David and Keiko Mello are the authors of the middle grade novel The Three Stones of Ebon.
Q: What inspired you to write The Three Stones of Ebon, and how did you create your character Jack?
A: Jack is heavily based off of our godson from when he was around 10 or 11. The original concept of The Three Stones began as a short story David wrote that included Jack as well as Lucky, the cat their family recently adopted.
At that particular age, Jack loved dinosaurs, pirates, and his cat so we took some liberties with that in a fantasy realm. No dinosaurs to be found, but we chose monsters from real-world myth and lore such as cyclops and Stronsay, well as some made-up monsters like the Hecti.
Q: How did the two of you collaborate on the writing?
A: The concept and first draft was all David, since it was intended as a short story and not a full novel! Once the story kept developing, he said, “I think I’m going to need help finishing this.”
As it turns out, David is a good storyteller but I have a better flair for language. Together, we’re a dynamic duo. My mother wrote poetry and I believe I get some of my writing flair from her.
Once we started working with Strive Publishing and Bookstore out of Minneapolis, we were fortunate to have a collaborative arrangement with us having final say. Having never gone through that process before, it was a challenge to be sure, but also very rewarding. Mary Taris and her team were fantastic to work with!
Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: In short, no. David planned it out to be a short story, not a novel, so there was a lot of world-building and added dimensions needed to link the phases of the journey together.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: Both of us would like readers to come away with a sense of wonder, the way our teachers got us to read and planted those seeds of curiosity.
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Harriet the Spy, The Black Stallion are stories that we read a long time ago, but that we carry with us today. I’d like to think that keeping a sense of curiosity about things helps to keep our minds firing in a healthy way!
Q: What are you working on now?
A: David is well into a draft of the sequel to The Three Stones of Ebon. The Adversary of Ebon is the working title. We like it.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: The cats and wolves, and most of the human and support characters, were based on real people and animals whom we’ve had the privilege to know and love over the course of our lives.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Enter this giveaway for your chance to win a signed hardcover copy of The Three Stones of Ebon. The grand prize winner will also take home an adorable Ebon-themed plush toy animal! This Q&A was conducted in partnership with David and Keiko Mello.
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