Interview and Giveaway: Authors J. Gabriel Gates and Charlene Keel

I'm so excited to have J. Gabriel Gates and Charlene Keel, authors of the awesome The Tracks Series, stopping by today for a fun interview! Plus, there's a fabby fabby giveaway...

Shadow Train

(The Tracks #3)

By J. Gabriel Gates and Charlene Keel

6/4/13

HCI Teens

Middleburg's teen martial artists scramble to reunite the broken shards of the powerful and mysterious Shen ring, in an effort to locate their missing friend Raphael and avert worldwide disaster but it won't be easy. 

A pack of government agents, a secret order of Chinese kung fu masters, and a family of vengeful fallen angels stand in their way. Amid the struggle, tensions between the two teen gangs flare once again when one of the Flats kids gets jumped and put in the hospital. Zhai and Ignacio, the leaders of the rival factions, struggle to maintain peace and continue their quest for the ring shards amid the rising tide of confrontation. 

Meanwhile, Middleburg's leading ladies Maggie and Dalton put their differences aside in an effort to wrest their friend Aimee from the clutches of the sultry and seductive Nephilim, Orias. But when a powerful fallen angel learns that Orias has imprisoned his father Oberon, a new supernatural menace is unleashed on Middleburg, one that threatens to bring all the conflicting factions together in one final, deadly conflagration. 

The only hope is that Middleburg's missing teen hero will somehow reappear and find a way to set things right but he's been gone for over two months, without leaving a single clue as to his whereabouts. As the situation grows more dire, all of Middleburg wonders: where is Raphael Kain? With mighty doses of kung fu, eastern mysticism, and star-crossed love, "Shadow Train" is the most poignant, romantic and explosive book in The Tracks series thus far!

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All the books in The Tracks Series

(click covers to read my reviews)

Interview with Charlene Keel and J. Gabriel Gates-

Authors of The Tracks Series:

Dark Territory, Ghost Crown and Shadow Train

1.     What three words best describe your series, THE TRACKS?

Char: Haunting, romantic, compelling.

J. Gabriel: Epic, actionful, fun. (Yes, I made up one of the words. If Shakespeare did it, why can’t I?)

2.    Can you give us your best one-sentence pitch to convince new readers to give your series a try?

Char: Star-crossed love, supernatural evil, and martial arts meet in the deceptively quaint village of Middleburg, a little town populated with fallen angels, demons, teen gangs and time travelers.

J. Gabriel: You will never find a better time travel / teen drama / fallen angel / romance / class war / kung fu story—I guarantee it.

3.  Grab a copy of Shadow Train (or book 1 or 2) and answer the following:

Favorite chapter?

Char: Almost impossible to pick, but I do love the last chapter in Shadow Train, where we come full circle with all the characters (the good, the bad and the ugly), and all the mysteries are resolved (well, all but one—could this mean more books in the future?).

J.Gabriel: Chapter 30.  It’s the culmination of everything that the series has been building toward and, from an author’s perspective, it was almost three years in the making.

           

Favorite page?

Char: It’s in the last chapter, but I can’t tell you what it is because it would be a spoiler. Do Raphael and Aimee get back together? Does Zhai go back in time with Kate or keep her in the present with him? Where did the gold coins Kate found in Dark Territory come from? Does Jack, Aimee’s cruel father, finally get his just deserts in the most perfect way possible? Does Aimee help Orias find redemption for his half-soul (the human half)?

J. Gabriel: Page 414

Your favorite line from your favorite chapter or favorite page?

Char: Ditto. If I tell you, it will totally give away the answer to one of the questions I posed regarding favorite page.

J. Gabriel: “She’s my friend,” Aimee said. “You want her, you’ve gotta shoot me first.” That’s my favorite line, but you have to read the entire series to really understand the significance of it.

4.  There are a lot of awesome characters in THE TRACKS books, but do you have an absolute favorite one? Is there a character that you enjoyed writing the most or connected with the most?

Char: My absolute favorite is probably Orias, the Nephilim (half angel-half human), because he’s the ultimate bad boy—gorgeous, sexy and cursed through no fault of his own. Doomed for all eternity, he’s living without hope until he meets Aimee. There are two other characters I really connect with: Maggie, who starts out as the stuck-up, cruel cheerleader but evolves (in Ghost Crown) into a decent human being, and a warrior of the light, and Lily Rose whose character is modeled on my own Lily Rose, who took care of me when I was a child.

