Tracy and Traci Virtual Event -Tuesday, 4/13!!

Tonight’s the night!

Tuesday, April 13th at 7:00pm EST

Join the fun as Australian Sci-fi Fantasy author Traci Harding and I discuss all things sci-fi, fantasy, esoteric and metaphysical. We’ll throw in a little bit about the Zero Point Energy Field, and alternative universes and states of consciousness for good measure! Zoom links below. I’m really looking forward to this and I know you’ll enjoy it.

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Out Of This World Virtual Author Event

I’m thrilled to announce an Out Of This World Virtual Author Event with me and Traci Harding, Australia’s #1 Sci-Fi Fantasy author!! Join the live conversation as Traci and I discuss our books, writing, where we get our ideas and the similar themes woven throughout the stories we create.

Tuesday, April 13th, 7:00pm EST USA

One of my reviewers from the Catalyst Blog Tour last summer compared my books to Traci’s so I reached out and connected with her on social media. Our books touch on the subjects of time travel, quantum physics, the Universal Energy Field, extraterrestrials, and the esoteric and metaphysical. It was so cool to find another fiction author who writes about the things I’m interested in. An added bonus is we get along great!

Another cool thing is that Traci lives near Brisbane, Australia so when we’re chatting on the evening of Tuesday 4/13 it’ll be 10:00am in the morning on WEDNESDAY the 14th for her! It truly is a small world.

Even though she’s deep into revisions on her next book (she’s written over 22 titles!!), she graciously agreed to do this event with me. I’m extremely excited and know that you are in for a treat when you join the conversation! More details on the Zoom event below.

Want to learn more about Traci and purchase her books? Visit her website at Personally signed books by Traci Harding (allthingstraci.com.au)

There’s even more info on Traci at her publisher’s site: Traci Harding – Australia’s Best Selling Fantasy Author

Want to purchase one of THIS Tracy’s books in The Catalysts series? Click Here!

Here’s the Dirt on Traci Harding!

Traci Harding is a Science/Fantasy Novelist, published through HarperCollins/Voyager Australia and Bolinda Audio.    Her work blends fantasy, fact, esoteric theory, time travel and quantum physics, into adventurous romps through history, alternative dimensions, universes and states of consciousness.

Since its release in 1996, the Ancient Future Trilogy has had over fifty reprints, three editions and was released as an omnibus in 2014. The first book of the series made the ABC’s list of “the Most Loved Books of All Time” (2010) and “Australia’s Top 100 Homegrown Reads” (2013). TThe Ancient Future became an Australian best-seller in its first month of release, and in 2014 the omnibus shot into the Amazon US top 5 Science/Fantasy books. Every Harding novel since the Ancient Future has debuted in the top 10 on the Science/Fantasy best-sellers list soon after publication. Traci has sold in excess of a half a million books in Australia alone.

Here’s the Dirt on Tracy Richardson (that’s me!)

Tracy Richardson is the author of the young adult series The Catalysts, including Book I, The Field, and Book II, Catalyst. The Field won the Eric Hoffer award for young adult literature and was a Bronze Medalist for the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award. Catalyst was a Finalist in the American Fiction Awards Young Adult category and won first place in the New Age category. Tracy has a degree in biology and her science background plays a significant role in her writing through her incorporation of both true science and science fiction. Her books are set in real Earth time with both a science fiction/paranormal theme and an environmental theme. There is no second planet.

Join Zoom MeetingTuesday, April 13th, 7:00pm EST USA

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Meeting ID: 948 7205 7839

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Review of THE FIELD by Gina Rae Mitchell

Here’s a very nice review of The Field from blogger Gina Rae Mitchell. Link to her page here.

The Field is such an excellent book that I can honestly recommend it for readers of all ages. It’s not your typical YA fiction novel.

The Field by Tracy Richardson is a wonderful young-adult novel. However, I truly believe this story is not only for young adults. I found it highly entertaining, and I am far from young.

The storyline has a lot of soccer and science in it, and yet you don’t have to be knowledgeable in either to enjoy The Field. The author captures the feelings of high schoolers very well. I bet we can all remember those days of angst, indecision, joy, and every other emotion that encompasses the passage from youth to adult. Relationships are an important theme throughout the book. It’s interesting to see how the changing of family & friend dynamics have lasting effects on people.

“A Science Fiction Winner”

Richardson creates an entirely believable world. Whether you consider this book sci-fi, metaphysical, or fiction, I’m confident you will enjoy reading it. It is very well-written, and the characters come alive while you are reading. I would recommend this book to readers from teen on up. Lovers of soccer, science, physics, and all-around excellent science fiction will enjoy The Field by Tracy Richardson.

Buy your copy today!

Kentucky Book Fair – Love being with authors and readers!

 

 

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Saturday I was at the Kentucky Book Fair in Frankfort, KY! Met lots of new author friends and lots of readers! I even had some metaphysical conversations about the premise of The Field! 

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I shared my table with Megan Whitmer, author of BETWEEN and Julia Watts, author of HYPNOTIZING CHICKENS – that title got a lot of attention!

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Here are some great t-shirts I saw – gotta love authors and readers!!

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Careful, or you’ll end up in my novel. 🙂

Banned Books?! Open a book and Open your mind!

Lots of great books on this banned book list!

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Goodreads Reviews of THE FIELD

Here’s what Goodreads reviewers have to say about The Field ~ Launch Date October 12th! Launch Party Thursday, October 10th!

