Book Blast, Giveaway & Interview:Backward Compatible by Sarah Daltry and Pete Clark

 

 

Backward Compatible

Sarah Daltry and Pete Clark

Genre: Geek Romance

Book Description:

Not too long ago,

in a town that,

depending on your current location,

is either not super far

or actually quite close…

It is a time of chaotic hormones.

Two nerdy gents

home for winter break

have discovered a female gamer

at a midnight release.

During the break,

the gamer trio manages

to reveal the game’s secret boss,

a hidden enemy

with enough power to destroy

anything in its path.

Pursued by other gamers

who want to be the first

to beat this boss,

George and Katie race to level up,

and, in so doing, restore decency

and sexual activity to their personal galaxy…

Available at Amazon Amazon UK Apple

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“These graphics suck,” George says and I look back at the screen. We’re standing in the middle of the Estate, colorful orbs quivering ahead of us. We each have to choose our starting advantage. Waterfalls shimmer in the distance and the sunlight streams over multicolored stones in the courtyard.

“Amateurs,” Lanyon concurs. “I mean, they couldn’t have five waterfalls?”

“Your ironic wit is mind blowing, but choose your damn orbs,” I tell them. I consider. Magic, defense, offense, stealth, and charisma. I always go for magic as a black mage, but I wonder if a druid needs something else. Screw it. I need charisma in real life, too.

“Charisma?” Lanyon asks. “No one ever picks charisma.”

“We’re a party of a thief, druid, and a bard. We’re screwed regardless.”

“You two underestimate the mighty power of my lute,” George argues.

“Did you start with charisma?” Lanyon asks.

“Hell, no. I have charisma in spades. I started with stealth.”

“Great. A stealthy bard,” I sigh.

“She’s right,” Lanyon concedes. “We’re screwed.”

However, it actually isn’t bad at all at first. We power through the Estate and make it to the Yobanaria Dale with no resurrections and all at level ten. I’m impressed. George hasn’t actually fought anything, but he has some pretty awe-inspiring charm mastery already. I think I might have a serious crush. He seals the deal when he buffs my hailstorm spell without even being asked.

“Can you guys watch El Thiefelo? My mom wants me to eat supper,” Lanyon says.

“Yeah, we’ve got it,” I tell him. “The first boss is in the elven ruins anyway, so we should grind a bit. I think he’s a twelve.”

George and I explore the Dale, taking out bats and Joba spores. It’s fairly quiet, except for when we combo with his charms and my spells and he yells out, “Eat lute, bitch,” but it’s nice. We work well, almost inherently understanding each other. I’ve never been able to play this effectively with anyone. I try not to think about his eyes. Stupid boys, being cute and stuff.

By the time Lanyon comes back, we’re all at level 12, although Lanyon leveled up just by standing by a door while we played. Still, we are ready to take on Balsa the Proud. As a black mage, it took me about nine seconds. Trees don’t like fire. However, druids don’t have the same level of black magic and all elemental magic is weakened by the need to draw from the elements nearby. Sadly, trees seem to avoid storing fire runes in their villages. I expect this to be a little more challenging. It might even take fifteen seconds.

“First boss. Also known as the freebie bitch to sucker the young folks into a false sense of security,” Lanyon announces as he runs into the center of Balsa’s lair. The cinema plays and then, in a moment of pure absurdity, El Thiefelo is squished as Balsa steps on him.

“Can someone revive me?” Lanyon whines.

Bonus Materials:

Gamer Nerd’s Love Song Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dce-MfzrfXE

Music Playlist: http://hypster.com/create/playlist?playlist_id=6805166

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-0qwqxUYTw

Did you always wanted to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?

Sarah – Yes and no. I always loved writing, but I also wanted to be a cartoon. So, you know.

Pete – I wanted to be a ninja, dragon, or Bruins goaltender. But I figured a writer was less work. I should have gone with dragon.

When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?

Sarah – I don’t consider myself a writer. To be a writer, I figure people need to have read my books. Most people have no idea I exist. Or don’t care. So I don’t really consider myself anything but a girl who has some books out there.

