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Through Murder, Conspiracy, and Betrayal
Skull’s Vengeance follows a Celtic warrior queen who must defeat her sorcerer half-brother to claim the throne and outmaneuver political enemies from Rome and Britannia to do so. What were some sources that informed this novels development?
Unlike the previous books in the series, Skull’s Vengeance delves into the political firestorm of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. As I researched the Roman political backdrop during the period when Skull’s Vengeance takes place (27 – 28 AD), I became fascinated with the historical figure, Lucius Aelius Sejanus. He was head of the Praetorian Guard who over-reached to gain power from Emperor Tiberius through murder, conspiracy, and betrayal. Though Tiberius had been an able general and diplomat, his final years as emperor were tyrannical. Roman historians wrote about his sexual perversity and child molestation. At the height of Sejanus’s political power as a consul in 31 A.D., Tiberius unexpectedly had him arrested and mercilessly executed. As a confidant to Tiberius, Antonia Minor had a role in the downfall of Sejanus. She feared her grandson, Caligula, would meet the fate as his older brothers whom Sejanus had imprisoned. Historians surmise that Antonia Minor, the youngest daughter of Mark Antony and Octavia (Augustus Caesar’s Sister), helped bring down Sejanus. She inspired one of the subplots in the novel in which she helped Marcellus navigate the political waters to meet directly with Tiberius.
What scene in the book was the most emotional for you to write?
I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but one of my favorite characters dies trying to protect Catrin. It is a poignant moment at the funeral when she reflects what sacrifices she must bear to defeat her evil half-brother.
What was a challenge you set for yourself as a write with this book?
One of the greatest challenges was to provide sufficient background information from the previous three books so it could be read as a standalone for a first-time reader of the series.
What can readers expect in book five in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series?
Book 5, entitled Dragon’s Anvil, will continue Catrin’s quest to strike vengeance against her evil half-brother, King Marrock. With his ability to shapeshift into a dragon, Marrock wreaks havoc on the kingdoms of Britannia. Catrin’s devoted Roman husband, Marcellus, and her Celtic commanders join her in the quest to slay the dragon in the darker half of the year as winter approaches. But other enemies from Rome and Britannia stand in her way. Family loyalties are tested. Warriors fall. Betraryed and torn from those she loves, Catrin must embrace her darker essence as a druidess to face her greatest challenge — battling the dragon and claiming the kingdom as its rightful heir.
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“The requisite fantasy elements of magic and mystery abound…Tanner also does an admirable job weaving in the politics and mythology of a bygone people.” —Kirkus
“Part fantasy, part historical fiction, Linnea Tanner has woven together a wonderful tale of romance, intrigue, mystery, and legend to create an entertaining and complex story.” —The International Review of Books
“[A] captivating tale of triangles; love, lust and espionage, friend, foe, and spies., barbarians, civilized Rome and spiritual-supernatural beings.” —2019 Pencraft Book of the Year Award
A Celtic warrior queen must do the impossible—defeat her sorcerer half-brother and claim the throne. But to do so, she must learn how to strike vengeance from her father’s skull.
AS FORETOLD BY HER FATHER in a vision, Catrin has become a battle-hardened warrior after her trials in the Roman legion and gladiatorial games. She must return to Britannia and pull the cursed dagger out of the serpent’s stone to fulfill her destiny. Only then can she unleash the vengeance from the ancient druids to destroy her evil half-brother, the powerful sorcerer, King Marrock. Always two steps ahead and seemingly unstoppable, Marrock can summon destructive natural forces to crush any rival trying to stop him and has charged his deadliest assassin to bring back Catrin’s head.
To have the slightest chance of beating Marrock, Catrin must forge alliances with former enemies, but she needs someone she can trust. Her only option is to seek military aid from Marcellus—her secret Roman husband. They rekindle their burning passion, but he is playing a deadly game in the political firestorm of the Julio-Claudian dynasty to support Catrin’s cause.
Ultimately, in order to defeat Marrock, Catrin must align herself with a dark druidess and learn how to summon forces from skulls to exact vengeance. But can she and Marcellus outmaneuver political enemies from Rome and Britannia in their quest to vanquish Marrock?
