THE BOOK ARK II
If you haven’t read The Book
Ark I (Black on White) you’ve missed a rare treat.
If you have read it – you’ve an even bigger treat in store as
author, Janis Pegrum Smith, has just released the second in the series – Children
of the Universe.
AND
(yep, there’s an and!) fans of my very own loveable rogue, Jesamiah Acorne
(Captain) will be in for a double treat as he has a guest
appearance in this second book.
Q HELEN: So who is the Book
Ark Series for Janis? Adults? Children?
A JANIS: Originally, I
had the Young Adult market firmly in mind for The Book Ark. The idea was to create an adventure tale, set in the “Realms
of Fiction”, involving characters
from other books, especially the classics, with the hope of encourage younger
readers to seek these books out and become drawn into a love of books. However,
I was completely unprepared for how adults would embrace The Book Ark!
The book truly has fans 9 to 90, both male and female. The
main protagonist, Josh Ridley, is 19 at the start of the books; I worried a
little about younger teens relating to him, though I think his vulnerabilities
and the complexities of his life make him accessible and relatable-to by many. I
have had lots of emails from adults who have read the novel and are now buying
it for all the children they know. There is a definite magic to the story which
people who have a love for books really get, and once they have read the book,
it is a magic they become passionate about sharing with everyone they know.
Q HELEN: So, tell us about The Book Ark – what is a “Book Ark”? And what / who are
the Keepers of the Books? (I believe I’m classed as a Keeper of the Books? Is
that right? Wow!)
A JANIS: The Book Ark is
a boat, a Dutch Barge to be exact, owned by Josh’s grandfather, ex-librarian,
Warwick Ridley. Ostensibly, The Book Ark
is a floating second-hand bookshop that gently plies its trade along the canals
and waterways, but this is just a front. Really, The Book Ark is exactly what it says, an ark for books, for Warwick
Ridley is the “Master of the Books”, leader of an elite force of librarians who
police the Realms of Fiction, an alternate universe where every book ever
written, really exists; fused into reality by the power of the human
imagination. Unfortunately, human storytelling also captured the supernatural
creatures of the “Realms of Fantasy”. As we humans told stories of fairies,
elves and the like it drew them closer to the Realms of Fiction, slowing their vibration
and damaging their ability to wander the universes, as they always had. Once we
began committing their stories to books, it turned the blood of those creatures
written about to ink, and firmly welded the Realms of Fantasy to the Realms of
Fiction. In an attempt to free themselves from this bondage, the Realms of
Fantasy creatures fought back in what is called the “Great Scribing Wars”.
They
endeavoured to free themselves by destroying all the human books they could,
hence some of the great unaccountable fires of ancient times when libraries
like Alexandria were destroyed. It was due to the activity of the supernatural
creatures that the librarians of Alexandria first discovered the Realms of
Fiction, having followed the saboteurs back through a wormhole. From these
first brave librarians crossing over to this alternate realm the fellowship of
the “Keepers of the Books” was formed, as it was soon discovered that the
Realms of Fiction was an incredibly fragile universe, vulnerable to the
machinations of The Realms of Fantasy, and their leader, King Oberon. It could
also be easily damaged and destroyed by other “enemies of the book”, for it was
realised that at least two copies of a book must exist in our Realms of Fact
for its existence to remain stable in the Realms of Fiction.
If a book is lost
completely in physical form, then that land within the Realms of Fiction will disappear
altogether. The Book Ark’s real aim
is to travel around collecting copies of rare books to ensure the survival of
its Realms of Fiction counterpart. It also has a wormhole portal into The
Realms of Fiction, via its library steps: as this is what all library steps are
really, have you ever noticed how slightly strange they look, these few steps
that seem to lead to nowhere, but have an air of being slightly otherworldly,
that is because the steps really go on, unseen, into another dimension.
And yes Helen, you are mentioned in the second novel, Children of the Universe as being a onetime
Keeper of the Books, due to your library connections. More importantly though,
as a writer, you are venerated and worshipped by all your characters as a “Creator”,
especially a certain Jesamiah Acorne.
[Helen: hmmm not sure Jesamiah worships me - rum maybe.... LOL]
Q HELEN: I see – and who or
what are the “Inkless”?
A JANIS: The Inkless are a new phenomenon within the Realms of
Fiction. With the coming of Project Guttenberg’s digitalisation of the classics
in the 1970s, it was noticed that ghost worlds were beginning to appear within
the Realms of Fiction, a popular book still in print could counteract the
reaction, but lost, forgotten works could transform into a ghostly land.
