Raised in Maine, Sean Valiente grew up loving all things geek. He now spends his days as a financial professional for a tech company, and his nights dreaming up fantasy worlds.
Q: Can you sum up The Lightning Knight in 20 words or less?
A magical adventure with a fun twist on the classic hero’s journey / chosen one. Magic, dragons, adventure and more!
Q: What inspired you to write this book?
It really came from a culmination of fun scenes and ideas I had in my head, and then the main character just screaming at me to tell his story. I’ve always had the itch to write, and this book is kind of an amalgamation of all my favorite things and tropes.
Q: This is a first book in a series. Can you give readers any insight into how you envision this series developing?
The main character Oliver Quartermaine is 16/17 years old in this book. Throughout the series we’ll watch him grow from teenager to adult and really watch him mature and change through sort of three different life periods: 16-20; 20-23; 23-26. The series will follow Oliver, but also a whole host of new main characters will pop up, and the story will sprawl over an entire contenent and over many years. It’s pretty epic and exciting.
Q: Which of the character did you find the most challenging to write?
I find villians the hardest to write simply because it’s hard for me to get into that mindset and really understand their motivation or why they do things. I’m generally a pretty happy go lucky guy and trying to say “this person is doing bad things” and give them the proper support can be tough since I don’t normally think that way nor do I crave the “indside the mind of a killer” and etc kinds of books / shows, so my experience is limited.
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Q: Do you have a favorite character in the book?
Definilty Po, this wide eyed and blissfully earnest character. He’s the kind of kid you coach in sports and you say “dang, he’s special” just because of how he acts and what he believes in.
Q: What feedback do you get from readers?
Big feedback I got was about pacing, espeically the end. The book ends on a cliff hanger and also just sort of “ends”, in an effort to reflect life a little where there’s not neccissarily a falling action and resolution but rather in life sometimes things just suddently end.
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Q: What inspires you to write?
I really love writing as a creative outlet to just get lost in a world and be an active participant instead of bystander.
Q: Is there a message or common theme in the book you want readers to grasp?
I think that being a teenager is crazy, for both good and bad reasons. It isn’t like the shows or books we read, it’s full of really high ups and really low downs, and often is contridictory. But that’s part of growing up and living life.
Q: What is on your current reading list?
I”m currently doing a re-read of Lord of the Rings – the first time in about 10 years!
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Q: What is your next writing project?
Book two of my series, currently in development, and hopefully out in late 2021
Q: Where can readers connect with you (website, social media, etc)?
Sherry V. Ostroff is the author of two books, The Lucky One, is a memoir originally published in 2016, and Caledonia, a work of historical fiction was published last year. She is a winner of the Indie Diamond Book Award. Q: Can you sum up Caledonia in 20 words or less? Caledonia is the tale…
AJ Sidransky is joining my blog today to tell us about his newest novel, The Interpreter. We’re also getting insight into the third installment in his Forgiving series, Forgiving Stephen Redmond, set for release early next year. Q: Can you sum up the The Interpreter book series in 20 words or less? The Interpreter is…
Ashley Amber is a 26-year-old author who calls Boston home. Whether it was her first picture book that she entered in a Reading Rainbow contest at 9 years old, loads of fanfiction as a teenager, or her own novels, Ashley has always been writing. When she’s not writing, she’s making videos as an “Authortuber.” Ashley…
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As a thank you for registering for our email list, you’ll receive free printable reading journal templates and a bonus 100 book reading list! Members of the email list also receive an exclusive discount code for my Etsy store: MapleStreetStudioHRS.
Jewish Children's Books The Mitzvah of Teaching Children The Torah commands us to teach our children and with Rosh Hashanah fast approaching, so too is the start of the religious school year in many synagogues and temples. As a teacher myself, I'm also preparing for the return to the classroom. I teach a group of …
April Short Story Feature One of the highlights of my tenure as a member of Toastmasters was coordinating a Murder Mystery theme meeting. Keeping members engaged and motivated to continue working toward their goals can be a challenge. So in an effort to liven things up a bit, I worked with a few other members …
Attention writers! This month's short story contest theme is: A Short Story Inspired by Your Career Entries must be received by midnight April 24th, cst. Selected stories will be featured during the month of October. Read on for further guidelines. Short Story Contest Guidelines Stories are to be 1,500 to 3,000 words. All genres welcome. …
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