Worlds Unseen by Rachel Starr Thomson (Book 1 of The Seventh World Trilogy) Giveaway Included!!

HEY EVERYONE,


And now, at last, it is time for a interview with Rachel Starr Thomson AND a GIVE AWAY! 
Yes indeed! So, if you want a FREE copy of Worlds Unseen, comment on this post! Winner will be picked at random. Isn't that fun!!! I can't wait to see who wins! 


Merry Christmas a bit early! 
Carol 

1. What atmosphere helps you write best? Do you have any interesting writing quirks?

I write best in a quiet, uncluttered, open space--my office has a great big window right beside my desk that looks out over a field and a pond, and that's about perfect! I've typically lived (and worked) in households full of people, so "quiet" isn't always doable, in which case I've learned to put on headphones and play instrumental music to create my own mental space. (Lyrics are too distracting.) I have a hard time working if I feel closed in, whether by a tight space or by clutter.

2. Can you tell us a little about Worlds Unseen and the Seventh World Trilogy?

The Seventh World Trilogy (Worlds Unseen, Burning Light, and Coming Day) took shape in my imagination when I transported elements of the Protestant Reformation to a fantasy world, one that is part-medieval and part-Victorian. It’s a story about people who find out that the world as they know it is built on lies; that their real history is contained in myths and legends that have been suppressed for centuries—but that the truth is about to break into their world, in the form of evil creatures and powerfully good beings that are at war. Maggie, Nicolas, Virginia and the rest find themselves challenged and transformed as they take their own places in the story.

3. Can you tell us about the allegorical/symbolic elements to Worlds Unseen?

That's a great question! I should start by saying that the trilogy isn't straight allegory in any way--but as it grew out of my own spiritual journey, it definitely has points of intersection :). The most obvious allegorical element in Worlds Unseen is that the character of "the King," the forgotten creator, ruler, and "heart of the world," corresponds loosely to God in Jesus Christ. And I see a lot of parallels between the Seventh World and ours: the way people have forgotten about their own origins and history, even working to cover it up, because knowledge of the past requires something of us in the present. But of course, when we do that, we have a serious price to pay in the future, because where we've come from directly affects where we're going. The Gifted have some parallel in spiritually gifted and sensitive people I know; the Blackness parallels the forces of darkness in our world.

4. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing Worlds?

That I could write a "real book"! I had written two other complete novels prior to Worlds Unseen, but they were short--just over 100 pages each. I didn't think I was capable of writing something in the more standard 300-400 page vein. Turns out I can--and have done many times since. In a deeper sense, I have continued to be surprised by how much a story I wrote can teach me about my own life as I live it. There's a lot of meaning in the trilogy that I'm just starting to see.

5. What do you hope people will take away from the story?

An understanding that there is more to the world than they can see, and an urge to seek out the truth and know Reality for themselves.