If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone dead or alive, who would you ask?.
I’d invite the unnamed seekers of truth out there… those who gave up their lives to fight for truth and justice. In addition, I’d invite truth seekers: Aaron Swartz, Harry Fear,
Cairn Rodrigues, author of Song of Soltice series, The Book Landers, Heromine Granger, Linus Pauling, and Gene Shoemaker.
And to entertain them, I’d invite John Lennon (my childhood hero), Johnny Depp (straight up good guy and actor), Jeffrey Dawson (good actor), Joshua Jackson (a Canadian actor) and Justin Timberlake and Jay Z (so that they can perform their hit song “Suit and Tie” for me and my kids). Just realized that they all start with the letter J…. hmmm… coincidence? My mother always told me that there are no such things as coincidences.
When you are not writing, how do you like to relax?
Watching back to back episodes of my favourite shows… Fringe, Turkish soap operas (yeah, read my last book to find out about that connection), Burn Notice, White Collar, 666 Park Avenue and more…
Do you have any tips on how writers can relax?
Buy your kids tons of games so that they can play quietly in their room. Kidding! Take time to spend time with your family. Work is always there but your family may not be if you ignore them too much.
How often do you write? And what is the process?
I write in spurts. Then I drag my developmental author into a room where she can rip it apart and massage it or punch me out. Then we sit and rewrite it and then go through it again. We let it sit and then visit it again and re-work, re-edit. When we finally get to a point where we need more input, then we call on our beta readers and my critique partner to give us feedback. We have some that love it and some that hate it and then we go back and try to rework it again. Finally when it is done, we send it off to professional editors to polish the book off.
Sometimes it’s so hard to keep at it - What keeps you going?
Artists just want to create and that is really all that keeps me going.
What’s your favorite meal?
Mediterranean food is my favourite kind of meals because I love the rich ethnic flavours and spices.
What color represents your personality the most?
Purple or magenta – my developmental editor says that colours have meanings that describe a person’s personality. She just read to me what Purple and Magenta mean and I was a bit surprised at how accurate it was.
If you could do any job in the world what would you do?
I would be a film maker and author.
What are you most passionate about? What gets you fired up?
I’m passionate about being creative.
Are you a city slicker or a country lover?
City slicker. Born and raised.
What’s your next project?
Book 2 of the Among Us Trilogy… and my developmental editor is bugging me to get started.
What would you love to produce in your life?
A TV series like Fringe or more feature films.
How important are friends in your life?
Extremely important but I can count on one hand who my true friends are.
Do you find the time to read?
Always… and I try to squeeze reading in between even the writing. It is a my way to escape for a few minutes into another world and sometimes I find that a good book can jump start my creative juices.
What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why?
Quote by me: Writing is emotional. It is baring your soul to the world and waiting for someone to acknowledge and love it, or shun and hate it, or worse be indifferent about it. --- Anne-Rae Vasquez
What’s your favorite place in the entire world?
Vancouver, BC, Canada is the best place in the world. If you have never visited, you should. Enough said.
How has your upbringing influenced your writing?
As you can see I inject a lot of culture in my stories no matter what the genre. I come from a mixed background and witnessed many clashes between both sides of the family especially from the different cultural traditions and way of life. I like to throw my characters into situations where they have to overcome cultural differences to achieve their goals.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing for four decades since I was old enough to hold a pencil.
Did writing this book teach you anything and what was it?
I usually write by myself but I learned that being the Lone Ranger is not the best way to write. Thankfully, when I was writing Doubt, I had my developmental editor by my side. It was mostly a collaboration of minds, although we frequently butted heads. But the outcome, once we ironed things out, was pure magic. In addition, my team of beta readers participated in missions (in the theme of the book) and also provided further feedback of each chapter. I also worked with my critique partner who helped shake up the story and make it richer. Finally, the manuscript went through two copy and proof editors to refine the work and polish off the writing.
Do you love shows like J.J. Abrams' Fringe and read books like Cassandra Clare's City of Bones?
"Doubt" mashes fringe science, corporate espionage and paranormal encounters to catapult you into an out-of-this-world experience.
At 21 years old, Harry and Cristal are fresh out of university with their PhD's. Labeled all their lives as being 'weird' and 'geeky', they find true friendships with other outcasts by playing online virtual reality games.
Harry Doubt, a genius programmer and creator of the popular online game 'Truth Seekers', has a personal mission of his own; to find his mother who went mysteriously missing while volunteering on a peacekeeping mission in Palestine. His gaming friends and followers inadvertently join in helping him find her; believing that they are on missions to find out what has happened to their own missing loved ones. During Harry's missions, Cristal and the team of 'Truth Seekers' stumble upon things that make them doubt the reality of their own lives. As they get closer to the truth, they realize that there are spiritual forces among them both good and evil, but in learning this, they activate a chain of events that start the beginning of the 'end of the world' as they know it.
Doubt is Book 1 of the Among Us Trilogy. Among Us is a book series which delves into the world of the supernatural and how it intersects with the everyday lives of seemingly ordinary young people as catastrophic events on earth lead to the end of times. Among Us weaves the theme of a young man and woman, who while not fully understanding their 'abilities', are drawn together in their desire to find out the truth about the world they live in which is similar to themes used in J.J. Abrams' TV shows Fringe and Lost.
What readers have to say...
As a big fan of the show Fringe, this book appealed to me tremendously. The writing was well done, and the way the "supernatural" forces were introduced was great.
A good, clean read for any age.
It was an excellent story that I'm sure both adult and teen urban fantasy fans will enjoy. You don't have to be a gamer or know one to identify with the characters. They're very well developed and definitely feel like people. I would definitely recommend it to a friend and I'm really looking forward to the second book.
...the novel is written in such a languid style, it moves on effortlessly and absorbs the reader into the story completely. Although the story itself revolves around the online gaming industry, one does not have to have an in depth knowledge as it is ably explained and discussed within the plot line.
OMGosh! I just finished reading "Doubt" INCREDIBLE! I couldn't put it down.
˃˃˃ >>> Depth and Substance mashed up with Fringe Science. Will entertain young and old alike.
This book is intended for mature young adults and new adults. Ages 16 to 45 +
˃˃˃ >>Inspired by real Truth Seekers Aaron Swartz and Harry Fear
The main character Harry Doubt was inspired by Aaron Swartz, internet prodigy and activist, co-founder of the Creative Commons and Reddit, and Harry Fear, journalist, documentary filmmaker and activist whose coverage of the conflict in the Middle East was seen on UStream by millions of viewers.
Genre - Young Adult, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Thriller
Rating – G