A Fun-filled Fantasy
Winston’s Big Wind is a children’s story following a little boy who learned to embrace his intestinal issues and becomes a hero in the process. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My five grandchildren—none of them can stop themselves from laughing when someone passes gas. I constantly remind my grandkids that flatulence isn’t polite but when they were little, they told me they couldn’t help it. As they got older, they learned to control their intestinal gas but they still thought ‘farts’ were funny! So, I decided to write a story about a little boy who really couldn’t control his gas but who eventually was able to turn his big wind into a big win.
The art in this book is charming. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Sarah Gledhill?
My publisher, Atmosphere Press, connected me with Sarah Gledhill in Great Britain. I emailed her a copy of the manuscript and talked with her about the pictures I had in my head for the characters and the actions. Winston was designed after my red-headed, fun-filled grandson, and the little girl in the pit was designed after my one and only, at this point, three-year old granddaughter. Without ever seeing my little ones, Sarah created them incredibly like my descriptions. She was a joy to work with and is so talented. We still keep in touch in case Windy Winston rides again!
This seemed like a fun book to write. What scene in the book did you have the most fun creating?
I had a lot of fun writing this book. Coming up with synonyms for flatulence was a gas and creating alliteration was a fun-filled fantasy! My favorite scene is the little girl in the pit when Winston is holding the girl and her puppy in his arms. I like this scene because Sarah’s illustration looks so much like my grandson holding his little sister. I find it charming and I think child readers would like the idea of a little boy rescuing a little girl while also saving her puppy.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am working on two very different books right now. I plan to write a sequel to Winston’s Big Wind now that he is a hero. Winston loves helping others and since he can’t seem to stop his flatulence, he wants to use his gas for good! First, however, he has to learn how to control the gaseous gusts so that they come at propitious times. At the same time, I’m working on a sequel to my novel Dying to Live. Dying to Live is about a baby who is born with a full recollection of her past life as a Nobel Laureate medical scientist. During her new life she builds on her past medical advances combining new knowledge with her past excellence. Her cure for cancer wins her another Nobel Prize. In the new novel she will be born anew with two past lives’ worth of scientific knowledge. I’m still working on the research for this novel in which my protagonist will be born to a family living in a scientific enclave on the moon.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Winston was a breezy baby who became a tooty tot, and finally…a very gassy guy.
When he started school, his tremendous toots echoed through the classrooms and hallways. On the playground, his gusts of gas could be heard for miles in every direction. Though the other children and teachers came to love Winston for his kindness and sense of humor, they still called him ‘Windy Winston.’ For years he was full of embarrassment and shame over his flatulence faux pas—but one day, things changed for Winston.
Winston’s Big Wind is the story of how one little boy learned to embrace his intestinal issues and turn his wind into a win!
My Heroine’s Fatal Flaw
Delilah Recovered follows an unemployed accountant with an anxiety disorder when she’s attacked by witch hunters and learns that she’s actually a powerful witch. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Anxiety is something that I have firsthand experience with, and I wanted to write about it. I wanted it to be my heroine’s fatal flaw, the obstacle within herself that she’d be forced at every turn to face and overcome with each challenge thrown her way. I am a huge fan of Victorian gothic novels, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is an inspiration for this story. There are several Easter eggs throughout the book that refer to Jane Eyre, and some are not so subtle. In many ways, Delilah is a modern-day Jane thrown into a supernatural world.
I enjoyed watching Dee’s character evolution throughout the story. What were some driving ideals behind her character’s development?
The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by writer Christopher Vogler is one of the best go-to screenwriting textbooks of all time. It breaks down the hero’s journey. Once you read it, you can see it in every single Disney movie you watch. I wanted to write about the hero’s journey from a distinct female POV. I wanted to turn the trope of the sweet and innocent girl-woman who meets the big bad wolf man. She loses her virginity. He falls in love. She tries to reform him with her love. He pulls away. They get back together. He’s saved by her love. They get married and live happily ever after. I was interested in exploring what would happen to a heroine—if her reward wasn’t romantic love but something else. What if her reward was finding herself and her strength instead?
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Nelson Mandela once said: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” I wanted to explore that theme throughout the book. I believe that is why we love movies about superheroes. We love seeing them overcome their fears, challenges, and villains. I believe that if you spend time truly talking to someone and you hear their story, they have, on many occasions, overcome a fear to do something courageous. It might not be saving the world from annihilation, but it is courageous nonetheless. It takes courage to go to school, to get married, to stay single, to go on a date, to have children, to help a neighbor, to start a new career, to go to the doctor, to overcome an illness—to be human.
