Meet Brae Wyckoff

Hello fans and followers! This week we've got a great Featured Artist post. It is an interview with Author Brae Wyckoff. 

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Now on with the show. . .here's the fantastic interview we were blessed to capture with. . . 

Author Brae Wyckoff

*A zealous fan approaches your book signing table and wants to know

everything there is to know about writing a book…right now! There’s

a long line of fans waiting, and you only have a few seconds…what one

thing would tell them to encourage them to become a writer?

“Pay attention to your tears because they point to your destiny.”

*What book or books are you currently working on? Can we expect a

new release soon?

The Orb of Truth was just released November 2012. The sequel, called The

Dragon God, will be out in 2013. The Dragon God story is completely written, but

now it is the fun task of re-writes, running it through a critique group, and then

off to the editor for the polishing touches. I will begin the 3rd book, The Vampire

King, real soon…it is currently outlined and ready for action.

*Do you prefer writing the good guy’s dialogue or the villain’s? Give us

an example of your amazing talent…write us a line of dialogue from

your favorite good guy or villain.

They go hand in hand. The bad guys are fun because they are so overconfident

while the good guys are balancing their morals and their decision making.

Personalities are key because some characters swing both ways.

Here is a scene in The Orb of Truth with the evil King Manasseh and his

wizards…enjoy.

“How does an Ordakian continue to elude my best?” There was no

response from anyone.

“ANSWER ME!!!” The King shouted at the top of his lungs. Spittle

flew from his enraged lips into the face of the wizard in front of him.

The trembling voice crackled to life, “My King, it has had some help.”

“A Dwarf and a human? That is what you consider help? That is what’s

besting my best? Then perhaps I need to find better!”

“My liege, there is something different about this group.”

“Different? Explain yourself.”

“Your magnificence, I have sensed a power that radiates from the

Ordakian. It is something that I have not felt before. Perhaps it is a magical

item. We have discussed this amongst ourselves, and—”

“Discussed?” the enraged King interrupted him. “I am the one who

gives permission to discuss, Constable! Your group of misfits sicken me!”

*We all love stories – especially yours! Would you be willing to give the readers a synopsis of your current book?

In essence, The Orb of Truth is all about The Orb, but it goes much deeper

than that. Without giving too much away, the heroes are swept up into an epic

adventure starting from the opening chapter all the way to the very end. Here is

what is displayed on the back of the book.

In the hundreds of years since the Holy City disappeared, darkness has fallen over

the land. Human kingdoms have seized control of the realm, scattering the other races

into hiding.

Bridazak, a skilled thief, and his friends, a Dwarf and a fellow Ordakian, have

dared to remain within the human communities and live relatively quiet lives, until they

discover a mysterious, magical artifact. The three friends are thrust into an adventure that

will challenge their faith, their purpose, and their destiny as they chase a forgotten and

lost prophecy across the realm of Ruauck-El, where they hope to discover the origins of

the strange item and their place in its history.

An ancient, unknown enemy threatens the completion of their journey at every

turn. Bridazak is about to face the biggest adventure of his life, one that may change the known realm, and answer the questions he has carried all his life. Will they unlock the

truth?

*Creativity. Where does yours come from? This is something

writers are asked about much of the time. Would you be so kind

as to elaborate on where you get your ideas and what sparks your

creativity?

I pull on creativity through many resources. This is just me, but I love to listen

to Pandora music, like Top 40, and then write. There is something in the music

that flushes out creative thoughts. Other situations for creativity to flow are while

taking a shower or driving…these places conjure ideas and then I’m off tapping

the keyboard or writing the thoughts in my journal.

The other and most important area of creativity is actually submerging myself

within the genre and what I mean by that is actually gaming D&D with others.

Creating a character and taking that character from first level to the highest level.

Amazing ideas and encounters come up during this process…something I like to

call “research and development”.

*Love and romance, paranormal, epic fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, thriller,

drama, and the list goes on. Where do your books fall as far as genre

and reading audience?

My genre is clearly EPIC FANTASY and the audience is young adult to all those

who love to be taken to a magical land and escape reality for a little while.

*Social media has become a part of being an author. What are your 3 best tips of the trade for upcoming authors when it comes to building their social media platform?

