Ask the Author: Tiffany Apan
Answered Questions (4)
Tiffany Apan
I have done some work on both sides of the camera, though am more experienced in being "in the front."
I am currently trying to wrap post production on my own supernatural gothic film, Driving Nowhere, and it's a lot of work! But I would be willing to look at another script in the future. :)
I am currently trying to wrap post production on my own supernatural gothic film, Driving Nowhere, and it's a lot of work! But I would be willing to look at another script in the future. :)
Tiffany Apan
Hi Marilyn! Great to hear from you. :)
I hope to definitely come out your way again in the near future. Hope all is well with you. :)
I hope to definitely come out your way again in the near future. Hope all is well with you. :)
Tiffany Apan
At the risk of sounding cliche, the seed of the idea for The Birthrite Series came to me in a dream. A dream that made me want to explore the question of what would happen if a guy from the 1950s met a goth girl from the 21st century. I started playing around, writing scenarios, seeing what worked and what did not, and I actually liked where it was going (believe it or not, there was a way to make that type of a pairing work). At first, the book was going to be a stand alone and it was under the working title, Through Time. The two characters in question were also named Everett and Christina (and Christina was later renamed Joanna). But I wasn't 100% satisfied with it. I thought it needed more depth and it really didn't feel "complete." As though I had only uncovered parts of the entire "dinosaur" that was still waiting to be discovered.
So in comes my fascination with history and lineage. I started exploring where these two characters might come from, their family heritage, and what might make them the way they are. It was a lot of fun doing this, but I STILL wasn't happy with how it started out. One night, the beginning was really bothering me because again, it felt as though I had only uncovered another small part of the dinosaur waiting to be discovered. Then, the idea for the four patriarchs (Nicolae Ganoush, Jonathan Blake, James Livingston, and Hector de Fuentes) and their stories from the mid 19th century. Finally, I felt the book had a real beginning, but as I continued, it seemed that cramming it all into one book just wasn't going to cut it. So it became a trilogy. But as I continued to write, it STILL felt like elements were missing. As I started exploring it all more, I felt there needed to be life BEFORE Everett and Joanna. Thus, the characters Dorothy, Carl, Jimmy, Reginald, Gail, and Linda were brought into the equation. So was the Fleming Orphanage (which was not in the initial draft either) and its owners, Cedric and Margaret Fleming (friends of James Livingston).
In the end, it became a five book series and everything in it (including the spin off novellas and shorts) weaves together. Everett and Joanna also don't even make their appearance until toward the end of the Book 2. They are still a key part to the story, but a little different than how they started out.
I will also add that one other thing that inspired The Birthrite Series are the quotes by Voltaire and Napoleon Bonaparte:
"History is the agreed upon lie" and "History was written by the winners."
So in comes my fascination with history and lineage. I started exploring where these two characters might come from, their family heritage, and what might make them the way they are. It was a lot of fun doing this, but I STILL wasn't happy with how it started out. One night, the beginning was really bothering me because again, it felt as though I had only uncovered another small part of the dinosaur waiting to be discovered. Then, the idea for the four patriarchs (Nicolae Ganoush, Jonathan Blake, James Livingston, and Hector de Fuentes) and their stories from the mid 19th century. Finally, I felt the book had a real beginning, but as I continued, it seemed that cramming it all into one book just wasn't going to cut it. So it became a trilogy. But as I continued to write, it STILL felt like elements were missing. As I started exploring it all more, I felt there needed to be life BEFORE Everett and Joanna. Thus, the characters Dorothy, Carl, Jimmy, Reginald, Gail, and Linda were brought into the equation. So was the Fleming Orphanage (which was not in the initial draft either) and its owners, Cedric and Margaret Fleming (friends of James Livingston).
In the end, it became a five book series and everything in it (including the spin off novellas and shorts) weaves together. Everett and Joanna also don't even make their appearance until toward the end of the Book 2. They are still a key part to the story, but a little different than how they started out.
I will also add that one other thing that inspired The Birthrite Series are the quotes by Voltaire and Napoleon Bonaparte:
"History is the agreed upon lie" and "History was written by the winners."
Tiffany Apan
Currently, I'm working on a five book series titled The Birthrite. It will also have a couple spin off novellas and shorts as well.
I'm also revising a few of my short stories (and coming up with new ones) for my short story series, Stories from Colony Drive. All of them are within the gothic romantic realm with supernatural, horror, and fantasy elements.
I'm also revising a few of my short stories (and coming up with new ones) for my short story series, Stories from Colony Drive. All of them are within the gothic romantic realm with supernatural, horror, and fantasy elements.
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