“Sports, science, paranormal activity and strong realistic teenage characters, male and female. There is nothing not to like about this book.” ~ Ann Jones – Goodreads

“If you enjoy soccer or any sports and have been through high school it is an overall enjoyable and easy read that opened my eyes to new environmental practices and the mystical and magical energy fields.” ~ Lexie Miller – Goodreads

“The Field” by Tracy Richardson is an amazing combination of a clean cut, coming of age soccer athlete with a hint of a precognition type trait mixed in with educational science, scietific experimentation based in factual past practices mostly during war times, and a little magic and mysticism all rolled into one. Overall, I really liked The Field by Tracy Richardson and enjoyed so many different aspects of the story, even the fact that I can say that the cover on the ARC copy of the book is derived from page 154. That is so awesome.” CJ – Goodreads

“A fun book about soccer and tapping into hidden abilities. You don’t have to be a fan of soccer to like this book. I felt that the characters were credible. I enjoyed the psychic experiments that Eric works on in the lab. I also like the connection between Eric and Renee. I like Eric’s character. He is genuine and really cares about everyone, especially Will, even after he is mean and disrespectful to him. I also really like Renee. She is a down to earth girl who continually supports Eric. I enjoyed this book!” ~ Erin – Goodreads

Buy your copy today!

Why I Wrote THE FIELD

The idea behind The Field came from several different places. The first influence was metaphysical. We all experience it. The hunch that turns out to be true, running into a friend that you were just thinking about, the answer to a question you were pondering popping into your head or an eerily prophetic dream. I wanted to tell a story about a regular person, a normal person, who was having these types of experiences. Most of the YA paranormal stories that I read are about teens who are extra-ordinary in some way. They have special powers that no one else possesses. In The Field, Eric is an ordinary high school soccer player who is experiencing something more. He’s connecting to The Universal Energy Field and the Collective Consciousness; something that I believe we all can do.

The second influence was all of the disaster, post-apocalyptic literature out there. I like a good dystopian story as much as the next person, but I was starting to feel as if all we could see in the future was doom and gloom. I’d like to think that we are better than that. Certainly bad things happen and bad people exist, but why not focus on what is good? It doesn’t have to be sappy or boring, either. And it isn’t necessarily easy. Eric struggles with figuring out how to tap into The Field, how to play well in the goal, and in his relationships with his girlfriend and best friend.  And it doesn’t end with him having all the answers. The process is what matters and what he learns is that he’ll never know everything and that it’s not important. He just needs to know that there is something more out there than we experience, if we just take the time to pay attention.

Environmental issues play an important role in my writing as well. I have a degree in biology and while I didn’t pursue science as a career, I am still very influenced by it. The earth is our home and I believe that we should take care of her. We live in a throw-away culture, not thinking about how our plastic bottles or lawn fertilizer will affect the world around us. I think the time is fast approaching when we’ll have to take notice. Really, it’s already here. In The Field I focus on so-called ‘Clean Coal’ and to some extent nuclear energy and compare them to other truly clean energy sources such as wind or solar and then I take it a step further. What if The Universal Energy Field is a source of energy that we can tap into? How would we do it? What is it? I don’t mean to claim that I have the answers, but there are brilliant scientists who are trying to find those answers. Again, it comes back to my belief that there is so much more in the Universe than we perceive or even imagine.

The soccer focus came naturally. Both my husband and son are soccer goal-keepers. Our son is still playing club soccer in college and my husband has coached travel and high school soccer for years. You could say that I am a soccer mom, but I wish you wouldn’t. Really. Even though I do have a van. And live in the suburbs. I will say that watching your son dive at the feet of a sprinting, teen-aged boy intent on scoring is the worst kind of torture. Let’s just say that my stomach was in knots most weekends and I spent a lot of time in the bathroom at games from nerves! In fact, our son recently sent a text message picture of himself with a broken nose from playing soccer while my husband and I were on vacation. At first we thought he’d been mugged or in a fight because there was no message accompanying the picture. Do you know what he said when we called him in a panic? “I made the save!” I did actually play one season of women’s league soccer myself, but after being drilled in the face with a ball and knocked completely off my feet, I was glad to discover that I was pregnant and could no longer play. (Okay, it was a long time ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. My team wore pink socks. So not my color!)

Exploring these ideas through the vehicle of story presents a unique opportunity. In fiction, I can make things up (which I love), but I can also present new ideas in a way that is more accessible and approachable. I hope that my books allow people to look beyond what they think they know is true, and, hopefully, give them a really good story to enjoy while they’re doing it.

The Field Advance Review Copies are here!

It’s official! The Field (October, 2013 Luminis Books) is up on the Luminis website and on Amazon and the Midpoint Trade Book site!

Advance Review Copies are here and going out to reviewers. Over the weekend I was signing books at BookExpo America (BEA)and I will be at ALA (American Library Association) in Chicago on June 29th and 30th. Here’s the cover ~designed by my son, Alex Katsaropoulos. Excited doesn’t even describe how I feel!

The Field Coverfront

At BEA signing books!

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Is Eric Horton’s skill in the soccer goal due to his athletic ability, or something much, much more?

THE FIELD delves into metaphysical topics of The Universal Energy Field and The Collective Consciousness. Is THE FIELD science fiction? Paranormal? I’m not really sure. Here’s what one author had to say about it:

“The idea behind THE FIELD is a brilliant blend of soccer, science and fiction. True-to-life characters, contemporaty environmental issues, and engaging metaphysical principals skirt the edges of science fiction and magical realism in this modern coming-of-age novel.” Laurie Gray, author of MAYBE I WILL and SUMMER SANCTUARY