PUYB Virtual Book Club Chats with Thorn Osgood, author of 'The Reclamation'

Thorn Osgood was born in Thomasville, Georgia, and grew up in South Florida. During her grade school years, her father read her stories that fed her imagination. Through the years, she has traveled many times to that special place in her mind to imagine fantastic yarns and what ifs and she has finally started to write them down. This is her debut work. Thorn currently lives in Crawford County, Georgia with her Mittelschnauzer, Raskoph, and his stray cats, Grayball and Tweeky.

His latest book is the scifi fantasy, The Reclamation.

For More Information

• Visit Thorn Osgood’s website.
• Connect with Thorn on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Book:

Title: THE RECLAMATION
Author: Thorn Osgood
Publisher: Mind Wings Audio
Pages: 595
Genre: Scifi/Fantasy

Corilan, 25, is an IT project manager by day, and spends her free time involved in ecological organizations endeavors. When her long-absent negligent father, Nolan, wants to see her she’s annoyed. Finally, she decides to see him and despite the friction over his absence, from that meeting her life evolves. Nolan tells her of his birthright, an environmental organization, the School of Ancestral Guidance (SAG) and its members having ancestral guides. This clarifies Corilan’s gift, a voice inside, something she has never revealed. Knowledge of SAG feeds her obsession against environmental destruction.

Then an invisible entity, Earthos, manifests itself to her and proposes assistance in uniting people that want earth preservation. Years, she has been seeking a way to unite conservationist factions and still has no solution. Inspired by her inheritance, she accepts Earthos’ proposal and infuses with him. Then, she joins the SAG organization. From her infusion, she soon discovers abilities, among them lightning bolt generation, mind reading and control.

Armed with powerful abilities and her ancestral guide, Corilan must take an unexpected path. Then she discovers who her real enemies are and must find a way to defeat them.

For More Information

• The Reclamation is available at Amazon.
• Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
• The book is also available at Kobo.
• Read a preview of his book at his website.
• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Before you started writing your book, what kind of research did you do to prepare yourself?

Most of my research was done during the early drafts of my work. The writing evolved based on a storyline concept about the characters. Then, I researched environmental conditions based on the desired setting.

Did you pursue publishers or did you opt to self-pub?

I opted to self-publish.

If self-published, did you hire someone to format the eBook version for you or did you do it yourself?  Can you tell us what that was like?

The eBook was self-formatted based on Internet research and style manual references. Since I had prior experience with formatting novelettes, the task was mostly to expand the formation to book length. Converting the application to the various eBook formats was more challenging, but once the use of my new conversion software features were understood, it was merely a matter of getting the task completed.

If self-published, how did you determine the price?

As a debut author, I wanted to keep my book at a level that a reader would potentially be willing to invest for a new author's work and still be competitive.

Did you purposefully choose a distinct month to release your book?  Why?

Yes, sort of. I researched when the best time was to release Science fiction books and found out that June was the time traditional publisher works were released. Based on that knowledge I decided to release in July. That said, I did read other articles that stated that it did not matter.

How did you choose your cover?

The cover was chosen based on the storyline's world, and I wanted to present the main character in that setting. The outcome of these two requirements was left to the bookcover’s designer, Designs By Rachelle.

Did you write your book, then revise or revise as you went?

My book evolved through several drafts followed by revisions, edits, revisions and more edits.

Did you come up with special swag for your book and how are you using it to help get the word out about your book?  

No, I have not developed any swag for my book, but I am considering doing so. I definitely like the idea.

Did you consider making or hiring someone to make a book trailer for your book?  If so, what’s the link?

Yes, I have actually looked at several book trailer services to have one made. However, I have not taken action to hire a service.

What’s your opinion on giving your book away to sell other copies of your book?

I think that book giveaways can be very beneficial within constraints.

What are three of the most important things you believe an author should do before their book is released?

First and foremost, authors should have their manuscripts professionally edited. Second, have beta readers review their work for potential responses from readers. Third, after all the edits, revisions, and beta responses are completed, if you are still comfortable and passionate about your work, move forward with releasing your book.

Do you have a long term plan with your book?

Yes. The Reclamation is the first book in the School of Ancestral Guidance Saga which continues with the release of book 2, The Ephemeral Passage. Before book 2 is released an intermediate story, Waning Chance, book 1.5 will be released. Book 1.5 was written to elaborate on what happens on Earth after the SAG members and allegiants crossover.

What would you like to say to your readers and fans about your book?

As an enthusiast of science fiction and fantasy, The Reclamation is intended to be an entertaining and extraordinary trek. I invite readers to take a chance and venture into a more direct perspective on our environment, along with fantastic characters that commit to an unexpected journey.