David Litwack is the author of (amongst other books) Along the Watchtower, a story of a wounded soldier’s long journey to recovery.  He alternates between a fantasy prince Frederick struggling to save his kingdom and Freddie the soldier relearning how to walk.  It’s a touching tale so I was very glad to do an interview with him in conjunction with the blog tour by Masquerade Tours.  Read for our discussion about research, future projects and writing about PTSD.

What was the inspiration behind Along the Watchtower?

I’ve always been fascinated by how our view of reality is subjective, how each of us brings our own experiences and biases into play. But when we’re ripped from our normal lives and placed in extreme circumstances, our reality becomes fragmented. Such is the case with hospitals and war.

A couple of years ago, I became engrossed in the online game, World of Warcraft, thanks to my son. I’m on the east coast and he’s on the west, so we’d meet every Wednesday evening in the virtual world of Azeroth, where our avatars would go on quests together. I was struck by how immersed I became in the mood of the game as we wandered through castles and crypts, solving riddles and vanquishing demons. For a short period of time, I could totally buy into the alternate reality.

The gaming experience has a dream-like quality to it. And I began to wonder: how would this experience affect the dreams of someone whose reality has been fragmented by the trauma of war? These concepts—war, hospitals, and the fantasy world of online gaming—came together in Along the Watchtower.

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