Today Chris Ledbetter is going to share with
us the inspiration behind DRAWN!!
~ ~
I am an amateur sketch
artist. I wanted to write a story that had art as the centerpiece, the
interplay of art and the artist. Art isn't widely touched upon, or at least to
my knowledge, in YA fiction.
Basically all of my
stories begin as a “what if?” In the first “what if” regarding Drawn, I wondered in some form or
fashion, what happened to sketches in a sketchbook when the cover was closed. I
wondered if they had their own world that they lived in? And, I often
speculated about what would happen if sketched pictures came to life, kind of
like that 1980’s music video for Aha’s Take
On Me.
I have always had an
appreciation for fine art. I LOVED my humanities classes in college! And I've
also always loved Michelangelo and Da Vinci. In particular, Da Vinci’s mind is
brilliant! And speaking of… while I was drafting Drawn, the television series, Da
Vinci’s Demons came on and that influenced my idea of basing Terra Sempre
(the world within the sketchbook) on a Tuscan village circa the Renaissance.
Once the overall artistic
concept was sketched out, then I needed to develop the overall story for the
characters. Their journey was more or less influenced by my romantic
experiences in middle school and high school in North Carolina. But then I
tailored the story to feel native to Wilmington.
* * * * * *
Drawn
Chris
Ledbetter
YA Paranormal Interracial Romance
Released: June 5, 2015
215 pages
Caught between the sweltering fall
landscape of Wilmington, NC beaches and southern illusions and expectations,
all sixteen year-old Cameron Shade thinks about is art. That, and for Farrah Spangled
to view him as more than just a friend. Cameron longs to win her heart through
art.
After
several warm interactions with Farrah, including painting together at the
beach, Cameron discovers just how complex Farrah’s life is with her boyfriend
and her family. Following a tense run-in with Farrah’s father, she forbids
Cameron to ever speak to her again, but Cameron’s convinced there’s more behind
the request.
To impress
Farrah with a last-ditch effort, Cameron sketches her portrait. But the sketchbook
he uses hides a dark secret. Farrah’s now in grave danger because the sketch he
drew of her siphons her real-life’s soul into the sketchbook. Cameron now has
twenty days to extract Farrah. To save her, he must draw himself into the
book.
If he fails…
they both die.
Excerpt
Jameson
catches my arm as we leave class. “Talk to her… or don’t talk. There is no
drooling.”
“Wait… What?” I fit my books under
my arm. “I may do a lot of things. Drooling is not one of them.”
“Wanna bet?”
I wipe my mouth. “I was totally not
drooling.”
“Maybe not, but just like dogs can
smell fear… girls can smell desperate.”
“Whatev.”
“The time is now, soldier. I’m
giving you ‘til homecoming to score a date.”
“She’s got a boyfriend. You gotta
give me more time than that.” Cassisi’s words sweep through my ears. That means you have to fight a little
harder, yes? And not with your fists. The pencil is mightier than the fist.
“Pffft, there are other fish in the
sea. You know that, right?”
“Were there for Captain Ahab?”
He flashes an incredulous frown and
sticks a pick in the top of his hair like Questlove from The Roots. “Uhh, yeah
the greatest stalker of all time? Pick a new hero, wouldya? And anyway, that
story was about revenge, not love.” He laughs.
“Fine. Bad example.”
“Ya think?” He snorts. His
girlfriend, Morgan, saunters up behind him in a tight-fitting Seaview Vikings
girls’ lacrosse t-shirt. She waves at me and then slips an arm through
Jameson’s. “I gotta run,” Jameson says. We pound fists, and with our hands, we
flash the DEVGRU move out hand signal before going our separate ways.
If I could take Journalism for four
periods a day, I would. As long as Farrah Spangled were in each class. I scoff
at Jameson’s desperate comment. Psssht.
Drooling. That’s a completely false interpretation. See, desperate leads to
stalker. And I’m nobody’s stalker. Admirer is a far better term. Even if in
secret and from afar.
The only class I’m ever extra early
for is Journalism. I take that back––sometimes I’m early for Advanced Art, too.
But generally, as in every single day, I’m in my Journalism assigned seat with
full minutes to spare. This is because Farrah’s entrance into class is red
carpet-worthy. I almost want to sit back with a bag of kettle corn and a
strawberry Yoo-Hoo. Another whole different side of me wants to grab a camera
and blind her with flash snaps. But yeah, that does cross the line into
stalker-ville.
As the orange second hand sweeps
past the six on the clock with exactly thirty seconds until the bell blares,
Farrah strides in like a soft, Sunday afternoon breeze. She tosses her head
back at some joke she must’ve heard. Her soft red spirals bounce in the
ponytail between her shoulder blades. The rest of the class is unaffected. And
yet, tingles sprinkle through me like confectioners sugar over pastries.
Her laughter is musical, if only to
me. Well, not only me. I’m sure her boyfriend likes her laugh too. He has
nothing on me, though. He can’t shade a sphere using four different techniques.
Of course, I can’t sack the opposing quarterback six times in a single football
game either. Guess we’re even?
Farrah leans over Mrs. Vandersloot’s
desk to get our marching orders for the day. Even the wrinkles on her white
button-down shirt are beautifully random. She flips a glance over her shoulder
toward the door. For half a second I think it’s going to land on me.
See,
Farrah is a third-year journalism wunderkind and school newspaper editor. She
basically runs the show. Ol’ Vandy doesn’t even have to lift a finger with the
newspaper.
Farrah steps to the front of the
room and claps her hands. “Listen up, my little rat-tails… our Homecoming
Edition goes to press next Monday, so I’m coming by to check everyone’s
projects.”
Author Bio:
Christopher S. Ledbetter grew up in
Durham, NC before moving to Charlottesville, VA in 11th grade. After graduating
high school, he attended Hampton University, where he promptly joined the best
marching band on the east coast, without having one shred of experience.
He taught high school and coached football for six years in Culpeper, VA. He enjoys the occasional Spartan Race, and is working toward a triathlon.
As a self-described, young reluctant reader, he writes young adult stories specifically to reach other reluctant readers. As a participant in the prestigious Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program, he was blessed to be mentored by Suzanne Morgan Williams, 2012 SCBWI member of the year.
He now lives in Wilmington, NC with his family.
He taught high school and coached football for six years in Culpeper, VA. He enjoys the occasional Spartan Race, and is working toward a triathlon.
As a self-described, young reluctant reader, he writes young adult stories specifically to reach other reluctant readers. As a participant in the prestigious Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program, he was blessed to be mentored by Suzanne Morgan Williams, 2012 SCBWI member of the year.
He now lives in Wilmington, NC with his family.
Website: http://www.csledbetter.com
* * * * * *
Giveaway: $30 Amazon Gift Card
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