Gillian Polack Interview

I interviewed Gillian Polack as she celebrates soon the release of her new book The Time of the Ghosts.

Someone has to write this down.
Someone who has seen it all.
Seen the ghosts.
Eaten the food.
Even washed the dishes.

Ghosts trail after us. They are our fears and the shape of our hates. We bring them into our lives and into our homes.
A fairy – variety melusine – tells of her private ghosts in unreliable fairy stories. She handles her own haunting.

Some years our fears and hates are so strong that we turn our ghosts tangible. Instead of trailing after us forlornly, whispering “Believe in us, or you are damned,” they fracture our landscape. Poltergeists and the spirits of drowned girls; malicious presences and portents; cat vampires and roaming bushrangers.

These ghosts haunt Canberra. These ghosts can kill.
It takes four women, one cup of tea at a time, to deal with Canberra’s haunting.

1) – I was reading Mary Victoria’s interview with you and saw that you went to Aussie Con! I can’t believe I missed out on meeting you in the flesh at World Con in Melbourne. Where were you hiding yourself?

I wasn’t hiding! I was, though, a bit busy. Baggage was launched there (and now has a US edition) and I was on a few panels. Wherever I went, I ran into people I knew. I remember going down an escalator and waving at all my friends who were going up.  I was so impressed by how many people I knew who were there that I sat down with the members’ list and counted and I knew well over 200. It was my first big convention (the biggest I’d been to before than had 500) and it was amazing. So much to do! So many friends! My only regret is that I couldn’t do more and see more people. I needed to clone myself. If only I were a scientist, I’d have been a contender…

2) Tell me a little bit about yourself?

I live in Canberra. I’m younger than most of my characters in The Time of the Ghosts, but old enough so that five year olds hug me sympathetically for being so old (five year old friends are very sympathetic towards middle age – they also laugh at my jokes). I enjoy cooking, chatting with friends, most things to do with science fiction and fantasy, being a historian, being a writer, teaching and research. I do not enjoy housework.

3) - Can you describe your new book in three words?

Haunting, Canberra, fairies.

4) – What is the basic premise of your latest book?

The Time of the Ghosts has two premises. The first is that elderly women can do exciting things without the rest of society knowing because we tend to leave them to themselves a lot of the time. This is why my novel contains superheroes who are female and beyond menopause. Two of them are very far beyond menopause. The second is that the fears and hopes and despair we carry can manifest themselves and can be really, really dangerous.

5) - Who was the worst character to write and why?

The worst character was Ann. She’s a nice person going through very hard times and I wanted to talk about them and show how nice she was. Instead all the less charming bits of her showed because of what she was going through. She’s your next best friend, really. It’s just that many of us are our worst selves when life goes wrong. Ann wants to be as extraordinary as her best friends and thinks she’s a failure. We’re not seeing the thirty years when she was there for everyone, but the few months when she lost herself.

6) - Tell me more about Little My. Where did it come from and why?  

Little My is a character from Tove Jansson’s Moomin books.

I went to Finland last year as part of my GUFF experience (I was representing Australasia at the world SF convention and got to meet fans in England, Ireland, Finland and Croatia as part of this) and I came back supporting the world convention in 2017. The convention organisers gave me a Little My soon after. When I visited Sydney, I gave her some adventures. Then there was a science fiction convention in Canberra and she had some adventures there. She absconded on the last day (to the disappointment of fans who wanted their picture taken with her) and was last seen flying over the Northern Territory. You can follow her adventures by looking me (Gillian Polack) up on Facebook and going to my photo albums. Little My is very social and got to know a lot of writers during her adventures, so you may well find pictures of her with your favourite writer. I remember she posed with Isobelle Carmody, for example, and scared Sean Williams.

7) – Why should people buy this new book?

Because it’s a lot of fun and just a little scary. Because the food side of it is amazing and I want to attend all those dinner parties myself. Because it will make you look at little old ladies with a lot more respect. Because it’s not the Canberra everyone thinks they know.

 8) – How many more books have you got coming out this year?

None! I had three and they’re all out!! The three were The Art of Effective Dreaming (a novel about making dreams come true), The Middle Ages Unlocked (written with Katrin Kania – loads of useful stuff about medieval England) and The Time of the Ghosts. I have another three coming out next year. Two novels and a non-fiction book again. I had a huge backlog of books sitting in various publishers’ in-trays and they were all signed up at once and are now magically appearing. I don’t actually write three books a year. I write about one every two years. What’s emerging now is fifteen years of very hard work.

