About the Book

Book: Ragabones

Author: Daniel Tweddell

Genre: Fantasy YA

Release Date: June 27, 2023

As if Josh having his memory stolen by an over-protective mother wasn’t enough, his older brother, Pete, wins every trophy and never lets him forget it. And oh yeah, Mom’s an ex-god of the underworld, so it’s no surprise their family has enemies.

Maybe that’s why Dad’s missing. Maybe that’s why ragged scars crisscross Josh’s throat. It’s definitely why Josh accidentally sprung the trap – the one that opened a portal and released the demon who now hunts them.

Turns out there’s another world; one with castles and dragons, and prisons that dangle into hell. That’s the world where Josh and Pete find Dad turned to stone, the world with entire cities enslaved by the demon. As the brothers race to undo Josh’s colossal mistake, Josh’s mysterious past comes to light, and Josh must choose between the fate of the world and the lives of his family.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are my own and not an endorsement of all author’s opinions.

Author Interview

1. Why did you want to become an author?

• I grew up in the Bornean and Philippine jungle as a missionary’s kid. My neighbors had monkeys for pets. Just behind the tree line, “ex”-headhunters slipped through the shadows with spears and six-foot blow guns. It was the perfect incubator for a kid’s imagination. As an adult, I did a lot of things from writing high-octane video games with my friends to having my own companies. But I always loved castles, wizards, and monsters the best. After one too many years dreaming about writing a book, I took the leap. Now I write white-knuckle stories about magic woven with truths from my life's journey.

2. What step of writing this book was the most challenging and why?

• Not giving up when I got stuck. Being stuck feels like it will infect every piece of writing from here forward and I’ll be stuck forever. I had a chapter that just would not write. I labored on it for weeks and when it was done, I hated it. So I scrapped it and wrote it again. And hated it again. I began to wonder if I could write it. Could I even write a book at all? Year’s earlier I’d promised myself if I had to edit 1000 times, I would. So I tackled it for a third time, struggling with every word. The whole time, I knew I’d hate it. And when it was done, I loved it. Several of my readers said it made them cry. They posted quotes from it on their cubicle walls at work. I learned that remarkable writing doesn’t need inspiration, only tenacity … and a lot of prayer.

3. What/Who inspired you to write on the main themes found in the book?

• The author that inspires me most is C.S. Lewis. I’ve never read a writer like him that can tell a gripping story full of deep profound truths without being preachy or slow.

4. Which character in your book do you relate to the most?

• I think it would be Mom. We only get a glimpse of her in this book, but her heartbreaking backstory spans centuries and empires, as do the scars from her time as god of the underworld, binding her on the brink of insanity. There are hurts so deep, the human heart can never completely recover. Like having a stroke or losing a limb, we heal, but will never be the same. At the same time, the good things in life become richer and more flavorful and love is more intense. The people I know and read about, who have suffered deeply wouldn’t trade what they’ve gained for what they lost.

5. If you could meet your characters in real life, what would you talk about?

• One of the characters is real and his conversations withthe protagonist are as close to real as I could make them. I’ll leave it up to you to figure out who.

6. What did your research process look like for this book?

• I hiked through caverns, chest deep in cold midnight-black rivers to see the bones of some ancient king murdered a mile beneath the South American Jungle. I walked among the lichen covered gargoyles and angels in the gothic district of Barcelona, Spain. I rode a camel from the Arabian desert through hidden siqs (narrow ravines) that led into the ruins of ancient Al-Batra, a city carved from cliffs. And I also spent hours on Google.

7. What made you choose the setting/time period for this book?

• Like most of my fantasy loving friends, I have a thing for swords, castles, and thundering hooves. Can it really be epic fantasy without them?

8. Did you have to step out of your comfort zone to write this book? If so, how?

• Hemmingway said, “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”Writing truth is terrifying because it’s raw and my deepest pain is exposed for everyone to see. But I love it for the same reason; it’s cathartic and exposing my secrets frees me from being a slave to them. It’s strange how many people write to tell me how my stumbling helped them with their walk. Stories are the most fascinating paradox, exciting, teaching, healing, truth all within something completely made-up.

9. How did you celebrate when you completed your book?

• Hmm. I’m terrible at that. Now that you mention it, I’m going out to dinner with my wife.

10. Do you have a favorite drink or snack for when you’re writing?

• Coffee, and when my wife is being evil and baking,brownies.

11. What message do you hope readers take away from your book?

• I had a reader tell me they “totally felt the hand of God [and heard his] whispers in the writing.” I had others say how much the book encouraged them. Although I've dreamt of writing this story for decades, I had to be destroyed before I could honestly portray Josh's (the protagonist’s) journey. The truths about facing fear, about God making everything OK even when there is no way it can ever be, about suicide, and depression, as well as hope, and finding your destiny, they're all written from my journey through the depths of an utterly shattered heart to a life so good it feels like a fantasy novel. Whatever my readers might be going through, I hope the story encourages as well as entertains them. Maybe they’ll even meet Magic for themselves.

About the Author

Hi, I’m Daniel Tweddell. I grew up in the Bornean and Philippine jungle as a missionary’s kid. My neighbors had monkeys for pets. Just behind the tree line, “ex”-headhunters slipped through the shadows with spears and six-foot blow guns. It was the perfect incubator for a kid’s imagination. As an adult, I did a lot of things from writing high-octane video games with my friends to having my own companies. But I always loved castles, wizards, and monsters the best. So now I write white-knuckle stories about magic woven with truths from my life’s journey. I live in San Diego with my wife and 3 kids.

More from Daniel

I had a visual of a soapbox derby with the cars lined up from worst to best. The worst was made of cardboard with garbage can lids for wheels. The best was polished mahogany, with chrome wheels and velvet seat covers. Can you see the kids’ faces? One brushes old coffee grounds off his hood. He can’t face the crowd. Another polishes a gleaming fender and waves to his fans. I realized the difference between these cars isn’t the kids … it’s the time they spent with Dad.

I’m fraught with blind spots, bad habits, and shortcomings. I also barely have enough time, energy, or insight to manage my own life. How do I have enough for the lives around me who are so hungry for something more? I realized I live in a 5-loaf/5000-mouth world. I’ll never be enough, but I don’t need to be. Instead, I asked God to make this life and this book a father/son project.

Although I’ve dreamt of writing this story for decades, I had to be destroyed before I could honestly portray this hero’s journey. The truths about facing fear, about God making everything OK even when there is no way it can ever be, as well as courage, hope, and finding your destiny, they’re all written from my journey through the depths of an utterly shattered heart to a life so good it feels like a fantasy novel. Whatever you might be going through, I hope the story encourages as well as entertains you. If you haven’t already, you might even meet Magic for yourself.