Monday, March 20, 2017

The Making of Shadowed Eden - Guest Post by Katie Clark



I have something fun for you guys today! Remember that book I reviewed a couple of weeks ago, Shadowed Eden? Well, today I have the author, Katie Clark, herself sharing with us her inspiration for the story! I, for one, absolutely love getting an inside peek at how each novel is made. It’s fascinating how one spark of an idea turns into a whole world, characters, an entire story we love. And how we all get ideas differently!


So, without further ado, I shall hand the reins over to Katie herself!


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The Making of Shadowed Eden


Have you ever been lost in a story? So lost that you can’t think of anything else? Ever loved the characters so much that you started imagining new twists and turns for them to live through?


Okay, confession time. This is how the seeds of Shadowed Eden, my YA supernatural novel, began. While doing my daily walk on the treadmill I began watching the TV show Lost on Netflix. I fell in love, but not with the characters many people loved.


A couple seasons into the show we were introduced to a teen girl named Alex. Her dad wasn’t really her dad, but she didn’t know that yet. And her dad was definitely wrong in his views and beliefs. This went beyond the normal “teens hate their parents” stuff. Alex’s dad really was wrong, and she had to do something about it.


Alex stuck in my head. I began imagining scenarios for her, just to see how she would resolve them. I wanted to know more, more, more about her! It wasn’t long before I had created an entire character profile for this girl who wasn’t even that important to the TV show.


Shadowed Eden grew out of that character profile (as well as some awesome brainstorming sessions with my brother, who is a fellow Lost enthusiast). I wrote the book quickly, and my love for the show morphed into a love for this new story. This different story.


Now it’s your turn! Ever loved a show so much you truly found yourself “Lost” in it?


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I can definitely relate to this! Actually, most of my stories ideas come from watching TV. *cough, cough, cough* But hey, as writers, when we’re spending hours on Netflix we can call it “working”. #TheWritersLife


Thanks so  much for agreeing to visit Musings of an Elf, Katie! I loved seeing how Shadowed Eden came to be!


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Want to know more about Shadowed Eden?


High school senior, Avery Miles, is attending one last mission trip with the church youth before she moves across country to attend college in the fall. The trip through Iraq takes a wrong turn when the sandstorm of the century hits the area and blows the group’s entourage off course. After the dust settles, they find themselves in an unimaginable and inexplicable garden oasis. Along with an abundant supply of luscious fruit and crystal clear springs, the mysterious garden is home to poisonous snakes, hidden sink holes, and a lingering confusion that no one can shake—not to mention the natives, who are almost unearthly.

As the days progress, the group begins to realize they have a very real problem—no matter which way they trek, they can’t seem to leave. Avery puts the clues together and begins to suspect their location is much more than a simple garden oasis, but just as a rescue plan forms, Avery discovers her father is working with a more sinister presence, one that wants to keep them trapped permanently.


*Watch the book trailer for Shadowed Eden on YouTube here!*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGl3i7ZhJLs

 

What others have said about Shadowed Eden!


"A truly original premise, Shadowed Eden, is an exciting supernatural adventure filled with danger, redemption, and a cast of teenaged characters that I grew to love. I enjoyed Clark's story and look forward to seeing what she comes up with next." ~Jill Williamson, Christy Award-winning author of By Darkness Hid and To Darkness Fled


"Shadowed Eden is a unique and intriguing tale that will keep the reader turning pages, and the suspense doesn't stop until its surprising end! I highly recommend it." ~Melanie Dickerson, Carol Award-winning author of The Merchant's Daughter

 


KATIE CLARK started reading fantastical stories in grade school and her love for books never died.

Today she reads in all genres; her only requirement is an awesome story! She writes young adult speculative fiction, including her YA supernatural, Shadowed Eden. You can connect with her at her website, on Facebook, or on Twitter.


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Now let’s hear your thoughts, O Readers! Who else has written entire books off of inspiration from TV shows? (I know we’re not alone here.) Do you ever get these ideas that just eat away and eat away at your until you put them to paper? And have you read Shadowed Eden?

