What was his inspiration for this book? How many books will be in this series? Is he working on any books that won't be part of this series?
The Immortal Game: Rise of the Water Bearer is your first book. How long did it take you to complete this book?
Yes, this is the first book I’ve completed. I have a few that are half done and on hold, I just have to do a vast amount of research to finish them. The Immortal Game took three years to write, but that was part-time. As a paramedic, I would use the downtime sitting in the ambulance to write. It wasn't easy when an emergency came over the radio and I come back to a sentence like this - “Gabe looked up to the stars and…” Now what was I thinking?
What was your inspiration for this book?
"God called me on my cell phone last night" - a stupid thought that I jotted down in a book I carry around with me. I carry this book around just to jot down those little things that pop in my head. That thought never enters into the book, but it gave rise to one of the main characters, then the characters took on a life of their own. I was so caught up in the story that I wanted to find out what happened next. No, I didn’t know either until I wrote it. My sister is the one who gave me the idea to carry the book around with me. It has so many thoughts and half -ideas that it should keep me busy for a long time.
Is this book going to be part of a series? How many books will be in the series?
I have two more stories planned for these characters. I had so much fun writing this book that I will write more just so I can see the story completed. I’d hate to see it come to an end here. The characters have become a part of me and I think they have a long way to go before they will stop bugging me.
Do you have any books planned that are not going to be part of this series? Will they be completed before or after the rest of The Immortal Game? series?
Yes, I am in the midst of writing my second book, now tentatively named Smile It is a wonderfully sad novel. It almost breaks my heart to write the story, but it needs to be written. I don’t want to give too much away, but it follows the life of an unfortunate woman. The pain she goes through I’ve only seen from the outside looking in from my time as a paramedic. Don’t be surprised to find a character from The Immortal Game making a cameo appearance.
You entered your book in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest in 2012. Unfortunately, it didn't win. Now what are you going to do?
Winning was a long shot, so I really wasn't counting on it. Now I am going to publish it in ebook format through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I actually think it is better that way. The author has a lot more say in the finished product, so the readers get to read what the author intended.
In Richard Petracca - Character Development, discover how this author develops his characters.
If you would like to purchase a copy of this book yourself for your own reading pleasure, I have provided an Amazon link below.
