Thanks for visiting today and please welcome Brenda Beem!
We are interviewing her and... It’s All About the Book.
Thank you so much for inviting me
today. I appreciate the chance to answer
your great questions and share bits and pieces of my novel with your readers.
Please
tell us about your current or upcoming release.
My
upcoming novel is titled “Beached.”
Back
Cover Blurb.
Toni and the young
crew of the sailboat, Whistler, have just found a safe harbor. Or so
they thought...
They
may have survived a tsunami, but they’re racing ahead of an ice age as they
continue the frantic search for their families.
The
island they’ve anchored near is anything but safe. Dangerous men lurk
nearby—along with snakes, stingrays, and sharks. An island girl threatens to
destroy Toni and her boyfriend’s relationship, the youngest member of the crew
gets lost in a narrow dark cave, and Zoë is more annoying than ever.
Will
Toni and her crew survive the island and its treacherous waters?
What is
this book’s genre?
That’s
a good question. It is a mix of adventure, survival, a touch of YA romance, and
pinch of humor. Although there isn’t
such a word, I call it Pre-dystopian.
Is this
the genre you usually write in?
It’s
what I have been writing lately. A few years ago I wrote a Sci-Fi/YA romance
with a ghost as the love interest. Lots of fun.
Are there any genre’s you haven’t written that
you’d like to try?
Humm! I like the fast pace of YA novels, and I’ve always
wanted to write a novel set in outer space. Maybe…
What
inspired you to write this book?
I’m that
crazy friend you have who is always reading survival sites and imagines how
long it will take to escape to a safe place if there is an earthquake, war, or
plague. Maybe because I live close to a number of huge volcanoes, (Mt. Rainer
and Mt. St. Helens). And my husband and I are sailors. If you know you are
going to be stranded on a deserted island, you really should invite me, my
rolls of duct tape, and my recipe for penicillin.
How did
you pick its title?
This
is the second book in the series. The first was “Knockdown”. Its title is a
nautical term for a boat that goes down, but bounces back up. I liked the many
layers of meaning in the title.
In
this novel, “Beached”, the kids on the boat arrive at a dangerous island. The
boat becomes stuck at one point on the shore, and the beach on the mainland is
all military. Beached seemed fitting. Also, I like one word titles.
Did
it come first or did you have to write the story first?
The title
came first, although I wasn’t sure I’d keep it until the end.
How did
you create your characters?
Did you use
any real life people in their making?
My children think I based the three main
characters on them. They are so indignant when I have the character they claim
as them do something they’d never do. My youngest son was horrified when I
killed off his character.
The
short answer is that I might have started out thinking of my children as the
characters in the beginning, but the characters have each taken on a life of
their own.
Who is
your favorite character of this book and why?
Wow. That’s hard. I’ve grown to
love my characters. But the most fun to write is Zoe, the girlfriend of Toni’s
brother. Zoe is so self-centered and whiny.
Yet she is also the daughter of two doctors and is a sports medicine
student. She becomes the ships healer when she isn’t whining about running out
of make-up and complaining about salt water showers.
What is your favorite part of
this book?
Can you share an excerpt from
that part?
So much of my novel is life and
death survival, but I tried to balance the drama with lighter scenes. This scene takes place towards the beginning
of the book. In the Chapter before this, Takumi, Toni’s boyfriend hiked into
camp with a new girl, a beautiful Goth girl named Kat. Before she even sees
them, Toni hears Takumi’s deep belly laugh. He is laughing with this new girl.
Toni and Takumi have been so busy surviving that they have never had a moment
to really laugh together. This excerpt is from the following chapter:
The
rain finally slowed to a drizzle. We came around a huge boulder and Takumi
placed his finger to his lips. We watched the field of wet grass on our left
side. A ripple was flowing through it. Something alive was headed toward us.
We
took a couple of steps back and searched for some kind of weapon. We had
nothing. Takumi took his pack off and raised it over his head.
“Do
you have a rock or something in there?” I whispered.
“No!”
Takumi answered.
“Great!”
I hid behind him. We were so screwed.
Whatever
was in the grass was charging right at us. All of a sudden a bird’s head popped
up. And then it gobbled.
“A
turkey?” Takumi lowered his pack.
“A killer turkey!” I chuckled.
The
turkey waddled out of the grass and gobbled again.
“Don’t
move,” Takumi whispered, as he slowly took off his coat, and crouched down.
“What
are you doing?” I asked.
“Catching
it.”
Takumi
and the turkey stared at one another for a long moment. With his jacket open
wide, Takumi pounced. The turkey flapped its wings. Feathers slapped Takumi in
the face. Feathers floated in the air. The turkey squawked. Takumi yelled. The
turkey broke free and launched itself into the air. It flew low but fast, and
was soon only a tiny speck in the distance.
Takumi
lay in the grass face down. His coat was spread out beneath his face. Feathers
covered his back.
I
giggled so hard I had to sit. Takumi rolled over in the grass, looked up at me,
and began laughing too. The relaxed, deep laugh I’d heard earlier.
“Missed,”
he said with a gasp.
“Sure
did.” Another wave of hysteria hit me.
Takumi
brushed the feathers off as best he could. I helped pick off the ones stuck to
his wet shirt and stuffed them into my pocket.
