Did you ever consider the deeper meaning behind what happens in a book? Beyond the action...beyond the emotion...beyond the obvious details?One of the great advantages of cruising the blogosphere is that you meet a lot of interesting people who share similar interests. One such person I’ve met while on tour is Cat Muldoon, author of Rue the Day: The Undercover Heir Book 1. Cat was gracious enough to propose an interview with me, and of course I was happy to return the favor. Part 1 of my interview with Cat can be found below. And you can read part 1 of her interview with me here. Next weekend you will get part 2.
Who is Cat Muldoon?
Cat Muldoon is an award-winning author of magical tales that envelop you in new realities. Many of her stories are suspenseful, some are romantic; few are mundane. You can read some of her tales on her AuthorsDen site http://Authorsden.com/catmuldoon. She has stories in two anthologies and a couple of magazines. She wrote her first novel in four months; this spring Wings Press released Rue the Day: The Undercover Heir Book 1. She will write the next two books in the series in 2008 and hopes to release them as a set. Read excerpts of her book and register to receive stories and other goodies at her website http://catmuldoon.com/. Purchase Rue the Day from her site or http://www.wings-press.com/ or at Amazon.com. I adore writing, because it gives me the opportunity to share the strange and wonderful worlds and characters that come into my mind. I love talking (in person or virtually) with my readers and with other authors. My belief is that by prospering you, you have more to enjoy and more to pass along to prosper someone else. I am a trained massage therapist and energyworker with a keen interest in aromatherapy, chakra and energy balancing and other …shall we say rare forms of healing. Naturally, I’ve held a load of perfectly boring jobs in my life as well.
Cat Muldoon is an award-winning author of magical tales that envelop you in new realities. Many of her stories are suspenseful, some are romantic; few are mundane. You can read some of her tales on her AuthorsDen site http://Authorsden.com/catmuldoon. She has stories in two anthologies and a couple of magazines. She wrote her first novel in four months; this spring Wings Press released Rue the Day: The Undercover Heir Book 1. She will write the next two books in the series in 2008 and hopes to release them as a set. Read excerpts of her book and register to receive stories and other goodies at her website http://catmuldoon.com/. Purchase Rue the Day from her site or http://www.wings-press.com/ or at Amazon.com. I adore writing, because it gives me the opportunity to share the strange and wonderful worlds and characters that come into my mind. I love talking (in person or virtually) with my readers and with other authors. My belief is that by prospering you, you have more to enjoy and more to pass along to prosper someone else. I am a trained massage therapist and energyworker with a keen interest in aromatherapy, chakra and energy balancing and other …shall we say rare forms of healing. Naturally, I’ve held a load of perfectly boring jobs in my life as well.
In fifty words or less, summarize your spiritual beliefs and how they helped to shape your world view and your writing. (Okay, you can go up to seventy-five).
We take each earthwalk to learn and grow. The more we prosper others, the better for all concerned. I honor the powers of life and strive to be a healing presence in the world. My writing will stick with you because spiritually there is always something going on below the surface. My inner life breathes through the stories... That was 58 words.
Is magic real?
Absolutely it is real. Magic is an unseen power inherent in all of life, as natural as breathing and just as automatic. The more we acknowledge it, the more it grows. My tales do not include unseen realities as a device of literary artifice, or just to make a good story. There is an underlying truth to the tales that is evident to those who innately sense magical power.
Absolutely it is real. Magic is an unseen power inherent in all of life, as natural as breathing and just as automatic. The more we acknowledge it, the more it grows. My tales do not include unseen realities as a device of literary artifice, or just to make a good story. There is an underlying truth to the tales that is evident to those who innately sense magical power.
How accurate is the following statement? You are the type of person that is tuned into and turned on by your physical environment.
That statement is partially accurate. I am tuned in to it, perhaps in part because I am mostly blind. Because of this, I am extremely observant. Whether I am turned on or not depends on the environment. Where I live, I hear birds singing all the time. When the weather is warm, there are tree frogs, crickets and other creatures. If I am in the country, I am what you might call “turned on.” If I am in a crowd or in a city, I am “turned off.” I find crowds and large cities difficult to tolerate. As someone who is psychically sensitive, crowds are troublesome.
That statement is partially accurate. I am tuned in to it, perhaps in part because I am mostly blind. Because of this, I am extremely observant. Whether I am turned on or not depends on the environment. Where I live, I hear birds singing all the time. When the weather is warm, there are tree frogs, crickets and other creatures. If I am in the country, I am what you might call “turned on.” If I am in a crowd or in a city, I am “turned off.” I find crowds and large cities difficult to tolerate. As someone who is psychically sensitive, crowds are troublesome.
Do you prefer dawn or dusk?