9) – What is your favourite flavour of ice cream?

Chocolate. Dark and rich and streaked with other flavours.

10) – Lastly, what inspired The Time of the Ghosts?                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

I was giving a lecture on the Middle Ages to a huge crowd of elderly women. One of them was my mother. I had a sudden idea and asked them (after the lecture) whether their families knew just how much they did with their lives. No. It turned out that they asked their families what they did, but their families assumed that their elderly parents/grandparents lived in a kind of limbo, waiting for younger people to turn up and tell them about living. 

I asked my mother on the way home (she drove) if she wanted to be a super hero or a villain. 

“Why do you want to know?”

“You’re fit and healthy and have a steady income. You do a lot with your time. And no-one asks you about it. You could plan to take over the world and people would just assume you were waiting in limbo.”

At that moment I started planning a novel. If enough people buy it, I’ll write another one. Elderly women make the best protagonists. Dark secrets and long lives and strong opinions!

Gillian Polack is an author at Satalyte Publishing and has many other fantastic books. Check out Gillian here

You can purchase the books through Satalyte here

Collins Booksellers Edwardstown in the Spotlight!

Jen Campbell, author of 'Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops' is celebrating the release of her new book 'The Bookshop Book' in October. In honour of this, Jen has been interviewing booksellers across the world and posting about them. I am excited to say that Jen's interview with me about our store is now live.

Collins Booksellers Edwardstown Interview

Please check it out and come back and comment on this post :D

10 Questions

We asked Vicki, a 10 - soon to be 11 year old, ten questions about books and reading. It was very interesting to read her responses.

• What draws you to read?

 Picturing the story in my mind.

• Do the covers help you decide on a book?

Not really. I like to read the blurb on the back.

• What are your friends reading at the moment?

One friend is reading 'The Hunger Games' Anabel (another friend) is reading a book by Roald Dahl. 

• Who is your favourite book character and why?

Capricorn from Inkheart. Evil makes the story interesting.

• When did you discover books?

Reception. I could read a little by the time I got to school.

• What is your favourite book?

Inkheart

• Are there any books you would like to see turned into movies?

More in the Series of Unfortunate Events and more by Roald Dahl

• What three books would you take away with you?

'The Twits' 'Frog Princess' ' The Faraway Fairies'.

• Does your family like to read?

Both Mum and Dad love to read!

• Do you think reading will influence your choice of career when you're older?

No. I want to be a ballerina then an architect when I'm older.  

If you would like to be apart of our 10 Questions then just come into the store or send us an email on castlebooks@live.com.au. A big round of applause for Vicki!

Author Interview - Fiona McIntosh

We asked the lovely Fiona McIntosh to answer some questions for us about her writing, recipes and thoughts. Here is what she had to say! 

 What inspires you to write?

I’m inspired in my writing by emotions, particularly the most dramatic ones i.e. rage, revenge, betrayal, love and loss.

In terms of why I’m inspired to write it’s probably because I’m a control freak who loves the escape of stories and by writing I can create the sort of tales that I want to get lost in. I’m a daydreamer and storyteller…I guess that’s a very natural – in fact, genetic - combination that is inherent for a writer of fiction.


Why do you think that you have succeeded in crossing the genres when many other authors have failed?

Oh that’s a tough one. No one really fails if they finish their manuscript. I really believe anyone who does complete their novel is a winner. You are asking me - I think - how come I’ve been able to sell novels across several genres, which perhaps other people find challenging. This is a really tricky question because so many aspects of publishing come into play here. It’s a lot to do with crafting and delivering the right story at the right time. It’s a lot to do with luck of choosing to shift into the right genre at the right time too and coming together with an editor who loves the story. And then it’s about writing exactly what the legion of fans of that genre expect and want from their books. I’m wired very commercially. I’m never trying to write award winners or magnificent prose that make people weep. I am a nuts and bolts storyteller who will guarantee her reader a fast paced, absorbing escape into a story that I try to make very hard to put down. If you read my fantasy, my crime, my historical adventure/romances…even my children’s books – they have identical hallmarks. I tend to write tense, action-packed, strongly character driven pieces. So I never really change my style across genres. What’s happening, I suspect, is that people who read my fantasy for instance, are prepared to read me in other genres simply because they enjoy my storytelling and trust me that I’ll give them that escape whether the book is set in an imaginary world or our own, whether it’s contemporary or historical. I feel very privileged that readers do trust me and I do love being able to shift across such a variety of genres.

