Q&A with P.J. Davis

 

 

 

P.J. Davis is the author of the new middle grade novel Nemesis and the Vault of Lost Time. He lives in Brevard, North Carolina.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Nemesis and the Vault of Lost Time, and how did you create your character Max?

 

A: The motivation to write Nemesis and the Vault of Lost Time came from a stirring inside, the feeling that there’s something gnawing at you, something that needs expression. In a way it’s a form of therapy, externalizing an internal prompting.

 

In this case I just sat down one day and started writing, and this story just seemed to pour out of nowhere.

 

As far as Max, he is my inner muse. I know this kid because I do bear some resemblance to him.

 

Growing up I was an inquisitive child and it didn’t always sit well with those over me. I could be persistent in my perseverations. So I often ran an inner dialog that took me places, answering questions that typically began with “What if…”

 

I think a lot of kids feel this way. We live in such a harried society, schedules for everything, and there’s little room for kids to think, to wonder and to decompress.

 

I used to go to my grandmother’s house, sit in her comfy, though slightly musty basement rec room, and read loads of Reader’s Digest magazines. It was my alone time that I really enjoyed and it served to spur my sense of imagination, exploring all kinds of strange and wonderful topics.

 

Q: Without giving anything away, did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I did not know how it would end! I had a vague notion about the journey to this forbidden place, this realm where time was being stolen and hoarded in this vault, but not exactly how the story would resolve itself.

 

At one point when I was writing, where the main character Max is confronted by Abaddon, I had to stop because I had written the character into a corner that he couldn’t get out of. It seemed like an insurmountable situation and I was at a loss for what to do. Max had no superpowers and Abaddon was formidable to say the least.

 

That’s when I had to go inside and ask the story what it wanted to say. I think we have an inner prompting in us that knows way more than we do and that’s a deep well to draw from.

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Max and the professor?

 

A: I see the professor as a kind, if not eccentric, mentor. He’s someone who recognizes talent and ability and intuitively takes Max under his wing. I think we all have had this type of person in our lives, someone who believes in us as much or even more than we believe in ourselves.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: My hope is that this book speaks to everyone in a unique way, that each reader takes away their own message from it.

 

But if there is a universal one, it’s to trust your inner guide. There is a voice, a small but persistent voice, in all of us. And it draws from somewhere outside and yet inside of us. I think it’s what unites us as people and it wants to help us along.

 

There’s a scripture that reads "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and...run with perseverance the race marked out for us." 

As a preacher's kid who sat through many a sermon, I was drawn to the more mysterious and enigmatic references like this, this "great cloud of witnesses."

That's what you'll find throughout my book, in the form of the professor and Zadkiel and others, a supportive cast of characters there to help in life's journey. Some of them are here on earth and some are in "the cloud."

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Even though I wrote this as a standalone novel, it seems there’s some unfinished business for our trio. The last page in the book should provide a hint, along with the final illustration. Nemesis is one dimension, but there are others and I think they are worth exploring!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Max’s sneezing is an actual disorder, a Photic Sneeze Reflex, sometimes known as ACHOO syndrome. It’s a real thing, and on the surface level you can say he suffers from it.

 

But that “disorder,” that label that puts him at odds with his teacher and his sense of self worth, opened the door to an amazing dimension.

 

So don’t let labels and supposed “weaknesses” hold you back. In them and through them you may discover amazing new strengths and even greater opportunities.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. This Q&A was conducted in partnership with P.J. Davis. Enter this giveaway for a chance to win a copy of Nemesis and the Vault of Lost Time autographed by P.J. Davis, a Galaxy Flying Orb Ball, and a $100 Amazon gift card!