An Interview by Jonathon LaMella

Alan Brennert was born in Englewood, New Jersey, to Herbert E. Brennert (an aviation writer who contributed to such magazines as Skyways and American Helicopter) and Almyra E. Brennert. Since 1973 he has lived in Southern California. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from California State University at Long Beach, and also did graduate work in screenwriting at UCLA. In addition to novels, he has written short stories, teleplays, screenplays, and the libretto of a stage musical, Weird Romance, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by David Spencer—produced in 1992 by the WPA Theatre in New York, it has since been licensed for regional, high school, and college productions. A cast album was released by Columbia Records in 1993.

 

Hi Alan, tell us about your novel Moloka’i What’s the story about?

It’s the story of a Native Hawaiian girl, Rachel Kalama, growing up in Honolulu in the 1890s, who at the age of seven is diagnosed with leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) and sent to the quarantined settlement of Kalaupapa on the island of Moloka’i.  It’s her story, but also the story of Kalaupapa itself, and of the ordinary men and women who were exiled there over the course of more than a century.

 

How did you get started as a novelist?

I sold my first novel, a paperback thriller, when I was twenty-three.  Over the next twenty years or so I wrote two more contemporary novels at the same time I was working in television and film.  The unexpected success of my first historical novel, Moloka’i, has allowed me to become a full-time novelist, something I’d always dreamed of.

 

Why did you write Moloka’i?

The majority of books I found in my research centered on Father Damien, who was a great man who did great good for the people of Kalaupapa.  But he was just one man who died of leprosy…out of thousands of other men and women who lived and died there, pretty much anonymously.  But because Damien was white, and a priest, he has commanded most of the world’s attention all these years.  I like to think that he’d find this as unjust as I do. I was interested in those anonymous lives, and I felt while writing the book that I was in some small way giving voice to those whose voices have been lost to time. I hope they’d approve of what I’ve done.

 

What do you want readers to get or learn from reading Moloka’i?

I want them to experience a little-told part of history that has been largely swept under the rug due to the stigma of leprosy.

 

How did you get ideas for the main characters?

Some are based on real people, others are real people, but my main characters are fictional—though everything that happens to Rachel as a Hansen’s Disease patient is something that actually happened to such patients back then.  I took experiences that were common to most patients and made that the armature of Rachel’s life, then superimposed a fictional character onto that.

 

Have you ever been to Hawaii? If so, how was the experience? And how did you translate that research into Moloka’i?

I’ve been going to Hawai’i for thirty years—it’s my favorite place on earth.  I’d been collecting books on Hawaiian history, mythology, and sociology for years, just out of personal interest, before I ever thought of writing something set there.  But when the time came, my familiarity with the islands and my research library came in handy.

 

As a writer, who are your main influences?

I have an eclectic group of authors and books that have influenced me; taking it vaguely chronologically from my youth:  Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, George Elliot’s Silas Marner, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Ray Bradbury’s The October Country, Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon, Robert Anderson’s play Silent Night, Lonely Night, J.G. Ballard’s short story collection Vermillion Sands, Jonathan Strong’s Ourselves, John Knowles’ A Separate Peace, Nathanael West’s Day of the Locust and Miss Lonelyhearts, the novels of Edward Lewis Wallant (who wrote The Pawnbroker), Larry McMurtry’s The Desert Rose, and Harriet Doerr’s Consider This, Señora (which indirectly inspired me to write Moloka’i).

The common elements among the above books?  An emphasis on character development and a strong sense of time and place.  Which I guess has inspired the same qualities in my own work.

 

What is the best part about being an author?

Communicating with readers, both through your work and now, directly, via the Internet and book clubs.

 

And the worst?

Communicating with readers with borderline personality disorders, of which I’ve encountered a few.

 

What books have you recently read and loved?

I don’t have much time for recreational reading while I’m working on a book—the last one was Lonelyhearts: The Screwball World of Nathanael West and Eileen McKenney by Marion Meade, whose work I love (she also wrote a fine biography of Dorothy Parker and a terrific book about Jazz Age women writers, Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin: Writers Running Wild in the Twenties).

 

What can your readers expect next from you? What do you have planned for the future?

I’ve just finished a new novel, Palisades Park, which—although there is one chapter set in Hawai’i during World War II—takes pace largely in my native state of New Jersey.  It’s about a quirky family of dreamers who own a food concession at the legendary Palisades Amusement Park (subject of the Freddy Cannon song from 1962) and the story follows them from the Great Depression through World War II and the Korean War, up till the park’s closing in 1971.  It’s a love letter to a place that I loved as a child, as well as the story of a little girl who grows up dreaming big dreams.

 

Are you on Twitter or Facebook? Do you have a website? Is there more info about Moloka’i?

