The Inspiration:
It started as a spark of inspiration. Watching children spending so much of their day using screen time and particularly video games, I wondered what if the reason children are so drawn to it is because there’s another force behind it. Someone or something makes the pull irresistable.
The Writing Process:
I decided I would write this during the annual NANOWRIMO challenge (National Novel Writing Month) challenge . While the novel wasn’t finished with the first draft at the end of November, I was well on my way. My first draft finished in January. Once I finished, I set the book aside for a while before moving on to editing.
After a month, I began the editing process. I went through the story several times before hiring a professional editor. This step is really important. No matter how well you know your book, you need a separate pair of unbiased eyes to help make the book the best it can be.
My favorite part has been hiring the illustrator. I worked with Junior of Junior’s Digital Designs a few years ago and loved their work. The team was the first group that came to mind knowing that my book included gaming characters.
Jennifer Gladen 