D.O: Thanks
for joining us today on Authors' Curtilage Book Dialogue, and welcome.
LS: Thank you. Being on this platform is a pleasure.
D.O: Which region of the world are you joining us
from? The audience is curious.
LS: I'm from Nigeria. Offa, Kwara State to be precise.
D.O: When did you first realize you wanted to
write?
LS: Well, that was when I was in Jss 2. I think I
was about twelve years as at then. A writing competition in school prompted me
to begin my journey. I stopped at a point in time but after experiencing a hit
in life at sixteen which lasted for quite some time,
I realized I could help others with my life story in different books of mine in
bits.
D.O: That's good to know. Tell us, what
types of crafts did you learn before entering the entertainment industry? Or
did you have the desire to write stories from childhood?
LS: I have
always had that burning passion to write from childhood. I used to write my
stories in exercise books and show them to people around me and their positive
comments would cause me to write more stories.
D.O: What steps did you take to turn your
manuscript from a rough draft into a published book?
LS: A draft
is something I will call a cluster of our thoughts being written down. It's not
perfectly written until you have had someone read it and you make edits over
and over again till it's perfect. Those
were exactly the steps I took. I would write, then post it on my Facebook
page/group and other writing platforms for my beta readers to read and spot the errors or what I didn't do right and would make edits where necessary and
proofread them till I got it published.
D.O: Wow, it's great to know you're not mechanical when it comes to the writing process. What did you do differently in your book to
elicit strong emotions in readers as fear, worry, grief, love, and laughter? Or
does your book lack any of these components?
LS: I created personalities through my bleeding pen
which slowly writes through pages to portray real-life themes such as greed, power
lust, fear, dedication to the relationships they build, endurance and
grit through the hardships they face throughout the saga, and the importance of
being courageous.
D.O: What delicate subjects does your book touch
on?
LS: Shadow fighter arises from long-held beliefs people have about
themselves and the world around them, starting from their earliest experiences,
setbacks, and ugly past circumstances which are reinforced as we grow and mature.
Subjecting ourselves to limiting factors can hinder our relationships, growth, and success, because of fear, challenges, breakdown in the status of different kinds
you can think of, a mighty fall and all. And because nobody encourages or
gives guidance, acceptance of fate sets in which can cause unhappiness,
resentment and most likely, death for those who can't handle life issues.
D.O: What's the subject matter of your book?
LS: Shadow Fighter: The True Heir is about you being the owner of your
actions, being persistent, and courageous, overcoming the past and staying true to
yourself.
A kingdom, four
lands, and four tribes with different abilities united under the rule of a great
king.
A magical world awaits the emergence of a
nineteen-year-old boy, the true heir of the kingdom of light destined to rule
and stop the reign of terror. What happens when he lives as a commoner with no
knowledge of who he is, his past or those who exist in it?
Jaden Jefferson, a young man who escaped the
claw of death in infancy while his parents were murdered was shielded from the
truth about their death and his true identity by his guardian.
An event caused
him to learn about his identity. He now has a new purpose in life... Fight off
evil and rule the four lands as the pure and true ruler of the kingdom called
Dragkan. The light must prevail over darkness. When the darkness appears, he comes into
play. He is inevitable, he is..... Shadow fighter.
D.O: What is the core idea of your novel, which
explores morality or the truth?
LS: The book Shadow Fighter: The True Heir is about having the desire to achieve success
while overcoming obstacles, due to the fact that Jaden
is on a
quest for freedom for his people by acquiring an
ancestral sword; the sword of light.
D.O: What town or city does your book's plot take
place in, and how do these homes make us feel?
LS: Dragkan, a magical world I created in a medieval style. It creates a mental picture of a different world from ours
shutting out our knowledge of this world we live in and reflecting on some
characters' behaviour in our world similar to ours.
D.O: When narrating a story, having a distinctive
point of view gives your story purpose. How many different characters' points
of view does your book cover?
LS: About 2 - 3 points of view.
D.O: What do these points of view inject into each
of your book's chapters?
LS: Well, I would say these points of view basically
express characters' thoughts, experiences, motivations, and reactions carrying
tension from their own perspective and their developments. It allows readers to see through different characters' eyes and know what they think and feel.
D.O: What is the one thing your book's main
character wants most in life?
LS: To fight off evil from his world, stop the reign of terror and fulfil the prophecy long spoken of in his world.
D.O: How does he or she go about achieving this goal?
LS: Being raised as a commoner and trained as a
fighter by one of the best fighters in his world, he systematically attacks the
one person he's meant to defeat and proves himself worthy of being the true Heir
of Dragkan as he finds the sword of light.
D.O: What are your main character's core beliefs?
LS:
Being unworthy, being incompetent.
D.O: What are the two opposing values you
established for your protagonist?
LS: Courage, loyalty.
D.O: Do these values make sense in light of his
backstory?
LS: Yes.
D.O: What is the personal trait you give your main
character to help him or her survive the events of your book?
LS: Impeccable perseverance
D.O: At the end of your book, did the plot's
resolution meets your primary character's goal, or did he find a different way
to accomplish it or fail to do so?
LS: Yes, the plot's resolution met my primary
character's goal.
D.O: How do you think your book will influence the
reader’s growth positively?
LS: Shadow Fighter: The True Heir is a need-to-read and will shift your world from bland to magically riveting. This book is specifically written for everyone who's still struggling to find their place in the world. I hope this book gives them a reason to never stop fighting until they scale through every hurdle in life and graciously overcome the brutal blows of life that had come as a surprise to them.
D.O: Any hint about your next book?
LS: My next
book will be out next year. I will be releasing two books. One has to do with fantasy
while the other has to do with action. Believe me, it will cut across some
aspects such as bullying and self-acceptance.
D.O: Best wishes for that. In the ever-changing economics of the
entertainment industry, what better effort do you recommend writers put into
their writing to achieve high sales?
LS: First of all, I would like to say to writers out
there, never give up on writing. Create your own universe and global events you
have in mind and be rest assured that there's no force strong enough to stop
you from breaking out and causing an effective change in the world through your
idea turned into reality in written form. The world is waiting for that book of
yours.
In response to the question, I would say look
at product-to-market fit. Identify your target audience. What do they want? What
issues are you trying to address? Build an online platform for readers,
maintain clarity in words, make edits where necessary, engage in competitions
if necessary and pre-launch your book before the release date to gain awareness.
D.O: Once again, we appreciate you participating in Authors Curtilage Book Dialogue. We wish you the best of luck with your book's publication and wish you nothing but success.
LS: Thank you. It's a pleasure having me around.
WhatsApp +2348158217451 to order his book in paperback.
Click the Amazon link below to buy Lawson Samuel's book:
Subscribe to his social media:
Facebook: Itz Samlex Keyz
Instagram: Lawsonsamuel8
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