J. Gabriel: I really loved all the characters, and I believe that as an author, every character is a facet of yourself. That said, I probably relate the most to Raphael.  No matter what circumstance he’s in—and he faces a lot of adversity in this series—he stubbornly tries to be a good person and do his best. Those are values that I respect and try to embody.

5.    Which book in the series is your favorite, both as an author and as a reader?

Char: It’s a toss-up between Ghost Crown and Shadow Train. Dark Territory was the toughest because we were laying the groundwork for the series and establishing the characters and the magic and paranormal arena in which the story is told. Also, because J. and I were still getting used to the give-and-take required when co-authoring a book.

J. Gabriel: They all have their good qualities; book 1 is exciting because you get introduced into a whole new world of characters and action. Book 2 is great because you meet even more characters and everything gets dialed up a notch. I’d have to say that book 3 is probably my favorite though, because all the various storylines reach their climax and all is revealed. Who doesn’t love that cathartic feeling?

6.    What’s it been like creating this series as a writing duo? What are the advantages and disadvantages to co-authoring a series?

Char: It has been enthralling, fascinating, frustrating and inspiring. The built-in advantage is having someone to bounce ideas off, someone with whom to work out all the plot points and character development. The only disadvantage—and one we got pretty good at working around—is having two talented, strong-willed people trying to go in the same direction with very different ideas on how to get there.

J. Gabriel: Working with Char on this series was a wonderful experience. Sure, we had our creative battles, but overall I think the series came out better because we both put our all into it. One of the advantages of writing as a team is that you can work faster, because you always have a fresh set of eyes to look at something and say, “I don’t think this is working,” or “I think if we tweak that the story will work better.”  

You also get an influx of ideas that you might not have thought of on your own.  The disadvantage is that if you don’t see eye-to-eye on something, sometimes you have to compromise. Not in a bad way, but in a cooperative way. You have to pick your battles. Sometimes a passage you might have liked gets rewritten in a way that doesn’t thrill you as much as the original version. But the process really helped me learn to trust another person with the “treasures” of my mind, and that was a great gift.

When I first realized that things can be slightly different from how I originally imagined them but still be equally good, it was a great revelation, and a relief. It’s very freeing to know that there are different roads to the same destination, creatively speaking.  

7.  Fill in the blanks:

Char: I’m really awesome at rewriting. Sometimes delivering that first draft is painful, but rewriting, for me, is a labor of love. That’s when I can pull out all the stops and let my imagination and emotions run with the moon.

J.Gabriel: I’m really awesome at writing books, of course! And eating hummus. Hummus is delicious. But mostly the book thing.

Char: I’m really embarrassed to admit that I stall more than I should—I think, because writing is a solitary occupation (even when writing as a team). There comes a time when you have to shut out the world and live in that alternate reality. But often, when I get there, I don’t want to come back.

J. Gabriel: I’m really embarrassed to admit that I know all the words to the old school rap song “Humpty Dance.” Alright stop what you’re doin’…

Char: The last great book I read was The Firebrand by Susan Wiggs. I found a copy in my laundry room and when I was a couple of chapters away from the end I misplaced it and had to order it from Amazon.com. When I found out it was part of a trilogy I bought all three. And then, of course, I found the one I lost.

J. Gabriel: The last great book I read was The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. What a beautiful book!

8.    What would a cupcake inspired by THE TRACKS series look and taste like, and what would it be called?

Char: I would do a mix—Rocky Road for Orias with a Twinkie center for Aimee, and it would be called Rocky Road to Love. In our first draft of Dark Territory, Aimee was kind of Twinkie-like. As soon as we realized we were writing her too sweet (even for the goody-good girl), we gave her a lot more depth. Or, we could do Devil’s Food Cake with chocolate frosting for Oberon and Azaziel. We could call it Decadent Fallen Angel Cake.

J. Gabriel: It would be chocolate, with crossed railroad tracks drawn on the top of the frosting. The inside would be filled with yummy strawberry filling that would get all over your mouth when you bit into it, and it would be called the Bloody Nose. ’Cause the series is full of kung fu, y’all!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

J. Gabriel Gates: website goodreads twitter facebook

 His first two novels are The Tracks: Dark Territory, in stores July 1, 2011, and The Sleepwalkers, due out October 3, 2011. The second book in The Tracks series, Ghost Crown, is set for release in January 2012. 