If I am up at dawn, I can appreciate being up as long as nature is kind enough to produce a lovely sky. Yes, I am mostly blind but I do see colors and shapes. Ordinarily, I would prefer to be sleeping during dawn. I enjoy dusk and tend to be much more creative at night.
Since we only recently met, I haven't yet had the chance to read Book One of Rue The Day, but it strikes me as a mystical work that has a lot going on between the lines. Could you give us a short summary of The Undercover Heir? What follows Book One?
Let me share something that at first blush may appear to be irrelevant to some readers. It is part of what is happening between the lines. Are you familiar with Celtic knotwork, the interlace design prevalent in Irish and Scottish artwork? There is a deep spiritual meaning behind this. It is not “just art.” It speaks of the interwoven nature of all life. Not merely are all things connected, but they are all interwoven. Pull on one strand of the weave and you distort the whole. Faerie and the mortal world are mirrors for each other. What happens here happens there. Certainly they don’t have computers in Faerie (at least in my books), but the themes and energies mirror. In this same way, many ancient civilizations believed that the heavens were a mirror for below. This is the basis of astrology. As above, so below. You also find it in Chinese medicine and other places. This notion is woven into the book but not mentioned. It becomes increasingly important in the later books in the series. Now you asked for a summary. A young woman named Aislinn wakes up one misty morning; before dusk, she is nearly killed twice, she meets a strange man in the woods whom she does not trust and is taken against her will to a world that she does not know is her true home. Once “home” in Faerie, she meets the mother the Queen, who abandoned her, her father the King, whom she has never met—and finds that they are all in danger. And to make matters more difficult, they believe she is their only hope. Treachery, deceit, poison, and various forms of mayhem keep you at the edge of your seat even as the rich world of Faerie envelopes you. What's next? The King and Queen, true to Faerie nature, refuse to believe that anything could breach the “impenetrable” shielding around their realm. They quickly find out exactly how mistaken they are. Meanwhile, Aislinn has no desire to use or even to possess the considerable magical abilities she has just discovered, but if she does not learn to control her power, she will be a danger to herself and the entire realm. I believe you will find yourself staying up late to finish the books if I do my job well. There is more to come, but a teaser for book 2 is enough for now.
If I am up at dawn, I can appreciate being up as long as nature is kind enough to produce a lovely sky. Yes, I am mostly blind but I do see colors and shapes. Ordinarily, I would prefer to be sleeping during dawn. I enjoy dusk and tend to be much more creative at night.
Since we only recently met, I haven't yet had the chance to read Book One of Rue The Day, but it strikes me as a mystical work that has a lot going on between the lines. Could you give us a short summary of The Undercover Heir? What follows Book One?
Let me share something that at first blush may appear to be irrelevant to some readers. It is part of what is happening between the lines. Are you familiar with Celtic knotwork, the interlace design prevalent in Irish and Scottish artwork? There is a deep spiritual meaning behind this. It is not “just art.” It speaks of the interwoven nature of all life. Not merely are all things connected, but they are all interwoven. Pull on one strand of the weave and you distort the whole. Faerie and the mortal world are mirrors for each other. What happens here happens there. Certainly they don’t have computers in Faerie (at least in my books), but the themes and energies mirror. In this same way, many ancient civilizations believed that the heavens were a mirror for below. This is the basis of astrology. As above, so below. You also find it in Chinese medicine and other places. This notion is woven into the book but not mentioned. It becomes increasingly important in the later books in the series. Now you asked for a summary. A young woman named Aislinn wakes up one misty morning; before dusk, she is nearly killed twice, she meets a strange man in the woods whom she does not trust and is taken against her will to a world that she does not know is her true home. Once “home” in Faerie, she meets the mother the Queen, who abandoned her, her father the King, whom she has never met—and finds that they are all in danger. And to make matters more difficult, they believe she is their only hope. Treachery, deceit, poison, and various forms of mayhem keep you at the edge of your seat even as the rich world of Faerie envelopes you. What's next? The King and Queen, true to Faerie nature, refuse to believe that anything could breach the “impenetrable” shielding around their realm. They quickly find out exactly how mistaken they are. Meanwhile, Aislinn has no desire to use or even to possess the considerable magical abilities she has just discovered, but if she does not learn to control her power, she will be a danger to herself and the entire realm. I believe you will find yourself staying up late to finish the books if I do my job well. There is more to come, but a teaser for book 2 is enough for now.
Next Saturday: Part Two. Don't miss it.
2 comments:
Jim, thank you so much for this opportunity for us to "chat" (more or less) about some of the deeper aspects of writing. I'm still eagerly awaiting the arrival of your book, and I know you are still waiting for mine.
Congratulations on getting the six books in your series to come out so close together! That is truly fantastic.
Warmly,
Cat.
Yes, your book was supposed to be shipped on Dec. 4, but for some reason I still haven't received it. If I don't get it by Tuesday, I'll have to check into it.
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