When my Facebook friend, Lillian Nader, announced the release of her book Theep and Thorpe, the title so intrigued me I had to learn more. With that I asked her to be my Choices guest and tell our readers how she conceived and wrote her new book. Thank you, Lillian, for accepting. I’m so pleased to introduce you and your book here.
My BIG Announcement!
by Lillian Nader
I am so happy to announce the release of my book, Theep and Thorpe: Adventures in Space, on March 25, 2016. It is available now in paperback at Amazon.com. It’s a book for young readers and for those who are young at heart. The kindle version will also be available soon.
The Story Behind the Story. The concept of Theep and Thorpe began many years ago when my artist friend, Angelo Divino, created images of two space beings. I asked if I could write about them and he said yes! Their names came to me first as I pondered the idea of how space beings might communicate. I decided they would know one another by their sound frequencies rather than names. Each sound frequency would be as distinguishable as a human’s voice or fingerprints. Since we can’t pronounce these frequencies, the names Theep and Thorpe are used as a close facsimile.
It was many years later after retiring from full-time teaching that I began to focus on writing about these characters in a novel. Thanks to Marjorie Miles’s Writing with Your Dream Muse class, the voices of Theep and Thorpe came to me loud and clear. Marjorie leads a guided meditation to invite the mind to relax and be receptive to one’s muse. We are encouraged to open our eyes and write whatever comes to us following this very relaxed state. Here is what I wrote:
Where have you been for so long? Great to have you back where you belong. We’ve missed you, Lillian. Now, within the twinkling of an eye, everything shifts . . .back to where we were before, yet at the point of new beginnings.
I knew Theep and Thorpe were speaking to me. I had tried to write their story before, but nothing seemed to flow. Now, with the support and encouragement of a writers’ group, the time was right to write my science fiction novel.
Serendipity. Jonathon is the fourteen year old protagonist of the story who ends up in a reform school in outer space in the year 2160. He and other inmates are required to grow their own food. While trying to figure out what farming in the future would be like, I got an email from my friend, Lucy Martin. Her husband, Jerry, had purchased a Freight Farm. I had no clue what that was, but my research and the information they sent me led me to writing about hydroponic farming as part of my book. Thank you, Lucy and Jerry!
More Research. When I needed to write a courtroom scene, I consulted my friend Kathy Bouchard, a retired paralegal. She accompanied me on a field trip to a courthouse where we witnessed ongoing trials. I took copious notes and included those findings in writing the ending of the book. I also watched a lot of TV shows like Law and Order and The Good Wife.
Additional research was needed to know what kind of weapons might be used in the future. I came up with the term, “flip-phaser,” the type of gun used on Star Trek. It’s a laser gun with a nozzle to flip for different settings such as stun or Kill! Early in the story, Jonathon gets into trouble when he’s caught in possession of a flip-phaser. Later in the book, rail guns are used in a spaceship battle. Rail guns are projectile weapons that can reach vast distances to shoot through walls of naval ships and spacecraft.
Book Promotion. I plan to do an online book launch at the Theep and Thorpe Facebook page soon. I will be announcing the date of the launch on my FB timeline. A trivia game will be played for fun and the chance to win a free copy of the book. HINT: most of the answers to the questions can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheepAndThorpe/
Special Request. If you read and like the book, kindly write a favorable review to post on Amazon and Goodreads. Click here to purchase your copy.
***
Theep and Thorpe Synopsis. It’s the year 2160. Fourteen year old Jonathon Curtis lives on Planet Earth until he breaks the law and is sent to Juvenile Space Camp on Planet Staruus. The planet houses troubled kids from an overpopulated Earth and is thought to be uninhabited, but is it? Theep and Thorpe are enlightened Staruians who are invisible to most humans. They establish telepathic communication with Jonathon because he needs their guidance to gain control of his gift the power of manifestation. It was misuse of his power and his show-off tendencies that got him there in the first place! Hazel is a thirteen year old girl at the camp who becomes friends with Jonathon. She has incredible talent for telepathy and wisdom beyond her years. Jonathon and Hazel discover it’s up to them and their friends at Space Camp to rescue kidnapped teens being held on the planet against their will. They enlist the aid of Theep and Thorpe to accomplish their mission. Jonathon gets caught up in one adventure after another. Like it or not, he’s forced to team up with a bully and confront those who wish to harm him. Will these experiences teach him to harness the power of his thoughts to accomplish his goals? Will he and his friends free the teens in distress or will they end up as captives instead?
Lillian Nader’s Bio. Lillian Nader, M.Ed., is a resident of Orange County, California, where she enjoys outdoor walks in the beautiful parks and beaches in her area. For mental stimulation she reads a variety of books, writes for fun and profit, and participates in various groups for dreamers and writers. She is an author, copyeditor, and educator. Lillian can be reached at Lnader1910@sbcglobal.net.
How to contact her:
Facebook Timeline
Facebook Book Page
Thanks again, Lillian!
Please let us know what you think in the comment section below.
Speak Your Mind