Saturday, March 22, 2014

Interview with author, Geoff Wright

Geoff Wright is a fellow eTp author and writes under the pen name Miles Wright

Geoff lives in a small seaside village on the beautiful far south coast of Australia, with his wife and children (and his fish.) Right from an early age he fell in love with the outdoors; especially the sea. When he was very young he lived on a small farm, and spent many happy hours searching the creek for small fishes, tortoises and other make-believe creatures. He learned to ride a horse at the age of four, and sometimes rode his horse to school. When he was eight years old his family went to live on a river. There were no roads or cars down by the river, making it a very secluded and idyllic place to live. After school he spent many happy hours fishing, and sometimes hiked with friends up the river to exciting and unexplored places. These magical experiences and places have helped form the backdrop for some of the settings in his books.
            He began reading books at an early age, and started writing short fantasy and science fiction stories, which his teacher would read to the class. His favourite subject all through school was English, and he won a Commonwealth Scholarship before going on to university to study English Literature and Marine Biology. He also has spent time studying at Moore Theological College. He is also a member of YALITCHAT, an organization for those who write Young Adult books. He is a keen environmentalist, and supports the local zoo for endangered species. He owned a Christian bookstore for several years, and would like to use the sales from his own books to support the Salvation Army, and help those less fortunate in society.   

Title of Geoff’s books: THE ANGEL TREE/ DRAGONFLY              

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy


Email Geoff: jnel2@bigpond.com


Q) What is Angel Tree about?
Joshua Sharpe is being terrorized by a giant tree creature with snake-like limbs capable of snatching stars right out of the night sky and yet—no one in his family believes him. Almost every night the enormous monster comes right up to his window, shakes the house and tries to grab him from under the covers where he hides sweating and shaking from absolute terror. His only comfort are his invisible friends who warn him when the creature is enraged, where to hide and whom to trust. If it were not for his friends, Joshua would be all alone. And so, he does everything he can to keep them around—including throwing his medication out the window.

Too sick to attend regular school, the sixteen-year-old is home-schooled. His third such teacher and her husband, who is the leader of a local cult, deliver a solution to Joshua’s condition and take him to their “church,” to be exorcized of his demons. But Josh’s condition worsens and when his friends suggest he jump from his window, he is hospitalized. There he meets another boy with schizophrenia and he and Michael become fast friends—determined to escape and make a life for themselves. On a day trip, the boys disappear from the group and embark on a dangerous and exciting journey where they encounter all manner of characters, creatures and situations in an attempt to find a place where they will be safe. As Joshua recalls stories from his sister’s “God book” along the way, he finds the “Garden of Eden”, a sinister old man, a talking snake, and an enormous angel with a deadly sword. He and Michael learn to survive outside on their own—without medication, discovering the meaning of true friendship and the unexpected truth that the only really safe place for them in the whole world is the Angel tree.


Q) Why did you write this book?
After selling our Christian bookstore in 2003 I decided to start writing again. Several novels later, THE ANGEL TREE arrived. 

Q) How long did this project take you?
From first writing to publishing, three years.

Q) When will this book be available?
Now.

Q) You actually have two books coming out. Tells us about the second one, DRAGONFLY, and when we can expect to see it?
Michael knew Maddie was sick, but not this sick.
            As his only friend in the institution where they are both patients, Michael is determined not to leave Maddie when he escapes. At first, she seems happy to go with him, though she does an awful lot of rambling about the moon. But when they hole up in an empty vacation house, Michael is forced to accept that Maddie was sicker than he thought. Now as she lay staring up at the sky, he can tell she is gone. Gone to the moon.
Desperate to revive her, Michael takes Maddie to the angel tree in his friend Joshua’s back yard. Michael is convinced the tree holds special magic that can bring Maddie back, but his hope is dashed when it becomes obvious Maddie is truly dead. 
After the funeral, Michael can’t get Maddie out of his head. He must find a way to the moon to be with her. He thinks the answer lay in a medallion depicting a dragon in flight with the moon in the background. If only he can find a dragon and catch it, he can fly to the moon! But where to find a dragon?
Then Josh shows him a special book all about dragons. The two boys steal away with it, taking refuge in a local swamp where Michael finds a reference to the Dream Weaver, a mythological creature that grants wishes. But when the creature begins visiting him in different forms, things go awry. While Michael is asleep, trying to decipher a cryptic message from the Dream Weaver, Joshua is bitten by a poisonous snake. By the time Michael wakes up, Joshua is at the point of death.
Now, torn between his loyalty to a living, breathing friend and his desire to make things as they once were, Michael must choose; Continue his search for a dragon and a past he can never truly recapture, or help his dying friend.
The Dream Weaver can show him the way, but the choice is up to him.

Q) What is your favorite book?
The Bible.

Q) Which is more dangerous? Standing between a politician and a news camera, or being a writer seeking reviews for your book?
I don't fear either.

Q) What’s your favorite movie?
The Godfather.

Q) What is the first creative thing you wrote? When did you write it?
Science fiction stories when I was about eight.

Q) Who is the person you most admire?
Jesus Christ.

Q) What is the most important thing in your life? What’s the second most important thing?
God and then my family.

Q) Who is the greatest writer to ever live?
C.S.Lewis.

Q) What is your favorite thing about Australia?
The quality of life.

Q) What’s your least favorite insect and why?
I like them all. I used to keep funnel web spiders in jars.

Q) What can we expect next from you, after, Dragonfly?
I am currently working on a YA Paranormal novel called SINISTER THINGS.


Thanks for dropping by Geoff.