Julian Rosado-Machain has enjoyed pizza in
three continents, worked in graphic design, armored vehicles, built computers,
handcrafted alebrijes and swears that he has seen at least one ghost.
He lives in San Diego, California. And enjoys the sun with his wife, three
children and cat.
His latest book is the YA fantasy adventure,
Guardians
Inc.: The Cypher.
Visit his website at www.guardiansinc.com.
Can you tell us
what your book, Guardians Inc.: The Cypher is about?
Guardians Inc. The
Cypher is about Thomas Byrne, a 16 year old, that is drawn into the world
beyond our world, where magic and technology fight against each other and
monsters and fairy tales are real.
Thomas becomes
drafted into Guardians Inc, the secret society in charge of safeguarding
Do you tend to base
your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
Characters come from
all sources. Thomas, the hero of the series, is a combination of my two sons, and
even a little of my little daughter. Antagonists too have something from people
I know, although I do amplify the evil of those persons in order to portray the
characters in the books.
Are you consciously
aware of the plot before you begin a novel or do you discover it as you write?
I did an extensive
outline before beginning to write The Cypher. I always hated books that became
trilogies or series only after the first book had been successful, the next
books are always a little forced or contrived, so for the Guardians I am
following an outline I set out from before writing the first book. I have
already written the actual ending of the series!
Although the structure
is loose enough to allow discovery as the series and characters grow, I do
follow the structure I set from the beginning.
Open the book to
page 69. What is happening?
On page 69, Thomas
is being confronted by Doctor Franco and Mrs. Pianova, his superiors in
Guardians Inc. about a creature that is trying to capture him. This is a pivotal point in the story because
it’s the first time the Magical world and creatures actually intrude into his
world.
Is it hard to
promote a Middle grade book and where do you start?
It is incredibly
difficult! Most of my audience doesn’t have the electronic tablets and readers
older readers have, so I’ve actually have had to go through the gatekeepers of
young minds…. The Moms!
It took me a while,
but now, with mom’s acceptance, I’m beginning to reach my intended Middle grade
audience and seeing Guardians Inc. grow.
Have you suffered
from writer’s block and what do you do to get back on track?
Just keep writing,
doing descriptions, one liners, even writing scenes from other books or movies
I’ve seen or read.
What would you do
with an extra hour today if you could do anything you wanted?
SLEEP!
Which holiday is
your favorite and why?
Christmas for the
family factor, but my favorite holiday is Halloween!
What do you like
the most about being an author?
The freedom to explore,
daydream and research on my own time and pace.
What is the most
pivotal point of a writer’s life?
I guess for me it was
when I realized that there was an audience out there for my stories, and I lost
the fear of being read and critiqued.
Reviews are the
guiding light by which writers can grow and get to know their audience, and
even a bad review should be welcomed. Someone out there took the time to read
and write their thoughts about our work.
That is what
matters.
What kind of advice
would you give other fiction authors?
Keep on writing! If
you have writer’s block (which is very real!) and can’t write from inspiration,
describe things and people you know or can see. The idea is just to keep on
writing and not give in to being blocked.