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Get in touch with Michael
I cannot promise to reply to every message that I get, but I will do my best.
The answers to the best questions will be posted below.
Q - Where did you get the idea of the elemental powers?
A: I read a lot of Greek mythology and philosophy, and I've always liked the idea the ancient Greeks had, that the world could be broken down into five basic elements - Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Aether (Spirit). This idea has been widely used in fiction, but I adapted it for 'The 4 Powers of Daren Sáner' by creating the ten castes of Periapólí - Air (royalty), Air-Fire (priests), Fire (the educated), Air-Earth (soldiers), Fire-Earth (merchants), Earth (farmers), Air-Water (sailors), Fire-Water (guardians), Water (port workers), Earth-Water (peasants). And in the second Daren Sáner book, you'll discover that there's a rival Empire on the planet called the Ev-Énor who have base powers such as Lightning, Ice, Rock and Sound.
Q - Who are your favourite authors?
A: As a kid I used to read Roald Dahl, Willard Price, Enid Blyton, R.L. Stine, Christopher Pike, C.S. Lewis and more as a young boy. When I was a bit older I got into Bryce Courtenay, Michael Crichton, James Patterson, Stephen King and Wilbur Smith. More recently I have read J.K. Rowling, Philip Pullman, Jodi Picoult, and have started getting into classic novels from the 1900s and mid-20th century.
Q - Who inspired you to be a writer?
A: I don't know. I have always wanted to be a writer since I can remember. From the age of 5 it's been my goal in life. My father used to tell me bedtime stories and read books to me, so he was probably the greatest inspiration.
Q: How did you come up with the names Óshéanús and Súperiae etc?
A: Over the last ten years I have slowly developed a language for the planet and the people of Óshéanús. I used Latin and Greek roots, but often just invented the words myself. The language has ten vowels - a, e, i, o, u and á, é, í, ó, ú. A major rule in the language is that consonants must be separated by vowels ('sh' being the exception). So obviously Óshéanús is derived from the ancient Greek word for Ocean, whereas Súperiae comes from two separate words joined together - Asú (perfect) and periae (people). In other words, Súperiae means 'perfect people' and Súperia means 'perfect person'!
Q: How long did 'The 4 Powers of Daren Sáner' take to write?
A: It took me more than 6 years (from 2002-8), over a million words and more than thirteen separate drafts (in other words, starting the book over from scratch thirteen times) to complete. Now that I am a more experienced writer, it doesn't take me nearly as long to write a book.
Q: Will there be a sequel to 'The 4 Powers of Daren Sáner' and what will it be called?
A: The second book involving Daren Sáner is coming out in April 2012, to be published by Scholastic. It will be called 'The Vitality Code'.