Charlene Keel: website goodreads twitter facebook

Author, screenwriter, editor, ghostwriter and more with over a dozen published novels to her credit. She has also written for such major TV shows as Fantasy Island and Days of Our Lives, and the first made-for-syndication soap opera was based on her Dell novel, Rituals.

Win a set of all the books in The Tracks Series!

Charlene and J. Gabriel are giving away 4 sets of all three books in their series 

(2 print sets for US only and 2 ebook sets open internationally):

WIN ALL 3 BOOKS IN THE TRACKS TRILOGY!

We are thrilled that The Tracks has been optioned for a possible TV series or epic film franchise (like Twilight or The Hunger Games). Of course, it’s a long way from option to actually getting a production deal so in the meantime we’d like to know what readers want. For your chance to win the complete trilogy, tell us which you prefer and then, based on the descriptions below, which actors you’d like to see as the characters.

Big Feature Film or TV Series or Web Series or Straight to DVD?

Who should play:

RAPHAEL KAIN – sixteen, handsome and charismatic with a fiery personality. A loyal friend but a relentless enemy, he is the leader of the Flatliners and a master of martial arts.

AIMEE BANFIELD – fifteen, a Topper (sworn enemies of the Flatliners). Troubled and insecure, she is grieving for her missing mother while trying to live up to her father’s impossible standards.

ORIAS, the Nephilim (half human, half angel) – nineteen, smoldering, sexy, brooding and doomed for all eternity through no fault of his own. He intends to take Aimee away from Raphael and use her to take over Middleburg—and maybe the world.

The four lucky winners will get all three books (Dark Territory,Ghost Crown and Shadow Train).

To enter to win, simply answer the questions above regarding the casting and format in the comments below. Then in the Rafflecopter just tell me what name you used in the comments. Commenting is the only required entry you need to do, but there are several ways to earn extra entries (found in the Rafflecopter). Please only fill out one Rafflecopter form (US or INT)

Other Details

-open US and INT

-there will be 4 winners: 2 US, 2 INT

-will end 9/22

-must be 13+, winners will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

-Word Spelunking is NOT responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prizes 

Fill out the proper Rafflecopter form:

US ONLY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

INT ONLY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Dark Territory by J. Gabriel Gates ~4/5 Cupcakes~

TITLE: Dark Territory SERIES: The Tracks, Book 1 AUTHOR: J. Gabriel Gates and Charlene Keel PUBLISHER: HCI Teens PUB. DATE: July 1, 2011 FORMAT: Paperback, 476 pgs SOURCE: from publisher in exchange for my honest review

Dark Territory

Star-Crossed Love, Martial Arts, and Supernatural Evil meet at the Abandoned Tracks in the Deceptively Quaint town of Middleburg...When Ignacio Torrez moved from the rough streets of Los Angeles to a small town dead smack in the middle of nowhere, he never expected to find himself in the midst of a gang war. But, he soon learns, these are no ordinary gangs. The wealthy, preppie Toppers on one side of the tracks and the working-class Flatliners on the other adhere to a strict code of honor and use their deadly martial arts skills, taught to them by the wise Master Chin, to battle one another for pride, territory, and survival. When Raphael, leader of the Flatliners, falls for Aimee, a Topper girl, the rival gangs prepare for a bloody, all-out war. The only hope for peace between them lies within the dark territory of the abandoned train tunnels where the tracks cross. Under the direction of the mysterious and frightening Magician, the awesome power within the crossing sends the rivals on a terrifying mystical quest to fight the malevolent force that threatens the existence of Middleburg.

THREE WORDS: Exciting. Hip. Innovative

MY “I JUST FINISHED THIS BOOK” REACTION: I feel significantly cooler having read this book. Oh and I really wanna learn how to be a badass from Mr. Chin!

MY REVIEW: With Dark Territory, authors J. Gabriel Gates and Charlene Keel have created an edgy, smart, fantastical story reminiscent of a modern day West Side Story with a splash of Romeo and Juliet.

            SUMMARY

In the quite town of Middleburg, you’re either a “have” or a “have not”, a Topper or a Flatliner. An intense hatred and distrust exist between the rich Toppers and the working class Flatliners, especially among the teens. Ignacio “Nass” Torrez moves to Middleburg from the mean streets of LA and soon becomes best friends with Raphael, the leader of the Flatliners. Zhai, the quiet leader of the Toppers, was once Raph’s BFF. Raph and Zhai both study martial arts under the guidance of Mr. Chin. Beautiful Topper, Aimee moves back to Middleburg to live with her distant father and mean spirited brother, after being sent away for a year after a breakdown she experienced after the mysterious death of her boyfriend. The lives of these teens collide when Aimee and Raph fall for each other and the hatred between the Flatliners and the Toppers comes to an explosive head. And to complicate things further, mysterious and mystical things begin to happen with the appearance of the Magician.