Is it strange to cross genres?

Not at all. I welcome it and relish it because it keeps me sharp. After reading a huge fantasy trilogy the last thing I feel like is reading another huge fantasy series. I’m often not ready to let go of the world, the story and especially the characters. I need to let it all settle. So, as a reader after a big fantasy series I’ll often switch over to crime or historical. It’s no different with my writing. After writing a huge half million word trilogy set in a world of my own imagination, I have no desire to leap into another one immediately but I don’t mind the change over to a crime thriller set in contemporary London for instance or a WWll adventure romance.

 In Fields of Gold, it is known that the story is loosely based on your family history. What fascinated you about those characters to make you want to write about them?

Everything about them fascinated me. The setting of India. The era of the 1920s. The inter-racial marriages that created the Anglo Indian community and how they straddled both nations, believing themselves British while remaining entirely sentimental about India, its people, its culture. I was fascinated by both my grandfathers being such adventurers and the backdrops of the goldfields and the dangerous pursuit of mining in those times felt irresistible to write about. And now that I’ve cut my teeth on historical fiction I want to write so much more!

What do you like writing more - Crime, Fantasy, General Fiction?


I am increasingly pursuing more mainstream fiction because it provides me with so much scope to take my writing wherever I please but I honestly don’t love one genre more than the other. Fantasy is a comfort zone – I love it and I won’t let it go. Crime is what I like to read a lot of and so it’s fun to write my own. General fiction gives me the whole world to play in and because I’m a great traveller from childhood days, I tend to make these stories move across nations and exotic settings. I’ve always enjoyed learning about history and so setting my general fiction in decades past makes it fun and enriching because I enjoy the research for these tales. And I actually don’t entirely subscribe to the whole genre thing. When I’m writing fantasy I’m writing general fiction with magic in it. When I’m writing crime I’m writing general fiction with a villain and a detective. When I’m writing general fiction I’m probably writing magic realism because I often introduce ethereal aspects to my stories and there’s always death and mystery in my general fiction so the crime creeps in…as does romance. I prefer to say I write fiction that everyone can enjoy and I ignore that whole boxing up of genres. I firmly believe that if someone loves The Lavender Keeper for instance, they’re going to love Beautiful Death or the Valisar Trilogy.

What was the spark that made you want to write Lavender Keeper, your new book?

The spark was a publisher asking me to give him my next idea for an historical action adventure. I was on my way to France – sitting in Melbourne international terminal. I had just returned from Tasmania, where I’d learned about its amazing lavender farm. I just threw the two together and came up with the idea for The Lavender Keeper, which I scribbled down in two paragraphs of an email and my publisher at Penguin loved it, bought it.

Are you going to be basing any more of your fantasy works in the world of the Trinity series.

I never say never. I’ve returned to the lands of Morgravia and Briavel for the next adult fantasy coming out later this year and while I have no immediate plans to go back to Tallinor, I mention it freely in other series and I see absolutely no reason why I wouldn’t return sometime and see how they’re all getting on. I like the idea of all my fantasy lands being part of one world anyway.


 How much research goes into one book?

Loads! Months of my time! Thousands of dollars worth of travel and hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of research books. It’s easy to get lost in the research because it’s a bottomless abyss, especially for something like The Lavender Keeper that is set in wartorn Europe of WWll. I can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve read, watched, listened to, travelled to..just in order to set the scenes right in my mind. But it’s worth it – as you’ll see when you read the new novel . No research is ever wasted.

Can you describe The Lavender Keeper and what it means to you?

This is essentially the story of three people set against the enormous and traumatic landscape of WWll – particularly Occupied Paris - and how their lives connect. It’s action packed, full of tension and heartbreak. It’s about survival, enduring love and loyalty.

