Blog Archives
A Web Of Conflict
Pray to the Dead: Book Two in Angels Have Tread Trilogy is a unique and interesting concept for a storyline. Where did the idea for this trilogy come from, and how did it develop over time?
As part of a writing course, we were asked to write an action scene so I had this idea for a researcher looking for a cure to save her son. That formed the basis of the character for Dr Harris. As I developed that idea, I realised that most action books and movies are set in a male dominated world. In the first draft of the first book in the trilogy, When All Hope Is Lost, I didn’t explain to readers that all men over 20 had died from a disease. Instead I dropped the reader directly into a world where all the characters were female; politicians, doctors, guards, reporters. I gave those opening chapters to a number of readers and the response from male readers was interesting. They were visibly upset by the lack of men. That’s when I realised that I didn’t want to write about the disaster or the struggle to get through it. I wanted my readers to discover a world that was already a comfortably established matriarchy. It’s a world that accepts women in all walks of life.
What was your approach to writing the interactions between characters?
I wanted to create a three dimensional world so I felt it was important to have multiple points of view. I wanted characters that had known the world before the pandemic and those who’d grown up in this changed world. I wanted to show that intergenerational conflict. I also wanted characters that came from different locales which is why there is the urban versus rural points of view. In my first book, When All Hope Is Lost, the relationships are laid out in parallel lines. Patricia the reporter lives with her mother. Dr Bonnie Harris with her son Josh. Evelyn as the political leader in Melbourne has her inner circle in the same way Sofia has hers in the Warragul Colony. The idea was to bring these separate lines together in a web of conflict that reaches its conclusion in the final book of the trilogy.
What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?
I took the creative writing course as a way to reconnect with life. I’d spent time caring for my partner whose dementia was slowly eating away at both our lives. Covid struck, he went into full time care and I was bereft. I’ve always made up short stories but I found myself with a lot of time and the need to deal with my loss. That loss added a new dimension to my writing.
What will the next book in that series be about and when will it be published?
The next book, For Where There Are Harps, is still in first draft but it brings all the characters together in the civil war called the Great Upheaval. As one of my early readers pointed out, this world is out of whack and you need to put it back in balance. Book three is about destroying what isn’t working and laying the groundwork for something that will be better.
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When Industrialization Runs Amuck
Rilloön: Dark Passage follows a young and strong humanoid-like female who takes off on a dangerous seafaring adventure to save her people. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Believe it or not, a very vivid dream served as the inspiration behind Rilloön. I dreamt of an island clan that I presumed had once lived on Earth. It was simple hunter gatherer society that farmed from a rice paddy field. Life was somewhat simple for these people with one major exception. The problem these folks encountered was a major snake infestation. This issue was so bad, they had created a temple for the snake gods.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t exactly a pleasant dream. These people practiced ritualized sacrifice so their entire population wouldn’t be decimated by the plague of serpents. Sacrificial beds lined the deepest room in the temple. The unlucky few were slid into the snake mouth carved at the foot of the bed. This tunnel, in turn, emptied into the dark “underworld.” These lost souls were never seen again.
What was the inspiration for the culture of your characters? Is it modeled after any particular society?
Primarily, the culture is heavily influenced by ancient Mesoamerica. I studied the Aztecs and Mayan while in school. There is also a generous helping of Greek mythology mixed in. I paid homage to Apollonius’s ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ in the later chapters. As you can probably guess, I was pretty much geeking out the whole time.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
There are a few themes that I explore in my book. The first is that of an oppressive society. The echniodyne are a poor and ragged society. They have somehow managed to survive after the brutal decimation of their world. (Fun fact. The name I gave them is a zoological reference to barnacles. They literally cling to the volcanic spires that jut out of the Alkaline Sea.)
The echniodyne are ruled by the Fettaris, an upper-class order of priests. This sect administers the fell will of their new gods, the evil Lecht’veneá. It was interesting to dissect the many different levels of their hodgepodge society. The echniodyne work together to survive, but things are far from harmonious. From top-down, every level preys upon the other in some manner.
