BEHIND THE BOOKS: DAVID J THIRTEEN: MR 8

So today is world book day, I feel incredible to have an opportunity to interview an author which has such an amazing writing style. I had a whole sleepless night till I didn't turn the last page of the book. I just couldn't keep my eyes off the pages and totally ignored even my phone, which kept buzzing like crazy. One book old and he has been creating waves with his amazing plot and narration style.

Author's Bio: David J. Thirteen has studied English Literature, Film Making, and Media Studies. He has lived and worked in the technology field for twenty years throughout the North East, in both Canada and the U.S. Writing has been a hidden passion for most of his life.

Mr. 8 is his first published novel is now available at Amazon, B&N, and iBooks. It was first written as a serial story on Wattpad, where it became a #1 ranked feature novel. He still writes and posts new stories on Wattpad every week.

David currently lives in Toronto, Canada and lives a bright life, while dreaming dark dreams.

**DISCLAIMER: The interview does contain spoilers so better to grab a copy of the book and read that for reading below**

1. How did you discover your hidden passion for writing while you have been working in the field of technology for 20 years?

I have always been interested in writing. In my teenage years I wrote many short horror stories and one almost complete novel. Then after college introduced me to the classics, I tried my hand at literary fiction. None of it was very good and I never had a mentor, a teacher, or peers who could offer me support and guidance with it. So one day, I hung it up and walked away, concentrated on my career and my family. I never expected I would come back to it, but a few years ago, I found myself in a bad place. The job that I once loved had become completely unfulfilling. It wasn't really a conscious decision but I started writing again, jotting down just a few random things at first, but eventually writing stories and novels. Writing resurfaced and became an outlet for creativity and fulfillment. My job was paying the bills but I was sitting down at the laptop every day and producing something from my heart.

2. Where do you take inspiration for your characters from? Like friends or family members?

I never base characters on people who are close to me, although I will borrow character traits from them. Acquaintances seem to be a bigger source of inspiration. Denton Reed, the main character of Mr. 8, was based on a very influential professor I had while in college. I never knew the man that well, but he has stuck with me to this day. And whenever I thought of Denton, I saw him.

3. Which is that one legendary author (living or dead) for you  that you'd wish to meet and work with? Also what would you wish to ask them in person?

That’s always a hard question for me, because I always (realistically) imagine myself completely tongue-tied in a situation like that. I would have to say Haruki Murakami. At least, even if the conversation turned out to be a total disaster, we could talk about music. I really admire his work. The first time I read something by him it was like stepping onto a new planet. He made me see both book and life in a completely different way. We would definitely talk about music, because I would want to ask him about his thought process when he puts music into his stories.  Is it what he’s listening to when writing? Are they a thematic decision? Or is it more just a way to define the character?

4. So how did you end up on Wattpad? Who pushed you there?

While I was researching self-publishing, I came across Wattpad, as well as some other similar sites. I had just finished a novel that I wanted to get it out there. I guess I realized that it wasn’t good enough for people to pay for, so I figured why not put it out for free—at least someone might read it. Ironically, to this day, I still haven’t shared that book with anyone. Occasionally I dust it off but it always seems so inferior to the work I did on Wattpad. It really is a great forum. The internet can be a pretty harsh place. Anonymity can bring out the worst in people. But Wattpad’s community is amazingly supportive to novice writers. I’m still shocked by how much I improved after I started writing on there and started to get feedback from other writers. No one pushed me on there, but one of the fist writers I discovered there was Alys Arden (author of The Casquette Girls) and I have to credit her for proving to me that there was high caliber writing on the site.

5. While reading the story I felt that at almost three points you almost ended the story but chose to continue with a new twist? Is it true or just a figment of my imagination?

I can completely see that, but it was always planned that way. The first plot twist, where Cole Radnor seems to infect Denton, was really the pivotal point of the book. For a brief time when I first started planning the book, I even considered starting with that moment and splitting the story off with present events and flashbacks of what led up to it.

