Fear in Writing: Guest Blogger: Stephen Tremp on Stephen Tremp

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Today in Literary History...December 14, 1907: Rudyard Kipling receives the Nobel prize for literature, the first English-language writer to do so.ud

Friday, August 13, 2010

Guest Blogger: Stephen Tremp on Stephen Tremp

Author Stephen Tremp stops by today to talk about his latest ventures-- Opening and Escalation.  This post is in question and answer form, but they are all questions of Stephen's choosing.  This is NOT an interview.  Now, let's learn more about Stephen Tremp!

Stephen Tremp on Stephen Tremp

Most of us are familiar with your book Breakthrough. Can you tell us about the other two books you are writing?
Breakthrough is the first installment in a trilogy, and is written as a stand alone book. The next two books entitled Opening and Escalation are written in the same manner, and compromise one continuous story that takes place over the course of a month.

How do Opening and Escalation differ from Breakthrough
?
The main differences are in the plot, setting, conflict, and the introduction of new discoveries and breakthroughs in theoretical physics. While Breakthrough is set in metropolitan Boston and Orange County, CA, Opening and Escalation expand to a global setting. In Opening (to be released early 2011), the action escalates to Geneva where Chase and his friends need to foil an attempt to blow up the World Trade Organization’s headquarters as well as a large portion of the international city. Events quickly spiral out of control as conflict erupts in the Strait of Taiwan with a showdown between the U.S. Seventh Fleet and the Chinese military. In Escalation, events expand to Europe and the Middle East.

New characters are introduced while others are killed off. Yet, still at the center of everything is Chase Manhattan, his group of friends, and the psychotic grad students at M.I.T. as the power play struggle continues over who will own or destroy this once-in-a-lifetime discovery. Action and suspense are still the name of the game throughout. Fortunately, I was writing Opening and Escalation while I wrote Breakthrough, so I’m half finished with both books.


If you could sum up the Breakthrough trilogy with a single theme, what would it be?Ultimately, the trilogy seeks to encompass the elusive Theory of everything, but with a supernatural twist. The Theory of Everything in philosophy is an all-encompassing explanation of nature or reality. In theoretical physics a Theory of Everything will (theoretically) link together and explains all known fundamental physical phenomena, forces, and matter into one cohesive framework.

Professor Steven Hawking
, in a series of lectures in the 1990s, helped popularize this theory amongst the general population by attempting to unite General Relativity (science of the very big) with Quantum Theory (science of the very small). For the record, Dr. Hawking recently stated he is pessimistic on any such discovery in the immediate future. Some of the greatest minds of the past 100 including Albert Einstein have spent decades of their lives in an attempt to unravel and explain this theory. Currently, some of the usual suspects for a unified theory are String Theory, M-Theory, and Supersymmetry.

Does a Theory of Everything need to be confined to scientific method?
Great question, and one many over the millennia have pondered. Would this theory need to take into account the spiritual realm? Throughout the history of mankind, most civilizations including our own hold the belief of a spiritual world that is more real than our own. That there are forces at work that affect our physical world in ways we know in part but cannot fully comprehend.

We do not really have any idea what else is out there, but there is no reason to believe that we are the only intelligent beings in the universe. That would be arrogant and asinine. And there is no reason to believe that whatever else is out there will necessarily have to obey the same laws of physics that we do. Perhaps a unified Theory of Everything will need to take into consideration parallel dimensions beyond our currently accepted space-time continuum where angels and demons dwell and cross back and forth at will. This would explain a lot of things. This is indeed a very strange universe we live in.

If science wants to limit reality to what they can only rigorously test in a lab, perhaps a Theory of Everything should be renamed the Partial Theory of Everything, or a Theory Of A Lot Of Things But Not Quite Everything

How do all these proposed theories tie into the Breakthrough trilogy?Breakthrough is basically a “What If” scenario. I have taken this premise and developed a trilogy that incorporates proposed theories of physics such as Einstein-Rosen Bridges (wormholes as they are commonly known), String Theory, Parallel Dimensions, and a Theory of Everything. It’s a scenario of what if science and the supernatural collided in such a way that mankind’s very existence was threatened. And to think it all begins with a breakthrough discovery in Einstein-Rosen Bridges, or wormholes, in a tiny lab at M.I.T. in the dead of winter by a lone professor of physics.


