Along the Watchtower by David Litwack ~ Blog Tour & Giveaway!
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A Tragic Warrior Lost in Two Worlds…
Author: David Litwack
Publication Date: June 13, 2013
Genre: ContemporaryFantasy (13+)
The war in Iraq ended for Lieutenant Freddie Williams when an IED explosion left his mind and body shattered. Once he was a skilled gamer and expert in virtual warfare. Now he’s a broken warrior, emerging from a medically induced coma to discover he’s inhabiting two separate realities. The first is his waking world of pain, family trials, and remorse—and slow rehabilitation through the tender care of Becky, his physical therapist. The second is a dark fantasy realm of quests, demons, and magic that Freddie enters when he sleeps.
In his dreams he is Frederick, Prince of Stormwind, who must make sense of his horrific visions in order to save his embattled kingdom from the monstrous Horde. His only solace awaits him in the royal gardens, where the gentle words of the beautiful gardener, Rebecca, calm the storms in his soul. While in the conscious world, the severely wounded vet faces a strangely similar and equally perilous mission—a journey along a dark road haunted by demons of guilt and memory—and letting patient, loving Becky into his damaged and shuttered heart may be his only way back from Hell.
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Guest Post
My Writing Style
Matthew Arnold
wrote: “Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can.” Hemingway said
it a bit differently: “My aim is
to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the simplest possible way.”
I believe good writing is clear thinking, saying what you
mean in the simplest possible way.
The problem for
fiction writers is that we don’t always know what we mean when we stare at a
blank screen. And we certainly haven’t rounded out those imaginary new friends we
call characters. Much as when we move into a new community or take a new job,
it takes a while to get to know people. That’s why a writer needs time to live
in the story, to dwell inside the heads of his characters.
Over a series of
rewrites, I try to understand my characters better. What is it is they want? What
obstacles stand in their way? Then I lead them head on into those obstacles and
let them battle their way through.
I try to say
things in the most straightforward way. One of my favorite quotes is from Antoine
de Saint-Exupery, author of that gem of a book, The Little Prince. He said: "Perfection is achieved, not when
there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take
away." I aim to remove the unnecessary.
At the same
time, I understand that a novel is a partnership between reader and writer. No
reader will ever feel the same about the characters and the story as I do. My
task is to give sufficient detail to stimulate their imagination, to provide
enough brushstrokes to meld with their life experience and let them paint a
picture of their own. Only in this way can the reader suspend their disbelief.
In my blog, I
give a couple of examples of this kind of use of detail:
· From Gatsby: http://davidlitwack.com/wordpress1/?p=313
· From
Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus: http://davidlitwack.com/wordpress1/?p=1745
What style do I
strive for? Be clear on what I’m trying to say, then say it in the simplest
way. Provide sufficient detail to stimulate the imagination of my partner, the
reader, but leave room for them to add their own distinct influence on the image
in their mind. Only then will the magic of fiction work. Only then will they
believe what they’re reading is real.
David Litwack, author of There Comes a Prophet, Along the Watchtower, and The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky
About the author
The urge to write first struck when working on a newsletter at a youth encampment in the woods of northern Maine. It may have been the night when lightning flashed at sunset followed by northern lights rippling after dark. Or maybe it was the newsletter's editor, a girl with eyes the color of the ocean. But he was inspired to write about the blurry line between reality and the fantastic.
Using two fingers and lots of white-out, he religiously typed five pages a day throughout college and well into his twenties. Then life intervened. He paused to raise two sons and pursue a career, in the process becoming a well-known entrepreneur in the software industry, founding several successful companies. When he found time again to daydream, the urge to write returned. His novels include: There Comes a Prophet, Along the Watchtower, and the newly released The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky.
David and his wife split their time between Cape Cod, Florida and anywhere else that catches their fancy. He no longer limits himself to five pages a day and is thankful every keystroke for the invention of the word processor.
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