About Jessica Yinka Thomas

Jessica Yinka Thomas is a novelist with a background in toy design and social entrepreneurship. As managing director of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, she has authored several award-winning academic articles. Jessica has worked as a designer of interactive educational toys, as the director of a social enterprise business plan competition and as a program manager for a community development nonprofit. How Not to Save the World is her first novel. Jessica’s writing highlights her twin passions for technological innovation and for creating significant social change through entrepreneurial ventures.

Growing up in West Africa and traveling around the world has provided her with a rich background from which to draw in her writing. She lives in Arlington, VA with her husband, Jeff Forbes and their son Xavier. Jessica enjoys knitting in the winter and competing in triathlons during the summer. She holds a BS in Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

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The Interview

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

Absolutely! How Not to Save the World follows the story of Remi Austin, a fundraiser for the African Peace Collaborative (APC), a conflict resolution nonprofit founded by her late mother. Frustrated by her inability to raise funds and faced with the imminent closure of the APC, Remi turns to a life of crime to keep her nonprofit afloat. From Sydney, to Tokyo, Geneva and Cape Town, Remi transforms from a fundraiser too shy to speak during staff meetings into a daring international art thief who must stop a war from breaking out and figure out how to save herself from a life behind bars. With the help of her best friend, a designer and inventor who creates gadget-packed gowns, Remi eludes a dashing insurance agent and a terrifying stalker, all while redistributing the wealth of the world, one work of art at a time. I like to call it a social justice thriller.

Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

I started out writing nonfiction travel stories as I traveled around the world in my twenties. I read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron while traveling across Australia and wrote in big letters at the close of the book, “I WILL WRITE A NOVEL.” That was 13 years ago. I’m inspired to write because I see storytelling as a compelling mode to engage people in big ideas. My hope is that everyone who reads my work will think about how they can find their personal path to leaving this world better than the way they found it. I also just love writing. I’ve never had a moment of writer’s block. The page is the one place I can funnel all of the ideas swirling around in my head. With a generous amount of editing, those ideas can be transformed into a story and even a novel, or two or three.

What are you currently working on?

Sequel. Trilogy.

Great question! I am working on a sequel to How Not to Save the World, which is the second book in the Remi Austin Adventures trilogy. The sequel is tentatively titled How Not to Make Friends. I’m shooting to complete it this year. I don’t want to give too much away but here is a sneak peek. How Not to Make Friends is a suspense novel set in a world of high culture, high fashion and high-tech gadgetry, about a band of three friends who make a pact to solve the world’s problems, big and small.

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?

I certainly wouldn’t consider myself an expert but I do have two pieces of advice for other writers out there.

Write what you love! I’ve taken my inspiration from the world around me and from the parts of life that I love. I weave my travel experiences into my writing, my passion for technological innovation and my personal vision for creating systemic social change. The story in How Not to Save the World evolved from a desire to create a compelling story that would include all of those elements.

Write every day! Even if it’s only 30 seconds of making notes on your phone or 5 minutes on the computer at the end of the day. I discovered a great app called Dragon Dictation that transcribes audio. So, I will “write” on my commute to work, capturing ideas along the way, but only at red lights, of course. The woman who runs my fitness class is probably frustrated that I will often pick up my phone in between sets and make notes about dialogue, character development, settings, etc. She probably thinks I’m texting my friends, but it keeps my mind distracted during the bicep curls and keeps me writing!

Is there an author that inspired you to write?

My father. He is an economist and would never define himself as an author although I have a shelf full of his academic publications. He has committed his life to demonstrating how technology can be a powerful tool for social change. His work has changed many thousands of lives for the better. He is my writing role model in many ways.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

I welcome feedback from readers. Part of my marketing strategy includes participating in book club discussions about the novel. The process has actually provided fantastic feedback for me as a writer and as I work towards completing the sequel to How Not to Save the World.

So please connect with me on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/J-Yinka-Thomas-Author/126522400703035), Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/jyinkathomas), Google+ (https://plus.google.com/u/0/103171471354420883556/posts) or via email (jyinkathomas@gmail.com). Thank you!

About How Not to Save the World

Remi Austin is a fundraiser for the African Peace Collaborative (APC), a conflict resolution nonprofit founded by her late mother. Frustrated by her inability to raise funds and faced with the imminent closure of the APC, Remi turns to a life of crime to keep her nonprofit afloat.

From Sydney, to Tokyo, Geneva and Cape Town, Remi transforms from a fundraiser too shy to speak during staff meetings into a daring international art thief who must stop a war from breaking out and figure out how to save herself from a life behind bars.

With the help of her best friend, a designer and inventor who creates gadget-packed gowns, Remi eludes a dashing insurance agent and a terrifying stalker, all while redistributing the wealth of the world, one work of art at a time.

About Robert Nelson

Robert Nelson was born and raised in Garner, North Carolina where he earned the connections and street credibility needed to bring a sense of authenticity to his work. Consequentially, this lead to his stay in the luxurious NC-DOC where through a lot of retrospection he developed a strategy to defeat what he had become. Through the guidance of the Aryan Brotherhood and the variety of other hardened criminals he  played cards with he focused his energy into developing his skills as a writer to keep the youth from making the same mistakes he did. If he can open just one pair of eyes through his writing, everything he’s put into these pages would have paid off.

The Interview

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

Real Eyez Realize Real Liez is a gritty Urban Novel which epitomizes the World behind the World and illustrates the battle we as Americans fight against drugs, crime, and corruption on a day to day basis. As much as the storyline educates about the Urban Sub-Culture; it also goes through great lengths to inspire what one person can accomplish through the transformation each character experiences in order to contend with monumental odds stacked against them.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

In 2008, I was subject to a 25 month stay in the luxurious NC Department of Corrections. During which I ate, slept and played cards with high ranking members of various street gangs as well as the Aryan Brotherhood. I kept my mouth closed and ears open and subsequently compressed all the knowledge and lessons I learned into the pages. All in the hopes that the next teenager won’t have to go through what I did in order to learn the error of their ways.

Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

My inspiration was the constant revolving door at the head of each Correctional Facility. Everyday good kids, smart kids with potential, are getting sucked into the “Gangsta Lifestyle” and throwing their lives away trying to earn some street credit or a name for themselves. My work was written solely to throw a wrench into this revolving door, and maybe, just maybe, save someone’s life from death or incarceration.

Who is your biggest supporter?

My Family and my loving Girlfriend have supported me from the day I walked out that Penitentiary gate. She even lent me her stunning features for the cover image. I’ve also received an enormous amount of encouragement from my circle of local fans here in the Triangle Area of NC. Lastly, my extended family still on lock down in various Prisons around North Carolina. Those same boys who shared food, clothes and a lot of laughs with me and who made fun of me for spending my hours hovering over a notebook.

Your biggest critic?

The trio of Correctional Officers who made it a habit of trashing my work at every opportunity claiming it was “Dangerous to Myself and Others.”  Despite their interference, I committed as much of the story to memory s I could until I could transfer to a camp more conducive to the Literary Arts.

