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Name of Author: John P. Derby
Title of Book: Gifted Souls - Shift
Favorite Authors: Frank Herbert - J. K. Rowling- J. R. R. Tolkien - F. Scott Fitzgerald- John Green
Bio: I grew up in the 6. Although when I was growing up, not to say I'm by any means done growing up, it wasn't called the 6, but was instead humbly called the T Dot. During school, I played a lot of videogames (I have a love-hate relationship with Blizzard Entertainment) and read a lot of works of fiction (I'm oddly fond of anthropomorphic mice) that had nothing to do with school when I should have been paying attention to school. - I did a lot of stupid things in my teenage years, and I was far too wily for the law to suffer the appropriate repercussions, although I don't even know what sort of punishment would be levied for tipping over portapotties on a weekly basis. - I graduated with a Business degree from the University of Western Ontario (I refuse to call it Western University no matter how formally the institution changes it name) in 2009, and have never had any formal training in writing of any form. - I worked in corporate for 5 years afterwards, slowly feeling my soul peel away layer by layer and disintegrate as I did so. Unlike Lord Voldemort, I didn't even achieve immortality by doing so. Ugh. - I get jealous more than I get angry. A lot more. - I clearly don't understand what 'very short' means. - Every time I hear the songs "Somebody Told me" and "Mr. Brightside", I'm reminded of the summer of grade 9, coincidentally the same timeframe Bowen discovers his powers. This is the summer I first read "Dune".
Can you explain what your book is all about?
Bowen Janssen is an average teenage boy, lost in love and longing and just wishing for better. One day, he inadvertently stumbles upon the fact that he can shift his soul out of body and into someone else's, thereby gaining control over them as well as access to their memories. - The teen sets out on a journey of self discovery, mostly prompted by very, very selfish interests and rather questionable morals. Along the way he confronts bullies, bank robbers, sex addicts, cheaters, murderers, child abusers, and a whole lot of others, including, briefly, someone else with his power.
Who is your target audience - and why?
Honestly, the whole lot. I'm confident this book appeals to anyone with a sense of wonder, especially in our FOMO (fear of missing out) driven world. - The language is geared towards those who appreciate prose and a unique, well-written, voice, and the content appeals to adults who've done and seen it, and might be questioning whether they took the right path, as well as teens who have only begun their journey.- My 'non target' audience would be readers who don't care much about literary significance or plots and personalities that take time to build.
What is 'paranormal' about your story? (creatures, experiences, setting etc.)
The fact that some souls are normal, and others aren't. Gifted souls have unique abilities.- Our anti hero has a gifted soul that allows him to live a life no one else really has. He never has to 'miss out' on anything, as he can easily assume the role of whomever holds his jealousy. - Being able to ditch your own body and jump into someone else's is very paranormal to me.
Does it contain other genre elements, if so which ones - and why?
Sci-fi. Urban fantasy. YA. Slice of life. Coming of age. - Slice of Life/YA/Coming of Age: the novel uses the super powers trope to explore growing up in a metropolitan city, and the MC confronts of all sorts of extraordinary events, as well as those each and every single person goes through, such as trying to fit in, misinterpreting actions and words, and making mistakes. Bowen explores his sexuality, both as himself and as others, and engages in - Sci-fi/Urban Fantasy: Due to the nature of his powers, and the capers he undertakes,
Tell us about your writing process - how do you get from story idea to a Wattpad published story?
Gifted Souls – Shift is my first attempt at writing a novel. I conceived the idea while I was eating in a food court down in the PATH system – a series of underground tunnels that connects much of the downtown business districts. - From there I outlined the story, beginning to end, in a rather detailed and scientific manner. Then, when I started writing, I pretty much tossed out my outline, and wrote whatever I felt like. Obviously, that didn't work either. I quickly realized my first shot at outlining was pure rubbish, and wasn't nearly well thought out enough, as well as the fact that writing free form (no outline) quickly pens me into corners and I have no means of getting my characters where they need to be. - Yadi yada. - Five months later, I started working on what would eventually become the current version of the book. All in all, it took about 10 months of writing to get my first final draft. You can't tell, but I just chuckled at the term first final draft. - I was looking at agencies, and means to self publish, and stumbled upon Wattpad through Google, trusty trusty Google. I found it a convenient place to test the waters on self publishing, so dove head first into the thick of things. Looking back, I'm rather glad I did, because I've gotten invaluable feedback, and have learned a lot about writing and critiquing through book clubs such as the Next Big Recognition contest. As it turns out, critiquing others is a great way to figure out what's wrong with your own writing.
Did you encounter any challenges when writing, if so - how did you overcome them?
While I write, most of challenges come from within. I'm constantly challenging myself while I write, and as a result, my writing is constantly evolving. I'm always reading other published works, dissecting the author's style and prose construction, and the way they delineate/unravel plot. Then I copy the hell out of all of it!- I find it pretty easy to focus and get to work, so I don't have much to say about that. To those who can't, try to outline. But remember, outline methodically, and with a lot of detail. Really flesh out exactly everything you want to happen and just leave out the colourful prose. - The most challenging thing to me about writing is what happens when you're done writing, and all you're getting back from agencies is a bit fat bag of silence or rejection. There's really no way to sugar coat it, but writing requires fairly thick skin and perseverance. Or should I say publishing. Yes, actually, publishing is where I've met the bulk of my challenges.
You often hear that 'writing well' is the baseline for success. What does that mean for you?
No matter how hard you polish a turd, a turd it remains. Unless you're E L James (I'm kidding; she's made more money than I can possibly hope to make). - Love what you do. If you don't, money and fame are your only rewards, both of which are more often than not a product of luck, and aren't necessarily proportional to the quality of the product. I.e. Golden Compass series vs. Twilight series vs. Fifty Shades.
One final question, this being the Paranormal genre: Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
Dreams. I hate my dreams. Sometimes I get the impression I've had them all my life, and possibly much longer than that, but that shouldn't really make sense. However, I still can't help but wake up shaking when I have one that feels all too real.