Another theme that I wanted to explore was the feminine, and witches confound us. They scare us because they are the maiden, the mother, and the crone. They have power that is deeply rooted in what we consider feminine traits, such as intuition, healing, and cooking up spells. For example, Merriam-Webster currently distinguishes four meanings of the noun witch, and two of them refer to the crone, “a mean or ugly old woman: hag crone,” and to the maiden, “a charming or alluring girl or woman.”
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I am an MFA candidate at Columbia College Chicago. I am working on my thesis, which is auto-fiction about my mother’s death and the grief that followed. It is a sharp turn from speculative paranormal fiction! I am challenging myself to look at structure and narrative in a new way. If it is up to my thesis advisor, it will be ready by June 2023. It took me ten years to complete Delilah Recovered, it is my intention to have my next novel out in no less than two years.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website
Until one fateful night when her reality cracks wide open. Two witch hunters attack her, and she finally learns the truth.
Well, part of it. As a descendent of Joan of Arc, her family is the “guardian of the ring.” Uncovering this information only leaves her with more questions. Why did her coven banish her for three-hundred years? Why is the ring so important? Why has her true identity been kept a secret from her?
To put all the missing pieces together, she must go on a series of mind-altering quests. She’ll risk life and limb to recover the facts traveling through time from the court of the Sun King Louis XIV of France to the Salem Witch Trials. Meanwhile, she searches Chicago’s shadows to find and translate her family’s grimoire pages, only to discover she’s the guardian of King Solomon’s ring and the power it holds to command good and evil.
From the safety of reality to the underbelly of a secret world, she must take her rightful place to protect witches and humans from the ring.
The Steps of Grief
Like Fire and Ice sends readers on a poignant poetic journey that delves into overcoming trauma, healing from trauma and loving who you are. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I started drafting these poems when I was a freshman in high school all the way up until I decided to publish the collection at the end of my graduation. They started as a way to deal with everything that had been going on in my life as well as tell my story—though I am an unreliable narrator. Throughout high school, I was constantly in therapy, and my therapist suggested I start a journal, which is what Like Fire and Ice consists of.
I really enjoyed your ‘The Anthem of Gen Z’ poem. Do you have a poem that stands out to you in this collection?
The very last poem, “Ash,” is important to me because it touches on a few important themes. The first theme is the steps of grief explored in this collection. Every section is designed to walk through the chapters I traveled to overcome abuse and trauma throughout my life. More importantly, the last theme that this poem touches on is the idea that we are not our past. To quote, the poem says, “In years that followed before this day/ I realize that I should have been cliché/ I was doomed to be another statistic/ and destined for nothing more than the 5-mile radius/that I was born into” (Like Fire and Ice). So many times, we believe that we are a coalescence of our background; however, I encourage the reader to understand that we are, in fact, a coalescence of how we decided to act based on our past.
What were some ideas that were important for you to explore in this book?
There were many ideas that I wanted to explore in this book, but to narrow it down to a few, I think there were three important things to take away from this collection. The first idea is to define and understand that abuse comes in many forms and can be inflicted by anyone. The main reason I stay anonymous is I am still serving in the Army National Guard. I touched on the abuse I was subject to as a seventeen-year-old kid in this book by someone who most would classify as a commendable, higher-ranked soldier. Sexual abuse is everywhere—in our military, in our homes, and in our schools.
The second idea I wanted to explore is mental health and trying to be as raw as possible about it. I believe that many depictions of mental health in the media are not necessarily false but not entirely true. Mental health is vastly complicated, but unlike what the media may have you believe, it is completely manageable.
The last idea I wanted to explore is accountability and self-reflection. Many abuse victims create a self-fulfilling prophecy using a victim mentality. The way to combat that is to realize that some shitty things in your life are not because of your abuse, your childhood, or the shortcomings life has thrown at you. Some shitty things in your life are your own doing, and we as survivors, not victims, must become better than our abusers.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your poetry?