What cause are you most passionate about and why?

I speak for the young men and women hypnotized by the Gangster Subculture. Those who turn to crime when they don’t necessarily have to and end up sitting in a cell when they had a perfectly good life on the outside. Modern culture idolized criminals and I hope to provide them with an alternative… Rappers are entertainers and Hip Hop is just music… It’s not a lifestyle.

In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?

My Grammatical/Editorial and Revisional Skills have skyrocketed since I’ve been transferring my work from scribbles on haphazard notebook paper to a complete digital work. I’ve also picked up on several angles on how the writing business works and what audiences really want, as well as how to reach those particular demographs.

Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?

I always order an Author Copy or two and autograph it for my Father and Girlfriend. With any luck, the first signed copy of Real Eyez Realize Real Liez may be worth a premium one day.

Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?

No specific person has looked over my shoulder and whispered the words into my ear. The storylines just seemed to rush out of me as I focused all my stress, angst and longing for home into the pages. I will say my Aryan Brotherhood mentor first opened my eyes to the afflictions of modern culture. He sparked the powder keg, and my creativity adapted his advice, molded it, and then took off with it. The last I’ve heard he was very proud and doing everything he can to promote my work on the inside.

What is the most important thing in your life right now?

The most important thing in my life is building a life with my soul mate. The journey is a roller coaster, and all we can do is keep fighting toward the horizon. Ideally, I would love to write full time; concentrating solely on bringing the fascinations floating around in my mind into existence and sharing them with the world.

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently transferring the sequel to Real Eyez Realize Real Liez onto my laptop. The series is a three-part trilogy, each one going harder than the one before it. Each edition forcing new trials and tribulations on the characters my audience has grown to love. All the while educating the masses on how to combat the spread of the Urban Illusion, but addressing it with Pride, not Hate. To Hate someone is to give them control of your mind.

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?

In between every page, every line even, it’s your World to sculpt and create. You are God on paper, so when you dream, dream BIG.

Is there an author that inspired you to write?

My first experience with in depth writing was KA Applegate and her extensive Animorphs series. More recently I have made a point to peruse as much Steven King as possible. When learning a trade, why not study the greatest? I also enjoyed the patients Stephanie Meyer took in bringing her characters to life in the Twilight series.

What are some of your long term goals?

To eventually reach the same underground buzz that many of the most notorious Urban Books have developed. Several readers have claimed Real Eyez Realize Real Liez is the rawest Contemporary Urban Tragedy ever scribed to paper. I feel that one day I will have beaten the competing Urban Authors at their own game.

What do you feel has been your greatest achievement as an author?

To defy the odds I was facing in the NC Department of Corrections, and succeed in bringing my work from prison out into the world.

What do you feel is your biggest strength?

My biggest strength is my over-active imagination and ability to pack hand grenades into every paragraph. I specialize in conjuring the shock and awe affect that so many Authors struggle to create in a setting that makes the grandiose not only believable, but completely possible

Biggest weakness?

Sun Tzu said over confidence is a weakness. I’ve considered that maybe I have too much faith in my work, and its potential dominance over the Urban Genre. Then again, who would publish a work that they wouldn’t take pride in?

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

The majority of Urban Books glorify the lengths people will go through in pursuit of a Gangsta’s Paradise right here on earth. My book is the Anti-Urban book. Illustrating the heights regular day to day people will rise to, to defend the innocent from the spread of Crime, Drugs and the Gang Lifestyle.

You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?

The Swiss Family Robinson of course. How else would I learn how to make a Boom-Box out of Coconut Husks?

If you could go back and change one day, what would it be?

Honestly there are several that I would love to take back. More than I have fingers and toes for. Off the top of my head I would not have antagonized the two people who later skipped class and keyed the Bejeezus out of my 68 convertible.

Are you a different person now than you were 5 years ago? In what way’s?

I have grown and matured in ways I never would have thought possible five years ago. I fell victim to the same Gangsta Lifestyle that I seek to combat in my book. If I could go back, I honestly would have smacked some sense into me. Though I may have never blossomed as a writer had I not messed my life up as bad as I had all those years ago.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?

If I could some up my mentality all at once. Be thankful for what you have, because it could always be SOOOOO much worse. Even if you’re sitting in a dark hole with only a bucket to use as a toilet, give thanks that at least you have the bucket… Secondly, that a little faith paid to the man upstairs goes a long way. My whole life I feel I have struggled against an invisible all powerful entity. Once I accepted God into my life, I think we finally started playing from the same side of the board.

Is there anything you regret doing/not doing?

I regret that it has taken this long to set Real Eyez Realize Real Liez’s wheels in motion. I should have been at this stage months ago, but with a full time job and full work load at school there’s only so many things I can squeeze into each hour of every day.

What is your favorite past-time?

Most lately my Girlfriend and my favorite past time has been hitting up the local Dub-Sessions Raves sprouting up around Raleigh. There’s not much of a bigger thrill than hopping up on stage with my baby, and twirling glow sticks around my body with the latest Dub Step pounding in my ears.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

If I can open just one pair of eyes to the plight facing the youth of America these days then all the work I’ve put in will be worth it. The lessons are all there, hidden in the lines of Real Eyez Realize Real Liez… Lessons only the reader can Realize with Real Liez.

About Real-Eyez Realize Real-Liez

The War for the heart of Urban America won’t televise from some foreign shore. It’ll be fought in your living room with dope, cash, blood and bullets. The American way of life has strayed into the shadows and one by one we’re losing our children to the illusion of Hood Dreams and a Gangsta’s Paradise.

Only one man stands strong enough to hold back the tide. A renegade Aryan Prodigy and his crew, and an unfathomable amount of guns are all that protects the last shreds of civilization in the streets. The name Riley Bennett will echo through the ages as he who so loved his people that he’d rather see the World in flames than see them suffer. The War is coming… Whether we’re ready for it or not…

About KJ Steele

KJ Steele is an emerging writer who has learned that the process is not so much about choosing what to write as it is about having the courage to write what chooses to be written. Having spent the first half of her life creating an amazing family with her husband, Victor, she intends to spend the rest of it creating equally amazing fiction.

You can find out more about her and her book by visiting her website at http://kjsteele.com, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KJSteele4 and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/No-Story-to-Tell/122592254511039

The Interview

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

No Story to Tell is a story about Victoria Lackey, a once promising dancer who now finds herself trapped in a passionless marriage, and arid existence. Upon meeting Elliot, a sensual artist who has recently moved into the remote, gritty town of Hinckly, life begins to get a bit complicated for Victoria. Elliot recognizes the dancer’s spirit in Victoria, and encourages her to open a dance studio. This has been a long-buried dream of Victoria’s, but she now realizes that although her dream may of been buried–she’d buried it alive. Renewed with a new set of resolve, and Elliot’s belief in her, she sets out to resurrect it. Which unleashes a great deal of conflict between her, and her boorish husband, Bobby. Anonymous telephone calls, dark secrets, and mysterious intrigues begin to fill Victoria’s days as she attempts to find her way forward to a freedom she desperately seeks, but seems to remain just as elusive as ever.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

Yes. It possessed my pen and highjacked my life! Quite seriously. I had had no intentions of starting a novel. (I can’t help but think that the normal thing would be to start with a poem, or perhaps a short story!) I had taken a writing class because words and writing had always held a huge fascination for me. Our first assignment was to: create two characters and a conflict, and write a paragraph. This novel is my paragraph! When I say that No Story to Tell is a story that demanded to be told, I am speaking quite literally!

