Fateful Decisions by Trevor D'Silva

10/11/2019

Award winning author, Trevor D’Silva introduces us to his novel, “Fateful Decisions”:
A Wishing Shelf Book Award Finalist 2018
It’s 1915 in the heat of WWI. Two friends heading to England aboard the British ocean liner, RMS Lusitania, meet and fall in love with a charismatic woman. After battling for her affection, Rachel Williams makes her decision, beginning a journey that no one can predict or soon forget. For the next thirty years, Rachel is forced to live with the choice she made, as the dominos fall around her, sequentially.
Is there a sinister force at work? Who can Rachel trust? Will Rachel ultimately regret her decision when she learns how it impacted others?
Set in America and Europe, history and fiction intertwine, commencing with the sinking of Lusitania. Historical events like The Russian Revolution, Prohibition, The Great Depression and World Wars I and II also play important roles in the lives of the characters and the decisions they make to love, betray, forgive, and reconcile.

At first, it seemed to be very plainly written, almost simple. After a few dozen pages I began to enjoy the genius of the writing. I grew to appreciate the writing style and how the story was weaving back and forth. A beautiful tapestry was being built before my eyes with glowing threads of joy and mysterious threads of tragedy skillfully filling the warp and woof. Just like real life.
It is no mystery why this book has won the accolades it has. They are well deserved. I love how the author blended so many important and earthshaking events into the story, it brought a flavor of realism that seldom is found.
Clarity is the secret ingredient in all aspects of this book. The action is plentiful, scene setting is perfect, every word has earned its place on the page. The dialog is pleasing also, harking back to a different age.
I award a score of 4.9 stars to “Fateful Decisions”.

You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Fateful-Decisions-Trevor-DSilva-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/fateful-decisions-trevor-dsilva
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fateful-decisions-trevor-dsilva

You can follow the author:
http://trevordsilva.com
https://twitter.com/TrevorDAuthor
https://www.instagram.com/trevordauthor
https://www.pinterest.com/trevor_dsilva
mailto:[email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/Trevordsilvaauthor/

Tags: historical fiction, fiction, war, finance, romance, military, murder, adventure, suspense, thriller

Copyright © 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction

33 Comments

Trevor D'Silva link

10/11/2019 08:45:29 pm

Thank you very much Mark for the wonderful review and for helping to get my novel out to the public. I am glad that you enjoyed the novel.

Mark

10/11/2019 10:15:42 pm

You are welcome, Trevor, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book. It must have been difficult to condense the story of two generations, multiple characters and significant world events.
First question.
Please, tell us a little about yourself. Perhaps something a little bit beyond your bio.

10/11/2019 10:48:04 pm

Well, I grew up always being fascinated by history and my late father used to watch a lot of WW2 movies, since he was a navy man. I used to sit on his lap as a young child and watch these movies together with him. Even though I love history, strangely enough, none of my four degrees are in history. Three are in engineering and one is in accounting. I taught for two years, teaching Mechanical Engineering and Environmental Science in two different colleges and then worked for various companies. I love travelling and experiencing different cultures and meeting people. I also love food. Trying different ethnic cuisines is what gets me interested in the history and culture of a region or country. I also love learning different languages. I can learn a language preferably by practicing with someone. Sitting in a classroom is not my way of learning a language. I am an anglophile, and British history is my favorite.
My late maternal grandmother saw my desire to write and she encouraged me to keep writing. She also gave me a dictionary when I was a child to refer to if I ever wrote a book.
A surprising fact about 'Fateful Decisions' is that it took me 17 years to write it. I first concentrated on my education and then my teaching career, and after that, I decided that it was time to complete my novel and I did in 2017. I guess better late than never.

10/11/2019 11:21:52 pm

History is very fascinating at times. I share your interest in history and food also. We have something else in common, you are a mechanical engineer and teach in the field. When I retired I was a journeyman sheet metal worker and HVAC service technician. I got tired of crawling through attics and crawl spaces. Reading and proofreading is much more fun.
You are absolutely correct, better late than never. There are many authors who published late in life, you have a lot of company.
New questions.
Are you a full-time or part-time writer?
What inspired you to write this book?

