Welcome to the Blog, and this
time I would like to introduce you to a boy called Scaramblous Jaike, and an
exclusive conversation with the author of his adventures about the first book
and how the series will develop. So without further ado let me introduce you to
writer of Scaramblous Jaike and the Revenge of the Shadow Monkeys… me.
Welcome to Talking to Myself,
Stephen, it is great that you could take the time to talk to us today.
Thank you, it is nice to be here today to talk to you about my new novel.
Scaramblous Jaike and the
Revenge of the Shadow Monkeys is your latest novel on Kindle so tell us a bit
about it then, what is the story, and who is it aimed at?
This novel is a fantasy tale aimed at a Young Adult audience but that
doesn’t mean adults are excluded, and I hope it will appeal to them also. The
story is about a group of children who live aboard a gigantic pirate ship
called the Black Tide, a mysterious ship that is stuck on an island. These
children have never left the ship, and seen what is beyond the horizon, so this
novel deals with their first adventures beyond the only home they have known.
I believe this is the first
book in a planned series, so what is the series about and how will it develop?
Indeed it is planned as a number of books. The series follows the
adventures of Scar and his friends as they uncover an ancient mystery. The
whole series is set over one year in Scar’s life and the dramatic events that
will change it, events that have their foundations in this first book. As the
tagline for the series states this is the year a legend is born, but we don’t
know who or what that legend is going to be at the start.
Will the Black Tide be the
main setting for the series then?
The Black Tide takes up about a third of the first book as we meet the
children and their world, but we quickly discover other parts of the Dagga
Isles, the world of the books. In the second book, Scaramblous Jaike and the Treasure of the Red Pirate, a
discovery is made that opens up the whole of the world the children live in,
and this will form the foundation for all the tales to come. So the Black Tide
will be an important place to the story but there is a whole world of wonders
still to be discovered in the books.
For those who have read your
other book The Last Mask – Tradition, how does this one compare?
This book was originally done before the Last Mask – Tradition and is a
very different series. Scaramblous Jaike is aimed at a YA audience, so entry to
the series is suitable for children, but will also appeal to adults who like
adventures of the imagination. Both books present a fantastic world to the
reader, but obviously have their own distinct identities. The Last Mask has a
more complex journey, with some darker locations, but the Dagga Isles hopefully
contains an equally entertaining experience for anyone who has travelled into
the world of the Joke.
With entry being aimed at a younger
audience, and dealing with children embarking on a fantastical journey, it is a
bit like Harry Potter then? Are you just trying to cash in on the void left by
the end of that series?
That sounds a bit harsh to say I am just trying to cash in. I will say the
series should appeal to fans of Harry Potter, as it presents an imaginative
world, but it is a very different tale. The scope and scale of this series will
take it places Harry couldn’t have dreamed of, and I am not afraid to kill off
main characters as anyone who has read my work will know, so this series will
have that edge.
Sorry about bringing up Harry Potter, but
obviously some might draw comparison. So what themes do you cover in the first
book?
The first book obviously deals with the children’s wishes to discover
what is beyond the horizon and this leads to their first adventures. On this
journey we come across the themes of friends and family, explored in various
ways. There is also a bit of good old revenge thrown in, as the title suggest.
Ah yes, the revenge of the
shadow monkeys, so what are the shadow monkeys and why do they want revenge?
Well I obviously can’t reveal that here, as that is a surprise for the
book, but I will give you this picture to show and hope your Blog readers are
intrigued to discover more about the mysterious monkeys.
Indeed, it does look
interesting, and I can’t wait to find out more about the world of Scar and
these vengeful shadow monkeys, but what drew you to writing a pirate novel in
the first place?
Why wouldn’t I want to write a pirate novel? Swashbuckling high seas
adventures with a heavy dose of fantasy is the stuff to get the imagination
flowing, and in a similar way to the theatre themes of the Last Mask, pirates
are something that you don’t find a whole lot of books out there about. It is
another area that I feel is greatly unexplored so I wanted to get in there and
do some exploring.
And it sounds like this is
going to be another interesting world that you are going to have a great time writing
as well. Thank you for taking the time to have this little talk with us today and
we look forward to talking again in the future.
Thank you for having me.
So there you have it,
Scaramblous Jaike and the Revenge of the Shadow Monkeys is now available on
Kindle and Kindle Apps from your local Amazon, at a very reasonable price, and I suggest you all
check out the adventures of this group of children and their fantastical pirate
world today before any shadow monkeys get their revenge.
Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scaramblous-Revenge-Monkeys-Legends-ebook/dp/B00821TF6O/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1