What cause are you most passionate about and why?

Children, families, and empowering women. I grew up watching a lot of very disempowered, somewhat helpless women. Somehow, I was able to discern at an early age, that these were patterns of behavior that invariably linked like a chain, from one generation to the next. When a child grows up with disempowering behaviors modeled to them, (whether male or female) the chance of them repeating that cycle is extremely high. I instinctively knew that, not only could we do better than this as human beings, it was imperative that we did so for the health of our society. Being aware of this cycle has impacted me greatly in my life. I’m a great believer in our ability to do better, to grow stronger. And, by empowering ourselves, we empower the next generation to be just that much more confident in their own abilities. I am incredibly passionate about this issue, and a lot of that passion finds its way into my writing.

What are you currently working on?

I’m very excited about my next novel, which I’m in the process of writing now. It’s set in an insane asylum (as they were called) around the turn of the century. It’s a deeply textured, somewhat twisted love story, with dark mystery and abandoned tunnels. I’ve been doing a great deal of studying the history of psychiatry from the 1700’s forward. Fascinating, but emotionally challenging work, at times.

Is there an author that inspired you to write?

I don’t know if I can honestly say there was one singular author that inspired me to write, although I have certainly found inspiration from many of them. Poe fascinates me, as does Kafka. DM Thomas was very instrumental to my development as an author. But, truly, I’d have to say that my inspiration comes from the stories themselves. They come to me, and I am compelled to write them down to share with my readers.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?

A great question! Life has brought me so many important lessons. I believe the most important one is to trust myself. There is a wonderful gift of empowerment that belongs to those who have trust in their own abilities.

What is your favorite past-time?

My absolute favorite thing to do, is to ride my horse up the mountain behind my house. Just myself, and my horse, embraced inside a forest of trees, looking out over the lake far below us, occasionally sharing the trail with deer, or mountain goats. It is the perfect place for me to let my mind rest, and just enjoy the gift of being alive.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Yes! Thank you so much for hosting me for this interview. As an author, I really value the times I get to interact with my readers. The one thing about being a writer that many people don’t realize, is that I never get to read my book for the first time. I have been there for every part of its evolution. Because of that, I am, quite literally, dependent upon my readers to share their experience of how the book affected them. So, I invite everyone to come visit me at my website to share their thoughts with me. Good, bad, or otherwise, I’m interested in hearing about the novel through a reader’s perspective. kjsteele.com

About No Story to Tell

Victoria Lackey, a once extraordinarily promising dancer, now finds herself mired down in a joyless marriage, tending to a heart full of secrets, her dream of being a dancer buried deep within her.

Buried within her, that is, until Elliot, a newcomer to the small, gritty town of Hinckly and a sensual artist, recognizes the dancer’s spirit within her. Believing in her abilities, he encourages her to open a dance studio, something previously forbidden by Victoria’s boorish husband, Bobby.

With Elliot’s attentions sparking the flame of desire within her, Victoria suddenly begins to receive softly seductive anonymous telephone calls. Encouraged by her best friend, Rose, Victoria slowly allows herself to start enjoying the calls, eventually creating a perfect fantasy lover in her mind. Eventually, she slips from listener to speaker and begins to divulge the intimate and profound secrets that haunt her soul.

Inevitable tensions begin to arise between Victoria and Bobby as he attempts to keep her newfound freedom from taking root. Desperate to resuscitate the woman she was truly meant to be, Victoria is in for the struggle of her life. With a burden of secrets collapsing around her and a life hanging in jeopardy if she embraces her own, Fate devilishly delivers her to an impossible fork in the road

About Richard Blunt

Richard Blunt is the author of the fantasy novel, Lucas Trent: Guardian in Magic.

He is currently working on his second book in the Lucas Trent series.

You can visit his website at www.lucastrent.com.

Visit him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lucas_trentand Facebook at www.facebook.com/people/richard-blunt.

The Interview

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

Certainly. It is actually the first part of a series. It tells the story about a teenager that stumbles from a quite normal life into a wonderful world of mystery, conspiracy and magic, that had always been right before his eyes, hidden in plain sight. It tells a story about friendship and trust, and about the fact that things are not always as simple as they appear to be.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

The story had been in my head for quite a while, so it was only a matter of time before I finally went through with writing it down.

Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

It’s my first book. I love reading fantasy stories, so contributing one was somewhat obvious.

Who is your biggest supporter?

My girlfriend. She always gets me back on the ground when I loose focus.

Your biggest critic?

That would be my girlfriend too. She is not easy to impress.

In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?

I always try to improve on my skills. Regarding writing and publishing I think I learned a lot about the later, and will hopefully get it done more smoothly next time.

Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?

Check it again, and again and again. And when everything is perfect, check it again.

Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?

Many other writers and their stories. Seeing what I like from them, and what I don’t like from them, gives me the inspiration I need.

What is the most important thing in your life right now?

Keeping everything in balance… There are many things I would like to do, but my day only has 24 hours…

What are you currently working on?

I am currently writing the sequel to “Guardian in Magic”.

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?

For writers: Never give up. If you have a good idea, see it through to the end. Even if it is hard.

For readers: Try to look a little behind the pure lines of a book. The things that are written between the lines are sometimes more amazing than the story itself.

What are some of your long term goals?

As an author? Well, I would like to see the storyline through to the very end and hope to do it in a way that keeps my readers interested.

What do you feel has been your greatest achievement as an author?

Holding my first book in my hands. Can’t beat that.

What do you feel is your biggest strength?

I am calm to the very end. There are many hurdles if you try to publish a book (as there are in any other aspect of life…) but as long as I remain focused there is always a way to solve them.

Biggest weakness?

I do have high expectations, which sometimes makes it hard to work with me. And as much as I like creating stories I am very weak with illustrations. Bad thing…

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

There is more depth in the story than I see in most of the others. It’s a book you can read many times, not only because the story is fun, but also because you will understand new details every time you read through it.

You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?

Hopefully a book about ship building… Or maybe about farming and fishing. I can live with myself quite well, so I don’t need entertainment, I just need to survive.

If you could go back and change one day, what would it be?

There is none. I like everything the way it was, good things as well as bad.

Are you a different person now than you were 5 years ago? In what way/s?

I am more experienced now, having learned quite a lot from my mistakes, so yes I am quite different now.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?

Panic doesn’t help. Stay calm and you stay alive.

Is there anything you regret doing/not doing?

There are many things I would maybe have liked done, but not having done those is what makes me the man I am, so in the aftermath I wouldn’t do them even if I had a chance.