10/12/2019 01:19:26 pm

Are you a full-time or part-time writer?
This is a difficult question to answer. It depends on how my brain works. What I mean is if I have good ideas coming from my head and I can record them on a WORD document as fast as they come out.
When I begin to write a novel, I think I would say that I am a part-time writer. Then towards the middle of the novel, I tend to get very busy trying to make it interesting and I probably spend every waking moment researching and putting my ideas on a WORD document. From then on, I would say, I become a full-time writer. I work a full-time job, and after I get back from work, I am on the computer researching and writing dialogues and scenes. It is the same during the weekends. A lot of time and effort must go into it, if you are serious about writing a good quality novel. It is your ‘baby’ and you want it to look its best.
The work does not end even after the novel has been completed. I have to read through it several times editing and reediting the book. Then editing with an editor also requires my full attention. I am working against time to make the corrections suggested by the editor. I’m also making sure that nothing has inadvertently been changed or the editor has not made any mistakes while correcting or mistakes which I’ve made have not been overlooked. The same with the proof-reader. You have to be on top of things and constantly educate yourself not only on how to write a novel, but also about grammar, punctuation, using certain words, which will catch the eye of the reader and most importantly not repeating words or phrases, which will go against you when people review your book. It is a learning process, which goes on for a long time.
Now, marketing is another whole new ball game, which is also a full-time job in itself. So, it never ends!

What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve always loved early twentieth century history and especially been fascinated by WW2 and in some instances WW1. Shipping disasters like the Titanic and the Lusitania always captivated me. I still love to read stories and watch documentaries about those maritime disasters and also about history from that particular time period.
Moreover, I love old movies, be it old Hollywood or British movies. They have class and storylines, which sadly is lacking in modern films (not all of them). I love how people dressed and behaved then. Fateful Decisions was a result from being inspired by several old movies, documentaries and stories from that era.
Since I wanted to write a historically accurate novel and I wanted people to learn historical facts from it, a lot of research went into it. I am glad to say that I am very happy that I wrote this book, because it helped me learn more about history and about that time period which we never learn in school, from books or documentaries. There is more than what is out there, and from my experience I can attest that one really has to dig deeply to learn historical facts, which we would normally never hear about.
Another fact I wanted to highlight was that every decision we make, has consequences. Some good and some bad. Therefore, like Rachel, we have to think about what our decisions would bring about. Not only do we have to live with the decisions we make, but it also affects future generations and the choices they make as well. So, that is what I also wanted readers to learn by reading this novel.

10/12/2019 02:29:49 pm

Great answers! You covered a lot of ground there. We might go over a bit of that down the road, perhaps with more detail.
I like how you describe yourself as both a part time and a full time writer, because I think it's true for a lot of people, whether they are in school or in a career at the time.
That was an excellent, short description of the writing and editing process. The first draft is only the beginning, far too many authors think they are done after the first draft. That was especially true during the early days of self-publishing; and the multitude of poorly-written books gave all indie books a bad reputation. That bad rep is slowly being overcome by authors such as yourself, who strive to put out a quality book.
I definitely agree about the dearth of history and the ramifications that ripple out from events big and small. Every choice has consequences, some are not easily discerned without thoughtful consideration. A thorough knowledge of history can put us on a road toward wisdom.
New questions.
You expressed your interest in history quite well. Did you choose this genre, or do you feel the genre chose you?
Your writing technique is slightly unconventional. I would describe it as compact. Why is that? How would you describe it?

10/13/2019 12:16:36 am

You expressed your interest in history quite well. Did you choose this genre, or do you feel the genre chose you?
Not sure who chose whom, but in school, I was always interested in history. I could recall dates and historical events in chronological order. Many people hate history and they would tell me that recalling the date and year of any historical event was very hard for them to do. I would always reply that that was the easiest part. Even in my family, I was the odd one out. Nobody else was interested in history, be it family or other history. I could remember the birth year of many family members, some whom were dead even before I was born. The only people in my family I could talk to about history were to my maternal grandmother and sometimes to my dad. The conversations were mostly about family history, early twentieth century history or about the British royal family. One of my aunts actually thought that I would be an archeologist or a history professor. Like most young boys, I was interested in cars and planes, but I was a bit unusual; I liked old cars, planes and ships. As an adult, my interest in history never waned and it is still strong to this day. Even when I was a student and a teacher, I was part of the history club.
It is not just history about wars or events that interest me. I also like the history of the movie and music industry. I can tell which year a certain movie was made (Hollywood and British movies), and also which year a song came out. I guess I am an ‘old soul’. Maybe that is why I get along very well with the older generation. Many times, I feel like I was born in the wrong time period, but I do love the internet. For me the cut off year for history that interests me probably is around 1969 or maybe early 70s. The history after that is of not much interest to me. Sometimes, if it is about a movie, song or certain historical event, then I would be interested in it. But my interest in history is anything before 1970. In addition to wars and disasters, I like colonial history, mostly European or western history and biographies of famous people like: politicians, monarchs and entertainers. We can learn a lot by reading their life history and how they overcame problems in life.

