Author Spotlight: Thank you from Nathaniel Stewart

I wanted to take the time to thank Cecilia and Sandra for allotting me the Author Spotlight for the Month of March on their incredible blog. They have been absolutely amazing to me and made this whole entire process a rather enjoyable one. As an indie artist, we get so many doors closed in our faces and I am extremely grateful for their interest as well as kindness regarding myself and my work. I hope that those within this blog community have enjoyed the past month as much as I have, and I’ve loved getting to know some you. Thank you!

-Nathaniel Stewart

Links

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/NathanielStewart

Twitter- http://Twitter.com/NateStewart_TLA

Email- NathanielStewartTLA@gmail.com

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Author Spotlight: Interview with Nathaniel Stewart

What do you do when you are not writing?

When I’m not writing I enjoy reading (surprise), hiking, rock climbing, swimming, yoga, kayaking, camping, bowling, skiing, going to the movies, traveling, hanging out with friends, and all sorts of activities. I’m definitely more of an outdoorsman, though.

Where is one place in the world that you would really love to visit someday?

I don’t think I can narrow it to one, so I’m going to have to say that my stalemate for first is between England and Italy. I can’t even give specific reasons as to why I want to visit these places but I do feel a pull and a connection to them.

What’s your favorite color and why?

Green is hands down my favorite color, and I mean all different shades of green. It obviously reminds me of nature, but there is a peace, calmness, and vitality about it that draws me in.

Do you like to cook? What is your favorite food?

I love to cook. My mother was a caterer and while I fundamentally learned to cook by being in the kitchen with her and watching, I have to say that I didn’t set out to learn how to cook as much as I just wanted to be able to eat extra’s and lick spoons and such. My favorite food would have to be anything involving pasta or rice. You can’t really go wrong with those as your bases for a fair few dishes, or at least to me.

What are your top 5 favorite fruits, and top five favorite vegetables?

My top five favorite fruits are red grapes, lemons, cherries, cranberries, and pomegranates. As for vegetables, I’m going to have to go with asparagus, carrots, kale, potatoes, and chard.

What’s the worst movie that you’ve seen in theatres recently?

Okay, first and foremost, I hate to bash someone else’s creativity and craft, but as someone who only goes to the movies to see films that I absolutely want to see, I have to say that the most recent movie that I wasn’t too fond of was “The Last Airbender,” which was the live action adaptation of the animated series “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
I’m a huge fan of the animated series, hence the reason I went to go see it, and while the CGI was pretty good there were certain aspects about the movie that I totally couldn’t get around. I won’t go into detail
because as I stated before, I hate to bash. But I will say that one thing that really bothered me about the film was the enunciation of the characters names. That alone almost drove me nuts.

If a fairy godmother told you that you could be put into the world of your favorite movie or book for a day, what would you pick and why?

Well, the eleven year old in me instantly screamed Harry Potter, so I’m going to have to go with that. I grew up with that series, and so I think it would be pretty cool to be immersed in that world for a day as long as it wasn’t during the Battle of Hogwarts. Then it wouldn’t be cool. It would suck, actually.



QUICKFIRE!

Popcorn or Candy? Candy. 

Smoothie or Milkshake? Smoothie. 

Pudding or Jello? Jello. 

Ipod or MP3? Ipod. 

Twins or Triplets? Twins.
Blondes or Brunettes? Brunettes. 

Eyes or Smile? Eyes. 

Funny or Serious? Funny. But a balanced mix of both would be good. 

Love or Lust? Love. 

Fake or Real? Real. 

Driving or Riding? Riding. I like to just chill out in cars. 

Flying or Driving? DRIVING! I hate flying.
AIM or MSN? AIM. 

Will Ferrel or Will Smith? Um…….Will Smith. 

Google or Yahoo? Google. 

Firefox or Internet Explorer? Internet Explorer.
Mint or Cinnamon? Cinnamon. 

Blue or Red? Blue.
Hot or Cold? Cold.
Feet or Hands? Hands.

Links

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/NathanielStewart

Twitter- http://Twitter.com/NateStewart_TLA

Email- NathanielStewartTLA@gmail.com

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Author Spotlight: Interview with Nathaniel Stewart

What are your current projects?

At the moment, aside from graduating college in May, my focus has been devoted to “The Last Alignment: Book Two,” which is VERY close to completion. I am overly excited to release it and I can’t wait for readers to delve deeper into all the different aspects of this world that I’ve created


Do you need anything to write (music, coffee, etc)?

