World Of Silence Behind The Book Interview!

Hey guys! Welcome back to the World Of Silence Blog Tour here on our very own Bookish Productions! Today Sarah Twilight interviews Kaytlin Phillips in a BEHIND THE BOOK INTERVIEW! XD So read on!

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Sarah: So where did you get the inspiration for World of Silence?

Kaytlin: My family was watching Sue Thomas F. B. Eye which is about a deaf woman who worked for the FBI reading lips to stop terrorist attacks and all sorts of crimes. A really cool true story series, and well, I found myself quite drawn in by Deaf culture, and then this rabbit appeared with his bow, he just wandered around my head (in a totally non-creepy way…lol…) I wasn’t too concerned because at the time I had never written any books without my sister, kind of told the poor guy to take a hike. But he persisted and got himself a name, Fledge. Then next thing I knew I was writing a book based on a deaf rabbit archer, a mute dragon, and a vague plotline that consisted of me knowing this was going to be a story of discovery…lol…

Sarah: Ok, so I LOVE dragons! Tell us more about your love of dragons. 

Kaytlin: Oh!!! Dragons!!! Well, my sisters and I are all crazy about them! We had actually read Wings of Fire a few months or weeks before I started WoS, but we didn’t like the gore content. So, we decided we’d try to write dragon books that were safe for all ages and those sensitive to gore, like us. So, if you stick around with us very long you’ll find that most of our fantasy WIP’s include a dragon or two…lol…I actually have a YA WIP, currently on the very back burner, that has a dragon and not the good kind like Galexia.

Sarah: How long did it take you to come up with the title for this book, and what inspired it?

Kaytlin: Wow! Um, I can’t remember how long it took. I know I called it Fledge’s book for a long time…lol…then I brainstormed titles with my sisters. I knew I wanted the title to reflect the fact that Fledge was deaf, living in complete silence, separated from the rest of the world. I honestly can’t tell you any of the other titles we thought of, but then Jaidie suggested A World of Silence. I liked it, and that’s what the book was called for about two years and then I decided to drop the ‘a’ because it wasn’t necessary and it is now World of Silence!

Sarah: How long did it take you to write World of Silence?

Kaytlin: I wrote the first half of the book in about six months I guess, making pretty good progress between my research of deaf culture. Then I got stuck. Like I had a whole plot twist going that just didn’t work so I deleted five chapters and rewrote everything that was left to fit with the new ending. The first finished draft had Adara and Hayden as POV as well as Fledge, but then I releazied they distracted from the message I was trying to get across with Fledge so in the end I cut their parts (don’t worry, I’ve had request to turn those deleted chapters into side stoires and I’m considering it). Overall, WoS was written, edited, and rewrote over the course of three years. It’s undergone dramatic changes from reworking the entire ending, to cutting two POV’s, to turning the POV’s from rabbits to people, to changing from third person to first. It was a lot of work…lol…

Sarah: Fledge has at times used sign language. Did you have to learn sign language for this book or was it something you already knew?

Kaytlin: I started learning ASL a few weeks before I started WoS, I thought it was super cool! And wanted to learn, though I’ve never succeeded in getting past the basics because I have no one to practice with…lol…So, I didn’t learn ASL for the book. Actually, the signs Fledge uses aren’t really real signs for the most part, but more of old medieval military signs or basic signs.

Sarah: Which character do you relate to the most? 

Kaytlin: Definitely Fledge, I’ve always struggled with purpose, which I guess is why I wrote this book. Being true to myself has always been hard for me, and acknowledging that I am important and have a purpose here is something I find hard to do at times. So, I can relate to Fledge.

Sarah: What made you chose to write this in first person?

Kaytlin: Honestly, the whole thing was written in third-person for the first, um, five drafts. Then I read The Ascendance Series by Jennifer Nielsen, which for anyone who hasn’t read the series is an awesome first person narration. I’m not going to claim I did as well as that with WoS but I loved the flow of first-person and felt it would help Fledge’s message come across all the more clear.

Sarah: Are any of your characters inspired by people you know or are named after someone in your life?

Kaytlin: None of the characters are directly linked to people I know, but the friendship that blooms between Fledge and Hayden, two complete different boys is based off my brothers who are as different as different can be. I didn’t name any of my characters after people I know, but some of the people in my area may or may not recognize a name as their last name…lol…I get most my names for characters off road signs…and I know for a fact we’ve got some Owenby’s in the area. Also, I just realized that Hayden was accidentally named after someone, my family knows a family with a son named Hayden. But I think we met them after I named Hayden, or at least I met them after…lol…

Sarah: You did very well at writing middle-grade! What made you choose that age range?

Kaytlin: Aww, thank you! I’ve always been a fan of Middle Grade stories! I love the innocence and beauty, the distinct lines of right and wrong. But I’ve not liked the way a lot of modern MG books blur those lines and taint the beauty of the stories. So I decided to write MG that would be both full of adventure and also full of those classic, firm, non blurred lines of right and wrong, good and evil. I wanted young readers to know that the world is never as hopeless as it looks and even those of us who feel most useless can do great things!

