Today, I have A.F. Firebird, author of The Reluctant Goddess, posing her own questions and answers about her new novel and the topic of metaphysical fiction.
Q: You describe your new novel as
metaphysical fiction, what is metaphysical fiction?
AFF: It is a form of speculative fiction
which explores ideas prevalent in metaphysics through the medium of story and
characters. This type of fiction strips away religious rhetoric and new age
language, so that the reader can contemplate the ideas presented in a simpler
and hopefully more accessible way.
Q: Give me an example of the type of ideas
explored in the book.
AFF: Firstly, the story is written within
the context of a benevolent conscious universe, where the inanimate and animate
alike work to help Ellena. The books in the shop, that she owns, all have
something to tell her if only she could hear them. Her pets, a dog and a cat,
are her spirit guides offering gentle, loving encouragement. Through the eyes
of the characters we see our planet and the universe from a perspective.
The second main theme, is the idea that the
greatest work a person can do is to live authentically. To discover who and
what they really are. The main character, Ellena, has lived a life full of the
common distractions of life. By the time she reaches her late forties she still
has not discovered her true self or a purpose which gives her life meaning.
Throughout the novel we follow her journey as she is assisted by a conscious
benevolent universe, to fully realise her identity.
Q: The Reluctant Goddess takes a non
traditional approach to the idea of a goddess. Explain your take on what it
means to be a goddess.
AFF: My aim has been to merge old ideas
with new. Ellena is a reincarnation of Quan Yin, Goddess of compassion, who,
rather than take up buddhahood, chose to stay on earth to help all humans reach
enlightenment. Instead of showing the goddess as super human, the book explores
the effect of fully realising the virtue of compassion in the world. And so the
idea of a goddess being someone who lives their virtues or values whatever they
might be.
Q: Now that The Reluctant Goddess is
finished what next.
AFF: I want to continue working on
metaphysical fiction. The next book continues to delve into the role of
compassion in human evolution. I believe, as so many others before me, that
fiction is a great way to open discussion and contemplation of ideas, so I am
looking forward to feedback from readers.
*~*~*
The Reluctant Goddess
by A.F. Firebird
Published by: Pose Ltd
Date: 4th July 2012
Kindle Edition : ASIN: B007QMHPYE £1.54
Paperback Edition : ISBN-13: 978-0957313804
£7.99
Where to buy:
paperback or kindle: http://www.posegroup.org/books/trg/buy/index.html#buy
paperback or kindle:
Also available on itunes
Other ebook formats upon request here:
Ellena Ripley is a bookshop owner from a rural
town in the south of England - or so she thinks. But lately, she has a growing
sense that life is not as it seems. At night, she dreams of a serene man who
appears to be trying to tell her something; In the day, she can't shake a
feeling of expectation. But of what?
Meanwhile Hector, servant of LIFE and the man
from Ellena's dreams, has a dilemma. How do you tell someone they are a
goddess? His previous attempts have met with disaster so he must be cautious,
particularly when his new trainee, Boudica, formerly Queen of the Iceni tries
to help. The question is can they succeed before it is too late?
"The Reluctant Goddess" is a
multi-level modern fantasy fiction novel for the intelligent reader, taking us
into a fascinating world where there is more to life than meets the eye. Is
this just a dog or is this shape hiding an angel? What are those books on the
shelf whispering - if you only knew how to listen?
Filled to the brim with memorable characters and
experiences, "The Reluctant Goddess" is the kind of book that not
only has the power to change the way we look at life, but also challenges you
to read it again, and again."
Silvia Hartmann
Member, UK Society of Authors
Author, In Serein
Member, UK Society of Authors
Author, In Serein
"The Reluctant Goddess is so much more than a
‘once upon a time’ story, more like once upon a universe. A story not contained
within the world we know, but more in the world we suspect or hope might be. Where
the meaning of life the universe and everything does not equal 42 but takes us
so far beyond and within us all.
