Interview with YA author Michael Haddad

Today’s special guest author is Michael Haddad. He’s chatting with me about his new young adult fantasy action-adventure novel, Frostborn.

During his virtual book tour, Michael will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!

Welcome, Michael. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a Canadian author doubling as a full-time university student. I’m majoring in cellular biology, and even though that may sound weird for a writer, the science of that field is too fascinating for me to ignore. Although my education is incredibly important to me, writing is also a great passion of mine. I’ve only recently entered the professional domain, but I’ve been writing for years. It’s my creative freedom. Some people are masters with a paint brush, some can sing like no other, but for me, my art comes through in words. My art relies on the power of imagination. I spend a lot of my time at my computer—as most authors do—but when I’m not typing away, I try to enjoy spending time with my family and friends. My hobbies include surviving movie marathons without falling asleep, yelling at a screen during video games I’m no good at, losing during family game night, and pretending to be skilled at mixing drinks. I know my career is just beginning, but I’m eager for what lies ahead and I hope my readers enjoy my writing as much as I enjoy producing it. Any support is greatly appreciated as It’ll bring me closer to a dream turned reality.

Please tell us about your current release.
At a glance, my current release feels as if it’s just another Chosen One fantasy novel, where characters are normally seen embracing their preset destinies without much questioning. But, with a closer look, Frostborn deviates from that traditional narrative. Unlike Harry Potter’s “The Boy Who Lived” or Star Wars’ Luke Skywalker, the main character of my story ends up not only rejecting his role in the prophecy, but also takes advantage of it to deceitfully work against his own predetermined fate.

The book is about an ongoing war between two kingdoms that seems to be nearing its finale, and Elias, the main character, was supposed to be the one to end it. After all, he is the Frostborn. Well, that is what the prophecy said, but Elias grew up in shackles, working as a slave until the day he awakened a power unseen for ages. Yet, the resentment still in Elias’ heart left him hesitant about helping the very authority that put him in chains.

Luckily, a ranked officer from the opposing kingdom, the Surtrol Kingdom, found Elias while he was on the run after an incident when evacuating his village. The officer managed to convince the Frostborn to turn his anger into purpose and to spy on his homeland which so desperately wanted his power. So he did just that, secretly turning on Eljud and even using the skills of his people to hone his mythic power.

Yet, hidden secrets began to unearth the longer he stayed in his kingdom’s capital, and so Elias questioned his loyalties once more. Eventually, he had to make a choice.

With strong female roles and modern romantic relationships, my book manages to coalesce all the cherished fantasy tropes and themes under a refreshing contemporary perspective.

What inspired you to write this book?
Inspiration did not come all at once. In truth, the idea for the novel came second to my drive to publish. I always dreamt that, one day, I could be the author of a successful novel. As time passed and I grew more confident in my ability to be a storyteller, I decided to create a plot worthy of helping me reach that dream. I guess you could say the story only developed as a result of my dream, but a lot of other factors contributed to it as well. Not much of the first draft was written prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, schools began to close, and workplaces were shutting down so I decided to devote my time to the novel—and that is when the bulk of it took off. I won’t lie and say I didn’t doubt myself. Even after finishing the full manuscript, I hesitated to publish for months, but when my other responsibilities in life dwindled and I had time to think, I didn’t want this story to be lost in some hard drive somewhere. Motivation comes in bursts for me and I think that was more helpful because it helped me sustain that effort instead of it dissipating over the course of time.

 

Excerpt from chapter 8 of Frostborn:
“Are you a threat, Elias? Should I be arresting you instead of sharing a drink?” Katerina says, reading his porcelain-smooth face.

He pinches the bridge of his nose, setting the mug of alcohol on the bar. “No, I didn’t come here to cause more trouble than there is already.”

“So, why did you come to Aurgelmir, in secret, when everyone in the kingdom is hunting you down? Seems rather stupid.”

She watches as his lips press into a thin line and the muscles along his oblique jawline twitch. “I wanted to come on my own terms.”

“That could have been arranged.”

Elias drops his eyes to the counter and he runs a finger over the rim of his stein. With enough prodding, Katerina could bring him back to the palace and lure him to join the Gjallarhorns. Her kingdom needs the Frostborn.

“Tell that to your soldiers, the ones ordered to chain me and drag me back to Aurgelmir. You know them, right?”

“They were frightened by your power. Most are.” She pauses. “Elias, the gods have chosen you to bear the weight of this gift. Your power is a blessing. It’s time our enemies know the strength that Eljud inherits”

“Do you fear my power, General?”

“No,” she lies. “Do you?”

 

What exciting story are you working on next?
I want to take Frostborn a step further and let it roll out into a series if possible. Book 2 is in the making, but at the very early stages. I don’t even have a working title as of this moment. Perhaps I will soon! You can track my progress on my social media accounts. I post frequently to keep my readers updated on the process.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
It first started with an interest in books. Reading as a hobby never took off until after elementary, when I was introduced to middle/high school teachers who were just as passionate about books as I am now. The Hunger Games trilogy is where I began, but one thing led to another, and I would be reading any fantasy, sci-fi, or dystopian book I can get my hands on. My teachers also assigned creative projects where we were fed prompts and asked to write short stories almost every week. We had final projects and I had chosen to undergo the arduous task of writing a novella. My imaginative mind found it cathartic to translate all those ideas buzzing in my head onto a piece of paper. I worked on my writing for quite a long time throughout my later high school years. Upon graduating highschool, I had completed another novella for a school project and won several awards as well as complements from grading committees. I think, at that moment, I truly considered myself a writer because I knew that my skill could get to that status of author someday. Who knew it’d be so soon?

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I’m a full-time student and I also work part-time, so finding room to write is incredibly challenging. I try and write during lull periods in the semester where the assignments aren’t too hectic. If those days of reprieve never occur during the semester, I wait until exams have finished to kickstart a project. But I’m unfortunately slower than the average writer at pumping out content. When schools were shut down and made online with the emergence of COVID 19, I found myself with a lot of free time, but with the world gradually trying to get back to a sense of normalcy, those moments are few and far between.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I’m not too certain I have special writing quirks. I’m not an author who needs a consistent setup or pre-writing ritual to put myself in the mood. From time to time, I do prefer a fun beverage to sip on while I let my creativity run free—water, tea, coffee, maybe even some specialty drink from Starbucks if I’m feeling self-indulgent that day. I do know that I hate distracting noises. I grew up in a loud household, so I don’t get easily distracted. Some exceptions include music I know the lyrics to and television or movies I’m interested in watching. But I have to have an interest in it for it to be distracting. If you put on the sports channel and have a hockey game playing in the background, I can tune it out like white noise. I’m also very picky about writing in public places. I always have this sneaking suspicion that people are watching what I’m typing. I guess we could say that my quirks are very particular, but other than those few circumstances, I usually just pull up my laptop and start typing away!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I guess successful full-time author would have been somewhere on that list of wishful occupations. Yet, oddly enough, I wanted to become a surgeon. Some would blame that dream on my mild obsession with Greys Anatomy. I would blame it on my fascination of the human body and its inner mechanisms. I am pursuing a degree in biology after all, so it’s not that far-fetched, but I don’t think I’m cut out for the competitiveness and intensity of that field.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I’m really open to connecting with my readers. I also love to receive reviews or to even just talk shop! That type of support is wonderful. So please don’t hesitate to contact me! It would mean the world. There are some days where that self-doubt comes creeping back in, where I find myself questioning my capabilities as a writer, but hearing from readers I’ve never met before and listening to them go on about my characters and my world…it just keeps me climbing that path to success.

Links:
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Thanks for being here today, Michael!

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