I don’t need much of anything when I write except my notes. But when I do choose to listen to music, it’s mainly soft, mid-tempo instrumentals. They don’t exactly inspire me, but they do create a calm mood that makes writing a bit easier.

Do you prefer eBooks, paperbacks or hardcover?
All three. There is absolutely nothing like actually holding a book, but as more and more areas of life are becoming digitized, there is a convenience with eBooks that really cannot be denied.

Transitioning from a college student to an indie author, what were the challenges? How does the constantly changing landscape of the publishing industry affect your pace of writing more books?

For me, transitioning into an author was not too difficult on top of my other studies. I’ve been writing for a long time now, so when I realized that I was going to go forward with The Last Alignment, I was as prepared to take that step as I could’ve been. I was confident in my ability as a writer, and the fact that most of my professors at my college had complete faith in me was what gave me that final push toward making my dream a reality. Being an indie author definitely comes with a lot of challenges in the sense that you are the driving force behind your own projects. But, one could argue that that is also the beautiful thing about it as well.
The fact that digital publishing is making it easier for writers to become authors is great, but it’s tedious all at the same time. Because you don’t have to go the traditional route to publish your work, it means that you are the master of your own affairs and that anyone can finally put their stories out there to the world.

And on the flip side, that is the exact problem. Anyone can publish a book or eBook, so how do you make yours stand out? How do you set yours apart and get people interested?

As a reader, I know what it is like to find a great series and fall in love with it. And if you happen to find a series that has not been completed, the anticipation is one of the best things about the experience. I personally don’t necessarily feel any pressure to have a pace as far as production, but I definitely aim to release my work within reasonable time spaces. One thing that meant a lot to me was the release of a free short story that I published back in October of last year. “The Possession of Sarah Allis” is a piece that got left on the cutting room floor from TLAB1 that I revised and turned into a mini tale. This is something that I definitely plan on making a habit. I feel like if someone pays for my work and loves it, then the absolute best way that I can think to thank them is to put out free pieces of writing whether it be “deleted scenes,” outtakes, or just entertaining spin-off stories to help them get a better feel for my work.

What are some of your favorite books? Do you still have much time to read?

I don’t know if I could pinpoint specific books as I have encountered a lot, but I will say that as of lately R.A. Salvatore’s “Dark Elf” series is absolutely incredible, as well as a lot of Kelley Armstrong’s stuff from her “Women of the Otherworld” series. I just had the pleasure of reading the latest books in both of these series (Armstrong’s came out very recently), so they are fresh in my mind’s eye at the moment.

You said you came up with the idea for “The Last Alignment” when you were a teenager. What is one thing you would tell your 15 year old self?

Wow. This is an interesting question, but if I could go back and tell my fifteen year old self anything, it would probably be to spend more time with my mother. She unexpectedly passed away when I was sixteen, and so getting in that extra time and making sure that the love between us was felt even more than it was would be my request of my younger self.


QUICKFIRE!

Oprah or Jerry Springer? Oprah. By far. 

In the country or abroad? Abroad. 

Ocean or Mountains? Mountains. 

Forrest or Beach? Forrest. 

Ice cream or Sorbet? Ice Cream. 

Outside or Inside? Outside. 

Long hair or Short hair? Long hair. 

Lettuce or Spinach? Spinach. 

Laptop or Desktop? Desktop. 

Microsoft or Apple? Microsoft. 

Underwater or High in the Sky? High in the sky. 

Beer or Wine? Neither. I don’t drink.

Fall or Spring? My two favorite seasons, but I’m going to pick Fall. 

Jonas Brothers or Backstreet Boys? Backstreet Boys. 

Texting or Calling? Texting. 

Running or Walking? Running. 

Charging or Paying? Charging. 

Online or at the Mall? Online.
Cooking or Ordering Out? Cooking.

Chinese or Japanese food? BOTH!

Links

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/NathanielStewart

Twitter- http://Twitter.com/NateStewart_TLA

Email- NathanielStewartTLA@gmail.com

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Author Spotlight: Guestpost by Nathaniel Stewart

This poem is by a woman named Sonny Carroll, and it is hands down one of the best inspirational pieces that I’ve ever come across. I love the message and I love the overall tone of it; if feels conversational as opposed to feeling like a sermon. I hope that you all enjoy, and I hope it sticks with you as it has with me.

