BLOG TOUR: NIGHTENGALE by David Farland

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NIGHTENGALE
David Farland
East India Press
512 pp.
Young Adult

Some people sing at night to drive back the darkness.  Others sing to summon it. . . .

Bron Jones was abandoned as a newborn. Thrown into foster care, he is rejected by one family after another, until he meets Olivia, a gifted and devoted high-school teacher who recognizes him for what he really is--what her people call a "nightingale."

But Bron isn't ready to learn the truth. There are secrets that have been hidden from mankind for hundreds of thousands of years, secrets that should remain hidden. Some things are too dangerous to know.  Bron's secret may be the most dangerous of all.

In his remarkable young adult fantasy debut, David Farland shows why critics have called his work "compelling," "engrossing," "powerful," "profound," and "ultimately life-changing."

NIGHTENGALE won the Grand Prize in the Hollywood Book Festival and the 2012 International Book Award for Best Young Adult Novel of the Year. You don't want to miss this one! Mr. Farland joins us today to talk about his book.

1.  Describe Nightingale in one sentence.

One fan described it thus:  High School Musical falls in love with Twilight and has Harry Potter babies.

I'm not sure that that describes the story very well, but it described how it made the reader feel .

2.  What inspired you to write this story?

I've loved writing YA fiction in the past--with Star Wars and Mummy, but really wanted to create my own universe for a tale.  About ten years ago, I was speaking with one of my writing students about what it would take to write a really popular, powerful young adult novel, and I couldn't get this idea out of my mind afterward.

3.  What books did you enjoy reading when you were younger and how have
they influenced you as a writer?

I was a huge fan of Lord of the Rings, Dune, many of Shakespeare's plays, Lord of the Flies, the works of Carlos Castenada, and dozens of other books.  I liked stories that took me to another time and place, stories that were strong on setting, but I also enjoyed stories that had a lot of thematic substance.

4.  Share a little about your road to publication.

I began writing for contests when I was in college, and set a goal of winning 1st place in a short story contest.  That year, I ended up winning 1st place in every contest that I entered, including the Writers of the Future Contest, which held its award ceremony atop the World Trade Center back in 1987.  I was approached by several publishers that night, and within a couple of days I landed an agent and sold my first three novels in a little auction.  So, I hate to say it, but I'm one of those that got through the doors pretty easily.

5.  What can we expect from you in the future?

I'm working to help create a large videogame called Theralon, an MMO.  I'm also finishing the last book in my Runelords series, and I'm working to put together a Runelords movie.  Beyond all of that, I can't wait to write the next novel in the Nightingale series!