The second twist, the one right before the end, was a bit more improvised. About halfway through the book I realized that my planned ending wasn't going to work. Denton’s character had developed in a direction where it just didn't make sense anymore. So I knew I wanted to have the scene on the frozen lake and I worked toward that. I decided to end it with one last twist. Denton makes so many wild assumptions throughout the book, it felt like he needed to be proved wrong. His biggest character flaw was what I took to calling “smartest man in the room syndrome.” Even when he doubts himself he never really thinks he’s wrong enough to change course. And that had to be his downfall.

6. How did you actually build this concept? I thought the story started as a murder mystery, went to some supernatural content and ended at what genre exactly?

A large part of the book came to me in a nightmare. I've rethought it so many times now that the actual dream is lost from my memory, but it did have a killer; victims who drew eights, which were really a sun and a moon; and an alien virus. Like I mentioned earlier, the moment when Denton thinks he’s become infected is really the key moment in the book. I thought I could cover the events leading up to it in a few chapters, but once I got into it, I realized it needed more and it became a whole mystery tale in itself.

The ending still fits into the supernatural genre. It’s just a very different supernatural source than what is believed in the middle of the novel. Part of me would have loved for it to have turned out to be a rational explanation. I even tried think up one and used my failed attempts as theories in the story. But had I gone with the insanity being caused by something in the water, for example, readers would have called BS on it. So really the explanation had to be supernatural in nature. It does end up being a tough sell, and I know not all readers aren't into it. The problem with it being a twist is that the reader’s only know what Denton does, so when he’s wrong, the only person to explain it isn't very reliable—Ray thinks he’s doing something good not just twisting people to his will. I think if it ended up being something like vampires, it would have had the power of established folklore to add to the reader’s knowledge and might have gone over better with more readers.

7. The role of a professor getting caught up in this and dying in the end saddened me. Why did he have to die?

In my mind, Denton was always on a collision course with death. Conceiving this story, I thought as being a bit like DOA, the main character racing against his own impending death to solve the case. It gave him a reckless freedom he wouldn't have had otherwise. While I was putting this out serially, I got such positive responses to Denton that I did start to wonder if there was a way to keep him alive. I came up with one ending but it was extremely bleak. Ultimately, Denton could never live with the things he did. He kills people and justifies it by saying, they weren't really human. But by the end, he knows that’s not true, they might have been under Ray’s control, but they were still human. It’s why he doesn't try and escape at the end.

8. Tell us about your upcoming projects and when can we expect to read the next title from you?

I’m nearing the end of the first book in a three part series on Wattpad. It’s called The Things We Bury and it’s about a group of people tasked with studying a mythological creature in a government lab. It’s much more in the Science Fiction genre than Mr. 8. I have also started a new novel which is very much in the spirit of Mr. 8. It’s a murder mystery with supernatural and horror elements. My hope is that I’ll be starting the publication process with one of them by the fall and I will have something new out next year.

9. Any message for your readers.

I would want to say, thank you. And, please get in touch and tell me what you thought of Mr. 8. This is a book that wouldn't exist without my readers. It was my first attempt at a serialized story and the feedback I got while writing it wasn't just hugely supportive but it also helped to mold the direction of the story. Now that it’s published, I am just hugely appreciative every time someone picks my book up—there are so many options to choose from in today’s market. And Wattpad has really spoiled me to getting a response from people. Hearing from readers is truly the best reward of writhing.

It is a pleasure getting to know David and here's the links where you can get to know him socially and his upcoming works:

Website: http://www.davidjthirteen.com/

E-mail: DavidJThirteen@gmail.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DavidJThirteen

Twitter: http://twitter.com/davidjthirteen

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9875250.David_J_Thirteen

I'll be reviewing more of his works when I get further chance.

You can Buy David J Thirteen's books from amazon.com. This link redirects you to his amazon.com page where all his works can be found out for purchase or gifts.

