Scapemaker by Steve Cypert Giveaway and Interview!

Title: Scapemaker

Author:  Steve Cypert

Published:  November 19, 2012

Word Count: 122,000

Genre: YA Paranormal Urban Fantasy

Content Warning:  Minor fantasy/paranormal violence, some of which may be a little graphic for younger readers. 

Age Recommendation: 11/12+

Synopsis:

Matthew is the son of Mr. Nicholas Namely, a local high school teacher. However, Matthew does not know that his father is a dreamscaper, whose classroom is connected to the dream-world. From his classroom, Mr. Namely’s students enter the halls of Scapemaker, a dream-world high school for young and inexperienced dreamscapers.

Following a couple of tragic events—his father’s sudden comatose condition and the unbelievable mysteries surrounding the unexpected death of his best friend, Dobian Brown—Matthew is compelled to investigate and is propelled into a whole new world. Matthew and his mother, Mae, are soon coerced into moving across the country for his father's strange medical needs. While attending his new school, Matthew comes to know the secrets that Daedree, an annoying girl from his former high school, has locked away. Matthew also meets Amber, a beautiful enigmatic girl who leads him to Mr. Xoner's classroom. While there, he learns the art of dreamscaping (which, unbeknownst to Matthew, has been in his bloodline for thousands of years). This new life will lead Matthew to unbelievable characters with the most extraordinary abilities he could have ever imagined—and the most deadly and wicked villains he never thought he’d be up against.

Matthew will come to know of Nox Celare, otherwise known as The Sandman, who is after a special element called Magineum. He must not only solve the mysteries surrounding those tragic events, but he will also have to protect the Magineum with his life and find a way to be with the girl of his dreams. Neck deep in skinwalkers (shape shifters), sandsleepers, zombies, goblins, soul feeders, ghosts, ogres, dragons, dream-world criminals known as “night terrors” and more, Matthew learns he is in over his head. With the help of his friends, Mr. Xoner, and a determined FBI agent, Matthew will learn more about his father than he ever hoped to—or wished to know. He soon uncovers the reason for his father’s comatose condition; with vague implications of a traitorous act and a possible connection to Doby’s death, Mr. Namely had been convicted and his mind held within the notorious Sandstorm Prison inside the dream- world. Matthew must now prove his father’s innocence as a helpless victim of Nox’s plan to escape Sandstorm Prison.

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Excerpt (slightly altered to avoid spoilers – altered potions in brackets):

“Matthew, step back!” cried Mr. Xoner. “Quickly, step away!” Matthew was petrified as he watched in complete fear. “Run,” shouted Mr. Xoner, joined now by the rest of the students with voices of their own, “run, run, run!”

Now much larger than any two students combined, [it] burst from [its] skin, emerging like a reptilian monster from [its] shell complete with fire lit eyes. [Its] teeth were long and sharp. [It] reached for Matthew with arms that were now twice the size of Matthew’s torso.

All the students in the room screamed chaotically and ran through the dreamgate. Matthew tried following the students through the door but was tackled by Mr. Xoner. “No, Matthew, not there. Not yet.”

“I don’t know what’s behind that door but I’ll take it over that thing any day,” said Matthew as he tried to squirm away from Mr. Xoner’s grip. Although he was smaller and frailer than Matthew, Mr. Xoner held him against the floor boards next to the ornate door.

The windows high on the wall began to shake along with the walls as [it] approached. His every step fractured the floor sending cracks through the foundation.

“Matthew, stay here,” instructed Mr. Xoner. “Do not move a muscle.”

About the Author:

Steve V Cypert was born in Los Angeles, California.  At twenty-four he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where, two decades later, he continues to live. At age 34 he found and married his beautiful wife, Katie. Today, at age 40, he and his wife still live in Utah with their baby and their 4 year old Shih Tzu. Steve graduated from the University of Utah in 2003 where he graduated with a 4 year degree.

For as long as he can remember, Steve has loved to come up with creative and far-fetched stories. In 2011 Steve finished his first novel, a work of historical fiction. He wrote Port of Errors in just three months. However, it took him ten years of research, editing and putting the missing pieces together.  In 2012 he wrote a second novel, the first in a series of four. Though, this time it was a YA paranormal fantasy. The title, at first, was The Son of Nicholas Namely, but Steve soon changed it to Scapemaker, which is also the name of the 4 book series. As of January 2013, the outline for the second book in the series was completed.

Steve loves photography. He shot weddings for a few years, but loves wildlife and landscape; he also loves volleyball and hiking; he has a mountain bike, but never rides it; finally, he is a self-professed indulgent and fanatically addicted big screen movie junkie. His favorite color is green. He loves steak and prime rib – medium rare or rare. His “lucky” number is 4. His favorite ice-cream is mint chocolate chip. And he loves horseback riding and country swinging – which he is very good at… sloppy, but good!

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Giveaway Details: There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following: • 20 eBooks - Kindle copies or Smashwords Coupon Giveaway is International.
 a Rafflecopter giveaway
Steve Cypert is hosting a drawing for a giveaway for anyone who places a comment on the book trailer for Scapemaker on Goodreads or YouTube. If you comment on both, your name goes into the drawing twice. Link on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/videos/43002-scapemaker-book-trailer Link on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z8KUxuPu2s YouTube embed:
If anyone decides to participate or posts the trailer, the drawing will take place on June 28. The winners will be announced on Steve’s Facebook fan page, the Scapemaker Goodreads page, and his blog. Grand Prize Winner: Signed paperback copy of Scapemaker and $25 Electronic Gift Card (winner’s choice of Amazon, B&N, or even PayPal Cash) 2nd Place Winner: Signed paperback copy of Scapemaker Giveaway is International.