My website is www.alanbrennert.com and I am on Facebook, under my own name.  There’s also a Facebook page devoted to Moloka’i that my publisher administers, and I drop by it occasionally.  I do not tweet.  You have to draw the line somewhere

When H.G. Wells and Ron Hubbard, some of the most prolific science fiction writers of our time, created their books they told tales of technologies and theories above and beyond their time.  Most of us at that time didn’t even think this kind of science was possible.  Some of what they speak of in their novels would downright scare a person, and thank goodness, it’s only fiction; however, what if, it may not be.  What if these writers spoke about what actually did happen, and that some of it took place in the 19th century?

In Terrence Aym’s book, Mysteries of the Multiverse: 25 True Stories from Time and Space, Aym tells tales of true or well-supported theories of sciences that will scare the living daylights out of you, and amaze you at the same time.

In this book, Aym’s gives countless instances that could prove that time travel is possible.  Maybe it;s not technology we have in use right now, but it could be plausible that it has been invented by alien beings and used before our very eyes.  I have to admit, I was skeptical about the whole time travel/space warp theory, but after reading these documented finds, it made me think.  Heck, this may be true.

The author talks about a machined bolt that was found in coal.  As you may know, coal takes millions of years to make. How would a machined bolt, made of aluminum or steel, appear in the center of a piece of coal that takes millions of years to create?  It was found and documented by notable and reliable sources.  There is no real explanation, but it could prove time travel is possible.  Beings from a future time could have traveled back to the beginnings of the Earth and actually lost a screw while visiting that time.  Left behind, it was molded inside a piece of coal and rediscovered millions of years later.

That was just one instance out of many that was mentioned, and when you hear these documented instances, it’s  hard not to consider time travel because it’s the only thing that makes sense.

In addition to time travel, Aym talks about ghost ships, the Bermuda Triangle, possible dinosaurs that still exist, skies that occasionally rain body parts, 60 to 70 foot snakes, 5 foot wide spiders, and other incredible things that boggle the imagination.  Could some dinosaurs really still exist?

He also talks about a giant human being that stood between 8 to 10 feet tall, with red hair and pale skin.  These beings used to be a threat to Native Americans, and they would often tell tales of battles with these mongrel human beings.  In fact, rival Native American tribes ganged up to try to expunge these creatures from the Earth to protect their very existence.

Back in the day, they chased these beings into a cave found in Nevada.  The Native Americans were so upset these beings cowered in the caves that they filled the entrance with brush and set the cave on fire. Their hope was to smoke out the foes and destroy them.  The ones that emerged were killed and the ones that remained behind were killed by smoke inhalation. The cave would later crumble and provide shelter for bats.

Centuries later, the cave was excavated for its guano, which is an ingredient used in gun powder.  In doing so, they found the skeletons of these giants, proving they did exist.  Do they still exist somewhere, in a distant, uninhabited part of the United States?

This book was filled with documented facts of incredible tales.  Things I didn’t know existed may very well have, and some of it happened right here in the USA. I was intrigued from the moment I picked up the book until the very last page; I just couldn’t put it down.  Some of the tales horrified me, yet some of it intrigued me. Paranormal and science fiction buffs everywhere will find something of interest in this book.

I not only learned a lot, but it made me open my eyes to new possibilities and proved that if these accounts are true, I will never think anything is impossible again.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated with the unknown and for those people who need to see facts in order to believe.  It’s not a “story” book, but rather a well-documented list of accounts from various sources and eye witnesses that support a strange occurrence. The author of the book doesn’t state that these accounts are true, instead he leaves the burden of proof in the evidence to allow readers to make their own choice.

 I guarantee that this book will fully capture your interest and intrigue every inch of your mind.  You will be pleasantly surprised with how well documented each story is, a great effort by the author.

 

Interviewed and Written by Jonathan LaMella

Marissa   Meyer lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband and three cats. She’s a   fan of most things geeky (Sailor Moon, Firefly, color-coordinating her   bookshelf…), and has been in love with fairy tales since she was a kid. She   holds a BA in Creative Writing from Pacific Lutheran University and an MS in   Publishing from Pace University. She may or may not be a cyborg. Cinder is   her first novel.

 

Hi Marissa, tell us about your novel Cinder. What’s the story about?

 

Cinder is a sci-fi re-envisioning of the classic Cinderella story set in far-future Asia. It tells the story of Cinder, a 16-year-old girl who’s part-human and part-machine. Though being cyborg has made her a target of prejudice and suspicion, it’s also given her an amazing skill with mechanics and machines. This reputation of being such a great mechanic brings her country’s prince to her market booth one day needing her to fix a broken android, and soon Cinder finds herself caught in a political battle of wills between Earth and the cruel Lunar queen who wants to rule it.

