Interview with Marie Harbon, Author of 'Seven Point Eight'

Welcome to the virtual book tour for Seven Point Eight by Marie Harbon. Here is your chance to get to know the author a little better.

Please tell us and our readers a little bit about yourself.

I’m a UK based author who writes mainly in the science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal genres, although I may break that rule from time to time. Apart from writing, my greatest passions also include fabric and stitching; I create bags, corsets and clothing in the vintage, retro and alternative style. 

What was your inspiration behind ‘Seven Point Eight’?

It amalgamates all the things that interest me and that I’ve read about, including psychic powers, the universe, ancient wisdom and technology, quantum physics, mysticism, conspiracy, the universe. I wanted to create a highly ambitious series that encompasses life, the universe and everything, in an epic story revolving around five principal characters.

The concept revolves around visiting other worlds via the power of the mind, so you don’t need your physical body. Through consciousness alone, it’s possible to explore not only the universe, but your own spiritual heritage. The series involves a group of extraordinary people, and their quest for the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.

How many Chronicles will there be?

There are five in all. The First Chronicle came out about eighteen months ago, The Second Chronicle has just been released, and The Third Chronicle is scheduled for next year, no specific release day yet.

Each book will feature a main character on the cover, with the story involving them in a significant way. The first book depicted Tahra, as she is the key to beginning this whole journey in many ways, while the second one depicts Max, because I think his story arc is central to the action in the story, and links the character in a very dark and sinister way.

The Third Chronicle will feature Ava and in this book, her purpose and secrets will be revealed, as will her enemies and allies. I have something really wonderful planned for her, although it’ll change her life in ways she may regret. The Fourth Chronicle focuses on Paul to a large degree, because there’s a chunk of his life he hasn’t told us about, and it will be pretty explosive for the people concerned. Finally, The Fifth Chronicle concludes with the focus on Sam, his demons and dilemmas, plus, it wraps up all the story threads and mysteries running throughout the series. 

 

I have some great story arcs lined up for all the characters, they’d better hold onto their hats!

What’s next after this?

In 2013, you can expect to see Seven Point Eight: The Third Chronicle, plus a soft sci-fi/ fantasy tale for Young Adults entitled ‘Hox’. You may also see an anthology of short stories, a novella for children, and a venture into screenwriting.

If your book got turned into a movie, who would you select as your actors?

Seven Point Eight is written in the style of a TV series, with a complex and epic plot full of numerous story threads. If I had rich pickings, I’d cast Michael Fassbender as Dr Paul Eldridge, Henry Cavill as Max Richardson (with a bit of age added), Dianna Agron as Ava, and Nicholas Hoult as Sam. The cover girl for The First Chronicle is New Mexico actress, Monique Candelaria, and I’d love her to take the role.

Have you based any of your characters on someone you know, or real events in your own life? 

 

No, the characters and story are products of my imagination, and the research I carried out for the underpinning science in the book. There may be elements of my own personality entangled in the characters somewhere, and influences from people I’ve met or known in my life. However, I never set out to encapsulate any one person in each character.

Who has been your greatest inspiration from other writers, if any?

I think there have been many influences throughout my childhood, and as I moved through adulthood. Initially, I always loved The Narnia Chronicles and had a geeky passion for Star Wars, covering both the fantasy and science fiction genres. Through my teenage years, I was an avid reader of Stephen King books, although some of works could be considered as ‘drawn out’, as the market is in favour of tighter plot and pacing. He can be a bit hit and miss. 

 

More recently, I would say Star Trek, Lost and such programmes encapsulate the storylines and human interest themes that I like. One of my favourite films is ‘Contact’ with Jodie Foster, and in my first book, there are a few tiny little tributes to it. Screenplay writing is a major interest of mine, and at the moment, I’m studying the pilot scripts for Lost, Fringe and V. ‘Seven Point Eight’ would make a fantastic TV series.

When did you know you would be a writer?

I was always known for writing stories when I was at school. The teachers would read them out to the class and at age 12, I expanded an English class assignment to a novella about my class being stranded on a desert island after the cruise ship sank. It was rather Lost-esque, with giant rabbits and aliens, but the class mostly enjoyed all the interactions between the characters, as they were the stars! 

 

Since then, I’ve written a few more novel length books, but I wanted my stories to have maturity so I waited until I was much older before I put one out. I think it’s best to write with the wisdom of experience, of relationships and of people. It creates stronger characters and enriched interactions between them. So in conclusion, I think writing has always been in my blood.

What are the best aspects of writing?

