Diane Tegarden ? Anti-Vigilante and The Rips in Time : Selling Books

by Cathy B Stucker

What is your most recent book? Tell us a bit about it.

Anti-Vigilante and the Rips in Time is a science fiction novel set in the distant future with its hooks deep into renewable energy that changes the face of the planet. Terrax, the Crystal Planet, is an exacting world. A place where human physical contact is impossible and stepping outside is virtual suicide. The atmosphere is a hurricane of Coriolis winds and deadly scattershowers, composed of toxic metals formed into whip-like threads kilometers long. Immense Ocean Domes cover over the toxic sludge where the oceans used to be, and the surface of Terrax is covered in crystalline structures, called the Hives, where only the upper crust lives. No one can survive the raw elements; all must reside inside buildings, vicariously living through virtual reality programming.

Tell us something about yourself.

I?m a freelance writer living in Pasadena, with my husband and three cats. I?ve been a print journalist since 1992, writing on a wide range of subjects including; renewable energy, environmental concerns, holistic health, women?s issues, and Native Spirituality. My work has been found in: The Pasadena Star News, Security Sales Magazine, The Pasadena Weekly, The Solar Flare, The Feral Forest, Earth Luvyrs Calendar, The Daily Sundial, the West Coast Well Being, Associated Content and Health Breakthroughs. For fun, I like to play with my cats, grow flowers, trees and veggies, do crossword puzzles, read, watch movies and write poetry.

What inspired you to write this book?

I?ve been an environmental journalist since 1995, writing about the problems and solutions to our planet?s current environmental state, but too many people are simply numb from the bad news and can?t ?hear? any more about why we should change doing ?business as usual.? So, I thought?.fine?don?t change a thing, and this future I foresee is the world we?ll be stuck living in! Many people who have read the book tell me ?I wouldn?t want to live in that world? and I finally feel like I?ve accomplished my goal. Besides, I wanted to see if I could write a long story involving the past and future, about the physics of the rips in time, and create another world, with its own language, people economy and ecology.

How did you choose the title?

I wanted to create a question in the reader?s minds?what are the rips in time? Who is Anti-Vigilante?

What obstacles did you encounter in getting this book published? How did you overcome them?

I created my own publishing company and published it in 2008, but I?ve had a slow start at the promotion catching on!

How did you know you wanted to be a writer? How did you get started?

I?ve written everything you can think of from an early age: card verses for my handmade birthday and Christmas cards, reports and essays, poetry, jingles for the radio, short stories, newspaper and magazine articles, songs, online content and now, books. I can?t remember a time when I didn?t enjoy writing.

Do you have any writing rituals?

I write at restaurants, parks, in the living room, out in the backyard, in my office, whenever the ideas flow, you?ll find me with pen and paper in hand. I don?t compose much on the computer, I?d rather either hand write the original or dictate it into my Dragon Naturally Speaking software (although I like the Via Voice software much better!)

How do you come up with the names for your characters?

I?ve used place names from old geography books, strange names I?ve heard (but I break up the first and last name and match it with another name to create a unique name), in some cases I even name people after renewable energy technology or famous RE sites.

Did you learn anything from writing and publishing this book? What?

I learned that I?m lousy at publicity/promotion/sales!

What types of books do you like to read?

sci-fi, biography, autobiography, plays, renewable energy tech books, etymology, books of plays, mythology and fantasy? (I read a lot)

Who are your favorite authors?

Lois McMaster Bujold, because I?m in love with Miles Vorkosigan (one of the main characters in her 12 novels), she builds fantastic, unique characters and her plots keep me riveted to the page. Diana Gabaldon with her Outlander series, for the same reasons. Anne McCaffrey, with her Dragons of Pern series; the first three Dune books by Frank Herbert; classic fairy tales by various authors; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?s Sherlock Holmes stories; Shel Silverstein?s children?s poems (delightfully silly and fun); Robert Heinlein?s Stranger in a Strange Land (because I can relate to Michael); JRR Tolkein?s Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (because he?s a genius and I can live in Middle Earth while I read his masterpiece); David Weber?s Honor Harrington series, (because I love strong women as leading characters). In general: history, geography, books on Native American culture, books about words and their origins, books about renewable energy and the environment.

Are you working on your next book? What can you tell us about it?

I?m in the middle of my 4th book, working title ?Cami Chameleon- Teenage Tyrant? about a rebellious teenager and her adventures on the road (before she leaves home forever).

What is the best advice you could give other writers about writing or publishing?

Edit, edit, edit! Write a little every day, and keep a pad of paper handy in case you have an inspiration, you can jot down some notes to remind you about your brilliant idea and you can write it out at length later.

Who is the perfect reader for your book?

Mature sci-fi fans, particularly people who like futuristic books offering a unique world to dive into and learn about.

Where can readers learn more about you and your book?

http://www.firewalkerpublications.com

Amazon.com

BarnesAndNoble.com

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6. Daniel L Carter ? The Unwanted

May 26, 2011 | Filed Under Author Interviews?

Tags: novel, science fiction

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