Torn Apart: The Silent Screams of Destiny

Torn Apart: The Silent Screams of Destiny

From Harry Potter to The Hunger Games, coming of age tales are constantly at the forefront of modern young adult entertainment. The story of the awkward, floundering protagonist, searching for meaning in the crazy world they live in, has become somewhat of a pop culture mainstay of today.

But the newest tale by Christopher Kostecka is anything but ordinary.

Supernatural forces and modern technology collide in Torn Apart, the story of a young boy who is gifted supernatural abilities that force him to come out of his shell and discover his true potential. A tale of adventure, self-discovery and the power of true love, Kostecka takes readers along on an exhilarating journey as one boy encounters his true destiny.

Contrary to the popular belief that video games have a negative impact on a child's emotional and physical health, Kostecka positions video games as having a positive influence, helping to build the self-esteem and confidence of the book's adolescent main character.

Kostecka has firsthand experience with coming out of his shell. The parent of a child with ADHD, Kostecka initially developed the idea for the book when telling his son a bedtime story one evening. The story was added onto each night and eventually written down as a complete novel. The experience was not only a bonding experience for Kostecka and his son, but also a chance for his son to use his imagination to create something new.

Kostecka's characters are designed to relate to today's youth, while also promoting important morals and values critical to our modern world.

'Young adults and children in today's world are faced with an uncertain future," says Kostecka.

'Parents may not talk about money problems, concerns over work or the economy or where money for the next meal comes from. This book is intended to offer hope; in the form of a character that I believe is relatable to modern children and teenagers. Never lose hope- always believe."


Christopher Kostecka is an IT manager and consultant by day, and avid video game player by night. He currently resides with his family in Chicago, Illinois. This is his first novel.


Torn Apart: The Silent Screams of Destiny
Author: Christopher Kostecka
RRP: $11.86

Interview with Christopher Kostecka

Question: What inspired you to write Torn Apart: The Silent Screams of Destiny?

Christopher Kostecka: One evening, my wife, my son, Joshua, and I sat on the couch and discussed in detail my son's inability to remember the simplest school related item. We did not have any answers- just more questions about what we as parents could have done wrong. As we reasoned through each question, it became more and more evident to me that I was being harsh with my son. We sent Joshua to his room. As I reflected, I realized that my son sat there the entire time we talked to him with glazed eyes and very little emotion or understanding of what we were saying to him. I felt guilty.

I walked to his room. As I did, I knew I needed to do something to brighten his evening. I opened his door and found him sitting alone in silence. I looked around at the toys in his room and decided I would try and brighten his day by telling him a story. The story I told him was filled with action and adventure. It captured his attention. The story ended with my son asking questions about what would happen next. It was time for bed. The following day after he had finished his homework, he asked me to continue the story. I added onto the story from the night before. This story became Torn Apart.

Over the coming months, we discovered that Joshua had a fascination with super heroes and anime. We nurtured this fascination by taking him to comic book stores and book stores where we let him purchase basically whatever he found of interest. He was a very, very slow reader. It was difficult for him to grasp what he read, but he enjoyed it. It kept his interest.

It was not until later, after extensive testing, that our son was diagnosed with ADHD.


Question: Who did you write Torn Apart: The Silent Screams of Destiny, for?

Christopher Kostecka: My son requested that I write the book after we built the story together over multiple tellings. He thought the story was worth sharing.


Question: What was most important, to you, when writing Torn Apart: The Silent Screams of Destiny?

Christopher Kostecka: As a gamer, it was important to me to portray the video game scenes accurately. I wanted theses scenes of altered reality to be highly detailed and descriptive. This world is what is real to the characters, so it must appear real to the readers as well. Everyone already knows what our world looks like- lets give them something new to explore.

It was also important to me to have a story that flowed- a story that was constantly moving toward something. A story filled with action and romance. A story where an alternate reality seamlessly connects with our own world. A story where the closer Neal and Teri become, the more danger they are unknowingly exposing themselves too. The closer their hearts become, the stronger they each grow and the more they are torn apart by forces beyond their control.


Question: Can you talk about how you developed the main character?

Christopher Kostecka: The main character is essentially a combination of my son, Joshua, and I. The main character deals with the same issues we both faced in school- awkwardness with girls, and our inability to see the greatness within ourselves at an early age.

Question: Are you working on a second book?

Christopher Kostecka: Yes. The first draft of the second book is complete. This book will continue Neal Ori's journey. The concentrates more on Neal's relationship with his sister, than his romantic relationship with Teri. This is a story that must be told as it allows us to see further into the complexities of Neal's mind and how he perceives the world; and unfortunately, how it treats someone like him.


Interview by Brooke Hunter