Author Interview with Daron Fraley

Today I’m interviewing another friend from my writer’s group, Daron Fraley. He has a few books out (some of them free–more details on that after the interview). I was a test reader for his most recent book, Thirty-Six, and it’s a fun read! Daron does a great job of creating realistic, likeable characters and weaving in Biblical lore, then adding some adventure to keep those pages turning. It’s a cool book, and it’s part of a cool project that will involve several authors telling stories about an ancient Jewish Legend. Here’s a hint of what the first book’s about:

Three things Aaron Cohen never intended:
To purchase an ancient, holy relic.
To encourage the mysterious stalker.
To fall for Mandie.
But he did. And if he doesn’t get to her
in time, she will die.

And now, the interview:

List five movies you LOVE:

Ben Hur, Master and Commander, The Ten Commandments, Last of the Mohicans, The Lord of the Rings series.

What is your favorite book?

My favorite book used to be Return of the King, by J.R.R Tolkien. That may seem cliché to some, but I loved it for different reasons than most people, I am sure. I was enthralled by the transformation of Aragorn, specifically how he comes to accept his role as king. One of the biggest moments for me was when he finds the young sapling tree, sprouted from a fruit of the White Tree, and replants it in the stead of the withered tree. It blossoms as a sign of the end of the Great Darkness. Anyone who knows the 22^nd chapter of Revelation will see the parallel here.

But my new favorite book is The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. I must have some fascination with kings or something.

If you were stuck in an airport with nothing else to read, would you rather have a copy of Twilight or Hunger Games?

Is this a trick question?

Item(s) you’re willing to splurge on:

Books. My most expensive book: American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828 (reprinted) edition.

Writing advice you’d give to others?

Read. Read cool stuff. Read fantasy. Make your mind explore the new worlds found in Sci-Fi and Fantasy so that you can see how to weave politics and economy and setting and religion and adventure all together. Then go write romance. That’s where the money is.

When did you start writing?

Elementary school, I think. I vaguely remember a stapled book with colored pages. Or I’m stealing that memory from my kids.

What are you working on now?

I have started another book in the Thirty-Six series, tentatively called The Signets of Darius, and have the sequel to The Thorn, called Heaven’s Garden, about two-thirds done. I hope to finish that one by Christmas.

What type of readers would like your book?

My current book, I assume? Thirty-Six was written with a general audience in mind, but with hopes that there is enough romance in the story to grab the interest of women readers. I would consider it to be a clean read: no sex, no profanity, no gory violence. But people do die. If I had to give it a movie rating, it would be PG, or PG-13.