Imaginary Friends
by Chad Musick
GENRE: YA Magical Realism
BLURB:
If
the delivery had been a demonic bowling alley or a mermaid’s
grotto, Ivy would have sent it away. She has standards, after all.
But she can’t refuse a magical Library, especially when they’ve
gone to the trouble of including a wheelchair ramp. They say that on
the Internet nobody knows you’re a dog, but somebody knows
fourteen-year-old Ivy is an orphan, that she sells her paper-writing
services to lazy college students, and that her imaginary friends are
unhappy being stuck in the mural on the wall of her Alaskan
home.
Himitsu
refuses the Library, becoming angry enough to attack the delivery
people with his bamboo sword. They won’t tempt him with books, any
more than his mother has been able to tempt him into leaving their
apartment during the past two years. He has all he needs: video
games, online forums, and his virtual girlfriend Moe. Well, almost
all. His dad’s death has left a hole in him, which is why when he
receives text messages saying the Library can bring back the dead, he
changes his mind. Moe tries to warn him about the danger, but what
does she know, anyway?
Now,
having been lured into the Library and having foolishly brought their
imaginary friends with them, Ivy and Himitsu find those friends are
trapped. The teens have a choice: fulfill the Librarian’s odd and
painful demands in hopes of rescuing their friends or go back alone
to their small, boring lives, knowing they’ve failed the only ones
who really believe in them.
Purchase Imaginary Friends Amazon
Excerpt:
Himitsu grumbled at the sunlight coming through his window. The sun ought not shine so brightly when he was trying to sleep, but even Moe (pronounced in the Japanese way, like the name before Mo B and Mo C) was trying to wake him up now. “Sir, perhaps you’d like to get up now. An exciting day is waiting for us.” Moe was speaking in Japanese, of course, which I’ve taken the liberty of mostly translating for you. You’ll have to trust me that I’ve done so accurately. “Fine. Fine. I’m awake now.” Himitsu tapped Moe on the head to make her shut up, and she turned off her light and stopped bothering him. Himitsu ran his fingers through his hair, and when they got stuck halfway, he decided that perhaps it was time he took a shower. He’d thought the same thing the previous couple of days, but this time he actually left his room, waved irritably at his mother when she tried to talk with him, and turned on the water in the shower room. Japanese dwellings typically have a separate room for the shower to avoid bathing in toilet fumes. It’s just water. It won’t hurt you, he told himself and stepped under the flow. (The careful reader will note that he hasn’t taken off his clothes, but let’s assume that he did so, alright? People are funny about certain words, so the less we discuss people being naked, the more people who can read this story. We won’t be talking about people being naked, taking poops, or swearing, but we might see burning libraries, shambling monsters, and sad adults. No promises.)
Interview with Chad Musick
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I have written five books,, and three are published. They’re all very different and I love all my literary children equally. The MC of Not My Ruckus, my first published novel, will always hold a special place in my heart. She goes through a lot and never loses the ability to hope and improve her situation. The world of my second novel, From the Lighthous, is filled with fairies, multiple dimensions, and talking cats, making it very special to me. My current release and third novel, Imaginary Friends, brings literary characters to life in the persona of how they were written, and I think they would be interesting to talk to.
If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
I am currently working on a prequel that centers around Simon, a minor character in Imaginary Friends. Simon spent time in The Library before the timeline in Imaginary Friends and tried to burn the library down. The beta readers really responded to his character, and that inspired me to write his story.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
My first published novel is literary fiction, my second is very allegorical, and my third is whimsical. I like each work to be standalone because I like to switch up writing style. I also enjoy writing radically different works. Not My Ruckus takes place in Texas in the 1990s, From the Lighthouse takes place in a multidimension Florida, and Imaginary Friends takes place throughout time and space.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
The driving motivation of the characters is to save their imaginary friends who become trapped in the library. The imaginary friends are very real to Ivy and Himitsu, and the titled reflects their importance.
How long did it take you to write this book?
I wrote the first draft of Imaginary Friends in about eight months and then took about a year away from the novel to write Not My Ruckus.
What does the title mean?
The title is about the friendship Ivy and Himitsu have with their imaginary friends even though they are both teenagers. They are both very isolated and need the support of their imaginary friends to survive.
What did you learn when writing the book?
I think with this book I learned the joy of writing a lighted book. My first two books are quite heavy while this one is very lighthearted with a few darker moments.
What surprised you the most?
I was surprised by how fun it was to write in a more lyrical voice, and I hope the readers enjoy it.
Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?
I have not, but if it fit the story I would. When I write, I tend to focus on what the story needs.
What do you do to get inside your character’s heads?
My first two books drew heavily from my own identity and life experiences. Imaginary Friends is a blend of people from my real life. To get into my character’s heads, I draw from interactions I’ve had and observed. It is not any one person but a whole host of people.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Chad Musick grew up in Utah, California, Washington, Texas, and (most of all) Alaska. He fell in love in California and then moved with his family to Japan, where he’s found happiness. He earned a PhD in Mathematical Science but loves art and science equally.
Despite a tendency for electronic devices to burst into flame after Chad handles them, he persists in working in various technical and technology-related roles.
Chad makes no secret of being epileptic, autistic, and arthritic, facts that inform how he approaches both science and the arts.
3 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
The excerpt sounds really interesting.
Looks like an interesting book.
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