Author Interview

Today Tom Dolby is here to chat about the Secret Society

1. Where did the idea for Secret Society come from?
I've always wanted to write an adventure series -- I thought it would be cool to explore the idea of a secret society that tapped people in high school, luring them in with promises of privilege and wealth.

2. Who is your intended audience?
The book is for everyone, but I find that it's most appropriate for ages 12 and up. I get many fans in their twenties, though, and I've heard from a lot of adults who love it as well.

3. How long did it take you to write this book?
It took a year to write, which was very fast.

4. Has publishing it been a long process?
It always is, though this book was much quicker than others I have worked on.

5. What was the hardest part of writing this book?
When you're writing about something fantastical like a secret society, the challenge is to make everything else as realistic as possible. If you do that, your readers will go with you wherever you take them.

6. What authors inspire you?
So many -- the classics, JD Salinger, F. Scott Fitzgerald. In YA, Melissa de la Cruz and Scott Westerfeld are terrific.

7. Who do you love to read?
I read all sorts of authors. A lot of nonfiction recently -- stuff about jewel thieves and museum heists. Inspiration for the next book!

8. What is unique to your writing?
I think my characters in SECRET SOCIETY have a timeless quality to them -- they live very much in the present, but they are aware of the past.

9. Who was your support well writing?
My husband, Drew, was there the entire time to read every draft and convince me I would make it to the finish.

10. Any advice to wannabe writers?
You just have to keep going and stick to it!