World of Silence: Behind-the-Book Interview! (+ sneak peek!)

Today I have a World of Silence interview for you as apart of the blog tour!!! I’m SOOO excited for you to read it and learn more about Kaytlin’s process for writing her debut (scroll down to find the blurb, cover, and more) and the difficulties and joys that went along with it 😉 (Also, the sneak peek is at the very end!) Without further ado, enjoy the interview!!!

Behind-the-book interview

When did you begin writing World of Silence?

Oh, wow! A while back…um, I think it was late 2018, if I’m not mistaken…lol…also spring if I remember correctly because I sat on the porch and told dad about my idea…he told me to go for it…so here we are!

What were the biggest challenges you faced in writing this?

Writing Fledge was hard. Not being able to use sound…wow! I thought that wouldn’t be too hard but surprisingly it proved rather difficult. When your character can’t hear you can’t use, Footsteps pattered down the hall. He heard a noise and turned. Or, “Fledge!” She called out and he spun to face her….yep, all sound triggers and descriptions go out the window…

But not only the deafness of Fledge was hard but his character was so, complex. So many twist, with his want to feel worthy and prove himself, and yet this overwhelming desire to help others fueled by his subconscious need for approval. Yeah, he was hard…lol…

And then trying to get the story to a place I liked…I have so many different drafts and copies of this book it ain’t funny. But I finally found what I was looking for…(song reference there…just noting there might or might not be more of those to come…everything reminds me of a song…lol…)

What was your favorite scene to write and why?

Oh, favorite scene…well, my favorite scene to write was the one that is actually pictured on the cover! Jaidie knew that one was my favorite so she recreated it as a picture for my birthday! (The original was of course done with Fledge as a rabbit). I love the happy burst that comes with the scene, the peace washing over Fledge, that moment for him when time stands still…and also the abrupt end…I won’t say more for fear of spoiling…lol…

(THAT SCENE WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!!! I think it was my favorite too!!!) Can you tell us a little about your decision to change the characters from rabbits into humans? 

Well, I had been fighting the idea to change them from rabbits to humans for a while and finally I was like, wait a minute. If I’m having so much conflict over this…let’s just change it. I’m not a hundred percent sure what sparked the change, maybe an article I read on books about animals being harder to sell or something (I seem to vaguely remember this, do you remember when all good things were in September…song reference…). But I’m happy with the change, I think it makes the story easier to connect to because instead of marveling over the fact that Fledge is a rabbit we get to focus in on the fact that he can’t hear.

What’s your most-loved quote from the book and why?

I have quite a few quotes…but this is the top one!

I teetered on the edge of this decision like a tall, delicately balanced stack of books, ready to fall at any moment. I felt like the book in the middle, the one that would decide which way the stack fell. 

I spent like a month trying to get this right…I couldn’t find an analogy I liked…and then it hit me. Books. The one thing besides archery that Fledge was familiar with and that could actually explain the way he felt in this moment. Then I went back and used one or two other book analogies leading up to this one, so it didn’t feel so out of the blue, and it really helped to sure up the story.

(Wow. That is SUCH a creative and relatable quote – especially for us readers.) Are there any books that helped inspire you to write World of Silence?

El Deafo by Cece Bell, Song for Whale by Lynn Kelly (even though this one was on the last leg of the journey) and of course I’m going to mention The Green Ember series by S. D. Smith (one of the reasons Fledge was a rabbit) The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson, Chuck Black’s books because their awesome! And the Ascendence Series by Jennifer Nielsen (the reason I switched the book from third to first person)

All really helped me shape my book and characters by drawing from what I love about each of these authors!

What was your writing routine like?

Sporadic…at best…lol…I would write most evenings, still do. But if I get an idea I’ll sit down to type some stuff out. I don’t have a fixed routine…but if I remember right most of WoS was written mainly in the evenings with a few midday writing sessions thrown in.

Did you ever write any parts by hand?

No, I didn’t. I don’t even have any handwritten notes…it was a complete pantsing project that changed a million times over the course of the writing process…lol…

(That is so. cool. I’m in awe of how you were able to do that… I always have tons of scraps of paper chaotically spread about with my notes on the book, lol.) Where were you when the idea for World of Silence came to you? And what was the first idea for the book (an image, characters, the plot, etc.)?

Watching Sue Thomas F. B. Eye…the first idea was this deaf boy who wanted to be part of things…medieval time period was something I had never seen done with deaf character. I haven’t been able to locate a fantasy about a deaf character or even one with a deaf character…(if anyone knows of one let me know, I’d love to read it!) So, that kind of stuck with me. Sue reads lips and so I knew I wanted my character to as well, and it all just sort of started clicking after a few other things fell in place.

How did you choose the title? Did it come to you quickly?

