Welcome to Realm Explorers! In this weekly series, we visit a variety of unique worlds created by talented science fiction and fantasy authors. Enjoy your travels! And don't forget to read to the bottom of the post to find out more about each author and see how to purchase the featured book.
Author’s name: B. Roman
Title of book and/or
series: The Moon Singer Trilogy, a
YA/Kids Fantasy series, comprises three books: The Crystal Clipper, The War Chamber, and The Wind Rose.
Brief summary of the
story:
David Nickerson is a teenager
trying to cope with a series of family crises:
his father’s unemployment, his deafness after a serious illness, his crippled
sister’s mysterious disappearance, and the death of his mother. David's confused life takes on mystical
qualities when he acquires three sacred artifacts that have extraordinary
powers, and all are tied to the appearance of the enchanting sailing ship, Moon Singer, that transports him to
astonishing dimensions of time and space.
The people David encounters in these other worlds all have a soul
connection to him and their lives are destined to intertwine many times
over.
The power of music to heal, to transform, to create life -
or destroy it - plays a major role in the trilogy. When he must rescue a young princess with the
gift of healing and immortality in her song, held prisoner in a palace tower,
David believes he will also rescue his sister Sally. Strangely, too, David
finds he can hear for the first time in years and is transformed into a young
man who can “hear” what others cannot, and who can “see” what others deny. Thus, his “disability” becomes his greatest
gift. Using crystal power and his music knowledge David discovers the means to
work through his own personal problems and create a better world for everyone
he loves.
Brief description of
the world or location you created for this story:
Although David visits other worlds, past
and future, the stories have a contemporary feel. The real world location is David’s coastal
home town of Port Avalon, where his family heritage is one of ship building and
sailing; this is his anchor environment where the family drama and surprising
miracles take place.
Even though I’ve created fantasy locations for David’s
adventures, we come to see that he is really experiencing a higher
consciousness, but David doesn’t quite know where he is: Past? Present? Future? Are they all one and the same? Discovering the truth is part of David’s
enlightenment.
The Crystal Clipper is the Fairy Tale adventure to The Island of Darkness which has
the aura of a medieval era with all the inherent dangers for its inhabitants. For example, the people are enslaved by the
evil High Priestess Jaycina, and Princess Saliana is a prisoner in the Prism
Palace tower and forced to sing to keep Jaycina immortal.
In The War Chamber
David is transported to the island of Coronadus which experiences a limbo of
sorts where there is no wind or electrical power following a catastrophic
earthquake that separated the city from the mainland. The citizens live a very simple life much
like one would find in a commune, are very ecology minded, and mostly
pacifists. But war looms!
The Wind Rose takes
place mostly in Port Avalon where David is a music prodigy at a city college
and uncovers a Machiavellian plot by a mad music professor to destroy his city
and all of civilization. But a solution
evades David so he decides to return to the Island of Darkness which has become
the Kingdom of Light again, a vastly beautiful and ethereal city of
sophistication and soul evolution. Here, everything becomes clear for our hero.
You mentioned that
the power of music plays a vital role in the stories and David becomes a music
prodigy. How and why is David’s
character deaf?
David was normal
hearing for seven years before developing a serious illness. During that time his mother taught him music,
and subsequently sign language and lip reading.
In his young teens, David develops extraordinary powers in worlds he
never knew existed, because of his
deafness: this important aspect of his character allows me to demonstrate how
David hears the voices of intuition and inspiration and finds his own unique
strengths. Normal hearing people who meditate are always instructed to do so in
a quiet, silent environment - "Be still, and know..." David learns
how to use his natural silence - the “music of his soul” - to find answers to
complicated, almost unsolvable problems and in doing so his “disability”
becomes his greatest gift.
If
we were to visit The Island of Darkness as tourists, what would you recommend that
we see or do there?
Well, you would
be drawn to the Prism Palace, a shimmering vision amidst an otherwise dark and
dense terrain. At first glance, it
appears to be a crystal of monolithic proportions. It is deceptively transparent, with
near-blinding refractions of light that obscure its interior from view. You might also be fascinated by the Glass
Volcano where sacrifices are made of people who have displeased Jaycina. Instead of being thrown in the fire, an
enormous flash of electrical energy surges between the lodestone and the
victim’s breastplate. He is literally
magnetized and lifted high into the air, floating on the electrical current
like a puppet on a string. The lodestone
is then pushed aside, cutting off the free-floating electrical current and the
victim plunges helplessly into the depths of the volcano, screaming his life
away.
 |
|
The Prism Palace on the Island (art credit: Crystal Wisdom Palace artwork used with permission by Ron Kurz, Ellen Laura, Mary Jean Valente) |
What dangers should
we avoid in The Prism Palace?
You would want to avoid the Tower where the
worshipped and feared Glass Snake abides.
And stay away from the palace Temple and the Altar of Initiation. Using hypnotic suggestion, the High Priestess
entices people to hand over their personal crystals containing their bio-codes
- which contain their genetic maps and all their memories - and makes them her
slave. And don’t ever get lost in the
Palace corridors or you will encounter a deceptive Labyrinth of Mirrors and “…your eyes will be unable to see what your
heart knows is true.”
