Thanks for stopping by another edition of Meet the Author, where we have authors turn out their mental pockets so we can see what interesting bits of lint fall out. 🙂 Today in the hot-seat, we have Claude Dancourt, author of the fantasy novel, Return to Caer Lon.
Welcome, Claude. Let’s start right in with a juicy morsel. Have you ever done what the author t-shirts threaten and written somebody you dislike into a story?
Yes, actually. One character in Return to Caer Lon is someone I know and don’t particularly like. But I won’t tell who! And I played fair… I can’t tell you more or I will ruin the party ;p
Ah, come on! You’re such a tease. 😉 I guess we’ll just have to read the book and make our own guesses, right? Time to entice us a little more–what’s your favorite paragraph from the book? No spoilers now, just a nice tease if you please.
That’s a tough one, I like so many! Okay, I’ll go with one which occurs in chapter 26. It involves socks. I like that scene because it shows that the dynamic between the main characters remains the same, though their relationship has already evolved. And I can just picture their faces while they talk.
“I beg your pardon?”
The young man glowered. Had she coerced him to visit places of his soul he voluntarily ignored, only to mock him? It would be… exactly like her; the former her. The one she was back in Haven, when they disregarded each other; the one she was, well… before.
Derek returned his attention to Sacha, brows knitted.
“… Not what I meant. I have enough with looking after Elwyn and Sebastian. I have no wish to include you in my list of brothers.”
“Sebastian is your cousin, not your brother.” Derek corrected her out of habit “And last time I checked, you were hitting Elwyn on the head with his own socks. It is a strange way to look after him.”
Ha! A strange way, indeed. I totally need to read this! Where did your characters come from? Someone you know? Inquiring minds would like to know.
Generally, my characters are not one person in particular with one or two exceptions maybe. They are more a patchwork from people I know, read about, saw, etc. They have a part of me, a part of my relatives, my neighbors, coworkers, girl/boy next door, actors. Sometimes they are born out of a sunset, or a piece of music. I can’t really pinpoint where they come from.
I’m totally with you, there. Most of mine are compilations of several people, too. Makes for more interesting personalities that way. 🙂 Are there any other fantastic novels waiting to burst free from your imagination in the future?
I am blessed (or cursed) with restless muses. I have tons of ideas for new novels. I am not attached to one genre yet, though I like to include romantic issues in my plots. I am seriously working on a paranormal fantasy, Moonshadows, and I am also playing with ideas for different stories. I’d like to use some characters from Second Chances again. It seems fun to build an entire universe through different novels. Maybe I’ll write a sequel to Return to Caer Lon, I’m not sure yet.
Right on. I love it when an author knows where he’s going, and I also like to know where he’s been. 😉 What kind of high school personality were you? Band dork? Jock? Loner? Brainiac?
Loner brainiac. Which is probably why I love books so much.
I’m utterly shocked at the number of authors in that category. It seems to be a precursor to becoming a writer. I’ve always fantasized about having some neat skill I could use to wreak havoc … uh, I mean keep peace in the world. Yeah, that’s what I meant. 😉 If you could be a superhero, what would your power be?
I don’t think I want to be a superhero. In Smallville, my favorite character is Chloe Sullivan. She orchestrates the whole thing with a computer and wits. That’s more my style. But if I have to pick one, I would probably choose Rogue from the X-men. She can borrow every power.
Oh yeah, I like Rogue, too, though Wolverine is my favorite. Okay, superheroes aside, there are lots of other neat stuff I’d like to try on for size. If you could choose to be any supernatural being, werewolf, vampire, god, demon, what would it be?
An Elf. I like their ears!
*snort* Haha! Can you tell I wasn’t expecting that answer? Love it. Speaking of loving it, check out the cover of Return to Caer Lon! Very mystical. I have a thing for amazing skies, and this one is incredible.
Back of the book
Thirty hundred years ago, Arthur Pendragon, High King of the Ten Kingdoms, was betrayed and the royal city of Caer Lon became a myth.
Fifteen years ago, the sorcerer Wolfryth killed King William Pendragon in his quest for power and usurped the throne of Camelot. Queen Ylianor and her five year old son fled the kingdom to take refuge in Haven at Duke Geraint’s court.
Today, Prince Derek follows Geraint’s beautiful daughter Sacha into a reckless mission to save her brother from Wolfryth. He will need to embrace his heritage and to trust magic if he wants to find his way back to Caer Lon and unlock its secrets before the sorcerer kills them all.
Connect with Claude here: www.claudedancourt.webs.com
Purchase Return to Caer Lon here:
Jocelyn Adams 