The Thorn

Today, I have the pleasure of being part of Daron Fraley’s virtual blog tour. His book, The Thorn has just been published by Valor Publishing Group.

Typically, when doing a blog tour I give you my two cents about the book. However, I’m going to depart from that and give you a chance to get to know the author a little better. There are several other writers that are a part of this blog tour that will tell you about the book and what they think of it. A complete list of those on the tour can be found here. To find reviews that have already been given describing the book please go here, here, or here.

Now that we’ve gotten the formalities out of the way let’s get to know Daron a little better shall we?

ME - When the reader finishes the last chapter, what do you hope is going through their mind?

DARON - My hope is that the reader will feel the emotions which I attempt to portray in the final scene. But so that I don't give away the ending of the book, I will leave it at that. After the reader has finished, perhaps a few days or so, I hope the reader will still be thinking about the characters and looking forward to seeing more of their story in the next volume of the series.

ME - Is there a part of the book that you like most?

DARON - That is a really tough question. I am not sure I could pick just one place in the book. But, I do have a few favorite chapters. Those are usually the ones with the strongest chapter endings which drive the story forward. And I do hope that the last chapter grabs the imagination of my readers.

ME - I read on your website that you spent some time in France and honed your cooking skills there. Your book has frequent scenes where the consumption of food is front and center. How good of a cook are you? What is your favorite meal?

DARON - Ha! You made me laugh with that question. Yes, I suppose food is a frequent theme in the book. I hadn't noticed that before, but since you point it out...

I will try to be modest here. OK, maybe I won't. I make a mean pumpkin pie, from scratch. I cook the pumpkin. I make the crust. My family is quite pleased with my Garlic Chicken Alfredo, Stuffed Pork Loin with Peppercorn Sauce, Pot Roast, Chicken Avocado Pitas, Apple Pie, Stir Fry, Chimichangas, Gravy (chicken or beef). At Thanksgiving, I do the turkey, the stuffing, the pies, and the gravy. My wife does everything else. She is a great cook, but her specialty is desserts. I can cook most things quite well, but I have had a few flops. Borscht was my most notorious disaster. The family still talks about it.

I am proud to be a Gourmand.

ME - With six children, when do you find time to write?

DARON - I don't deal well with the noise, so my best writing happens between 10 p.m. and midnight.

ME - Are you able to write in a noisy environment or how do you seclude yourself to get the creative juices flowing?

DARON - I refer you to the previous answer. Wow. Teenagers are terribly noisy, aren't they? We try to have family prayer, then I tell them it is quiet time, and I shut the door. It takes me a little bit of time to get going, and I get my jump-start by reading.

ME - What is the next project you are working on?

DARON - I am currently working on "Heaven's Garden" book two of "The Chronicles of Gan". There will be pain. Suffering. Suffering is instructive, is it not? I am an evil author. Muhahahaha.

ME - Any words of wisdom you have to share with other aspiring writers?

DARON - Yeah. WRITE. And never give up. Also, read all you can. There is nothing wrong with writing purely for pleasure. But if you have a desire to be published, prepare yourself to work hard at it. If you think writing a novel is hard, just wait until you have to edit the novel a dozen times. Don't let the promise of dedication and work dissuade you, however. It is worth it!

Dan, thank you for taking the time to have this chat!

Thank you Daron for giving us a chance to get to know you better, best of luck with the book.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Thorn you can get it here.