The Awakening

A time comes in your life when you finally get it ... when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out-ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying and struggling to hold on. And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes. This is your awakening.

You realize that it is time to stop hoping and waiting for something or someone to change, or for happiness safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You come to terms with the fact that there aren't always fairytale endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you. Then a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.
So you begin making your way through the "reality of today" rather than holding out for the "promise of tomorrow." You realize that much of who you are and the way you navigate through life is, in great part, a result of all the social conditioning you've received over the course of a lifetime. And you begin to sift through all the nonsense you were taught about:
- how you should look and how much you should weigh - what you should wear and where you should shop - where you should live or what type of car you should drive - who you should sleep with and how you should behave - who you should marry and why you should stay - the importance of bearing children or what you owe your family

Slowly you begin to open up to new worlds and different points of view. And you begin re-assessing and re-defining who you are and what you really believe in. And you begin to discard the doctrines you have outgrown, or should never have practiced to begin with.

You accept the fact that you are not perfect ,and that not everyone will love appreciate or approve of who or what you are... and that's OK... they are entitled to their own views and opinions. And, you come to terms with the fact that you will never be a size 5 or a "perfect 10".... Or a perfect human being for that matter... and you stop trying to compete with the image inside your head or agonizing over how you compare. And, you take a long look at yourself in the mirror and you make a promise to give yourself the same unconditional love and support you give so freely to others. Then a sense of confidence is born of self-approval.
And, you stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer" hungry for your next fix, a new dress, another pair of shoes or looks of approval and admiration from family, friends or even strangers who pass by. Then you discover that it is truly in "giving" that we receive, and that the joy and abundance you seek grows out of the giving. And you recognize the importance of "creating" and "contributing" rather than "obtaining" and "accumulating."

And you give thanks for the simple things you've been blessed with, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about - a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, the freedom of choice and the opportunity to pursue your own dreams.
And you begin to love and to care for yourself. You stop engaging in self-destructive behaviors, including participating in dysfunctional relationships. You begin eating a balanced diet, drinking more water and exercising. And because you've learned that fatigue drains the spirit and creates doubt and fear, you give
yourself permission to rest. And just as food is fuel for the body, laughter is fuel for the spirit and so you make it a point to create time for play.

Then you learn about love and relationships - how to love, how much to give in love, when to stop giving, and when to walk away. And you allow only the hands of a lover who truly loves and respects you to glorify you with his touch. You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say, intentionally or unintentionally, and that not everyone will always come through... and interestingly enough, it's not always about you. So, you stop lashing out and pointing fingers or looking to place blame for the things that were done to you or weren't done for you. And you learn to keep your Ego in check and to acknowledge and redirect the destructive emotions it spawns - anger, jealousy and resentment.

You learn how to say "I was wrong" and to forgive people for their own human frailties. You learn to build bridges instead of walls and about the healing power of love as it is expressed through a kind word, a warm smile or a friendly gesture. And, at the same time, you eliminate any relationships that are hurtful or fail to uplift and edify you. You stop working so hard at smoothing things over and setting your needs aside. You learn that feelings of entitlement are perfectly OK and that it is your right to want or expect certain things. And you learn the importance of communicating your needs with confidence and grace. You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that eventually martyrs are burned at the stake. Then you learn to distinguish between guilt, and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to Say NO. You learn that you don't know all the answers, it's not your job to save the world and that sometimes you just need to Let Go.

Moreover, you learn to look at people as they really are and not as you would want them to be, and you are careful not to project your neediness or insecurities onto a relationship. You learn that you will not be more beautiful, more intelligent, more lovable or important because of the man on your arm or the child that bears your name. You learn that just as people grow and change, so it is with love and relationships, and that that not everyone can always love you the way you would want them to. So you stop appraising your worth by the measure of love you are given. And suddenly you realize that it's wrong to demand that someone live their life or sacrifice their dreams just to serve your needs, ease your insecurities, or meet "your" standards and expectations. You learn that the only love worth giving and receiving is the love that is given freely without conditions or limitations. And you learn what it means to love. So you stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn that "alone" does not mean "lonely" and you begin to discover the joy of spending time "with yourself" and "on yourself." Then you discover the greatest and most fulfilling love you will ever know - Self Love. And so it comes to pass that, through understanding, your heart heals; and now all new things are possible.