About Lucas Trent: Guardian in Magic

“Guardian in Magic” is a fantasy novel located in a world very similar to the one we live in. It tells the story of 16 year old Lucas Trent, an IT student living in Luton, England. His fascination for the supernatural leads him to take a glimpse at the world from an angle only few others look at. An angle that teaches him the true meaning of friendship, loyalty and trust in ways he had never experienced before.

Journeying through a secret community that is hidden in plain sight, he suddenly finds himself forced into living two lives at once, keeping his true identity even from his close family. In a struggle to handle this situation, he gets pulled deeper and deeper into a swamp of conspiracies and coincidences surrounding a young girl and the very truth about magic in the real world…

About John Banks

John Banks was born in Asheville, NC.  His storytelling is very much in the Southern tradition, with a special affinity for humorists such as Mark Twain and the Old Southwest school of writers.  Though entirely imaginary, much of the material in Glorify Each Day must have come from his many years as a teacher in the public schools and community colleges of his native state and from the three years he spent as an a community college administrator.

Visit his website at www.819publishing.com or his Facebook Fan Page here.

The Interview

Could you please tell us a little about your book?
Glorify Each Day, to my mind, is a comedy with some very dark undercurrents. Most of the people who have commented on it so far, however, have stressed how dark and sinister it is. I think the reason for those different perceptions is that I, as a writer, know how difficult it is to create good comedy, so I think I tend to gloat over whatever laughter I’m able to squeeze out of people, while the general reader, I think, is more deeply affected by drama and emotion. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course, but it’s just one of several differences between what a writer writes and what a reader reads.

The main character goes by the name of Teach. He is an instructor in a community-college GED class. Without being too pretentious about it, I wanted Teach to represent, symbolically, the archetypal struggle between good and evil – within society and within ourselves. This is the same struggle, really, that is at the heart of a lot of literature – it all hinges on those moments when characters have to make life-altering decisions, and the tragic thing is that many times we don’t seem to have any control over the decisions we make. But Teach has made some horrible decisions that he is paying a high price for now – and Glorify Each Day follows Teach throughout his life as he deals with the aftermath of all the things he has done.

Since the novel is set on a college campus, I wanted to take advantage of the great variety of students that all colleges have. Teach’s class is filled with characters that I think everyone will recognize, yet, at the same time, are unique and interesting in their own ways. I gave each student an individual voice, and when Teach gives them a writing assignment, the reader is allowed to learn about these people through their own writing. And on a different level, I wanted each student’s story to reflect back on Teach in some way, so that Teach could see a lot of himself in these students’ stories. The idea was that since people often learn a great deal through stories, then perhaps Teach could learn how to better cope with his problems, too, through his reading.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?
There was no specific event that happened, but I did have a specific thought that kind of got the ball rolling. I was thinking about all the fights I used to have as a kid – fights mostly with boys that I considered to be my good friends. I wasn’t a mean kid – but I had a king-sized temper. Nothing bad ever came from these little fisticuffs, but my thought was, what if a young boy accidentally – or not so accidentally – kills his best friend during one of these harmless childhood fights? How would that affect his life from that time forward? How would it affect him as an adult? And, most importantly, what kind of person would he have to be in order to be capable of doing something like that? And those questions quickly became the focus of the novel. Does a person have to be in some way evil or inhuman to be capable of great violence, or – as I suggest throughout the story – does he just have to be human?

What are you currently working on?
I’m turning some different ideas over in my mind, trying to decide which direction I want to go in. One thing I want to do is, I want to write a novel about how Americans often see themselves as separate from other nationalities and cultures — this idea of American exceptionalism. It’s been written about by a lot of people, but I think I can write something else thought-provoking about it as well. Historians and social scientists may take it upon themselves to answer the question, “Are Americans fundamentally different from non-Americans?” As a novelist, I’m not going to have any answers to that question, but what interests me are all the creative possibilities that come from simply exploring the question.

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?
This isn’t really advice, but one thing I’ve realized since writing my novel is that readers don’t give themselves nearly enough credit for their contribution to making a story meaningful. A lot of the praise I’ve been fortunate to receive has been along the lines of how realistic my characters are, but I don’t think I deserve all the credit for that. I think readers, in general, assume that writers are like painters – painting this elaborate, detailed picture of a world, either the real world outside or some fantastic, imaginary world. And I think writers buy into this fallacy, too – that their job is to paint as detailed a picture as possible for the reader, because, otherwise, how is the reader supposed to visualize what’s going on in the story? But the truth is, instead of being a landscape artist, or a portrait artist, the writer is actually more like a coloring book artist. I’m just drawing big, bold lines in easily recognizable shapes, but it’s the reader of the story who has all the crayons. The reader is really painting his own picture – or coloring his own picture – which is why everyone who reads a story has a different take on it. It’s the reader who breathes life into the characters and gives meaning to a story.

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?
I don’t know for sure. I think readers would be the best judge of that. Based on the people who have said that they stayed up half the night to finish Glorify, maybe its readability or its gripping-ness is what sets it apart. And although it’s not unusual to have a novel that combines humor and pathos, I’m not sure how many novels go to such extremes of low comedy and high drama. It goes, literally, from Abbott and Costello slapstick to dead seriousness in the blink of an eye.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?
It’s much easier said than done, but it’s really crucial to live in the moment as much as possible – don’t dwell on the past and don’t save everything for a rainy day. Go ahead and enjoy your life – it’s okay to do that, you know?

Is there anything you regret doing/not doing?
Are you kidding? The only regret I have in life is that I have had so many things to regret. Like I said, living in the moment, without regrets, is easier said than done. And if you don’t believe me, read my novel! People have asked me about the title. There is more than one reason why it’s called Glorify Each Day, but one reason is because the title Seize The Day had already been taken.

What is your favorite past-time?
Reading history and listening to music. I think the study of history tells the story of our shared humanity, in all its complexity, better than any other medium. Unfortunately, history often displays the miserable depths to which people can sink; but music always displays the sublime art they’re capable of – better than anything else I know of.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Just to say thank you. It’s been a pleasure.

About Glorify Each Day

Glorify Each Day is a darkly comical novel depicting the consequences of violence in modern American life.  It tells many stories.  Tommy “Teach” Morrison, the novel’s main character, tells the story of his relationship with his childhood friend Charles – a story of a horrible misunderstanding and a story that Tommy can never retell.  It tells the story of Tommy and Cait, a story of shared love and shared jokes, but a story that Tommy has doomed to end unhappily.

Glorify Each Day is the story of how Tommy becomes Teach, a man on a mission and on a quest for redemption – instructor extraordinaire (at least in his own mind) who must become the protector of all the ill-fated youngsters put in his charge.  It is the story of Teach and his father, a crusty, foul-mouthed abuser of everyone around him and proof that nuts don’t fall very far from the tree.

Glorify Each Day is a story about storytelling and the many different ways to tell a story – stories about Teach’s students; about superheroes, Jesus, races, raps, rapes; about a young woman who learns how to forgive her father, another young woman who learns how to forgive herself, and another young woman who learns that she doesn’t need anyone’s forgiveness.  And these are stories that Teach should be able to learn something from, too, stories that shine a light on lives disfigured by violence and loss.

