History of How the Inner Voices Series Came To Be

The original thought that started this series happened many years ago. I had a vision of a soldier walking on a tropical beach with a beautiful lady. At the time, I didn't have any more of a story than that. With my like of hard science fiction, I also knew it would be set some time in the future and that it would involve a war.

I'd always been interested in writing and, over the years, had written a number of short stories (none published) and technical documents for work. About eight years ago, I attended a writing workshop with the idea of doing a science fiction novel about the couple on the beach. The workshop leader asked each of the participants what they wanted to write about, and most of them were interested in personal interest or growth stories. I was the only one different. After the workshop, some of the participants formed a writing group. During the early meetings, we discovered we all had an interest in spirituality and, even though none of the other participants had a strong interest in science fiction, they were all interested in the spiritual aspects of my novel.

Over the next three years, development of the novel came in fits and starts. I’ve come to realize that there were lessons and experiences the universe wanted me to have so that I could include them in the novel. The writing group was very supportive and I learned much from their stories and perspectives.

Much of my writing has been done in ‘non-traditional’ spots. Some was done at the dining room table, some while sitting on the couch, some in airport lounges, some by pools. You get the drift. The writing has rarely been done on a schedule, and maybe that’s why it took six years to complete. (Note! I promise not to take so long with future books) When the novel was first completed, it was almost four hundred pages long. After a discussion with a publisher, I took the original novel and split it into two books. At that time I already knew it would be a series, so this allowed me to have the first two books ready while giving me time to work on the next ones. It also made for a less imposing novel to begin with.

At this point, I see the series lasting for four or five books. I already have the overall arc of what will happen, but I’m not sure on how the end will turn out. During the writing process I’ve been repeatedly amazed at what has come out. I’ve had whole sections ‘just appear’ that both add to character and story depth and are completely unexpected. I almost feel, at those times, that I’m just taking dictation and my higher self is developing the story. I’ll leave it to you to see if you can spot those passages.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you enjoy the first book. Your comments are always welcome.

Barry Alder