Lydhia Marie - Author

If you wish to find a good Christian, action-packed, sci-fi story to read, I strongly recommend The Catalyst.

When Earth's greatest enemy returns, Lukas Brown must send his daughter and protegé west on a dangerous cross-country mission, and retrieve the key component to the world's survival, The Catalyst.

But the road west is filled with more delays and challenges than expected, and Lukas discovers there's more to their newest threat than meets the eye.

What follows is an interview with the author about his newly published novel as well as his writing habits.

Name:

My name is Antuan Vance.

Title of most recent book:

The Catalyst

What inspired you to write this book?

I honestly can’t remember the specifics. I wish I could. The story came to me in bits and pieces over time, and is part of a much larger story.

A year or so before I started this novel, I was working on a different one. It wasn’t moving forward; so I had to retire it. And because I am a writer, and desperately wanted to put something in print, I started something new. Something different. I put my brain to work; and it came to me. I would write a quasi-romantic, action-packed cross-country adventure with Levi and Abigail. As However, after writing the prologue, it became just as much about Lukas (and the door at the end of the hall) as it was about Levi and Abigail.

What is your writing style?

I write it as I see it, as if I’m watching a movie or TV show. I write it as a movie in text form. Only, you get to see/hear people’s thoughts. And I experience and play with the conversations as I write them. It makes the dialogue more real.

How much of your novel was influenced by your personal life?

A little bit. Levi is kind of an unflattering, alternate universe version of me. He looks like me, but with more muscles (Ha!). His tastes reflect mine. Since Levi runs the radio, I get to compliment my favorite bands. I’m a Star Trek fan. I had to mention how amazing it is.

Having worked in the hotel industry, I know what hotel staff are and are not to do and made sure Alexis did everything wrong.

What do you like the most/least about writing?

What I like the most about writing is creating, visualizing, and enjoying the story. It exciting having ideas and pouring yourself into a different reality. I like to ponder on the possibilities of a story going in different directions. It’s also very satisfying having the story shift in a way you didn’t initially intend to when you started the story.

What do I like the least? Probably the difficulty of having your stuff read. If you’re not connected with the right people, people who have the time, interest, and energy to appreciate your work, it can be a very lonely and frustrating process, even disheartening.

Have you ever experienced writer’s block? If so, how did you overcome it?

Yes. I’ve had writer’s block on a number of stories, and briefly on this one. What I learned was that, despite the block, I still had to write something. So, I just pushed through it. I fabricated conversations between my characters. A fun thing to do is to have your characters talk to each other, even if, in the moment, the conversation might not work in the story. You learn something about the characters. You might even get a great conversation that will fit later in the story. Who knows, sometimes that conversation reveals new possibilities for the characters or events that you hadn’t once considered.

What subject wouldn’t you feel comfortable writing about?

Myself. Hahaha. I’m a very private person. I can write about any subject that I have a grip on. However, a lot of me is off limits, simply because I like to be known more intimately, person-to-person.

What kind of books do you read?

I read a lot of the popular stuff like Twilight, Harry Potter, something written by Stephen King or Dan Brown, but mostly science fiction and fantasy. Occasionally, I read the Nikki Heat series. It’s a crime procedural based off of the ABC TV show, Castle. Gotta love a good mystery.

What is your favorite book of all time?

The Holy Bible, of course. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without it. It is the key tool of life and liberty.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

No. I don’t share my work until it’s finished. I have found a closed door goes a long way in the creative process.

If you want to know more about this author and his published books, visit his website or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

You can also find his novel on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, and more!

Thanks for reading!