Q & A With D.G. Kaye Features Jacqui Murray and #NewRelease – Against All Odds

I’m happy to be having Jacqui Murray back to my blog with her hot new release, Book 3 in her Crossroads Trilogy series, Against All Odds. Jacqui has a magnificent blog tour currently going on in blogtown, and I’m happy to be part of it here in this edition of Q & A.     About Jacqui: Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers, and the Man vs. Nature saga. She is also adjunct professor of technology in education, blog webmaster, an Amazon Vine Voice,  a columnist for  NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, Laws of Nature, Book 2 in the Dawn of Humanity trilogy, Winter 2021.       Blurb: A million years of evolution made Xhosa tough but was it enough? She and her People finally reach their destination—a glorious land of tall grasses, few predators, and an abundance that seems limitless, but an enemy greater than any they have met so far threatens to end their dreams. If Xhosa can’t stop this one, she and her People must again flee. The Crossroads trilogy is set 850,000 years ago, a time in prehistory when man populated most of Eurasia. He was a violent species, fully capable of addressing the many hardships that threatened his survival except for one: future man, a smarter version of himself, one destined to obliterate all those who came before. From prehistoric fiction author Jacqui Murray comes the unforgettable saga of a courageous woman who questions assumptions, searches for truth, and does what she must despite daunting opposition. Read the final chapter of the People’s long search for freedom, safety, and a new home. A perfect book for fans of Jean Auel and the Gears!   Comment from another book in the trilogy… I feel as if I am on a adventure into the extreme past. I have read both books and have been entertained. I suggest these books to anyone who enjoys traveling into the past –Amazon reader I flew through this read. The pace moves quickly, occasionally veering into the story of another group, one who split from Xhosa’s People. Xhosa commands the primary point of view, but it does switch to other group members on occasion. I highly recommend “The Quest for Home” to readers of prehistoric fiction, speculative fiction, and adventures. –Amazon reader   Jacqui has created a fabulous trailer!     Time to dig deeper and learn more about Jacqui and her writing   Where do your book ideas grow from? The original idea for each book comes from something I read or saw, or a conversation I hear that intrigues me. My mind—well, I should say my subconscious because this step is not something I control–starts to churn through the events, looking for connections or sequences or logic. If it finds pieces that don’t fit, the whole thing bubbles up into my consciousness where I can pull threads, see where they take me. That usually requires research which continues until I’ve fleshed out a book. But that’s not the end. At this point, the characters take over, guiding me through the tidbits that have been spinning around in my head, add their personality, and suddenly, I have a novel that needs a ton of editing! D.G. – Well you must have an amazing muse to fill your head with such nuggets.   How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite of your books and if so, why? If you include fiction and non-fiction, I’ve written over a hundred. My first book was Building a Midshipman, the story of my daughter’s acceptance into the U.S. Naval Academy (a prestigious science-oriented school whose basic course load includes classes like—wait for it—Thermodynamics). My daughter never thought she could be accepted so when she was, I wanted to share her story with other young women who might lack the confidence to apply. After that, I wrote about fifty books on technology in education. Then, I got the fiction bug and switched to thrillers (To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days) and then prehistoric fiction in a series called Man vs. Nature. This is a collection of trilogies that define seminal points in man’s evolution and is probably where I’ll put my efforts for the foreseeable future. D.G. – Wow! I wasn’t aware you’d written so many books. Something to be admired for sure! Amazing how versatile your writing is.   What prompted you to write in your chosen genre? I used to read a lot about early man but no one could explain how they survived the hostile environment into which they were born, ruled by savage animals who considered man nothing more than prey. Compared to these alpha predators, early humans had modest physical attributes–stubby nails, thin skin that couldn’t withstand the sharp claws of the dominant animals, and tiny teeth that couldn’t bite through an enemy’s hide. We had no fur to protect us, wore no clothing (mostly), and had only primitive weapons. But still we survived. How? To unravel this mystery, I read vociferously, researched endlessly, and then created characters who I put into the situations history said should have killed them. To my surprise, they thrived. The ‘how’ of it makes these stories as exciting as any thriller, as baffling as any mystery, and as compelling as any character-driven novel. I’m more excited about this genre today than I was thirty years ago when I started my quest. D.G. – I can only imagine how much research it took to create this smashing series!   