Author Interview:
1. What stories did you use as a background to this story? What version/story of the sandman is this book molded from?
At first I thought… “It came from me. It was all from my own imagination.” But, I’m not the one who came up with the idea of a Sandman; therefore it must have originated somewhere. I have never read a book or seen a movie where there was a “Sandman” character. There have been several opposite elements of who and what the Sandman is. The song Mr. Sandman, from decades ago, was a song about a wishful dream of love and it cast a light of good on the Sandman. However, as a child I related the “Boogieman” with “the Sandman”. In my mind the Sandman has always been more ominous. Then there are those movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, where Freddy Krueger takes on that that villainous form – though, not as “the Sandman”. I think my character, Nox (which, in some form of the word, means “night” - in Latin) as the Sandman is a creation based on some of my childhood and adolescent imagination gone wild.
I used to be afraid of the dark when I was younger. So, as an early teen, I decided to walk out into the night darkness of my backyard to the property wall, fighting the urge to look back, knowing there was nothing there. I did that until I was no longer afraid – at least at my house.
When I was a little older, still a boy scout, I took it a step further. As our small troop was sitting around a large fire, during a campout, roasting some stuff (not everything we roasted was a marsh mellow or hot dogJ), I looked around and noticed creepy silhouettes all around. I spotted the path we came in on, which trailed off into the dark nothingness that I was still afraid of. I decided to break that fear and stand up for myself. As I began walking away from the others, the breeze whistled eerily through the trees and many unknown sounds crept about in the leaves and brushes at either side of the dirt path. I looked back a few times to see the fire in the distance fade away until it was gone. I felt completely alone. I was afraid and so many unpleasant thoughts flooded my mind. Everywhere I looked there was a place behind me unknown and unseen. I could feel the hands of my own imagination pushing me to fear. But I fought it until my mind and heart caught up with my logic and good sense. Walking back, I had to fight the urge to look behind me. But, I lived and am no longer afraid of such things. It’s that blood chilling sense I recalled and drew upon to describe the feeling surrounding the Sandman and the experiences that tied to him in the story.

2. What actors would play the characters in a movie?
I would want, mostly, unknowns to give the story that refreshing feel that you can’t get with more popular actors. It’s more mysterious. But, to give the feel of what I think I would like in an actor, I’ll tell you my fantasy cast list as more of a template.
The one character that I would have the hardest time casting would be Nox (The Sandman). I would need a very diverse actor to play the role of the Sandman. I can spoil things if I said more, but I think I can picture someone like Sean Penn. Some of the other cast members would look something like this:
Matthew: Zach Roerig (Vampire Diaries) – would be my pick even if they were all unknowns.
Amber: Sarah Hyland (Modern Family)
Doby: Nakotah LaRance (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee) – virtually unknown.
Elijah: Rico Rodriguez (Modern Family)
Daedree: AnnaSophia Robb (Carrie Bradshaw / Soul Surfer)
Tristan: Artie Abrams (Glee)
Alex: Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies)
Mae: Lauren Graham (Parenthood)
Hunter: Daniel Day Lewis (Last of the Mohicans / Abraham Lincoln)

3. Are there other members of dreamland in the book, like the tooth fairy? 
There aren’t other specific members as characters in the book, although, Big Foot and Aliens are explained how they come to be sighted in the real world.
Here is the list of character types in Scapemaker: Dreamscapers, Night Terrors (dream world criminals), Sand Sleepers – including the Sandman, Dragons, Soul Feeders (vampiristic dreamscapers), Ogres, Goblins, Gremlins, Fairies, Skinwalkers, Ghosts, Zombies, Spiders, Shadows, Night Mares, Keepers and Protectors, Dreamgate Guardians, and maybe a few more. I promise, they all play their part and are not just in the story to be in the story. Many of these characters kind of lap one another; for instance… all skinwalkers are dreamscapers, but not all dreamscapers are skinwalkers.
There is also mention of Mer-Folk and Cupids.

4. What would you like my readers to know?
I don’t want anyone thinking this book starts off with a bang. I would have loved to implement high adventure and action from the very beginning, but there is way too much to have to know before you can ride this adventure through. I have built a whole new world and this is only the tip of the ice. In the coming books of the Scapemaker series, much more will be opened up for the reader. Future books will have far off lands, pirates, witches, mer-folk, mummies, and amazing battles and fight sequences; it will have more adventure and high action. But you as the reader really need to be enlightened and know the “rules” of the game before you can understand why something is happening or has happened. I have been very careful to tell you exactly what you need to know and no more for the series as a whole. All I have to say is get to know this story, Scapemaker, or you’ll be lost in the following three books in the series. I promise that everything that needs to will come together in the end of the book and the series. There will be unanswered questions in the first book, but there is good closure. Many things will be answered in the new book, Soul Feeders, out by year’s end 2013. But there will be a few more questions. I can’t have every question answered by the end of the first 2 books. I hope you enjoy reading Scapemaker as much as I have enjoyed creating it.

Thank you for having me today,
Steve V Cypert

Author, Scapemaker