Christopher Mannino

Hi people. Today is a bit different, I'm having a guest on my blog. It's Christopher Mannino and he's written a great book. I'll just dive right into the questions.

Hi Chris, I just have a few questions. 1. Tell us about your book and why you wrote it. Sword of Deaths is the second novel, in my trilogy "The Scythe Wielder's Secret." I wrote the series after becoming stranded in Cornwall on a cliff, and imagining a character who is completely alone, attacked from all sides, yet who overcomes that isolation. Sword of Deaths expands on the issues of sexism and racism introduced in the first novel, while going deeper into the fantasy adventure. 2. What engaged you about your MC? My main character is the only girl in a world of men, which is daunting. I find Susan's persistence, despite challenges, to be really inspiring. At the same time, this novel is told from two other characters' point of view. Of the three main characters, one was particularly fun to write, as he's not human, and struggles against his own supernatural powers, which both help and haunt him. 3. What made you choose this genre (which genre is it?) and do you always write in the same genre This is my second Young Adult fantasy novel. I work with kids daily. During the school year I teach high school theatre, and during the summers I work with younger children through a professional theatre company. Writing books that appeal to my students has been very rewarding, as encouraging young minds is why I write. However, in the future, I do plan to expand into other genres. Following this trilogy, I plan to start an adult sci-fi thriller. 4. When did you decide to be a writer? I was an avid reader as a young child, and have dreamed up stories for as long as I can remember. I started my first novel shortly after graduating from high school, and although it was never published, I never stopped writing after that. 5. How long did it take you to succeed and is there any advice you would give to those starting out? It took me a year of writing, editing, and re-writing before I had a novel worthy of submission, and then it took another year of persistent queries before School of Deaths was picked up. Before writing the book, I'd spent over ten years attempting to write other stories that hadn't worked as well. Any new author needs to be persistent and to never give up. It's also tricky to stand out in today's world, with so many new books published every day, but writers need to believe in themselves and keep getting their stories out there.