It is my favourite story that I’ve written. I loved everything about crafting this tale – the era is perfect for me, the setting of Provence and Paris is delicious, the characters are each so strong that they made the challenge of writing them a lot of fun. The emotions run very high in this story and that really appealed. The heartbreak and helplessness of the war made me cry, not only while I researched but even as I put together scenes. That’s powerful stuff. I feel energised through this book and definitely enriched for all that I’ve learned about World War ll in order to understand what I was writing.

If I’ve ever dreamed of a movie being made about one of my novels, it’s this one!

If you were to have a cuppa with any person from history, who would it be and why?

Right now that would be Adolf Hitler. I want to ask him what the hell was in his head?

What is your favourite recipe?

Oh Tarran. So many! I think it has to be the coffee ice cream I’ve perfected (very hard to get a rich and real coffee flavour into anything) which I’d serve with my favourite hot chocolate fondants, collapsing beneath my fork into a volcano of dark chocolate lava.

 Thank you Fiona!! I must say that coffee ice cream sounds delicious!! I have been experimenting with ice creams lately myself and really enjoyed making them.
 
Fiona's new book The Lavender Keeper will be on shelves 28/03/2012 and I for one am looking forward to reading it!! 

If you want to find out more about Fiona, then go to her webiste here and start reading all the books this wonderful author has written for us.

Author Interview - Lori Foster

To celebrate the New Year, I have an interview with the great Lori Foster - author of 'Back in Black'

A&R: Can you please explain the premise of your novels!

[Lori said:]

I’m assuming we’re talking about the new series out in May, June, and July, yes? If so: I call this series, “Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor,” because the heroes are men who will do whatever necessary to protect innocents, and especially the women they love.

They are each part of a secret organization that has specialized in breaking up human trafficking rings, rescuing victims, and coordinating efforts. They have far-reaching contacts, immeasurable physical skill, and deadly instincts.

In the process of a mission, each hero in the series finds a heroine who is his perfect partner.

I know the subject matter is heavy, but the romances themselves are typical of my voice – meaning sexy and, I hope, worthy of some smiles.

A&R:Which character was the hardest to write? Which one was the easiest? Are any of your characters based on people you know or purely imaginative? 

[Lori said:]

None of my characters are ever based on real people. Occasionally, a tidbit of dialogue, a quirky action, or a physical trait might be borrowed. But the overall person is all imagination.

As to the difficulty, sometimes my life makes writing a little tougher. If there’s a lot going on, if I’m working during the holidays or while a family  member is ill... that can make it tough. But I don’t write characters that are difficult for my muse. If I’m not totally into writing the book and the characters, I don’t write it.

A&R: What led you into a writing career?

[Lori said:]

Great books! I read a few romances that totally bowled me over, and I no sooner became an avid reader than I started writing my own stories. Like many readers, a book would end and I’d want the characters to go on and on. So I tackled my own. At first I wrote strictly for me, but eventually I got the publishing bug.

A&R: What excites you about writing?

[Lori said:]

The creativity! The freedom to have characters take over and lead me on an adventure. And being able to find closure. In real life, we seldom get that. But in fiction... sure. Every emotionally tortured character can wrap up past issues and move on happily.

I also love the interaction with readers. I’ve “met” so many amazing people through the shared love of books. Just as I put myself out there with a book, readers put themselves out there with their emails and letters. I LOVE talking to readers online, getting to know them and making so many new friends – even if they remain cyber friends only.

A&R: What did you do before you became a published author?

[Lori said:]

Hubby and I married early – right out of high school – and lived on a tight budget. No college. So in my early days I was a Kroger grocery clerk, and later I worked on the assembly line at P&G. After I had my sons, I was a stay at home mom who also did lots of extra babysitting and cleaning for other families. Basically, within reason, I did whatever necessary to make extra money. LOL

A&R:Do you listen to music while writing? If so, what artists, genres, or albums do you find the most inspiring? 

[Lori said:]

I burn candles and listen to my playlist or ipod while writing. My favorite artist is Kid Rock, but I also enjoy a lot of music from Uncle Kracker, KORN, Marilyn Manson, Aerosmith, Macy Gray, etc...

A&R:What makes you laugh? 

[Lori said:]

My grandson! He’s a 5-year old riot. And my sons and hubby. They’re one-liner experts, and they always take me by surprise with the things they’ll say. Animals are also endlessly amusing.

A&R:Who would you most like to be trapped somewhere with?