 

 

How did you get started as a novelist?

 

I’ve always been an avid reader and I’ve wanted to be a writer since I first learned that such a job existed. I wrote Sailor Moon fanfiction for many, many years, which is largely how I learned about craft, technique, and voice. I started a handful of ultimately-abandoned novels during those years too, but it wasn’t until I had the idea for Cinder that I felt truly compelled to finish the novel and seek publication.

 

Why did you write Cinder?

 

For the same reason I write anything—I love sharing stories with other people and Cinder and The Lunar Chronicles felt like a great tale that hadn’t been told yet (despite being based on fairy tales). My life has been influenced by dozens of amazing authors over the years. Books have brought me happiness and sadness and everything in between, and it’s an honor to think my books could have the same effect on other readers.

 

What do you want readers to get or learn from reading Cinder?

 

I’m not a writer who typically goes into a story with ulterior motives about “education” or “morals.” Although I’ve had readers tell me that Cinder is an empowering heroine, and I think that’s fantastic, my ultimate hope is that the book will thrill and entertain readers for as long as they’re in the story. I want them to enjoy spending time in my futuristic world, as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

 

 

How did you get ideas for the main characters?

 

The idea for Cinderella as a cyborg came to me as I was drifting off to sleep and her character formed in my imagination pretty quickly. I saw her as having a prosthetic hand and leg and awesome mechanic skills. I saw her as being a bit of a tomboy, never afraid to get grimy or dirty, and being brave enough to stand up for herself in a world that sees her as a second-class citizen. Although her skills have developed (and gotten much cooler) over multiple drafts, the heart of her character didn’t change much.

 

The same can’t be said for other main characters, including Prince Kai and Cinder’s step-family, who have all seen multiple incarnations over the course of writing the book. I don’t do character worksheets, and I don’t base characters on people that I know. I tend to just start writing them and letting the characters dictate who they want to be by their own dialogue and actions. Sometimes it works out really well, and sometimes it takes a few drafts for them to mature into people who seem real and complex.

 

 

Growing up, did you have an interest in scifi or cyborgs? Was there any research required for putting that technology in fiction form? If so, how did you translate that research into Cinder?

 

Although I was a big fan of Star Wars growing up, in general I was always more of a fantasy girl than a sci-fi girl. So yes, I had to do a lot of research on technology, which included everything from reading books on physics and scientific journals, to perusing Star Wars encyclopedias to see how George Lucas did it, to watching sci-fi movies. I researched until I had a basic idea of how everything worked myself, even though only small elements of that research made it into the book. I didn’t want to pummel the reader with tech-lingo and jargon, so I carefully tried to insert only enough research to make the world-building feel realistic and plausible.

 

What do you look for in a book?

A good story and likeable characters. I want a hero and heroine worth rooting for, and I want lots of dilemmas and problems for them to struggle against before the big resolution. That’s how characters change and grow. Nothing annoys me more than a book in which every problem is met with a simple, no-brainer solution.

 

What inspires you as an Author? Where do you go to find inspiration?

Inspiration can come from anywhere—a song, a good book (or even a bad one), a newspaper headline, a photograph, a dream. I spend a lot of time in my head, daydreaming, and a ton of story ideas or plot twists have grown out of that alone.

 

What advice do you have for beginning writers?

Read and write, read and write. Reading keeps you inspired and feeds your imagination and teaches you what you like and don’t like in other works. Writing is the only way to develop your voice and learn about the craft and discover your own writing strengths and weaknesses.

 

As a writer, who are your main influences?

I’ve been particularly inspired by the great fairy-tale retellers, such as Gail Carson Levine and Gregory Maguire, as well as some of my personal favorite YA writers, such as Scott Westerfeld, John Green, and Kristin Cashore.

 

What is the best part about being an author?

 

There are plenty of job perks (working in my pajamas, getting free books in the name of blurb requests, etc.), but by and large the best part is the simple act of writing. I get to do what I love every day.

 

And the worst?

 

All that yucky businessy stuff, like bookkeeping and taxes.

 

What books have you recently read and loved?

 

Recent favorites include Legend by Marie Lu, Fracture by Megan Miranda, and Shatter Me by Tahareh Mafi.

 

In your opinion, what will people enjoy most about Cinder?

 

I feel that one of Cinder’s greatest strengths as a book in today’s market is that there really is a little something for everyone. There’s a little bit of sci-fi, a little bit of fantasy, a little bit of romance and comedy, plenty of adventure and drama and intrigue, a strong heroine, a charming hero, a quirky android friend… on and on. I hope readers will find many different things to be drawn to!

 

What can your readers expect next from you? What do you have planned for the future?

