Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
I’ve been enjoying bringing guest author features to Jorie Loves A Story throughout #WyrdAndWonder – as I like to focus each May on showcasing Indie Authors & Indie Publishers who are giving us fantastical stories we want to be reading. This particular author is writing within the umbrella of Sci-Fantasy – wherein, most of her story parlays into Science as much as it does Fantasy. I especially enjoy reading these stories being a Science geek myself – as I like to see the underpinning inspirations of how the concepts are explored within the context of the story and/or series whilst peering into how the Science then takes the backseat in order to follow the lives of the characters.
Being a person who was greatly affected by hearing a talk by an environmentalist in the fifth grade and whose walked through life with an environmental conscience with a firm appreciation for the natural world and her natural resources – I have a ready eye out for stories which encompass the natural processes of Earth and the cycles of life therein. I am also passionate about green living, natural living practices and of course, reducing our dependence of chemicals and pesticides as it relates to the food chain. There is something to be said for getting back to basics and for treating the Earth with more kindness than what we generally give her through our actions and processes.
On that note, as this series talks and tackles the current issues involving fracking (as I am sure most are aware of the hazards and dangers of this practice by now due to the news coverage and movements to stop fracking) which not only has a serious effect on the natural environs but also on human health – I was thankful to see this series stepped forward to include such a topical issue for today’s world.
Likewise, I love Parapsychology and stories of the paranormal – it was an interesting layer of fusion between the sciences within the premise of this series and how science plays such a strong role in the forward motion of the stories. It was an honour to get the chance to speak to the author about these concepts, themes and inclusions throughout our conversation.
Today it is an honour to host my first blog tour with the #TheWriteReads – a blog touring company which is quite popular with my fellow book bloggers as you might have seen the tag on Twitter and the badge in my sidebar. I strive to help share the content their sharing on the tag and the featured selections Dave @ The Write Reads helps us lock eyes onto however, I go through moments of where I can keep up with #bookTwitter and moments where I’m thankful I can just keep my blog surfacing and moving forward. We all have a lot to shoulder at different seasons of our lives and lately, as my father’s daytime carer whilst Mum works I have noticed I do not get as much time to stay socially connected as I had in the recent past.
I love being part of the community of #TheWriteReads and I hope in future to continue hosting the authors on their blog tours – I keep an eye out on the stories I most desire to be reading in order to host a guest feature as print copies are a bit rare for these tours to request. I love hosting the conversations because it helps me feel a bit more rooted in the stories and I hope you’ll have the same takeaway yourself.
Brew yourself a cuppa and hug close to the convo!
Catalyst
by Tracy Richardson
Marcie Horton has a sixth sense. Not in the “I see dead people” way, but well, maybe a little. She feels a sort of knowing about certain things that can’t be explained—an intuition that goes beyond the normal. Then there was that one summer four years ago, when she connected with a long-departed spirit But nothing that incredible has happened to Marcie since.
This summer, Marcie is spending time working at Angel Mounds, the archeological dig her mother heads, along with her brother, Eric, and his girlfriend, Renee. The dig is the site of an ancient indigenous civilization, and things immediately shift into the paranormal when Marcie and her teammates meet Lorraine and Zeke. The two mysterious dig assistants reveal their abilities to access the Universal Energy Field with their minds— something Marcie knows only vaguely that her brother has also had experience with. Marcie learns how our planet will disintegrate if action is not taken, and she and her team must decide if they are brave enough to help Lorraine and Zeke in their plan to save Mother Earth, her resources, and her history.
It looks like the summer just got a lot more interesting.
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 978-1612544458
Published by Brown Books Publishing Group
on 22nd September, 2020
Published by: Brown Books Publishing Group (@brownbooks)
The Catalysts series:
The Field (Book One)
Catalyst (Book Two)
Available Formats: Trade Paperback and Ebook
Converse via: #Fantasy, #SciFantasy, #YAFantasy
as well as #TheWriteReads & #WyrdAndWonder
How did you first conceive of the idea behind “Catalyst” and what drew you specifically into paranormal stories such as this one where the lead character has a rather interesting gift where she acts as a medium for the dead?
Richardson responds: In the first book I wrote, Indian Summer, the paranormal aspect was inspired by Edgar Cayce, a famous psychic from the 20th century. He would hold an item from a client, go into a trance, and be able to connect with their past lives and people from the past. In that book, Marcie connects with the spirit of a Native American girl to help her try to stop an old-growth forest from development. In Catalyst, she continues to use her gift of connecting with people, both past and present, telepathically with her thoughts. Indian Summer has been completely revised and will be released in 2021 as a pre-quell to The Field and Catalyst.
The idea for Catalyst came from other research that I’ve done about what more might be ‘out-there’ in our Universe. I can’t really say more – spoiler alert!!
I personally love archaeological digs and the ways in which we can unearth bits of the past – including the ancient past simply by what we shift through hidden beneath the surface of our world. When were you first intrigued by Archaeology and what do you love most about what the field of study can yield about civilizations?
Richardson responds: The Midwest has a lot of mounds built by ancient cultures. Often, it’s been discovered that they are oriented toward celestial movements like the sunrise on the Winter Solstice similar to what you might find with a stone circle like Stonehenge. I find it fascinating that the so-called primitive cultures who built these structures had a knowledge of the movement of the stars and planets that most of us in the modern era don’t have any idea about. I think they also had (and still have) a connection to Earth that we have lost. There is so much about the past that’s been lost and we are still discovering.
Can you talk a bit about the concept behind the Universal Energy Field and how you developed this segue into your stories?
Richardson responds: There are a number of non-fiction books that I used for research about the Universal Energy Field. The Field by Lynne McTaggart, The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot, The Divine Matrix by Gregg Braden are just a few. MANY scientists are studying The Field. I wanted to include it in my fictional stories to try to present it to readers in a way that they could relate to. Without exception when I have a book event and talk with readers or interviewers everyone has a story to share about when they had a premonition about something that happened or intuition that they needed to reach out to someone that proved to be correct. Everyone has Marcie’s sixth sense to a certain extent. It’s like a muscle that you can develop.
The Universal Energy Field is also about being able to access unlimited energy from the space around us. Nikola Tesla was exploring this concept in the early 20th century. In The Field Dr. Auberge, a visiting physicist, is doing research into accessing the Field, and in Catalyst, some of the characters are able to use the energy in the Universal Energy Field to do some pretty amazing things (spoiler alert!). I love the idea that this could be true.
This story is anchoured through a thesis of how humans and the Earth can work in harmony together for the em-betterment of all – how important was it to showcase a story where we putting the concerns of the Earth first for a change?
Richardson responds: Protecting the environment is one of my passions. The Earth is magnificent and our only home. There is no second planet. Climate Change is real. It’s been proven by scientists who say we have very little time to turn things around. It is vitally important that we make the changes needed to save our amazing planet, so I am trying to do my part by showcasing the perils of the path we are currently on in what I hope is an engaging way. The vehicle of fiction is a great teacher.
There are two books in the Catalyst series – is this meant to be a duology, trilogy, quartet or on-going series? What can you share about the first novel “The Field” which would help new readers understand where the first installment leaves off in order to bridge into the sequel “The Catalyst”?
Richardson responds: The Catalysts series will consist of four books. The Field – Book I, Catalyst – Book II, Indian Summer – pre-quell, and the untitled Book III that I’m working on now (80 pages in!!). Book III is the only true sequel (to Catalyst). The other three books can be read as stand-alone books although many of the same characters appear throughout.
The Field is about Eric Holton, Marcie’s older brother, who is a high-school soccer goalkeeper with a super-natural ability to know where the ball is going to go before it gets there. He’s connecting to the Universal Energy Field. There’s an environmental theme comparing burning coal to other clean renewable energy sources like wind and solar and also the idea of extracting energy from the Universal Energy field in the air around us. And he’s having the high school experience of trying to get the starting goalkeeper spot, deal with friends being jerks and trying to get the girl.
In Catalyst, Marcie is the protagonist, but Eric and his girlfriend Renee are also featured characters. Eric has just graduated high school and Marcie is now a junior.
Of the secondary characters whom is your favourite and why?
Richardson responds: I really like Leo as he’s very forthright in his feelings and not afraid to have a different opinion than everyone else. And he also realizes when he’s wrong (eventually).
Mrs. Horton is also one of my favs. I tried to make her a thoroughly modern woman who is smart with a career of her own where she kills it, and also have her own flaws and foibles. There’s a little bit of me in all of my characters, but especially Mrs. Horton!
What concepts did you want to insert into this series which Science lovers will immediately geek over finding inclusive?
Richardson responds: There is a concept in quantum physics called ‘Entanglement’ which basically means that once two sub-atomic particles are connected, they are always connected. An action on one particle causes an immediate response to the other particle no matter how far apart they are. One inch or one thousand miles! Einstein called it ‘Spooky Action at a Distance’ as it can’t really be explained how it works. I wanted to show how at a human level we are all connected through our thoughts. And that thoughts are the most powerful and fastest thing in the Universe. Literally mind-blowing!
How important was it to keep this series forward-thinking and Science-forward? Meaning you tackle heavy topics such as fracking (“The Catalyst”), quantum physics (“The Field”) and all of the story-lines are interconnected to Environmental Science and topics currently being discussed therein.
Richardson responds: I think science is really leading the way in our future development. It’s easy to get bogged down in our daily lives and not realize that driving our gas guzzling cars or throwing out our plastic bags is literally destroying our planet. Scientists have proven that Climate Change is real. Science has shown that we are all connected. Scientists like Russel Targ, who was part of a CIA program in the 1970’s using ESP to spy on the soviets, have shown that our minds, our thoughts, are capable of far more than we imagine. I’m a science geek at heart and love exploring these concepts. While they are complex ideas, I hope that by presenting them in a fictional story I make them more accessible to the general public.
What is the main takeaway you’re hoping readers will discover and evolve to understand as they read this series?
Richardson responds: I think there are two takeaways. First is that we have a responsibility to care for the Earth and that we have a limited window in which to stop and reverse Climate Change. It can be done. We have the technology. We need to get the powers that be to step up and make the necessary changes.
Secondly, I hope my books make people think about our place in the Universe and what other possibilities might be out there. The Universe is a vast, unimaginably huge place. Earth is one small planet in one small solar system in one arm of one medium-sized galaxy. There are billions of galaxies. Who knows what else could be out there?
When your not researching and writing your stories what uplifts your soul the most?
Richardson responds: I really enjoy being out in nature. My boyfriend and I try to hike everyday in a forest preserve (or in the neighborhood if we have limited time) and we go on longer bike rides on the weekend. I have a town bike – it’s super cute, but NOT super fast! Watching nature to me is like watching a miracle unfold. Leaves bud out and flowers bloom – it feels like magic. A pair of red house wrens built a nest in a hanging fern on my patio which makes me very happy!
I am truly thankful I am having opportunities this #WyrdAndWonder to host Indie Authors and to showcase their #IndieFantasy stories. I am hoping those who are following our feeds for the event and/or those who are routing through this lovely blog tour will find a #newtomeauthor to seek out and read based on the responses she’s given in this interview. It was a pleasure of joy for me as a book blogger to receive these replies and to feel as if I’ve had been given a lovely sampler of insight into what I’d find in the novel “Catalyst”!!
About Tracy Richardson
TRACY RICHARDSON wasn’t always a writer, but she was always a reader. Her favorite book growing up was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. In a weird way that book has even shaped her life through odd synchronicities. She has a degree in biology like Mrs. Murry, and, without realizing it, she named her children Alex and Katie after Meg’s parents.
Tracy uses her science background in her writing through her emphasis on environmental issues, metaphysics, and science fiction. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her doing any number of creative activities — painting furniture, knitting sweaters, or cooking something. She lives in Indianapolis, and, in case you’re wondering, yes, she’s been to the Indianapolis 500.
This blog tour is courtesy of:
NOTE: Similar to blog tours wherein I feature book reviews, book spotlights (with or without extracts), book announcements (or Cover Reveals) – I may elect to feature an author, editor, narrator, publisher or other creative person connected to the book, audiobook, Indie film project or otherwise creative publishing medium being featured wherein the supplemental content on my blog is never compensated monetarily nor am I ever obligated to feature this kind of content. I provide (98.5%) of all questions and guest topics regularly featured on Jorie Loves A Story. I receive direct responses back to those enquiries by publicists, literary agents, authors, blog tour companies, etc of whom I am working with to bring these supplemental features and showcases to my blog. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them: I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers. Whenever there is a conflict of connection I do disclose those connections per post and disclose the connection as it applies.
Image Credit: Flaming phoenix by Sujono Sujono from 123RF.com.
This author Interview is part of my showcases for a Fantasy event I am co-hosting during our 3rd Year of #WyrdAndWonder – follow us socially via @WyrdAndWonder – stalk our tag (across social media) and/or join us in a month long celebration of how the fantastical realms of Fantasy give you wicked JOY.
Ideas of how you can participate – an initial welcome post by my co-host Imyril as well as the first Quest Log (map into the book blogosphere for #WyrdAndWonder) and the first Roll Call Log by my co-host Lisa!
Read our Creative Roulette #WyrdAndWonder Interview!
Be sure to visit my Announcement & TBR List!
{SOURCES: Book cover for “Catalyst”, book synopsis, author biography, author photograph of Tracy Richardson, the tour banner and book tour banner were all provided by The Write Reads and are used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Wyrd And Wonder 2020 banner created by Imyril (Image Credit: Flaming phoenix by Sujono Sujono from 123RF.com) and is used with permission. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Conversations with the Bookish banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2020.
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.@joriestory ?NEW Author Interview
✨An Indie #SciFantasy
?rooted in Contemporary topics of Science
✨A story with an environmental conscience
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— Jorie (#WyrdAndWonder) ?? (@joriestory) May 23, 2020
Comments via Twitter:
Thank you, for your kind feedback and reaction!😌I appreciate knowing when I've posted an interview or guest feature others have enjoyed as much as I have myself – I thought it was a wicked sweet convo myself – thanks for visiting with me today🙌🤗
— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) May 23, 2020
A #WyrdAndWonder Author Interview | in conversation with Tracy Richardson discussing the world behind “Catalyst” https://t.co/Kiear34Xds via @joriestory
— Lisa will be back soon | WayTooFantasy (@waytoofantasy) May 27, 2020
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- #WyrdAndWonder
This was a great post with some really interesting topics that were discussed between the author and yourself. I really enjoyed the book and I agree that a change has to come about quickly to reverse the damages done to the earth through humankind. Hopefully, books will be the way to kick start the discussion!
I really enjoyed your review. It’s very thorough. The interview is great too. ??
Hallo, Hallo Lili,
I think you might have confused me with another blogger on the “Catalyst” blog tour? I didn’t get the chance to review this novel – I had hoped a print copy might have been available for us on the tour, however, only ebook copies were sent out. However, I’m thankful you’ve enjoyed the interview! I love hearing feedback and this was a lovely note to receive. Thank you! I hope you’ll visit with me again – as I have a week full of guest Indie Fantasy authors starting today with L.P. Owen!