Your writing technique is slightly unconventional. I would describe it as compact. Why is that? How would you describe it?
Not sure what you mean by compact, but if you mean getting 30 years of history and fiction in around 300 pages, then I guess that would be why my book seems compact.
When I initially wrote the novel, the word count was 132K. However, while researching, different literary agents stated on their websites that an author’s debut novel should not be more than 100K words. It is because the author is unknown and readers would prefer that the author get to the point and not unnecessarily prolong the novel. They advised that preferably the word count be between 80 to 100K. Once the author reached some degree of fame like J.K Rowling, then they can write as much as they want.
Therefore, I began paraphrasing dialogues and descriptions to lower the word count and brought it to 101K. When my novel was being edited, certain sentences seemed choppy and that is why my editor advised me to add certain sections back. I did just that, and the word count increased to nearly 106K.
I did not remove any characters, because I felt that each character had a special role to play. When you think of it, in reality, in thirty years, we meet a lot of people. Some greatly influence us and others pass by us like two ships in the night. I wanted to make this story as close to reality as possible. I also tried to make the dialogues mirror reality. A good example would be when Rachel is introduced to Walter, whom she did not know and the conversation starts out a bit bland. This is what happens when we meet people we do not know, and then we find common topics to talk about and develop a relationship.
One or two people told me that the novel should’ve been split into two different novels. I felt that my debut novel should be complete and that the reader should know if Rachel regretted her decision or not at the end of the novel, and not wait until the sequel was released.

10/13/2019 12:31:48 am

I really enjoy history also, I can't recall ever being disappointed by a historical fiction or history book. But my number one favorite genre is sci-fi, followed closely by fantasy. That puts history in third place for me, personally.
The agents are probably right most of the time for most people. However, I love a long book when it's well written. The last straight book about history I read was probably four years ago, "Three Days In November" is the title, I think. About the transition of power from Eisenhower to Kennedy. It was fascinating.
Yes, I did find several spelling errors in the book.
New questions.
Who designed the cover of your book? Feel free to drop a link if appropriate.
I read your book on my Kindle and it was hard to identify all the elements on the cover. What do the elements on the cover represent?

10/13/2019 02:02:08 pm

Who designed the cover of your book? Feel free to drop a link if appropriate.
The idea for the book cover came from me. I wanted several scenes from the book on the cover, which I will explain when I answer the next question.
My publisher designed a book cover, which did not reflect any scene in the novel and I did not like it. So, I decided to go with what I wanted and asked my webmaster if he’d like to make the cover. I told him my idea, and after many attempts we came up with this cover. My webmaster has moved on to other things and rarely does any web or graphic design.

I read your book on my Kindle and it was hard to identify all the elements on the cover. What do the elements on the cover represent?
On the front of the cover, the section with the statue of Liberty and the ship passing in front of it, is the RMS Queen Mary bringing the soldiers home after WW2 ended.
The explosion below the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty is the USS Arizona exploding after it was bombed by the Japanese during the sneak attack at Pearl Harbor
The married couple in the front are Rachel and the man she chose to marry. I wanted them there, to show that because of her decision to marry who she did, her family got involved in these historical events.
Now on the back of the cover, is the sinking of the Lusitania, which started it all and below are people at Times Square New York after WW2 ended. So, they are scenes from the beginning and the ending of the novel. Ironically, they are from WW1 and WW2. I do wish the elements on the back were clear.

10/13/2019 02:26:12 pm

I love how you wove the personal with the world wide events. We visited the Queen Mary in Los Angeles Harbor many years ago.
New questions.
Was it hard to come up with the title? What was the process?

Were the character names difficult to develop? How did you choose them?

10/13/2019 03:35:12 pm

Was it hard to come up with the title? What was the process?
Yes, it was very hard to come up with the title. It takes a lot of thought and you want a title that stands out and makes the reader grab the book. In fact, the title, book cover and the synopsis are what will entice the reader to purchase the novel. If the title and the cover are eye catching, then half the battle is won when the reader grabs it off the shelf to read the synopsis.
The initial title that I chose was ‘Decisions and Consequences’. I did not think it was very appealing, even though it told the reader that there are consequences which follow after making decisions. One day, I was watching a movie, and one of the characters was reading a letter. He happened to read aloud the term ‘Fateful Decisions’, and I immediately knew that that was the appropriate title for my novel. It went with the premise of my novel about how one decision made by Rachel to marry one of the two men who proposed to her brought about certain consequences. Because of that decision, other people made decisions based on the situation they were caught up in, which determined their fate and that of others. The reader only comes to know the full impact of Rachel’s decision at the end of the novel.
Now, when I tell people about the novel and the title, many think it is ‘Faithful Decisions’ and I have to correct them by spelling out the word ‘Fateful’, so that they find my book. I then discovered later that there are some historical books, with the same title as mine, but I think mine is the only one which is a novel. Since the cover is unique, it is not hard to miss.

