BooksChatter: ℚ♫ Average Joe and the Extraordinaires: Average Joe [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Belart Wright to talk about Average Joe and the Extraordinaires (18 December 2014, BWright Publishing, 347 pages), a Young Adult Urban Fantasy Action Adventure, book one of the Average Joe series.

"A heart warming and humorous tale filled with teen action and adventure, high school pranks, magical realism, female shifters, humorous high school bullies, and mysterious characters and locations.

A true action packed adventure."

Author Q&A | Synopsis | Teaser | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

Hello Belart; welcome to BooksChatter.

To kick off, Belart has shared with us his music playlist for Average Joe and the Extraordinaires - enjoy!

What was the inspiration for Average Joe and the Extraordinaires?

"A set of questions to myself. Can an average kid be an interesting protagonist even if he or she is surrounded by those much more extraordinary? What is average? What makes a person extraordinary?"

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"I’m sure a lot of myself is, but I’d have to hunt for it to tell you. The thing that sticks out though, is Joe’s own desire to become a much more extraordinary person than he currently is. I share that desire with him."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for Average Joe and the Extraordinaires - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"I chose a cover that represented much of the adventurous feel that the book provides with its narrative. I also wanted something that represented the spirit of the book in one image.

I picked my cover artist, the amazing Fiona Jayde, because I’d seen her fantastic high quality and affordable cover art on other popular books. As you can see, she did not disappoint."

Why should we read Average Joe and the Extraordinaires and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"Several things really. There are simply not too many books that read like Average Joe and the Extraordinaires at all. It is a totally unique experience. Tropes are often subverted and expectations are often flipped simply because it’s more fun that way. I’d inadvertently crafted something fast paced, fun, weird, heart-warming, distinct, action packed, and strangely relatable. That was a total accident, I promise you.

Oh and there’s a ton of unexpected humor in the book. I’ve been told it’s actually very funny, but I don’t know if I can really trust any of those people who said so *laughs*."

Can you tell us something quirky about Average Joe and the Extraordinaires, its story and characters?

"The bully pranksters Fleez and Dozz are two very quirky characters. Their “names” give a little insight into their personalities.

Fleez, which is a play on the word “fleas”, is a tall musclebound gearhead with a love for pranks and bullying. Fleez is also surprisingly smart and eloquent when he wants to be.

Dozz, Fleez’s best friend and right hand man, is a play on the word “DOS” like the computing term. Dozz, as his namesake suggest, is an accomplished techie who’s also a fairly large bear of a boy.

Both boys are huge fans of eighties gang and punk films and they dress like extras from The Warriors every day. They’ve even come up with a small gang exclusively for the two of them called Team Badd Azz. TBA’s only purpose seems to be to prank people."

Brilliant! I love that film.

Who would you recommend Average Joe and the Extraordinaires to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I recommended this book to anyone interested in modern day adventure stories. There’s no crazy love triangles, or pointless drama. Just a very action packed and heart-warming tale of an average boy and his extraordinary friends.

The only disclaimer I have would be for the underage drinking represented at the start of the book in the very first chapter. Besides that the book is a good read for everyone of all ages."

If you could / wished to turn Average Joe and the Extraordinaires and the Average Joe series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"That’s too tough to think of right now. I’ve mostly thought of these characters as cartoonish real life characters up to this point."

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"For me, the type of story I write typically starts with a character I’ve made. I don’t set out with a genre in mind when I create a story. I start out with the character and the idea and I grow it from there. That usually means that my stories genre bend quite a lot.

I’m not the sort of reader who picks a genre to read either. I’m strictly a blurb/cover book buyer. Genre is usually the last thing on my mind. I don’t think of it until it’s too late to change it :-P.

All that said, my books typically fall into the Urban Fantasy/Science Fiction category because I like to introduce the fantastical into the modern day mundane."

What is your writing process?

"It’s a pretty detailed and adaptable process and so I won’t go into too much of the details. I’ll explain as concisely as I can.

It starts with a strong idea. I’ll write the idea down in a note, maybe its own Word file with a makeshift title.

I add more notes to the note file as I come up with more ideas and flesh out the initial idea. Usually these notes consist of scenes, characters, motivations, appearances, inspirations, plot notes, random ideas, some dialogue or character traits, etc.

After a while, I’ll have a rough idea of the plot, setting and characters and will start lightly plotting the story out in a linear fashion in the note file.

Once the idea is fleshed out to a degree where I can envision the world and characters well enough, I like to jump into it by writing a chapter or two. This helps me get my bearings in the place and establish the necessary character voices and story tone. Then I’ll go back and start a more detailed outline for future chapters. I do it like this typically anyway.

I’ll use that outline for a while, until I get stuck, or I get bored with it, or I can’t find the time to outline and find himself really wanting to finish what I’m working on. Usually my notes are detailed enough that I can forego the outline with no real issue.

I work like this until I come across something new that changes something about the plot and my outline. Then I make the necessary changes. Usually the ending changes entirely from my initial notes, as I find more satisfying ways to end the story and a different direction to take the story in. There’s more to it than that, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to write a book about it on this simple blog post."

What is in store next?

"I have a prequel for Average Joe and the Extraordinaires called Liandra and the Dream Reader that’s set to release in 2016 and I’m working on the direct sequel to Average Joe, Average Joe and the Beauty, which should be out at the end of 2016.

I’m also working on a new series of LitRPG novels set in the fictional VR game called Project DH which is based on a cult classic dark fantasy game. You can preview that series on my Wattpad page."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"Unfortunately, I don’t have a pet. A pet is such an investment in care and time and one that I simply have no time for. I already barely have time to write books, pay bills, and be a human already."

Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your thoughts with us!

"Thank you all for taking the time to ask me these great questions. I’ve learned a little about myself in the process. Also thanks to you and your glorious readers for reading up on me and my various eccentricities."