Thank you all for stopping by my blog today. It is my pleasure to host a stop on D.M. Cain’s tour: “The Phoenix Project” 2nd Edition. I hope you enjoy reading a bit about this wonderful author and her book.
GIVEAWAYS: (2) book bundles – (1) paperback of THE PHOENIX PROJECT along with (1) paperback of her children’s book, SOREN!
To be eligible for the giveaway, simply leave a comment at ay stop along the tour, including this one, and you just might win!
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Inspiration for The Phoenix Project
The Phoenix Project is a story that is very close to my heart. I had the original idea in 2002 and it has slowly grown with the input of a variety of influences and inspirations.
Raven Kennedy: Raven began as the villain, Vincent, in my first novel “Dead End” (an idea which never came to fruition). The plot didn’t work, but I adored his character so I kept him and developed him more as an antagonist in the fantasy world of ‘The Light and Shadow Chronicles’ (You may have met him in the first of the series, ‘A Chronicle of Chaos’).
I loved the character so much that I took the idea of him and developed it in another direction—into the dark and depressed Raven in my next novel, ‘The Phoenix Project.’
Having worked with Raven for so long, I am very emotionally attached to him. Even though he is fictional, I feel that he is a part of my heart and soul. Hence this tattoo:
Raven also features as a major character in ‘The Light and Shadow Chronicles.’ I don’t think I will ever write a book that doesn’t have Raven in it in some way. He is my muse and my access to my creativity.
The decline of religion: Religion plays an important role in my life, which is unusual, as I am agnostic. I feel that faith is beautiful and special. I, sadly, am not lucky enough to have it myself, but I don’t understand why people blame religion for the world’s problems. I wanted to portray a world which was clearly worse for the decline of religion in an attempt to show the benefits of faith.
Salverford prison: I travelled a lot whilst I was writing ‘The Phoenix Project’ and many of the places that I visited helped to fuel my imagination and give depth to my work. On a trip to Rome, I visited the Colosseum and was inspired by the ancient building. The exhibits on gladiators gave me a deeper understanding of the life of a person forced to fight to the death. I was able to pick out certain details and use them in ‘The Phoenix Project’ – such as the type of food gladiators were given to eat.
I also spent some time in Krakow, Poland, and visited Aushwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. I’ll never forget the horror of the place, particularly Block 11, the torture and incarceration block. The long, thin cell which Raven passes in the Ruby Tower dungeons comes directly from a cell I saw at Auschwitz-Birkenau. The descriptions of smoke billowing from small chimneys also come from things I saw at Auschwitz.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_11
The place which gave me the most inspiration for Salverford, especially the underground cellars of Ruby Tower and the dark room, was the Terror Haza Museum in Budapest. This museum is the old offices of the Soviet Union Stasi and, later, The Nazi party’s Gestapo. Underneath the building, in the cold, dark cellars, is a grim and depressing dungeon of tiny, damp cells and a crushing sense of futility. I crept inside one of the waist-high cells and sat in pitch darkness and felt despair crowding in on me. This is where the ‘dark room’ was born.
For more information on the Terror Haza Museum, visit:
http://www.terrorhaza.hu/en/museum/about_us.html
The Colosseum:
I love the city of Rome. I’ve visited three times and have loved it more every time! Setting the finale in Rome fitted in well with the religion theme and gave the novel a focus, but I also enjoyed writing about a place I loved so dearly. The Colosseum was a great place for Raven to end up as an ironic safe place.
As I was coming close to finishing ‘The Phoenix Project’, I was preparing myself to write the epilogue about Rome. My incredibly thoughtful husband surprised and delighted me by treating me to a holiday in Rome for Valentine’s day in 2010. It meant that I was able to write that final chapter in Rome itself.
