Karen Talks About Imagine Someday
Now that Imagine Someday, my first
novel, has been floating around out there in cyberspace and in the
real world for a while now and I've gotten some really positive feedback about it, I feel it’s about time I talked
about it. The plot, the characters, what I was thinking when I wrote
it, where I got certain ideas.
Note: This discussion WILL contain spoilers. If you haven’t read Imagine Someday, I highly recommend you do so. The ebook is available in all major stores for only $2.99, and it is also available in paperback. More details about the book at Loyalty Press' website here.
Okay? Here we go.
I started writing Imagine Someday back in 2007 when I was 16/17 years old. The book has grown and changed a lot over the years (Thankfully. The first draft was pretty horrendous). I DID make a self-publishing attempt, oh, a while ago, but I chickened out and took it off sale because it still wasn’t final draft material. I had actually abandoned the project for good, writing it off as a first novel that probably shouldn’t be published, but I kept coming back to it every now and then, making small changes until one day I read the draft and one line at the end almost had me crying. I knew then that I’d done something right and Imagine Someday deserved to be published. It’s by no means perfect, no book is, but I figured it was worth a shot. So I launched my career as a full-blown author, editor, and proofreader and established Loyalty Press as a means to do so.
From the beginning, I’d established most of the characters in my head. Diego was the brooding young man who kept himself isolated because of a childhood that the reader only learns about as the book progresses. Miho was his girlfriend who’d gotten him to open up and enjoy life a little bit more. Colin was the jokester from the UK and the newcomer to the group that Diego doesn’t like right away. Rahim (he went through a couple of different names during the process before I settled on Rahim) was Diego’s loyal best friend. Jane was the badass park ranger who would show up every now and then to help out. Aglaciel was the young, immature griffin Diego had found who wanted to know more about who he was. Christian Avery was going to show up and be the villain from the beginning. Jillian wasn’t near as fleshed out in the original draft, and more backstory and purpose for her actions and beliefs was added, overall strengthening the story. Anu is Mr. Exposition and the Sacrificial Lion, and his role can more or less be summed up with those two tropes, for better or worse. Though he is kind of a vain jerk. :)
For the most part the Fantastical Creature mythos has remained the same as well, with some minor changes. Originally the creatures were going to bond with their human, but I realized that a) had been done a lot already and b) didn’t fit the Fantastical Creature characters I’d already created. There’s some remnants of that idea in the finished project, but it isn’t as at the forefront as it was originally.
Essentially most of the key players and plot elements were in place from the beginning. Little things got tweaked here and there, and the climax became a bit more exciting, with Lineh taking much more of an active role. I also chose the extinction ending (I hadn’t really any plan for the creatures’ fate when I started writing) because I didn’t think there really was any other way for the story to end convincingly. And who knows, maybe Aglaciel ISN’T the last Fantastical Creature in the world. :)
Fun Facts:
Originally there was going to be another male character, Todd, sort of set up as a rival to Diego, who would have a drake as his partner. Looking at my old notes, his mother was somehow involved with Avery too (no idea what I was thinking). This idea was eventually axed because he didn’t fit into the story.
I don’t know how many people noticed this, but the scene near the beginning when Diego is loading Anu into the horse trailer, Anu acts like he doesn’t trust Diego. I didn’t think anything of it, but my friend pointed out when she read it that the exchange was a perfect subtle piece of foreshadowing. Diego isn’t a virgin. Unicorns traditionally can only be tamed by a virgin.
My favorite character (in case you didn’t guess) is without a doubt Rahim. He was always meant to be the cornerstone of the story, even if he starts out looking like he’s going to have little impact on the plot. His ability to be the host and partner for Lineh truly shows his strength and determination.
Miho always was going to die at the end. I felt kind of bad doing it, because in a few ways it plays right into the “Women in Refrigerators” stereotype (that the woman always dies to motivate the man). That wasn’t really my intention, as I consider myself very much a feminist, but it still might come off that way for some readers nonetheless, so I apologize.
Originally Jane was going to die, but for two reasons she escaped the “meat grinder,” as my cousin likes to call it. 1) I’d already killed off a lot of other characters and 2) I really, really liked Jane. So I had her survive, becoming more of a badass in the process for coming back after all those wounds.