Sarah: What genres do you see yourself publishing in in the near future?

Kaytlin: I have some more MG stories floating around. One being a contemporary about a mute boy. But I am currently working on the first book in a Western YA series. You can expect more MG and definitely some YA from me…I’ve written a few Children’s book manuscripts, but I don’t know if I’ll ever do anything with those or not…lol…

Sarah: What’s it like to actually finish a book? (Can’t relate lol)

Kaytlin: (Lol…you’ll get there!) It kind of feels crazy. Like unreal for a bit then it sinks in. Then you read over it and kind of deflate, at least I did, because it’s not as good as you remember. I grew a LOT as writer from chapter 1 to chapter 32…so I had to do a lot rewriting to whip my work into shape and make sure it all hit the same level of perfection (btw I never did achieve perfection…lol…) but it was definitely a great feeling to finish something I had worked so hard on!

Sarah: What message do you hope people will walk away with after reading World of Silence?

Kaytlin: I feel like I type a different answer for this every time…lol…but what I most want readers to take away from WoS is that they have a purpose even if they can’t see it at this moment. There is a reason they were born in this crazy world and time. Everyone has a purpose that only God sees but that does not give us the right to throw in the towel, we have to keep climbing. We have to have HOPE in the darkest times. Must never give up. Fledge’s story is one of discovery and purpose. Something we can all relate to…and I want readers to take away, like Fledge did, that even one, ONE seemingly useless voice can change the world!!!

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Silence. Complete silence. That was all I heard.

Fledge Owenby is a deaf archer struggling to be seen for his potential instead of his disability. When forgotten and left behind during a dragon attack, he thinks it is the chance to prove himself that he has been waiting for. But who knew one trip out of the bunker would change everything?

Saved from evil dragons by a dragoness, Fledge wonders why she would help him and soon discovers how similar they are. He is deaf and she is without fire. Drawn together by a bond, not even he can understand, Fledge and Galexia are unwittingly pulled into adventure.

Betrayal of the highest level, deception, and a war that never should have been. Fledge must find a way to end it all while trying to be seen as the boy he is, instead of the disability he has.

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Kaytlin Phillips is a homeschool grad who spends her days praising her Savior, reading, writing, blogging, and annoying her sisters with random thoughts. She is the fifth child out of seven and resides in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Her favorite hobbies include writing, reading, hiking, theology, history, blogging, ASL(Of which she only knows the basics but has good intentions of learning more), crocheting, doodling, wild orchid hunting, and anything she does with her sisters or family.

Goodreads Author Profile: Kaytlin Phillips (Author of World of Silence) | Goodreads

FaceBook:(1) Kaytlin Phillips | Facebook

Blog: www.sisters-three.com

Pinterest: Pinterest

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(Goodreads is EPIC) Goodreads: World of Silence by Kaytlin Phillips | Goodreads

AND IF YOU WANT TO BUY HER EPIC BOOK, CLICK HERE (on this handy dandy link!) Amazon: Amazon.com: World of Silence eBook : Phillips, Kaytlin: Kindle Store

(AND GUYS, THERE’S A PINTEREST BOARD! Seriously, WE LOVE Pinterest boards!) Pinterest Board: https://pin.it/1gm5lrL

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If you’re super excited, like me, here is the schedule (which you are free to obsess over) so you never miss an EPIC post about this EPIC BOOK!

Monday, May 16th

Sisters Three – Blog Tour Launch Announcement 

The Sword of the Penmaiden – Guest Post

Vanessa Hall – Spotlight and Review

Tuesday, May 17th

Kristina Hall – Review and Sneak Peek

Wednesday, May 18th

Saraina Whitney – Review

Tasha Van Kesteren – Interview

Thursday, May 19th

The Introspective Introvert – Interview

Friday, May 20th

Abbigail Befus – Facebook Review

Teen Writers’ Nook – Review

Bookish Productions – Review

Saraina Whitney – Behind the book Interview and Sneak Peek

Saturday, May 21st

Sisters Three – Character Interview

Sunday, May 22nd

Sisters Three – Fan Art

Monday, May 23rd

Saraina Whitney – Character Interview

Vanessa Hall – Interview

Tuesday, May 24th

Bookish Productions – Behind the book interview

Into my Writing Journey – Spotlight

Release day!

Wednesday, May 25th

Sisters Three – Launch announcement and Winner of the Short Story contest announcement!

The Introspective Introvert -Sneak Peek – Lillian Keith

Kristina Hall

Saraina Whitney

Vanessa Hall

Tasha Van Kesteren

Abbigail Befus – Facebook

Into my Writing Journey – Issabelle Perry

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GO FORTH AND READ MY HUMANS! -Sarah Twilight