"Forging Truth" with Raymond Masters

I'd like to welcome Raymond Masters, author of "Forging Truth", his newest novel. Here's a rundown of the story before we get to Raymond!

Kade Truth awakens in a strange house sideways of reality, where he learns he has “died” in a mysterious attack on the Statue of Liberty. Rather than facing the afterlife, he now wields energy powers, including flight. Kade joins and befriends Caduceus – eccentric caretaker, magician, and feeder of soup – and Mao F’Yang – an intoxicating girl with the uncanny ability to disappear – in a quest to regain his memories, uncover who is behind the attack, and discover why he has been so drastically altered.

In a counter to Kade’s mission, the malign Dark Monk joins forces with Richard Van Parson – arrogant CEO of VPI – to forward his own hellish agenda under the ruse of a retaliatory war.

The question remains, though, if the French government orchestrated the Liberty Island attack, why are our heroes certain of Van Parson’s involvement? What ties does the Dark Monk have with Caduceus? What designs does he have for Kade? And will Kade unravel the truth in time
to embrace his true destiny?

What was the spark that started you down the path to writing "Forging Truth"?

  Well, I had really wanted to write a novel around the time I got into college. I thought on it for a couple of years before deciding that the only things I could come close to writing well were either horror stories or superhero stories. I was more interested in comics at the time, so I started thinking up the story I wanted to tell. In the beginning, Truth was going to be much more of an origin story than the final product. Along the way, though, I developed the story and made the origin an unfolding mystery.

Do you have a favorite scene or character in your book?

Of course, I'm biased, but I have several scenes I just love. I have a twisted sense of humor (Thanks, Stephen King!), and I set up a dark joke in the first chapter that doesn't pay off until chapter three. But it's also a really cool way of showing the reader one of the core aspects of the series.

Boxers or briefs? Kidding! Do you write with a pen and paper, or go straight to the laptop?

Now, I do all my writing on my laptop. The first 30 pages of Forging Truth, in the first draft, were handwritten on a legal pad. Now, I might take notes throughout the day; and then I'll type them up at home. That's about all the handwriting I do for my stories.

How long does it normally take you to write a rough draft?

It depends on the length of the story, of course. Plus, I have a day job that keeps me away from the keyboard. A short story could be a month, while a novel could take me up to half a year.

What made you decide to go indie and not go after a more traditional publishing path?

I did, actually, try the traditional route first. No one bit, really. I had one request a partial. I had another tell me that should I not find a home for it they would take it, but they wouldn't be the best cheerleader for my book. So, I started researching self-publishing and I asked my indy peers just gobs and gobs of questions before switching my plans.

What is the hardest part and best part about self publishing for you?

The hardest part is convincing someone to read/buy your book over a known entity from a known publisher. The best part would have to be the editorial control you have. It's the freedom to take your story wherever you feel it should go. Any words of advice for up and coming (or still learning) authors? On top of writing, daily, I would say to read at least one article on writing a day. It doesn't matter if it's about the craft of writing, how another writer broke into the business, or proper use of punctuation. Even if it's something you feel you know, read the article and apply it to your work.

Any words of advice for up and coming (or still learning) authors?

On top of writing, daily, I would say to read at least one article on writing a day. It doesn't matter if it's about the craft of writing, how another writer broke into the business, or proper use of punctuation. Even if it's something you feel you know, read the article and apply it to your work.

If you'd like to learn more about Raymond and his writing, check out his BLOG, or AMAZON PAGE