Any parting thoughts?In the right column of my blog I have links posted under SCIENCE, CERN, AND THE BIBLE. I’ve blogged across a broad spectrum of subjects, including the latest and greatest coming out of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), string theory, parallel universes, hyperspace, hyperbeings, the Bible and extra dimensions, and other fascinating topics. These matters are at the forefront of discussion and argument as it is very evident our understanding of the universe and our perception of our place in it is about to change.



*Breakthrough is available for download to Kindle through Amazon and to Sony Reader, B&N Nook, iPhone, Palm reading device, or your PC or iMac through Smashwords and will be available for sale in bookstores late August, 2010.


For excellent writing commentary and invaluable information on publishing and marketing your book, visit Stephen at Breakthrough Blogs .

Thank you, Stephen, for blogging here today!  Any questions?

24 comments:

  1. OMG, I laughed a hearty laugh at "a theory of a lot of things." I sounds so Monty Python! I'll be looking for Breakthrough, I've been at his site plenty, but didn't know it was being released in late August!

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  2. PS The picture by the ascending stairs is just poetic! :)

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  3. Will- He is re-releasing it, so it should be back and better than ever. I'm looking forward to reading it, too!

    And, yes, it is. Wouldn't we all love to be that author?

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  4. Great post, and love getting into your head a little Stephen. I must say--weird things are going on inside! LOL Seriously, I loved this comment. "

    "We do not really have any idea what else is out there, but there is no reason to believe that we are the only intelligent beings in the universe. That would be arrogant and asinine."

    I laughed because--aren't we already--arrogant and asinine--thinking we have all the answers. Not everyone though. There are others like me who have only questions--

    Great post and great blog! I'm adding Michele to my blog roll!

    Sylvia Dickey Smith

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  5. Wonderful interview! I love theories and books that have to try and apply them to real life. I love the what if scenarios. Sounds like a wonderful book.

    CD

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  6. All three books sound very complicated. But perhaps fiction is the best place to try to explain these theories.

    Helen

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  7. Very enlightening post Stephen. Sounds like an interesting trilogy. Wishing you the best of luck.

    Michele, thanks for hosting Stephen.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

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  8. Thanks everyone for stopping by and leaving a comment. Breakthrough was a blast to research and write. Opening and Escalation even so much more because of all the other things I can do beyond wormholes.

    Stephen Tremp

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  9. I'm still laughing at the Theory of a Lot of Things But Not Quite Everything:D

    The story sounds great!

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  10. Sounds like a lot or research went into the books.
    And if I interviewed myself, I wouldn't know what to ask!

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  11. Having worked for Stephen as his editor on "Breakthrough" I can attest to how good a book it is ... VERY. Enjoyed learning more about this talented young author in this interview. Nice job, both of you!

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  12. Thanks everyone for stopping by and leaving a comment. We do live in exciting times and mankind is making mind boggling dicoveries about our universe and our place in it. And this is also great material for authors like me to lay the doundation for a realistic suspense thriller.

    Stephen Tremp

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  13. Thanks to both of you for sharing this. I appreciate the info!
    Have a great weekend,
    Karen

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  14. Yep, it's on my to-read list too.

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  15. What a terrific interview! Thanks, Michele, for hosting Stephen. His was among the first blogs I started following early in my blogging career.

    Wow, Breakthrough sounded pretty cool, but the next two sound absolutely epic in scope. This sounds like a really excellent series. You won't get too technical for small minds like mine, will you? Looking forward to the continuation of the series.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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  16. Sounds like an awe-inspiring story! The interview itself was awe-inspiring. ;]

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  17. Holly, thanks for your support. New version will be available in a couple short weeks (although its available for download to eBooks). I can hardly wait.

    Arlee, sometimes I tell people this is a fictional series and not a college physics text book. Yet I'm also quick to point out that althought these concepts are theories and cannot be proven (yet), they also cannot be disproved. So I can incorporate them into my plots as at least reasonable possibilities.

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  18. What a fascinating and informative post - thanks for a great Q&A!

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  19. Stephen's really talented, and it was great to have all of you new (and old) readers stop by. Come back anytime!

    Michele

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  20. What a great interview, questions and answers. I learned more about Stephen which is great. It's time to get this book in my hands. :)

    Teresa

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  21. Thanks for hosting Stephen on your blog Michele. He is a great supporter of my blog and he has worked hard with his book promotion. He deserves good things and great sales. :)

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  22. Glynis, thanks for the support. I receive your words and believe for great things and great sales. Thanks everyone for stopping by, and thanks Michele for having me.

    Stephen Tremp

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