Ask the Author: Paul Morrison
Answered Questions (10)
Paul Morrison
I have always been a fan of THE TIME MACHINE by H.G. Wells. It was one of the first books I read which greatly impressed me and helped expand my own imagination, giving me a great love for science fiction and for reading (and writing) in general.
Which fictional book world would I choose to travel to? An easy question for any nerd! I would travel in H.G. Wells' Time Machine into the future - maybe not 800,000 years into this future but most likely to several nearer times, where I could observe the progress (or lack of progress) of humanity. What would life be like in 100 years time (with the real threat of global warming)? What would it be like in 500 years or a 1,000 years time? In 500,000 years...
Not content with all of this futuristic travelling, I would then push the lever backward with my trembling but eager hand, this time into the past - to watch and observe with equal wonder Lucy and our distant ancestors from more than three million years ago! It would then become something of a 2001 SPACE ODYSSEY, so maybe I am actually now travelling in not one but two fictional book worlds...
Which fictional book world would I choose to travel to? An easy question for any nerd! I would travel in H.G. Wells' Time Machine into the future - maybe not 800,000 years into this future but most likely to several nearer times, where I could observe the progress (or lack of progress) of humanity. What would life be like in 100 years time (with the real threat of global warming)? What would it be like in 500 years or a 1,000 years time? In 500,000 years...
Not content with all of this futuristic travelling, I would then push the lever backward with my trembling but eager hand, this time into the past - to watch and observe with equal wonder Lucy and our distant ancestors from more than three million years ago! It would then become something of a 2001 SPACE ODYSSEY, so maybe I am actually now travelling in not one but two fictional book worlds...
Paul Morrison
What books are on my summer reading list for 2019? Well, I'd like to say there are more than a hundred books but in truth, I am something of a slow reader who likes to take my time reading and enjoying a book, stopping to think deeply about the chapter or even the page just read. I would love to read a hundred books but to be honest my total for the summer will be far, (very far) below this number. Anyway, here are some of the books I have lined up for my summer reading:
1. BORN IN AFRICA - The Quest for the Origins of Human Life by Martin Meredith. (Cheat spoiler: I have already started reading this book and it's still spring).
2. BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE by Dee Brown.
3. HAWAII by James A. Michener.
4. TIME AFTER TIME by Karl Alexander.
5. DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP by Philip K. Dick.
6. ROCKETS TO NOWHERE by Lester Del Rey.
7. EXOPLANETS - Worlds Without End - Scientific American.
8. H.G. WELLS - Citizen of the Future by Keith Ferrell.
9. S.H.I.E.L.D. The Complete Collection by Marvel Comics.
10. BIGGLES - Two or three Biggles books by Captain W.E. Johns. Biggles has always been a favourite of mine since I was a kid.
1. BORN IN AFRICA - The Quest for the Origins of Human Life by Martin Meredith. (Cheat spoiler: I have already started reading this book and it's still spring).
2. BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE by Dee Brown.
3. HAWAII by James A. Michener.
4. TIME AFTER TIME by Karl Alexander.
5. DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP by Philip K. Dick.
6. ROCKETS TO NOWHERE by Lester Del Rey.
7. EXOPLANETS - Worlds Without End - Scientific American.
8. H.G. WELLS - Citizen of the Future by Keith Ferrell.
9. S.H.I.E.L.D. The Complete Collection by Marvel Comics.
10. BIGGLES - Two or three Biggles books by Captain W.E. Johns. Biggles has always been a favourite of mine since I was a kid.
Paul Morrison
Was it just a play of the light in the semi-darkened room, a room lit only by a flickering and slowly fading light in its far corner? The grey shadows from the struggling light, now almost completely extinguished continued to dance before my eyes as a deathly coldness took hold of my body and the tightness of invisible fingers seemed to press heavily on my throat, forcing me to suddenly realise in panic that I was not alone in the empty room and that there could be no escape from the horror... the 'whatever' that was lurking inside of it...
Paul Morrison
When I completed the three books of THE GIZA TRILOGY and their supplement, ETERNAL EGYPT, I felt there was something still missing. These earlier books were set against the construction of the three pyramids on the Giza Plateau and what happened to them (ETERNAL EGYPT) in the two thousand years which followed. The Giza pyramids were the highpoint of the pyramid age, but how did this age begin? Where did the idea for building such enormous structures, on a scale which challenged the way of thinking and the engineering capabilities of the Ancient Egyptians come from?
