Q and A with author Frank Acland

[A.F.]

Please welcome Frank Acland to the Q and A forum. Frank was born and raised in England, but has lived in the United States for over twenty years. His full time job involves working in a library surrounded by books and all kinds of other information -- there's never a shortage of things to read!

Frank’s first novel, The Secret Power Beneath, revolves around a technological theme (specifically energy technology), and explores the influence that technology can have on individuals and societies -- for good and ill.

His ideas for writing spring out of my many interests and besides reading he loves composing music -- it's like writing but in a different medium.


Goodreads profile

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5134555.Frank_Acland

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

How did you come up with this theme? was it the resultof a long standing belief or observation of yours? IE- being around traditional books- yet watching as tradition book stores close and e-books become more the "norm"?

[Frank]

Hi Rick,

The theme of this book comes out of a longstanding interest I have had in new energy technology. I've long believed that civilization would benefit tremendously if we could find a cheap and and abundant source of energy. The book explores a "what-if" scenario -- what could be the consequences of finding such a technology. What could be the negative as well as the positive consequences of a discovery of this kind?

I work in a library and so I think about the future of books quite a bit. We haven't really got into the ebook purchasing and lending business yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if that happens before too long. We're in the middle of a revolution, I think, and it will be interesting to see how it all pans out. Who knows, libraries could one day go the way of Borders books!

Regards,

Frank

[Frank]

Paul wrote: "Congratulations on your book, Frank. Were you inspired to write it because of a particular piece of technology/science that you were aware of in the media, or was it a book you came across in the l..."

Thanks, Paul. Writing the book has been a very interesting experience. I mentioned in my reply above an interest in energy technology.

I have followed some of the more unusual energy technologies for a while now. I have been interested in Steorn's claims since 2006 (energy from magnetic interactions) , and more recently I have been following Andrea Rossi's claims about his energy catalyzer, or E-Cat (he claims a low energy nuclear reaction from a hydrogen-nickel combination)

I have long believed that sooner or later there will be a breakthrough in energy technology, and when that happens our world could be changed drastically.

So my idea for the book came from these explorations. I wanted to tie the technology theme into an adventure story that would be interesting for readers of all ages. I remember as a young reader I would love a good adventure story, and I have tried to write something that would have a universal appeal, and at the same time maybe generate some interest in the technological side of things.

So while the book has a technological theme it also deals with universal human themes -- love, family, freedom, power, courage, patriotism, etc.

Having never written a book before, I found it quite a challenge to put this together. The biggest problem was finding the time to do it along with all the other things I have going on. But overall I'm quite pleased with the result. There is a sense of achievement of having completed what I started -- but whether other people like the book is another matter!

Best regards,

Frank

[Frank]

Hi Paul,

I do have plans to continue the story. The conclusion of the book leave the possibility of a sequel very open :)

Writing this first book took a lot of time and energy, however and I'm taking a bit of a break from writing. Plus I want to see if there's interest from the reading public.

BTW, my story starts out in the English North West (my home). I was born in Kendal and lived in the area until I came to the US. Was in Carlisle this summer, actually :)

[Frank]

Hi Paul, small world indeed. I'm surprised you didn't bump into me in your line of work :) jk!

With this book my writing discipline was early in the morning and late at night when distractions at home were at a minimum. And snatch stretches of time during the day when possible. Looking back I'm quite surprised that I was able to get the work done in eight months.

Towards the end of the book I was not the most available dad and husband, as I wrote after getting home from work, and I think my family was glad when it was all over. So I'm grateful they were tolerant.

My favorite time to write, though, is early in the morning before anyone else is up. I think my concentration is best then.

[Frank]

Hi Carroll,

In general, I am hopeful that new energy technologies will come on the scene that will take away the need for us to rely on the current problematic choices, whether nuclear or fossil fuels. Unfortunately it seems that the current alternatives like wind and solar alone are not going to be able to fill the power demands of our energy-hungry planet.


I can see that nuclear power has filled a need, and has been successful in many cases, and there are continued efforts to ensure that new plants are fail-safe, but there are clear problems (toxicity of fuel and waste, vulnerability to manmade and natural disasters, expense of building and decommissioning plants, etc.)

I am very hopeful that we might soon be entering a new nuclear age. There has been much promising work done in low energy nuclear reaction (LENR) research, and I am particularly interested in Andrea Rossi's energy catalyzer (E-Cat) which apparently uses no radioactive fuel and produces no hazardous waste. We should soon know if this is a viable alternative to the current fission technology as Rossi is promising a demo of his technology in late October.

The idea for my book came from my interest in these things -- I do think that many things that today are seen as scientifically impossible can one day become reality.

[A.F.]

Sorry about being conspicuously absent this weekend, Frank, but better late than never.
What one thing would you most like people to learn or think about after reading your book?

[Frank]

Good question, A.F.

Despite the technological setting, the plot revolves around human relationships. I hope that readers will take away the sense that love and courage are more important than scientific miracles, but also that technology can and should be incorporated in to society in a way to help, rather than restrict or restrain citizens.

Rather a long response to a short question!

Best regards,

Frank