 

Cinder is the first of a four-book series, so I’m currently working on the next books: Scarlet (Little Red Riding Hood), Cress (Rapunzel), and Winter (Snow White). The series will continue Cinder’s story as her path crosses with these other fairy-tale inspired heroines and they join forces against the evil queen.

 

After The Lunar Chronicles is over—who knows! I have many ideas in my head and I look forward to exploring new worlds and stories.

 

Are you on Twitter or Facebook? Do you have a website?

 

Yes,  I’m on Twitter under @marissa_meyer, and readers can Like either my author fanpage or the Lunar Chronicles fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/marissameyerauthor and http://www.facebook.com/lunarchronicles. My web site, http://www.marissameyer.com, is still under construction but will hopefully be up soon.

 

Interviewed and Written by Jonathan Lamella

What is Robopocalypse about? What was your inspiration for writing it?

Robopocalypse is the epic story of a widespread group of people surviving in a near-future in which all of our familiar technology stops working and starts trying to kill us. Along the way, a lot of badass events occur – things I’ve been wanting to write down for years.

 

When did you first become interested in artificial intelligence? And when did you decide this was something you wanted to study in college?

In college I discovered something called “genetic algorithms,” in which the solution to a problem is literally artificially evolved over time. It’s a small area of artificial intelligence, but once I started learning those techniques I couldn’t get enough.

 

Is there a certain message or idea about artificial intelligence in Robopocalypse that you want to get across to your readers?

I hope the book conveys how complicated and unpredictable human beings are. We are a very difficult species to coexist with. The artificial intelligence named Archos is trying to figure us out, to find a way to live alongside us as equals. Archos determines that force is the only thing we truly understand.

 

What are the most common misconceptions about robotics and A.I. technology?

People often talk about Asimov’s three laws when discussing robots, not realizing that anything written in English has no direct existence for a robot. Machines are programmed in ones and zeroes and they act in the real world – philosophical concepts roll off them like water off a duck.

 

How did you get started as a writer? And when did you know you wanted to one?

I learned a lot about robotics because I love thinking about our relationship with technology. As a natural consequence, I started writing about it. In an incredible turn of good luck, I found that people besides me were interested in reading this.

 

Any advice for aspiring novelist?

Passion goes a long way. Write only about things you know and love (besides yourself).

 

What can fans expect from you in the future?

Next summer my second novel, called Amp, will be released. It’s a standalone thriller set in the near-future, when human beings are starting to incorporate technology into their bodies. And sorry, there are no robots in Amp!

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Daniel H. Wilson is a roboticist, author of several trade books, and contributing editor to Popular Mechanics magazine.

He earned a Ph.D. in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he also received Master’s degrees in Robotics and Machine Learning. Earlier, he earned a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Tulsa.

In 2008, Wilson hosted The Works, a television series on the History Channel that uncovered the science behind everyday stuff.

 

A demon thirsty for the innocence of a child, a young woman falling in love with a bad boy, and an Aunt who rekindles a relationship with her nephew who depends on her for his very survival.

These are events that unfold in Tommie Lyn’s paranormal novel Tugger’s Down. The story revolves around Tucker, a three year old toddler stuck in a vegetable like state from his constant attacks from an evil sprit called Nudger, who will stop at nothing until he inhabits his body. The book opens with an  intense scene and grabs your attention and refuses to let it go. Tommie Lyn gives us an eery and hair raising description  of the demon Nudger in all his actions and dialogue. The attraction between Lacy and Porter adds a fantastic romantic sub-plot to the story. Although I wish there had been less scenes with them and more with Tucker and Nudger.

I loved all the characters, especially Tucker. I cared for him, worried about his safety, felt the intensity of his fight against the evil spirit Nudger, and rejoiced over his progress throughout the story. The writing is engaging with excellent style and dialogue,  void of cliches, and delivers a relatable human story with love, jealousy, lust, secrets, and family drama. All the characters were full of life and adventure but still set in a believable setting and background. While the story isn’t fast paced or filled with action throughout the entire story, it does keep your interest with the suspense built around the characters and their relation to Tucker.

Tugger’s Down is a clever page turner with well-developed characters and heart pounding suspense.  This a book you will not want to put down and I don’t say this flamboyantly. It can take me up to a month to read a book depending on its quality. I give it four stars!

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tommie Lyn has made her home in the beautiful Florida panhandle for almost 35 years. Her husband of 46 years (and high school sweetheart) retired from the Navy after being transferred there from Okinawa in 1975. Three of her novels and some of her short stories are set in the panhandle.

 

Twitter.com/TommieLyn 

Blog: www.tommielyn.blogspot.com 

Website: www.tommielyn.com

Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TommieLyn