Ragabones Author Interview & Giveaway!

About the Book

Book: Ragabones

Author: Daniel Tweddell

Genre: Fantasy YA

Release Date: June 27, 2023

As if Josh having his memory stolen by an over-protective mother wasn’t enough, his older brother, Pete, wins every trophy and never lets him forget it. And oh yeah, Mom’s an ex-god of the underworld, so it’s no surprise their family has enemies.

Maybe that’s why Dad’s missing. Maybe that’s why ragged scars crisscross Josh’s throat. It’s definitely why Josh accidentally sprung the trap – the one that opened a portal and released the demon who now hunts them.

Turns out there’s another world; one with castles and dragons, and prisons that dangle into hell. That’s the world where Josh and Pete find Dad turned to stone, the world with entire cities enslaved by the demon. As the brothers race to undo Josh’s colossal mistake, Josh’s mysterious past comes to light, and Josh must choose between the fate of the world and the lives of his family.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Hi, I’m Daniel Tweddell. I grew up in the Bornean and Philippine jungle as a missionary’s kid. My neighbors had monkeys for pets. Just behind the tree line, “ex”-headhunters slipped through the shadows with spears and six-foot blow guns. It was the perfect incubator for a kid’s imagination. As an adult, I did a lot of things from writing high-octane video games with my friends to having my own companies. But I always loved castles, wizards, and monsters the best. So now I write white-knuckle stories about magic woven with truths from my life’s journey. I live in San Diego with my wife and 3 kids.

More from Daniel

I had a visual of a soapbox derby with the cars lined up from worst to best. The worst was made of cardboard with garbage can lids for wheels. The best was polished mahogany, with chrome wheels and velvet seat covers. Can you see the kids’ faces? One brushes old coffee grounds off his hood. He can’t face the crowd. Another polishes a gleaming fender and waves to his fans. I realized the difference between these cars isn’t the kids … it’s the time they spent with Dad.

I’m fraught with blind spots, bad habits, and shortcomings. I also barely have enough time, energy, or insight to manage my own life. How do I have enough for the lives around me who are so hungry for something more? I realized I live in a 5-loaf/5000-mouth world. I’ll never be enough, but I don’t need to be. Instead, I asked God to make this life and this book a father/son project.

Although I’ve dreamt of writing this story for decades, I had to be destroyed before I could honestly portray this hero’s journey. The truths about facing fear, about God making everything OK even when there is no way it can ever be, as well as courage, hope, and finding your destiny, they’re all written from my journey through the depths of an utterly shattered heart to a life so good it feels like a fantasy novel. Whatever you might be going through, I hope the story encourages as well as entertains you. If you haven’t already, you might even meet Magic for yourself.

Author Interview

  • What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book?

I had a chapter that just would not write. I labored on it for weeks and when it was done, I hated it. So I scrapped it and wrote it again. And hated it again. I began to wonder if I could write it. Could I even write a book at all? Year’s earlier I’d promised myself if I had to edit 1000 times, I would. So I tackled it for a third time, struggling with every word. The whole time, I knew I’d hate it. And when it was done, I loved it. Several of my readers said it made them cry. They posted quotes from it on their cubicle walls at work. I learned that good writing doesn’t need inspiration, only tenacity … and a lot of prayer.

  • Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

My favorite comments are when my readers told me the book inspired them to through a difficult time at home, or gave them a glimpse of God’s personality they hadn’t known.

  • How do you overcome writer’s block? Do you have any advice for others in finding their process to overcome it?

I’ve been completely stuck in sections. I’ve struggled with deep discouragement getting back edited manuscripts with more red ink than black. I had to rewrite the entire book so many times I’m embarrassed to even mention it. Yet it’s been a father-son project from the beginning – God and I. If God and I are doing this together, and he has something amazing for the world, I can’t give up. All I can do is beg for help and get to work.

  • Do you read the genre you write? Why or why not?

Yes. I enjoy reading a great fantasy more than anything else. If I can’t find something contemporary, I’ll go do abesbooks.com and get a classic. Right now I’m re-reading A Wizard of Earthsea.

  • How did you come up with the title for your book?

My wife is the title queen.

  • What’s your favorite writing snack, drink, and/or music?

Does coffee count?

  • What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?

Good writing is in the editing.

“I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.” ~Newberry Honor-winning author Shannon Hale.

“Don’t get discouraged … I rewrote the first part of A Farewell to Arms at least fifty times… The first draft of anything is s***” ~Ernest Hemingway

  • Do you participate in writing challenges on social media? Why or why not?

Not really. I barely have time for the writing I want to do, and when I try to write volume instead of quality, I just end up writing stuff I hate.

  • How did publishing your first book change your writing process?

I gave up trying to be famous. Instead, I just want to be proud of who I am. I want to write honestly, so raw that it terrifies me anyone will read it.

  • Is your writing space pristine or organized chaos?

A little of both. I hate it when it’s messy, but I can’t seem to keep it neat. My dream office looks like a wizard’s lair with wall to ceiling shelves, a suit of armor and perhaps a palantír (the Seeing-stone from LOTR).

Blog Stops

Guild Master, October 12 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 12

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, October 13

A Reader’s Brain, October 14 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, October 15

Through the Fire Blogs, October 16 (Author Interview)

Splashes of Joy, October 17 (Author Interview)

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, October 17

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, October 18 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 19

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, October 20 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, October 21

Beauty in the Binding, October 22 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, October 23

Simple Harvest Reads, October 24 (Author Interview)

Vicky Sluiter, October 25 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Daniel is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card & a print copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/285e5/ragabones-celebration-tour-giveaway

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