What upcoming projects are you working on? I’d love to share this! I’ve completed the Crossroads trilogy, the second in the Man vs. Nature Universe and dealing with man’s longest living species, Homo erectus. Next, I’ll finish the last two books of First Man’s trilogy, Dawn of Humanity, featuring the earliest man, Homo habilis. In the future, I’ll write a trilogy about the species who established man as the alpha in the animal kingdom and then, the humans who survived a time not so long ago when man almost became extinct. I’m pretty excited about these stories and have begun the process of drafting them. Each book takes me about a year to write which means what I’ve touched on here will take about eight years to complete. I hope my energy lasts that long! D.G. – Wow, amazing how you can project your projects for the next 8 years! I never know what my next book will be until the last one gets published, lol.   Jacqui shares an excerpt with us: Chapter 1   The foothills of the Pyrenees They came out of the mountains, hair frozen in sparkling strands, hands and feet wrapped in shredded pelts, ribs etched against their skin under ragged hides white with snow, faces haggard with fatigue. Blood crusted scrapes and gashes, many recent, others almost healed, reminders of the violent struggles endured on their journey. Though their steps flagged, not one of these upright creatures exhibited a hint of defeat. All males and a few females carried at least one spear, some two, many with warclubs strapped to their backs. Despite the anxiety and fear of entering this foreign land, hope energized them today, that their migration might be at an end. All of them—Xhosa and her tribe, Pan-do and his, Wind, Zvi, and Seeker—had been chased from their homes by enemies. In their flight, they found each other. It took time to work through their differences but now they traveled side by side, respected ideas not theirs, and called themselves the People. Their charismatic Leaders—Xhosa, Wind, and Pan-do—were known as reliable friends to those who earned their trust and dangerous enemies to those who opposed them. Two wolves—Spirit and Black Wolf—journeyed with them. Though the People lacked the animals’ sharp claws, dense fur, and piercing teeth, each considered the other “pack” and would defend them to death. The exhausted group straggled down the gently sloping flank, feet shuffling carefully over the slippery scree. The ground changed from talus to stunted tufts of grass, sparse and brown which made walking easier. Optimism shone from their faces even as their tired eyes flicked side to side in search of unexpected movement, ears strained for out-of-place noises, and noses sniffed.   Rather than continue across the meadow, Xhosa led the People into the shade of the edging forest. “Do you smell it, Wind?” Anticipation filled her gestures. She and Wind, pairmates as well as Co-Leaders, stood quietly, absorbing their surroundings. Light filtered lazily through the canopy, the shadowed ground dappled with patches of warmth. She sniffed in the essence of wet earth and rotting leaves, the mustiness of moss, and something else much more enticing. “It’s there.” She pointed and strode forward, lengthening her stride. An icy gust whipped down the hillside through the shadows and raised bumps on her arms but she ignored it. The forest gave way to open sky and searing heat. It was too hot for her thin pelt but she didn’t stop to remove it. Green stalks swayed as far as she could see, edged on one side by more mountains and the other by some sort of leaves and branches. Sunlight glinted off the rippled surface of a distant river as it curled over the terrain. “Dung!” The scent overpowered every other odor. Wind huffed to her side. “It’s been a long time since we smelled dung that wasn’t frozen.” “We did it, Wind.” Her eyes glistened with relief. For most of a Moon, dread gnawed at her courage and left her wondering if following the guidance of Seeker—a boy barely a man—was a mistake. But Seeker assured her in his ebullient way that once out of the hills, their new homebase would welcome them. Xhosa wanted to believe him because she wasn’t sure what else to do. Nor did she know what to do if it didn’t work. Wind motioned, arms inclusive, “It’s beautiful, Xhosa.” Siri, Pan-do, Ngili, the wolves Spirit and Black Wolf, and the rest of the People gathered around Xhosa and Wind, eyes locked on what lay in front of them. Pan-do whispered, “We made it.” His eyes were moist, mouth open. Ngili, the People’s Lead Hunter, motioned, hands close to his body. “With all this grass, Gazelle or Mammoth must be nearby.” Dust, the Lead Scout, trotted up, coming from a tall cliff far ahead on their forward path. “I think there are caves there.” The People hadn’t slept in a cave since leaving Viper and the Mountain Dwellers. It would be a treat if true. Xhosa looked behind. Shadows already stretched as far from the bottom of the rocky slopes as sunlight to the top. Daylight would soon end. “We don’t have much time. Let’s rest and then see if those are caves.” Ngili, the People’s Lead Hunter, motioned, fingers spaced out, palms up, “I’ll go with Dust to check.” He added a swift spread-fingered swipe with first one hand and then the other, followed by a quick bob of his head and a puff. Xhosa brushed both hands down her sides. Go. The People spoke with a complex combination of hand motions, facial expressions, body movements, and sounds augmented with chirrups, snaps, hisses, and whistles. By the time Ngili finished talking, Xhosa knew how many would join him, where they would go, and how long they’d be away. The People’s communication was sophisticated but quiet, a precaution especially in unfamiliar areas. Unusual sounds—voices, for example—stood out. All animals made noises but few as varied as the People’s. Why alert Others who lived here to their presence? Xhosa would do that in her own time, in her own way. Dust, Ngili, and two scouts soon receded into the landscape, the only evidence of their passage a slight disturbance in the slender waving stalks. Despite the dung scents, the abundant plant food, and...