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The Taste Of Peaches
Choice follows a young woman that kills supernatural creatures and encounters one who makes her question everything she knows. What was the inspiration that created the fantastic journey these characters go on?
The story really came about all on its own. The idea hit me and the main scenes quickly became clear. I try to keep things as organic as possible, with the characters taking the lead and getting out what they need to say. I find if I fight that, if I try to make something that is mine instead of theirs, it doesn’t work out and ends up in the unfinished file folder.
Both Choice and Vienna were written after my first novel Isabel (as well as two other previously unpublished novels). Those other books took so much out of me, being my first books, I think I really needed Vienna and Choice. They are both quick and fast-paced and a whole lot of fun (perfect for the struggling reader I used to be in my youth). All a bit different than the emotional toll my first novel, Isabel, had on me.
There was a lot of time spent crafting the character traits in this novel. What was the most important factor for you to get right in your characters?
The book idea actually started with one unique character trait: the taste of peaches. I couldn’t get that line out of my head. ‘The taste of peaches. The taste of peaches.’ Until, ‘the taste of hope’ was added to it, and then I was running to my writing desk to get the story down.
I really care about my characters. When you spend so much time with a project, with the characters, you hope your readers will care about them as much as you do. You want them to be believable. You want the things they say to be believable. You want them to be their own unique selves, and to try to keep that as much as you can throughout the later editing processes.
I felt that there were a lot of great twists and turns throughout the novel. Did you plan this before writing the novel, or did the twists develop organically writing?
A story comes to me in a moment, a daydream, and very quickly the main plot points reveal themselves. I jot down everything that has appeared to me, everything I know is going to happen. The first few chapters are usually being written about the same time as I try to get as much down as I can before I forget something. Then, with the idea settled and I really begin writing, often new characters and story twists and turns begin to reveal themselves. Many of them surprise me.
Choice had a pretty solid straight line from start to finish. I knew what was going to happen.
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
I could write a second book for Choice, but I really love leaving something up to the reader, encouraging their own imagination. Instead, I am currently focusing on writing new projects and getting older, finished works out into the publishing world.
Author Links: Website | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads | Facebook
Choice is among them, and she is hunting.
“Everything will be fine,” she told herself. “I will not let you die so easily.”
This kind of monster is unlike anything she has ever seen before. It seems to be targeting people in the medical profession and has upside down crosses for irises. There’s only one thing to do. Kill it. However, life is complicated. Not only does killing it leave her with a survivor she can’t get rid of, but the monster is Fate. Her fiancé.
Killing it was what she’s trained for. Being left with a survivor whose post-traumatic stress seems to indicate that he can’t leave her side, is a problem.
Followed by her new useless luggage, Choice is determined to get to the bottom of this new monster. Something, she will come to find, is easier said than done. She is sent on a gripping adventure that puts everything she thought she knew into question. Secrets unfold, and heartbreak ensues when the real battle Choice has to face begins.
Choice
Choice, penned by E.L. Schoeman, is an enthralling narrative revolving around its eponymous protagonist, an 18-year-old warrior from the distinguished Dragon clan. Schoeman endows Choice with a distinct palette for refined cupcakes and rapid vehicles, alongside an intriguing sensory quirk of tasting peaches at the onset of promising circumstances. Set against a dystopian backdrop partitioned into distinctive districts, Choice must navigate her way amid an outbreak that metamorphoses individuals into monstrous entities. Accompanied by an ally, she embarks on a mission to neutralize the looming menace, punctuated by a series of side quests.
The journey of Choice, rife with unexpected turns and thrills, unfolds in an unusual yet enthralling manner. Schoeman brilliantly weaves an assortment of captivating components into her tale, from the perilous Dragon clan to voodoo priests and idiosyncratic district attributes. The narrative accelerates at a brisk pace, charting a plot that keeps readers on their toes with its unexpected twists and turns.
Schoeman’s Choice is remarkable in its complexity, considering its brevity. Schoeman takes an innovative approach by plunging readers directly into the story’s richly layered plot, inviting them to actively engage with the narrative right from the outset. This technique, though unconventional, provides a unique and stimulating reading experience that encourages active participation and analytical thinking.
The narrative sparkles with novel elements, ranging from a character with an intriguing fondness for coffee beans to the protagonist, Choice, and her unconventional multiple engagements. These distinctive attributes imbue the story with an added layer of depth and richness.
The unusual names of the characters, such as ‘Choice’ and ‘Like’ amplify the story’s individuality, which can be interpreted as a narrative device to pique readers’ curiosity. While these aspects may initially appear complex, they eventually contribute to the narrative’s unique appeal and richness, weaving a fascinating tapestry of characters and events that set this book apart from others. Schoeman embraces a more ‘show, don’t tell’ storytelling approach, offering readers the chance to explore and appreciate the narrative’s subtleties independently.
The plot, abundant in its complexities, unfolds at a brisk pace, which could occasionally challenge the full realization of the novel’s latent promise. Despite this, the narrative is undeniably filled with exhilaration, adventure, and supernatural suspense, making it an engaging read.
