Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Psychic


I have a most interesting book to tell you about, as well as a ‘new-to-me’ author I’m delighted to introduce you to. The book, PSYCHIC by T.S. Rose, will be released by Apprentice House Press on June the 7th.

Alpha Moore is telepathic, but her skills amount to far more than just the ability to read the thoughts of others—she can also convince people to change their minds, think differently, and even reverse previous decisions by 180 degrees, though using that amount of energy drains her and she is still wracked with guilt knowing that her talents contributed to her own mother’s death. 

          As Alpha hides away in a care home for young people, Sunday, another psychic, traces her thoughts and reports her existence to the head of an institution. Joining up with Sunday and this institution, Alpha must then help to unmask a mole in the organization and avert a terrorist attack that threatens a train, desperately hoping that her and Sunday’s gifts together can avert the impending tragedy.

Combining sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, and thriller elements into one hard-to-put-down thrill ride, PSYCHIC has adult and YA crossover appeal and weaves in real-life issues of populism and racism.

Now let me tell you a bit about the author before they have so graciously answered some questions about writing and the book. Set in Britain, it is written by a mother-daughter duo who live in London.

T Rose is the daughter of S Rose, her co-author. T is an accomplished writer. Having earned five academic prizes, she graduated from Queen Mary University (London) before becoming an English teacher. Over the years, she has worked with various charities focusing on promoting reading as well as organizing events and activities to help children and adults in need.

She was born in England and now lives in a rural town surrounded by trees and nature, but which also lies only twenty-five minutes by train from the bustling metropolis of London.

S Rose was born in South Africa, but partially schooled in Germany and the UK. She lived for a while in Kissimmee, Florida, but now lives near London. She has published a gardening story for young children, as well as a fantasy tale for young adults.

Her career as a Town Clerk, working for the good of the community, keeps her exceptionally busy, so writing takes place during stolen moments just before bed.

Please join me in welcoming T.S. Rose to Thoughts in Progress. Thanks for joining us and answering these questions.

How do you work together as writers?

Sharon writes the overall plot, and breaks it down into chapters, then Sharon and Tammy each take a chapter to work on. Tammy is better at dialogue scenes, whilst Sharon tends to focus on the high action elements. Because Sharon proposes the initial plot, she tends to put a first face to the characters, but before writing Tammy will tear these apart, sometimes changing the sex of a character, getting rid of one altogether, or rewriting their backstory. Tammy, being considerably younger than her mother Sharon, is more in touch with youthful characters. She also teaches at a secondary school, and is in contact with students every day, so her feel for the language of the younger generation is excellent. Sharon’s strengths lie in the creation of intricate plots, with twists and turns that leave the reader spinning. Once a chapter is written we both review this together.

Do you ever fight about your work?

Yes, but because we appreciate each other’s strengths and weaknesses we leave the final decision to the person with the best skill in that area. We tend to fight like adults, proposing points, debating our viewpoints in a grown-up manner. Sometimes we have to sleep on it, before coming to a resolution. It has meant that the typical mother/daughter relationship has had to alter to a relationship that is more collegial. It’s been a great experience for us.

Of those outside your family, who has had the most influence on your life?

In terms of worldwide figures, Sharon has met and worked with Nelson Mandela, who will always be a great influence on her thoughts. For Tammy, it’s King Ludwig II, Von Bayern. Whilst being a dreadful ruler, who ignored the threats of war to his country, he focussed on romantic projects, creating a number of wonderful architectural buildings, and his palaces still remain as great natural treasures and tributes to peace in Bavaria.

Given unlimited resources what would you do to make the world a better place to live in?

Less politics, more ability to create cross country/cross continental think-tanks to solve the world’s problems. For example, a radical solution to global warming could be found with this approach. Africa cries out for being reforested, but only a cross country approach could achieve this.

Who is your favourite author?

Tammy – Oscar Wilde, Sharon – Stephen King. For Sharon, reading has always been a great love. She absorbed hundreds of books in her childhood – anything from war stories to cowboys, and from horror to romance. Stephen King has to be a favourite author, who influenced much of her writing style. Tammy is more academic in her reading, and for her Oscar Wilde offers the sense of humour she seeks.

What is your favourite genre?

Sharon – anything, but especially science fiction/fantasy. Tammy – horror.

Politics are a big part of PSYCHIC. In your opinion, does government/democracy work?

No, it’s deeply flawed, with political parties creating political spin that masks the truth about everything. The only good part about it is that it is better than any of the other alternatives, and it does leave people with the ability to think for themselves, should they choose to. Sadly, many people don’t, they just absorb the sound bites as gospel.

Thank you again for joining us today. For more on the authors and their writing, visit their website here: https://www.psychic-tsrose.com/, and take the quiz to see what type of psychic abilities you would have!

PSYCHIC can be pre-order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Psychic-Ts-Rose/dp/1627203877 or Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/psychic-9781627203876/9781627203876.

Thanks everyone for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed this chat with this new writing team. Do you have a favorite genre to read? P.S. Sorry for the way this post looks, Blogger was not happy with me while I was trying to schedule this post.

4 comments:

  1. Blogger is delighting in making things difficult at the moment isn't it?
    This does sound like an intriguing book - though I hope never to come across a person with telepathic powers. Inside my head is probably the last vestige of privacy for many of us, and I would hate to have my thoughts revealed.

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  2. Hi Mason - this sounds an amazing story ... and one I'd definitely be interested in reading ... I do like their take on politics:
    "The only good part about it is that it is better than any of the other alternatives, and it does leave people with the ability to think for themselves, should they choose to. Sadly, many people don’t, they just absorb the sound bites as gospel."
    We do need to think ... good luck to them with Psychic ... and thanks for the recommendation - cheers Hilary

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  3. Mother and daughter team - wow! Impressive.

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  4. That really is an interesting concept, Mason - combining mystery, thriller, and other elements. And Alpha sounds like an interesting character. Thanks for introducing her (and her creator) to us!

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.