            STORY

Dark Territory is an original, highly imaginative, thrilling story. It’s very much a multi-layered, multi-faceted story with a great mix of fantasy, sci-fi, romance, action and social commentary. I was easily swept away by the fantasy and sci-fi elements, while impressed by the social awareness this book possesses.

The intense dynamic between the two rival gangs makes for a compelling and, at times, dark story, but also a fun story to disappear into for a few hours. Gates and Keel write with attitude and sass, their dialogue is sharp and witty, their storyline is creative and well executed, and these two authors are clearly in tune with their intended audience.

The fantasy and sci-fi elements are intriguing and captivating, and plentiful. There are elements of time travel, superhero like abilities, witchcraft, sorcery, and more. The action is thrilling, explosive, and doesn’t hold anything back. The world Gates and Keel have created is well developed and captivating. Some of the situations are over the top and campy, but always fun.

There is a lot going on in this book though: a lot of characters are introduced, a lot of backstories are explored, and a lot of elements are intertwined. At times, I did find myself a bit overwhelmed with the amount of story being presented to me, but this mostly occurs in the beginning of the book so it didn’t distract from my reading experience as a whole. For the most part, the story moved at a nice pace, but there were a few chapters that moved a bit slower than I would have liked. Again, I think this had to do with the sheer amount of stuff going on. This is the first book in a series, so there are obviously numerous important aspects that needed to be explored or at least introduced, so I can understand the need to fit so much in one book.

The last quarter of the book was excitingly fast paced and action filled. The fantasy and sci-fi aspects really shined in this part of the book. The baddy is superbly evil and fantastical. The ending wrapped up one mystery but left a dozen more intriguing ones open, setting up the next book nicely.

            CHARACTERS

This book has a big cast of characters. All the characters are well developed and I didn’t find any unnecessary ones, which is always nice. All of the teen characters are incredibly realistic, especially in the way they talk to one another. There’s a comforting stereotypical nature to all the characters that make them relatable, but they each possess their own intriguing aspects that make them refreshing.

Raphael and Aimee are the story’s starcrossed lovers. Raphael is quite the swoon-worthy character. He’s gorgeous, smart, caring, and totally badass. Aimee’s backstory isn’t explored in-depth, so we don’t really get to see who she used to be, we are only told that she’s changed and changed for the better. She’s a sweet, capable girl and I’d really like to get to know her more.

Nass and his crush Dayton, add a great deal of humor to the story. Both of these characters are loyal friends, stubborn, and brave. Zhai is a quiet, but intriguing character. I really liked that even though Zhai is one of the richest Toppers, he doesn’t seem to be negatively affected by his wealth; he’s a good guy who means well. Kate is a mysterious, fun character. I’m completely intrigued by her otherworldly persona and can’t wait to find out more about her. Rick (Aimee’s brother) and Maggie (Aimee’s former BFF) are fun to hate. Mr. Chin is an awesome Mr. Miyagi/Dumbledore type of character.

            ROMANCE

The romance in Dark Territory doesn’t dominate the story; there’s just enough to add a great emotional layer while not turning the story too cheesy. There are a couple romantic relationships throughout this book. Raphael and Aimee have an electric chemistry that sparks and burns, but there’s also a real sweetness to the way they fall for each other. The Romeo and Juliet –esque quality to their relationship is a bit predictable, but never boring. 

Nass and Dayton have a fun, flirty “will they, won’t they” relationship that I enjoyed watching unfold. I look forward to watching these relationships progress and blossom.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Dark Territory is a fun, edgy, well written book with an awesome premise, engaging characters, and captivating romance. The Tracks Series has a lot of promise and I can’t wait to read book two. This is a book you really should read!

MY RATING

4/5 CUPCAKES

You can learn more about and connect with J. Gabriel Gates here:

Website  Goodreads  Twitter   Facebook 

You can learn more about and connect with Charlene Keel here:

Website  Goodreads

You can purchase this book here:

Amazon   Barnes and Noble  Book Depository