Here is the link to the review of his latest book Mr 8: MR 8_DAVID J THIRTEEN

**This material cannot be copied or used without the author's permission. **

To get your book reviewed you may contact me on:

Email: inextrica.sukriti@gmail.com

Facebook: Sukriti Goyal

Goodreads: Sukriti

Library Thing: My page

Book Blogs: My page

World Day Against Child Labour - 12th June

Date Of Observation : 12th June

Organized By: ILO-UNEP (International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour)

Launched In: 2002

Special Event: The Music Against Child Labour Initiative

( http://ilo.org/ipec/Events/WCMS_246268/lang--en/index.htm)

We are well aware with the Concept of Labor's Day which is celebrated every year in May but what most of us are unaware of the fact that there are hundreds of millions of children who are engaged in work that deprives them of their basic rights such as education, health and innocence. Many such children are working under hazardous environment, forced slavery, prostitution and even drug trafficking. World day against Child Labour aims at taking action against to extend social protection to such adolescents in order to get them a better life. It also plans to design social security systems which are sensitive to the vulnerable child's (under 12 years of age) needs.

In India it is a common practice to have maids at home usually employed full time (40 hours a week or more). If observed deeply most of such domestic helpers comprising twice the number of girls than boys are under the age of 15 which snatches away their right to study thus depriving them of the future they deserve. In the Industrial backdrops the conditions are far worse if we consider diamond, silk and fireworks industries which have poor working conditions and have known to cause blindness or severe health problems.

The facts and figures state that: Source (http://www.ilo.org/ipec/lang--en/index.htm#a1)

Global number of children in child labour has declined by one third since 2000, from 246 million to 168 million children. More than half of them, 85 million, are in hazardous work (down from 171 million in 2000).

Asia and the Pacific still has the largest numbers (almost 78 million or 9.3% of child population), but Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the region with the highest incidence of child labour (59 million, over 21%).

There are 13 million (8.8%) of children in child labour in Latin America and the Caribbean and in the Middle East and North Africa there are 9.2 million (8.4%).

Agriculture remains by far the most important sector where child labourers can be found(98 million, or 59%), but the problems are not negligible in services (54 million) and industry (12 million) – mostly in the informal economy.

Child labour among girls fell by 40% since 2000, compared to 25% for boys.

Detailed research point out Poverty and Cultural views as main causes of child labour. In households where there is struggle to feed all mouths in the family, the income from the child brings in means for his/her own survival. The people with the cultural views believe that working is a part of developing skill development and character building which may be right to a certain extent. In rural areas children tend to work because they have nothing else to do because schools are generally either not affordable or too far away for easy reach.

The laws that Indian government has passed to protect children from any abuse or misuse are as follows: (Source: Wikipedia)

1. The Factories Act of 1948: The Act prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 years in any factory. The law also placed rules on who, when and how long can pre-adults aged 15–18 years be employed in any factory.
2. The Mines Act of 1952: The Act prohibits the employment of children below 18 years of age in a mine.
3. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986: The Act prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 years in hazardous occupations identified in a list by the law. The list was expanded in 2006, and again in 2008.
4. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act of 2000: This law made it a crime, punishable with a prison term, for anyone to procure or employ a child in any hazardous employment or in bondage.
5. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009: The law mandates free and compulsory education to all children aged 6 to 14 years. This legislation also mandated that 25 percent of seats in every private school must be allocated for children from disadvantaged groups and physically challenged children.

