Topic- Imagination:
Were you always so creative, even as a child? How did you manage to hold on to your imagination as you grew older? Do you have any advice for all the would-be authors out there, young and old?
As a child, I sketched, worked with clay, painted, did hooked rugs and other needle work... you name it, I did it. I was incredibly creative. When I was in my early teens, my grandmother (when I visited her) used to give me old costume jewelry she wasn't using, and I'd take it apart with pliers and reconfigure into new jewelry she would take to her antique store and sell. To some degree, I still am heavily creative, but I channel it differently. Holding onto my imagination has never been a problem since I think I am a kid at heart, even now in my mid-40s. I've maintained a connection with things like comic books, animated television shows, superhero and fantasy movies, etc. Plus, I have a wide circle of friends just like me, so I can be a kid with them, and we all understand one another. For all the would-be authors, I would say: hold onto your dreams, your ideas, no matter how unrealistic they may seem. You never know when they'll become important. Embrace your own inner child and allow yourself to experiment with ideas. As we get older, we get into routines and "comfort zones," and we need to break those every so often and just let loose. It can be frightening, relinquishing old ways, but we have to release our grip on the comfortable and push toward that which will spark new ideas. Also, write in different places. If you always go to a coffee shop, try writing at the mall. Or a park. Even in a restaurant. Just take risks to see how they will pay off.
-- Best, David
During the age of Olympos, when a vengeful goddess shatters the Sacred Scales, both immortals and humans alike suffer. Apollo, the god of truth, goes from a glorious existence as The Shining One to a victim of Zeus’ wrath, and his journey makes him question his godhood, his role in the cosmos, and his views on humanity. Prophecy and the Fates direct his course, and he must make difficult, yet vital, choices. Millennia pass, and Dan, Aleta, Brandon, and Sarah—four reluctant modern-day heroes gifted by ancient civilizations born of the gods—bound by prophecy, have to choose whether or not to save their world when it could mean they never existed. They must master their new powers while battling against incomprehensible forces from the Underworld and repairing the Sacred Scales, destroyed long ago. With the equilibrium between Order and Chaos unhinged, and the Olympian gods struggling to exist, these four must ally themselves with the United Nations to protect an endangered world, becoming the only group who can fight against metaphysical threats to the Earth, forging Task Force: Gaea. Can mortals succeed where gods cannot go?
David Berger
Boston born, I grew up on Long Island in New York, and have my B.A. in English with a Master's in Secondary Education. I currently teach AP English Literature, IB English, and Creative Writing in Land O' Lakes, FL. My avid appreciation for fantasy fiction came from a childhood love of Greek mythology and comic books, especially Wonder Woman. Stemming from this literary love affair, I published my first novel, Task Force: Gaea—Finding Balance, in February 2012.
In addition to my fantasy writing, I have written poetry, much of which was influenced by my travels abroad, namely to Ireland. My hibernophilia extends not only to a great love of the Emerald Isle itself, but also to the writers who hail from there, namely W. B. Yeats, and I studied this poet in a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship at the National University of Ireland in Galway in 2005.
Additionally, I have traveled to Spain, France, and England—all with trips I have led with students—and hope to show more of my students what the world beyond Florida looks like.
I'm "living the dream," as it were, and I love life—I just hope it loves me in return. I reside in Land O' Lakes, FL with my partner of 13 years, Gavi, and our two cats, Yankel and Shayna.
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