As e-book
technology took off here in our realms, it created what the Keepers term “Inkless”
worlds within the Realms of Fiction. Real characters, from printed books, are
known as “Inklings” in the Realms of Fiction, as ink flows through their
immortal bodies. Our reading and telling of their stories builds the solidity
of their existence, and their evolution as characters. The more widely a book
is read, the more evolved its characters become, they become aware of
themselves, of the Keepers and their administration centre, known as the “Citadel”,
within which is the “Hallowed Halls”, where the Keepers reside alongside the
spirits of writers who have passed over from the Realms of Fact.
The characters
worship their writers as their Creators, for what is a writer if not the god of
his created worlds? The Inkless have none of this structure; as the
self-publishing market exploded, the Realms of Fiction became inundated with
new worlds which do not recognise the Keeper’s authority. There are huge issues
with fan fiction conflicting with the original characters they are based upon,
and frightening, underdeveloped, poorly written, zombie characters.
Worst of
all, King Oberon and the creatures from the Realms of Fantasy soon saw that
this electronic technology was creating light, Inkless characters – free
spirits in the manner they had once been. They came to believe that if the
Realms of Fiction could be turned into a completely Inkless state then through
this they could achieve their long-held dream of the “Great Freedom”, and once
more be free.
To this end they tracked down the main proponent of e-books in
the Realms of Fact, Zelda Lovelace, of Lovelace Technologies. Zelda has a
vision to rid the world of the physical book and hold the world’s library on a
database no bigger than a grain of sand. She also just happens to be Warwick
Ridley’s ex-wife, and Josh’s Grandmother.
Q HELEN : The Realms of Fact
v The Realms of Fiction…? Are they other worlds? Tell us more!
A JANIS : The Realms of Fact are our own, human reality; The Realms
of Fiction are an alternate reality created from our threads of consciousness
through the telling and retelling – reading and rereading of stories.
Our minds
have projected the worlds and characters of fiction into existence within
another dimension; it is also the place where the spirits of dead writers go,
to preside over their creations. The Realms of Fantasy is the timeless
dimension inhabited by the supernatural creatures, fairies, elves, dragons and
the like – it was once a place of light, high vibration which allowed the
creatures to travel the multiverse unhindered, but now it is firmly welded to
the Realms of Fiction.
I don’t think it
will be giving too much away if I say “Yes” to the question of “are there any
other worlds?” The third book in the series, Enemies of the Book, (out in 2016) will involve the “Realms of Non-Fiction”, and the fourth
book will be called The Keepers of Time,
which hints at another element at play.
The
Book Ark is a multi-dimensional, multi-faceted concept which has endless
possibilities when it comes to storylines, which is what makes it so exciting,
not only for my readers but for me as the writer too. I envisage the future
books will take us on ever-expanding, amazing adventures. I base all of the
science within the books upon current theory, so it is all theoretically
possible; in fact the more I delve into the research for the books, the more I
find evidence that the Realms of Fiction could really exist, which can set the
spine tingling. Readers have told me that their imaginations readily accept my
fantastical creation and they find the fact that one could pop up a set of
library steps and emerge within this alternate universe completely believable…
well, let’s face it, it is every reader’s dream, is it not?
Q HELEN : And the main “Goodies”
are?
A JANIS : Goody wise, there are lots – Josh Ridley, and his
grandfather Warwick, plus the Keepers of the Books and their ancestors, the “High
Council of Bookmen”, which is made up from spirits of the Masters of the Books
who have gone before. Warwick likes to think of the Keepers as the Jedi’s of
the book world. Then, there are all the characters who help along the way. I
can’t fail to mention Captain Grandad and the other residents of the Land of
Happiness who are from a book Warwick wrote to encapsulate the one magical
summer he spent with Josh when he was eight years old, the only time they had
met. By creating a fictional children’s book about them it also created a
permanent, eight-year-old version of Josh, who is known as Little Josh. There
is also Oriole, the granddaughter of one of Warwick’s oldest friends, who
befriends Josh in the first book, and is inescapably drawn into the adventure.
Q HELEN: And the dastardly “Baddies”?