[Lori said:]

President G.W. Bush. I find him fascinating. I have a million questions I would ask him. Laura could be there too.  I have his book on my “to be read” pile, but there’s nothing like a one on one conversation.

A&R: Do you think that fiction brings something to peoples’ lives?

[Lori said:]

I know that it does. I hear from readers all the time who are going through very difficult periods. Health issues, money issues, family conflicts... They so often tell me that books helped them to get through the emotional and/or physical hardships.

I’ve had characters who suffered rape, and many women wrote me to tell me that I got the emotional turmoil right, as well as the reactions of the loved ones involved. They thanked me for bringing to life their issues. I’ve saved all those letters and emails.

I’ve written characters who lost a loved one, and heard from readers who related – and healed a little through the love stories.

I have been so touched by so many readers that I often get teary-eyed when hearing from them. I’ve been very, very blessed with my reader base.

A&R: What adventures will be next for your characters?

[Lori said:]

I’m very excited about the new series out in May, June, and July.

My 2011 release schedule looks like this:

Feb: Fantasy (free ebook reissue from Hqn)
March: THE GUY NEXT DOOR (anthology, new)

May: WHEN YOU DARE (single title, NEW)

June: TRACE OF FEVER (single title, NEW)

June: The Promise of Love (benefit book, NEW)

July: SAVOR THE DANGER (single title, NEW)

August: Bad Boys of Summer (anthology, reissue)

November (reissue to be announced)

I’m currently working on the next single title that’ll be part of the new series, but it doesn’t yet have a title, and I don’t know when it’ll be released. 

Many thanks!

Lori

Check out Lori's website for more information on her books 

Trent Jamieson Interview

Trent Jamieson is the author of the Death Works series. Set in Australia we follow the Pomp (Pomp is short for Psychopomp) Steven de Selby in his second book Managing Death which is in store now. 

It's not easy being Death. For starters, people keep dying. And then, they keep getting up again.

Steven de Selby got promoted. This makes the increasing number of stirrers (and the disturbing rumors of a zombie god rising sometime soon) his problem. That time management seminar he keeps meaning to take would also remind him that he's got a Death Moot to plan, a Christmas party to organize, and an end-of-the-world thing to avert.

Steven must start managing Death, before Death starts managing him, or this time the Apocalypse will be more than Regional.

A&R: Can you please explain your world and the premise of your novel! 

The world of the Death Works books is modern Australia, mainly Brisbane. It’s our world with a few twists.
Steven de Selby is a Pomp, an employee of Australia’s Death. He helps souls cross over into the afterlife and stops Stirrers from inhabiting the bodies. It’s a job that sounds more exciting than it is, and a family trade. He’s been doing it all his life, and, to be honest, he’s a bit over it.
But when he meets a mysterious dead girl, and someone starts killing Pomps, his friends and family, he has to run for his life. What he uncovers will change his life forever.

A&R: Are the names of your characters are important? And what do they mean?

They’re always important. Some are nods to characters in Death Mythology. Neti, Charon, and Morrigan. Others are nods to other books about the Afterlife de Selby is the name of a philosopher who features in The Third Policeman by Flann O’brien.I spend a lot of time working on names, and quite often change them, I think the most important thing is that they fit the character, and sometimes that’s more of a feeling than a conscious choice, you can’t explain why a name works, just that it does. 

 

A&R:How do you react to a bad review of one of your books?

Alastair Reynolds told me this, I can’t remember who he was quoting because, well, I was talking to Alastair Reynolds! But he said a bad review should only spoil your breakfast not your dinner. And I reckon that’s fair enough.
As much as you’d like everyone to love you, that’s not even remotely reasonable. We all have different tastes and different expectations of a book.
Thing about most people, me included, it doesn’t matter how many good reviews you get, it’s the bad stuff you zone in on. Still I seem to enjoy my dinner most of the time, so maybe I’m getting better.

A&R:Are there any occupational hazards to being a novelist?

Too much sitting around tap-tap-tapping at a keyboard isn’t very healthy. It hasn’t bothered me too much because I’m always getting up and down from my desk.

You really need to make sure you exercise, or you can put on weight in a flash! Walking’s a great one to clear your head, but you have to make sure you’re concentrating on where you’re going or you can get into trouble, I’ve nearly been run over several times.

And it can be a lonely business at times. Having another job can be really good for your sanity.

A&R:Can you describe your desk or office/writing area. Also, do you write at a certain time of day?

My desk is pretty small, not much room for more than a computer. And I have a lot of bookcases filled with all sorts of books, dictionaries, histories, and books of poetry as well as fiction. I love having books around me, comes from working for years in bookstores, too.

I write best in the morning, and late at night. But sometimes you just have to write when you can.

A&R: What excites you about writing?

Writing is just so much fun. I love playing around with words, I love making up worlds, and my characters really entertain me. There’s just something so satisfying about writing, I’ve found it exciting since the very first time I tried to write a story.

A&R: How do you start for the day?

COFFEE!!!! Then I make my wife’s lunch, and when she heads off for work I go down to my desk and get a start on. Some days are more productive than others, but that’s the usual way it begins.

A&R: Can you explain why you chose this theme for your book?

Death (and the Afterlife) is a bit of an obsession of mine. So I don’t know if I chose the theme or if it chose me.

A&R:Ever dispatched someone and then regretted it?

No, because I’m an extremely mean person! But I try not to waste a good death scene.Doesn’t mean I don’t feel sad about it. A couple of scenes in these books actually make me choke up. I don’t want to say which because I’ll give too much away!

A&R:Who would play you in a film of your life?

Buster Keaton

A&R:What are books for?

Mind reading. Stephen King said that literature is the closest thing we have to mind reading. When you open a book you enter someone else’s head. That’s kinda exciting.

A&R:Which character was the hardest to write? Which one was the easiest? Are any of your characters based on people you know or purely imaginative?

Steven’s the hardest and the easiest character to write, because all of the Death Works books are written from his perspective. Everything you see is how Steve sees things, and often he just sees things wrong. I love writing scenes with him and Lissa together, and I love writing scenes with Wal in them. Aunt Neti, who is introduced in Managing Death is one of my favourites.
Ah, I love writing them all!

A&R:If you could invite 3 famous people (living, dead, fictional) to a dinner party who would they be and why?

Gandalf (though he’d have to smoke his pipe outside). Hope Mirrlees, because she wrote the best fantasy novel ever (Lud-in-the-Mist), and Ricky Gervais. because I think he’s funny and bright and has an infectious laugh (much, much better than an infectious cough).
Yeah, it’d be a bit of an odd party, but we’d bumble our way through.

A&R: Do you think that fiction brings something to peoples lives?

If I didn’t I don’t think I’d write. Well, I’d still write because I think it’s so much fun. Fiction’s important because it helps you imagine other people’s perspectives. Empathy is something we could all do with a lot more of and good stories are always about empathy. 

SF writer and Silent Motion Picture Actor, Trent Jamieson should be 107 years old, but is only 37 on account of TEMPORAL RADIATION. He lives in Brisbane with his wife, Diana. He is currently writing a series of novels called Death Works. The first Death Most Definite was released in August 2010, the second, Managing Death, is due for release in December 2010. The third, The Business of Death, is due for release in April 2010. They’re about Death – you know, the Grim Reaper.

Trent can be contacted at teacupthrenody at hotmail dot com or check out his blog here

Traci Harding's Inspiration behind her latest books!

With Traci Harding's new book due for release in December, I asked Traci what was the inspiritation behind her lastest series.

                     Traci Harding on ‘the Triad of Being’

                        and the books that inspired it.

My current trilogy, The Triad of Being, was strongly influenced by two books by the same author - both of which were equally insightful.

‘The Field – the Quest for the secret force of the universe’ by Lynne McTaggart.

Anyone who knows my work will realise that I was bound to be attracted by this title. All the esoteric knowledge I had gleaned over the years, in an attempt to explain my take on the universal scheme, I found laid out in this book in fairly easy to understand scientific terms. A large portion of the research and experimentation herein is focused on the Zero Point Field - an ocean of microscopic vibrations that appear to connect everything in the universe.

Zero Point Field Theory was a little known area of research that I have been looking into since I wrote ‘the Alchemist’s Key’ back in 1998 and discovered the work of David Hudson - which I was very excited see explored in the latter part of this book.

Of course many of these frontier scientists were not being taken seriously in academic realms, and some were completely outcast for attempting to turn outdated Newton theory on its head. Still, as Lynne McTaggart discovered, if you put all the individual findings of these scientists together, it is clear that these men and woman are breaking new ground in the great quest of discovering how reality, and the universe, works!

There are some fairly gruesome experiments in ‘the Field’, but the mysteries they shed light on, compelled me the start writing ‘Being of the Field’ and gave me a whole fresh take of the universal mysteries I had been studying for years.

The trouble with writing ‘Being of the Field’ was that, I got all inspired and five chapters into the story – right before that hot and steamy scene on Oceane, for those who have read the book – I was called to a meeting at my publishers. At that meeting we discussed the possibility of making ‘Gene Of Isis’ a trilogy, which of course we did - ‘Being of the Field’ was put on the backburner.

Two books and three years later, I finally got back to my hot and steamy moment on Oceane, and Lynne McTaggart had released another, even more insightful and inspiring, book!

‘The Intension Experiment – use your thoughts to change the world’ by Lynne McTaggart.

This book took all the research from Lynne’s previous book and turned it into a living, breathing experiment. ‘The Intension Experiment’ could be followed on the internet and readers of the books were invited to become involved. Some of the case studies herein were completely mind-blowing and presented wonderful scenarios for a science-fiction book.

The plant hooked up to the lie detector and then threatened with harm, in an attempt to prove a ‘plant telepathy’ theory, is very revealing! The lie detector registered a reaction from the plant, but only once the person threatening it truly engaged an intension to harm - mere words didn’t register a reaction at all - the plant didn’t need a lie detector to know its assailant’s true intension. Also the plant registered a reaction to the intent to harm before the physical act was carried out. 

The plant could even sense the stress of the bacteria in the sink in the kitchen, every time boiling water was poured down the drain. When you consider this on a much larger scale, you have wonder what we are doing to ourselves, each other and our world with, what most consider to be, harmless thoughts. I borrowed from that gem of an experiment for a scene in ‘the Black Madonna’ – but that’s another series.

Still, I think the experiment that was the most mind-boggling for me, was the one intended to prove that we can effect the past as easily as we effect the future. There were many case studies in these books, involving sick patients receiving healing from others through prayer, meditation etc. Half of a case study group received healing and half did not - the half that did receive the healing always showed significant improvement and in this study the results were uniform.

The big difference was that the healing was sent from the healers to their patients several years after their healing had already taken place. What a lovely paradox and the implications are mind-blowing! This could be likened to a composer hearing his score performed by an orchestra, long before he’d ever set pen to paper on its composition. But then, didn’t Mozart and Beethoven always hear the completed score in their head while they were composing? I know when I write, I feel like I am taking diction of an already completed work, which plays out before my eyes like a motion picture – is that just my consciousness picking up on a future reality? Only time will tell. 

 

The work of this small group of scientists is gradually vindicating what I have believed for most of my life - that we do create our own reality and that our own good intensions are our most powerful tool for doing so. 
 

Even readers who are not particularly scientifically minded can’t fail to be intrigued by how these truly great minds work and what their discoveries now could mean for the future of science, mankind and our little planet.

If, however, you would like to take in this scientific information with a good dose of adventure, mystery, love and fun, then why not give my new trilogy a read?

The Triad of Being :

Book 1 - ‘Being of the Field’ released December 2009

Book 2 - ‘The Universe Parallel’ released December 2010

Enjoy!!

All the very best

Traci Harding

Please check out Traci's website and join in the lively discussions on her message board or even join Trazling.

Jaci Burton Interview

If you like romance with a great plot, great sex and alpha males, then this is the author for you! Jaci Burton has given us an interview on her work and how she remains sane as a writer..

 

          A&R: What led you into a writing career?

Actually it was my husband. I used to dabble in writing, but never seriously. When we married, he told me I should try to get serious about it again, so I did, and finally finished my first manuscript. Then I wrote another, and another, and the rest is history!

A&R:What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?

Writers aren't sane. Heh. 

Okay, seriously. I think the most important thing is to always look at the big picture and not get bogged down by the minutae. I'm often guilty of this myself. I get overwhelmed, and think there are things I can't do, or tasks I can't accomplish. Small details or day to day crises can be overwhelming sometimes. It's important to have a schedule, and to know that if you apply some organization, you can push through and get the job done. A book can be written--it just takes sitting your butt down in the chair and working hard at it every day, while also knowing there are times you have to step away and clear your head. Helps to refresh the well.