About Alretha Thomas

An author, playwright, producer and director, Alretha Thomas is making her name through her pen. Award winning plays and wanting to help her community, Alretha’s background is as diverse as her personality. She started at the age of ten, when her 5th grade teacher picked and read her short story assignment in front of the class – that simple, loving act empowered a new writer. Continuing in high school, her numerous original oratorical conquests on the Speech Team led her to a journalism concentration at the University of Southern California. Upon graduating, Alretha soon realized that her interest in journalism was not heartfelt. While at the taping of a live sitcom, the producer noticed her and encouraged her hand at modeling. Modeling didn’t mean much to her, but it did lead her to acting and a NAACP Theatre Award Nomination (1993) for BEST ACTRESS. She feels that this acting stint gave her more fuel to write, and particularly, a better understanding of character development.

Alretha left acting and began to write full time. Her church gave her an outlet to fulfill her writing desires through their Liturgical Fine Arts Department wherein Alretha penned twelve theatre pieces – the community response was overwhelming. This led to full length plays outside of the church including Alretha’s play, Sacrificing Simone (2007) which had a successful run at Stage 52 in Los Angeles and was called “an inspirational crowd pleaser” by the Los Angeles Times and her most recent work, the ground breaking OneWoman, Two Lives, starring Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show), directed by Denise Dowse, which garnered rave reviews from critics and audiences. In between plays, Alretha’s first novel Daughter Denied was launched in 2008.

You can find out more about her and her book at http://www.Dancingherdreamsaway.com.

The Interview

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

“Dancing Her Dreams Away” is about a young aspiring actress named Shelia King who’s raised by her grandmother. Not having the love of a mother or father, has left a hole in her heart, and Shelia is determined to fill that emptiness by becoming a star. Her dreams seem like they are about to be realized when she meets the handsome, rich, and powerful producer, Gregory Livingston III. But unbeknownst to Shelia, Gregory also has a dream, a dream that could become Shelia’s worst nightmare.

Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

The readers who fell in love with my debut novel “Daughter Denied,” a story about a precocious seven-year-old girl named Tina who grows up with an abusive stepfather, inspired me to write “Dancing Her Dreams Away.” Now, if you told them this, they would probably give you a blank stare, because they actually wanted me to write the sequel to “Daughter Denied.” “Daughter Denied” was loosely based on my childhood. Trust me, I believe in giving my fans what they want, and I attempted to write the sequel, but I wasn’t feeling it. The concept for the sequel was all in my head and there was nothing in my heart. I actually completed the sequel and titled it “Daughter Denied Again.” It was over 300 pages, but 300 pages of heartless prose. A writer’s group that I belong to confirmed my suspicions, and I ended up trashing the entire book. I was devastated to say the least. I was beginning to feel like a one-book-wonder. I stepped back and meditated. Inside I knew there was a second novel just waiting to be born and that novel was “Dancing Her Dreams Away.”

Who is your biggest supporter?

My husband is my biggest supporter. He always encourages me and lets me write my little heart out. However, he does pull my coat when I spend to much time at the computer. Once I get going, it’s hard too stop!

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

“Dancing Her Dreams Away” is not predictable, although it appears to be. There are so many twists and turns, the reader’s head will spin. Lolita Allen of Divas Read 2 Book Club in Dallas, Texas said it all. “I had so many ideas in my head as to how this book was going to end, it’s unbelievable. Dancing Her Dreams Away was filled with romance, drama, suspense, mystery that will keep you glued to the pages.”

You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?

I would bring the Bible. It will always be my the book I turn to for strength, wisdom, and guidance.

If you could go back and change one day, what would it be?

It would be the day my mother died and yes, the reasons are obvious. I know she’s within me, and I believe she’s aware of my life. I actually had a very vivid dream wherein she appeared to me and she was very happy. She smiled and she said, “I heard you wrote a book.” This was around the time my debut novel came out. The dream was so real. I took one look at her and burst into tears. I was overwhelmed seeing her and I cried expressing the pain that I had experienced in my life not having her around. She hugged me and I woke up. I jumped up and ran screaming through the house. “My mother came to me! My mother came to me.” My husband, who was already up, reached out to me, and I collapsed into his arms.

About Dancing Her Dreams Away

Shelia King, a fun-loving grandma’s girl, needs to keep her days open for auditions in the hope of landing a role that will catapult her to stardom. With the threat of eviction looming, she scrambles to find a night job and convinces the owner of a hostess club to hire her. Now she’s a dance-partner-for-hire by night and struggling thespian by day. When her agent pitches a topless role, fearing her grandmother’s disapproval, Shelia declines. But after setbacks and considerable thought, she agrees to meet the producer. Gregory Livingston III is rich, suave, ridiculously fine, and the panacea for Shelia’s career woes. At first sight she shapes plans to win the role and his heart. She gets both and works hard to give an Oscar worthy performance. However, when the movie wraps, nothing can prepare her for the startling revelations about Greg’s past and the aftermath of a dream gone awry.

About Joseph Garraty

Joseph Garraty is an author of dark fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He has worked as a construction worker, rocket test engineer, environmental consultant, technical writer, and deadbeat musician. He lives in Dallas, Texas.

His latest book is the horror novel, Voice.

You can visit his website at www.josephgarraty.com.

Connect with Joseph at Twitter atwww.twitter.com/JosephGarraty.

The Interview

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

Sure! Here’s the setup: Johnny’s a lousy singer for a mediocre rock band, and he wants to be famous more than anything. Case is a hotshot guitarist with an enormous chip on her shoulder who happens to need a band. When she joins up with Johnny’s band, Ragman, the group gets a jolt of new life, and it soon becomes obvious that Johnny doesn’t have the chops to keep up. But somebody’s been watching Johnny—somebody who can give him a voice to move millions. . . if he’s willing to make a deal.

But when you deal with the devil, you never get quite what you bargained for.

Johnny gets what he wants, sort of, but his new voice has some fairly, shall we say, hellacious side effects.

Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

I’ve played in one local rock band or another for ten years or so, and I’ve been writing seriously for the last six. I’ve known for years that I wanted to write a book about a rock band, because the personalities tend to be so extreme that it makes for great conflict—which is what makes a good book. I didn’t have a premise for the central story, though, so I let the idea rumble around in my subconscious for awhile. Eventually, it knocked something over, and a whole story crawled out from underneath. I literally woke up in the middle of the night with a complete story outline in my head.

From there, it was just a matter of getting it on paper.

What are you currently working on?

I’m finishing up revisions on a nasty urban fantasy novel called The Price. It’s about a naïve kid who ends up as a wizard for the Mafia, thinking he’ll be able to protect his family and make a name for himself. He finds out, though, that the price turns out to be much higher than he’d expected, both in terms of blood and the wear and tear on his soul.

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?

