Ragabones by Daniel Tweddell: Author Interview, Tour, and Giveaway with Celebrate Lit.

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.

Interview:

What makes your main characters tick?

More than anything, Josh wishes he could do magic. Maybe the
crowded halls at school wouldn’t feel so lonely and he wouldn’t
be stuck in the shadow of his athletic older brother, Pete.
Maybe Dad wouldn’t have disappeared three years ago and
Mom wouldn’t spend all her time at her strange job in the
museum basement. The way it is, the only company Josh can
count on are the demons and warlocks that haunt his dreams at
night – until one steps into his living room.

What was the highlight of writing this book?

I had a reader tell me they “totally felt the hand of God [and
heard his] whispers in the writing.” I had others say how much
the book encouraged them. Although I’ve dreamt of writing this
story for decades, I had to be destroyed before I could honestly
portray Josh’s (the protagonist’s) journey. The truths about
facing fear, about God making everything OK even when there
is no way it can ever be, about suicide, and depression, as well
as 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 my readers
might be going through, my most satisfying moments are when
the story encourages as well as entertains them.

Did you have an “aha” moment where everything came together?

One of my “aha” moments was during a chapter that just
wouldn’t write. Being stuck feels like it will infect every piece of
writing from here forward and I’ll be stuck forever. 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 remarkable writing
doesn’t need inspiration, only tenacity … and a lot of prayer.

Are you working on your next book already? What can you tell us?

Yes. The working Title is Nadris.
Josh knows that a mysterious woman leads the oldest,
deadliest terrorist group in history. He knows she must die.
What he doesn’t know is what she looks like, and that she’s the
girl who just saved his life.
The brothers and their grandfather are joined by a mysterious
young woman in a hunt through jungles of the Yucatan for a
mythical city carved of obsidian. Within the city lies the
deadliest weapon forged in the history of magic. With its
discovery, the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. The
brothers might survive haunted subterranean waterways, rotting
soldiers, dragons, and a river of liquid evil, but they won’t
survive the girl.

What authors would you say influence your writing?

So many. If I had to choose one, C.S. Lewis inspires me most.
I’ve never read someone like him that can tell a gripping story
full of deep profound truths without being preachy or slow.
As far as living authors, I just finished How To Stop Time by
Matt Haig. He’s one of the rare writers literary enough for my
wife to enjoy, but speculative enough to grab my attention.

What famous author do you wish could be your mentor?

Living authors? Robin Hobb or Brandon Sanderson. I love
Robin’s character development, and Brandon’s business skills
are off the charts.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love mountain biking and hiking. I also love to invent things
and bought a 3d printer. But which hobbies do I actually do?
Build rollie Polie habitats, construct Lego spaceships, and play
Roblox and Minecraft. Yep, I have a ten-year-old son.

What’s your favorite writing snack?

Coffee, and when my wife is being evil and baking, brownies.

When did you write your first book? Is that first one published?

Ragabones, this book, is my first. I published in July of this
year. Hurray!

How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?

Ragabones took over ten years. However, I think Nadris will be
done in one.

What has influenced you the most as a writer?

I don’t think I can just choose just one. I love Michael Crichton,
Philip K. Dick, Terry Goodkind, Dallas Willard, Andrew Murray,
and so many more. One that heavily inspired Ragabones was
the Hobbit. I loved the way Tolkien wove one wild adventure
after another into a single epic tale. Right now I’m re-reading
the classic, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin.

Do you write in one genre or several?

I write both fiction and non-fiction. Writing non-fiction terrifies
me because it’s raw and my deepest pain is exposed for
everyone to see. But I love it for the same reason; it’s cathartic
and exposing my secret sins frees me from being a slave to
them. It’s strange how many people write to tell me how my
stumbling helped their walk.
Fiction is fun because I can do whatever crazy thing I can
dream up. With fiction, I write fantasy because my imagination
is too wild for anything else. Even when I try to write something
else, the fantastical always sneaks into the story.

What genre would you choose to write that you don’t already?

I have a sci-fi book about an AI god brewing. For years I was a
software developer, so I have an intimate knowledge of what computer systems can and can’t do. But … it will have to get a
little fantastical.

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.

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