Takumi
got to his feet and stared out at the direction the turkey flew. “I didn’t
think turkeys could fly.”
“Well,
it appears they can.” I wiped my eyes.
“Yeah!”
Takumi put his coat back on and adjusted his hat. “But how cool is it that
turkeys are on the island. The brochure talked about foxes, but not wild
turkeys. Next time I’ll be prepared. We can set traps.”
“Naw!
You should give your coat at least one more try.” I snorted.
“Very
funny.” Takumi wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and kissed me.
I
reached up and pulled a feather out of his hair.
Our
eyes met, and he laughed. And laughed. And laughed some more.
With
me.
What was the hardest part
of this book to write?
Can you share an excerpt from that part?
The fight scenes are the
hardest for me to write. In this scene, an islander named Jeremy is holding the
youngest member of the crew, a four year old girl named Makala hostage until
the crew agrees to hand over the boat to him and his family. Angelina is
Makala’s sister. Dylan is Toni’s big brother. Nick is part of the crew.
The guys guarding Nick stood and gazed at the scene on
Whistler.
Jeremy jumped up, while holding Makala as his shield.
It was time. Jeremy had his back to Takumi’s hiding
place.
Dylan continued speaking and gesturing with his gun.
“Jeremy! I’ve let my hostages go. Now, it’s your turn. Put the gun away. Give
Makala to her sister. If you want off this island, work with me.”
I glimpsed Takumi darting behind a large boulder from
the corner of my eye. I held my breath. The plan was working. Everyone was
focused on Dylan.
Jeremy shook his head. “You had your chance to let us
on. The boat’s mine now.”
Dylan raised his hands in the air with frustration.
“If we don’t get the boat off the beach, it won’t be useful for anyone.”
Jeremy’s face grew purple. “The boat will float off the beach. It will float, or you’ll be sorry.” He spun
and turned the gun on me.
I froze.
Takumi roared, “Drop the gun!” eHHHe jammed a spear into Jeremy’s back.
I’d been expecting it, but still jumped.
“I said, drop it!” Takumi sounded fierce.
In one quick motion, Jeremy dropped Makala, twisted,
and elbowed Takumi in the face. Takumi lost the spear gun. Nick, hands behind
his back, body slammed into Jeremy. I snatched Makala and dove behind a bin.
Angelina raced over and covered Makala and me with her body. Kat sprinted to
her dad. Jeremy’s friends stayed by the fire and held
their hands in the air.
Nick, Jeremy, and Takumi rolled around on the ground. Nick
head-butted Jeremy. Jeremy threw a punch that knocked Nick away. Takumi grabbed
Jeremy’s arms. Jeremy flipped Takumi onto his back, straddled him, and held the
gun tight to his forehead.
“No!” I screamed.
Takumi worked an arm free and tried to push the gun away. Kat’s dad
came out of nowhere and leapt on Jeremy’s back. Jeremy, Takumi, and the doctor
fought for control of the pistol.
Then the gun went off.
Did you
have any special rhythm or quirks while writing this?
There is
a sense of urgency and a feeling of danger lurking throughout the novel, but I
tried to balance these with a little romance and humor.
Is this a
stand-alone book or is it part of a series?
If so, we want to hear about it and what’s next in the series.
This
is book two of a three part series. In the first book, “Knockdown,” the young
crew gathers at the boat, steals supplies, and heads out to sea racing the
clock to beat the crest of a tsunami and a growing ice age.
In
this novel, “Beached,” the crew has survived the voyage down the coast and have
anchored near an island off the coast of California they hope to find their
parents on. But the island is not the safe haven they hoped for.
In the next and final novel, the crew is still
trying to find their families, some of whom live in or near the Mexican border.
A war between the U.S. and Mexico breaks
out just as boat sails into Mexican waters, and the multicultural/multinational
crew is caught in the middle.
Of
course, all three novels are really about the relationships that develop aboard
the ship, as well as the adventures the crew has in a pre-dystopian world.
Thank you again for listening to
my stories. It’s been fun.
Brenda Beem
******
BEACHED
(Knockdown,
book 2)
by
Brenda Beem
Released:
October 30, 2015
YA
Contemporary Suspense
Toni and the
young crew of the sailboat, Whistler, have just found a safe harbor. Or
so they thought...
They may
have survived a tsunami, but they’re racing ahead of an ice age as they
continue the frantic search for their families.
The island
they’ve anchored near is anything but safe. Dangerous men lurk nearby—along
with snakes, stingrays, and sharks. An island girl threatens to destroy Toni
and her boyfriend’s relationship, the youngest member of the crew gets lost in
a narrow dark cave, and Zoë is more annoying than ever.
Will Toni
and her crew survive the island and its treacherous waters?
14+
due to sexuality and adult situations
The first
book in the series, KNOCKDOWN, won first place at the Houston Writers Guild.
Author bio:
Brenda has
always lived in the shadow of Mt. Rainer, a rumbling volcano, and the many
waters of the Pacific Northwest.
Her idea of
heaven is a book in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.
She now
lives on Lake Washington, close to Seattle, with her husband. She loves to
kayak and watch the resident eagles soar. Her sailboat, Whistler, is in a marina
a short ways away. Summers are spent sailing the inland seas of Washington and
Canada.
******
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