Were the character names difficult to develop? How did you choose them?
Yes, the character names were difficult to develop. Because there were so many characters, it was hard to get names for all of them. Moreover, I had to research the names of certain characters to suit their ethnicity. A good example would be finding authentic French names for the French characters. If you remember reading above; I wanted the story to be as close to reality as possible. Of course, for the American and British characters, I had to chose authentic American and British names. Some of the characters I named them because I liked the names from certain books I’d read and movies or TV shows I’d seen.
I also had to be careful about not repeating the names of characters who had minor roles in the novel. It was an arduous task trying to find names, which I had repeated and luckily just before the novel was published, I found one such mistake, which I told my publisher to correct.
That is why I say, the author has to be on top of things, and keep reading their work several times, so that any mistakes which were overlooked can be found.

10/13/2019 05:12:56 pm

You are so right. The importance of the title and cover cannot be overemphasized. On a bookshelf in a library or brick and mortar book store I believe the title is preeminent, in a virtual store I think the cover is more important, because our eyes are drawn to the visual image first. Without a doubt, the synopsis is certainly next.
Many authors talk about how important names can be, especially in historical fiction, everything has to be appropriate for the period.
Just like Abraham Lincoln is reported to have said, not everything you read on the internet is true. ;-)
New questions.
Did you go through the query process or did you go straight to self-publishing, and why?
Once you decided to not self-publish, was it hard to find a publisher?
How did you pick your publisher or did they pick you?

10/13/2019 09:22:40 pm

Did you go through the query process or did you go straight to self-publishing, and why?
I am NOT self-published and neither do I have an agent. My publisher is an independent publisher.
I did think about self-publishing, but I saw the package a self-publishing company was offering and found that it was too expensive. Fortunately, I did not go that route. I do not know why there is such a stigma against self-published books. I have seen that self-published authors cannot enter their books into some competitions, and also some libraries may not but it. Not sure why!
Some people did tell me that if you are self-published that you’re in charge of the royalties, but I do not know about that since I am not self-published. I guess there are pros and cons to everything.
I did query a few literary agents and some liked the premise behind the novel, but did not like the first chapter or the sample I sent. So, I had to go back to the drawing board and redo the first chapter. I learned fast that the first chapter should be interesting and grip the attention of the reader. These are not the good old days where the book can start out being boring and then become interesting later on. People want everything to be to the point and concise. But each agent is different and everything is subjective. So, some may like your work and others may not. It is just the matter of playing the waiting game and getting that agent who likes your work. You have to remember, agents too are in it for the money and if they feel that your book will not get them money, they will not take it on.

Once you decided to not self-publish, was it hard to find a publisher?
How did you pick your publisher or did they pick you?
I did submit to some publishers through their websites. After many months, Black Rose Writing emailed me and said that they would like to publish the book. I researched them as some small publishing companies are not legitimate and they take money from the author. If anyone encounters such a situation, they need to find another publisher. It would be good if a big publishing company like: Harper & Collins, and Simon & Schuster is willing to publish your book, but they only do that if an agent represents you.
So, I made sure that Black Rose Writing was a legitimate publishing company and I signed a contract with them. The rest as they say is history.

10/13/2019 09:39:02 pm

You make a good distinction between traditional publishing, represented by the querying process and self-publishing. A self-publisher does everything necessary to publish a book or hires people to take on certain functions such as editing, proofreading and cover making. The traditional publisher has staff for all of that. Some indie publishers use an ala-carte style for publishing a book, you choose the help you need and do the rest yourself.
You are correct, there are a lot of scammers out there masquerading as publishers and research is very important to protect your wallet and your intellectual property rights. Some serious money can be found in the licensing of your IP rights, if you are careful.
New questions.
Is your publisher doing anything to market your book?
How do you think your book compares to a book published by a major publisher?

10/14/2019 12:30:09 am

Is your publisher doing anything to market your book?
They do book promotions and whatever they can. They have a lot of authors for whom they publish and it is not possible for them to focus on one book by a particular author. Most of the marketing is done by me.

