AJ MCMARSON - Author: February 2015

Sunday 22 February 2015

What Are My Favorite Parts Of The Book, Jasmine Neutron Star?

Even authors have favorite parts from the book they have written. In episode 4 of Reel Time with A J McMarson, I describe some of mine from Jasmine Neutron Star.

I talk about Sam and Cassie, who are Jasmine’s main support characters. She has another main support character however, one she has a bit of a crush on. Jake is his name. Jake is Sam’s best friend, who is Jasmine’s brother, older by two years, but because she can’t stand Sam, Jake also gets the cold shoulder – stop me if this is beginning to read like a teenager’s Facebook page…

I like Jake’s enthusiasm. He pretty much goes along with the flow, although he’s not always clued in to where the ‘flow’ is going, or coming from, for that matter. Even so, he is an intricate part of the awesome foursome team and is on hand whenever a piece of scientific explanation is required. Just bear in mind, if Jake was in your class, he be would be the kid that’s all over the shop. And that’s why I like him. He doesn’t get a lot of stuff that other’s might, but he sticks to his mates like glue – ‘super’ glue that is.

Developing characters is great fun. Jake’s character, like all of my little stars, has been inspired by young people over many years of teaching and parenting. However, other influences have spiralled into their creations. One that comes to mind for Jake, is that cute character played by that even cuter actor, Jim Parson. For years I have watched him, over the tops of my children’s heads

… as I have typed away …

http://www.the-big-bang-theory.com/characters.Sheldon/

Jasmine Neutron Star is the first book of the Star Ways Chronicles. It is a novel most suitable for young adult and teenager readers of speculative, fantasy / science fiction, urban fantasy. It is a humorous account of Jasmine’s first adventure into the world of light – Quanta. She is a spirem – a new kind of superhero – and perfect for our modern world’s sphere of Terra.

http://www.ajmcmarson.com.au

http://starwayschronicles.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9885728.A_J_McMarson

Sunday 15 February 2015

Geek Magic

Geek Magic – What’s That?

Having found my superhero I then had to create her a world. Writers of course call this the setting. Episode 3 of Reel Time with A J McMarson, is about this. Geek Magic is what I call it.

Communication is key to creating realistic superheroes. Super heroes of course, have powers of communication that we humans can only dream about (or write about). Often novelists will make their fabulous characters able to read minds or communicate telepathically.

However, if my characters were going to do that, then I strongly felt that as their creator, I should be able to do it too. Hence my sojourn into technical, scientifically proven ‘fantastical’ communication processes and devices that only my starry characters will ever get to do, and of course my readers get to enjoy!

Some of these communication creations include:

Communing – which is the means of communicating with the use of frequency ranges – noise is created in the same way – but I don’t think I will be done for copyright for that one.

Sharing visions – This is a spirem skill that I have called transvisioning.

Transvoyaging – Although a spirem’s atomic body (human body) remains stationary - it fades into the light frequencies surrounding it - called photons by the way – yes that is a real science term. Hence a spirem’s biophotonic (living light) energy can transmit elsewhere. I know you want to see if you can do that...

Transvoyaging is not an easy skill to develop – even for a spirem – but certainly worth it – particularly when you’re stuck in a boring lesson. I got this idea from staring out the window when I myself was a kid at school. Oh, the daydreams I could conjure staring out of those classroom windows… Hey, I still do – except as a teacher now.

You can learn more about AJ McMarson by visiting her website:

AJ MCMARSON

Sunday 8 February 2015

Are Spirem's Real?

Are Spirems Real?

This question was asked by a young reader. It is rarely asked, and I think it’s because it is assumed that I made spirems up.

Which I did – to a certain extent, however, spirems are real ‘things’.

It is a science word. It’s also the concept I discuss in this week’s episode of Reel Time with A J McMarson.

Spirem is the term given to the microscopic (and we are talking XXXXXX times microscopic here) filaments that draw into the first threads of life in a chromosome. Oddly, I did not come across this term until the story had been completed. Great – I found the missing link to the Star Ways. Not so great that I had yet ‘ANOTHER’ rewrite on my hands!

What excited me most was that scientist can view life at such close range – lucky them, but we’ve got the pictures:

(http://www.sci.muni.cz/ptacek/CYTOLOGIE6.htm)

There is a spirem in there somewhere!

How do I get stars out of that?!!!

I know I was seeing stars when I was trying to link the two concepts together. The tiniest objects know to humankind, to the largest. There had to be a connection. I wanted my main character to be a real star but she also had to be very human. It really came down to ‘matter’. Which we are all made of.

What I discovered was that the motion of the stars and the matter of a real spirem are relatable. Thus my superhero was created, and she comes with a whole galaxy of heroes – some super, some just like you and me, real and full of cosmic wonder.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/74098356341743229/