Welcome, friend! Today I am chatting with author T. A. Gaylord about his book,The Blackstone Twins Face Off vs. Destiny. This is the first book in the Blackstone Twins Saga, a SciFi Urban Fantasy. Let’s chat with T.A. and learn more about the book.
Get to know the author: T. A. Gaylord
Hi T.A. ! Welcome to Armed with A Book. Tell me and my readers a bit about yourself!
I write for both young adults and the young at heart, imagining a dystopian future world without technology, where the world of today has blown away, like dust from the high desert. I grew up in northern California, and have hiked miles of that terrain, being careful of it’s dangers and always aware of photo opportunities. The amazing beauty and variability, I’ve always found inspirational. As both a nature photographer and later as a caregiver for the disabled, I’m familiar with both nature’s beauty and nature’s injustice, including it’s unexpected and miraculous possibilities.
What inspired you to write this book?
I had an idea for a book that had been fermenting in my brain for 20 years or so. I decided to finally write it, but found out that I didn’t really like writing in that genre. What I always enjoyed, ever since my early teens, was science fiction and fantasy. I found a local teacher for writing genre, and started learning from her, because I believe anything worth doing is worth doing well. I took an idea that I thought of while writing that first book, and expanded on it until the idea fully formed. At that point, I created the characters, and grew very fond of them.
How long did it take you to write this book, from the first idea to the last edit?
This is my first book, and I wanted to do it right. I refused to release it without it being something I was very proud of, so it took more than five years. I’m not sure the exact length of time.
What makes your story unique?
I think there are numerous ways this story is one-of-a-kind. First of all, the Night Madness. What if we needed sunlight to stay sane? What if mother’s milk was the only key to sanity during the night? Mothers would have to be in charge, wouldn’t they? In all of history, there has never been a truly matriarchal society. My world gives us one.
Who would enjoy reading your book?
I wrote this to appeal to my teen self. I started reading Tolkien around 12 years old. I went on to read everything from Isaac Asimov, to Philip K Dick, to Ann McCaffrey, to Douglas Adams. I believe anyone who is into any kind of speculative fiction would enjoy this story on their shelves.
What’s something you hope readers would take away from it?
I created a world where motherhood is respected as a fabulous gift, and where respect for others is the only way to survive. I would like people to see the truth of that.
Do you have a favourite quote or scene in the book that you find yourself going back to?
One of my characters refers back to our time as the time of the, “wasters.” I hope we can stop wasting all our resources before it’s too late.
The Blackstone Twins Face Off vs. Destiny is the first book in the The Blackstone Twins Saga. Tell me about the series.
Their goal is to find a cure to the night madness. In book number one, they head out towards their destination, but they end up 50 miles short. Because of the danger of getting caught in the snow, there is a limited time in which to travel every year. In book number two, which has just come out, they make it to the mountain, and even find some of the records, but the snow is early that year, and they have to retreat, or risk death. Book three will have the ultimate climax, but they have to go amazingly far out of their way to help their friends. You’d be surprised where they travel, and where they end up.
What is something you have learned on your author journey so far?
I’ve learned to trust my characters. They are part of my imagination, so I trust whatever they come up with is right for them. That and patience, writing takes as long as it takes.
What’s the best piece of advice you have received related to writing?
Just do it. You’ll never know if you’re any good until you get the words down on the paper.
If you could give a shout out to someone(s) who has helped in your writer journey, please feel free to mention them below!
Both of my first two books are dedicated to Brianne, my inspiration, my emotional anchor.
Where can readers find you on the Internet?
Visit me on my website and Facebook.
The Blackstone Twins Face Off vs. Destiny
YA/NA Dystopian Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy
Published 2023
Late in the 22nd century, twins Zoe and Zachary Blackstone are born into a world of nightly madness. Having lost their mother, they are dependent on their grandmother to guide them and a misfit band of wishful dreamers, as they journey hundreds of miles, in hope of finding a cure for the Night Madness, the mysterious affliction that takes all men. Zachary is doomed to share this fate, but for a rumor, a possible cure. Struggling against the odds, and up against dangerous wild animals, wild men, treacherous terrain, and a psychopathic woman, his twin sister Zoe is determined to help him discover this one hope of relief, so they can possibly return to a normal life, a thing of which they’ve only read about in books. The society that’s developed is a strong matriarchal society, governed by mothers.
This book takes place in a dystopian world where there is often a struggle for survival, and madness is suffered by many. There are no acts of sexual violence in my book, although they are hinted at. There are examples of violence, but most often, only in self-defense.
Book Excerpt from
The Blackstone Twins Face Off vs. Destiny
Zoe and I were approaching our fourteenth birthday, and now, we were objects of mistrust, pariahs. Near sunset, every time we looked over a shoulder, an Amazon guard, or two, were watching us, hawks tracking mice.
As guardians of the coven, the Amazons’ responsibility was to protect its members from any danger, including from their own offspring. As children began puberty, or the “weaning” as it had become known, each succumbed to the Night Madness.
“Stop worrying about it, Zach.” Zoe said, in hushed tones, since we were in the coven’s main hall.
“How can I?” I whispered back, louder and harsher than I’d intended.
“If you can’t change a situation, learn to live with it.”
“Easy for you to say!”
She deliberately folded her arms and sat silently, frowning.
Ouch, I knew that look. “No, I’m sorry.” I said, hurriedly. “I know it isn’t, really. Forgive me?” I smiled, hoping she wouldn’t see how forced it was. “Please?”
She punched me in the shoulder, hard.
“Ow.” I rubbed my arm. “That really hurt.”
“No less than you deserve. Now I’ll forgive you. I’m serious, though. You really need to relax.”
“I know. It’s just… Oh, never mind.”
The sun dropped in the sky, and the Amazon guards drew closer, watching. It was as if we were being blamed for an approaching storm. “Night’s frights!” I whispered to myself, shaking my head. Months later, halfway through summer, the madness came upon me. The Amazons put me in a keeping room for the first time. I’d seen others go through it. A fourteen or fifteen-year-old became nonverbal, often violent and reacting wild and animal-like. Two Amazons attached themselves to the child, taking hold of their arms, sometimes having to fight to keep hold of them, marching him or her off to the keeping rooms, former jail cells. I assume that’s what happened to me.
I remember seeing the night approaching, followed by suddenly awakening to a view of metal bars. I realized that night had come and gone, and I had a horrible lump in my throat, realizing that nothing would ever be the same.
I miss the nighttime. How I miss seeing the stars and moon in the night sky, and the foggy haze of the Milky Way. Also, I miss hearing the hooting or screeching of owls and the chirping crickets. I miss the chill of approaching morning fog, and on freezing nights, the smell of ice crystals being formed on hard surfaces.
Zoe, being unusually independent, not to mention crazy, made the risky choice of joining me, leaving the coven when I did, ignoring my objections. The Night Madness would take her in time. She made a preemptive strike, jumping ship, joining me outside the coven.
Interested?
Find The Blackstone Twins Face Off vs. Destiny on Goodreads, Books2Read and Amazon. Book 2 is also available now.
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