It gives me great pleasure to feature
author E.E. Bertram with what I'm sure you'll agree is a different kind of
book/novel. In the interview, you'll learn more about the author, her writing,
the book November Fox, and why it's take Esther five years to write,
positive thinking, imagination, science fiction and more!
But first, who is this author?
E.E. Bertram (Esther Bertram) is an Author, Musician
& Media Artist. Her dedication, creative mind, and technical skill set
enable her to create innovative and original expressions, combining wisdom and
fantasy, to assist her life’s mission – “To inspire wonder and growth.”
After more than a decade of touring Europe and recording
as a professional singer/songwriter and producer of electronic music, Esther
has spent 5 years creating the media-fusion, metaphysical, fantasy, science
fiction novel November Fox. The book incorporates Augmented Reality with
a connected music project. This pioneering way of storytelling is on the
leading edge of what is possible when you combine technology with art.
Book Name: November Fox – Book 1.
Following Joy
(A Metaphysical Visionary Fable)
Genres: SciFi/Fantasy/New
Adult/Metaphysical/Visionary Fiction
Audience: Broad age appeal. YA, New
Adult & Adult
Unique Bonus: 39 Augmented Reality
Images
Release Date: 1st November 2016 – Second
Edition eBook and Paperback. This is the first version of the book that will be
available to the public.
Synopsis:
November Fox
is an adventure story that follows the quest of November Fox, orphan rockstar,
to unlock a mysterious teleporting cube she finds on her doorstep. It has many
layers and levels plus eclipsing dimensions. Although it is quirky and out of
the box in its own right, imagine a mix of The Alchemist, Alice in
Wonderland and The Matrix.
Added Technology: Due to my interest in technology and media, I added 39 Augmented
Reality Illustrations. Readers can scan the pictures with the Layer app and
access interactive video and audio elements of November Fox’s tale. This
enables readers to view things from the perspective of The Architect–the
other-worldly narrator of the story.
Nadaness
In Motion's Exclusive Interview with E.E. Bertram
A little bit about the author:
Q: Who are your favourite
writers/authors?
EE: When I'm
in a mood to relax, I’ve always loved Paulo Coelho as he finds a lovely mix
between wisdom, mysticism and easy storytelling. Yet, I more often enjoy
reading books where I learn about the brain, science, consciousness, the cosmos
and philosophy. I have to admit one of my all-time favourites was Eckhart
Tolle’s The Power of Now. I would love to meet him as I find his wisdom
so logical, and being in the presence of someone who is so mindful and
conscious, I’m sure would be an interesting and inspiring experience.
Q: Is November Fox your first
novel? Have you been published elsewhere before?
EE: November
Fox is my first novel. I've been
writing songs since I was a child and I studied Music Composition at
university. Yet before this book, the longest things I had written were an album
of songs. I find there are quite a lot of
similarities between song writing and book writing, as far as form of the
overall structure is concerned. Yet it is quite a different art
form. My travels as a touring and recording singer-songwriter around the world
have influenced the content of writing. So the song writing has been
complementary to the creation of the book in more ways than one.
Q: What other genres would you like to
experiment with in the future?
EE: Like
with my song writing, I’m a little unconventional. I don’t set out with a genre
in mind. I just allow the story to flow and be written, and then afterwards see
what genre it fits into. I hadn’t even heard of Visionary Fiction, or
Metaphysical or New Adult until after I had written the book. It was my first
editor that told me I am a Visionary Fiction author. I have sneaky suspicion though, with my intention for book two, it may
fall into a crossover of New Adult Romance/Magic Realism/ Metaphysical.
Speaking of November Fox
Q: How many books are you planning for
the series?
EE: At least
three, yet there may be more. I have a an overall plan for three, yet depending
on how I feel and how the characters feel in number three, we will see what
should come next.
Q: What first inspired you to write November
Fox?
EE: As I
mentioned I’ve always been a songwriter, yet writing my first novel was driven
by a deeper yearning. I felt a strong desire to do my part in inspiring the
next generation of readers to find their purpose in life and ask deeper
questions. Because we are living in a time of overwhelming media saturation,
some people seem to be losing touch with themselves and nature. I wrote November Fox to inspire people to listen
to their inner voices and follow their calling, amidst the cacophony of the
digital age. Yet I housed these ideas and ideals in a scifi/fantasy,
and added interactive Augmented Reality layers
as I love using technology creatively. This element also serves to
aptly deepen the story to represent the layered nature of human consciousness.
Q: I like the idea of 'imagination and
positive thinking to remake herself and her world', can you elaborate more
that? How does positive thinking drive the novel forward?
EE: Yes, I’m
a big believer in creating your own reality, the law of attraction and the
power of intention. A lot of what I have learnt about such subjects have been
through my lucid dreams, where the power to manifest desired outcomes is based
on your ability to be clear and open. November Fox has many obstacles to
overcome to understand the workings of the teleporting cube “Joy” and over
time, it becomes evident that it is through the “Feedback Loop” of positive
thinking, that she can progress. There is a discussion in a chapter with The
Now Tree, where the tree explains how the feedback loop works.