A JANIS: Well, an extra complexity of The Book Ark’s multifaceted plot
is that there are many tiers of baddy. The
Book Ark is basically a story of war and, as in any war who the bad guy is
very much depends upon which side you are on. Unless you are an ardent fan of
calculus and e-books, then Zelda is the main antagonist, in league with King
Oberon seeking the Great Freedom for his fairy-tale subjects. There are also
the “sniffers”, remotely controlled, robotic spies who patrol the Realms of
Fiction, controlled by elves deep within the bowels of Oberon’s castle. Then,
there is the ongoing feud between Captain Grandad and Long John Silver in the
first two books; in this, Long John Silver is most definitely the bad guy! There
are also a lot of personal feuds raging between the characters, so there are often
a lot of tensions between those who are supposed to be on the same side. The
complexities of the relationships and the plots allow for an extremely dynamic
range of interactions, just as in real life, and these relationships will
evolve throughout the series of novels, ensuring that the reader is always kept
on their toes at every turn of the plot.
Q HELEN: OK so here’s the
question all my readers and followers want to know… What has that charmer of a
rogue pirate Captain Jesamiah Acorne got to do with all this?
A JANIS : Ah, Captain Jesamiah Acorne. When the dear Captain’s
Creator, your good self, Helen, read the first Book Ark novel, Black on
White, she was so enchanted with the concept that she enquired as to if her
character could possibly appear in the sequel. Well, before I could get over
the incredible compliment a fellow author was paying me by wishing to see her
creation included within my story of all things fictional, Jesamiah had “jumped
ship” as it were and I found he had taken up residence within my imagination.
He
came under strict instructions that he was only on short-term loan, and to
behave himself as it was a book aimed at young adults. I did of course fall
completely for his devilish charms, what woman could not... though his rum
ration was kept to a minimum, as we had work to do. I think one of the
strangest occurrences was that Helen reported suffering with a little writer’s
block at this time, it was really like Jesamiah was absent from her imagination
whilst appearing in mine. I am glad to say that, as much as I enjoyed the
Captain’s visit, it wasn’t too long before I sent him safely back to his
Creator.
[Helen: He took his time getting back though ...probably stopped off at a few taverns along the way...]
Jesamiah’s part is a small but key element to the plot of Children of the Universe. I was very
pleased with his appearance in the novel, though completely underestimated how
tough it would be to work with another author’s character. Handing over the
draft for Helen’s approval was an extremely nerve-racking experience, but
luckily she loved the Captain’s part in the adventure. When I wrote the initial
novel, my husband and I would joke that other authors would love it so much
that they would ask for their characters to be included in future episodes,
little did we know that it would actually happen, and so quickly! Because of
copyright laws, I am limited to using books and characters who are deemed
copyright free and in the public domain. As much as I would love to use a
wealth of books to draw from, unfortunately this would involve legalities and
royalty rights which, as an indie author, I am not in a position to get
involved with at the moment, though I do hope that as the books grow in
popularity more authors might approach me, as Helen did. All I know is I am
extremely honoured and proud to have Captain Jesamiah Acorne as The Book Ark’s first guest character,
and I really hope that his fans enjoy his appearance within my book.
Q HELEN: Can Book II be read
without Book I – or is it best to start at the beginning?
A JANIS: The Book Ark is
a true series, page one of Children of
the Universe picks straight up from where Black on White ended; as Enemies
of the Book will from the second book – so, you really need to start with
book one. As you can see from my lengthy explanations above, the plot is so
complex that you need to build your knowledge as the books progress to
understand the full complexities of what is going on. That said, I have
endeavoured to place subtle memory jogs for readers, here and there, as I am
fully aware that it may be over a year since they read the last book. I also
think that they are books that stand up to a number of rereads, as there are subtle
little details that can be missed on the first read.
Q HELEN: How long do you plan the series to go on for?
A JANIS: A good question. How long is a piece of string? Initially,
I planned out eight novels, I think I am now looking at ten firm plots, but the
possibilities are endless. Because of the interdimensional nature of the book,
not to mention the time travel element that will come out in later novels, I
can envisage me writing Book Ark
novels for as long as there are readers for them. They are also great fun to
write, with their sweeping adventurescapes, huge array of characters and gentle
humour. Readers of the first instalment inundated me with suggestions that it
should be made into a movie, if only it were that simple. Although I am an
indie writer by choice, I do feel I would like to find a conventional publisher
for The Book Ark series, it is a
fantastical story and I feel it deserves a much bigger distribution and world
stage than I can’t give it on my own. As for a movie, well my ultimate dream
would be for Tim Burton to pick it up as a potential film project, and if
anyone knows Alan Rickman, I am desperate for him to voice the part of Argos,
the talking dog, as it is his voice I hear every time I write the laconic
hound’s words.
