BooksChatter: ℚ The Heaviness of Knowing: The Conscious Dreamer [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Sharolyn G. Brown to talk about The Heaviness of Knowing (1 July 2016, Sharolyn Brown, 382 pages), a Dystopian Science Fiction novel, book one of The Conscious Dreamer series.

"Great read! I was hooked from beginning to end"

"...it was a breath of fresh air.... This is a more than satisfying dystopian tale, and while it does have a somewhat standard plot at the eagle eye level, the particulars are fresh and interesting."

"I'm an avid reader, and lover of Science Fiction. I was pulled into the world, that the author created, from the first chapter."

Synopsis | Teaser | Author Q&A | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

A very warm welcome to Sharolyn G. Brown; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

What was the inspiration for The Heaviness of Knowing?

"The inspiration for The Heaviness of Knowing was a conversation with a friend who told me she never dreams. It made me wonder why some people remember their dreams, and others don’t. My imagination took over and came up with an idea involving aliens who were using our dreams to invade the Earth."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"There is quite a bit of my personality reflected in the book. But, it’s spread out between the two Point of View (POV) characters, Roxal and Lauren. Roxal is an alien woman who wants to fit in so much that she becomes invisible. I think that represents me when I was younger. I always felt different, and tried to play down my ‘differentness’. It didn’t work, by the way. And Lauren is more like me now. She’s more of a take charge type of person. She’s willing to do whatever is needed of her to get what she wants."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for The Heaviness of Knowing - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"The cover was created by Dale Pease with Walking Stick Books. I wanted to show my main character for The Heaviness of Knowing, Roxal, and show a sense of reluctance or foreboding. I also wanted to represent the compound where she lives and show it as a symbol of all that she fears."

Why should we read The Heaviness of Knowing and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"First, I think the concept of the book sets it apart. To me, the idea that aliens are using our dreams to control us and make us help them invade the Earth is an interesting concept. I also think my characters are unique because I tried to make sure that the POV characters are like real people. I tried to make sure that the reader sees that each choice a character makes, is a logical choice given who they are and the other options they have."

Can you tell us something quirky about The Heaviness of Knowing, its story and characters?

"The names of some of the characters and the alien planet are jumbles of the names of my family members. For example, my alien planet Trebor, is my dad’s name, Robert, backwards. And I have a character named Estella who is named for my mom, Stella."

Who would you recommend The Heaviness of Knowing to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I recommend this book to anyone who likes alien invasion stories. And, anyone who like stories that show a secret world hiding in plain sight in our everyday world. Also, anyone who wants to see strong women characters."

If you could / wished to turn The Heaviness of Knowing and The Conscious Dreamer series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"My dream director would be Ava DuVernay. For Roxal, my dream actress would be Hannah John-Kamen, a British actress from a SyFy Channel’s Killjoys. For Lauren, my dream actress would be Nicole Beharie from FOX’s Sleepy Hollow. I don’t really have anyone in mind for the other characters."

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I like to write about aliens and things normal people don’t know are happening in their world. For example, in The Heaviness of Knowing, unless you are “in the know”, you don’t realize aliens are controlling you and making you do things so they can invade Earth. For now, I’m sticking to science fiction, but I do have ideas for an Urban Fantasy series I may write once this series is finished. And when I read, I primarily choose sci-fi and urban fantasy novels."

What is your writing process?

"My writing process is very simple. I have a full-time job in addition to writing. As a result, I try to get about 3-4 hours or writing in during the week, and around 10 hours of writing in on the weekends. During the week, when I’m not writing, I’m jotting down ideas and scenes that I will write about. This way my writing time is more productive. Also, I write in complete silence. No music or TV or anything in the background. For me, it’s like I see the story playing out in my head when I write. So having noise in the background interferes with that."

What is in store next?

"I’m currently finishing up a novella where Roxal’s mate, Edo, is the main character. The novella will be available for sale on Amazon, or for free to my newsletter subscribers, in October. We find out about his life before he was paired with Roxal.

I’m also working on Book 2 of The Conscious Dreamer Series. We see what life is like for Roxal and Lauren now that they made the choices they made in The Heaviness of Knowing."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"Something that’s special to me is my passport. I love to travel. It’s my goal to visit every continent on Earth. So far, I’ve been to every continent except Asia, South America, and Antarctica."