Did you ever consider the deeper meaning behind what happens in a book? Beyond the action...beyond the emotion...beyond the obvious details?

Some books are all action, but for some of us, weaving spiritual perspectives into our works is as natural as breathing. I met Jim Melvin, author of The Death Wizard Chronicles on the first day of his virtual book tour. We are both cruising the blogosphere this month, and we came to enjoy each other so much that we arranged a 2-part unscheduled side-trip. I feel so grateful to have met a new friend. That is an unexpected-benefit of touring, in my opinion. Most of us are checking out each others' stops and interacting with each other, and I have made several new friends of the touring authors and our gracious hosts.

Jim Melvin. and I interviewed each other. You can read part 1 of his interview of me here.

Today we are each sharing part 1 of the interview. Next weekend you will get part 2.

The Pit: The Death Wizard Chronicles: Book 1

by Jim Melvin

Only a Death-Knower can die.

And live again.

Only a Death-Knower can return

from death.

And remember.

Only a Death-Knower can tell us

what he has seen.
Not all care to listen.

Torg, the Death-Knower wizard, is imprisoned in a horrifying pit bored into the solid rock of a frozen mountain. His captor is Invictus, the evil sorcerer whose power threatens to engulf the land in eternal darkness. Torg spends twenty-two days in agony before making his dramatic escape and setting off on a series of adventures that will change the fate of the planet Triken.

First of all, Jim, I am delighted that our paths converged. Thank you for agreeing to this exchange of unusual author interviews where we are addressing some uncommon issues.

I met you on the first day of your first Virtual Book Tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotions and discovered some things about you that intrigued me. One thing I learned from you is that you are Buddhist. I understand your book is not about Buddhism, but writers often weave some of their own experiences into their books. How has Buddhism influenced your series?

All writers, especially fiction writers, are products of their world view. They are shaped by their beliefs, life experiences, and environment. Buddhism has played a major role in my world view, in terms of how I live my life and treat others. The philosophical aspects (more so than the ritualistic aspects) of Buddhism really appeal to me: the art of meditation, the concepts of karma and rebirth, etc. And all of these things are woven between the lines of The Death Wizard Chronicles. That said, I do not presume to market my series as a work of Buddhism because Buddhism is a very passive and morally based religion, while my work contains graphic violence and R-rated sex.

How do you weave spiritual or metaphysical principles into your stories?

As we all know, literary fiction is theme-based. The author chooses his or her themes up front in a highly specific manner, and then carefully weaves these themes into the narrative using a variety of literary devices. My most important theme is the "fear of death" and how this fear affects human beings, both consciously and subconsciously (or unconsciously, if you prefer). The main reason we fear death is because we don't know what it is. A large portion of Buddhism is spent looking death in the eye and examining this fear. My characters constantly face death, both in literal and figurative sense. Between the lines, they die symbolically: They can't catch their breath; they delve deep into tunnels and caves; they become trapped in claustrophobic situations. But rebirth then occurs: They rest and recuperate; they re-emerge from the tunnels and caves; they escape their claustrophobic traps. This is one way, at least, that I weave spiritual and metaphysical principles into my stories. Another is through the liberal use of allegory.

I know that you meditate. Do you meditate before or during your writing time?

I try to meditate once a day, usually before bedtime. I'm not proud to admit this, but I don't meditate nearly as much as I should or as much as I have in the past. If I were more disciplined, I would meditate before every session of writing, because the process of meditation so beautifully clears the mind. Writing itself is a form a meditation, in that you become single-minded on a particular task.

Do your beliefs about karma and the afterlife enter into The Death Wizard Chronicles?

Many people don't even believe in karma, but when you meditate mindfully, karma becomes an evident phenomenon. As for afterlife, I believe as Buddhists believe that all living beings are locked into a series of births and rebirths that extend for eons. Portions of the karma from our previous tag along with us in our present life and beyond. My main character is called a Death Wizard, or more accurately a Death-Knower, because he is able to die temporarily, feed on death energy, and then return to life. Therefore, he literally knows death. This, of course, is symbolic of birth and rebirth, while also containing allegorical elements of Christianity. In terms of karma, the Death Wizard purposely sets in motion a series of events so that karma itself might be used to defeat an evil sorcerer.

>>>>>>>>>

Thank you, Jim! I am excited to share the rest of your interview next week!

You can read part 1 of his interview of me here.

Next week he'll answer questions like:

Have you had an experience of dying and coming back? Or has someone you know had this experience?

and

Do you converse with your characters or hear/feel them talking in your mind?

All six books will be available for purchase at rainbooks.com, amazon.com, and select bookstores in the U.S. and Canada.

I sent a query letter to a magazine called Cat Tales.  One of my fantasy stories features a cat named Aree who is a security guard - or at least that is what she tells her more mundane clients.  At times she takes on other assignments.  But in "Royal Vacation" she interviews for a short-term position  on a tiny planet called Ridan.  She ultimately takes the job of protecting a pampered prince who has lived a sheltered life.

The editors decided to read the story against their better judgment, I believe.  The response to my query read, "Send it, but be warned..." Be warned?  Hilarious!  Anyway, I sent the story adn a note that yes in general I agree that cats talk perfectly well without words, but this is a different race of felines.  The story is a bit over length, and I will be happy to figure out how to trim a tight story AFTER they agree to throw money at me.  No sense wasting my time if they summarily reject it.

I also have sent off a story about a Muse named Thalia, and I have a couplle others out facing rejection.  I dont' mind the rejections as long as it's clear to me that the people actually read the story.

Interestingly, now that I have a novel and a couple stories in anthologies, I think it makes people more ready to at least have a look.

