Interview with Donna Galanti

Who's up for some amazing MG fantasy? If you said 'me!", then I have a beauty for you! Donna Galanti, author of Joshua and the giant Check it out.


Joshua and the Lightning Road
Publication date: May 19, 2015
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Donna Galanti


Stay away from the window, don’t go outside when it’s storming and whatever you do, do not touch
the orb.

Twelve-year-old Joshua Cooper’s grandpa has always warned him about the dangers of lightning. But Joshua never put much stock in his grandpa’s rumblings as anything more than the ravings of an old man with a vast imagination. Then one night, when Joshua and his best friend are home alone during a frightful storm, Joshua learns his grandpa was right. A bolt of lightning strikes his house and whisks away his best friend—possibly forever.

To get him back, Joshua must travel the Lightning Road to a dark place that steals children for energy. But getting back home and saving his friend won’t be easy, as Joshua must face the terrifying Child Collector and fend off ferocious and unnatural beasts intent on destroying him.

In this world, Joshua possesses powers he never knew he had, and soon, Joshua’s mission becomes more than a search for his friend. He means to send all the stolen children home—and doing so becomes the battle of his life.

          

     

INTERVIEW

Hi Donna! After meeting you in person this past Saturday (and picking up my own signed copy of this book), I'm honored to have you on We Do Write. Tell our readers a bit about JOSHUA AND THE LIGHTNING ROAD.

Twelve-year-old Joshua Cooper learns the hard way that lightning never strikes by chance when a bolt strikes his house and whisks away his best friend—possibly forever. To get him back, Joshua must travel the Lightning Road to a dark world where stolen human kids are work slaves ruled by the frustrated heirs of the Greek Olympians who come to see Joshua as the hero prophesied to restore their lost powers. New friends come to Joshua’s aid and while battling beasts and bandits and fending off the Child Collector, Joshua’s mission quickly becomes more than a search for his friend—it becomes the battle of his life.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

Very fast! I had attended a writer’s meet up and learned about a class that started the next day to write a children’s book in nine months and said to myself “now wouldn’t that be a challenge?” Storms have always fascinated me and as a child I would sit on the screened-in porch to watch them. I remembered the movie War of the Worlds and how the aliens rode blasts of lightning and thought “wouldn’t it be cool to travel a lightning road to another place?” And Joshua and the Lightning Road was born.

That. Is. Awesome. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Dare I say both? I first plot and create an outline to follow (I always know the end and sometimes write that first). But then the best part comes when I sit down to write and magic happens! Then I discover new characters and events that instinctively drive the story. Discovery is the wonder part of writing.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Writing that first draft! I actually love revision because it’s where I can peel back the layers of my first draft to make is shine.

Amen to that! What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

Black chai tea and pumpkin muffins – and a window overlooking the woods. A hammock would be nice but then I would doze and read more than write.

What are you reading right now?

Yikes – I have three books on my nightstand I go back and forth from reading. Shiver by Maggie Stievater, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, and Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

To whisk myself away to anywhere in the world in a second. I would go back to England first and visit lots of castles! I lived there as a child (sadly not in a castle). 

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ...

Reading, biking a back road, or kayaking a Vermont creek in fall!

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

So many wonderful and supportive people helped get this book published. Kathryn Craft, my dear friend and first editor, who guided me in shaping this tale  – and who helped me shape myself as an author. My understanding husband Michael, the greatest provider of alone time there is! My first reader and cosmic sister, Lisa Green, who inspired me to find the power in the details. So many more moved this book along the road to publication including the dedicated staff of Month9Books, my literary agent, Bill Contardi, who took a chance on a new author, and my wonderful Weggie Writers group of gals who trudged alongside me as this book came to life. And to the person who began this book, the real Joshua Cooper Galanti. I wrote this for him. I hope he never grows too old for bedtime stories and always seeks just one more adventure.

Watch the Joshua and The Lightning Road book trailer!

or Link to show video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc1ngAmk0SI

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donna Galanti attended an English school housed in a magical castle, where her wild imagination was held back only by her itchy uniform (bowler hat and tie included!). There she fell in love with the worlds of C.S. Lewis and Roald Dahl, and wrote her first fantasy about Dodo birds, wizards, and a flying ship. She’s lived in other exotic locations, including Hawaii where she served as a U.S. Navy photographer. She now lives with her family and two crazy cats in an old farmhouse, and dreams of returning one day to a castle. Donna is the author of the Joshua and The Lightning Road series (Month9Books) and blogs at Project Mayhem. Visit her at www.donnagalanti.com or on Amazon.

Praise for Joshua and The Lightning Road:

 "Vividly imagined characters in a gripping action fantasy that never lets you go until the very last page." —Jenny Nimmo, New York Times bestselling author of the Charlie Bone series.

           

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