Read some of everything. That’s the best advice I have for both writers and readers. Of course everybody’s got a favorite genre, but range outside it from time to time, and you’ll probably be surprised and gratified at what you find. I read mostly speculative fiction—horror, fantasy, science fiction—but some of my favorite books are literary (Catch-22) or philosophical (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance), to say nothing of non-fiction. I’ll read about anything from economics to quantum physics to sociology, and I’m continually amazed at how that stuff enriches my life and my writing.

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

I’d have to say the characters. I think a lot of horror relies heavily on the bad guy and shock value to carry the story, but I tend to lean pretty far in the other direction. For me, the more believable the characters are, the more unnerving the story. If they are well-rounded, three-dimensional characters with their own desires and ambitions, I feel like they are far more relatable and I tend to care about what happens to them more. I like to think I succeeded at that in this book.

What is your favorite past-time?

Playing guitar. It’s rewarding in a wholly different way than writing—less cerebral, more visceral (at least the way I do it). I’ve got several electric guitars and an acoustic, and I try to play every day, even if I can only fit in 20 minutes. My favorite axe is an ’87 Les Paul Standard. Weighs a ton, but it sounds like heaven.

Thanks for the interview!

About Voice

Local rock band Ragman is finally taking off. Stephanie Case’s flamboyant performances and scorching guitar work have started attracting crowds, and singer John Tsiboukas—aka Johnny Tango—is delivering the best performances of his life. After months of playing to dead rooms, it looks like success is at hand.

The thing is, there’s something wrong with Johnny’s voice. Until just a few weeks ago, he couldn’t hit the right pitch if you painted a target on it and let him stand real close. Now he sounds amazing. . . and strange things happen every time he sings. Lights burn out. Whole rooms become cold and hushed. People get violent.

For Johnny and Case, Ragman is a ticket out of a life of meaningless, dead-end jobs and one lousy gig after another, but as the weirdness surrounding Johnny begins to turn into outright nightmare, they find that the price of stardom might be higher than either of them could ever have imagined.

About Chamed

Chamed is not the registry office name of the author, yet it is not a pseudonym. She lives in Tuscany, she works mostly abroad, as a painter on canvas and porcelain. Some of her porcelain works are displayed in exhibitions in Italy, Sweden and Poland, France, Portugal and Brazil. My Heart Stopped Beating is her first novel. A second novel by her is forthcoming.

About My Heart Stopped Beating

Fourteen year old Italian girl, Chamed, is a living miracle after fighting illness since birth to live a normal life. Now fourteen years old, she feels a thrill of freedom when she convinces her parents to let her stay home alone while they go on holiday. She soon regrets that decision when she receives a call from her aunt Patrizia that the worst has happened: her parents have died in a car accident.

Things only get worse for Chamed as she mourns the deaths of her parents and suffers under the care of her aunt and uncle. Her aunt repeatedly abuses her and convinces others that she is an evil child. When Chamed’s best friend’s father sexually harasses her, the blame is placed on Chamed. Deeply depressed, she attempts suicide, only to find herself waking up in a mental hospital. Her nightmare is only beginning as she is subjected to electroshock therapy against her will – and worse from the nurses and doctors.

Finally she finds hope again in Dr. Franco, but will he be enough to save her from this living nightmare?

About Lilian Duval

Lilian Duval was born in New York City to French-speaking parents and went to public school with a French accent so thick that she was assigned to the slowest of four first-grade classes. “Thunder, not TUNDER!” the teacher scolded her in front of the class. “Mother, not MUDDER!”

“I got rid of my accent all right,” Lilian says in perfectly generic American English. “I also gained a lifetime habit of imitating people’s pronunciation. One of these days someone is going to punch me in the nose for that!”

She continues, “In those days, nobody worried about kids’ self-esteem. Medals for everybody? Forget about it! And those classrooms—they were labeled 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, and 1-4. You knew where you stood from Day One.”

Undeterred, her mother cajoled the principal into moving Lilian to class 1-1, where she spent her extra class time making up little stories in the margins of her schoolwork. The teacher in P.S. 89 was not happy about those marked-up papers and let her know it.

“Things got better in the third grade,” she remembers. There was a school-wide writing contest at her elementary school in North Bellmore, Long Island. The topic was libraries. “I was pretty hopeless at sports,” Lilian admits. “If someone threw a ball, I ducked. But I liked books.” In her essay, she wrote that books in the library were like houses on a street, and the rows of shelves were like roads. The rest of her metaphors were good enough to win her the first prize, presented at a school assembly: the book “A Child’s Garden of Verses” by Robert Louis Stevenson. “I read it over and over, but was disappointed because I’d really wanted a trophy, like the athletes got.”

That contest was the beginning of Lilian’s writing career. Along the way she has held an improbable array of jobs. Here are some of them, in chronological order: Nurse’s aide in a nursing home at age 16, where her specialty was emptying bedpans. Bookkeeper’s assistant at O. Henry Steak House in Greenwich Village. Suburban reporter for the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, Massachusetts, where a highlight was a report on the local pickle factory. Teacher of English as a second language to Indochinese refugees in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Instructor of computer programming at a professional school.

And, for 16 years, computer software developer for a long string of financial institutions in New York City, culminating with Lehman Brothers in the World Trade Center.

On September 11, 2001, Lilian was on a NJ Transit commuter train heading to New York when the terrorist attacks took place. Arriving at Hoboken Terminal, passengers were told to board trains and return home. All the PATH trains and ferries were carrying people one way only—west across the river to New Jersey.

Lilian’s husband, George, was already in his office at a brokerage firm on the 25th floor of One World Trade Center. “We couldn’t call him. He couldn’t call us. We panicked and couldn’t do anything.” Not until 2:00 p.m. did she and their three grown children learn that he’d escaped on foot across the Brooklyn Bridge while the towers were crumbling. Five days later, he revealed to his family that he’d been invited to a technology meeting at Windows on the World on the 107th floor that morning, but was so busy with administrative duties that he’d forgotten to attend.

“For two weeks after the attack, everyone at Lehman cried, hugged, and comforted one another,” she recalls. “We were installed across the Hudson River in Jersey City and crammed together into small cubicles. Our windows faced the Manhattan shoreline, where we watched smoke rising from the collapsed towers for weeks. It was devastating.”

Then the programmers were moved to midtown Manhattan and seated in the middle of a trading floor. It was chaotic. With 400 traders standing on their feet and yelling into their phones all day, writing a line of coherent software code was almost impossible. “So I went to Staples, bought a sheet of poster board, and set up a barrier between me and the guy opposite me at this long, narrow table. I could still hear him, but at least I couldn’t see him jumping and gesticulating.”

That act of defiance marked the end of her programming career. Fired from Lehman (”that was easy!”)—while there still was a Lehman—she became a technical writer for a software company and continued writing fiction on the side—lots of fiction. Her two books, You Never Know and the forthcoming Random Acts of Kindness, were inspired in part by those shattering events and a passion to capture what life means to us all.

Lilian Duval lives with her husband George, a native of Singapore, in a small house in New Jersey overlooking a large county park. They have two sons and a daughter, all independent and ambitious, and several cats. She’s an amateur classical guitarist and enjoys attending concerts and plays in New York City.

