Tell us about The Edge of Finalia

The prophecy spoke of a beast, a raven, a snake and a girl who dared to dream in a world where dreams were forbidden…. Finalia has a box for everything–except the imagination. Gemma, now a Thirteen, is a misfit. She wears outlawed colors, she won’t fill out her Personality Assessment, and, most dangerous of all, she dreams. It is because of those dreams that this rebel girl and her best friend, Lecko of the Golden Javelin, are thrust into a battle against the Maw, the dark and infinite void that is devouring their universe. As foreseen in the crystal hexagons long ago, Gemma is the spark that keeps hope alive. Whether she likes it or not, she is the One Whom.

What genre is it?
fantasy/sci fi.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
I thought it was geared to a kind of smart ‘tween’ audience, but it turns out adults who like fantasy really like it as well. As far as younger readers go, both boys and girls enjoy it, although I’d say most of my comments have been from girls. The book is written from Gemma’s pov, but Lecko is a very prominent boy hero.

Tell us a bit more about Gemma and the world she lives in.
Finalia, the last place left in the universe, might look perfect, but Gemma knows better. Dreams are forbidden, imagination is thwarted, and the Citizens — especially her parents — never question the rules set by the Board of Governors. If she doesn’t fill out her Personality Assessment Profile, there will be no place for her in this dystopia. 

It is her outlawed ability to dream that causes her to be chosen from another time/another place as the One Whom, the person to challenge the Maw, the vast and infinite Void that is devouring the universe. She rebels. As far as she is concerned, she is only thirteen, not a leader of a ragtag army. She doesn’t want that kind of responsibility, but once she is kidnapped by a Twisted Wizard, she has no choice. She must enter her own dreams to figure out how to save herself, and her planet. 

Gemma is not alone. She has the love of her little sister. Lady English, the powerful magus from that other faraway land; her best friend, Lecko, who carries the Golden Javelin; her protector — the Beast; and even rats and wizards and her classmates whom she thought had never liked her, become her allies. While battles rage on land, Gemma must conquer her own fears and descend into the nightmare that is the Maw.   

Sounds epic – in both the original and the colloquial sense of the word. Is it one off story or is it part of a series?
The Edge of Finalia is part of a series. Book Two  follows Lecko, Gemma’s best friend, the boy with the Golden Javelin. And Book Three …?

If a parent is wondering what book to buy their child,  why should they choose this one?
Parents appreciate this book for its language, for its affirmation of imagination and the ability to dream, for the questions it poses (i.e. what is infinity?) and, most of all, for a narrative that keeps their child reading voraciously. As an aside, it was vetted by teachers.

How long did it take to write?
That’s a story in itself. I began years ago writing chapters for a 4th grader as a volunteer at an elementary school. We were ‘writing partners’ and she liked fantasy books. If it hadn’t been for her notes (i.e. add swords and wizards) I wouldn’t have been able to proceed. When the semester was over, I went back to it sporadically, took time out to finish a documentary I was editing, and then decided I had to see if I could complete it. (She is now in college!)

Let’s hope Book 2 doesn’t take that long! What was the greatest challenge writing this book?
Overcoming my reluctance to fully embrace the genre. I kept going off in directions that engaged me but didn’t emotionally or narratively tie in. And then, trepidation about the final confrontation, which had to be big.

By the way, we hear you’re not the first indie author in your family.
You don’t expect me to reveal anyone’s secret, do you?

Not talking? Okay, tell us about you then.
A native of Los Angeles, spent my early years near Chavez Ravine, and presently live in Laurel Canyon. I began as a playwright, then earned a living as a screenwriter. When I realized I no longer had to support my sons, I took time to hike the Himalayas and Patagonia. I wrote/directed/edited Bill’s Mountain, a documentary about my outlier neighbor, and embarked on writing novels. Now that The Edge of Finalia is out in the world (with an essay describing the process in recently published in Los Angeles Review of Books), I plan to work on a novel about the Brooklyn Dodgers moving to Chavez Ravine.

Are you a huge Dodgers fan?
My motivation for writing is not because I am a Dodger fan (though I am) but because I  am interested in what happened to the two neighborhoods that were so acutely affected.  (I grew up near Chavez Ravine.) I am exploring this moment of time in American history when so many things changed, including sport of baseball.

How can we follow you on Facebook and / or Twitter?
I accidentally wound up with two names. I am on Facebook both as Dyanne Asimow and Delores Hawk (my nom de plume). Because I am not adept at Social Media, Delores Hawk hasn’t been as active as she should be. But if I were followed on her, I would be thrilled and try to rise to the occasion.  On Twitter I remain @DyanneA.

What’s next?
A play-reading of my one-act, DAY OF THE DEAD, at Heritage Square, Highland Park, CA, Feb. 8, 2013. And sinking my teeth into the tale of two neighborhoods — Brooklyn, NY, and Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles.