Mary Andrews, The Fireborn Chronicles, Revelations

AUTHOR: Mary Andrews                                   

BOOK TITLE: The Fireborn Chronicles SERIES

PUBLISHER: MuseItUp Publishing, Swimming Kangaroo Press

BUY LINK: http://FirebornChronicles.com

Please tell us about yourself?

I’m the eldest of seven kids. We grew up in the Air Force, stationed in Kansas, England, and Hawaii during my childhood. Eventually we settled down in Abilene, Texas and I ended up in Lubbock, Texas after attending Texas Tech University. 

I’m an unconventional thinker who has no trouble dwelling ‘out of the box.’  My favorite all-around question is: WHY, since  once you find the answer to that, everything else makes more sense and can be dealt with.  I have little fear of change: in fact, I’ve adventured through many career choices, testing the waters of the mechanic, assembler, receptionist, puppeteer, artist, merchandiser, customer service attendant, structural aircraft worker, relay operator for the deaf, the mother, a Gypsy merchant, and finally realizing a love for writing and a need to infuse life into inanimate objects. 

Tell us your latest news?

On July 27, 2012 my third book, The Fireborn Chronicles: Revelations,  just released in eBook form by MuseItUp Publishing.  Soon it will be available through Amazon, Nook, Smashwords and several other sites, as well. However, I’d like to mention here that my publisher’s site provides all their books in the same  formats used in most eReaders including Amazon , Kindle, Sony,  computer systems. They also proved direct links to others carrying their books as a convenience to customers so it’s a great place to start. http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=536&category_id=231&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1

When and why did you begin writing?

God’s honest truth: I never aspired to become a writer. I actually wanted to become an artist.  I remember standing  with my father in the parking lot in front of the Texas Tech University registration office. He said, “Mary Jane, what do you want choose as a major?”  I told him I wanted take art classes and he didn’t miss a beat in responding. “Now, Mary Jane, that’s a hobby. You can’t make a living doing that. Pick something practical.

“Coaches make good money.” I rolled my eyes. “Well what do you like to do?”

I told him I liked science, so we settled on a Microbiology major since it would easily be changeable to most other science majors if I changed my mind, and that was that. In the most stupid moment of my life I refused to let him pay for my education because, should I fail, I didn’t want to be beholden to him. Poverty and bad tming pretty much 

squelched my education shortly afterwards, proving again that youth is often wasted on the young.

Life went on and around the 1980’s, after a ten year marriage and three kids, I found myself tire of Sesame Street and looking for other creative outlets. Enter my first association with a writing group. They exposed me to science fiction conventions and it was because of them that I began writing. Everything they told me couldn’t be done just spurred me on to do it.

It didn’t take me long to realize that unlike the cost of art supplies, I could afford paper and pencil.  I set up my muscle-building old school typewriter with a roll of old school computer paper and began what would eventually become The Fireborn Chronicles.

Through the few Science Fiction conventions I managed to attend I discovered a wealth of knowledge and help from professional writers.  They were encouraging and freely answered every question I asked, and since I knew absolutely nothing, I’m sure I stood out of the crowd.  I was flabbergasted that all the fans got together to dress up and play when so much opportunity was there in the flesh.

In my youth, had I been aware of such opportunities I might have fought harder for the art classes so it’s become one of my driving needs to share resources. Want to become a writer? Check out my RESOURCES PAGE on my website. Over the years, I’ve been taking notes. *smile*

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When somebody I didn’t know wanted to invest their hard earned money to publish my work, I suspected I had arrived.  When reviewers wrote that they liked my work, I began to call myself a real author, and when I got my first bad review and didn’t walk away., that was when I knew I was a writer.

What inspired you to write your first book?

I believe the paranormal exists—though perhaps not yet to the extent my characters exhibit. My mother used to have crying jags whenever someone in the family died or was hurt in an accident long before we would be notified. My first husband used to call home to see what was wrong whenever I got really upset. (I was a bit high strung back in the day.) It took me a long time to realize how to block the feelings of people around me hence I spent a great deal of time trying to solve the problems of all my friends for my own sanity’s sake if nothing else.

 All of this got me to thinking of how readily the human mind, spirit and senses are keeping up with the avalanche of natural and technological progress we now experience daily. Right now, all around us, all boundaries are in flux. Computer addictions in our youth, medical technology extending our lives, our bodies adapting to our environments, the Earth itself is shifting. It’s a magnificent occurrence which is difficult to realize in its midst (kind of a can’t see the forest for the trees thing).

 So I took a line from Carl Sandburg’s poem, The People, Yes, and extrapolated a future from where we are now. The quote is:

THIS OLD ANVIL HAS SEEN MANY BROKEN HAMMERS...
TIME IS A GREAT TEACHER...
THE FIREBORN ARE AT HOME IN FLAME...
WHO CAN LIVE WITHOUT HOPE...

All my characters blossom from hardships to be forged into exactly what is needed to change a universe.  (Sound familiar?)

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Other than serving as a vehicle to escape the trials of day-to-day life, all the books address the concepts of destiny and free will. Is destiny a for of slavery or servitude?Overall I believe everyone has a part to play in the universe whether we can fathom what it is or not.  This is nicely stated in a Roma quote below:

Whatever ignorance men may show,

From none disdainful turn;

For every one doth something know

Which you have yet to learn.

-BETIE ROKRAPENES—LITTLE SAYINGS

Excerpt from Romano Lavo-Lil by George Borrow

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

I’m so backed up in my reading that this is not fair to all the newer authors I haven’t had a chance to read, but here goes:

Larriane Wills writes well in just about every genre. I particularly loved her sci fi : The Looking Glass Portal  in which a cowboy finds himself abducted by aliens, and I have a stack of her other books I still need to read.

Rhobin L. Courtright greatly impressed me with her premier Sci Fi novel, Crewkin. I’m waiting for the sequel.

Antonia Tiranth’s Kellan’s Dragons is a top notch must for dragon lovers—another first of a series.

Erika Gilbert’s The Chameleon’s Bite is action filled adventure with werewolves, assassins, elves and vampire/goddess  characters.

Joe Trent’s speculative history book, The King of Silk, time travels a New York executive into the 15c.

What are your current projects?

I’m currently working on a couple of stories. They both are part of the Fireborn Universe; One, The Bat In the Moon  is a prequel taking place in the long distant past  on old Earth before space travel.. The main character is the last of his kind—a vampire. The second, Lamentation, takes place directly after Revelations.

 Do you ever have problems with writers block?  If so how do you get through it?

I recently taught a class on this subject for the Panhandle Professional Writers in Amarillo which I’m hoping to repeat at the Muse Online Writers Conference in October (if Lea approves my forum). However, I’ve come to realize when I draw a blank on the page of a story I’m writing it usually means I haven’t done my homework somewhere. Like the time I was writing on book I of the Fireborn series, and I reached the end of my first partial outline and couldn’t decide what to do next. It took me a while to figure out what I’d missed, but sure enough I’d overlooked an explanation of how Oracles could rise to power on Earth with religions all over the place. Once I figured out a way for that to become feasible, the story took right off.

I usually spend any downtimes during my day just mulling bits and pieces about the scene I’m planning to write that night. I don’t dwell on any one thing, just what ifs and how abouts. So when I finally plug into my system to write, it just pours out.

What do you do when you’re not writing/editing or thinking about writing/editing?

Sleep.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Become organized. Organize your thoughts, your writing process, your files, your workload and your priorities.  If  this evades you, the weight of the business aspect of writing can crush that which makes you write and you will become miserable.

Who is your publisher and how did you connect with them?

Although  The Fireborn Chronicles (book I) is still available, when the economy caused Swimming Kangaroo to close their doors to new submittals. I was next in line for an editor so, The Fireborn Chronicles: RESONANCES was in need of a new home.

The minute Lea announced she was opening a publishing house; I jumped to submit to MuseItUp Publishing. For years I’d attended the Muse Online Writers Conferences and she has proven to be exceptionally determined to make us all successful in the field of writing. I wanted to work with her—so now I do.

How can we find you? Website, Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc. - please share your public links.

Website: http://FirebornChronicles.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/FB_Chronicles

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MaryAndrews.FIREBORN
Or my new Facebook BOOK page: http://www.facebook.com/TheFirebornChronicles 

SYNOPSIS OF SERIES:

PSIONIC SCI FI: the inevitable fusion of Man, Machine, & the Paranormal

After Earth's destruction, humans have scattered/spread across the universe. The peace is kept by a universal government. Four rogue talents unite to become an invincible Government dark ops team—the Nemesis Team.

But an unknown planet has turned up; a planet ruled by Oracles whose agents may be usurping The Government and suddenly, nothing is what it seems.

Follow the Nemesis Team as they struggle to unravel a reality not of their making.

Ride along as they find how slavery can be liberating, power can enslave, and clairvoyance can bite you on the...hindmost parts.

Find more information, buy site listings and excerpts at
http://FirebornChronicles.com

THE FIREBORN CHRONICLES (book I)
THE FIREBORN CHRONICLES: RESONANCES (book II)
THE FIREBORN CHRONICLES: REVELATIONS (book III)