The author- W. A. Fulkerson
Hey, Megan! Thanks for having me on your blog!
I was born in San Diego, California, where I grew up on the mountains behind my best friend's house. Every available moment was dedicated to either hiking, rock-climbing, or reading whatever I could get my hands on. In high school I started wrestling and studying Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and I continued to read as much as I possibly could. My crazy friend (and I mean that in the best possible sense), whose mountain I practically grew up on, dragged me on all sorts of adventures, providing me with a lot of the experiences that I draw on as an author. We've been backpacking, ice-climbing, trail-running, and he's currently trying to get me into paragliding. I taught him how to fight, and he taught me how to make my way through the wilderness. My childhood was a great time.
I started getting serious about writing during college. I attended USC, and despite my business major, I began to write short stories, and I just got hooked. I love weaving plots together, molding characters and watching how they change beneath my pen; every aspect of writing is just such an adventure. My first book, Starfall, was published in February of 2013, and my second, Star-crossed, is set to come out in September of this year.
Writing
I got into writing by reading. I've done the 100 books in a year challenge, and I continue to absorb fiction whenever I can. I also like to read the classics, poetry, and all sorts of nonfiction. I got into writing because of all of the innumerable examples of excellent, moving writing that I had experienced all throughout my life. It taught me how to write, and it made me want to write. So, one day during a particularly boring lecture in college, I began to write short stories. I'd had the idea for the Starfall trilogy in my mind for a while, but I wanted to hone my skills first, which is what I did.
About the book: Starfall
Blurb:
Starfall is an exciting, adventure-filled journey inside a world filled with giants, monsters, and races not yet known. A new mythology begins now.
Starfall takes place in the world of Pontus- a beautiful and mysterious land in which something rather peculiar happens: whenever someone is born, a star appears in the sky at the same time. Everyone grows up knowing which star is theirs, because at some point during adolescence, they don't know when, it's going to fall. When it does, those who are vigilant enough to see it and track it down are given a gift, and they are never the same. The world is a panoply of these different gifted peoples- the Flares, the Nebulae, and the Lux Sidorum, as well as the Ungifteds- those who did not retrieve their star.
The books follow Ducasus and Malleus, who are born into slavery, watching for the day their stars might fall. The world of Pontus is large, old, and full of strange creatures, monsters, and giants. Benjamin of Tomes recently did a great synopsis/review of the book on his vlog, so check out this link if you want a little more of a glimpse into the world of Starfall: here
Why should we pick up starfall?
You should pick up Starfall because it's a delightful escape into something new and different. On the back of the book it says, "A new mythology begins now", and that has been my aim with this entire series. There are many secrets and much history revealed in these books, but there is so much more that isn't, because the world is a deep one. Pontus is an intriguing place, and I'd wager that you would enjoy spending time in it.
Bookie questions:
Fave:
Book?
Such a difficult question, but I have to go with The Return of The King by J.R.R. Tolkien. My friends and I read his books when we were in the fourth grade back before the movies and before they were cool (forgive my hipster moment there). I adore his work.
YA author?
I'm going to say Ted Dekker because of his Circle Series. He writes in a few different genres, but I really like his YA stuff.
2013 release?
This might be cheating, because I haven't actually read it yet, but Earth Afire by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston. I've been looking forward to these prequels.
Fave book series?
On the heels of my last response, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card- specifically the Shadow series, which is contained in the larger Ender series.
Debut YA author we should check out?
Levi Stack. He just published his first novel, The Silent Deal, and it's a lot of fun. He's the kind of writer who very obviously has a tremendous love for the English language, something that I think a lot of books are missing. I really like fresh ideas, and I feel like his book was full of them, taking place during an era and a location generally not written about in the YA genre (Russia in the 1800's) Levi Stack. Check him out.
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