Blog Archives
It Inspired A Conflict
The Disciples follows two young men who build a network to break out of poverty and gain power and riches. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
When I went to high school, there was a street next to the school where the kids would buy and sell drugs. It was strange to go to the school during the day and no one ever talked about it. It made it seem less than illegal, an acceptable passage of time. It inspired a conflict in my mind of what we do in society and what we talk about.
What were the morals you were trying to capture while creating your characters?
Concepts like morals took a secondary role in the quest to attain tangible goals. If the characters had more life experience, then they would have made decisions that were not so selfish. The older characters understood how the world worked, they hoped for their younger friends and family to achieve their goals while knowing that would just be the beginning of their journey. The younger characters never understood that reaching your goals is only a part of the journey. They realized after their success that achieving so much at such a young age is life altering.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The main theme is the importance of knowing why you want your dreams to come true. Without that basic knowledge, your dreams can become hollow vessels of success and alienation. A truly selfish dream will cause as much harm as good when achieved.
Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
The follow-up to The Disciples is called The Revolts. That story will go deeper into the science-fiction/religious conflict that I have always found interesting. Samuel Luscious makes a move to rule the world, one that will end in utter devastation.
Author Links: Website | Twitter | Instagram
Carmine Rostintoni was raised in a hostile world where the anger of his father ruled. Although raised by what he deemed a small man, Carmine had big dreams. Samuel Luscious took notice of Carmine’s dreams of wealth and power then planted an idea that turned an afterschool business into a functioning network.
Sam and Carmine were the first two disciples, the first two with the idea to make the rest of the disciples rich and powerful. Sam and Carmine were the first two disciples to see what nightmares awaited them once their dreams had been met.
The Disciples
The Disciples by D. Fuller Smith follows the lives of two young men, Sam and Carmine, who team up to pursue big goals of wealth and success. Despite their difficult upbringing and the challenges that lie ahead, Carmine’s desire for more in life makes an impression on Sam. Together, they grow determined to break the poverty cycle and recruit more people to achieve their plans, as disciples or followers, with the promise of a better, more lucrative life.
The author captures the big dreams and fantasies of young, influential students living on the edge of society through informal dialogue and brief, time-specific chapters that portray a minute-by-minute recollection and a sense of urgency with visual imagery and descriptions. I enjoyed the complex nature of the characters and their discussion of topics ranging from religion and politics to debt, work, and hope for the future. It’s a blend of naive excitement, uphill struggles, and potential exploitation due to their precarious situation.
I enjoyed the blunt, jarring style of the characters’ dialogue and personalities, which is well-developed and intriguing. They must battle their surroundings and the outcome of their shady decisions, articulating the world around them and finding their place in society. It’s an entertaining read sprinkled with humor, wit, and action. While the conversational-heavy story takes some getting used to, Fuller Smith does an exceptional job of bringing each character to life with their unique dialects and individual style.
The Disciples by D. Fuller Smith is about taking risks and surviving, written with realistic, raw narration. The story unfolds through the eyes and dialogue of the characters, who provide the gritty nature of their lives against the backdrop of a world they want to conquer and achieve success. It’s an entertaining read that is creative and original, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
Pages: 393 | ASIN : B0BTQM3NW8
LITERARY TITAN 