Interview + Giveaway: Marie Harbon of Seven Point Eight

Interview + Giveaway: Marie Harbon of Seven Point Eight

Hey guys! Today I am welcoming Marie Harbon, author of Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle — the first of five chronicles in her new Sci-Fi series. She’ll be answering some questions about her book and herself.

Afterwards, she’ll be giving away an eBook copy of Seven Point Eight via a Smashwords coupon. So stick around and be sure to enter to win after the interview!

Marie has two children and lives with her son and four guitars in the town of Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, which is in England. She divides her time between writing, making clothes, teaching and being a mum, juggling both creativity and necessity.

Welcome Marie! We’re glad to have you stop by. Did you always want to be a writer? If not, when did you first realize that’s what you wanted to do?

Yes, I would say writing has always been in my blood.  I’ve written stories since my childhood, through my teens and into adulthood.  I was always mindful of putting my work into print, although I waited until I felt my literary products showed maturity or life experience; I believe we write our best when we feel it from the heart and have the benefit of the philosophy of life.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Aside from being distracted by social networking media, I love to design and make clothes, sometimes bags too. I’m a real fabric geek at heart.  Aside from that, working and writing takes up the majority of my time.

Very cool! I like to sew as well. I’m not as great at the designing part of it but I definitely can feel the fabric love. I even made my own prom dress.

Where did you find inspiration before and while writing the Seven Point Eight series?

The central idea of the machine and exploring other worlds through consciousness was initially a short story I wrote some years ago.  I liked the concept and realized I could develop it into something bigger, longer and with much greater scope.  The storyline and characters were developed over a period of time until eventually it all started to click together.  I’ve drawn inspiration from the things that interest me and the non-fiction books I read, mainly about mysticism, physics, ancient technology, psychic powers… stuff like that.  Some of the impetus behind the surreal and fantastical experiences in other dimensions have been influenced by reports of psychedelic encounters with entities and also alleged alien abductions.  The series title and concept of the number was the last piece of the jigsaw; the underlying theme and revelation.

I’m not a very scientific person, so excuse me if this is an absolutely “duh” question, but are any of the elements in Seven Point Eight based on actual scientific theories or is it all completely sci-fi from beginning to end?

I’ve drawn some material from theoretical physics, as there is some great research out there at the moment, really groundbreaking stuff. There is also some biological backdrop in Ava’s thread too, these are both drawn from actual science. I’ve blended the science with my own thoughts and theories, so it’s knowledge based with poetic science.  There’s also quite a bit of spiritual theory in there too, although I’ve used elements of science to explain how psychic powers work, the soul, God and the universe. Of course, I can’t cover all of this in the first chronicle, there’s much, much more to come.

What have you found to be most challenging while writing Seven Point Eight?

I would probably say keeping a handle on the different threads in the story and keeping a complex plot as tight as possible. I hate messy writing, inconsistencies and plots that don’t hang together.

Would you tell us some quick fun facts about the Seven Point Eight series as well as what we can expect from the books (romance, action, etc.)?

Quick fun facts – the five main characters all have birthdays and their own astrological charts; their personalities and destinies closely relate to these. I’ve also hidden a few family and friends’ birthdays in the book too. As we move through the books, we learn something more about the number 7.8 each time, until we discover the whole picture. The Second Chronicle has a darker feel and faster pace; it’s about the legacy of the machine and how it affects the lives of the characters involved.  We see the alternate dimensions in more detail, although their agendas are not entirely clear yet. The Tahra, Max and Paul triangle intensifies while Sam and Ava’s story merges. In all, there’s a lot of drama, further intriguing storylines, adventure, science, fantastical worlds and romance to pack in. Moving through the remaining books, the third book really focuses on Ava’s story and purpose, the fourth book highlights Paul and the fifth book Sam’s ultimate dilemma and purpose.

Getting back to you, who are a couple of your favorite authors?

Stephen Baxter writes some great science fiction, he produced a fantastic sequel to the classic ‘The Time Machine’ while David Zindell also creates some mind blowing sci-fi too. Stephen King was always a favourite, although some of his books have been a bit hit and miss.

What are you reading right now and what book(s) have you had your eye on lately but haven’t gotten to read yet?

I have a few to review and some Library Thing wins to read as well, got some catching up to do as while writing ‘Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle’, I had no time to read recreationally. Any recommendations for me????

Hmm…that’s such a tough one because it sounds like you’re into a lot of sci-fi and I’m such a sci-fi newbie! But, in the realm of sci-fi, there are a lot of great Steampunk and Dystopian novels out there right now so I’d definitely recommend trying those out. I’ve heard really good things about the Parasol Protectorate series for Steampunk and I’ve been dying to try it. For Dystopian, there’s so many! But, most recently I’ll be trying Enclave by Ann Aguire here soon.

Since that’s a horribly vague response, I’m going to give an extra entry to those who comment with their favorite sci-fi book to give you some ideas.

Seven Point Eight: The most powerful number in the universe. The number that connects everything. A physicist begins a quest to measure the soul but soon finds himself drawn into the world of the enigmatic Max Richardson, where research is sold to the military at the highest bid. However, he soon discovers another purpose when an extremely talented young psychic enters his life. He devises a project and builds a team to stretch the frontiers of exploration, only to make a reality-shattering discovery…

The First Chronicle is the beginning of a 5 part epic which follows the spiritual and emotional journey of five people; their quest to understand the universe and our place within it. Along the way, they address the fundamental questions we all seek answers to: why are we here? What is the purpose of the universe? Is there a God? Quantum physics meets spirituality in a tale which begins in the 1940s, unfolds during the 1960s; an era of social and spiritual transformation and reaches its conclusion in the modern age. It interweaves the human dramas of love, betrayal, bitterness and above all, courage in a world where everyone must face their own dark shadow.

Giveaway

Thanks for stopping by Marie! Your book sounds like it’s going to be quite the journey and a lot of fun!

Okay, now it’s time for some winning! Woohoo. Here’s what you could get:

ONE lucky winner (International) will get an eBook copy of Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle (via a Smashwords coupon)! Enter using the Rafflecopter form below.

If you’re on the main page, follow the “more” link below to enter!

Giveaway Rules

• You must be a Google Friend Connect follower.
• One winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter.
• Open Internationally.
• Open between October 24th-October 28th. Form closes at 12:01am on October 29th.
• Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Just click “I Did This” after you’ve done each step.
• The winner will be notified by email.

Giveaway Entry Form