Ask the Author: David DeMeo
Answered Questions (7)
David DeMeo
Whose teeth are these?
David DeMeo
Well, my most recent book, the Cardboard Kingdom, was thought up by Chad Sell and Jay Fuller (the Sorceress). It was an online contest that Chad was running to find collaborators and I happened to be one of the lucky winners. My stories inside the book were inspired by my own experiences as a kid. Babysitting wild younger siblings (the Huntress) and being creative and not really fitting in with my contemporaries (the Bully). And Nanna was based on my dearly departed grandmother, Josephine.
David DeMeo
Something interesting will happen to me or someone will say something that triggers me (not in a bad way). A single quote can send me deep into my own thoughts; imagining the character that's saying it, what they look like, their mannerisms, etc. I've always had a very vivid imagination so it doesn't take much for me to retreat into my mind and start forming ideas. I take a lot of inspiration from my family, who are a never-ending source of gems. I also take inspiration from a lot of religious sources, ancient cultures, and all forms of mythology.
David DeMeo
I've had some characters rattling around in my skull for many years and I just haven't had the vehicle for them. I started rummaging through milk-crates full of composition notebooks and scraps of paper to compile all the instances of these characters and their world. All these little pieces are coming together to form something larger and my hope is that you will get to meet these passengers that have been with me for so long. Stay tuned.
David DeMeo
Just keep doing it. Eventually something will stick.
David DeMeo
It's a good place to offload things you've been carrying around for a while. Like any form of self-expression, it's very therapeutic. I also enjoy when someone else has enjoyed something I've written. If I make you smile, or laugh, or cry, or think, then I've done my job.
David DeMeo
I don't. I write when it feels good. Anything else would feel forced and that tripe never comes out well.
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