But writing has always been her calling. In her own words, “The most enjoyable activity I can imagine is to invent some characters, make them a little larger than life, set them bickering and thrashing against each other and their fates, and enact a fictional resolution that makes more sense than the chaos and unpredictability of our complicated lives.”

Lilian’s latest book is You Never Know: Tales of Tobias, an Accidental Lottery Winner.

You can visit Lilian’s website at www.lilianduval.com.  Connect with her on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/#!/lilianduval and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lilian-Duval/121776657899250?sk=wall.

The Interview

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

Tobias Hillyer had a promising future until a car accident claimed the lives of his parents. Abandoning his dreams, he dropped out of college to take care of his orphaned, brain-damaged younger brother. Now in his late thirties, Tobias struggles to provide for his family, working dead-end jobs that fall far short of the academic career he had imagined.

Then he wins the New Jersey Mega-Millions! His financial worries eliminated, Tobias anticipates nothing but smooth sailing ahead for himself and the people he loves. But he soon finds that his amazing stroke of luck may threaten everything he holds dear.
Over peaks and valleys, this uplifting journey challenges everything we think we know about luck, life, and what we value most.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

Yes, I’ve always been fascinated by those lottery winners we hear about. For years, even before the Internet was widely available, I collected magazine and newspaper articles about these winners, many of whom lived sad lives after they won. Why? I could not understand how they could end up worse than before. So I asked myself: what is it about human nature that inspires us to make lemonade out of lemons, but also lets us throw away life-altering opportunities?

Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

My inspiration for this novel about good luck and bad luck was a 1978 psychological study that asked the provocative question, “Lottery Winners and Accident Victims: Is Happiness Relative?” The researchers, Philip Brickman and Dan Coates of Northwestern University and Ronnie Janoff-Bulman of the University of Massachusetts, compared a group of major lottery winners with a group of paralyzed accident victims and a control group. Their counterintuitive conclusions about people’s long-term reactions to life-altering events inspired me to create a character who adjusts first, to terrible luck, and later, to amazing luck.

What are you currently working on?

I’m polishing my collection of seven short stories and one novella, Random Acts of Kindness, and getting it ready for publication. I might write one more story for the collection.

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?

For readers: Storytelling will always be an integral aspect of humanity, in whatever form people prefer—paperbacks, Kindle, narration, theater, or some other form of communication that has not yet been invented. Good fiction helps us make sense of life and its unpredictable adventures. Reading literature is good for the soul!

For writers: Ahh, that blank screen. Enticing, isn’t it? But it’s also threatening. What do you write when you can’t think of what to write? You can pick an anecdote from your life and use it as a seed for planting a new story. We all have catalogs of rich experience, and we don’t have to be rich to have them. Even so, how do you go from anecdote to short story or even a novel? Here are five concrete steps for getting started right now without chewing pencils in exasperation:

1. Sift through recent or past events. Let’s say that one of your neighbors or colleagues stands out in some way.
2. Write down an incident that happened around this individual as if you were talking to a good friend. It doesn’t have to be fancy writing—just the facts, as you remember them. Describe an event or simply an interaction between this character and someone else. Feel free to change things around.
3. Assign a new name to the real-life person in the vignette. Let’s say her name is Anastasia, and you rename her Stacy.
4. Invent a physical description for this new character, different from his or her appearance in real life.
5. Now read what you’ve written so far. The magic of fiction is already at play, and you’ve only just begun! This new character is truly your own. Go on from there to build your story.

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

Its unpredictability. As one of my readers said, reading this book is like watching a movie about life—your own life. Tobias, the protagonist, is an ordinary suburban guy who lives a more-or-less ordinary life until, halfway through the book, he accidentally wins the Mega Millions jackpot. Not many writers tell their readers in advance about the most exciting event in the plot. But, even though you know about the lottery, the events that take place before and after, and how the characters react to them, are completely unpredictable and surprising, all the way to the very last sentence.

You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. No one could have written a more perfect novel. His virtuosic use of language is the gold standard for all novelists.

About You Never Know: Tales of Tobias, an Accidental Lottery Winner

What happens when an ordinary person becomes extraordinary?

Tobias starts out in life much the same as any of us—not rich, not poor, with imperfect parents and unlimited ambition. When he’s twenty years old, his future is altered in irreparable ways after a tragic car accident pushes him down a new path. The once-promising anthropology major is forced to abandon his dreams in order to care for his orphaned, brain-damaged younger brother.

In his late thirties, Tobias works in a bookstore, trying desperately to make ends meet to support his family. His daily grind only reinforces the sadness that broken dreams and bad luck bring in their wake.

How many times have you heard someone say, “If only I won the lottery?”

When Tobias finds he has won the Mega Millions lottery, his unimaginable bad luck seems to have changed into unimaginable good luck … or has it?

Over peaks and valleys, this uplifting journey will challenge the limits of luck, life, and what we value most.

Find out more about the complications of Tobias’s friendship and rivalry with his best friend, Martin; the effects of all this bad luck and good luck on his marriage; and the struggles of his brother, Simeon, once a talented cartoonist, in … You Never Know.

About Lynne McTaggart

Lynne McTaggart is an investigative journalist and author, and a sought-after public speaker whose talks and workshops have transformed the lives of the thousands around the world who have heard her.

She is also an accomplished broadcaster, who has appeared on many national tv and radio shows, including Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra shows.

The hallmark of her work is exhaustive research that produces science-based discoveries in the worlds of science, spirituality and health.

She edits the monthly health journal What Doctors Don’t Tell You and was also the editor of the 48-lesson partwork, Living The Field, perhaps the most definitive work yet to bridge the worlds of physics and spirituality in its 768 pages.

She was born in the USA and now lives in London, UK, with her publisher husband, Bryan, and their two children, and pet dog Ollie.

To find out more about her visit http://lynnemctaggart.com or http://thebond.net

The Interview

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

For centuries, Western culture has taught us to think of ourselves as individuals. Competition, assumed to be the most fundamental of human urges, forms the basis of our society, our economy, and most of our relationships.

But in my view we are living a lie. All the crises we face today, including the financial recession, have occurred precisely because the lives we’ve chosen to lead are based on competition and are not consistent with our truest nature as givers and sharers.

I pulled together a vast array of cutting edge scientific discovery, which demonstrates that we are in constant relationship with everything and everyone.

All living things succeed and prosper only when they see themselves as part of a greater whole and fully embrace the space between us. The relationship itself. The Bond.

In addition to providing a new narrative for our lives, I also attempt to provide the first roadmap of how to live according to this new scientific story – a prescription for living based on cooperation and partnership.

Through many inspiring stories, I explain how to retrain ourselves to see the world from a more holistic perspective, to enjoy more cooperative relationships – even across the deepest divides – to enjoy more united social groups, and to discover a new and authentic purpose.

