Life is Inevitable received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Daniel Santos.
What is the name of the book, and when was it published?
Life is Inevitable is the name of an Indie Novel by Daniel Santos, published on August 9th, 2022.
What’s the book’s first line?
“Brennan splashed water on his face to hide the redness under his eyes.”
What is the book about? Give us a “pitch”.
A story about trauma, abuse, and mental health, Life is Inevitable is about Eighteen-year-old boy Brennan and seventeen-year-old girl Olivia, who have their entire lives and worldview changed when they commit suicide on the same day. In this world, the dead are brought to a train station where they receive tickets that send them to heaven or hell. However, Olivia and Brennan are given a second chance. An angel gives them train tickets that will send them back to their bodies, but a new problem emerges when they accidentally switch their tickets. In the world of the living, they wake up in each other’s bodies and are now forced to undo the mistake they just made while living the other person’s life.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
The inspiration for the book spawned from the Death of a good friend of mine. She died about a month before I graduated high school, and it was by her own hand. For weeks after she passed, I wondered, “what if I could have her back?” That’s when I got the idea of writing Life is Inevitable. It made me want to give the characters a “second chance”. Eventually, I decided to make the characters swap bodies because I realized that I didn’t know my friend that well at all. There were so many things about her life that I didn’t know and would only understand if I had witnessed it from her perspective.
What’s the main reason someone should read this book?
Cezar R. Cruz once said, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” This quote may seem unrelated, but I promise it is. The reason I find this relevant is because, during my beta reading and arc phase of the publishing process, many of my readers who had harsh lives enjoyed the book the most. Meanwhile, the readers on the opposite spectrum were more disturbed by it. Therefore, if you have a troubled life especially if you are or were plagued by suicide, abuse, depression, or neglect then this book will let you know that these experiences are understood by others and you’re not alone. I’ll admit there are graphic scenes, but that just comes with the reality of these topics. Also, that doesn’t mean if you don’t have much personal experience with these topics the book isn’t for you. It’ll still give you an insight into those who are affected by these things and help you understand them better.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
There are two main characters in this book. The male lead, Brennan Claufield, is unique because he’s a morally grey character. This means that he’s not completely good or bad. Instead, he drifts somewhere in the middle. Just think of Rodion Rankolnikov from Crime and Punishment or, if you’re more interested in modern forms of media, think of James Sunderland from Silent Hill. Just like these two men, Brennan is not clearly defined as a hero or villain. The female lead, Olivia Benning, is more of an angelic figure in the sense that she continues to do good to others despite the bad they do to her. Eventually, she learns to be more assertive which is similar to Beatrice from Dante’s Inferno. Olivia doesn’t have a love interest like Beatrice but both characters change from being an all-loving creature to someone who is still compassionate yet is able to set boundaries.
When did you first decide to become an author?
First, I should make it clear that my idea for the novel is different from how I decided to be an author. I always entertained the thought of being an author but never took the idea seriously until December of 2021. I remember working in the emergency department of a hospital and after witnessing countless of near-death experiences and a few deaths, I finally accepted just how easy it is for anyone to pass at any time. And considering that I am epileptic, I know I could have a seizure any day and possibly die of something in my environment, so I decided to just shoot for my dream of sharing my stories and immediately dedicate myself to being an author. I guess you can say I became a writer on impulse.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
Life is Inevitable is the first book I’ve published but it’s not the first book I’ve written. When I was fifteen, I wrote “The Ghost of You” which is a novel about a child who died and had his heart donated to a young girl about his age. From then, he follows her around as her guardian angel as he helps her with the struggles of life. As you can tell, it also involves the afterlife with fantastical elements just like “Life is Inevitable” but the reason I didn’t pursue publishing this book was because of how poorly written it was. I think it has a good concept, but the execution was horrendous. Maybe in the future, I’ll rewrite the book and publish it.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I’ve been jumping from job to job so far. First, I tested and programmed circuit boards for airplanes, then I worked in the emergency department and then I assembled and packaged medical equipment. As of right now, I’m just working as a cashier because my last job laid me off. But I think I’ll stay as a cashier for a while despite the pay because I’m tired of job hopping and I’m sure having numerous jobs in a short amount of time would hurt my CV.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
Since I’m very busy nowadays, the hours I put into writing every week change drastically, but I always tend to write at least twenty hours’ worth of work. Hopefully, once I graduate from post-secondary school, I can find a job with more consistent hours so I can plan out when I write.
What’s the best and hardest part about being an indie?
The best part about being an indie is that I get to be my own boss, but that’s also the worst part. I like that I can make every decision for myself because it gives me creative control over my books and creating quality and creative products that inspire others is my main goal; however, at some point being told “no” would benefit me greatly. And I’m sure this would apply to others as well. Sometimes we get so caught up in a plan or goal that we get blindsided by our own pride and ignorance which can lead to detrimental outcomes. To have no one keeping us accountable can make the job a lot harder.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Every indie author should know that becoming successful in publishing is a marathon, not a sprint, so if your book or books don’t do well initially, just keep working at your craft and try new business strategies because for most people success doesn’t come overnight. There will always be exceptions but having a few exceptions doesn’t change the rule and the rule is that it’s a long road to success.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I’d say “yes” to a traditional publishing deal for a couple of reasons. The first is that I could use a good team to help me create a novel. There’s a misconception that authors work alone, but that is completely false. It takes an author, editors, cover designers, marketers, and plenty of other people to fill in key roles that make a book successful. The second reason is that I believe my work will be more protected from things such as piracy and stolen credibility. I want my work to last for ages instead of being stolen by someone who wants to use it for themselves.
Is there something in particular that motivates you?
It sounds morbid, but my worsening health and imminent death are what motivate me the most. I’m epileptic and I have it bad. I know my brain is getting worse with each seizure, but I’ll admit the future is still unknown to me. For example, I’m not 100% sure I’ll die due to my illness but at the same time, I’m not 100% sure I’ll live a relatively normal life. But I’m not going to wait to find out. I’m going to write and spread my message across the world because I want to leave a lasting impact on people before I die. Even if I only help one person then at least that’s one more than zero. After all, no life can be saved if you don’t even try to save one.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
It’s hard to say which writer I admire the most since I read just about everything, but I remember “R.L Stine” author of the “Goosebumps” and “Horror land” series is the man who got me interested in literature. As a child, I read plenty of his books with “Night of The Living Dummy” as my favorite. I don’t remember every detail of each novel, but I can confidently say that I enjoyed all of them.