Travis
Thrasher’s words span many genres and explore some of life’s difficult
questions and situations. His stories explore life in all of its gritty
reality and offer readers a different perspective in areas of faith
where they may be facing particularly difficult questions. Difficult
questions intrigue Travis, and his novels provide emotionally charged
answers.
Travis’s writing does not neatly
fit into one category. Instead of approaching his stories with a
particular story-type, he emotionally and spiritually entertains and
challenges his readers! Travis is now writing for both adult and young
adult audiences. He seeks to follow God one day, one step at a time,
and he writes stories that reflect this sincere, moment-by-moment
approach to faith.
Travis, how
old are you?
I’m twenty-seven years old. (I
also make up stories for a living.)
Speaking of
young, I see that
you're now writing YA. Solitary was
your first young-adult novel. Are you planning others? Can you give
readers a sneak peek?
Yes, I’d better be planning
others! Some people reach the end of Solitary and are frustrated
because it didn’t provide any answers. Answers are coming! It’s a
four-book series. I’m writing book three now. Book two just released
and is called Gravestone.
Even that
title sounds really spooky. What is the premise?
This second book in the Solitary
Tales continues Chris’s journey toward finding out who he is and what
his own role is in the darkness suffocating his tiny new hometown.
Gravestone is a tale
of a teenager thrown into a battle over a town, a secret—and ultimately
his own soul.
At first, Chris Buckley was
simply warned. And watched. But as Chris unravels the haunting riddles
of the town of Solitary, he finds that much more than the life of a
town is at stake.
Whether facing a pastor with a
house full of skeletons or a cousin he never knew existed, Chris is
forced to choose between light and darkness, life and nightmarish
death. Every choice he makes reminds him that the unthinkable has
already happened—and if he trusts the wrong person, it may happen
again.
What exciting
things has God been showing you recently?
To walk in faith. One day at a
time.
I have read
in various venues that you have several projects going on
simultaneously. Can you tell your readers what’s coming up?
I have two collaborations coming
this fall: Letters from War written with Christian
singer Mark Schultz, and Paper Angels written with
country musician Jimmy Wayne. Then in 2012, the world will come to an
end, so oh well…
How
difficult is it for you to work on so many projects at once? Is
there one particular thing about balancing them that you find
particularly challenging?
My DNA is crazy enough to be
able to handle the many things at once. Seriously. Ideally I’d write
only one book at a time, but last year proved that I can actually work
on a couple of projects at once (in terms of actually writing it).
Since I’m a full-time writer, I have the time to do that. I’ve built up
my mental stamina (sorry, that sounds corny, but it’s true) to be able
to do that. The problem is that my mind is mush at the end of each day.
I strive for emotional
authenticity with each project I’m writing. Some stories are smaller
and some quite big. 40 was a big novel
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for me, but I’d been thinking
and working on it for a long time before I physically started writing
it. I’m always keeping folders and notes—since I’ve been doing this for
a while, I have systems that work for me.
Speaking
of
40, does that
novel reveal a hidden fear of turning forty? Why does that
particular year get such a bad wrap? It used to be fifty! What’s up
with that?
I don’t think it’s the fear of
turning forty. I think it’s probably more the fear of death and leaving
things messy. Forty is such a great number—a Biblical number with a lot
of meaning. The age is associated with mid-life crises. This is sort of
the ultimate mid-life crisis novel.
Give your
readers an inside view of how the story line for 40 was developed. Does
it reveal anything particular about you? Or does it represent some
basic fears that everyone faces at some point in their life?
40 is introspective and an
almost poetic novel. It doesn’t follow a formula or a map in terms of
the plot. I tried to be as honest with the character as possible. A lot
of myself is in the character, so I really walked in his shoes. What
would I do if I were him? I always put my fears in my stories. But in
40, I also put in my interests and some real-life experiences. The
story morphed from there. I knew where it was going to end—that I knew
a long time ago. But getting there was more of an unknown adventure.
What do you
feel is the greatest take-away value that 40 offers your readers? What
do you hope they will relate to the most?
I hope they will take a look at
their lives and view each day and each hour as a gift. We get busy and
it’s difficult truly being able to acknowledge that all the time.
Sometimes we just have to gut it out during a day. But I wrote 40
as a reminder to me: What if this was my last day? How would I live it?
And what if I’m given tomorrow? What can I do with that?
You recently
added
twins to your life! What a terrific change that must be! Tell us how
this has influenced your life and your writing!
I wrote four novels last year
and we had twins. I now feel that nothing is impossible. Bring on Mt.
Everest. I’ll climb it. That’s really how I sometimes feel.
Our three daughters are joys and
blessings. I’d give up every sentence of every book just to hear their
laughter and see their smiles. It’s been an incredible amount of work,
but it does help me see that this life is really not about me.
Each new experience in life is
something that I can’t help but put into the pages of my books. So from
here on out, readers of mine will be seeing lots
and lots of pink!
Do you have
any closing words of encouragement you’d like to share with your fans?
I heard that there were over
three million books published last year. I don’t know if that’s true,
but it certainly feels true. I appreciate anybody
taking the time to read one of my stories. My hope continues to be that
I’m learning and getting better. And the books that I’m working on and
thinking about now are going to be stories that are written with my
readers in mind. I’ve been writing stories for myself for a while; it’s
time to write stories for others, to reward them for taking these
melancholy journeys like 40!
Kim
Ford has been a resident of
Alabama for more than ten years. Originally from Georgia, she holds a
Bachelor’s degree in English from Brenau Women’s College. She has spent
the past 9 years in sales and marketing and has been an avid reader of
Christian Fiction for more than 20 years.
A mother of two teen sons and married to a technical writer and Army
veteran, Kim’s life is full and blessed. She and her husband also
volunteer as teachers for a resident rehab program for women with
life-controlling issues. She uses her fiction to encourage the ladies
she teaches. She blogs at: Window
To My World
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