Q: Does the novel have any romance in
it?
EE: Short
answer is yes, some. Although I don’t wish to give it away so I won’t tell you
between who. What I will say is there will be more romance in book 2.
Q: Can you explain to readers what is
the metaphysical aspect of the novel (and/or provide an example)?
EE: Wikipedia
explains the topic perfectly in the following description; Metaphysics is a
branch of philosophy investigating the fundamental nature of being and the
world that encompasses it. Metaphysics attempts to answer two basic
questions:
1. Ultimately, what is there?
2. What is it like?
Much of November Fox is narrated from The
Architect. He is an other-worldly entity that creates our world of form. He is
extremely philosophical and asks many metaphysical questions as he yearns to
understand the nature of reality. His only “World of Form” experience has been
in creating it and observing/feeling it through November Fox, so through
his intrigue and fascination, readers are also asked to re-examine their
pre-conceptions of “what is.”
The Writing Process
Q: You mentioned that the book has been
"five years in the making", why did it take so long for this book to
come together?
EE: Yes,
well just the text alone took a long time, as I had to re-write it many times
as I was learning the craft of writing as I went. As soon as I’d finished
writing a draft, I learnt something else about writing and had to go back to
the manuscript and implement it.
Then came the digital elements of the book, the
Augmented reality layers. These took a long time
as well, as there are 43 videos as well as an album and an EP of music, and
before any of this came the planning which was six months as well.
Also there was the Kickstarter campaign, as I was doing it all myself it just
took quite a while. I am quite sure the next book in the series will take a
quarter of the time as I have learnt so much along the way.
Q: What was the hardest thing about
writing November Fox?
EE: The hardest part is
the endurance required to stick at it, year after year until the art form is
ready for the world.
Living a somewhat hermit lifestyle for so
long was also quite tough. There were many days and weeks and months where I
hardly saw any friends or left the comfort of my dressing gown. It's such a
cathartic and intense experience to write a book and I compounded my workload
by deciding to have the augmented reality components as well as connected music
project. The stamina required was the hardest part.
Q: How much sci-fi goes into the novel?
And did you have difficulty in not going over the top with the sci-fi element?
EE: There
are four or so chapters set in the future at a time where AI [artificial
intelligence] are almost like humans. And there are also a few parts in the
book about quantum physics and other fascinating science-based ideas. The whole
framework structure of how the cube and the levels work is based on one of my
own theories, so it is my own experiential science turned into fiction.
I didn’t have difficulty not going over the top as I
wanted the novel to remain within plausible possibilities. That is actually why
I cut out four chapters for the second edition. I felt like those chapters,
although interesting in their own way, took the story one step too far. So I’m
calling the first limited edition hardback, the director's cut.
Q: The Augmented reality images are in
ebook form only or print as well? (or November Fox only an ebook)?
EE: The
Augmented Reality Images work best with the Print editions of the book as you
can lay the book flat on the table and use your tablet or phone to access the
interactive 3D elements, yet if you have two devices, one for the ebook and
another for the Augmented reality, it also works with the ebook.
What reviewers
have said about November Fox
You will be irresistibly drawn
into the extraordinary adventures of November Fox, orphaned rock star, as she
finds the answers to life’s most confounding and compelling questions. November
battles her personal demons through adventures that straddle identities and
realities and finds her way through real and fantastical realms to a new
awareness. Challenging situations, provocative theories and fantastic
characters will tease you on.
Expect the unexpected and to be
confronted with other ways of thinking, seeing and being as the incredible
becomes the credible and then back again, and time, place and characters take
on new dimensions and realities. Effortlessly interwoven sub-plots subtly build
behind the story, giving the tale depth and intrigue. The Augmented Reality
illustrations give this book a unique visual and audio element, adding to the
many ways November Fox and her cast of real and bizarre characters will
challenge you. There’s no question you will be left craving more. – Lynne B.
Wow, thank-you for a wonderful
story, it really moved me and I cried at least 3 times. I love the soundtrack
album as well! – Simon Woolven
'She paused for a moment as
the mood in the room went quickly from a light-hearted cake break to being as
deep and reflective as a moonlit lake at midnight.' This excerpt from the book
describes this idiosyncratic fantasy chronicle perfectly. It's a journey
through the fantastical and is not just escapist but reflects the real world though
departing from it. On November's adventure, the reader gets to re-examine their
conceptions of time and space and leave behind 'real world' mundanity. In that
departure, we are shown that reality has more fantastical elements than first
realised.
November Fox is a stream of
consciousness narrative which renders a flow of myriad impressions... visual,
auditory, physical, associative and subliminal. The writer incorporates
snatches of incoherent thought and free association of ideas, images, and words
to capture the total flow of their characters’ consciousness.
A promising narrative with a
truly innovative digital experience,
one can look forward to the
next in the series. – Di Ebert
Remember:
The book is FREE for 2 days only here.
Bentwhistle the
Dragon, A Threat from the Past by Paul Cude is the first instalment in the Bentwhistle
the Dragon Series. The first chapter opens
in the middle of a chase in Egypt, with an unnamed woman, whom we learn is a
dragon in human form.