THE DIVINE LIGHT tries to answer these questions. The book is told through the eyes of Quom, Royal Architect to Pharaoh Snefru, and tells (in first person) of his continued conflict with those who would question the pyramid design. One god will eventually rise and one god will fall! There are many who not only hope Quom will fail in his work, but that he will be denied entry into the After Life on his eventual death, a speedy death through possible murder... Though a prelude to THE GIZA TRILOGY, THE DIVINE LIGHT can still be read as a belated epilogue to these other books.
If any readers should have questions regarding THE DIVINE LIGHT or any of the other books in the trilogy, I will be more than happy to answer.
THE DIVINE LIGHT tries to answer these questions. The book is told through the eyes of Quom, Royal Architect to Pharaoh Snefru, and tells (in first person) of his continued conflict with those who would question the pyramid design. One god will eventually rise and one god will fall! There are many who not only hope Quom will fail in his work, but that he will be denied entry into the After Life on his eventual death, a speedy death through possible murder... Though a prelude to THE GIZA TRILOGY, THE DIVINE LIGHT can still be read as a belated epilogue to these other books.
If any readers should have questions regarding THE DIVINE LIGHT or any of the other books in the trilogy, I will be more than happy to answer.
Paul Morrison
What inspires me to write? EVERYTHING! I get my inspiration from the world (and the universe) around me.
Paul Morrison
I am currently working on a novel, THE DIVINE LIGHT set in Ancient Egypt (c.2558 B.C.), which is the beginnings of the pyramid age. I have also begun working on another historical novel set against the background of the Mayan civilisation in Central America. In-between these, I am drawing my OZECOMICS and MIND-BOGGLING SCIENCE FICTION comics. I always like to have two or three projects going at once. This is important because it allows for a little diversity and also keeps my mind active and always thinking.
Paul Morrison
My advice to aspiring writers is to keep at it — to keep writing. You have to be patient and willing to work hard at your writing. If you do this things will happen, although it may take some time. When I first started writing, I remember working on a short story. It took me three days to write the first page and I remember admiring this achievement with pride. Nowadays, I can write a page in less than ten minutes. As mentioned before, it all takes time and patience and a willingness to learn from your mistakes. Never be frightened to self-edit your work and to be self-critical. This can only improve your writing.
Paul Morrison
The best thing about being a writer is that you are free to visit and even to create other worlds, to interact with the characters in your books and even to play God with them. Writing frees the spirit, the mind as well as the soul.
Paul Morrison
I started writing at an early age when I was six or seven years old — inspired by the books I was reading at the time. These included THE TIME MACHINE, TREASURE ISLAND and TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA as well as many other classics. Writer's block is something foreign to me. Often, (admittedly I am a slow typist), my fingers cannot keep up fast enough with the ideas filling my mind. To write is a part of me — just like breathing and sleeping.
Paul Morrison
I get my ideas from almost anywhere i.e. interacting with other people, travelling, improving my knowledge by reading, and just having a quiet moment to myself. The idea for my recent book came from my love for ancient history and in particular, Ancient Egypt. I had already written a trilogy: THE GIZA TRILOGY relating to the three pyramids on the Giza Plateau and the pharaohs who constructed them. This was followed by a sequel: ETERNAL EGYPT, covering the history of the plateau in the two thousand years which followed. These historical fiction books count to more than 1,200,000 words. Yet deep in my mind, I knew I had not finished with the story.
There was one question which still lingered: Why did the Ancient Egyptians build the pyramids in the first place? What was it that inspired them to construct these monumental structures when a more modest tomb would have sufficed? These questions will, (hopefully) be answered in the historical fiction book I am currently working on, a much shorter book of around 140,000 words: THE DIVINE LIGHT.
The new book is set in the period leading up to the pyramid age and the construction of the three pyramids on the Giza Plateau. THE DIVINE LIGHT is therefore a prelude to the trilogy books, laying the foundations for these later books.
There was one question which still lingered: Why did the Ancient Egyptians build the pyramids in the first place? What was it that inspired them to construct these monumental structures when a more modest tomb would have sufficed? These questions will, (hopefully) be answered in the historical fiction book I am currently working on, a much shorter book of around 140,000 words: THE DIVINE LIGHT.
The new book is set in the period leading up to the pyramid age and the construction of the three pyramids on the Giza Plateau. THE DIVINE LIGHT is therefore a prelude to the trilogy books, laying the foundations for these later books.
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