Author Interview with Christopher Draven
Author Interview
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I was young the first time I felt the thrill of telling a story from my imagination. In the fourth grade, I won a short story contest for children writers. After that, I was hooked.
What inspired you to write “Hunted”?
The inspiration started with the idea of using Jonathan Harker as a protagonist. As a character, he has such a fascinating tale; and yet, so few people know who he is or what he accomplished. When I made the decision that I would focus on writing a novel all the way through, I settled on Jonathan Harker at random. I had one scene in mind, I wrote it, and luckily that story kept unfolding.
What is your editing process like?
I have learned not to edit as I write. Stopping to fix things means I’ll never get done. When I let that go, the writing started to flow a lot more quickly.
My process is to wait until the book is finished, then go back read it through. That’s when I find the significant inconsistencies or glaring grammatical foibles. Once the first read-through is complete, I run it through an editing software. That helps me highlight things like words I repeat a lot, unnecessarily wordy passages, and common errors.
The next step is to send it for real editing – developmental editing. I have a fantastic editor, and she has no fear. She combs through the mechanics of what I wrote and then guides me on how to improve. While she will add inline edits, it’s not her job. Her role is to make sure the story glistens in the light of day.
When I get the bleeding manuscript back, I spend a lot of time rewriting. I incorporate my editor’s feedback, focus on updating things I need to change, and then give it another read through for new errors I’ve likely made.
Once I feel that it is ‘ready,’ I give it to a proofreader. Another rework of the edits the proofreader found, and one last final polish. That’s when it is good to go…
It’s a long process, but I find it necessary. When I published my first book, I did it without any proofreading, and readers complained. So it’s my goal to ensure I never get another complaint about typos again!
Is this your first book?
No, I have written non-fiction works as a co-author and as a ghostwriter. However, Hunted is my debut in fiction.
Learning the craft of fiction has been an incredible journey.
Did you set any writing goals for 2017?
I wanted to get book two finished and out; which happened this month. Confession: A Jonathan Harker Novel was released in early October 2017. I’m continuing to promote Hunted and will transition to Confession in the coming weeks. Keep an eye out, as there will be some promotional pricing ;).
Are you working on something now?
Yes. I have started work on book three. I also have two short stories I’d like to write before the end of the year. More details to come on those projects. Details can be found on my Facebook page or my author website.
Thanks for the interview!
About the Book
Title: Hunted: A Jonathan Harker Novel
Author: Christopher Draven
Genre: Paranormal Thriller / Urban Fantasy
Slinging Spells with Broken Ribs Isn’t Easy
Jonathan Harker, mage and life-long demon hunter, wakes to find himself tied to a chair and severely wounded. His captor, a demon in service to a summoner who wants Harker alive.
Armed with impossibly powerful magic and a gang of demon toughs, the summoner has snared Harker in a deadly trap. Nothing is ever easy, and being new in town has left Harker with few allies. However, with help from a Fortune-Teller named Clover and a self-described “Kitchen Witch” named Momma Dee, Harker fights back.
To prevail, Harker must walk unprepared into a pit of demons and black magic – and come out alive on the other side.
Author Bio
Christopher Draven has worked as an instructional designer, newspaper journalist, and ghost writer.
One soggy Monday morning, he committed to leaving behind the soul-stealing work of corporate puppetry and escaped to a meadow where he could concentrate on his passion. Since that fateful day, Christopher has focused on learning the craft of fiction.
Links
twitter: @writerdraven
email: info@christopherdraven.com