you outline your books or just start writing?
When writing fantasy, I find that outlining saves me a lot of time during the writing process. Once I’ve finished my world-building, character interviews, magic laws, etc., I’m comfortable with diving in to start writing. I love having a reference guide nearby to help with consistency. I may reach a part of the story where I think “Will that work in this world?”
So, I pull out my outline, and it only takes a few seconds to find my answer. It saves me so much time.
13. How do you maintain your creativity?
I challenge myself to experience new things and keep an open mind. I love writing character interactions, for instance, so it’s important that I get out of the house and people watch. I make it a point to observe and become familiar with how we express ourselves.
I also don’t want to get in the habit of constantly writing from my own perspective, so it’s important for me to immerse myself in different cultures and with a diverse group of people.
14. Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?
My favorite character in this book is Bibi. Unlike Lex, she’s a lot more mature and level-headed. She understands the emotions and motivations of others and isn’t as oblivious as her foster brother. She has an objective of her own, but she doesn’t put aside the safety of her comrades in order to achieve it. It’s something I admire about her.
15. Are your plotting bunnies, angels or demons?
Demons are a lot more interesting to plot for than anything else.
16. Anything else you might want to add?
BLURB:
Many in the world of Austyria dream of becoming heroes, gaining classes like Mage, Knight, and Beastmaster. With the power granted to them by the powerful Alrelics, they can level up and accomplish extraordinary feats.
The citizens of Hollo village long for a hero to save them from the malevolent Gate, which disfigures all who see or try to enter it. Lex dreams of becoming a Soldier and leaving his cursed village with his friends, Bibi and Ariel, but his class designation ceremony devolves into absolute disaster. Within days, he’s forced to embark on a journey that will change his destiny forever.
To save his friends, Lex must uncover the mysteries of this mysterious doorway, while keeping his scornful heart in check before it consumes him utterly.
The citizens of Hollo village long for a hero to save them from the malevolent Gate, which disfigures all who see or try to enter it. Lex dreams of becoming a Soldier and leaving his cursed village with his friends, Bibi and Ariel, but his class designation ceremony devolves into absolute disaster. Within days, he’s forced to embark on a journey that will change his destiny forever.
To save his friends, Lex must uncover the mysteries of this mysterious doorway, while keeping his scornful heart in check before it consumes him utterly.
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EXCERPT:
Oedorius notices the commotion and stalks towards us, the other guards following closely behind him. Soon, he reaches us, and Ariel’s soft whimpers have become loud, wailing sobs. Oedorius calmly stops and stares down at her, and I’m certain I see a glint of amusement in his eyes.
“You are Ariel Branderford?” he asks.
“You’re not taking her.”
I blink, and Lex is between Ariel and Oedorius, his arms spread out to bar his approach. I position myself in front of Ariel, still crouched on the floor, and Oedorius sighs before sheathing his sword. He considers us for a moment before glancing back at one of the guards.
“Kent. Be quick.”
“Those who would defy the hands of time, be hidden from its eternal grasp. Hold!”
My body shivers as I leap to my feet. No! Not that spell! I race towards its source, hoping I can at least knock the spellcaster off balance so it won’t have a chance to be fully cast. As I near Oedorius, time begins to slow, and it feels like I’m trying to run underwater. I frantically try to shake myself in order to move faster, but it’s too late.
I become frozen in mid-air, everything around me moving as it should. Lex stands beside me still as stone, his hand stretched out as if to block the spell from hitting him. Maybe he meant to say something, but neither of us can say anything now.
Oedorius bends down and shakes Ariel’s shoulder. “Get up, girl. You’ve caused more than enough trouble. You will come with us, or we will kill you now.”
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Dimitrius Jones was born and raised in West Texas, much to his eternal annoyance. Despite this, he first picked up the pen at the tender age of six. His first masterpiece was a page-turner was about dolphins that used eye lasers to kill a hurricane. From there, his life took a few twists and turns, but he always found his way back to his trusty notepad.
His next few projects include a self-help book for those who suffer from low self-esteem as well as a full-length fantasy/romance novel to be released sometime in the future. Dimitrius has always, perhaps unsurprisingly, been inspired by the mystery, tragedy, and wonder of fairy tales.
His goal in life is to constantly inspire, amuse, and shed light into the corners of life we didn't know were right in front of us.
The book will be $0.99 during the tour.
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:
Dimitrius Jones will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your interview.
ReplyDeleteGreat cover! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone for checking out the interview! I hope you thoroughly enjoy the novella!
ReplyDelete