You could also say the book is very environmentally friendly. Karoquil is an extreme example of what happens to a world when industrialization runs amuck and unchecked. Let’s just say that there is no love lost between the surviving mutants and their forebears. Their world is a living hell.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out and what can your fans expect in the next story?
This is the first book. I am planning on finishing the story up in a second which will be a bit different from the first.
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Set sail across the treacherous Alkaline Sea.
Join the ranks of a brave crew as they travel into the unknown.
But beware, there are more than ravenous creatures waiting out past the forbidden zone.
Sinister forces lay beneath the dark undertow.
Watching.
Waiting.
Capricorn, Utopia & Days Gone By
Capricorn, Utopia and Days Gone By is a collection of novellas with very different stories from author Jerry. J. C. Veit. The only thing that really ties these stories together is the author’s superb writing.
Capricorn is a tragic love story between Capricorn, an abandoned young woman that was brought up in isolation, and Montague, a man following his mission of retribution. Montague made it his life’s mission to destroy demons in the cities around him. He finds Capricorn underground and she reminds him of the power of human connection and love. I felt very moved by the story and I felt that it was reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, but with more of a dark fantasy tone. I enjoyed the atmospheric writing and reveled in the bittersweet love story.
Utopia is another tragic story following a young lawyer that doesn’t really learn his lesson; that the truth of life is caring about other people. He is offered freedom for silence and finds that the world that he enters into is anything but a utopia, even though everything is set up to be so. I felt sorry for the protagonist because I felt connected to the character due to the authors sharp writing. I felt like the whole story was cathartic and revealed a lot of truths about life. The author weaves into all of his stories a great moral lesson which gives the story a lot of depth.
Days Gone By is a poignant drama that follows a newlywed couple through various changes and traumatic events but mainly focuses on Caleb. He struggles with depression and is overcome by his own negativity and inability to stay uplifted. He is forever changed by tragic events of family members, but through this trauma he manages to come to an understanding of himself. Days Gone By for me was a deep look into the human psychological condition and I found it be an emotionally-resonant read.
Overall, the three stories couldn’t be more different in setting and plot, but all three will leave readers with an important message. Jerry J.C. Veit incorporates philosophical meaning and truths into his stories, which I personally enjoyed. This is a worthwhile collection of novellas that will leave you pondering.
Pages: 290 | ASIN: B0BKLPTWZZ
Remnants
In the year 2044 in a world where the economy is broken due to inflation and overpopulation, people started killing themselves because of overwhelming debt and poverty. There is pollution in the air and water and people are dumping chemicals and destroying animal habitats. People revolted and stopped working because, eventually, money had no value. People gave up eating animal meat because it was too toxic, so they began to eat each other. Copy 13, from the Haldis species, lands on this dying planet to begin replicating itself. It learns that the planet is dying and humanity along with it. Will she be able to replicate and build a new society on this toxic planet?
Author Kristin J. Wall has created a visionary dystopian novel that is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining. I was enthralled with the depth of the decay of the world and how the author meticulously created it; or in this case, destroyed it. Copy 13 is a fascinating character. She is intelligent but has no emotion, yet as a reader I still had empathy for her. This nuanced balance of emotions reminded me of the character portrayals in the sci fi movie Equilibrium. I especially felt sorry for Copy 13 when she realized that humans had destroyed their planet.
Copy 13’s behavior and thoughts were always interesting, and I felt like she was similar to the Terminator in a cold and calculating way. There were times when I had to reread a sentence because of how Copy 13 describes the things that she sees. They are foreign to her so they come off as foreign to the reader. For instance, when she sees a human, she calls that person a plump and filthy creature. The author does an excellent job describing Copy 13’s surroundings so that I was completely immersed in her world. Although there isn’t much action in the story I was still captivated by Copy 13’s agenda and I wanted to know what was going to happen next.
Remnants is an intellectually invigorating and riveting science fiction novel. With a main character that is complex and compelling and a plot that is engaging and smart, fans of thrillers will have plenty to enjoy in this thoughtful post-apocalyptic suspense novel.
