Guest Interview With Deborah Thomas

Debbie Thomas, author of Brekleby Press, is touring with me in March 2008 and you will get to learn much more about her and her book.


A little bit about Debbie Thomas: A couple of Deborah's favorite yet infrequent past times are drawing and gardening, Deborah has penned short stories and poems for many years. Some pieces did find their way to blogs and other writers' sites. As a random act, she took part in a writing challenge, National Novel Writing Month (NANO - www.nanowrimo.org), and she penned her first novel length story. Later, a few friends encouraged her to attempt to publish it. Deborah Thomas lives with her four children in a small suburb outside of Springfield, Ma.

eddb: Today we welcome Deborah Thomas a new author on her first book tour. Good morning, Deborah, welcome to my stop at your book tour. I'm sure my readers would love to get to know you a little better.

Deb: Good Morning, Elena. Happy to be here.

eddb: 1) So, let's begin. Where are you from? And what inspired you to write this book?

Deb: I'm a single parent living with my four kids in Chicopee, a small town in western Massachusetts. The Brekleby Press part of an effort of writing a longer story in my early efforts of participating in NANO. It was a fun piece to write.
eddb: 2) The name of your book is intriguing. Is it a take-off on a real publishing company of just a play on words?

Deb: No. The title didn't actually come to me until I was almost finished with the book. The title was kind of play on words. The idea for the book came to me from a combination of a couple of old (late 60's and 70's) television shows. Dr. Who, The Twilight Zone and the Outer Limits.

eddb: 3) What in your background helps you to write a book such as this? And why did you decide to write this particular book?
Deb: I'd say that it has been a childhood hobby, starting with short stories and poems then later with longer pieces. My first novel length attempt from the participating in a website that challenged you to write a 50,000 story in 30 days, the National Novel Writers Month. The Brekleby Press is a result of year two for participation. My writing is still growing and developing. I'm still learning and growing right along with it.

eddb: 4) How do you take the reader from the past to the present or the present to the past?

Deb: There are two means upon which the reporters travel from the past to the present. The first one, actually ones are The Passage and The Tower of Babel. The Passage is an entity kind of like fate, with all the knowledge of any words and acts that has or ever will be. The Tower of Babel is the channeling portal upon which the reporters go thru time in. To access this tower, the reporters enter a room where the methods of how history were recorded thru time are stored. You have fabric or skins scrolls, stone tablets, hand scribed books, the old moveable printing press, old fashioned typewriter and the modern computer. When it's time to go to that period of time, the method of the time glows and captures the reporters and transports them to that time.

eddb: 5) Your book sounds interesting, a group of reporters jumping back and forth in time to become guardians of the "word". a) What word is it that they are attempting to protect, or it is words that have been spoken from the beginning of time to the present? b) And why?

Deb: The word in that even the smallest of pebbles can lead to bigger things. We are all witness to the everyday or the mundane. We can chose to notice and possibly savory and learn from these little tidbits or not. A cause and effect or repetition of the same acts. We all are stewards of the word whether we realize it or not.

eddb: 6) If the reporters do not have control of the Time Machine how are they able to transport from one dimension to another? And if they do, why would the Time Machine be the ultimate prize?

Deb: The passage determines the when and at what point the reporters will appear and disappear from that particular period of time. They are capturing that moment of time (the three minutes of fame). Now one of the crucial elements of this is that they can't interfere with time, no the catch twenty two is that is in real time for the period so they have to get the facts down and get back within the time it is suppose to have actually occurred. They don't, they have interfered with time. There are no excuses for this, whether infighting in the group or an outside force of a former employee/guardian. This former guardian wants to not only interfere with history but totally destroy the passage and tower.

eddb: 7) Is the heroine of this group, the only female member or does she have a "sister" to help her fend off the male members of the group?

Deb: Natalie isn't the only female but there isn't any type of sisterhood among the other females in her group. Natalie does have a "big brother" figure that helps her try and piece together what is going on. She is like this awkward person who has to grow into not only her "motley crew" of fellow reporters but into what is expected of her in respect to the passage.

eddb: 8) Will this be the only book in this genre, or are you planning on a sequel or series to it?

Deb: Yes, I have started two sequels to Brekleby, both untitled. They will be going into a little more background of the passage, and the two main characters.

eddb: 9) If you didn't write this book, what genre would you like to write in? Why?

Deb: I really don't gear my writing to any one genre. When the idea hits me, I just let it run its course. I mean I have two other projects right now that maybe classified as mysteries. One is a little further along than the other. I just don't consciously say it has to be this way.

eddb: 10) What are you working on now? And how far along with it are you?

Deb: I also have an urban fiction book called Ninomytus which the MC is a martyr for the condemned. He is a restless eternal soul. A reporter come in to interview him after the last attempted to kill him thru lethal injection fails. I am editing it right now with an anticipated release date of late summer or early fall.

Deb: I have a second book that will be available soon, 2 glances, published by CreateSpace that was an entry in the Amazon Break thru Artist contest last year. The MC is a therapist who helps people face and cope with their various idiosyncrasies. It's also helps him deal with his, being around people.

eddb: Thank you for joining us today, Deborah. It was a pleasure having you here. I trust my readers will have enjoyed getting to know you.

Deb: Thank you for having me. I've enjoyed talking with you and making me feel at home. I want to thank you for giving me the chance to talk about my book and look forward to doing this again http://inspiredauthor.com/promotion/Debbie+Thomas

Elena