In many ways, I’d say the second draft is the most pleasurable, in that you’re not faced with a totally blank page. At this stage, you can really lay down the more emotional aspects of the story, such as the character’s thoughts and feeling in each situation. It’s where you really cut the diamond. I enjoy writing both action sequences and relationship interactions, one because you get to create dangerous and exciting situations where you can kill characters in highly imaginative ways, and the other because you can really touch the soul of the reader, creating joy or heartbreak.

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Like many writers, I find sections of a book where it doesn’t flow so easily and when you’re staring at a blank page, it can be frustrating. The final read through can make you want to gouge your eyes out, so it’s handy to have something else to work on for a bit.

Thanks for your time!

Marie Harbon has worked in both the retail and fitness industry. She has a degree in sport and fitness and taught group exercise for several years, delivering aerobics and Pilates classes. For two years, she delivered BTEC Sport courses and has also instructed dance and sport with children.


Aside from writing novels, she is developing her script writing and editorial skills. A busy bee, she is also a self-confessed fabric geek and loves making bags and corsets.

'The Truth Will Set You Free'

In the second instalment of the Seven Point Eight series, the legacy of the OOBE project weighs heavily on the conscience of Dr Paul Eldridge. Tahra Mamoun needs to muster all her courage and venture back into the alternate dimensions of reality. Through a series of challenging, surreal and frightening experiences, she comes to comprehend the destructive power she can yield and must face her own demons in the process.

Paul continues his quest to understand the ancient knowledge of the cosmos, while dark forces seek to hijack his research to further a secret agenda. With their lives in jeopardy, Paul and Tahra confront their enemies against an international backdrop featuring the pyramids of Giza and the peaks of Switzerland.

Meanwhile, Sam and Ava endeavour to uncover their past, even though it may irrevocably change their lives.

In a tale of courage and tragedy, love and betrayal, their lives are interwoven around the demons of one man, Max Richardson, who'll stop at nothing to achieve his objectives.

Written in the style of a TV series, Seven Point Eight draws together quantum physics, psychic powers, alternate dimensions, time travel, past lives, ancient wisdom and conspiracy in a soap opera for the soul.

It’s the ideal read for lovers of sci-fi, contemporary fantasy, paranormal, metaphysics, ‘Lost’, ‘Fringe’, ‘Touch’, and Dan Brown books.

Read an excerpt:

“We could achieve multi-patents as an outcome of these findings,” Tom stated. “What fascinates me most are your white blood cells, they’re super-primed to stick to foreign invaders, like phagocytes trained by the SAS. If only we could isolate the factor which enhances this process…but I’m sure it will come.”

“It will, the Human Genome Project is likely to give us the answers we require,” Ava answered, reaching for her coffee. “I guess I may as well tell you now… I’ve been accepted onto the HGP. I start in January. Even though we won’t be working together at the lab any more, I’ll get the chance to sequence my genome, which will really move our research forward.”

Tom paused as he flicked through the thesis, eyes registering the unexpected nature of her announcement, his brow furrowing. While it’d been pending for so long, he never believed it would actually become reality.

“Well, this is all a bit of a…hindrance.”

Ava reached out and touched his hand, her olive skin contrasting against his rugged paleness.

“Isn’t this what you wanted, an opportunity to research my genome?”

“Yes, it’s just that…you working at another lab will slow things down.” Then he realised what he’d said sounded too business like, so he added, “And I’ll miss you too.”

“We’ll see each other on weekends,” she reassured him.

He smiled hesitantly, tried to remain unperturbed then turned his attention back to the project.

“Well, we can develop new treatments in the meantime, especially for AIDS. There’s a lot of money in the pot to fund vaccine research too, then when we start looking at the genetics of your immunity, we could think about additional patents. We could create vaccines for a whole host of viruses; you’re immune to all of them so far. The enhanced ability of your memory T cells to recognise and destroy invading pathogens is beyond belief, it’s as if…you were inoculated against every virus on this planet at birth. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but it’s the only explanation for the extraordinary immunity you show. How else could we explain it?”

His assertions only made her feel more of a freak, more vulnerable, more exposed…more afraid. He wanted recognition and a multi-million pound industry in her name, but couldn’t Tom see how the medical and pharmaceutical industry would jump on her, extract every patent, every drop of blood from her? She would become the most sought after commodity in science.

Buy links: http://amzn.to/13bZW0T 

 

Marie is giving away a FREE copy of Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle for everyone via Smashwords. Leave your email address in the comments section to claim your copy! Plus, she is giving away a 12 ebook swagbag including, sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal and YA titles. Please enter the Rafflecopter below to enter that contest!

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