Today I'm chatting with American author
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| The Story Plant 6 January 2015 |
They met at the worst possible moment...or maybe it was just
in time. David McClain was about to go to war and Lindsey Wood was there at his
going-away party, capturing his heart when falling for a woman was the last
thing on his mind. While David was serving his country, he stayed in close
contact with Lindsey. But war changes a person, and when he came home very
little had the same meaning that it had before – including the romance that had
sustained him. Was love truly unconquerable, or would it prove to be just
another battlefield casualty?
***
~Hi Steven, welcome back to Jaffareadstoo~
Tell us about your latest book - Gooseberry Island.....
Where did you get the first flash of inspiration for
Gooseberry Island?
I served in the first Gulf war, which was a brutal
experience. Like many others, I returned home to face some pretty serious
demons—namely, PTSD. I’ve been writing for many years now and decided that it
was time to bring some much needed awareness to servicemen and women who suffer
upon returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Tell us three interesting things about your novel which
will pique the reader’s interest?
One of the novel’s main storylines depicts a modern-day
romantic relationship—that is both intense and very cool at the same time. I
served in a war environment, so the scenes that take place during the
protagonist’s military service are very true-to-life. Lastly, for every book
sold, we’re donating one dollar to the Wounded Warrior project, as well as an
e-copy to a serviceman or woman returning home.
Are you a plotter...or ...a start writing and see where
it takes you, sort of writer?
I used to be the latter (start writing and see where it
goes) until I signed with Lou Aronica at The Story Plant. In the last three
years, he’s mentored me on the incredible value of storyboarding. It’s amazing
how much better my writing has become due to having a solid outline at the
outset.
Whilst you are writing, you must live with your
characters. How do you feel about them when the book is finished? Are they what
you expected them to be?
I’m sad whenever I finish a book, which is a good sign (as
I’ve become attached to the characters). Gooseberry Island was
no different. They become a part of me and I begin to live through them.
Do you write the type of books you like to read and which
authors influence you?
Actually, I like to read all types of books—from horror to
non-fiction. The books that I write share an audience with Nicholas Sparks,
Mitch Albom (both of whom I respect). However, I also enjoy the work of authors
I would never compete with—from Stephen King to James Patterson.
Can you tell us if you have another novel planned?
I’m currently writing, The Changing Season. It’s
a coming-of-age story, capturing the summer between high school graduation and
college. The main character—Billy—has a dog, Jimmy, who I’ve fallen in love
with.
My thoughts on Gooseberry Island
David and Lindsey meet just hours
before David is deployed for a twelfth month tour of duty to Afghanistan. As part
of an elite Rangers group David sees some violent situations, but he is
heartened by the times he shares with Lindsey; using Skype gives him the chance
to see her beautiful face and love letters allow him to share his innermost
feelings. After his tour of duty, David decides to leave the army, but his return
home to Gooseberry Island, a place he loves and where he calls home, is hampered
by unexpected panic attacks and violent flashbacks. Post traumatic stress disorder
can strike at anyone at any time but for those brave souls in our society who put
their lives on the line for public safety, PTSD can all too easily overpower
and overshadow.
In this book, Steven Manchester
combines the overwhelming attraction of two people meeting and falling in
love alongside the sheer desperation of a traumatised life, and in doing so he
shows the all too human face of adversity. With warmth and understanding and a
sympathetic writer, this story starts to come alive. The characters very quickly
become as familiar as friends, and you start to care about what happens to them
and hope that as the story progresses some sort of resolution can be achieved.
Gooseberry Island really gets the
PTSD message across in a realistic way. The story works well as
a powerful love story and it also works as a fitting testament to the bravery of our armed
forces.
~***~
Being in the UK, I have no idea
of what $1 will buy in the US – a cup of coffee maybe, or half a bagel, a candie bar......
If so, instead
of eating something you don’t really need,or boosting your system with extra caffeine, maybe you could download this book where until the end of January 2015, $1 will be donated to the Wounded Warrior
project... you can find more details here...
****
