T'aragam author - Jack Regan - Interview!

I want to welcome Jack Regan to Books and Needlepoint today! He is the author of the tween fantasy book - T'aragam - currently on a virtual tour.

1. T'aragam is your first juvenile fantasy in a series - The Max Ransome Chronicles. Can you tell us a little about this book?

"T'Aragam" is the story of a world in peril. The main character,
13-year-old Max Ransome, is thrust to the forefront when his father, Lord Ransome, is killed during an attack by phantors (evil, wraith-like creatures). With his father dead, the mantle of leadership falls onto Max's shoulders. "T'Aragam," the first book in the series, takes us through the first major conflict in this war of good vs. evil.


2. What a great storyline for a series. I can't wait until my son gets a little older and can enjoy reading books like these with me! Where did the title T'aragam come from and does it have any special meaning?

I wish I could say it has its roots far back in medieval culture or
something else that sounds equally cool. The truth is I just sat around and worked through word combinations in my head (and on paper) until I found something that sounded right. Boring, huh?

3. I always thought it would be cool to be able to create my own world - and words - just because I could! So I actually do think that's cool! I know this is a fantasy book - but did you do any research for it, or is it all purely imagination?

Actually, I did do some research. For instance, there is a point in the book where the characters are involved in a sea battle. There are cannon on the ships, although most of the land battles are still fought with swords and spears. Although the book is fantasy and therefore not bound by the timeline we know, the general tone is medieval, so I went and checked to make sure these weapons actually coexisted in the warfare of that era.
Fortunately, they did!

4. See - now that is probably not something I would have even thought about. . .(there are many reasons that I am not a writer!) Can you tell us about your path to becoming a published writer? Any big influences?

I think every writer I've read has influenced me. And, of course, there are those people who stood behind me and encouraged me along the way. I didn't really have a mentor, though, and I wish I would have. I think it would have made the journey a bit easier. I'm mostly self-taught, for better or worse. My main influences were the School of Hard Knocks, making
mistakes and picking up the pieces afterward, trial and error, and late-night caffeine...

5. I know that your mom was a writer and an English teacher - I bet she was a bigger influence that you know! I was reading a little about your book and came across some character
names - Gramkin, Zohar, Ariaal - then there is a serpent named Bob.... That just hit me as amusing - why Bob?

Because I thought it was hilarious. Seriously, that's it. I spent a lot of time agonizing over character names, trying to make them fantasy-ish. When I got to the sea serpent, I thought, "What the heck!" And he was christened Bob.

6. Well - I did find it funny - so it worked! Is there any other genre that you write or hope to write in the future?

I may stray from fantasy, but I think I've found my niche in children's lit. I love it. Not saying I'll never write anything else--I'm sure I will--but for now, I'm happy here.

7. While on this tour - has there been any comments or questions that have taken you by surprise?

I didn't really know what to expect, honestly. This is my first tour and I tried to approach it without expectations. What surprised me most, though, was the willingness of the host blogs to work with a new author. I figured I'd have a tougher time nailing down dates and tour stops, but it turned out to be a pleasure. And all the hosts have been professional and kind.
There've been some great stops. I'll be creating a page on my website (www.taragam.com) to keep the permanent links available, in case anyone wants to catch up on interviews, guest posts, and reviews they might have missed.

8. I cannot speak for other bloggers, but I know before my first interview I was very nervous! Growing up a reader, authors were like movie stars - and just as inaccessible then - so with all this new technology - to actually be able to visit with them has been a great experience for me! Is there anything that you would like to leave my readers with?

If anyone has a moment, I'd be honored if they were to check out my book, "T'Aragam." You can find it on Amazon.com, in both paperback and Kindle form. "T'Aragam" is also available as a free audio download on my website. On the website you can download fully half the book for free, just to make sure it's something you want before you consider purchasing. Also, there's a spiffy new fanpage on Facebook you can join to get the latest news and such. Sometimes we even give stuff away!

Most important, however, I'd like to thank you all for visiting today and would encourage everyone to support Books and Needlepoint by commenting, bookmarking, and visiting often! It's been my pleasure to be here and I want to thank you, Kristi, for putting together such great questions.

Hope to "see" you all soon,

Jack

Thank you, Jack! I look forward to reading this book and others in the series soon!

You can also find Jack on his blog and on YouTube!


T'aragam
Publisher/Publication Date: CreateSpace, April 2009
ISBN: 978-1442114593
286 pages