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Elixir
by Ted Galdi
Meet 14-year-old Sean Malone. He has an IQ above 200, a full-ride scholarship to one of the country’s top universities, and more than one million dollars from his winning streak on Jeopardy. However, Sean wishes he could just be normal.
But his life is anything but normal. The US government manipulates him, using him as a codebreaker in pursuit of a drug lord and killing innocent people along the way.
For reasons related to his personal security, Sean finds himself in Rome, building a new life under a new name, abandoning academics, and hiding his genius from everyone. When he’s 18 he falls in love. The thrills begin again when he learns that his girlfriend is critically ill and it’s up to him to use his intellect to find a cure, a battle pitting him against a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical company and the demons of his past.
Elixir is a story about identity, secrets, and above all, love.
Book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ofmjw5SC_I
Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21947952-elixir
Three-chapter preview: http://www.elixirthebook.com/preview.html
Advance reviews: http://www.elixirthebook.com/reviews.html
Elixir is Ted Galdi's first novel. He's a graduate of Duke University. Currently he's twenty-nine years old and lives in Los Angeles. He can be contacted at ted@elixirthebook.com.
Author bio: http://www.elixirthebook.com/author.html
iHeartRadio author interview: http://www.spreaker.com/user/arroe/author-ted-galdi-elixir
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/elixirthebook
Meet 14-year-old Sean Malone. He has an IQ above 200, a full-ride scholarship to one of the country’s top universities, and more than one million dollars from his winning streak on Jeopardy. However, Sean wishes he could just be normal.
But his life is anything but normal. The US government manipulates him, using him as a codebreaker in pursuit of a drug lord and killing innocent people along the way.
For reasons related to his personal security, Sean finds himself in Rome, building a new life under a new name, abandoning academics, and hiding his genius from everyone. When he’s 18 he falls in love. The thrills begin again when he learns that his girlfriend is critically ill and it’s up to him to use his intellect to find a cure, a battle pitting him against a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical company and the demons of his past.
Elixir is a story about identity, secrets, and above all, love.
Book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ofmjw5SC_I
Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21947952-elixir
Three-chapter preview: http://www.elixirthebook.com/preview.html
Advance reviews: http://www.elixirthebook.com/reviews.html
Balancing Plot,
Relatability, and Message
The three major components of the quality of any novel are
plot, relatability, and message.
Unfortunately, there is no optimum formula for weighing and mixing them,
which is why so many books fall flat.
Here is what each means:
·
Plot = The events happening in the world of the story. Ex: a crook preparing to rob a bank.
·
Relatability = The ability for the reader to
emotionally connect with the characters involved in the book’s events, and
thus, care about the plot. Ex: we find out the crook is robbing the bank
because he needs the money to pay for his son’s college education.
·
Message = The implied commentary on the “world”
that the author makes at the end of the story, based on how things have settled
plot-wise. Ex: the crook gets killed
during the robbery, which stresses the universal message: Crime doesn’t pay, even if your intentions are good. On the other hand, if the robber were to get
away clean, pay the tuition bills, and then safely retire from his criminal past,
the message would be quite different: Crime
may be worthwhile if the ends justify the means.
Clearly, all three of the components are intertwined. The success of the “message” depends directly
on the end state of the “plot,” and the only way people care about the plot –
and finish the story – is if “relatability” is built into the characters. Many books do a great job with one of the
components, maybe two, however, unless all three are working in harmony, the
net effect is always underwhelming.
For instance, we’ve all read a mystery where we’re dying to
turn each page and can’t wait to find out what happens next. However, once we get to that final page, and
we find out “whodunnit,” the book immediately leaves our minds; we can’t even
remember the name of the protagonist the next morning. Stories like these do a good job with plot,
but fail with relatability and message.
Moreover, we’ve all been recommended a book with funny and
quirky contemporary characters we fall in love with. However, though their jokes may be great and
they remind us of people we know in real life – maybe even ourselves – it
doesn’t seem like they’re actually doing
much but sitting around and talking, even if what they’re saying is
interesting. These books are high on
relatability, but low and plot and message.
Finally, we’ve all had an experience with a well-intentioned
book aimed at tackling some major social issue.
It makes big, sweeping claims for a moral revolution, however, by the
end, we’re just not that motivated to get behind the cause. We got the feeling we weren’t experiencing
characters in their own world, but rather, listening to the author talk to us
directly in his or her own words. Though
these books may be putting forward a great message, it doesn’t have any bite
because we haven’t been convinced of it by the actions of characters we care
about – hence, a lot of message, but no plot or relatability.
Yes, certain genres of novels lend themselves more toward
certain components, and it may be difficult for authors to blend each. However, truly great books – from any
category – are able to find a distinct harmony among the three.
When a story is able to succeed with the right balance, the
results are extraordinary. For instance,
Kurt Vonnegut does a terrific job achieving equilibrium between the three with
his classic, Slaughterhouse-Five. Not only does the plot move fast and through
various interesting, unique settings, but we care deeply for our
innocent/crazy/regretful/hopeful hero, Billy Pilgrim, throughout all the
action. By the time the story ends,
Vonnegut’s message about war is crystal clear and powerful. And that message – and the book itself – has
had a lasting effect on generations.
Ted Galdi is the
author of the novel Elixir, to be
released in Summer 2014. Learn more at
www.elixirthebook.com.
Elixir is Ted Galdi's first novel. He's a graduate of Duke University. Currently he's twenty-nine years old and lives in Los Angeles. He can be contacted at ted@elixirthebook.com.
Author bio: http://www.elixirthebook.com/author.html
iHeartRadio author interview: http://www.spreaker.com/user/arroe/author-ted-galdi-elixir
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/elixirthebook