How do you think your book compares to a book published by a major publisher?
Not really looked into that, but I would guess that major publishers would have the resources to market the book a lot more since they have a lot more contacts and have been in the business a lot longer than smaller independent publishers.

10/14/2019 09:42:46 am

That marketing is left up to the author is a real shock to many authors that are indie published. Some self-published authors experience some of the same jolt. They expect their book is going to rocket to the top of Amazon's best seller list a few days after they hit the publish button. The distinct sound of crickets is very disappointing.
The truth that a million new books are published every year on Amazon is hard to swallow. It takes a great deal of work for an author to get noticed on Amazon and the other platforms. Many authors find that marketing is the toughest part of the business of writing and selling books.
New questions.
There are many unethical practices in publishing, which one is the most unbearable in your mind?
Do you have a favorite book by another author?
Did you have a favorite book as a child?

10/14/2019 10:29:01 pm

There are many unethical practices in publishing, which one is the most unbearable in your mind?
I researched the publishing industry and thanks to the internet, many people write reviews on certain publishing companies and advise others from signing a contract with them. So, I was aware of how some publishing companies operate just for to make a quick buck at the author’s expense. I think the worst is making an author buy many books and asking the author to market the books. In many cases, the author ends up having boxes of books in the garage, because he has not been able to sell any or probably was lucky to sell a few to family and friends. So, it is a lot of money down the drain for that author.
This is a little bit of extra info for potential authors. In some cases, the author does have to buy books, from the publisher, especially if he is doing a book signing on consignment where he will provide the books and the store hosts the book signing event. The profits from the sales are split 60% for the author and 40% for the store. Then he has to leave two books for the store to sell after the book signing event is over. Sometime he has to pay a fee to for the store to host him and also to keep those two books. If the books do not sell, he has to take them back or have the store donate them. So, publishing the book is not the end of it. Marketing and having a budget to do just that is a whole new ball game. Some authors do hire a publicist to promote the book. But, in that case too, money has to come from the author’s pocket. Thanks to the internet, there are many authors and everyone is trying to get their book to the forefront.
Big stores like Barnes & Noble host book signing events, but the books come directly from the publisher and any books that sell, the author gets royalties. So, one has to really understand the publishing industry if they want to publish books.

Do you have a favorite book by another author?
I like several books by many authors. Agatha Christie is my favorite author; I also like Sidney Sheldon. I guess I am showing my fondness for something from another era again, but I grew up reading books by Agatha Christie, Ken Follet, Jack Higgins, Jeffery Archer, Sidney Sheldon and others. I think my favorite Agatha Christie book is Death on the Nile. Books mostly by Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle inspired me to write my second novel, which is a murder mystery set in 1920s England and soon to be released on Nov 14, 2019. Sidney Sheldon would be one who inspired me to write a family saga like my debut novel Fateful Decisions.

Did you have a favorite book as a child?
Not really or I cannot remember. I read a lot of Hardy Boys, Enid Blyton books and comics in addition to the books by authors mentioned above.

10/14/2019 10:46:06 pm

I didn't know about the consignment thing, thanks for sharing that. There are so many ins and outs to the publishing industry and every player is in it to make money. Amazon has turned the entire apple cart upside down and it will never be quite the same again. So many publishers have disappeared and a lot of new independent publishers have appeared. You are so correct when you say that research is necessary.
Doyle is a favorite author from my youth. I loved the genius of Sherlock Holmes. I still do. The recent BBC series with Benedict Cumberbatch was very enjoyable.
New questions.
Does writing have a spiritual or healing component for you, does it energize you or make you feel tired?
Why is it important for writers to tap into the emotions of the characters?

10/15/2019 08:47:10 pm

Does writing have a spiritual or healing component for you, does it energize you or make you feel tired?
It does. We live in a very busy world and of course everyone has their own share of problems that life throws at them. So, writing is an escape into another world, just like for some reading a good book or watching a nice movie is an escape into another dimension. Unfortunately, when it is over, you are back to reality
I love the research and writing part. I learn so much when I research from books, articles, watching movies and documentaries, and also from the internet. I find that, because of my talent for writing, I have learned a lot, which I don’t think I would’ve if I never decided to use my talent. You get to learn about a lot of topics. To me that in itself is another education and it energizes me. In that regard, it is spiritual as well as healing.
What I find tiring is the proofreading and the editing. You have to concentrate a lot, and like I mentioned above, have to be on top of things to make sure that you find the mistakes. It is not possible to find every mistake, but better to find as many as possible. That I find takes a lot of time and energy. I really marvel at editors and proofreaders, and admire their patience, power to concentrate, and the ability to not be distracted while reading a long manuscript.
However, proofreading and editing have to be done if you want a good quality novel. Everything goes hand in hand, if you want good reviews which may lead to good sales or awards. You cannot compromise on research, writing, proofreading or editing.