Pages: 250 | ASIN: B0BFQV9CRZ
The Way We Play God
Discoveries follows three strangers searching for answers who are all headed for the same place and must work together to survive and save humanity. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I woke one morning, having dreamt of an idea for a novel, and sat down that day to start writing. As the ideas came thick and fast, the scope of the story developed, such that I soon found myself planning a five-book series. Other areas of inspiration came from my home country, my extensive travel experiences, the state of the world and possible outcomes I imagined, as well as my faith.
What was your approach to writing the interactions between characters?
I have always found dialogue the most challenging part of writing, so I often find myself reading it aloud in voices, drawing on my skills as a Drama teacher! The idea that we hide so much in any interaction was really important to me, so I have tried to leave the audience and even the characters doubting one another’s motives – and at times, even their own.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I was (and still am) interested in the way we play God – but when we do, we tend to make selfish and frivolous decisions, both individually and as a society. The idea of this driving humanity into a dystopian situation when we could have done so much good with the power of magicium was important. Other issues like social outrage, the complexities of parent-child relationships and ideas around charismatic personalities and self-doubt shaped the series.
What is the next book in the series that you are working on and when will it be available?
I have released five already: Discoveries, Disruptions, Disciples, Disintegration and Dissidents. Book 6 (as yet untitled) is currently being written and will most likely come out midway through 2023.
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In a post-apocalyptic future, humanity has been forced underground by Abominations, fantasy creatures created through the power of magicium. And when the Abominations rebelled, the secrets of manipulating magicium were lost.
Carla is smothered in secrets. Logan obeys without thinking. Junior regrets every choice he makes. They all want one thing.
All three are in a race to the broken city of Shanghai to recover a prized canister of the magical substance. Determined to brave the Open, each will discover about the lost science of magic on their quest – and will risk being torn apart by their mistakes, past and present.
If you don’t know you’re in a race, how do you know when you’ve won?
Where The Real Story Begins
Restart follows a group of teenagers who survived the initial apocalypse and are trying to save humanity from those that wish to alter the world. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
For a long time I’ve enjoyed dystopian stories, and like a lot of people I’ve begun to worry about our increasing dependence on technology and what it would mean if all that power were gathered into one place. What if it were held by one person? Why would she want that power? So motivation, I think, is where the real story begins.
Uly had simple plans for life, and saving humanity was not part of them. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Uly represents a lot of decent kids who more or less do what they are supposed to do. He’s not perfect, but when pushed into a corner he will fight back, and only as much as is needed. He despises bullies and just wants to be left alone. In short, he’s been taught to follow the Golden Rule, but that isn’t easy in a post-apocalyptic world. So he struggles to hold onto his ideals when trying to fight monsters. And although he gives himself very little credit, he’s better at things than he cares to admit. I think a lot of people see themselves in Uly.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Friendship and the need to support one another is an important theme as the kids realize they can’t depend on family members who are no longer there. Yet they want to maintain community. Another theme is knowing when and how to fight against abusive and absolute power. And while fighting back, how to hold onto your humanity.
What is the next book in the Restart Series that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am currently writing Book II of the Restart Series, and hope to have it available through Cosby Media Productions by Summer 2023.
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When a computer virus decimates the earth’s population, four teenagers and a dog survive, searching for answers while trying to escape packs of humans wired to hunt and kill. These four teenagers must band together to find solutions that will hold the key to saving the world. Yet the most dangerous enemy of all… is betrayal.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, never seems to make noise on the world scale. That is, until now. Ulysses (Uly) is a teenager with dreams. Most of which range from earning straight A’s in school, making money, and marrying the girl of his dreams one day. None of these include saving the world, but Ulysses has learned to always keep his options open.
But one day, all his dreams and hopes crash and burn when a worldwide apocalypse is transmitted through electronics such as cell phones, laptops, and TV screens, bringing the entire planet grinding to a halt. Even worse, Ulysses is now being hunted by ruthless humans called The Changed, programmed to hunt and kill survivors, controlled by a female scientist only known as Eve. Separated from his family, Ulysses teams up with his friends Xavier, Maxine, and Tyler, along with a dog named Finn McCool, determined to stop Eve’s plans and restore the world in… a Restart!
LITERARY TITAN 