I hope the reader can get closure. I did not publish this collection to make profit—though I would be a liar in saying that extra cash isn’t nice. I published this in the hopes that someone would read it and finally feel heard. I want survivors of abuse and mental illness to feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This collection is not easy to read, and there are many triggering poems. Though I think some will find it healing to finally stare the ghosts of their past in the face, fight the darkest parts of themselves, and finally realize that healing is not forgetting. Healing is realizing that our past is simply a small piece of our timeline.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
These poems dive into the issues of depression, abuse, rape, and growing up in the broken American economy. Split into three parts: Fire, Ice, and Ash, this collection tells a different aspect of the author’s life and delves into overcoming trauma, healing from trauma, and loving who you are.
In Like Fire and Ice by Eli, we experience a journey of overcoming poverty, rape, and abuse through fire, ice, and ash.
We Are Our Own #1 Priority
No Unpaid Passengers is a collection of poetry expressing your life’s experiences and learning to choose yourself as what matters. Why was this an important collection of poetry for you to write?
Thank you for that description, it’s very accurate! Too often, we forget that we are our own #1 priority – if we’re not taking care of ourselves, healing ourselves, and loving ourselves, it becomes almost impossible to fully show up for others in our community. And also, when we’re not prioritizing our own internal care, it can be difficult to be aware when our needs are not being met in our external relationships. If we don’t love ourselves enough, how can we ever release the people, places, and things that harm us?
This poetry collection reflects a lot of that. Much of what I write is inspired by my own healing journey, from complex family dynamics to religious trauma to racial tension – these are all things I work through with my therapist and inner circle constantly. Each poem in this book was written at a pivotal moment in my healing journey – moments of pain, joy, sorrow, grief, love, friendship, and more can all be found in these pages. It is an important collection that I can’ wait for others to hold in their hands so that they know they are not alone. Healing is possible.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
The hardest poem to write in this collection by far was “How to Build a House.” It is a poem that details decades of religious trauma, and how I’ve been trying to rebuild myself in the aftermath. The “House” that I speak of has been an ongoing work in progress, and like the poem suggests, it’s very challenging to build a whole new world for yourself when your foundation has been based in very specific, very strict religiosity. But it is possible – my House isn’t complete, but I am working on it.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Oooh – so many. The critics reviews that I’ve received so far for No Unpaid Passengers have all said similar things – this isn’t a poetry collection that is just about religious trauma or family dynamics or divorce or finding love. It’s all of those things. This book seeks to explore the fullness and complexity of the human experience. There can be joy and there can be sorrow, simultaneously. I hope people see themselves in at least one of these themes.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your poetry collection?
If you take one thing from this collection, I hope that it will be that you are not alone. When we go through grief or pain or trauma, it can feel isolating. But we are all more alike than we are different. I hope you find your community and your healing. And I’m grateful if this book can be part of it.
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This book is “PG-13” and contains some adult language. Some of the aforementioned themes may be sensitive for certain audiences. There are also themes of joy, friendship, love, home, flowers, and butterflies. Enjoy the ride!
A World Turned Upside Down
Broken follows a young woman in a dystopian future who finds fate placing her on a dangerous path toward freedom. What were some sources that informed the development of this novel?
I watched a lot of films that covered dystopian fiction as inspiration for world-building. These include Mad Max, Terminator, Bladerunner, a little touch of The Walking Dead, and Divergent. My fascination with dystopian fiction started with Farhenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. The idea of a world turned upside down, and the separation for survival by the main characters really thrilled me and piqued my interest.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
The escape from the Horder village. it occurs right toward the end, and the weight of the escape and the things the stakes that were raised by the time Kessa and her friends reach this critical moment of the story was so heavy. I wanted to capture the sense of urgency in the narrative and hopefully keep the readers on the edge of their seats, guessing what will happen next or who might make it out alive.
Was there anything from your own life that you put into Keesa’s character?
The absence of both parents in her life was something I wanted to pull from my own experience of living in a one-parent home. How that experience shaped her character and what pieces or components of her personality could’ve or should’ve been different because it was a focal point.
What can readers expect in book two in The Young Hellions series?
The comic is a blast and was very exhilarating to script out because it allowed me to finally introduce more of the Ashers into the story-telling. So yes, readers will see zombies front and center here.
