Monday Author's Spotlight - Joseph Beekman

Today, in the Author’s Spotlight, I am pleased to have author Joseph Beekman.  Joseph has a new book, Little Orphan Anvil, published by and available at World Castle Publishing. 

Buy Links

Stories n' Tales in Spotlights! blog site: http://josephsstoriesandtales.blogspot.com/   

Little Orphan Anvil facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Orphan-Anvil/213455242000232   

Amazon book link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937593592/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_o66Mob0S801PX

Book Blurb

     A tale of an orphaned robot and its journey to help save a realm from the rule of an evil witch. When the Land of Iron and Anvil is brought to ruin by a wicked storm, the robot becomes lost in the wilds of the lands. But after being discovered by a little boy and his dog, the robot is reunited with its creator and together they set off to the Land of Shadows to free a group of orphans from the dark magic of the witch…and save an entire realm from her rule!

Excerpt from Little Orphan Anvil

     Dark clouds danced and swirled in the sky like giant balloons exploding through the rain-soaked air. Far below, the land was filled with rushing water and toppled trees. In the midst was a massive amount of metal and wires, a great flowing, muddy mess.

     In the murky distance, a great crater opened up in the earth, swallowing whole, all of the watery debris and metallic mush. From atop a twisted piece of tree trunk, a round metal object lay. A lone robot-droid. Clutching the tree trunk tightly with long, spidery, metallic limbs, the android shivered in fright. Its large, robotic red eyes glimmered brightly from its rust-rounded surface.

     As the water rushed onward, ever closer to the great swirling hole, the droid let out a long and warbled whistle in distress of its ever growing peril. The crater‘s edge grew ever closer. Suddenly a lightning bolt blasted out of the clouds and struck the droid, lifting it upwards like a magnet. It sailed far across the wide, watery madness into an unknown fate.

Interview

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog, Joseph.  I loved the teaser excerpt and in particular, the magical world you brought to life in the story.  Tell us a little bit more about thebook.  What inspired you to write this story?

Thank you very much, and thanks for the invite!  Well, the story, Little Orphan Anvil, was just something I had been tinkering around with for a bit.  The idea of a robot in a fantasy based realm setting was something I wanted to delve into. I have always loved robots and the whole dungeons and dragons type of deal, so those two things helped my imagination to spur the idea along.  That, and my love for science fiction and fantasy literature and ideas.  The story centers around a robot that becomes lost to the wilds of the land, and after soon being discovered by a little boy and his dog, it is reunited with its creator and off they journey to help save an orphanage, and the realm itself, from the twisted dark magic of a resentful, evil witch.

  

The alternate universe you create in your book is amazingly vivid. It’s so child-like and imaginative. Who was your target audience when you sat down to write it?

Thanks! When I set out to write it down, I wanted the story to appeal to a younger audience - anywhere from 8 or 9 years old and into the teen/young adults.  But, as I continued to write it, I realized it also could very much appeal to an older audience as well. J  I think we all have some child-like innocence forever within us, and a wanting to journey to other places in our imagination,  an escape into magical type realms, such as one would find in Little Orphan Anvil.  So, although its target audience is middle grade to young adult, I’ve found that anyone from 8 years old and all the way on up will find it pleasantly entertaining! J

Where do you get your ideas for writing?

My ideas for writing come from all over.  Childhood is a big one, and how my brothers and I used to love exploring, especially the backwoods of Montana where we spent many summers:  Building forts, fishing, camping, getting into trouble! J  Also, just my fascination with history and art and literature, they all play into the mold of the mind-set.  Dreams are another form of getting ideas… I remember most of my dreams, and they really can get way out there! But, they do help in forming ideas, or supplementing stories in progress.

If you weren’t a writer, what career field would you most likely find yourself?

Some type of creating, I’m sure.  But, teaching is something that always held my interest.  I really had some great teachers and professors throughout school and into college.  I have a great respect for teachers and education.  (Side Note: Annalynne loves this comment - she is a kindergarten teacher in her day job.)

Can you describe the process you go through when starting to write a new story?

That’s a tough one, because each story and each writing experience is so different than the other.  But, when I have an idea, I just let it brew and marinate in my imagination until I really feel I’m ready to start putting it down on paper.  It may take a week or two, or it may take months before anything begins after the idea is sparked.  And during the process, I may write a chapter or two, let it sit for some time, and then come back to it with a fresh start.  A lot of my writing just goes straight from my mind into the pages, no outlines or notes, really, just dive right into the paper and then revise, edit, etc.. from there. 

You have a gift for weaving elaborate imagery throughout your writing, something that is crucial to a well-written romance novel. Have you ever considering taking a stab at writing erotic fiction?

Thanks, it’s something I, too, find is crucial to letting a story really imprint itself into the reader’s mind. I want to let them really feel where they are, or what the temperature may be like in the setting, and so on.  An erotic fiction tale, huh?  Wow, that would be some fun! J  I would consider that, although I tend to get pretty detailed, so the books may have some trouble seeing the light of day! Lol J 

Tell us what you have on your own personal To Be Read list?

I have so many books I want to get into, into -  It’s tough, because I am so busy with writing and promoting and marketing, that to just sit down and really get into a book lately has been a bit constricted.  But, many new authors out there have some great and very appealing titles and stories that I need to get a hold of.   “Bloodlines” by Author Wenona Hulsey is one; “Torment” by Author Lindsay Anne Kendal is another; and there is one out now that looks really cool called, “Unplugged” by Author J.P. Girder.   Oh, and of course cannot resist the irresistible novel by Author Annalynne Russo, “Irresistible Nemesis”!  J

So, that is just a few of the many, many books I have to really sink my fangs into! J

 What can your fans expect to see from you in the near future?

I am currently writing the follow-up to Little Orphan Anvil, which is going to be a bit darker and full of  more magical mayhem and mystical madness!  Also, I have a novella I’m working on that is in the sci-fi/horror based genre.  It’s pretty exciting and fun to write, as well!  Besides those two works, hopefully much, much more to come in the near future!!  J 

Thanks so much for stopping by. I’m definitely a JosephBeekman fan! Can’t wait to get my hands on your next installment.

Thank you so much for having me, Annalynne, and Happy Holidays to you and all the readers!! J 

~ Joseph