Why is it important for writers to tap into the emotions of the characters?
Well, if a writer did not tap into the emotions of the characters, it would be a very bland novel. Show and don’t tell is the key here. What I mean is that you have to describe the emotion and the scene like it is happening in real time or in front of the reader; like how it is shown in a movie. Not just whizz past it with one word or phrase. It makes the reader feel one with the character and possibly relate to a particular character. I think expressing emotions of the characters is very important and it gives a type of allure to the story.

10/15/2019 09:12:46 pm

Most of the writers I have had the pleasure of interviewing, report much the same thing. They may feel tired after a productive writing session, but they also feel really good, a wonderful sense of accomplishment. Even a bad day writing is better than a good day at work, for many writers.
Self-editing is difficult, it requires a particular mental rigor to examine your own work, dispassionately. That is why so many authors join critique groups and use beta readers whenever they can. Fresh eyes are critical in this process.
New questions.
Are you an under-writer or an over-writer?
When the first draft is done, do you need to add more to it to flesh it out or do you have to cut material because there is too much there?

10/15/2019 10:51:03 pm

Are you an under-writer or an over-writer?
Over-writer. I like to write and put all my thoughts down and then cut down as necessary later. Better to have everything on record than to rack your brains wondering what you wanted to put down.

When the first draft is done, do you need to add more to it to flesh it out or do you have to cut material because there is too much there?
I would say both. Depends on what other ideas you get and what your editor tells you. It is all depending on what you want to put into your book. However, you must keep your readers in mind and know that people will all types of background will be reading it; some will have higher expectations than others. So, you have to keep the words, description and dialogues to a certain amount. But, bear in mind that you cannot please everyone, and that some will find fault no matter how hard you try to please them.

10/15/2019 11:23:50 pm

Being an over-writer makes a lot of sense the way you put it. It is easier to cut than to add more.
The first draft has only one function, to exist; because you can't edit a blank page. You have learned that lesson well, it seems. Also that a writer cannot please everyone, many authors try and reap dismal rewards. The perfect book has not been written and never will be.
I tell authors to rejoice when they get a bad review, because it validates the good reviews. Now, people know it's not just the author's mom and her cat that are leaving reviews.
New questions.
What do you do to flesh out the characters for your stories?
Have you ever used yourself or other acquaintances as a character for a starting point in a story?
Would they recognize you or themselves in the story or do you make sure that doesn't happen?

10/16/2019 09:43:56 pm

What do you do to flesh out the characters for your stories?
I just try and assume how I want them to be or come across to the reader. If I want the reader to get a good picture of the lead characters, I describe how they look, their age, hair color, if they are wearing glasses or not and their clothes in some cases. If you remember Walter’s mother in Fateful Decisions, the reader can see that she is still stuck in the Edwardian period.
I add more substance by also describing their behavior and the way they treat people. In that way, the reader knows if the character is a good person or not. I don’t normally do it for all the characters in the novel. Some characters with minor roles, probably will be described to show how the situation affected them, but others, are just mentioned. It is not possible to give a detailed description of all the characters, but only those who are important to the situation or to the novel.

Have you ever used yourself or other acquaintances as a character for a starting point in a story? Would they recognize you or themselves in the story or do you make sure that doesn't happen?
No. I have used names of a couple of people I know when I ran out of names. I may probably think of certain people when describing certain characters, but not invented a character who is 100% like someone I know. In my second novel, I have modelled two characters after some characters played by particular actors in a movie or a TV show.
In my third book, someone wants me to name one of my characters after her, and I am thinking of probably partially modelling another after me. I change my mind off and on. So, you never know. Maybe, I may model one after you
If I name one of my characters after someone, I usually tell them and they are quite elated. If one of my characters has a name of someone I know, it is not because I thought of them, but because I felt that name suited that particular character.
No, I like to develop the characters as I see them. So, they are what I develop them to be, and nobody would be able to pinpoint and say that the character was just like them.

