Ask the Author: Trevor A. Dutcher
Answered Questions (11)
Trevor A. Dutcher
Hi Nancy, thank you, and that's so great to hear! I really appreciate your interest and feedback. Unfortunately, I do not have a release date set for the next installment of Keepers of the Light just yet.
In the meantime, you could always check out Michael McGillicuddy and the Most Amazing Race. It's unrelated to Keepers, but it is still a lot of fun, in my opinion. Feel free to join my mailing list to get all the updates and deals, or follow my social profiles. Thanks again, and happy reading! -Trevor
In the meantime, you could always check out Michael McGillicuddy and the Most Amazing Race. It's unrelated to Keepers, but it is still a lot of fun, in my opinion. Feel free to join my mailing list to get all the updates and deals, or follow my social profiles. Thanks again, and happy reading! -Trevor
Trevor A. Dutcher
I am, of course, partial to the land of Cameria, featured in The Keepers of the Light.
Trevor A. Dutcher
When I was young, my father found a large chunk of silver, porous metal that looked like a piece of a meteor at a construction site. It was twice the size of my fist, and deceptively heavy. We had no idea what it was or where it came from, but I have imagined plenty of possibilities since then.
I still have it, and my mind still wanders every time I come across it.
I still have it, and my mind still wanders every time I come across it.
Trevor A. Dutcher
I get to create my own worlds, and make up my own rules which is a lot of fun. And finding out new things about mycharacters, or letting them surprise me with new twists is amazing. Yes, I don't always 'decide' what happens. Sometimes I just 'find out,' and that's truly magical.
Trevor A. Dutcher
I'm trying to hit a deadline. The coffee pot is empty.
Trevor A. Dutcher
Right now, I'm working on a new portal fantasy novel. It’s a “through-the-looking-glass” type of adventure, in which a 12 year-old boy, Logan LeVec, stumbles into a strange new world and is asked to take on a very important role, one that is well-beyond his comfort zone. He learns family secrets, makes some new friends (and enemies…) and major shenanigans ensue. This one is shaping up to be a lot of fun (think of it as a mashup of The Never-ending Story, Labyrinth and Narnia). I can't wait to share it, but it's still a ways off.
Trevor A. Dutcher
Great question, Laurie. The short answer is that it's not easy. Fortunately, I have a long commute by train, so I write quite a bit on the train. After hours, I generally choose to write over watching TV, and then I try to carve out time here and there during the weekend to get some good sprints in. In the meantime, I keep notes on my phone so I don't lose those fleeting ideas between inception and getting to a point where I can put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard, as the case may be.) In the end, it's about prioritization and trade-offs.
Trevor A. Dutcher
Ideas are everywhere. The idea for Michael McGillicuddy and the Most Amazing Race came to me while I was on vacation, thinking about other authors, and what might happen if I decided to write a book of my own. That led to the question of 'what would such a book be about?' I was intrigued by my own answer, and from there, the book more or less wrote itself.
For my current work in progress, I got the idea while I was reflecting and looking back on a Christmas gift I received when I was in fourth grade.
Inspiration is out there, you just have to open your eyes and be willing to let it in.
For my current work in progress, I got the idea while I was reflecting and looking back on a Christmas gift I received when I was in fourth grade.
Inspiration is out there, you just have to open your eyes and be willing to let it in.
Trevor A. Dutcher
Sometimes it's as easy as sitting and observing. Inspiration is everywhere. For my current work in progress, I came up with the idea for the Hall of Tortured Souls while sitting on the beach looking at the wind-blown patterns in the sand. Some of my favorite characters were inspired by people who ride the train with me on my morning commute. And sometimes I just browse pictures of people or things on-line until I find a few that speak to me. When they do, I listen closely and I put them in a book.
Trevor A. Dutcher
Don't aspire. If you want to write, then write. If you write, you're a writer. It's one of the easiest things to be, and it doesn't even have to be good. You can always edit later.
Trevor A. Dutcher
For me, the best solution to writer's block is to go edit something I've already written, perhaps an earlier chapter. As I edit and critique my own work, with words already on the page, that gets the wheels turning and unlocks creativity for the action to follow.
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