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It is 2035, and the path of Earth’s inevitable destruction has finally been realized. Efforts to perfect weapons of mass destruction and subsequently destroy one another have come to a head as the most powerful countries engage in an all-out nuclear assault—the time of The Big Drop—that nearly banishes everyone to death in a wake of destructive Fallout. Humanity devolves back to its carnal heritage of slavery to re-establish currency through the slave trade. Nobody knows who started it, but the devastation ravages every organic life form, both plant and animal. 90% of human life is wiped out, and of the 10% that survive, radiation poisoning has varying effects on the human genome, creating both mindless beasts called Ashers and beings with special gifts – Alphas. As humanity struggles to survive, migrating to the safety of continental coastlines in search of fresh water, the planet scurries to salvage some kind of economic stability. Enter16-year-old Keesa Donovan and her younger brother Kiran. They live out their lives in a slave pod run by The Establishment, just outside Savannah, Georgia. Losing everything she loved after the Fallout, she desperately seeks freedom while navigating the trials of teenhood, sifting through emerging feelings for her best friend Wynn, and realizing the growing attraction for newcomer Dobbs. Confounded by her gift of ESP, she is haunted by unexplainable visions of mysterious days to come, holding onto a sliver of hope that one day she and her brother will be freed. But on the fateful day of the annual Reckoning, Keesa’s life takes a turn as fate steps in and forces her onto the narrow road of her destiny.
Greed Trickles Down
Azabu Getaway follows a detective in Japan who investigates a murder and kidnapping. This case takes the detective into a dark world of greed, and he must find the girls before more violence occurs. What was the inspiration for the mystery in your story?
I was reading all these articles about how wealthy businesses and individuals were moving their money overseas to avoid taxes, and it really irritated me. Most people stumble around, complain, and pay their taxes, but some feel the need to avoid paying any tax at all. They really got away with it, so it all seemed so simple and so unfair. I wanted to look at how that system affects ordinary people, and what it means. I don’t believe in any economic trickle-down theories, but I’m sure that greed trickles down. I also wanted to look at how non-Japanese live in Tokyo, and how they integrate into life or fail to. That’s a topic close to home for me. So, all of that mixed together into this mystery about marriage and crime.
With five books (so far) for Detective Hiroshi, he has faced a number of unique and creative adversaries. Where do you get your inspiration for the villains in your novels?
I’d like to say the inspiration is outside of me, but I think all of us have some degree of villainy lurking inside of us. One of the problems of the media is they don’t go into the motivations of criminals, so that’s why novels are so important, to give us a more rounded and complex view of why crime happens. I don’t think it’s about taking a crime and putting that into a character. It goes both ways. Usually, I start by wondering what kind of person would do these terrible things and then think about why. In that sense, Detective Hiroshi is not fighting crime but fighting individuals. The adversaries are very good at what they do, even though they do horrible things. So, I imagine how that kind of person would think or act, and then I ratchet it up a level or two.
What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
I often rewrite while I’m commuting. I try to find a not-too-scrunched space on the train or at least with enough room to move my right hand, which isn’t easy on Tokyo trains. And then I pull out a pen and work over a few printed pages. Fairly old school, but the paper printout seems to give space to the words and makes them special. Writing on the train helps me see the flow of words differently. I have to finish the chapter before the last stop. When I get home, or to my office, I type the changes in and print them out for the next commute. It seems to help me focus.
Will you be continuing the Detective Hiroshi series, or do you have any new series planned?
I have several more in the series outlined, so I’ll finish those. There is a new detective, Ishii, and Hiroshi will have some changes in his home life. I do have another new series planned, one written in the first person, and also set in Tokyo, but it’s still in the planning stages. I’ll probably work on two historical standalone mysteries I’ve been researching before I start that new series, though. I’ll squeeze in another collection of non-fiction essays about Tokyo life, too. Lots more to write!
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After the murder of a high-flying executive in one of Tokyo’s wealth management firms, Detective Hiroshi finds himself investigating the financial schemes that secure the money of Tokyo’s elite investors. His forensic accounting gets sidetracked, though, by a second murder and the abduction of two girls from the home of a hotshot wealth manager.
The abducted girls are the daughters of an international couple who seemed to have it all—a large apartment in the high-end Azabu district, top schools for the children, and a life of happy affluence. Their life falls apart and they are swept up in threats and pursuits for reasons they cannot fathom.
Tracking the money and tracking the two daughters leads Hiroshi into Tokyo’s murky financial past and outside Japan’s borders as he discovers how overseas investments and tax shelters are really managed.
Hiroshi works with Sakaguchi and Takamatsu and others on the homicide team, including an assertive new detective, as they confront greed and violence in one of the wealthiest cities in the world.
