7 Jul 2014

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Author Interview / Chess Desalls


When an ethereal being knocks Calla to the ground near her family’s lakeside cottage, Valcas helps her to escape by traveling to another place and time.  At first, Calla is as intrigued by the otherworldly Valcas as she is by his method of time travel:  an altered pair of sunglasses that enable the wearer to search for anyone or anywhere in the past, present or future.  That is until she suspects that his search for her was no mere coincidence.

With her trust broken, Calla sets off on her own, taking the Travel Glasses with her.  Torn between searching for her estranged father and reuniting with the rest of her family, she tracks down the inventor of the Travel Glasses in hopes of discovering more about Valcas’ past and motivations.  With Valcas hot on her trail, Calla hopes to find what she’s looking for before he catches up.

AUTHOR BIO
Chess Desalls recently authored the first installment of the YA time travel series, The Call to Search Everywhen.  She’s a longtime reader of fantasy and sci-fi novels, particularly young adult fiction.  She can’t resist a good fairy tale or fable.  When she’s not writing or reading, she enjoys traveling and trying to stay in tune on her flute.

INTERVIEW

If you could work with any other author, who would it be and why?
I would choose either Peter S. Beagle or J. K. Rowling because I admire how their stories can be enjoyed by both children and adults.  It’s a real talent to be able to write in a way that attracts and is meaningful to members of both audiences.

What would be a typical working day for you? When and where do you write?
A typical day for me consists of working on book admin and checking out what’s happening on social media sites in the morning.  In the afternoons I like to spend time either fleshing out more of Book 2 of The Call to Search Everywhen or writing flash fiction for my author page at Flash Fiction Magazine.  I feel more creative in the afternoon.

I write all over the place.  Usually I’ll be in my office, living room or at the kitchen table.  However, I can also be found writing in coffee shops, libraries, bowling alleys and pool halls.

What is the hardest part of the writing for you?
Right now, the hardest part is moving forward without constantly going back and reediting.  I didn’t have that problem with my first book.  I seem to be pickier now that I’m writing my second book.

When and why did you first start writing?
I’ve had several different jobs that required analytical writing for businesses.  I didn’t begin writing fiction until roughly five years go.  A friend and I who love reading discovered that we also have the same interest in writing.  We started having weekly “writing chats” to share our ideas and drafts of our work.

How did you come up with the idea for your book?
One morning, both the idea for the story title and the otherworldly time traveler, Valcas, popped into my head.  To counter Valcas, I wanted to create a female lead who was strong and with whom readers could identify.  That's how Calla entered the story.  Calla and I met the other characters together during her journeys through time and space.

Travel Glasses started out as a short story.  Then it turned into a novel.  It wasn’t until I got to the last third of the story that I realized that it would become a series.

Are you a big reader? If so, what are you reading now?
Absolutely!  I am currently reading Stardust by Neil Gaiman, Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott and The Never Ending Story by Michael Ende.

Do you have any advice for other aspiring writers?
Keep writing and getting feedback.  If you don’t want to join a formal writing group, ask your friends if they would be interested in meeting with you weekly to talk about story ideas and share drafts.

Author Links
Website:  www.chessdesalls.com
Blog:  http://chessdesalls.wordpress.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TheCallToSearchEverywhen
                    https://www.facebook.com/chess.desalls
Twitter:  @ChessDesalls  https://twitter.com/ChessDesalls
Tumblr:  http://chessdesalls.tumblr.com/
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/ChessDesalls
Book Links
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K6A0964
B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/travel-glasses-chess-desalls/1119448098?ean=2940149263882
Apple iBooks:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/travel-glasses/id875592190?mt=11
Goodreads ARC Giveaway:  https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/95074  (This should be live on June 4th.)
 



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