Moving along, you begin to avoid Toxic people and conversations. And you stop wasting time and energy rehashing your situation with family and friends. You learn that talk doesn't change things and that unrequited wishes can only serve to keep you trapped in the past. So you stop lamenting over what could or should have been, and you make a decision to leave the past behind. Then you begin to invest your time and energy to affect positive change. You take a personal inventory of all your strengths and weaknesses and the areas you need to improve in order to move ahead, you set your goals and map out a plan of action to see things through.

You learn that life isn't always fair and you don't always get what you think you deserve, and you stop personalizing every loss or disappointment. You learn to accept that sometimes bad things happen to good people and that these things are not an act of God... but merely a random act of fate.

And you stop looking for guarantees, because you've learned that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected and that whatever happens, you'll learn to deal with it. And you learn that the only thing you must truly fear is the great robber baron of all time - FEAR itself. So you learn to step right into and

through your fears, because to give into fear is to give away the right to live life on your terms. You learn that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophesy and you learn to go after what you want and not to squander your life living under a cloud of indecision or feelings of impending doom.

Then, YOU LEARN ABOUT MONEY... the personal power and independence it brings and the options it creates. And you recognize the necessity to create your own personal wealth. Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never ever settle for less than your heart's desire. And a sense of power is born of self-reliance. And you live with honor and integrity because you know that these principles are not the outdated ideals of a by-gone era but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build your life. And you make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting and to stay open to every wonderful opportunity and exciting possibility. Then you hang a wind chime outside your window to remind yourself what beauty there is in Simplicity.

Finally, with courage in your heart and with God by your side you take a stand, you TAKE a deep breath and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.

Links

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/NathanielStewart

Twitter- http://Twitter.com/NateStewart_TLA

Email- NathanielStewartTLA@gmail.com

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Author Spotlight: Interview with Nathaniel Stewart

What motivates you to write?

My love for it motivates me. I’ve been writing since I was twelve and haven’t looked back since. Words have power regardless of the intent of why they are set to paper, and I think it is awesome how books can affect people.


Is there anything you find particularly challenging about writing?

I think the main challenge for me is staying true to myself and my voice. I’m young, so in the beginning of this process I had doubts as to whether I had enough experience or developed my craft enough to where I did indeed have my own voice and style as an author. There are writers who don’t find themselves until much later in life, and while I know that as I go along and live life my writing style is going to evolve and change, I was very worried that my work would come across as me trying to emulate or sound like authors that I admire. But I trusted myself, I wrote what I wanted to write, said what I wanted to say, and I believe that my book is very much me and no one else.


What was the hardest part of writing “The Last Alignment: Book One?”

I think that the hardest part about writing was getting over the obstacle that is my own mind. This is my debut novel, so I stressed over everything from my use of particular language, to characters, to certain events, but this is where trusting yourself comes into play. If you are afraid to take risks and express yourself as purely as you can, then that is when you mask yourself and your talent to try and fit in to something, and I didn’t want to do that. You only get one first impression and I let that get to me and pressure me at one point, but I got over it and knew that the best way for me to get through writing TLAB1 was to allow my mind to flow and not have a filter.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

It was never my intention to have a bunch of themes and messages in my work; the goal was simply to entertain and produce the best story possible. But given the type of tale that I am telling, even I have gone back and read and picked up on things that I didn’t even know were there. Some say that you can tell a lot about an author just by reading their work, and I must say that I am surprised how certain things bled their way into my story. Perception is everything, and everyone perceives differently. Some things will be crystal clear and others quite opaque, but at the end of it all I hope that readers are able to be transported and get lost in my story. I think that’s all I necessarily want. Anything else is unintentional, but messages and motifs are still present and it will be interesting to see what is picked up on and what isn’t.


How did you develop as a writer?

Writing is how I developed as a writer. The more you do it the better you get. Not only did I write on my own but I also wrote with other people. A huge vehicle for me as far as my development has been online literary RPG (role playing) communities where you come up with characters and then you post from their point of view with other writers and their characters, and then you all work together to tell a story. I think it’s a fun way to sharpen your skills and practice your craft without realizing exactly what you’re doing. It definitely helped me to figure out how to put myself into different mindsets in order to accurately and consistently portray characters, which was a priceless lesson learned.


Is there a specific time of day where you feel you write better?