The journey that the author takes us on, is
challenging, but becoming the observer travelling through time and space makes
for a rich experience, with characters and settings to fascinate and delight
us. The interconnectedness of LIFE makes us human and super human, stretching
our minds and comforting us at the same time. There is a plan!
So fasten your seatbelt, open your heart and
mind, and make the leap! Just like the reluctant goddess, you won’t regret it."
Amanada Falkenberg
Berlin, Germany
Berlin, Germany
"This story is the odyssey and metamorphosis of
Ellena, a young divorcee, a seemingly conventional young working woman who
stumbles lurching on a path to self-realization. Unbeknownst to her she is
guided lovingly but cautiously by her two pets, her dog Hector and her cat
Fluffy. The pets are, in fact, physical embodiments of highly evolved beings
with long ancient histories of their own, and astounding powers. Hector is a
guardian angel on assignment. Fluffy the cat, also sent to assist in the
project, is an avatar of Boudica, the queen of the British Iceni tribe who led
a violent but unsuccessful revolt against the Roman Empire in 800 BC. The guardians
are constrained to help and guide, but forbidden to interfere with Ellena's (or
anyone else's) free will—which presents enough nearly insurmountable
frustrations and temptations to present substantial drama in itself.
This turned out to be, to my delight, a powerful
piece of literature. Considering that A.F Firebird employs a number of unusual
and potentially disorienting literary conventions—constantly shifting the
identity of the protagonist, punctuating the main story with short chapters of
vaguely related and sometimes quite violent and dramatic human scenarios—the
continuity of the overall work is exquisite and quite captivating.
In fact, it was compelling enough that I finished
the book in only three or four sittings, despite my heavy schedule.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes their
metaphysics spiced with humour and drama."
Hank Levin, Editor
Free Spirit Journal
San Rafael, California
USA
Free Spirit Journal
San Rafael, California
USA
About the Author:
A.F. Firebird is the alter ego of a
sociologist/psychologist turned web developer from the UK. While A.F.
Firebird has worked in several fields her primary focus is the exploration of
six virtues: appreciation, forgiveness, compassion, humility, understanding
and valour. Her first novel, The Reluctant Goddess, numerous short stories and
children's books, all investigate aspects of these virtues.
Book Excerpt:
|
My incarnate body was not all I had hoped for. It
was not that I wanted a human body - it’s just that I wanted to be a Great
Dane. I shifted in my basket by the Aga and nibbled an itchy bit of black fur
just above my right paw. But that’s LIFE: so often you get what you need, not
what you want. Even so, a Border Collie with a bit of Labrador thrown in was
not a real dog as far as I was concerned. My fur was long, my paws were white,
while the rest of me was black except for a white crest on my chest and a
circular patch around my left eye, which I guessed had been added for comic
effect. Still, it could have been worse - I might have been a poodle.
The current phase of my mission was going well.
Although the overall project, Brh-man: Phase 1, was not. But as I frequently
reminded the Council, who had sanctioned the project, one had to take the long
view with these things. This time … well not time really, that was my dog-self
talking. There was only now, or as LIFE liked to call it “the present” owing to
its love of puns. In reality a “time” would be more accurately described as a
handful of stuff grabbed from the lucky dip barrel of the present.
So far I had incarnated without too much
difficulty. Dog-shape was ideal for the kind of work ahead and I’d succeeded in
being adopted by Ellena, who was ripe for my special kind of assistance.
Boudica, my trainee, had met with similar success. Although not everything had
gone so well for her, she was at this moment prowling around Ellena’s front
room irritably, no doubt still wondering how the Queen of the Iceni had come to
this. It seemed that, Boudica, not as adept at subconscious communication as
myself, had not been able to plant an image of her real name in Ellena’s mind.
So while, I had a shiny tag with “Hector” written on it, Boudica’s tag said
“Fluffy”. Since she was a large long-haired white cat, I felt this showed a
distinct lack of imagination on Ellena’s part or perhaps an overdeveloped sense
of irony. Either way Boudica was still having a major sense of humour failure.
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