INTERVIEW with D. JOHN WATSON

Author D. John Watson has written The Chronicles of Irindia, BookOne: The Gatherer. It is a Fantasy novel. He is from Mansfield, CT.

In The Gatherer, we find "There is another world, parallel to ours that is in desperate need of a hero. Dark forces are trying to take control of a powerful tool, a gateway that will change the face of that world, and ours. Lord Draga will stop at nothing to bring his Master into the world. The only thing standing between him and his goal is the strong will of the young Empress Alassa. Lord Draga cannot take the gateway by force; it must be relinquished voluntarily. Draga has destroyed whole villages in his pursuit of the gateway. How long will Alassa hold out if the last surviving member of her family is in danger? But there is a prophecy, a prophecy that says a savior will come and defeat the evil taking over Irindia.

David Sanchez is like any other normal 13 year old boy. He likes sports, video games, and hanging out with his friends. His father has taken a new job that has moved them 1500 miles from everything David knows and loves. His sister has stayed behind to attend college and his friends are gone, David thinks his life will never be the same again. He doesn't know how right he is. He is unaware of the way his life will change when he makes a silent wish, a selfish wish, because he is angry.

In a world where magic is real and monsters roam, one 13 year old boy has been thrust into a world he does not know to defeat a wizard more powerful than any other. Can he find the pieces of the Stone of Irindia and save their world, as well as his own?"

Watson decided to write this recent novel because, "I had an image of my hero surrounded by many small lights as he hovers over a rune covered dais. It's a part of a dream sequence that is slowly revealed through the first book. It was a matter of finding out how my character goes from a small town to the end of his quest."

He is inspired to create by "Tolkien, Rowlings, and even C. S. Lewis, and I love the spirit of magic and wonder these authors have managed to impart to their readers. I try to write stories I would like read myself. For this {book} I would say {I am inspired by} Tolkien, Lewis, Rowlings and Piolini. For another book I'm writing, I've used Custler, Ludlum and Lustbader as inspiration. I draw my influence from writers of the genre I'm working in." His favorite author is Clive Custler "and for one simple reason. He has a slightly Alfred Hitchcock tendency in that he deliberately puts himself in his books. He might be a miner or someone who rescues the hero. He uses his own name and the cars he uses in the book are ones he owns. His books are well written and they're the adventures he would live if he could." New authors Tim Queeney and Jeff Bennington have grasped his interest.

To create his covers "I used an Amazon cover design and a purchased photo license."

He never has enough time to write. "There never seems to be enough of it. As a new writer, I constantly struggle with the task of working full time and finding time to write and now develop a following of readers who will follow my characters through the next two books."

Watson admits that he is still trying to find the right promotion technique that fits his needs. "This is where I'm having trouble. I'm trying to work through social media, blogs etc. and I'm trying to find the winning method. Recently I put it up on Kindle for free for three days and the results were overwhelming."

Watson really gets into his work. For example, "For one of my stories, I wanted to understand how to fight so I took a martial arts class. The story never got written but the class led to me gaining an advanced rank and becoming an assistant instructor."

We can find The Chronicles of Irindia, BookOne: The Gatherer on Amazon Kindle and link to D. John Watson at: The Chronicle of Irindia website.

Book Two: The Stone of Irindia will be out in late fall.