ABOUT
LAST SIEGE OF HAVEN (THE UNDERTAKERS #4):
Title:
Last Siege of Haven (Undertakers #4)
Publication
date: May 2015
Publisher:
Month9Books, LLC.
Author:
Ty Drago
While
away on an undercover mission, Undertaker Will Ritter has made an unthinkable
alliance...with a Corpse! But though Robert Dillin (aka 'The Zombie Prince') is
indeed one of those alien invaders who animate and possess the bodies of the
dead -- unlike the rest of his kind, Dillin isn't evil. In fact, he wants to
help. And Will needs that help, because the Queen of the Dead has learned the
location of Haven, the Undertakers' secret HQ, and is planning a massive and
deadly assault.
With
the last day of the Corpse War finally upon them, Will and his friends find
themselves in a desperate race to close the Rift between worlds and forever
kill the Corpses. But can they do before Haven is overrun?
For
that matter, can they do it at all?
MY INTERVIEW:
1. Where/how did you come up with the
idea for your story? Did it suddenly pop into your head or were you
brainstorming?
I
was in the mall with my son, Andy, who as twelve-years-old at the time. He’s nearly twenty-two now, which give you an
idea of how long it’s been since the Undertakers were born!
I’d
been looking for a new project for a while by then. It had been a few years since I’d published
anything substantial and, frankly, I needed a win. On this particular day, as we were leaving a
bookstore, Andy said to me, “Why don’t you trying writing a book for my age?”
I
kind of liked that notion. So I started up
what I think of as the Idea Machine.
That’s the part of my brain that takes notions and chews or them and
churns at them until they turn into something I can use...or not. Well, in this
case, the Idea Machine ended up spitting out a winner.
2. Did you start with the main
character, the world or the overarching concept?
I
liked the concept of a child army, a fighting force composed entirely of teen
and pre-teens. The way I saw it, they
were battling an enemy that only they could see. Once I had that, it was just a matter of
coming up with a good villain.
Vampires? Been done to death (pun
intended). Werewolves? I’ve always liked them as good guys. How about ... zombies? But not your moaning, shuffling idiot kind of
zombies. My zombies had to smart, fast,
and organized. They had to have some
means of disguising themselves, of hiding the fact that they were dead. So that, to the rest of the world, they were
normal living people: teachers, bus drivers, policemen.
And
the only ones capable of penetrating this illusion, of seeing the truth, were
members of the aforementioned child army.
That’s
how the Undertakers, and the Corpses, were born.
3. Panster or Plotter? Or in between?
Panster,
I suppose. I don’t like outlines. I think they stifle my creative juices. Most of the pre-work I do, I do entirely
between my ears. I drive a lot, listen
to music a lot, and think. Then, when I’m ready, I write it down. That’s honestly my process.
4. Are you a fan of writing contests?
Of
course! Anything that gets anyone’s work
in front of judges – be they editors, agents, or other writers – is fine with
me. I’ve had the honor of judging a few
writing competitions, most recently on TentSquare (www.tentsquare.com), a really great crowd-sourced
content/social media site. Included in
the prize was a thirty minute consult with me, which was flattering and, as it
turned out, a great experience for all concerned.
5. How did you find your agent? How many
query letters did you send?
My
first agent I found by networking. But
my second, the amazing lady who has sold five Undertakers books for me, I found
the old fashioned way. I went onto
AgentQuery.com and searched their database for agents who (a) accepted YA and
MG fiction, (b) were actively seeking new clients, and (c) didn’t charge
reading or mailing fees. Once I had a
list of sixty names, I checked each of them out individually and whittled the
list down to about forty.
Then
I submitted to all of them at once. I know,
I know. Some agents don’t like
simultaneous submissions. What can I
tell you? I wasn’t getting any younger
and I was tired of waiting! J
Two
of the queried agents responded favorably, asking to see the entire
manuscript. Of them, one offered to represent
me, and she’s been my partner and one of my best and most loyal fans ever
since.
6. What's the best marketing tool you've
found so far?
School
visits, hands down! Since 2011, I’ve
visited more than sixty middle schools in six states, speaking in front over
more than 25,000 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th
graders. They’re a great audience and
its wonderful venue for self-promotion and selling books. I’ve quite literally sold thousands of copies
at such visits, and intend to keep doing them!
7. What do you like best about your mc?
Will
Ritter is the hero I always wanted to be but, in the real world, could never
quite manage it. When we meet him, he’s
scared and confused, terrified by the new and awful world into which he’s been
thrust. But by the end of RISE OF THE
CORPSES, the first Undertakers books, he’s a force to reckoned with. And by Book 4, the newly released LAST SIEGE
OF HAVEN, he’s described as the Corpses’ “boogeyman!”
The
series is all about empowering children, and that theme is epitomized in Will.
8. What do you like best about your main
antagonist?
Lilith
Cavanaugh, the Queen of the Dead, was described by one reviewer as combining sophistication
with a certain savage monstrosity. I’ve
always liked that. Lilith is more than just
an alien who possesses and animates the bodies of the recently dead, the way
all Corpses do. She’s a true despot,
which a soul so black it would frighten Hitler.
To give you some idea, Lilith covets the body of Susan Ritter, Will’s
mother, and is always plotting to kill her and then wear her cadaver as her
next host.
Doesn’t
get more evil than that!
9. Anything else you like to share about
your journey or your upcoming launch, including links to giveaways or ways
people can help spread the word?
Anyone
who wants to know more about the Undertakers and their adventures can check out
www.jointheundertakers.com.
There, they’ll find background on the series and its characters, as well
as links to the book trailers and, from time to time, special promotions and
giveaways.
If
you’d like to follow me more personally, you can check out my blog at www.tydrago.com or send
me an email at me@tydrago.com. I’m also on Twitter and Facebook. So reach out!
I love hearing from folks!
Link to Goodreads:
Purchase Links:
ABOUT TY DRAGO:
Ty
Drago does his writing just across the river from Philadelphia, where
the Undertakers novels take place. In addition to The
Undertakers: Rise of the Corpses,The Undertakers: Queen of the Dead,
and The Undertakers: Secret of the Corpse Eater, he is the author
of The Franklin Affair and Phobos, as well as short stories and
articles that have appeared in numerous publications, including Writer’s
Digest. He currently lives in southern New Jersey with his wife and best
friend, the real Helene Drago née Boettcher.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway hosted by:
No comments:
Post a Comment