Oddly enough, I do believe that I write better in the early morning hours, and by that I mean at like three or four in the morning. There is just something about that time of day that really gets my mind going, so if I’m running low on inspiration during the day I just wait, and that almost always works to help me get over my writers block.


What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

I think the toughest criticism that I’ve gotten so far has been pacing, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I feel something like that is dependent upon the reader and their taste. When you are writing a series you obviously have to explain things, setup stages and situations, and you have to lay the groundwork for the bigger picture. But thankfully I haven’t gotten too many comments like that.

The biggest compliment I’ve received has been on the characters and the story itself and how it keeps you guessing and the unpredictability factor, which is a bit bizarre. As an author of course you want to try and surprise your audience but there are times where you think, “Who is this going to fool,” or “They’ll be able to figure this out straight away probably.” So the fact that I was seemingly able to not make certain things clear or too obvious is plus for me.



QUICKFIRE!

Salt or Pepper? Pepper.
Peanut Butter or Jelly? Peanut Butter.
Boxers or Briefs? Boxer briefs.
Amazon or Ebay? Amazon.
TV shows or Movies? TV shows.
Pen or Pencil? Pencil.
Phone Call or In person? In person.
Video Games or Board Games? Board Games.
Shower or Bath? Shower.
Rain or Snow? Snow.
Rock or Rap? Rock.
White or Wheat? Wheat.
Love or Money? Love.
Movies or Reading? Reading. Though a good number of movies are excellent.
Car or Motorcycle? Car.
Michael Jackson or Elvis? Michael Jackson.
France or Italy? Italy.
Dr. Pepper or Mountain Dew? Mountain Dew
Eat in or out? Eat in.
Car or Subway? Car.

Links

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/NathanielStewart

Twitter- http://Twitter.com/NateStewart_TLA

Email- NathanielStewartTLA@gmail.com

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Author Spotlight: Guestpost by Nathaniel Stewart

“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.”

–May Sarton

This quote became one of my favorites after I thought about it and realized how excruciatingly true it is. For most of us, throughout our lives we were consistently told to “be ourselves.” But as we got older, most of us came to realize that “be yourself” really meant, “Be yourself as long as you aren’t too weird, too different, and you fit in to certain standards and behaviors whether social, familial, or societal.” Crazy, right?

Judgment and criticism is ever-present. It will never go away. I believe this is one of the first lessons that should be learned, especially given that judgment and criticism is often what paralyzes people from living how they want to live and doing the things that they really and truly want to do. It took me a while before I accepted the fact that it doesn’t matter who you are, where you are, what you do or what you’ve done, there is always going to be someone that has something negative to say about you and that’s fine. That’s life. Who cares if you dress weird, have an odd sense of humor, or come from an abnormal family…..if that’s who you are, then so be it. It also took me a while to learn that no one would accept me if I didn’t accept myself and then exude that self-assurance and strength as a person who knows who they are and what they are about. When you have that type of self-love and self-respect and you let that radiate, then the words and opinions of others don’t affect you and your choices. You are able to open up and almost fearlessly be who you are in everything that you do, and those are one of the types of people needed in this world.

If you are off-beat then be off-beat. If you a weird, continue to be weird. If you are strange then be strange, and remember that all the best people are.

Links

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/NathanielStewart

Twitter- http://Twitter.com/NateStewart_TLA

Email- NathanielStewartTLA@gmail.com

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Giveaway: The Last Alignment

In honor of being given the Author Spotlight of the Month, I have decided that the first 15 people to register in the rafflecopter form will receive a FREE copy of “The Last Alignment: Book One,” rated 4 stars here at Rather Barefoot Than Bookless!  Peace and love everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Links

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/NathanielStewart

Twitter- http://Twitter.com/NateStewart_TLA

Email- NathanielStewartTLA@gmail.com

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Author Spotlight: Interview with Nathaniel Stewart

This month we welcome a new Author Spotlight named Nathaniel Stewart. He is a young adult author and has written "The Last Alignment". During the month of march you will get interviews, guestposts and Giveaway! 

Can you introduce yourself to our community?

Hello to all! My name is Nathaniel Stewart, and I am the author behind “The Last Alignment” series. Simply put, I am a young adult who writes for young adults, and I’ve dreamed of being an author since I was twelve years old. It’s still surreal to me that I’ve “taken the plunge,” but I’m ready to dig deep and go for it. Life is too short to not aspire to your hopes and dreams.