The steps that we can take at our level in order to protect children and help them grow as the rest of the better privileged kids are:

> Avoid employment of kids under the age of 14 in our own households or industries and encourage them to go to school instead. We have the duty to make our parents and elders aware of the situation.
> Educated housewives or students can teach poor kids/maids working at their place for an hour or so which would not cause hindrance to their financial balance.
> Keep an eye on the malpractices that may be happening in our neighborhoods and report the matter to concerned authorities or organizations.
> Pay them sufficiently and don't misuse them for their lack of knowledge.
> Refrain from abusing or beating them or employing them under any such conditions which may result in long term affects to their health.
> There are many NGOs working for such children whose help can be availed if needed to rescue children. Here a list of all the NGOs can be found out which are working diligently: http://www.karmayog.org/childlabour/childlabour_18034.htm
> Sponsor at least one child's education in your entire lifetime if you have the means.
> Lastly call the child helpline i.e. 1048 (Worldwide). The website link for India is: http://www.childlineindia.org.in/1098/b1a-telehelpline.htm


It is our prime duty to save the future of our nation and lets pledge to join hands to take a step forward towards eradication of child labour not in just our country but around the globe.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY- 5th June

Official Logo

Date of Observation: 5th June
Run by: UNEP
Year of Inception: 1973
Host Country (2014): Barbados (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbados)
Official Slogan (2014): Raise your Voice, not the Sea Level

World Environment Day is celebrated in order to cause awareness for protection of Mother Nature. Most of the common people like us are aware about the environment day but usually lack the knowledge about its special agenda every year. This year the focus is on the small developing countries which are under the danger from even slight increase in sea levels. The environment day aims at making people aware regarding out duty towards the planet by trying to lower down the rate of global warming.

Writing about global warming, the facts that have come into light are that these small Island Developing states having an overall population of about 63 millions, emit just 1% of greenhouse gases. Even when they are not guilty the consequences threaten them with a constant fear in their lives. The major responsibility lies on the shoulders of US, China and EU which emit a whopping 90% of carbon dioxide and other climate affecting gases. They are currently planning on strategies to reduce the emissions and make the islands secure.

India this year has topped the list of 5 most polluted countries along with Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iraq and Qatar. Our capital city has been recorded having the worst air conditions in the entire world which have made even the sky line invisible. Many of us are well aware about the ill effects of pollution on health. Although the countries need to plan out remedies on a national level there are some steps that we can take on a personal level to improve the deteriorating conditions of the environment.

We can do the following things and encourage others to do the same:

• Reduce, Reuse and Recycling of waste material. By just recycling we can save 1088 kg of CO2 gas annually.
• Use less of Heat and Air conditioning saves around another 1000 kg of pollution. This can be achieved by insulation of walls of our homes and also keeping the temperatures moderate also helps.
• Use CFLs which reduce 70% heat emission. There's a new technology in markets as well i.e. the LED lights which claim even lower electricity consumption.
• Drive minimal and choose your vehicles wisely having better fuel efficiency. We can also adopt the car pooling practice (sharing of vehicles when the destination is same). Also check that the tires of the vehicle should be properly inflated as it results in better mileage.
• These days almost all appliances come with various energy efficiency levels usually indicated by star ratings. Invest in such products as they would reduce your electricity bills.
• Avoid using the plastics which cannot be recycled, instead carry paper or cloth/canvas bags for shopping. Don't buy items with lots of packaging.
• Minimize the use of hot water in summers or if not required for bathing or washing. Prefer to use warm water and remember to turn off taps while brushing and doing other chores.
• Appliances such as microwaves, televisions, computers, DVD players, etc. should be switched off when not in use. Even when these electronic items are not in use energy is being wasted. Switching off would ensure longer life of your appliances.
• Plant as much as trees or plants that you can in your house/locality. More trees, more oxygen.
• Do not litter garbage on roads and beaches. Help in cleanup drives or take initiative to organize such events.
• Even eating less of meat and more organic foods reduces methane release in air which is also a harmful greenhouse gas. Frozen food consumption should be lowered down. 
• While doing all the above things it is best to encourage others to follow the same, right from family to friends and neighbours.

Every citizen should make it his/her moral duty to clean up their cities/localities as much as we can. Our new PM has tweeted  "Along with government efforts, people's participation can make a big difference in creating a cleaner and greener planet." Lets take a pledge to cleaning and breathing healthy on this world environment day. Next year India would host this day with the slogan 'One World, One Environment'.