10/16/2019 10:22:10 pm

There are a lot of different ways to bring characters to life, also different levels, for the need of the story.
Inspiration for characters can come from almost anywhere, it seems. That could be one of the more interesting parts of writing, perhaps.
You are welcome to model a character after me, I have already been in one book as a dastardly character that repents at the end and dies for it. Good fun.
New questions.
Which is more fun to write, the protagonist or the antagonist, and why?
What is one thing you hate about your protagonist and one thing you love about the antagonist?
What is your writing routine when you sit down to write?
Do you write in a straight line or do you write whatever the muse provides for you at a given moment?

10/17/2019 08:59:55 pm

Which is more fun to write, the protagonist or the antagonist, and why?
Both are fun to write, but I think the antagonist is more fun and easier in the case of a good (protagonist) vs evil (antagonist) novel.
I think it is because everyone loves reading about things that are bad, even though they do not approve of it. Events like: wars, murders, riots and other unusual incidences, all sell newspapers because people are interested in knowing more. In the same way, writing about the antagonist is more fun because you can make the character as evil as possible and it is easy to get the reader to be drawn into the character. Even if the reader may not end up liking the character, the antagonist makes the novel interesting.
The character of the protagonist is a bit harder to write, since the writer has to make sure that the protagonist is someone who in most cases conforms to norms of society and care should be taken not to shatter that squeaky-clean image. It is harder to think of good situations, which the protagonist gets involved in, but way easier to think of bad situations. Does that make sense?

What is one thing you hate about your protagonist and one thing you love about the antagonist?
Don’t want to give out the name of the antagonist, but the one thing I love is that the antagonist knew how to deceive by putting on a good image, and was adept at masterminding the things the bad incidences in the novel.
What I hate about my protagonist… I think, she had it good, but threw it all away for power, but when she realized that she was wrong, it was too late. But like you read in the novel, good came out of something bad.

What is your writing routine when you sit down to write?
Depends on what comes out of my mind. Sometimes, I do get ‘writer’s block’ and it is hard to carry on. If not, then I can write for many hours. Like I mentioned above, I do have to put everything on record, because I may forget any good ideas that come to me. It is very annoying that I get some good ideas at work and have no means of recording them. By the time I’m home, I’m racking my brains trying to think about the ideas I had.

Do you write in a straight line or do you write whatever the muse provides for you at a given moment?
I think what the muse provides for me at that given moment I have always written other sections first and then started on sections which come before the one, which I just finished. I think it is better to know what your ending will be, because you can write the other sections to suit the ending. Even if you change the ending, you can always go back and change the previous sections. I don’t think anyone can write in a linear way, as many things can inspire you to write a scene or a chapter in your novel, and you have to record your ideas immediately lest you forget them.

10/17/2019 09:18:49 pm

Your antagonist was very good at hiding true intentions. The masquerade was well done.
I think you have a lot of company when it comes to writing what the muse provides. Though, I have met writers who declare they can only write in sequence, in a straight line. Personally, I would find that difficult. If I was a writer.
One of my guest bloggers wrote an excellent piece about non-linear writing.
New questions.
How do you think your book relates to the world we live in today?
What software do you use to write and publish your books, and why do you use those?
How do you keep track of all the characters and events in your books?
Are you a plotter, a pantster, or a hybrid?

10/18/2019 07:25:09 pm

What software do you use to write and publish your books, and why do you use those?
Just MS Word. As far as for publishing, I do not know what my publisher uses.
MS Word is easy to use and edit. I cannot imagine the good old days when you had to rewrite whole chapters to change something in it.

How do you keep track of all the characters and events in your books?
Regarding characters, sometimes I have to write on a separate piece of paper to make sure that I’ve not repeated the names. I do have a good memory and I can keep track of most events and characters.
When I want to make minor changes, I write down certain things I want to change. Other than that, I just remember. I go through my list of changes carefully making sure that everything what I wanted to change has been done.

Are you a plotter, a pantster, or a hybrid?
I would say, I’m a hybrid. I like to research and make sure that I have what I need before I write. Because, not planning can lead to a lot of work later on. When writing a murder mystery (like my 2nd novel), it is important to plan the plot and make sure that there are no holes in the plot. You do not want readers/reviewers saying that certain situations could not happen in real life.
Now, when writing about two characters talking, I just write what flows out of my mind. It is like I am watching them talking or imagining being one of the characters and I know what to respond to what the other is saying. That is what I like about being an author. You can use your imagination very well.

10/18/2019 08:16:11 pm

MS Word is a perennial favorite among many authors. There are other programs, of course, Scrivner is one I have heard the most about. It's supposed to be very powerful when planning a book. It also has a steep learning curve. Some authors swear by it.
Some authors use a spreadsheet to keep track of characters, events, and locations; Scrivner is supposed to be very useful for that.
New questions.
Have you ever had the experience of the story swerving in a different direction than planned, as if a character was driving it?
Do you listen to music or have the TV on when writing, or do you need quiet?
Action, dialogue, or narration; which is easiest to write?
Of the five senses which is the easiest to write and which is the hardest?

