Guest Post - Author Jack W. Regan

I am so sorry I forgot all about posting this. Oh Well better late then never.
Shannon

I can see the puzzled stares on your faces from here. No, this isn’t Shannon and, yes, I’m harmless. My name is Jack W. Regan and I’m the author of T’Aragam, the new fantasy book for tweens. I’d like to thank my host for allowing me to hijack Confuzzled Books (if only for a brief time) in order to talk about T’Aragam specifically and writing in general. I’m here as part of my Virtual Book Tour that kicked off on July 17 and runs until August 10. You can visit www.taragam.com for a complete list of stops. I work part time at a public library in Lowell, MI and since I handle more books in a day than many people do in a lifetime, I soon noticed a gap in the materials we were offering our patrons. There are plenty of fantasy books for older kids and quite a few for younger kids. But the middle demographic—tweeners—were being somewhat slighted, I thought. T’Aragam was written in part to fill that gap, with my main goal being to get kids of all ages hooked on reading--the healthy addiction.

T’Aragam is the story of a fantasy world that is being threatened by evil. After witnessing the death of his father at the battle of Ransome Hall, thirteen-year-old Max Ransome finds the fate of T’Aragam in his hands. Can he fill his father’s shoes and bring together an alliance that will save his world?

T’Aragam is also a bit of a parody of the fantasy genre, in that it never quite takes itself seriously. It’s full of zany humor, but offers real elements of danger as well. It’s the first book in a series, The Max Ransome Chronicles, with the second book, Kingdom Heir, scheduled to release Dec. 1, 2009.

I started writing at age 12 and haven’t stopped since. This may be because, although I decided I wanted to be a writer when I grew up, I’ve never actually grown up, so I’m in something of an awkward position.

For me, writing is a contradiction. I find it difficult, some of the hardest work I’ve ever done, and yet I can’t stop doing it. It’s largely a labor of love, although I don’t always love my present manuscript while I’m working on it. But the magic of putting words on paper is never far away and the excitement of catching a glimpse of inspiration makes it worthwhile.

As a writer, I get asked a lot of questions about the craft and one of the most common questions is, “How do I become a writer?” The answer is simple, although the implementation is not. The way to becoming a writer is to…write! That’s really all there is to it—putting your thoughts on paper and learning to organize them.

There are other things you can do to help yourself along, of course. Here are just a few: 1. Read what accomplished authors have written, try to copy their style and then develop your own. 2. Write consistently (preferably every day), set word limits and hold yourself to them. 3. Join a critique group and submit your material. 4. If you’re writing fiction, experiment with genres and viewpoint. 5. Read books on writing and take copious notes. 6. And, finally, learn the rules so you’ll know how to break them.

Thanks for visiting this stop on the Virtual Book Tour. I truly appreciate it. If your curiosity has been stirred, please visit www.taragam.com, where you’ll find out all sorts of interesting stuff about T’Aragam and also ways to contact me personally. I love to hear from readers! And, of course, you can also do that by commenting directly on this blog and showing support for Confuzzled Books.

My next stop will be July 22 at Melissa’s Bookshelf http://www.melissas-bookshelf.com/ I hope you’ll all join us there and continue the party! Jack