Title: The Artful
Series: Shadows Of The City
Author:
Wilbert Stanton
Genre:
young-adult, post-apocalyptic, dystopian, science-fiction
Publisher:
Curiosity Quills Press
Date
of Publication: 27th May, 2014
BLURB
supplied by Curiosity Quills Press
New
York City, 2025: Everything is changed. The city that never sleeps is now a
land of death and decay. A rampant virus has taken over and the survivors have
become carriers, quarantined from the rest of the world.
Twist
and Dodger grew up in the streets, the sewers and underground tunnels – their
playground. They aren’t heroes. They just like attention; and stealing meds
from the rich and giving them to the poor is their golden ticket.
On
their latest raid, they unknowingly steal a cure that puts them square between
the ailing Emperor of Manhattan and the war hungry Governor of Brooklyn and
forces them on a quest into the darkest shadows of their putrefying world.
BUY LINKS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Social Links
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
What is your name, where were you born
and where do you live now?
My name is Wilbert Stanton, I was born
and raised in New York City, Manhattan to be exact. I’ve lived here all my
life. And although I have vacationed to many different countries and cities,
New York will always be my home.
Did you always want to be a writer? If
not what did you want to be?
Growing up I’ve wanted to be a number of
things, even while attending college I found myself changing majors quite
often. I could never really figure out what it was I wanted to do. A career
path I was passionate about one minute became boring and mundane the next.
Through it all, I’ve always found a passion for writing; it was something I did
on the side, with no intentions of sharing it with the world. It was my secret
hobby for me and me alone. It wasn’t until recently that I’ve found myself at a
dead end job, that I realized the only thing that makes me happy is writing,
and if I wanted to make something out of that passion I had to step up and do
something about it.
When did you first consider yourself as
a "writer"?
I’m still not sure, I often feel like
I’m pretending. My fiancé and family members say I’m a writer; they started
saying it way before I did. Of course it’s a title I hold dear, but I guess
that title also comes with self-doubt and apprehension. You might say I’m
actually scared to call myself a “writer”, if I don’t openly say it, I can’t be
proven wrong. But the truth is, I’ve considered myself a writer ever since I
was a child.
Do you work another job as well as your
writing work?
Yes. Unfortunately, I have not reached
that level, where I can quit my job and focus on writing. I would love too. But
sometimes life gets in the way of your dreams. Luckily for me, I have a job
that offers a lot of down time. So I do get a lot of writing done there.
Who is your publisher? or do you self-publish?
My publisher is Curiosity Quills Press,
and I couldn’t have asked for a better publisher to publish my first book with.
They have been so helpful and embracing, they’ve answered my numerous emails,
and walked me through this process with a patience and understanding I am sure
is hard to find in this business.
What can we expect from you in the
future? ie More books of the same genre?
Books of a different genre?
Currently I am working on a steam-punk, fantasy
called Cabin at the End of the World. It’s a mixture of fairy tale,
fantasy, steam-punk, and Greek mythology. It is definitely a departure from The
Artful. I love writing post-apocalyptic stuff, but Cabin is
something I’ve been dreaming up for a long time. After that I will be working
on the sequel to The Artful. I think, my plan is to go back and forth
between the two series/genres at least until both trilogies are done.
Do you have a favorite character from
your books? And why are they your favorite?
From The Artful, my favorite character
is Dodger. The title of course, is his name’s sake. I like him because he was
everything I was not as a teenager. He is adventurous, brash, daring, and
funny, also he has no fear of saying what’s on his mind to girls, something I
used to fear more than death itself!
If you had to choose to be one of your
characters in your book/books which would you be? And why?
As I mentioned before my favorite
character is Dodger, but would I want to be him as an adult? I’m not sure. As a
teenager I would have loved to have his quick wit and self-centered attitude.
But as an adult, I think that Twist would be just as fascinating a character to
be. He is wise, caring, honest, and when push comes to shove he is willing to do
anything for the people he cares about, even if it scares him to death. These
are all qualities that make a great person.
Do you have a certain routine you have
for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?
When I come up with an idea, I usually
pick a music playlist that fits what I’m going for, something that I would
imagine playing as the stories soundtrack. I will go to bed and have the
playlist play, while I imagine the whole story, sort of
like a movie. Sometimes if I find the perfect music, the story will play out by
itself. The next day I will write an outline, or something that resembles an
outline, and take it from there.
What do you do to unwind and relax? Do
you have a hobby?
I like to read, play video games, and
watch movies. Those are definitely things that relax me, except watching Game
of Thrones, that show just stresses me out.
Do you think books transfer to movies
well? Which is you favorite/worst book to movie transfer?
I think it really depends. Right now directors
and producers seem to be scooping up books to adapt left and right, some are
great, some are not. As of recent I would say I enjoyed the Divergent
adaptation, they changed a lot of things, but I still feel it captured the idea
of the book perfectly. I also really liked John Carter, even though it did
poorly in the box office. We can even go back further; I actually like The
Never Ending Story film better than the book. As for the worst, I believe
Mortal Instruments, Beautiful Creatures, and I am Number Four, could have been
better. But I wouldn’t actually say they were the worst… I did enjoy them to an
extent. I guess it’s just that when you are a reader and passionate about a
book, it’s hard to accept the slightest flaw or divergence from the source
material.
Do you think ebooks will ever totally
replace printed books?
I love ebooks for simplicity’s sake. I
have an iPad and carry around my library of books with me everywhere I go. But
I will still always love a physical book. The smell, the feel, the look of ink
printed on each page. It’s a totally immersive experience. We have seen it
before, DVD’s replaced VHS, MP3s have replaced cassettes and CDs, but with the
printed book I feel it is a bit different. Besides when the world falls to a
nuclear holocaust, physical books will totally rule.
Do you think children at schools these
days are encouraged enough to read? and/or do Imaginative writing?
I don’t know about school, but I do
think kids are reading a lot more than when I was younger. The YA explosion
that’s taken over the literary world is just evidence of that. Kids are
blogging, posting reviews, and running to the stores to buy books, now. It’s
pretty amazing. Schools can only take advantage of this by incorporating
reading material that kids already enjoy. I have heard The Hunger Games, and
Harry Potter have been added to some school reading lists. I think that’s a
step in the right direction.
What do you think about book trailers?
I like book trailers. Most of my older
friends will respond with “I didn’t know they make trailers for books.” But it
is a good marketing tool. Especially when marketing towards younger readers.
This is probably why you can find book trailers for YA books all over YouTube…
speaking of which, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW34VhgkM-I
Where can readers follow you?
Your Facebook Page?
http://www.facebook.com/authorwilbertstanton
Your Goodreads Author Page?
Your Twitter Details?
http://twitter.com/wilbert_stanton
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