16 comments:

  1. My short story A Canadian Morning was partially inspired by characters in When Calls the Heart, but it is all original character and storyline. Check it out here: http://catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com/2017/02/a-canadian-morning-short-story.html

    Catherine
    catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com

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    1. OH MY GOODNESS. I just went to read your short story and it was ADORABLE. I was laughing and grinning the whole way through. The dialogue was SPOT ON like one of those shows in that time period. It was the most fun thing!

      I really MUST watch When Calls the Heart sometime!

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  2. Fun post! Always fascinating to see behind-the-scenes of a book's creation! :) Too often my favorite character in a show or film or book are minor characters like that, I'm afraid, so I can relate! :)

    I may not always ADMIT it, but a lot of ideas have been sparked at least partially by various books, shows, films, etc. ;) Particularly when there's something I DIDN'T like... and want to fix it in some way. XD Ahem. Maybe that's not a good reason, but still... I like to hope that they're changed enough by the time I write them that they won't be recognizable, but who knows. :P

    Thanks for sharing, Lauri, and thanks for an intriguing guest post, Katie! :)

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    1. Same here! I love getting peeks at the how a book was created. And yes, the side characters are so often the best for some reason. It's funny how that always works!

      I AM THE SAME WAY. About EVERYTHING you said! I don't always admit how often my ideas are inspired by things. But...yeah, TV influences my stories a LOT. *sheepish grin* AND I toooootally am the EXACT. SAME. WAY. about wanting to write things to FIX something I saw and didn't like the way it turned out. I get inspired by that more so than by things I DO like. We're such silly beings. XD

      Glad you enjoyed it! ^_^

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  3. That's great. I love the way everyone's creative process is different. I get most of my ideas from various books and movies, although I have gotten much better about it. My first book was so completely a ripoff of Lord of the Rings, you would not believe it. The plot was the same pace for pace, with nothing to differentiate it but character names (and genders.)
    Very fascinating post, Katie! Thanks!

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    1. Yessss! Isn't it such a fascinating thing how we ALL create things so differently? Writing and the process of writing is infinite, and I just love it!

      Oh me too, me too! TV shows, movies, and books probably inspire me more than anything. And, oh my goodness, I relate to your LotR copying! I cringe at my old writing over how unbelievably similar to LotR it is. But hey, at least we learned from the best!

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  4. I always LOVE hearing about how people got their story ideas! It's so interesting.

    That said I don't even remember how I came up with the idea for my trilogy... *thinks hard* Yep. All I can remember is 'I wanna write a robin hood retelling...let's do it dystopian!' xD

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    1. That's actually... a really really cool idea. O_O I don't even LIKE dystopian, but that sounds cool. XD

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    2. Awk really? *bounces* Eeee well you just made me super excited right then. *hugs* :D

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    3. I 100% agree! Seeing the process of how a story came about and where the idea came from just utterly fascinates me!

      ROBIN HOOD DYSTOPIAN????????????????
      *diiiiiies*
      THAT SOUNDS LIKE THE MOST AMAZING THING EVERRRRRR.
      Robin Hood is one of my top, TOP favoritest things, and I love dystopian stories. So...just...YOU ARE A GENIUS.

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    4. AWH I'M SO EXCITED NOW. *flails* THANK YOU!!
      To be honest it's a pretty loose retelling, but it's there somewhat anyway. :) But yes yes, it is pretty fun. I have no idea how it'll turn out in the end BUT IT'S BEEN FUN FOR NOW ANYWAY. :D And I've had people already asking to read it which is o_O really really cool and exciting.

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    5. Oh, but I like loose retellings! It's so fun when it's inspired by a story, but still completely its own original story. That's the best! IT JUST SOUNDS AMAZING.

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    6. ^-^ *hugs* You've totally made my day and inspired me to keep on editing. <3

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    7. YES. KEEP ON. The world needs this story!

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  5. I'm a snoopy writer who likes these behind the scenes glimpses into other people's creative processes, so this was fun! I get a lot of ideas from other books/movies/shows, but half the time I don't even realize it... until one day I stop and realize, "Oh, this is a lot like _____. Oops." XD

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    1. Oh man, meeee too! It's my favorite learning how each writer works. Plus, it's great gleaning ideas from one another!

      Hahahaha! I've probably done that, too. I would think that happens to pretty much everyone since there basically are no original ideas anymore. XD

      (And, just so you know, I'm totally loving all the Tracey comments coming in. <3)

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