Pete – I will let you know when I do.

How long did it take to get your first book published?

Sarah – My first book was contracted immediately. I actually had several offers. Now, I have been experimenting with self-publishing. I’m not sure how I feel about it still. I like the control and I have the work ethic for it, but I also feel like the stigma does exist and sometimes it’s justified. I want to push myself to be better. I sometimes feel like I’m not pushing myself hard enough.

Pete – A few months.

Do you do another job except for writing and can you tell us more about it?

Sarah – I work three jobs and I am a blogger. Sometimes I have no time to write.

Pete – I am a sword in the night. I am the watcher on the wall. Also, I teach high school English.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?

Sarah – My latest is Primordial Dust, which is a YA fantasy romance. However, we are talking about Backward Compatible, which I would say is Scott Pilgrim meets Nick and Norah.

Pete – Tales from Midnight’s Graveyard. A churchyard yawned, Hell breathed out contagion, and some stories came out.

Who is your publisher? Or do you self-publish?

Sarah – Escape Publishing for Bitter Fruits and everything else is indie right now. As I said, I’m still up in the air about it.

Pete – JEA Press for Midnight Riders. My others are self-published.

How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?

Sarah – It totally depends. This one took barely a month, because we wrote nonstop and could send one another the next section, so it kind of broke it up. We each only really had to write a novella, in a sense. However, Primordial Dust took three years. Most take two to three months if I have enough time to write consistently.

Pete – I have a pretty wide window. Here’s an example. One book took me 34 total days. Another took about 15 years. So somewhere in between.

What can we expect from you in the future?  ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?

Sarah – I don’t really have a genre. It makes it difficult to be a “brand” or whatever, but I love books. I love stories. I don’t tell them because of where there is a market, but because I need to tell them. So I will write the next story burning inside of me. Right now, there are a couple. One is a secret. One is a YA dystopian with what I hope is an awesome twist, but if I don’t get moving, someone else will do it first.

Pete – I write all kinds of things. I like short stories, but no one else does. I like Westerns, but no one else does. So I guess whatever I like, since no one else will. Can I have a cookie?

What genre would you place your books into?

Sarah – Everything. I write from YA fantasy for younger readers through historical erotica. So basically I will write whatever works at that moment in time for me.

Pete – Chaos. Nothing seems to stick to the rules.

What made you decide to write that genre of book?

Sarah – Since I don’t have one, I write what inspires me.

Pete – I write the story I have. I don’t pay attention to genre.

Do you have a favorite character from your books? And why are they your favorite?

Sarah – I relate most to Jack in Flowering, but I love all my characters.

Pete – Oliver the dragon from Midnight Riders. Because he’s a dragon.

How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?

Sarah – My entire life. I was inspired because we had no money and I had no friends and making up stories passed the time.

Pete – Since I was around four. I used to write holiday presentations and make my family sit through them. Nothing really inspired me.

Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?

Sarah – I like listening to my playlist for that book. I tend to pick a list of songs that get the right mood for the book and listen to them on repeat. I hate any other sounds.

Pete – I bat randomly at the keyboard and then wait for Word to recommend the correct word. Then my masterpiece is complete.

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?

Sarah – Not any more. I tend to think that people don’t understand how to write constructive feedback. I’m no stranger to it, having sat through extensive writing workshops in undergrad and grad school, but reviews like, “this person should kill herself so no one has to read more books by her” or “I liked it because it was good” mean nothing to me. I have writing partners and I listen to them. Otherwise, I publish a book when I feel okay with it.

Pete – I don’t go out of my way, but if I see them, I might read them. Most aren’t detailed enough to be of much use. I will generally read blog tour ones, since they are better in terms of detail, rather than Amazon reviews by people who never bought or read the book.

Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?

Sarah – It’s usually somewhere in the middle. Once I am working and I know what’s happening, the title tends to come to me. The exceptions are series, because I pick the titles knowing the overarching storyline in advance.

Pete – A little of both. I start with a working title and then, as I go, I will find something that fits better. Every so often, I write a story based on a title I was given.