Pages: 165 | ASIN : B0BS788NFM
Journeys Book Trailer
Caren Rivers never really considered the busy lives of the drivers who passed through her toll booth. Some she encountered frequently, daily, as they moved from place to place along their journey. Others, she doubted she’d ever see again.
She’d always wondered what made them chose one route over another. Was the obvious choice to engage the shortest line or was it the interaction with a familiar face? Is the journey of a life simply a multitude of potential pathways affected by points of intersection?
What was her journey going to be now that her husband and son were gone? These were the questions that kept her awake at night. Journeys is the story of nine travelers making their way along life’s roadway and how these lives once connected, remain a part of one another for all time.
The Ghost Years
![The Ghost Years by [Katsonga, Mutch]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/414brfs5dgL.jpg)
The very personal story of The Ghost Years by Mutch Katsonga will give you a first class seat straight to the heart of hell. And you will thank Katsonga for it. This first-person narrative follows the life of a young man caught up in the life of drugs in detail that is rarely found in literature. Katsonga is pulling no punches in showing us the mind of a junkie in this satisfying novel. While sometimes getting very close to it, The Ghost Years is careful not to put its characters into situations just to prove a point. What it does is allow them, and the reader, to grow as people in this hard-hitting and memorable study of the seedy underbelly of society. Several action scenes and a couple of twists and turns keep the story going to its well-earned conclusion.
I felt that many events that the main character had to endure do often seemed to be laid out just to have him fail. The character of Buzz, for example, with his never-ending optimism and somewhat expected twist revelation does come off as a narrative tool more than a real person. But still, somehow it works, and the story is better for having him in it.
Katsonga’s style of writing could be best described as “tell, don’t show”. I felt that exposition was overused to get us into the mind of the main character. Lines and lines of text are expended on questions about life, death and society. Because of this, I felt like the narrative and the view of the world appeared to be spoon-fed to me.
However, the advantage of this style quickly gets the reader up to speed. We are left with a great understanding of the motivation that drives the story line. The logic that his character follows is consistent and that was Katsonga’s goal all along. Some may not approve of the drug use in the story, just as in life, but we can give his character that one thing he was craving his whole life – understanding.
Previously moot and tired questions about the meaning of life get a whole new context when asked with an empty stomach and the craving for a new “hit”. The Ghost Years will have you asking about the reasons that make you get up in the morning – are you doing it because you are told to do so or because you choose to? How far do you have to drift aimlessly before you decide to take a direction for your life?
The Ghost Years by Mutch Katsonga gives us several clear and memorable lessons about the value of choice, life, drugs and society in this crude but honest and hard-hitting book.
Pages: 179 | ASIN: B079KSFGSS
The Importance of Taking Risks
Thomas Duffy Author Interview
To Never Know depicts the story of Steven and how he is affected by his life choices and forces beyond his control. What was the initial idea behind this story and how did that transform as you were writing the novel?
The story is loosely based on the time period I was in high school up until the time I reached my mid-twenties. I always wondered what life could have been like had I taken more risks when I was a teenager. I was in Florida at the time of 9/11 and right as it happened, I wondered if any of my friends or acquaintances had been affected. There was no Facebook back then so it was more difficult to keep in touch with old friends and classmates at that time. The idea became a story which I felt should be told regarding love, loss and the importance of taking risks in life. You never know when it will be too late to reach out to someone. Therefore it is so important to make good choices today and always follow your heart. As I wrote the novel, I explored the notion of reaching out to someone who lost a daughter in 9/11. I believe this storyline made the novel more powerful. I hope the reader will be moved.
Steven is an interesting and relateable character. What was the inspiration for the main character’s traits and dialogue?
This character is all me. He speaks like me and acts like me especially during the time period the book is set in. I have changed considerably in some respects but most of the dialogue and traits I carry with me to this day.
What were the morals you were trying to capture while creating your characters?
The moral of the story is that we must move forward and learn from our mistakes. We will make mistakes but we can’t beat ourselves up over them. We must try to value the beauty of life and take pleasure in the little things. I have a fascination for the minor details of life. In the end of this story, lives have been transformed due to the events that took place during the course of the novel. I want people to come away with a feeling that anything is possible if you are just willing to take risks in life.
What is the next book that you are working on and when can your fans expect it to be out?
The next book is called The Separation and is a sci.fi. book. It was supposed to come out in late August but due to the passing of a friend, I couldn’t make the Booklife contest I wanted to enter so I delayed the release to late November. It will definitely come out then. Expect to be moved. It’s a very thought-provoking story.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Steven Lewis is a young man with no concrete plans for his future after school. For a short time during high school, he wanted to ask a girl named Kelly out on a date but never had the courage to do so. As his life is taken in a different direction than he had hoped, he holds on to the thought of actually getting to know Kelly. Even after several years pass, he is determined to find her again. His quest to know her leads him to a tragic discovery. When he meets her mother, Emily, his life will never be the same. This is a story of love, loss and hope. It is an unforgettable personal journey about the quest for happiness after tragedy.
LITERARY TITAN 