Start NOW. Don’t wait until your book is out, but instead start joining groups,

interacting, and help others by promoting their material. When it comes time

for your turn, your hope is that you have built some relationships to help you

succeed. You can’t do it alone and you have to get out of the mindset that it

is a competition. People read books and then they are off to the next so don’t

worry about some other author taking your readers, that is just a bunch of crap

nonsense.

Build you brand. Make your own author page or book page. Introduce yourself

with a personal video and be sincere with everyone you meet.

*If you could personally thank one person, or several (living or not)

for giving you the strength, determination, and perseverance to

continue in your writing who would you thank?

This is easy…my wife. She is a gem and she has been my Orb of Truth. I love

her so much and am thankful that God brought her to me. She is my biggest

supporter, she believes in me, and encourages me constantly. She is a woman of

integrity and when you meet her, you will think, wow, she is someone special.

*Who is your favorite character that you have created?

An extremely fun character is a gnome named Trillius. He is not in The Orb of

Truth but makes his appearance in book 2: The Dragon God and will have a big

role in the third book as well.

Trillius is a thief, looking out for himself, but he gets mixed up with the heroes

and villains and becomes the focal point for both sides.

Here is an un-edited scene from The Dragon God, book #2, due out in 2013:

“You’ve brought guests to Pirates Belly,” a mysterious smooth voice came from

behind the adventurers. Startled, the heroes turned.

They saw an impressive pirate who wore dark blue pants, black leather boots and

belt, a white billowy long sleeved shirt with frills around the cuffs and collar, and a

beautiful maroon hat with a large brim. A yellow frazzled feather adorned his cap. His

headwear and the downward tilt of his head concealed his face from view.

“May I introduce to you the ones who brought down King Manasseh,” said

Elsbeth.

“We are honored to have such heroes among us. My name is Romann de Beaux.

Welcome to my humble home.” He pulled off his hat and bowed elegantly. The

swashbuckler stood back up, his face pale white with eyes that swirled red and blue like a

whirlpool. His smile revealed pearly white teeth with two prominent fangs.

The group of heroes were wise enough not to insult the creature by saying aloud

that he was a vampire. That is, all of them, except one.

“You’re a vampire,” Trillius chimed in awe.

“Forgive—,” Elsbeth began but Romann held up his hand to stop her.

“And what is your name?” he asked. He kneeled down as if talking to a child.

The gnome answered tremulously, “My name is Trillius.”

“Ah, yes, of course. Well little-one, since we are being candid, I will call

you ‘Snack’.” Romann lifted his lip slightly to reveal one of his fangs while emphasizing

his last word. Trillius back peddled away and clung to El’Korr. The dwarf was pleased

as he knew this encounter would keep the gnome on board the ship.

So, hope you enjoyed this little scene…and just so you know, Trillius does NOT

stay on the ship.

*Do you create and design your own book covers?

Definitely NOT! I seek a professional, someone who is good and is able to take

your idea and run with it. The best covers are the simplistic and to the point

covers. They are the ones where you can identify the genre just by looking at it.

*As a self-published author do you recommend having your novels

professionally edited?

YES, YES, and YES! You need an editor. You are too close to your own work so

you need a fresh set of eyes and not only that but someone who knows what they

are doing. Try to get someone to critique and help edit the actual content and not

just place commas correctly. The cover and editing are crucial.

*Where can we find your book(s)?

Click this link to find The Orb of Truth on Amazon…printed and digital ebook.

You'll also find Brae around the web at the following links. So c'mon - what are you waiting for? Get out there and discover all there is to discover about this amazing author! 

WEBSITE OR BLOG ADDRESS: http://www.theorboftruth.com/

FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/theorboftruth

TWITTER HANDLE: https://twitter.com/BraeWyckoff

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Thanks so much for taking the time to join us this week for our interview with

Author Brae Wyckoff. We hope you will help us spread the word about this amazing author and all the talent he has to offer in the literary world!

One very simple way to do this is by clicking your choice of "share" buttons at the top of the right hand column of this page. Thanks JLBC fans - you totally rock!

Until next week - stay casual, live life to the fullest, and have a piece of chocolate for me.

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