How do you come up with characters names and place names in your books?

Sarah – The characters tend to name themselves. Places are usually real, but in fantasy, they just seem to come to me.

Pete – I throw down a name and go with it. Every once in a while, I change it. But for the most part, I go with the first thing that comes to me.

Do you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along?

Sarah – Pete and I don’t agree on this, but I feel like the characters drive the story. I have no control over who they are. They dictate their story.

Pete – The major characters are given a vague sense, but side characters sometimes just appear and become who they are. As long as they’re consistent, it works out.

Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story is..")

Sarah – Well, all stories have some moral or theme. I think the deepest this one goes is simply that it’s okay to be weird. Being who you are is better than being fake and there is someone out there who will appreciate your weirdness.

Pete – “Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.” There are generally hidden things, but revealing them is pointless. I would only say this. Remember, the chair is against the wall. John has a long moustache.

Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback?

Sarah – paperback

Pete – Hardcover

What is your favorite book and Why?  Have you read it more than once?

Sarah – The Sun Also Rises because it’s painfully beautiful. I read it only once all the way through, actually only a few years ago, but I read the last page a lot.

Pete – Dandelion Wine, because it’s the kind of book that you can’t explain why it’s good. It’s for you or it isn’t. You connect to it or you don’t. I have only read it once.

 

Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favorite/worst book to movie transfer?

Sarah – Generally speaking, no. Movies take the soul out of books. However, there are rare exceptions. Maybe because I saw it before I read it, I preferred Silver Linings Playbook as a movie. The worst is by far The Lovely Bones. I don’t think the people working on that movie read the same book.

Pete – Generally no. Most suck. For example, three of my favorite books (The Lovely Bones, I am Legend, and Less than Zero) are all horrible movies. The only movie I like that is based on a book I’ve read is American Psycho.

Your favorite food is?

Sarah – pizza

Pete – cheese

Your favorite singer/group is?

Sarah – Green Day or Tori Amos

Pete – Sugar/Bob Mould

Your favorite color is?

Sarah – Purple and black

Pete - green

Your favorite Author is?

Sarah – Hemingway

Pete - Bradbury

 

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Sarah Daltry:

Sarah Daltry writes about the regular people who populate our lives. She's written works in various genres - romance, erotica, fantasy, horror. Genre isn't as important as telling a story about people and how their lives unfold. Sarah tends to focus on YA/NA characters but she's been known to shake it up. Most of her stories are about relationships - romantic, familial, friendly - because love and empathy are the foundation of life. It doesn't matter if the story is set in contemporary NY, historical Britain, or a fantasy world in the future - human beings are most interesting in the ways they interact with others. This is the principle behind all of Sarah's stories.

Sarah has spent most of her life in school, from her BA and MA in English and writing to teaching both at the high school and college level. She also loves studying art history and really anything because learning is fun.

When Sarah isn't writing, she tends to waste a lot of time checking Facebook for pictures of cats, shooting virtual zombies, and simply staring out the window.

She has written several books, most notably Bitter Fruits, an urban fantasy in the Eden’s Fall series, and the six-part New Adult contemporary Flowering series. Her most recent release is Primordial Dust, a YA fantasy.

Pete Clark:

Pete Clark likes writing, animals, potato chips, and cheese. Midnight Riders was his first published novel, although he can also proudly say he finally finished Helix Crashing, the fantasy novel he has been working on for over a decade. In addition, he has written Across the Barren Landscape, a collection of linked Western short stories, and Tales from Midnight’s Graveyard, a collection of non-linked horror, science fiction, and fantasy stories. He also writes plays, both dramatic and comedic.

When he is not writing, Pete tends to ignore everyone around him and obsess over sports.

Sarah’s Website: http://sarahdaltry.com

Pete’s Website: http://punchmyselfintheface.wordpress.com

Sarah’s Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorSarahDaltry

Pete’s Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PeteClarkAuthor

Sarah’s Twitter: http://twitter.com/SarahDaltry

Pete’s Twitter: http://twitter.com/PeteClarkBooks