Q&A

Who is the audience? What is the targeted age range?

The Brandon Sparks series is geared towards young adults (ages 10-14). Both male and female readers will enjoy this amazingly rich story.

What type of reader are you looking for?

The Brandon Sparks novels are irresistible to boys and girls who already possess a love of reading. They will find themselves pulled ever more deeply into this story’s mysteries, plot twists, dramatic action and secrets.

The Brandon Sparks Universe is also a terrific escape for children who gravitate towards stories of fantasy, because that’s exactly who and what Brandon Sparks is – a dynamic young character ushering readers through a very unique fantasy series crafted especially for their age group.

The Brandon Sparks novels are overflowing with diverse characters that modern children can relate to. Boys and girls will enjoy the books equally, as it features heroes of each sex. It comes naturally to children to root for Brandon, our gifted, hard-luck hero, for the same reason they root for themselves; because they know he’s in the right and they want to see him win against all odds. Traylor, the lead female character, is no damsel in distress waiting to be saved. She is strong, confident, independent, snarky and tough; she more than holds her own amongst the boys.

What are the competitive titles? How is your book similar/different from them?

The idea for Brandon Sparks was ignited by those urgent and classic adventures undertaken by Luke Skywalker, Captain Kirk and Harry Potter. Similarly, Brandon plays the reluctant hero faced with a herculean task. He shares the innocence of young Luke Skywaker, embarking on his first visit to the Mos Eisley Cantina, the strategic vision of the seasoned Captain Kirk battling Khan in the Mutara Nebula, and the shear nerve of Harry Potter to refuse to appease Lord Voldemort and duel him in the graveyard.

Skywalker, Kirk and Potter are heavily influenced and supported by the adults around them, but Brandon Sparks does not have this luxury. While Skywalker and Potter have wise old wizards to guide them along their journey, and Kirk has the cold and calculating, almost robotic Mr. Spock, Brandon has the all-too-human house computer Charlie. Charlie supports Brandon with every fiber of his being, pokes him into action when he needs it, and protects him, all from millions of miles away.

Where did the idea for the Brandon Sparks Universe come from?

When I was creating promos for Showtime and Comedy Central, my work schedule was very flexible and so I became king of the night owls and sagely used my time to watch countless reruns of Star Trek: Voyager. At the time, several of my friends were pushing the Harry Potter novels. I was extremely skeptical that a children’s book could captivate my imagination but I soon found myself devouring the story. I fondly remember shuffling back and forth between the first three Harry Potter books and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. As an accomplished writer of scripts for television and movies, I decided to try writing a children’s book. I vividly remember my eureka moment. It was late at night and I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep in the bedroom of my tiny apartment in Manhattan when I began thinking through the beginning of Brandon Sparks and the Hidden Sun. I spent countless hours walking the streets of Manhattan, mentally mapping out the rest of the story.

Why did you want to write this particular book?

Once I had come up with the premise for the book, I found myself obsessing over it constantly. I really enjoyed and still do enjoy creating characters and stories that click within the Brandon Sparks Universe. Every day I learn something new about the world I have created.

To express how passionate I am about this project, I would like to point your attention to this web site. It would have been easy enough to skip the web site entirely, or to just jot down simple descriptions of all of the characters; but simple is not my vision. Instead, I worked out detailed back-stories, much of which have no immediate impact on the plot line. I worked out an “Author’s Note” section explaining how I conceived each character, and included a direct message from the character Charlie, a sentient computer (Brandon’s best friend and protector), revealing new information to pique the interest of potential readers. I also created a web-only character, CW, the “person” who built and runs the Brandon Sparks web portal.

The web site is still in its infancy and every day I am adding original content to make the product better. This is critical because for the Brandon Sparks Universe to succeed, it needs to excel on more than one platform. I intend it to be a multi-media behemoth.

How do you plan to promote the book?

The Brandon Sparks web site will be the focus of my promotion. I will use all means necessary to get people to visit the site, which I feel is the best way to get them interested in the books. This will include the following:

1. Increasing presence on social networks and creating an interactive community on BrandonSparks.com to produce a loyal fan base.
2. Creating strong original content videos to post on youtube.com and other viral video sites.
3. Building lasting relationships with web masters from content related sites. This will include sharing original content and link exchanges to boost fan base and SEO rankings.
4. Book signings, and meet and greets at bookstores, libraries planetariums and schools.
5. Smart phone apps.

What are your marketing ideas?

In addition to tried and true marketing techniques, one of the cleverest ways to market the book would be to create an interactive eBook for the iPad. A significant amount of the content from BrandonSparks.com will be just a touch away.

1. Clicking on a character name, starship, planet or technology element will bring up an information card including definition, pronunciation, and description. Starships will reveal floor plans and virtual tours.
2. At the end of each chapter, the reader will be able to access commentary by the author and Charlie as if this was a DVD.
3. At the end of each chapter, the reader could opt to play a short mini-game in order to advance to the next chapter. These games will be mostly puzzle and action orientated. The content will emphasize where the reader is in the story, fill in any gaps between chapters, or refer to events in the Brandon Sparks Universe that might not be told in the books. This functionality can be turned on or off at the home screen. Also, based on the popularity of the mini-games, they can always be spun off to their own iPad app, or smart phone app.
4. The menu will include previews of future novels and new interactive content.

What is your personal background?

I graduated from Hobart College with a BA in English, and went on to become a Writer/Producer of prime time promos at Showtime and Comedy Central. I then tried my right hand at the wonderful world of banking, and my left at a web start up. Over the past four years, I have run a successful Internet retail business, developing strong ties throughout the world of recreational fishing. I have, most importantly, spent the past decade writing and re-writing two novels and molding the Brandon Sparks Universe into the most fascinating world I know. In the immediate future, I stand eager and ready to write the next five novels in this series! With the aid of an established publisher, I am confident that, together, we can create a product that will be staggering in both its creative and financial success.