Welcome, Thomas. Why
did you become an author?
I came to faith at age twenty-eight and began writing two
weeks later. Up to that point, my whole focus had been upon business – I ran
the European office of a US
consulting group. There were a huge number of transitions that followed this,
but from that first moment, literally the first hour I wrote my first story, I
knew this was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
If you weren’t a
novelist, what would be your dream job?
Seven years ago, I began writing screenplays. It was
enormously challenging, like learning a new musical instrument or a different
field of medicine. But it has remained a great joy. I am now working on my fifth
screenplay under contract and loving it. Just loving it.
If you could have
lived at another time in history, what would it be and why?
This has never really interested me as a concept. What I
find fascinating, however, is the idea of alternate universes. Different
scenarios playing out in a time and setting that is the here and now, only
skewed ninety degrees. That is what I am doing with this series of novels.
What place in the United States
have you not visited that you would like to?
How about a foreign
country you hope to visit?
I have been invited to lecture on creative writing in Singapore . Just
across a bridge is Malaysia ,
a land of clouds and mystery. Can’t wait.
What lesson has the
Lord taught you recently?
Letting go.
Working in the film world means accepting that mine is just
one voice among many, and certainly not the most important or the loudest. When
the story moves from page to the combined action of many, I become just one of
the chorus.
Tough.
Tell us about the
featured book.
That night, Professor Gabriella Speciale does something she
has never done before. An Italian psychologist, she has spent five years
studying the brainwave patterns of practitioners of deep meditation. She now
intends to apply the latest electromagnetic techniques to stimulate similar
brainwaves in ordinary subjects; those who have never practiced mental control.
But her initial candidate reports something utterly unexpected. Then another. After
the third research experiment, Gabriella decides to break with the demands of
scientific objectivity. She must slip into the lab after-hours, and take her
own trial run.
Gabriella seems to float on the edge of human consciousness.
She senses a gradual separation from her physical form, frightening but also
captivating. At one level she identifies the phenomenon as an out-of-body
experience. These have been chronicled, and controversial, for centuries. Only
now there is a difference. With a little tweaking, Gabriella finds a means to
both control and direct the out-of-body experience. She seems to be omniscient
– going anywhere, seeing everything. Has she, in effect, defied the laws of
gravity, locality and time? As the lab comes back into focus, Gabriella is
flush with exhilaration – and anxiety. She does not fully understand the
ramifications – but something this big needs to be protected.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
The Satellite
Beach community center
was not the sort of place to require an armed agent guarding the coffee
machine. It was located in a former auto supply warehouse. The four bay doors
had been replaced by walls of glass. The view was over a parking lot, a lawn
shared with the neighboring church, and the inland waterway. That Monday
evening the setting sun turned the bay into a burnished copper shield.
Charlie Hazard stood in what had become his normal station,
midway between the coffeemaker and the jukebox. His job was to make sure the
local surfers didn’t totally freak out the old-timers. There were nights when
he would have rather faced incoming fire.
The center was situated three blocks from the home he had
inherited from his father. Charlie had been dropping by a couple of nights each
week for nineteen months and he still didn’t know why. He went off on a job,
got it done, came home, and a night or so later he was back. The place suited
him. It was safe. Charlie liked safe. And sane. A lot of his life away from
this place wasn’t either. Lately he found himself looking forward to coming
back. He was comfortable with little triumphs these days—another day staying
clean, another night without sweats and fever dreams.
Julio, a Hispanic kid in his late teens, hit the button on
the music machine. Immediately the place was invaded by rap. Julio was a local
surfer, tall and handsome despite his baggy jeans and prison tats. Charlie had
every reason to dislike him and his attitude. But something about Julio hit him
at gut level. What was more, Charlie’s best friend here was the youth
counselor, a retired Orlando
detective named Irma Steeg. Irma had a definite soft spot for the kid. So
Charlie kept his voice mild as he waved Julio over and said, “Think maybe you
could hold off for another hour?”
Julio gave him attitude. “What’s your problem, man?”
“See the old people over there by the windows? Forty-five
minutes, they’ll leave for their nightly meds. Then you can play the track that
sounds like a bad day in Baghdad .”
Irma settled a hand on Julio’s arm, halting his comeback.
She asked, “How about something from Ol’ Blue Eyes?”
Charlie walked over to the machine and ditched the rap. To
the groans of everybody under twenty, Frank Sinatra and his horn section asked
Charlie to fly him to the moon.
As Charlie returned to the coffee bar, Irma gave Julio her
number one smile. “Everybody likes Sinatra, right?”
Charlie knew Julio wanted to tell Irma exactly where she
could put Sinatra and his entire big band. But Julio had enough street sense to
notice the steel behind Irma’s smile.
He told the departing kid, “One hour, tops. Then the place
is yours.”
“Whatever, man. Make yourself some oatmeal, why don’t you.
Easier to chew, you don’t got no teeth.”
Charlie said to Irma, “Remind me why you put up with that
lip.”
“Julio has nothing and nobody. I always had a thing for
strays.” Irma offered him the same soft-hard smile. “As you should know.”
He skipped his retort because an unfamiliar woman chose that
moment to walk through the door. When her smile lit up the room, even the kids
gave this new arrival thirty seconds of silence.
The strange thing was, the beautiful woman was not actually
smiling at anyone or anything in particular. She seemed genuinely ecstatic to
simply be here. In a former auto supply warehouse.
Maybe she had a thing for Sinatra.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
Readers, here are links to the book. By
using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Fault Lines - Christianbook.comFault Lines - Amazon.com
Fault Lines - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book.
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10 comments:
Wow! I am intrigued!
Melanie Backus, TX
I have read the previous books in this series and enjoyed them. I am looking forward to reading this one. It would be great to win a copy.
Edward A in VA
Wow this is fascinating stuff! I'm from Missouri!
I've heard that Thomas Locke is the pen name for Davis Bunn. We have his books in the church library.
Thanks for entering me in your giveaway.
Janet E.
von1janet(at)gmail(dot)com
Florida
My husband would enjoy this one! It's hard to find Christian books in the genre he likes. Thank you for the fun author interview and giveaway chance!
Trixi in OR
With the difference in ages and types of music, this sounds like an interesting read. Would enjoy wining a copy.
Sounds like a great story! Thank you for the chance.
Caryl K in TEXAS
Enter me!!
Conway SC.
Sounds really good! Please enter me!
Ontario Canada
Hi Thomas & Lena! I am beyond intrigued, because now I'm dying to know what that connection is between the book summary and the first page because they don't seem to me that they go together. Can't wait to find out!
Kristen in Oklahoma
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