Guest Post & Giveaway: The Way of Nacor (Tales of Eden #1)

Original Title: The Way of Nacor
Series: Tales of Eden #1
Author: Jeff Horton
Publisher: World Castle Publishing
Release Date: September 1st, 2012
Genre: Science fiction, Suspense

How can four stranded children survive and get back home after finding themselves transported to an alien planet in a distant part of the galaxy?

Following a family tragedy, the Seekers children find themselves transported to a strange, alien world named Zantura, where a powerful, evil being named Sarin has either murdered or enslaved nearly everyone. The siblings must face and survive a series of seven deadly trials on the journey to find a long-lost ancient relic, which has the power to save Zantura from Sarin, and to send the children home.

WHAT WRITING MEANS TO ME

- Guest Post by Jeff Horton

My name is Jeff Horton, and I am a novelist. I say I am a novelist and not an author because an author can be someone that writes about anything including novels, historical biographies, travel guides, etc., while a novelist is an artist, a painter if you will. Imagination is the paint and the keyboard the paintbrush.

I enjoy writing because for me it is pure creativity. From my imagination proceeds people, places, sights, sounds, and events which have never really existed. For me, writing a novel is sort of like watching a movie. I start writing with an idea of what I'm after, but the story truly takes on a life of its own as I write, often taking me in a direction I never could have imagined it going in before. The end result is that I have no idea how the story is going to end myself until I have finished the first draft. Even then, the story can morph as I make my way through a series of inevitable revisions where the rough stone is cut and chipped away at, before being polished into what I consider to be a work of art.

When I write, I strive to create storylines that are meaningful on many levels. I like to explore and understand the emotions, the struggles  and the pain that we feel as human beings, as well as the joy. It is also important that there is a message in the story, a warning, a message of hope, etc. I want readers to always come away having learned something new, something valuable, something important. These are ambitious goals, of course, and unfortunately, I'm never as successful as I would like to be at meeting these goals.

Another thing that is important to me as a novelist is that the characters, the events, and the setting all feel very real to the reader. This then is a key, in my opinion, to drawing the reader more deeply into the story. People are complex creatures and rarely (if ever) do we really know anyone. It is unfair therefore to suggest to readers that a character is a cardboard figure. While I may not spend as much time on every character as I would like in the interest of brevity, I do try and ensure that at least the key players are well-developed, and that they also change and grow as the story progresses.

My first three books were mostly futuristic, apocalyptic thrillers, all written for the masses but from a Christian worldview. My faith in God makes up a big part of who I am and what I do, and I'm sure it comes through in my writing. My next book, which reflects that faith, is different than the first three because it's more of a YA/juvenile novel entitled The Way of Nacor. My goal (always lofty!) with The Way of Nacor was to create a well-blended recipe of a little Chronicles of Narnia and a little Pilgrims Progress, with a pinch of science-fiction thrown in as well. In The Way of Nacor, a family of children are stranded on another world, where they face many obstacles as they try to find their way home.  The novel following The Way of Nacor is a techno-thriller entitled Cybersp@ce. I like to think of it as Tom Clancy meets Michael Crichton (two of my favorite authors).

AUTHOR LINKS

Website:                   www.hortonlibrary.com

Facebook Page:         https://www.facebook.com/Author.Jeff.Horton

Twitter:                    http://twitter.com/#!/Jeff_Horton

Goodreads Page:        http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4478744.Jeff_W_Horton

Amazon Author Page: http://tinyurl.com/8tapc5x

Blog                         http:// http://anovelsperspective.blogspot.com/

Shelfari:                    http://www.shelfari.com/jeffhorton

Librarything:              http://www.librarything.com/author/hortonjeffw

AuthorsDen:              http://www.authorsden.com/jeffwhorton

GIVEAWAY

The  author is giving away a e-copy of this novel to a winner of the Rafflecopter.

The giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY and ends November 10th 2012!

a Rafflecopter giveaway