Q HELEN: Final question….
Where do we get the book…..!
A JANIS: Amazon, is the answer to that question. Both The Book Ark I: Black on White and The Book Ark II: Children of the Universe are
available now in paperback and on Kindle, with the third in the series coming
out towards the end of 2016. A quick note about the cover for Children of the Universe: the cover
photo is an actual image taken by the Hubble Telescope of the Orion Nebula. I
had to seek NASA’s permission to use it. Believe me, emailing NASA and getting
an email from them back is beyond cool!
WHAT THE BOOK ARK I: BLACK ON WHITE IS ABOUT:
When nineteen-year-old, bookworm Joshua Ridley inherits his
grandfather's floating second-hand bookshop it proves to be the perfect escape
from his extremely miserable home life, but little does he know how it will
completely change his life, for ever.
Aboard The Book Ark Josh
discovers a wormhole into the Realms of Fiction, an alternate universe where
every book that has ever been written really exists. An elite band of Realms of
Fact librarians are the peacekeepers there, amongst the Inklings, as the characters are known, and it
transpires that Josh’s grandfather, Warwick Ridley, is their leader, the highly
revered Master of the Books. Although a wondrous place, beyond Josh’s wildest
dreams, he soon finds that the Realms of Fiction are in crisis as e-book
technology threatens its existence through the appearance of the Inkless.
Ironically, it is Josh's evil grandmother and the rest of his family who are
the driving force behind this growing e-book phenomenon, via the family IT
business he has fled.
As the evidence mounts to prove that Warwick Ridley may not be
dead after all, but kidnapped, Josh sets out to find him, with the help of a
host of Inklings. Trailed by law-enforcing Keepers who claim Josh is in the
realms illegally, and stalked by the dread sniffers, Josh finds himself caught
up in a fantastical adventure across the Realms of Fiction and the neighbouring
Realms of Fantasy. War between the Inklings and the Inkless looms, a war, fuelled
by King Oberon and his supernatural subjects and feared to be even greater than the Scribing Wars of ancient times,
time is running out for Josh and his newfound friends, but if Josh can find his
grandfather there may just be hope for the Realms of Fiction.
It is a story of new versus old; it is a story of books, but most
of all it is the story of a boy who really misses his grandad.
Jesamiah Extract:
Jesamiah threw his head back and laughed heartily before
he shared his joke, ‘You stand upon my ship,
with four fancily-clad dandies, and a group of young swabs behind you and dare
to give me orders? I, the Captain, who has a crew of cutthroat
desperados at my command, all of whom will cut you to ribbons where you stand
at a mere click of my fingers?’
‘I am the Master of the Books, as a character you know
that I and the Keepers are the law in these realms.’
‘Pirate,’ said Jesamiah cockily, pointing to himself,
‘t’ain’t in my character to heed no law, not even Keeper law.’
‘It may or may not be apparent to you, Jesamiah, but I am
well acquainted with your Creator who will not be at all impressed with your
refusal to comply with my wishes. She was once a Keeper herself, and, although
she hung up her cloak some years ago, I could arrange for her to be here in a
trice. She would not take kindly to your disregard of Keeper law, I believe,’
threatened Warwick.
‘My creator writes me as I am, she wouldn’t expect me to
bow when it comes to authority.’
The Musketeers were feeling the tension, soldiers to the
core they drew their muskets and cocked them. Suddenly, the Sea Witch’s crew did the same – well those
with guns did – the rest drew cutlasses and all manner of wicked-looking
weapons, their eyes full of murder, and expressions that said they would
heartily enjoy the deed as they delivered it.
‘We’re all going to die,’ wailed Tallulah, quietly, as the
young Keepers found themselves in the middle of this standoff. Josh tried to
look as warlike as he could, but it was difficult with just a stick to defend
oneself with. He was desperately trying to remember some of the moves that they
had been taught, when someone fired a pistol shot at his grandfather.
Warwick did not flinch in the slightest as the shot rang
past his ear and lodged itself in the mast beside him. In less than a heartbeat
Porthos fired at the assailant and a pirate fell from the rigging with a
resounding splat on the deck nearby.
‘Good shot,’ declared Jesamiah, smiling from ear to ear, suddenly
looking like a man greatly relieved...
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