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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Interview and Giveaway: Broken City series by D.D. Chant

Description:

Deeta Richards has never seen the outside world. Before she was born a banking crisis brought civilization to an end and now no one leaves the safety of the compounds unless they need to, but Deeta still dreams of seeing more than the building she was born in. 

Tom is in the guard, this group are the only people that the tribal elders allow to leave the compound and Tom knows only too well that Deeta could never survive the harshness that exists outside. Then tragedy strikes and Deeta and her sister Jan find themselves captured by a hostile tribe. Why does Tom know so much about these people? And why do they know so much about him? 

As this mystery draws to a climax, they discover that their friend Tom is not quite what he seems...

Life isn't turning out the way that Deeta thought it would. With the Lewises defeated and peace between the tribes, she'd believed that the dark times were in the past.

However troubles between the tribes continue and the Andak council has selected Tom as their ambassador and chief spokesman to the other tribes.

Deeta knows that there is still much resentment against the Andak, that Tom is in danger every time he leaves the safety of Andak city.
Struggling with her own complicated feelings against the tribe that she is now a part of, Deeta tries to ignore the changing attitudes growing within her.

Then Tom is betrayed and with the whole City thrown into great danger, Deeta finds that reality can't be ignored forever...

MB's INTERVIEW
Thank you, Mrs. D.D. Chant 

From historical fiction through contemporary (comedy) to futuristic/SF post-apocalyptic stories? What it takes to change the course like this and which is harder to write? 
I like reading in a lot of different genres, so it came pretty naturally to write in different genres too. There *are* practical differences, for instance the language that you use in historical fiction is very different to the language you use in a contemporary story. Yet that use of language and etiquette really sets the mood for a book. 

As for which is the hardest, they all have their own individual difficulties. Historical fiction has a lot of rules: you have to stay true to the social mores of the time, to events in history (although I have taken some liberties!!!) and at the same time balance realism with pleasant reading! No one wants to read about the fact that the characters rarely wash!!! ;-P 

With contemporary/comedy there is always the fear that you’re not as funny as you thought you were! My Claire series of short stories contain gentle humor about everyday things; like meeting your ex and his new girlfriend for the first time, or the haircut from hell. 

Futuristic/SF, Post-apocalyptic and Dystopia stories are so much fun because you get to create a whole new word, rules and political machinations. You can introduce characters that have been shaped by a set of circumstances that are horrifying to you, but entirely normal to them. At the same time it’s difficult to set up a new world order, to make people think that yes, this really could happen… 

Having in view the books you wrote, can you tell us if or how love, the true love, had changed over time? 
I think that expectations for love and romance have changed; now days people seem to want grand gestures and have a fairytale ideal that is unattainable. For me romance and love are all about the little things, the every day things that show you care. Love is unselfish and understanding, it’s about giving without thought of return. It’s about being completely happy when you’re doing nothing more exciting than watching T.V. together. 

Short story and novel: how different is to write them? 
Shorts are difficult because you have so little time to make the reader connect with your characters. You have to engage the reader’s interest and make them care about what happens in a few thousand words. With novels you have time to gradually peel back the layers of your characters and show the reader what makes them tick. 

How “fair” is to use a cliffhanger? There is any situation when it is not welcome? 
I love a good cliffie! I think so long as some of the story has been resolved, it’s okay to have elements that aren’t answered until the next book. It’s part of the excitement and experience of reading a really good book. Waiting more than a year between installments can be tough though… 

You read and write books that have “adventure and romance in it”. Why so and what brings this mix? 
I love romance… but I can’t get through a book that is just romance. I get bored when the only obstacle the hero and heroine face is their own misunderstandings about how the other person feels or does not feel! 

I like some adventure, a bit of mystery, or humor. I want to see my characters fall in love with each other; because they treat other people well, or they handle stressful situations with dignity, because they’re fair or they don’t allow the situation they’re in to corrupt the things they believe in. 

I want to know how the characters fit in to the bigger picture of everything that’s going on around them. I want to believe that it’s their faults and idiosyncrasies, as well as their good qualities, that make them so perfect for each other. You learn a lot more about people from observing how they behave, than actually talking to them!!! ;-P

About the author:
Hi everyone! 

My name is Dee Dee, I’m twenty six and I live in a beautiful part of Devon, England with my family. I have a younger sister, Amy who is a brilliant guitar player, some chickens, duck, geese, pheasants, a cat (that adopted us when we moved in!!!) and some Koi. 

Broken City is actually my second novel. My first, as my Aunt so delicately put it, was crazy. In my defence I was only sixteen when I wrote it. On the plus side I learnt a lot (or so I hope) and two years later ‘Broken City’ was finished. Due to the support I have received from readers I have just finished the next book in the Broken City series, Broken Truce! 
I have another book, ‘The Promise’, which is set in Saxon England is the beginning of a series. I’ve just begun to edit the next book and I’m really looking forward to releasing it. 

My third series is called The Chronicles of Discord. The first book, 'Fracture', is set in the distant future and tells the story of Astra, a young woman with a very big secret. 

I have just finished the second book in the series and it’s currently awaiting editing. 

I really hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoy writing them. 

I love reading and have a kindle: I read almost anything with adventure and romance in it! I also like to cook and wear impractical high heels!!! And as you might have noticed I have a horrible addiction to exclamation marks!!!

Author's Giveaway
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2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for being part of the tour and for such a great interview - Tonya

D.D. Chant said...

Thank you so much for having me on your blog! I really enjoyed the interview.