Ask the Author

Use this forum to discuss the April 2019 Book of the month, "Adrift" by Charlie Sheldon
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Ekta Kumari
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Re: Ask the Author

Post by Ekta Kumari »

If you have to choose, which of the characters would you say are your favorite and why?
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Post by Charlie Sheldon »

Luckily I do not have to choose on this. I am not sure that I can write a multi point of view tale as I do, with the characters fairly equal, without similarly equally "liking" or being invested in each character. Of course with this series, which did not start out as a series, Sarah and Myra and Sergei and some others have remained consistent one book to another, so I guess you could argue these are favorites. But, for these books to be successful with readers, it is important that the reader at least be willing to fall into the point of view being told, even if a character not very well liked, I mean fall into enough to be concerned about that character as a person in the story, with his or her own dilemma and issues, fears, likes, because then the reader will keep reading. And, to write many characters, I think I need at the time I am doing each character to be fully invested in that one, at the time of writing, so in way I must equally like ALL my characters because they are the vehicle to show and tell the story. If a character is not engaging or real then the character is simlpy being used to move the narrative along, and that is often deadly.
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Post by Connie Otwani »

I just finished reading this book and I immensely enjoyed it, in fact, more than I did Strong Heart. It's only the end I found a bit sudden. I mean, a final clean sweep would have cleared things like Anne's reaction to William, a feel of Steve's hearing, pending matters Re Buckhorn. I had hoped that with Warhorse intercepting the tow, some coverup would have unearthed. Anyway, maybe I just like lingering, after a good story ends!

Now for my question - Is there something about the human body endurance and 8 days? I mean, Sarah was missing for 8 days in Brave Heart. In Adrift, William is again without food and warmth for about 8 days. Is it just a coincidence?
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Post by Charlie Sheldon »

Mostly coincidence, though that is about the limit for lack of water, isn't it? Perhaps, call it stylistic license?
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Post by Vtonionline »

I applaud your writing as I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I now know why it's up for book of the month and year. I'm curious about the initial fire and Mark. I hope the investigation in the sequel will explain all of that. I am curious about Pete's wife and even the coincidence of her delayed house hunting trip. I love the fact that Pete got a break even though the timing of his recovery and the letter were almost too perfect. But since I like happy endings, it is alright.

I really like your writing.
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Post by Vtonionline »

I mst add that iagree that a movie is the next step to taking this tale to the world. I hope that a big studio will approve a sufficient budget to make this into a movie. This tale should be told inmore ways that one as i am certain it will appeal to many. I also believe with a good director and budget,it will win laurels.
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Post by Charlie Sheldon »

one can always hope.....I do think with the digital techniques of today you could do a really vivid and real series of the time of the great ice, the animals....
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Post by Connie Otwani »

Hi, I am just wondering why William's marooned party though starving, didn't try fishing. The water wasn't frozen, and even whales visited.
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Post by Charlie Sheldon »

Good question, actually. You are right, lifeboats contain fishing gear, some hooks,but that's about it. There wouldn;t have been much in the way of fish in a small enclosed Bay, and they couldn't fish in the rough ocean outside. They went after and got seal, though...
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Post by DC Brown »

Charlie Sheldon wrote: 04 Apr 2019, 15:09 All good questions. I have completed a third tale in the group, which answers some of what you are asking, and I am now finishing a fourth, though as I work on it I am thinking maybe they should be combined into a pretty big third tale answering these questions and others....my instinct right now, today, is to have one big book, with maps and such, maybe 150,000 words in total (length of 2 books) but it depends on what my publisher thinks. It's great readers want to know what happens of course.....
Wonderful!!! Glad you're writing more. I'd like to know what was in the hold that shouldn't have been. And would like to know more about William and Sarah and Myra and Louise and the town...Loved the first two books even though I read them out of order. These were great as stand-alone books as well. Thank you so much for writing these. Do you have any other series planned?
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Post by Charlie Sheldon »

I just want to finish this.next.book and this series first. I do.have some.ideas though...
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

Charlie Sheldon wrote: 04 Apr 2019, 15:09 All good questions. I have completed a third tale in the group, which answers some of what you are asking, and I am now finishing a fourth, though as I work on it I am thinking maybe they should be combined into a pretty big third tale answering these questions and others....my instinct right now, today, is to have one big book, with maps and such, maybe 150,000 words in total (length of 2 books) but it depends on what my publisher thinks. It's great readers want to know what happens of course.....
I am also looking forward to reading the third book. All the best as you go about it.
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Post by Quickstudy »

My question is, what inspires and motivates you to write captivating yet terrifying stories. How do you come up with the phrases and sentence structure you use, while writing.
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Post by Charlie Sheldon »

what inspires and motivates you to write captivating yet terrifying stories. How do you come up with the phrases and sentence structure you use, while writing?

I am not sure I have answer to these questions. Writing for me is less inspiration than a demand, almost an illness, at times, so I keep at it. Obviously the scenes and places in my stories are written better if I have experienced them myself, because then I can see what is happening. When I write I see the action, and then try to describe the action and the scene with a minimum of words, just enough for the reader to fill in the rest. Obviously with this series I came upon a rich vein of material and am having fun with it. As regards the structure and phrases, I cannot really describe that either. I do know that once I get a draft sort of written I need to sit on it a while then go back and start removing stuff, trying to cut away everything not needed for the scene. At the very end, where I am now in the next books in the series, I will even go through the whole manuscript one word at a time to make sure I don't have too many repeat usages of that word, verb, noun, whatever, so it wont be repetitive. This is all very subjective, by the way....
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Post by imSunshine »

OMG! Hello Sir, just want to ask what was the inspiration behind this incrediblw story?
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