Author Interview: Justin Dennis, author of Through the Portal

Justin Dennis, author of the book Through the Portal is here at The Fairytale Nerd for an author interview!

Hi! I'm Justin. I'm a college student. The college is Whittier College (in California, just outside of LA, but I grew up just outside of Seattle in a little suburb called Sammamish. Yeah, say that three times fast. The city just south of Sammamish? Issaquah. I'm laughing at you right now trying to pronounce that.

Anyway, I love soccer. Played it all my life--until now--because I need to pay for school, and soccer doesn't pay for school: working at Starbucks does. Oh, and writing for the Quaker Campus at my college. Google 'Justin Dennis Quaker Campus', you'll find some of my articles.

Um... I love Harry Potter and His Dark Materials (the Golden Compass one, ring a bell?). Best books ever.

That's about it for me. Well I wrote a book, Through the Portal. And I'm writing two more ('cause it's a trilogy!) I love to write, and I love this story. You just wait, when the trilogy is done it shall be epic.

So yeah, that's me. Justin Dennis. Dennis is my last name. Please don't tell me that it's a first name. Because it's my last name.

Stalk Justin here: Twitter Facebook Blog

Welcome to The Fairytale Nerd! how are you today?
Great! Thanks. :)

So for the first question, tell me about your book.
It's basically about two teenage boys, Jem and Oliver, who fall through a portal to another world where they get attacked by a dragon and meet Sierra and Rimaya. From there they go on an adventure across this vast new world while being chased by the evil Veroci Regime.

What is the message (from your books) that you want to convey to your readers?
The biggest messages in this book are independence and tolerance, I think. I have a lot of messages I try to get across, but those are likely the most prevalent. I want my readers to be strong, independent people who don't rely on others, and I want them to treat all others with respect regardless of where they come from.

Where do you get your ideas for your books?
I think ideas just kind of spawn out of thin air. They can come from TV, or funny incidents I see out in public, or anything really. As far as things like dragons and magic are concerned though, I just think that's something that fascinates all kids and adults and will always be seen in literature because of its endless metaphoric possibilities.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I write the best in the middle of the night...and can't hardly write during the day. I don't know why. I just have concentration issues until about midnight and then all of a sudden I can just crank out all these words!

What is your most treasured possession?
I have an orange pair of slippers from the Netherlands that I would wear every single day every where I go if i could. I went to the Netherlands a few years ago to play soccer and it was the most amazing experience of my life! Everything I got there is now incredibly valuable to me.

What was a time in your life when you felt really afraid?
The end of high school, for sure. It's scary not knowing where you're going to college--or even if you'll be able to afford college. I know, quite the first world problem, but still a scary scenario for me. Luckily though, I ended up at Whittier. :)

Who is your hero in real life? What about in books?
Will Smith, maybe, or JK Rowling. Will Smith 'cause of his amazing movies and clean rap, or JoAnne because of the incredible Harry Potter Novels. In books, I love Will from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy. That kid is smart, brave, and independent.

The one who loves you or the one you love?
The one who loves me.

Batman or Superman?
Batman. He doesn't even have superpowers and he does all this technological crazy stuff--I love it!

Apartment or dorm?
Bleh, I live in a dorm. Wish I had an apartment though. :P

Viral epidemic or nuclear explosion?
Hmmm depends. I would probably go with viral epidemic, just so that the whole world is still habitable, whereas a nuclear explosion may lead us to an ice age and the whole planet highly radioactive.

Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia?
Harry Potter for sure. Best books ever.

Fantasy or reality?
Fantasy! Always more fun.

Blind or deaf?
Blind. Because then you can still talk and communicate but be like a complete ninja--like Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender--whereas I feel like a deaf hero would be at more of a disadvantage. But who knows, maybe there's a really awesome deaf hero out there I don't know about!

Summer or winter?
Winter! I love the snow. Snowboarding is amazing (even though I haven't been in years) and snowballs fights are so fun. If it's cold, you can always bundle up, but if it's warm, it's very difficult to escape.

Christmas or Halloween?
Christmas! I've never really been into the creepy Halloween stuff. But I love Christmas time: how everyone is all cheery. :)

Ferrari or Lamborghini?
Psh, I don't even know. I'm not a huge car person. Maybe Ferrari 'cause it's easier to spell.

What's your next project?
Currently working on book two in the series! Stay tuned :)

Thank you so much for your time!

BUY

Through the Portal 

by Justin Dennis

What's the worst part of falling through a portal to another world and not being able to get back? When the first person you meet almost gets you killed by a ferocious, fire-breathing dragon. Luckily, Jem and Oliver, two boys who were about to start their first year in high school, are saved by Sierra, a farm girl who is itching to get out of her small town. Together, the three of them set off on a quest to defeat the evil Veroci Regime that is stealing all the magic from the world, but can they do it before the Dragon catches up with them?