What types of weaponry or fighting styles
are common in The War Chamber?
Since
the citizens of Coronadus put down their weapons and chose to be pacifists,
when there is a disagreement they must appear before the War Council where
battles are confined to theories and strategies. The only weapon allowed is the agility of their
mind and the degree of their debating skills.
The War Council, comprised of only women, decide who the better
tactician is. Why are only women on the
Council? Because the people believe women are the creators of life - are
peaceful and reasonable - and men, unfortunately, are the destroyers.
What types of
vehicles, animals, technology, etc. are used to travel in or to Coronadus?
Since the Great
Destruction, all of the machinery - electronics, cars, appliances, light
fixtures, etc. -lie dormant because there is no electricity to power them. Cooking is done by solar and refrigeration is created
by using insulated cooling bins placed underground. As for the boats, which were very
sophisticated with both sails and engines, not only is there no energy to propel
them but no wind at all to lift the sails. So no one is able to travel to or
from Coronadus, and it is a mystery how David and the Moon Singer arrived
there.
What role, if any,
does magic or the supernatural play in the lives of people in all the books?
Crystal power is the catalyst. David has a collection of colorful crystals
that he experiments with for fun and fascination, including a beautiful Rose
Crystal which represents faith and unconditional love. But things don’t begin to “magically” happen
until he is given a unique Singer crystal, which is shaped like a small
sailboat. When David lays out a Star of
David grid pattern of his gems, the Singer ignites the power of all of them in
a kaleidoscopic fury. The majestic clipper ship Moon Singer appears - a
breathtaking vessel made of pure crystal and gold, which transports David on
all of his adventures.
Has anything in your actual
life inspired the locations, cultures, etc. in your book?
I own a Singer crystal, shaped like a small
sailboat, that inspired the Moon Singer trilogy's first adventure, "The
Crystal Clipper." I found this unique crystal at a workshop (actually, it
found me - which is what crystals are programmed to do). In pondering its
energy, a story began to take shape and guided me through writing all of the
adventures. Young David Nickerson came by his own Singer because it was meant for him; he is the one true owner of
the Singer crystal which manifests
into the Moon Singer ship which takes David on all of his adventures. Because the sacred gem holds all of the
secrets and knowledge of the universe, it is David’s vehicle to learn about
life, courage, selflessness and unconditional love.
What is the significance of the Moon Singer
that it should be made of crystal and gold?
Centuries ago a cataclysmic event was prophesied and it was feared
that all the great knowledge that had been acquired would be destroyed if it
were recorded in books. So, some very
wise scholars programmed a large vein of crystals with all the knowledge of the
Universe then rematerialized them into the earth. They trusted, when the time was right, that
the crystal would surface and be attracted by people who would use this wisdom
well. Many years later, this vein was discovered by prophets who realized that
the power of the crystal held the potential for greatness as well as the
potential for evil. So they broke up the
vein and fashioned it into the three masts of the ship Moon Singer, which represent Love, Wisdom and
Truth. The men set the ship adrift on a pre-programmed course to another
dimension where she would be safe from unscrupulous men. Before they did, however, they chiseled a bit
of crystal from each mast and fashioned the chips into the Singer crystal. The
Singer is the only crystal that can activate the Moon Singer’s many
powers.
What, if any,
“hot-button” or controversial topics do you touch on in your book?
Occult subjects that were once looked upon as fringe or “out
there” have become mainstream:
reincarnation, soul travel, extrasensory perception, clairaudience and
clairvoyance, crystal power, communication with the dead and so forth. I touch on all of these
What message do you hope your readers will take away from
the stories?
I realize that teens today are attracted to pop culture that
focuses on dark and violent themes, but I hope my stories will offer kids a
balance, especially if they are just beginning to ponder metaphysical thoughts
and concepts. Of course, my goal is to
give them an enjoyable, suspenseful, and uplifting reading experience. I also hope that many adults will read the
stories and find them thought-provoking and inspiring.
Author Autobiography:
Since childhood, I've been torn between two worlds:
writing and singing. It's difficult to serve "two masters," as they
say, but I was compelled to do so. When I was not singing, I was writing; when
I was not writing, I was singing. Now I do both. (While still working a day
job!). I've learned that one creative expression nurtures the other. Much of my
writing has a musical theme somewhere in the plot, or is the plot. Whether it's
in my non-fiction writing about the power of music itself, in picture books and
stories and, of course, in writing music and lyrics for songs.
Where, and in what
formats, can we purchase your books?
There are links to all of my books on my Creativia author
page where readers can learn more about me and about the power
of music and magical adventures - then go to the Amazon link if they are
interested in buying.
Where can readers
connect with you online?
Email: moonsinger2013@yahoo.com
Amazon author page: (US
& UK) www.amazon.com/author/bromanbooks
Twitter: @BMoonSinger1
I hope you all enjoyed the trip to the Kingdom of Light. Questions about the world or the book? Ask them in the comments and the author will get back to you!
Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.
Please join us again next Monday for a trip to another world, in Realm Explorers Part XCXVI!
Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.
Please join us again next Monday for a trip to another world, in Realm Explorers Part XCXVI!
-Annie Douglass Lima
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