| THOMAS J. PRESTOPNIK |
| ~ The Author's Official Website ~ |
| _________________________________ |
| _________________________________ |
| Copyright © Thomas J. Prestopnik 2005 - 2010 All rights reserved. www.TomPresto.com |
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1) Where can I buy your books?
My books can be ordered online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble as well as
other online booksellers, or they can be purchased directly from my
publishers. Links to all of these websites can be found here. You might also
visit any bookstore and ask someone there to place an order for you.
2) Where do you get your story ideas?
Just about anywhere! I've gotten ideas from things I've seen, heard, dreamed
or that just popped into my head from who knows where. I have written
down many ideas, some in more detail that others, so I won't forget, though
most I'll never have time to make into stories. I usually flesh out my ideas or
a work in progress while enjoying a long walk. I already have enough book
ideas to keep me busy for many years, but you never know when another
great one might appear out of thin air.
3) How long have you been writing?
Most of my life. I remember writing a poem as far back as second grade and
writing short stories in middle school, though I never considered those
attempts as anything more than something fun to do. I wrote a few novels,
plays, short stories and poems throughout high school where I began to take
the craft more seriously, and later took many creative writing courses and
workshops in college in the early 1980s. I've written mostly novels since, a
form I enjoy most. I guess creating stories and writing them down is just a
part of my make-up and always will be.
4) Would you like to see any of your books made into movies?
You bet! I'd love to see my Endora Trilogy books (The Timedoor, The Sword
and the Crown and The Saving Light) playing on the big screen–and I'd
supply the popcorn and soda. I also think Gabriel's Journey would make a
great animated feature film, too. And though my novella A Christmas Castle
is not yet published in book form (read it for free here in its entirety), I think
it would be a wonderful story to turn into a Christmas movie for television.
5) What is your current writing project? [updated on 6-30-10]
Since early 2009, I've been working on a huge epic fantasy novel that I first
began to develop in 1978. I've written an extensive outline for the book
which I've revised several times, though the first version was completed in
1988. I also created four detailed maps and other related material to help keep
me on track as I write. The first words of this book were penned in 1999, and
since then I've worked on the book whenever I had some free time between
my other writing projects. Since this is my dream novel, I've felt guilty for
neglecting it for long periods at a time, so I've dedicated 2009 and 2010 (and I
expect several months into 2011) to work on this project alone.
At the end of November 2009, I took a month off from writing to relax over
the Christmas season and recharge my batteries. But on January 4, 2010, I
fired up the computer again, completing twelve more chapters near the end of
June 2010. That places me seventy percent of the way through the book by a
count of proposed chapters. I continually edit the book at the completion of
each chapter and section. Though it is a massive story, I'm happy to say that I
have made much progress in 2009 and in the first half of 2010. Though there's
still a long way to go, I no longer think if the project will be done, but when.
Since I'm well over halfway through the first draft, I'll give a little bit more
detail about the book's structure (but not the plot!). As the current outline
stands, the book consists of a short prologue and eighty-five chapters. I've
divided the eighty-five chapters into ten parts based on the different plot and
character threads in the story. I currently finished Part Six which takes me
through Chapter Fifty-Nine. This was the longest section of the book so far
which totaled just over 300 typed pages. In total, I've written just a little
under 1300 pages with twenty-six more chapters to go. Now I'm going to take
a week off from writing because my brain is fried, recharge a bit and then
start writing Part Seven later next week. If all goes according to plan, I'll
finish that some time in early autumn. Expect another update then. Take care!
My books can be ordered online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble as well as
other online booksellers, or they can be purchased directly from my
publishers. Links to all of these websites can be found here. You might also
visit any bookstore and ask someone there to place an order for you.
2) Where do you get your story ideas?
Just about anywhere! I've gotten ideas from things I've seen, heard, dreamed
or that just popped into my head from who knows where. I have written
down many ideas, some in more detail that others, so I won't forget, though
most I'll never have time to make into stories. I usually flesh out my ideas or
a work in progress while enjoying a long walk. I already have enough book
ideas to keep me busy for many years, but you never know when another
great one might appear out of thin air.
3) How long have you been writing?
Most of my life. I remember writing a poem as far back as second grade and
writing short stories in middle school, though I never considered those
attempts as anything more than something fun to do. I wrote a few novels,
plays, short stories and poems throughout high school where I began to take
the craft more seriously, and later took many creative writing courses and
workshops in college in the early 1980s. I've written mostly novels since, a
form I enjoy most. I guess creating stories and writing them down is just a
part of my make-up and always will be.
4) Would you like to see any of your books made into movies?
You bet! I'd love to see my Endora Trilogy books (The Timedoor, The Sword
and the Crown and The Saving Light) playing on the big screen–and I'd
supply the popcorn and soda. I also think Gabriel's Journey would make a
great animated feature film, too. And though my novella A Christmas Castle
is not yet published in book form (read it for free here in its entirety), I think
it would be a wonderful story to turn into a Christmas movie for television.
5) What is your current writing project? [updated on 6-30-10]
Since early 2009, I've been working on a huge epic fantasy novel that I first
began to develop in 1978. I've written an extensive outline for the book
which I've revised several times, though the first version was completed in
1988. I also created four detailed maps and other related material to help keep
me on track as I write. The first words of this book were penned in 1999, and
since then I've worked on the book whenever I had some free time between
my other writing projects. Since this is my dream novel, I've felt guilty for
neglecting it for long periods at a time, so I've dedicated 2009 and 2010 (and I
expect several months into 2011) to work on this project alone.
At the end of November 2009, I took a month off from writing to relax over
the Christmas season and recharge my batteries. But on January 4, 2010, I
fired up the computer again, completing twelve more chapters near the end of
June 2010. That places me seventy percent of the way through the book by a
count of proposed chapters. I continually edit the book at the completion of
each chapter and section. Though it is a massive story, I'm happy to say that I
have made much progress in 2009 and in the first half of 2010. Though there's
still a long way to go, I no longer think if the project will be done, but when.
Since I'm well over halfway through the first draft, I'll give a little bit more
detail about the book's structure (but not the plot!). As the current outline
stands, the book consists of a short prologue and eighty-five chapters. I've
divided the eighty-five chapters into ten parts based on the different plot and
character threads in the story. I currently finished Part Six which takes me
through Chapter Fifty-Nine. This was the longest section of the book so far
which totaled just over 300 typed pages. In total, I've written just a little
under 1300 pages with twenty-six more chapters to go. Now I'm going to take
a week off from writing because my brain is fried, recharge a bit and then
start writing Part Seven later next week. If all goes according to plan, I'll
finish that some time in early autumn. Expect another update then. Take care!
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