Interview with TJ Silver, Author of Secret of Shadow

First, there has been a lot of talk how there aren't many young adult books that feature a male main character. Did you specifically set out to write Secret of Shadow with male readers in mind or did it just flow that way?

              YES, definitely!! The main character is based on my son (whose name really is Thunderstorm!) and I definitely wanted to play to the all the boys who read Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and are hungry for more adventure stories.

I noticed a lot of references to mythology, particularly norse mythology (which I personally am thrilled with). Did you have a favorite myth or god/goddess?

               I was influenced by my life-long love of Tolkien, and HIS love for Norse mythology; plus, I am deeply in love with the ancient story of Beowulf; so there's going to be more Nordic influences, including references to Beowulf, in the following books.

In Secret of Shadow we also get to travel from one end of the globe to the other. Have you done a lot of traveling? Do you have one place you really want to visit?

               I actually haven't traveled at all! The places I'd love to visit are all of historical significance (I'm such a bore!) - Stonehenge, the pyramids, and ancient Greek and Roman ruins, especially Pompeii. No lounging on the beaches of Rio for me!

I loved the representation of each of the elements and the great familiars in the Secret of Shadow. Which element would you hope to be & which familiar would you want?

                I'd want to be an Air elemental, with a unicorn for a familiar. Not terribly original, I'm afraid; when it comes to unicorns, I'm a super girly-girl!

Secret of Shadow leaves us hanging a little and anxious for the next adventure, any idea when we can expect to be able to read the second book in the series? Any hints at what we have to look forward to in it?

                Hopefully the next volume will be released next year. Look forward to shocking plot twists with some major characters - also, look forward to some exotic scenery!

Eastern Sunset Reads is celebrating a second blogoversary and we are looking back at those moments and special books that got us hooked. Is there a particular book or moment that really got you hooked on reading and writing? Can you share a little story with us?

                 My earliest literary love was "The Hobbit", by the great J.R.R. Tolkien. My father started reading it to me nightly when I was only five or six; so Tolkien and I go way back! As a kid, I also loved the wacky adventures penned by Bruce Coville and Jane Yolen. As an adult, my true love is actually Stephen King.

 

 

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Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to spend with myself and my readers here at Eastern Sunset Reads! 

 

You can find The Secret of Shadow in hardcover, paperback or ebook on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Please be sure to visit Thunderstorm & The Secret of Shadow's Facebook Page.  Or check out his official site http://drakyus.com/.  You can also see an awesome podcast on YouTube. Or check out the publisher's page, Mbedzi.
 

 

 

You can also visit and enter my giveaway for a chance to win an autographed paperback copy for yourself!