10/20/2019 01:34:32 am

Have you ever had the experience of the story swerving in a different direction than planned, as if a character was driving it?
Yes. Not because of a character, but because I decided to change direction. My research helped me realize that the initial path I was on had been taken before by many in the past, and I felt that I needed to write something new. I just wanted to write a book, which was not linear and predictable like other books are. I also don’t like anyone telling me what to write and what not to write about. It is my book and I decide what goes into it. I do listen to my editors and reviewers, if they feel that some minor changes have to be made, but other than that, I decide what goes into the story. Actually, I have had people tell me that they have never read a book like Fateful Decisions, which is full of historical facts and that they’ve learned a lot from my book. I knew then, that I was right in changing directions, because that is what my intention was; to write a novel where people could learn about history, experience it through the characters and also enjoy it.

Do you listen to music or have the TV on when writing, or do you need quiet?
Action, dialogue, or narration; which is easiest to write?
Absolutely NOT! I need everything to be quiet. I may listen to music when taking a break or if I cannot write anymore, but while writing, I cannot afford to be distracted.
Narration, then action and lastly dialogue.

Of the five senses which is the easiest to write and which is the hardest?
Sight is easiest, because you can describe what the character can see and also hear, but it is hard to describe what the character can taste, especially when you have not experienced it. However, they are interchangeable depending on the case.

10/20/2019 09:37:40 am

Your fans are glad you stuck to your vision. Mechanics are one thing, your vision for the book is quite different.
When I am reading, I can be anywhere and have any kind of noise in the background. Proofreading is a different matter, I need quiet or I have one thing playing in the background. Our daughter is a social media influencer, she has made over 100 videos about food, healthy living and Weight Watchers. Her three daughters are in the videos frequently and I listen to the videos all day long.
Last questions.
There are many ways to promote a book. How did you decide to choose me?
What have you learned from being a writer?

10/20/2019 11:57:33 pm

There are many ways to promote a book. How did you decide to choose me?
Not sure how I came upon you. Maybe I googled for reviewers and your blog came up, or maybe I saw you on twitter.
I think getting reviews is a good way to promote your book. If people write good reviews, then it helps readers decide whether they want to buy your book or not. Since you review books and also find mistakes within the text, I felt that was an added bonus. The author can correct those mistakes, and the book can be better than before. It is always good to have someone with a critical eye and a first timer read your book. The text will be fresh to the eyes of the reviewers, and they can easily detect mistakes, and give constructive criticisms. That is why I decided to choose you and I am glad that I did.

What have you learned from being a writer?
In addition to learning more about history of various time periods (also history one would normally not hear/learn about), languages, and also learning how to be a better writer, I have learned to be very appreciative of authors. Before I began to write, I never realized the work that went into writing and publishing a book. I learned a similar lesson when I taught for a few years. To be a good teacher, a lot of work has to go into mastering the subjects you are teaching so as to be able to provide an answer when students ask questions. It was then, that I appreciated my teachers and the knowledge they imparted into me. It made me want to do the same with my students.
Many people think that writing a book is easy as writing a term paper in high school or college. Of course, it is more than that. Once you are in those shoes - be it a teacher or an author, you realize how difficult, frustrating and rewarding it can be. Another important lesson it has taught me is to get into the author’s mind and try and understand what the author is trying to convey. Most of us read a book in a hurry without understanding why the author wrote a dialogue in a particular way, or why was a certain incident mentioned in the book. We just read it for pleasure without as much giving it a thought about what we read.
Being an author has helped me get into the minds of the authors whose books I read, and I can appreciate the dialogue and the scenes better. That is why, I would urge readers/reviewers to do the same, because it helps give a better understanding of not only the dialogue and the scene, but of the whole book.

10/21/2019 12:09:10 am

Thank you, Trevor, for choosing me. I am honored to help promote your book.
I have really enjoyed our conversation. We both share a love of history and you have figured out how to convey it in an interesting way. I know your fans look forward to your next book, as do I.

10/21/2019 08:39:57 pm

Thank you, Mark, for the interview. I enjoyed answering your questions, and learned a few things from you. I hope you will review my second novel and I look forward to being interviewed by you again in the future.
Cheers!!!

Fateful Decisions by Trevor D'Silva

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