Azabu Getaway is the fifth novel in the award-winning Detective Hiroshi series.
“A series that’s only getting better.” Kirkus Reviews
“If there’s a better crime series set in Japan, I’ve not yet read it.” Crime Thriller Hound.
“Hiroshi is one of the most distinctive and intrepid detectives in contemporary crime fiction.” Best Thrillers.
“Fans of quality police procedurals will welcome more of Hiroshi.” Publishers Weekly
Way Outside My Comfort Zone
Higher Connections is part humor, part educational, and part real-life experiences, all in relation to the use of cannabis and how it can help create deeper connections and meaning in life. Why was this an important book for you to write?
To be up-front, I NEVER thought I would write a book, especially about a topic like this. I am a Certified Public Accountant – I deal with numbers all day, every day! So writing a book was WAY outside of my comfort zone.
However, after I started having some of these interesting experiences and connections while high, I eventually got up the nerve to speak to my wife (Alexandra) about what thoughts I was having and she encouraged me to write them down.
It wasn’t until after I had my out-of-body experience that I detail in Chapter 5 of the book that I really thought people might want to hear and understand what I was going through.
The real importance to this book, however, comes in Chapter 6 where I talk about the benefits to me and my relationships from cannabis that I never had with alcohol. I am more at peace, I am able to understand others better and my “elevator music” stops and I can focus on the important things in my life much better than I can otherwise.
I know some people grew up hearing cannabis was evil or a gateway drug so I thought it was important for me to tell my story and hopefully others will be more comfortable at least trying the plant out, going forward.
What is one thing cannabis that you think is misrepresented in the media?
As I note above, some people have heard that marijuana is a gateway drug or that is addictive, which based on my experiences is very far from the truth. I am not addicated (I just took a mone month tolerance break and was just fine) and it has not led me to do acid, shrooms, LCD or any other pschodelic drugs.
One thing I stress in the book is that if you look at other things that most humans consume on a daily basis (e.g. red meat, sugars, fried foods, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.) that are perfectly accepted in society, you will find that marijuana is likely better for you (or at least not as bad) as several of these items yet it is still federally illegal because of xenophobic positions taken all the way back in the early 20th century.
Hopefully as more professionals and others come out in support of marijuana, this will change and marijuana will FINALLY be legal and I can advertise my book on Amazon 🙂
Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?
Overall, the research was really just attempts by me to somehow support the crazy thoughts that were in my brain.
When I was researching the information about witching hours, multiple personality disorders, paranoia, possessions and reincarnation, it really did amaze me how most of those concepts could be explained by the ability of humans to connect to other humans or other energy in the universe through the concept of a third-eye.
I am not saying that is what is actually happening but it was interesting to research the impacts on the brain when those situations are occurring and to potentially explain what causes each of those circumstances to occur.
It was also interesting to read the limited research on marijuana in humans to strengthen my arguments about what is happening in my brain when I am high (i.e the brain does seem to speed up under the influence of THC).
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
As I mentioned, I am not a writer. Explaining some of these thoughts around third-eyes, souls and simulation theory was not easy and I tried my best to do it but I am sure it may be perceived as just ramblings of a guy high on cannabis. That is fair and I would certainly be apprehensive about some of the things I write about in this book.
However, when you step away from that and look at all of the cool connections and experiences that Alexandra and I have had, I hope people become more open and willing to try this for themselves in order to (Hopefully) develop deeper and more meaningful relationships with those around them. You can try to connect with anyone in your life – a friend, family member, work colleague – it doesn’t have to exclusively be to someone you are in a romantic relationship with. Chapter 7 gives a summary of how anyone reading can attempt to connect with someone around them to see if they feel or think something different than they normally would.
On our podcast, Higher Connections, Alexandra and I came up with a great way to do this. If you are trying to connect with someone – watch THEIR favorite movie together while you are high (Alexandras was Boomerang) and see if you react similarly to how they are reacting. This may be a great way to determine if you are able to connect with someone else.
Either way, Alexandra are I really enjoyed the process of writing this out and hope the readers enjoy the content as well!
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website
The book summarizes my experiences with cannabis, the interesting connections I have made, the benefits to me from making these connections, what I think is happening that allows me to make these connections, and some other random and (hopefully) funny observations I have written down while high.
I hope you enjoy the trip as much as I did.
LITERARY TITAN 