Where are you from?

I’m from Maryland. I was born in Washington DC, but I grew up and lived in Clinton, Maryland until I was eighteen. Then after moving around the state a bit, my family finally settled in Waldorf, Maryland, and that is where they are based now.

Are you a self-published (Indie) Author?

I am, and I wouldn’t have wanted to start my literary career any other way. Once I realized that I was going to take this route I was nervous because I know how hard it is. But if you can take the time to build anything meaningful to you brick by brick so that you can have a strong foundation to stand on, then why wouldn’t you? I have had my share of frustrations and failures already and I just started my journey at the very end of July of last year, but I believe that everything will be absolutely worthwhile in the end. You just have to keep going.

What inspired you to write your first book?

“The Last Alignment: Book One” actually served as my senior thesis. I am an English major, so my professor set the assignment for me to write a children’s book and I started out writing something within that realm. But as I was writing, I found that I wasn’t enjoying it. I wasn’t excited about it and it felt more like homework than a display of creativity and talent. So without seeking permission from my professor first, I completely shifted gears and he got quite the surprise when I plopped the first draft of TLAB1 down on his desk. At first I think he was shocked because he was expecting a kids book and got something that was very much young adult, and after a few days of fearing that he was going to hate it and make me go back to the original assignment, he then surprised me and allowed me to go forward with it which really inspired me and sparked the drive and desire to finally bring the series out of my head and into existence.

I came up with the idea for The Last Alignment Series when I was fifteen. Over the years I basically gathered information, came up with characters, plot points, concepts, etc., and after I decided that I wasn’t going to write a children’s book, I thought, “Why not?” I had enough information, I had enough of an outline and I had the plans, so why not finally start writing the story that’s been in the back of my mind for years now? It was awesome how it all came together in the end, and I’m grateful that I went with my gut and did what I wanted to do. I’m also grateful that my professor permitted me that freedom as well.

How did you come up with the title?

As I mentioned before, I came up with the idea for The Last Alignment when I was fifteen, and I’m twenty-three now. In all that time I didn’t have a title yet and I came up with a fair few (some good, some not so good). It wasn’t until I started writing the first chapter that there was a line that stuck out to me that one of my characters said, and it clicked. That’s how I chose “The Last Alignment.”

How much of your novel is realistic?

I categorize my book as Young Adult/Fantasy, but I definitely wanted to make a point. For me, I think the realism comes from my characters. The way that they act, their personalities, and the things that they say and do is all extremely comparable to real life and real people and not over the top or obnoxious. My characters are relatable in their thinking, in their expressions, and I think that a multitude of people can read my work and say, “Oh I know someone that acts just like that,” or even find a bit of themselves in my characters. When I started writing the series, one of the goals was to have the fantasy bits be fantastical and to have the parts that didn’t involve anything supernatural to be lifelike and genuine, and I believe that is something that was accomplished.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

The aspect that I enjoyed the most about writing my book was actually writing it. It’s an awesome feeling to bring something out of your head and in to the physical. The process was fun for me. It was cool putting everything together and then adding stuff in and taking stuff out, hiding this here, and then hinting and foreshadowing there. I loved creating it, but more over I loved the fact that writing this book proved to me that I could do what I’ve wanted to do for a long time now.


QUICKFIRE!

Math or English? English! I despise math.
Summer or Winter? Winter.
Morning Bird or Night Owl? Night Owl without question.
Tea or Coffee? Tea. Love the smell of coffee, but not the taste.
Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings? Got to go with Harry Potter.
Black or White? White.
Dogs or Cats? Cats. Love dogs though.
McDonalds or Burger King? Burger King.
Cake or Pie? Pie. Apple to be exact.
Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate.
Cable or Internet? Internet.
MySpace or Facebook? Facebook. Never had a MySpace.
The Simpsons or Family Guy? Family Guy.
Coke or Pepsi? Coke.
Batman or Superman? Superman.
Fantasy or Reality? Fantasy.
Comedy or Horror? Comedy. I rarely do horror.
Pancake or Waffles? Waffles.

Baked or Fried? Baked.
Hamburgers or Hotdogs? Hamburgers.

Links

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/NathanielStewart

Twitter- http://Twitter.com/NateStewart_TLA

Email- NathanielStewartTLA@gmail.com

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