I know it didn’t come quickly…I stressed over it. I considered calling it something that had nothing to do with silence, but I can’t remember what that was…um, I know I called it Fledge’s book forever…haha…and it was originally titled A World of Silence, but the ‘a’ seemed unnecessary so I removed it.

Rissy and Jaidie were a big part of helping me name the book and stick to the name even when I thought about changing it.

And on that note, how did you choose your character names?

Well, Fledge was inspired by (funny story) a baby bird we found that turned out to be a Fledgling. I liked the sound of a Fledgling, and the deaf archer knocking around my hand snagged the idea and dubbed himself Fledge…lol…

Galexia was a pretty name so I picked it…then it turned out to be perfect when I later found out (after designing Galexia) that it meant Child of the Stars.

Adara was saved from a fire as a baby and therefore I picked her name based on that. Adara means Fire.

Drennan and Hayden…no cool stories. Sorry, found them on a road sign…lol…

(Galexia actually means “Child of the Stars”?!!! How amazing. Also, fire totally goes with Adara. ;) ) Was there a passage in the Bible that gave you inspiration?

I definitely clung to one of my favorite verses during the writing process which is Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see.”

It was a driving force that helped me finish the book after that LONG break I took which made me almost give up on the story completely.

(Wow, praise God He kept that in your mind so you didn’t give up completely!) Why is the theme important to you?

I think everyone needs hope, needs to know that they are important and worth something. They can do great things, but those great things should never be done for personal gain but rather for other people. Fledge’s journey of uncovering who he was, what he could do, and that he needed help, helped me in my own life. I learned right there with him. I’ve always struggled to feel like I’m good enough, that I’m doing things right…but through the writing process of Fledge’s story I came to understand that it doesn’t matter. God is enough and he loves me, I don’t need any more confirmation than that. For Fledge, finding out that others looked up to him when he never thought he would be that guy was what finally made him realize nobody cared in the first place, it was all him.

I feel like we let the pressure of this world get to us. We let it bully us into feeling like we need to prove ourselves around every corner. But we don’t. We don’t have to be loners, we don’t have to prove ourselves. All we have to do is trust in our Savior.

(AMEN AMEN AMEN.) Thank you, Kayti! And congratulations on your incredible debut novel, my friend!! 😀 ❤️

Thank you, Saraina! I am super thankful God gave me this story to write and I’m so excited to share it with everyone. To God be the Glory!

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To God be the Glory indeed! Well. *takes a long breath* Wasn’t that a splendid interview? Let me know in the comments: have you ever named a character from a road sign? (By the way, Kaytlin talked about tips for coming up with character names in her post here! I loved the post so I thought I’d share it!) What Bible verse has given you inspiration for your WIPs? Is there a Bible verse that’s been impactful to your writing? Do your book titles come quickly or slowly to you?

About the book

Silence. Complete silence. That was all I heard.

Fledge Owenby is a deaf archer struggling to be seen for his potential instead of his disability. When forgotten and left behind during a dragon attack, he thinks it is the chance to prove himself that he has been waiting for. But who knew one trip out of the bunker would change everything?

Saved from evil dragons by a dragoness, Fledge wonders why she would help him and soon discovers how similar they are. He is deaf and she is without fire. Drawn together by a bond, not even he can understand, Fledge and Galexia are unwittingly pulled into adventure.

Betrayal of the highest level, deception, and a war that never should have been. Fledge must find a way to end it all while trying to be seen as the boy he is, instead of the disability he has.

Book Links!

Goodreads

Purchase Link

About the Author

Follow the Author!

Goodreads Author Profile

Facebook

Blog

Pinterest

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Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, May 16th

Sisters Three – Blog Tour Launch Announcement 

The Sword of the Penmaiden – Guest Post and character interview

Vanessa Hall – Spotlight and Review

Tuesday, May 17th

Kristina Hall – Review and Sneak Peek

Wednesday, May 18th

Saraina Whitney – Review

Tasha Van Kesteren – Interview

Thursday, May 19th

The Introspective Introvert – Interview

Friday, May 20th

Abbigail Befus – Facebook Review

Teen Writers’ Nook – Review

Bookish Productions – Review

Saraina Whitney – Behind the book Interview and Sneak Peek

Saturday, May 21st

Sisters Three – Character Interview

Sunday, May 22nd

Sisters Three – Fan Art

Monday, May 23rd

Saraina Whitney – Character Interview

Vanessa Hall – Interview

Tuesday, May 24th

Bookish Productions – Behind the book interview

Into my Writing Journey – Spotlight

Release day!

Wednesday, May 25th

Sisters Three – Launch announcement and Winner of the Short Story contest announcement!

The Introspective Introvert – Sneak Peek – Lillian Keith

Kristina Hall

Saraina Whitney

Vanessa Hall

Tasha Van Kesteren

Abbigail Befus – Facebook

Into my Writing Journey – Issabelle Perry

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And now, for the sneak peek!!!!! *drumroll*

World of Silence Sneak Peek