Today’s special guest is literary fiction author Joseph Gergen to chat about his new young adult novel, Theo and Sprout: A Journey of Growth.
During his virtual book tour, Joseph will be giving away a $25 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!
Bio:
Author of Theo and Sprout. Born and raised on the plains of North Dakota. Moved to Twin Cities because it’s actually warmer. Enjoy creating in whatever form it takes, including writing, painting, and furniture making. The enjoyment is in the doing. Looking to add a little magic to the world through art.
Other books include Without a Pang and Methane Wars.
Welcome, Joseph. Please tell us a little bit about your current release.
While Theo longs for some guidance through the perils of adolescence, the guidance he knew his family wouldn’t give him, he isn’t prepared for Sprout, his inner Divine Feminine, to present herself and offer it to him. In fact, he doesn’t appear to have a choice since Sprout, sassy and confident about her presence, won’t go away.
Excerpt from Theo and Sprout:
I hugged myself to try to calm down. I could feel her breasts right above my folded arms. This can’t keep happening. What does this mean? Is this real? It sure felt real. The presence of her breasts couldn’t be denied or ignored. Yet this was bigger than her breasts. This was about her. Even though I felt like I was still me, her personality somehow inhabited me without possessing me. We conversed as if that was perfectly normal. I was still there except for the way I felt.
I had felt free. Euphoric. The same euphoria I had felt in the park. I desired that feeling more than anything. Or was it the liberation that brought euphoria? I wasn’t sure. I wanted the liberation my introversion subverted in an extroverted world. Liberation from fear of the world, from fear of soaring. Is this how Peter Pan felt? Who needed other people or drugs to soar? I had her.
But fear. My fear overpowered my desire. Fear of being a monster. Fear of having to explain something I couldn’t. I didn’t know how to handle the fear. I could only run away.
How do you develop your plot and characters?
My glib answer is that I’m not sure that I do. By that I mean I often start with a character in a situation. It could be an ending situation or a beginning situation or a middle situation. Then I usually let the character tell me how they got there or where they are going. A good character has a lot to say about their life. I’m just the therapist they tell their story to.
Please describe your writing space.
For the ideation phase of the writing I like to work at a coffee shop. I just one of those people in the corner scribbling things in notebooks. I like the being alone in a crowd feel where I can have distraction when I need them. But once I start to write I don’t want distractions so I set up a space I my living room that feels like a coffee shop. I have a window seat with pleasant southern exposure. A nice walnut retro table and a good lamp for good light. I’ll play some classical music (usually Baroque) in the background perhaps more for white noise but also those good Baroque vibes.
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
This is clearly a trick question because how could you pick just one. But when in doubt Salted Caramel is always a good choice, though during summer months fresh fruit flavors are hard to beat. Though I must say I do like ice cream parlors that serve flights of scoops. You get to pick a whole variety. It’s wonderful.
Which mythological creature are you most like?
The Phoenix. Forever burning up and rising again. Rebirth is a theme I often find in my life. While I remain much the same, I am reborn frequently just a little bit different, and hopefully a little bit better.
What is the first book you remember making an indelible impression on you?
Winnie the Pooh spoke to me of adventures and imagination. I rotated through wanting to be Pooh, then Piglet and then Tigger and then back to Pooh. I’m not sure which one I am like today, but after reading the “Tao of Pooh” I thought maybe I should strive to be a bit more like Pooh.
Links:
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Thank you for hosting today.
Thanks for hosting Theo and Sprout and my author interview. I hope everyone enjoys the excerpt. Let me know if you have any questions.
Great cover art. Looks great.
Sounds like a good book.