I hope to offer a message that is inspiring and empowering: by simple changes of perspective and action locally, each of us can become a major game changer, both to both transform our culture and to move out of crisis, individually and collectively.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

One of my daughters, a talented actress, had been chosen for the lead part in her drama class’s annual production, but a few weeks before the dress rehearsal had been shunted to a more minor role. I had never been able to discover the reason for the change—and my daughter refused to talk about it—until one of her friends let slip that, when a new director took over, another thirteen-year-old girl had lied about her acting experience in order to persuade him that she should be given the part that had been assigned to my daughter—her best friend.

When I tried to raise this tactfully with her mother, another spectator that day, she cut me off and shrugged. “Well, that’s life,” she replied airily, “isn’t it?”

I was taken aback, but I had to admit she had a point. Certainly that’s the life we grown-ups have designed for ourselves. Competition makes up the very warp and woof of the societies of most modern developed countries. It is the engine of our economy, and it is assumed to be the basis of most of our relationships—in business, in our neighborhoods, even with our closest friends. Being first, no matter how, has permeated our lexicon as a given: All’s fair in love and war. Survival of the fittest. Winner take all. He who dies with the most toys wins.

It is hardly surprising that highly competitive tactics have crept into the social relations of our children, leading to transgressions, large and small.

Our current paradigm, as provided us by traditional science, maintains a view of the universe as a place of scarcity populated by separate things that must turn against each other in order to survive. We’ve all simply assumed that’s life.

I began to ask myself a basic question: Does it have to be like this?

Were we meant to be so competitive with one another? Is it inherent in animal and human biology? How did it get like this? And if we’re not this, what are we supposed to be?

Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

The above story, but also another question I asked myself: why are we in such crisis in so many areas: finance, climate, foreign debt, terrorism, energy, etc. Has it to do with a faulty understanding of who we really are and how we’re meant to live?

Who is your biggest supporter?

My last two books, The Field and The Intention Experiment, both international bestsellers now in 25 languages, continue to sell well. They have a broad category of fans. People who like my books are interested in spirituality, new science (and how the two interlink), mind-body-spirit issues, ancient wisdom, cutting edge physics, new thought. The Field has a fan base of spiritual seekers and cultural creatives, but I also have huge fans among scientists, engineers and even the US military. When it came out, The Field was chosen as one of Amazon’s top spiritual and top science books for 2001.

Your biggest critic?

Dogmatic neo-Darwinists and atheists like Richard Dawkins.

What cause are you most passionate about and why?

Fairness in every aspect of life. I have launched a Fairness Campaign now because we are losing all our core values like fairness and integrity, and without them we cannot sustai interdependent life. Life in the west is at its most unfair in history, and the science shows that the more unfair a society, the more everybody loses, rich and poor.

In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?

I’m always working on improving my writing. I’ve improved on social networking skills and on running workshops to help people to create small ‘pods’ of social activism.

Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?

My rituals are followed while I’m writing. I write everyday without fail from 9-2. I don’t change computers until a book is done. I carry a notebook around with me everywhere because toward the end of putting together a book, ideas are coming to me all the time – first thing in the morning, last thing at night, while riding on my bike, etc.

Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?

Twentieth century writers like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Virginia Woolf, but also so-called ‘new journalists’ – Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, Hunter Thompson, Truman Capote – who wrote non-fiction using fictional techniques. I have a background as an investigative reporter (my first book was an expose of adoption and I posed undercover as a pregnant woman and then as a prospective adoptive parent and ultimately uncovered a number of babyselling rings). My heroes in journalism were obviously people like Woodward and Bernstein. I still believe strongly in the responsibility of the press as a fourth estate – a watchdog for the public interest. The recent scandal concerning News International shows the extent to which this historical role for the press has deteriorated.

What is the most important thing in your life right now?

My husband and two daughters and Cavalier King Charles spaniel Ollie – all four are always number 1.

What are you currently working on?

Helping people to recover The Bond in their lives, in their neighborhoods and in America through new ways of relating that help them individually and collectively re-establish strong connections with other people for everyone’s benefit.

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?

For writers: write everyday and be dogged about getting into print. These days, you don’t need a publisher to publish. And rewrite – a lot. For readers: move past your comfort zone of interests and read books about new ideas.

Is there an author that inspired you to write?

No. I knew I wanted to write books from the age of 7.

What are some of your long term goals?

My greatest goal – the subject of my last three books, The Field, The Intention Experiment and The Bond – is rewrite the scientific story that human beings live by. We are on the brink of a revolution in our understanding of who we are. My hope is that my books inspire people to evolve past the competitive and me-first mindset that has shaped modern times. I also hope these books will play a small role in helping humanity evolve in a positive and sustainable way past these various crises.

What do you feel has been your greatest achievement as an author?

Inspiring people to realize that human beings are something more than the nihilistic image portrayed by much of modern science – namely, lonely people on a lonely planet in a lonely universe.

What do you feel is your biggest strength?

An ability to research exhaustively and to use storytelling in order to make highly complex topics like quantum physics both comprehensible and engaging to lay people.

Biggest weakness?

It takes me two or three years to write these kinds of books. Also, I have the kind of personality that can leave no stone unturned when it comes to research.

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

I’m told that my books are the best written and researched in this genre, and I get many incredible plaudits from many well-known figures (see my current endorsements for The Bond). My book The Intention Experiment, its website and I were extensively quoted and a character based partly on me in Dan Brown’s latest novel, The Lost Symbol. I’ve been in many documentaries, including What the Bleep Down the Rabbit Hole, The Living Matrix, and most recently Ace Ventura director Tom Shadyac’s I Am.

You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?

The Complete Shakespeare, so I could get to the plays I’ve never read or seen. Or Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow so I’d have the time to figure out his meaning. Or War and Peace – haven’t got round to reading it.

If you could go back and change one day, what would it be?

The day my father died. It was the day after Father’s Day, I hadn’t been able to reach him by phone the day before and he was in an electrical accident the following day and was killed. I never got to say goodby.

Are you a different person now than you were 5 years ago? In what way/s?

Very much so. More humble about what I don’t know. Content that I’ve got down in print some of what I’ve wanted to say about the human condition. More involved in the work that I love.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?

Don’t be afraid to stand for something – or to stand up to something that is wrong or unfair.

Is there anything you regret doing/not doing?

Not being chosen for cheerleading in high school.

What is your favorite past-time?

Art museums, theatre, gym, walking or biking, yoga and reading.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

I have been given some great nicknames during this latest book promo tour: a ‘metaphysical rock star’, ‘the Madonna of the Quantum World,’ ‘the Malcolm Gladwell of new science’ and (my favorite – from Tom Shadyac), ‘The Dalai Mama’

About The Bond

We are strong when we unite – we are weak when we compete.

If you are among the millions who are saying right now ‘There has to be a better way’.

The Bond provides a message of hope, inspiration – and a practical way to change, starting with your home, then your neighbourhood, your community, your town.

The Bond is setting the agenda for that change. It demonstrates that we have been living in a way that is against our own nature, against every cell in our body.

For centuries, Western science and many Western cultures have taught us to think of ourselves as individuals.

But today, a revolutionary new understanding is emerging from the laboratories of the most cutting-edge physicists, biologists, and psychologists:

What matters is not the isolated entity, but the space between things, the relationship of things.