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Biography
D.M. Cain is a dystopian and fantasy author working for US publisher Booktrope. She has released three novels: The Phoenix Project – a psychological thriller set in a dystopian future, Soren – a middle-grade fantasy, and A Chronicle of Chaos – the first in a dark fantasy series. She is currently working on the next novel in the series, ‘The Shield of Soren’, and a novella to accompany it.
D.M. Cain is also a member of the International Thriller Writers and is one of the creators and administrators of the online author group #Awethors. Her short story ‘The End’ was published in Awethology Dark – an anthology by the #Awethors.
Cain lives in Leicestershire, UK, with her husband and young son, and spends her time reading, writing and reviewing books, playing RPGs and listening to symphonic metal.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DMCainauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DMCain84
Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/XevZH
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/dmcain84/
Website: www.dmcain84.com
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+DMCain/posts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7888430.D_M_Cain
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzt_E8st1pyfkoTiA4E5jNg
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/D.M.-Cain/e/B00LTTX3PA/
The Phoenix Project:
Nook:
http://www.nook.com/gb/ebooks/the-phoenix-project-by-dm-cain/2940157645656
Amazon:
US http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0195A6AYK
UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0195A6AYK
Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-phoenix-project-dm-cain/1123117161
iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/book/id1066900946
Don’t miss my Author Party Event on Friday, January 15th at 1pm CST!!
Thakns for taking the time to post. It’s lifted the level of debate
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😀
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Det giver HELT klart mening for mig, nÃ¥r man sparer stort set det man betaler 🙂 Tror desværre det er en logik, der er forbeholdt fristede kÃsltby¸ene kvinder som os 🙂 Men hvor er den lækker. Glæder mig til at se dig med den pÃ¥.
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Thanks for stopping by. 😀
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I just love these tours. They really are a great way to introduce writers to the world! Best wishes to you, D.M.
Thanks for hosting, Rhani!
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Hi Beem, thanks so much for stopping by. You’re right about the tours. They are a lot of fun, and I’ve read about some great books by popping in on them when I can. 😃
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You’re right – I’ve had so much fun on this tour!
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Wow D.M.! to have a muse so strong you have to tattoo it on your arm must be very exciting. I don’t think I have a writing muse. 🙂 It is something I have to think seriously about. Well done and good luck with your tour. Thank you Rhani for hosting her.
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Hi Joy. I’m so glad you were able to stop by today. I hope you’re having a great week. *Hugs*
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Thanks Rhani. Happy New Year.
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Thank you for your kind words – and thanks for stopping by 🙂
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Very interesting locations for the inspiration of your novel.
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Hi Kim. Thanks so much for stopping by today.
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Thanks Kim! I do love to write about the places that have inspired me
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Reblogged this on Kim's Author Support Blog.
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I loved this insight into your creative muse and the locations that inspired you! Very interesting! Thank you for hosting, Rhani!
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Thank you for stopping by, Rebecca. This does look like a really good book.
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Thank you Rebecca! As a reader, I always find it interesting to know where authors get their inspiration from. I find it adds to the book as well, if you know more about the person behind the words 🙂
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Enjoyed more information on some of the inspirations used in your novel. Thanks Rhani for hosting.
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I’m so glad you could stop by today, John. Thank you so much. *Hugs*
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Enjoyed your post today! I really love the cover on your book too! Have fun.
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Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today.
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Thank you hinsmanj! Thanks for stopping by and I’m glad you liked the cover 🙂
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Though not normally a reader of the dystopian genre, The Phoenix Project intrigues me enough to recommend it to my friends. Wishing you the best.
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Jayne, thank you so much for taking time out of your day to stop by. ☺
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Thank you so much, Jayne!
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Great piece DM – using a place you know well and have been moved by (both in a good or a bad way) always makes for evocative writing that immerses the reader in the scene with the characters. 😀
Thanks for having us over, Rhani! 🙂
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Jan, thanks so much for stopping by. ☺
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Thank you, Jan! I definitely agree that using what we know, and especially what we feel passionate about, is crucial to an author’s ability to write vivid scenes
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