Interview

Clearly April is turning out to be a busy month for me. Click the link below to read an interview with me by British author and co-founder of Author's Reach, Richard Hardie.

Feel free to leave a comment to let me know what you think.

http://richardhardies.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/interview-with-author-lynn-hooghiemstra.html#comment-form

Book Review: Mars One

Mars One by Jonathan Maberry

It’s been quite a while since I indulged in reading a book in one sitting. This past weekend, however, I let everything be and got comfortable with a really good book; reading till very late into the night. (Yes, Monday morning was a little rough)

Mars One is NY Times suspense author, anthology editor, comic book writer, magazine feature writer, playwright, content creator and writing teacher/lecturer, Jonathan Maberry’s foray into YA science fiction. I’d say he’s exceeded expectations and in the process has set the bar quite high for his fellow writers. 

Imagine being a 16-yr. old boy and having trained and prepared for the first manned mission to Mars since you were 12. Your mother is an insanely good mechanical engineer and your father is a top notch botanist who will be growing food on Mars for the colonists.  Tristan Hart is no slouch as a mechanic either. Now mix in the normal stuff a 16-yr old boy in love with a girl has to deal with and you start to see how this might be a different adventure. 

The story is very well crafted. And is so much more than boy meets girl and has to leave girl to go to Mars. It asks and manages to thoughtfully answer some very big questions that face humanity. Maberry has created deeply relatable, diverse and intelligent characters who, in a not too distant future, leave behind everything familiar and set out to become the first colonists headed for Mars. 

The science has been meticulously researched and is offered in a very natural way without going over the reader’s head. A treat for a secret space nerd, like me. 

What rounds out this well-written story that follows young Tristan Hart and his parents along with their fellow colonists on their journey, is the depth and breadth of information the author appears to have at his fingertips and is able to blend seamlessly into the narrative: history, philosophy and mythology all fitting neatly in and adding extra layers to the story.

This is an author I would enjoy talking to and learning from over a good meal. The ultimate would be to co-author a novel, but for now I’ll put that in the wish column.

Researching Off The Beaten Path

One of the best parts about writing is that sometimes researching a character for a book takes me off the beaten path and down a different road into territory I’m only barely familiar with. Research gives me the opportunity to learn a little about many different things. Without giving away too much about book I’m working on, let’s just say the main character has a few unusual skills that are needed to solve a mystery that spans the continents.

Today, I thought I’d share with you a short interview with someone who’s helped me in developing my protagonist. Her name is Marie Black and she provides strategic intelligence. You can find a link to her website and more details about her services at the bottom of this interview.

Marie, welcome to my blog. I’m eager to hear your answers as I’m sure my readers are curious about what you do as well.

1. You have an interesting and usual skill set. Can you tell me a little about how you came to develop it or did it appear naturally?
M: When I was little, telepathy was very interesting. Unfortunately, there weren't many minds to practice it with, but I could always read people's thoughts. Since youth I've also developed clairvoyance, clairsentience, clairaudience, and communication with spirits using ancient techniques. I've also mastered Remote Viewing.

2. What kind of work do your skills lend themselves to? And how do you use them?
M: My psi skills have been used to locate missing people, criminals, and terrorists actively engaged in plots to attack large groups of people. I've also helped thousands of people with all sorts of problems. It's like psychic investigation.
I use my skills by tuning into the keywords, people, or a location, and gathering necessary data to answer the questions.

3. Do you think skills such as telepathy and remote viewing are unique or can anyone learn them?
M: I think everyone is born with the gland to develop psi skills, the Pineal Gland is the window. Anyone can learn telepathy and remote viewing, but it takes DAILY practice to get good with psi skills.

4. What is the one thing you wish people would understand about your abilities?
M: Everyone has the potential to develop these abilities, but it takes a lot of focus and practice. Don't give up!

5. If a protagonist in a novel had your skills how would that be a benefit to tracking say an international art thief?
If the protagonist looked at a photo of the stolen art, the location of the thief could be pinpointed no matter where on Earth they were hiding.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by. This should give people a hint of what you do, as well as some clues to the book I'm working on. 

For more information about Marie and her work, please take a look at:

http://marieblacksite.wordpress.com

Intelligence Services -
https://marieblacksite.wordpress.com/intelservices/