So now you know a little bit more about Imagine Someday. If you’ve read and enjoyed the book, consider leaving an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog. They go a long way towards helping indie authors and publishers. Thanks a bunch you guys, and goodnight!
Note: This discussion WILL contain spoilers. If you haven’t read Imagine Someday, I highly recommend you do so. The ebook is available in all major stores for only $2.99, and it is also available in paperback. More details about the book at Loyalty Press' website here.
Okay? Here we go.
I started writing Imagine Someday back in 2007 when I was 16/17 years old. The book has grown and changed a lot over the years (Thankfully. The first draft was pretty horrendous). I DID make a self-publishing attempt, oh, a while ago, but I chickened out and took it off sale because it still wasn’t final draft material. I had actually abandoned the project for good, writing it off as a first novel that probably shouldn’t be published, but I kept coming back to it every now and then, making small changes until one day I read the draft and one line at the end almost had me crying. I knew then that I’d done something right and Imagine Someday deserved to be published. It’s by no means perfect, no book is, but I figured it was worth a shot. So I launched my career as a full-blown author, editor, and proofreader and established Loyalty Press as a means to do so.
From the beginning, I’d established most of the characters in my head. Diego was the brooding young man who kept himself isolated because of a childhood that the reader only learns about as the book progresses. Miho was his girlfriend who’d gotten him to open up and enjoy life a little bit more. Colin was the jokester from the UK and the newcomer to the group that Diego doesn’t like right away. Rahim (he went through a couple of different names during the process before I settled on Rahim) was Diego’s loyal best friend. Jane was the badass park ranger who would show up every now and then to help out. Aglaciel was the young, immature griffin Diego had found who wanted to know more about who he was. Christian Avery was going to show up and be the villain from the beginning. Jillian wasn’t near as fleshed out in the original draft, and more backstory and purpose for her actions and beliefs was added, overall strengthening the story. Anu is Mr. Exposition and the Sacrificial Lion, and his role can more or less be summed up with those two tropes, for better or worse. Though he is kind of a vain jerk. :)
For the most part the Fantastical Creature mythos has remained the same as well, with some minor changes. Originally the creatures were going to bond with their human, but I realized that a) had been done a lot already and b) didn’t fit the Fantastical Creature characters I’d already created. There’s some remnants of that idea in the finished project, but it isn’t as at the forefront as it was originally.
Essentially most of the key players and plot elements were in place from the beginning. Little things got tweaked here and there, and the climax became a bit more exciting, with Lineh taking much more of an active role. I also chose the extinction ending (I hadn’t really any plan for the creatures’ fate when I started writing) because I didn’t think there really was any other way for the story to end convincingly. And who knows, maybe Aglaciel ISN’T the last Fantastical Creature in the world. :)
Fun Facts:
Originally there was going to be another male character, Todd, sort of set up as a rival to Diego, who would have a drake as his partner. Looking at my old notes, his mother was somehow involved with Avery too (no idea what I was thinking). This idea was eventually axed because he didn’t fit into the story.
I don’t know how many people noticed this, but the scene near the beginning when Diego is loading Anu into the horse trailer, Anu acts like he doesn’t trust Diego. I didn’t think anything of it, but my friend pointed out when she read it that the exchange was a perfect subtle piece of foreshadowing. Diego isn’t a virgin. Unicorns traditionally can only be tamed by a virgin.
My favorite character (in case you didn’t guess) is without a doubt Rahim. He was always meant to be the cornerstone of the story, even if he starts out looking like he’s going to have little impact on the plot. His ability to be the host and partner for Lineh truly shows his strength and determination.
Miho always was going to die at the end. I felt kind of bad doing it, because in a few ways it plays right into the “Women in Refrigerators” stereotype (that the woman always dies to motivate the man). That wasn’t really my intention, as I consider myself very much a feminist, but it still might come off that way for some readers nonetheless, so I apologize.
Originally Jane was going to die, but for two reasons she escaped the “meat grinder,” as my cousin likes to call it. 1) I’d already killed off a lot of other characters and 2) I really, really liked Jane. So I had her survive, becoming more of a badass in the process for coming back after all those wounds.
So now you know a little bit more about Imagine Someday. If you’ve read and enjoyed the book, consider leaving an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog. They go a long way towards helping indie authors and publishers. Thanks a bunch you guys, and goodnight!
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