A&R:While writing, do you eat, drink or so anything special to get the mojo flowing? Like sports people wearing lucky socks etc.. 

Bubblegum. I can't work without bubblegum.

A&R: How do you start for the day?

I have coffee, check email, Twitter, Facebook, chat a bit with friends, then I get to work. I'm not one of those writers who can open up the book and start writing first thing in the morning. I have to ease into the day.

A&R:Which character was the hardest to write? Which one was the easiest? Are any of your characters based on people you know or purely imaginative? 

They're all hard to write. I can't recall any particular character being any more difficult or easier than any other. When I'm working on a book, that's the book that's hardest to write. Characters are tempermental creatures and don't always cooperate. All my heroes have some facets of my husband in them, because he's my personal hero. Otherwise, no. I don't base characters on people I know.

A&R:Are there any occupational hazards to being a novelist? 

Sitting too long in a chair writing is a health hazard. It can make for sore neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees, etc etc etc. Writers need to get up and get exercise periodically throughout the day. 

Also, you have to be self disciplined to be a writer. You're your own boss, so if you want to be successful, you have to push yourself to do so. If you're not self motivated, this might not be the career for you. 

A&R: What excites you about writing?

I love the absolute creativity of it, the ability to start from nothing and end with a book that's filled with my imagination. I'm living my dream and am very lucky to be doing it.

A&R:If you could invite 3 famous people (living, dead, fictional) to a dinner party who would they be and why?

Roarke and Eve from JD Robb's In Death series, becuase they're two of the most fascinating characters I've ever read. Roarke is such a sexy, dynamic, honorable hero, and Eve is gutsy, yet vulnerable. And Nora Roberts, who writes the In Death series, and because she's Nora and one of the best authors of romance. What a fun dinner party that would be!

A&R:Who would play you in a film of your life?

Angelina Jolie, because she looks so much like me....hahahahaha

A&R: What adventures will be next for your characters?

I have a sweet Christmas romance releasing from Carina Press in December. 

In February 2011 is the start of a new sexy sports series from Berkley Heat, starting with The Perfect Play in February and Changing The Game in August.

Inn November 2011 I have a debut romantic suspense series with MIRA with Heart of a Killer. 

So excited about all my upcoming books!

Jaci lives in Oklahoma with her family, she is a multi published author who writes in many genres. She writes for Bantam Dell, Berkley, Ellora's Cave and Samhain Publishing. Also Jaci has been fortunate to win several awards, including the Romantic Times BookReview Magazine's Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Erotic Paranormal.

 

Her website is here Jaci Burton Website

Questions and Answers from Robert Muchamore - Cherub & Henderson Boys

I contacted Mr Muchamore the other day and asked him a few questions. Robert Muchamore is the bestselling author of the 'Cherub' and 'Henderson Boys' teen series. 

CHERUB is a series of young adult spy novels, written by Robert Muchamore, focusing around a division of the British Security Service named CHERUB, which employs minors, predominantly orphans, as intelligence officers.

Initially, the series follows James Choke, or James Adams, which is his CHERUB name, as he enters CHERUB and performs various missions. However, the focus later turns to his sister Lauren and several other characters who get vital roles in the novels. The initial series of twelve books runs from the recruitment of James Adams through to his retirement from CHERUB at age 17.

              A&R: Can you explain what gave you the idea for CHERUB?

 My Aussie nephew constantly moaning that he had no interesting books to read!


           
  A&R:Which character was the hardest to write? Which one was the easiest? Are any of your characters based on people you know or purely imaginative?

 Err dunno which one was hardest. James is easy cos he's a cool version of myself. I never base characters on real people in case they beat me up!

          A&R: What excites you about writing?

  Money, fame, but most of all not having to get out of bed and go work in an office.



         A&R: What adventures will be next for your characters?

 That would be telling, but there's a new website online at
www.aramov.com

Name: Robert Kilgore Muchamore

Best Friend: Invisible Eric, who lives in my toilet cistern

Ambition: To become the 4th Powerpuff Girl

First Book Published: The Recruit, April 2004

Lives: London, UK

Previous Jobs: Camera salesman, Private Investigator

Robert Muchamore Website 

Check out Shadow Wave, it is the last year James Adams has till he graduates Cherub!!