MagiCat

Today I'm stopping at Sadie's Story Lines Blog.  I am moved to tears by her wonderful review.This is an extract from Sadie's review of Rue:

"Rue the Day spans a very short time period, and Cat Muldoon draws you in quick. From the first page you feel the sense of urgency behind the story, but it never feels rushed. You learn about the world of Faerie as Lynne does, the colorful descriptions easily put in your mind the surroundings. Life and magic intertwine and all magic is tied to a dying queen."

These are all my tour stops for this week:

10th       http://buzzthebook.blogspot.com..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

11th       http://sadiecass.blogspot.com

12th       http://www.myspace.com/reecespieces30
13th       http://www.beyondthebooks.wordpress.com

14th       http://mjbookreviews.blogspot.com

I am jumping around for joy with Sadie's review!

You can read some of my stories on Author's Den at http://AuthorsDen.com/CatMuldoon

Cat

I stopped by Sadie's Story Lines Blog, and I must say that I am intrigued with her characters in her upcoming book.  She is deep into research on Wicca and witchcraft.  Check out this post for more details.

These are her two lead characters: (snipped from the above-mentioned post)

"Elijah Corey - Eli for short. Elijah is a modern day witch. A descendant of Giles Corey. He holds powers his ancestor never did - and will have to use them to keep history, and the lessons learned from it, safe.

"Gwendolyn Cobleigh - Also a descendant of Salem and a witch. A very powerful witch, at that. Her 'ancestor' was never tried publicly, but faced the wrath of the torture and death of a witch. Gwen has a mission, and which side she's playing could turn the tides of history..."

Stop by and have a look at her storyline while you are there for the Rue the Day tour stop at Sadie's Story Lines Blog,

Over the weekend I am hosting Jim Melvin, author of the Death Wizard Chronicles. 

Cat Muldoon

The virtual book tour for Rue the Day is just warming up!  Today I am stopping at Buzz the Book http://buzzthebook.blogspot.com/

When you visit one of my tour stops or my tour omepage and leave a comment, you are entered into a drawing to win a copy of my book.

Where in the blogosphere is Cat Muldoon?  Find out at http://virtualbooktoursforauthors.blogspot.com/2007/11/rue-day-virtual-book-tour-07.html

I hope you will take a moment to vote for my fabulous cover at http://thenewcoveycoverawards.blogspot.com/

Cat Muldoon http://CatMuldoon.com

The tour is just getting started!  My first stop was yesterday, and today I'm visiting The Story Behind the Books!  Drop by and comment.  You might win a copy of Rue the Day: The Undercover Heir Book 1

During my tour I may reveal a few of my secrets for writing and living a happy life. You will be able to read excerpts of Rue the Day, but most importantly, you will have a chance to get to know me a bit better.

Drop by and please leave me a comment!

Cat Muldoon

Award-winning author

This tour is great because I am meeting so many interesting authors.  I could wish for an extra 3 sets of eyes to read all the books I want to read!  Today's blog stop is Pamela S Thibodeaux Blog at http://www.pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com/

You never know what I will say. 

Pamela just signed a contract for her book The Visionary, which comes out next year.  I think this sounds like an interesting read.  This is her blurb:

"A visionary is someone who sees into the future, Taylor Forrestier sees into the past but only as it pertains to her work. Hailed by Architectural Digest and Architectural Review as "a visionary with an instinct for beauty and an eye for the unique" Taylor Forrestier is undoubtedly a brilliant architect and gifted designer. But she and her twin brother share more than a successful business. The twins share a childhood wrought with lies and deceit and the kind of abuse that's disgustingly prevalent in today's society. Can the love of God and the awesome healing power of His grace and mercy free the twins from their past and open their hearts to the good plan and the future He has for their lives?"

Thanks so much, Pamela!  And to my readers...please stop by her blog and check out her books.

Cat Muldoon

PS remember I'm giving away prizes http://catmuldoon.com - you have to register.

This month I am making the rounds, visiting the blogosphere.  I'll be talking about it daily on my blog at http://blog.myspsce.com/catmuldoon

Vote for the Cover:  I adore the cover of Rue the Day: The Undercover Heir Book 1.  The artist is such a genius!  I could never have done such a fantastic cover that pulls people into the story.  If you like it, you can vote for entry 9 of the New Covey Cover Awards for December at http://thenewcoveycoverawards.blogspot.com/

Who Cares about Stories?  Today (well starting now and orever after) you can read my article, "Legends and Folk Tales: Dead Or Alive?" on the Heroization blog http://heroization.com/blog/who-cares-about-stories-article-by-fantasy-author-cat-muldoon/. Ronda Del Boccio, The Story Lady of Storyation.com, was kind enough to ask me to be a guest blogger.  This blog is about the power of stories to awaken the hero within you.

Virtual Book Tour:   I am SO excited to be on tour this month, thanks to Dorothy Thompson and her crew at Pump Up Your Book Promotions.  My tour page is: http://virtualbooktoursforauthors.blogspot.com/2007/11/rue-day-virtual-book-tour-07.html.  Comment on the tour page or one of my stops and you could win a copy of Rue the Day.

Ask Me A Question and I'll (probably) Answer:  I have a blog post on Communati where you may ask me a question about writing, my book, or whatever and I will most likely answer.  Check out http://communati.com/main/ask-author-cat-muldoon-would-you-let-your-book-be-turned-movie

Win on my site as wel:  I am giving away prizes thos month in honor of the tour!  One prize is a 3 CD set of Celtic music.  This si perfect music by which to read Rue teh Day.  I am anouncing another prize as well.  You need to register at http://CatMuldoon.com/december.htm

Thank you so much for checking out my book!

Cat Muldoon