Monday, May 23, 2011

The Bookish Snob Promotions Book Tour Guest Post: Dr. April Nyland

Today we are lucky enough to have Dr. Ann Nyland here to talk about her book Hedgeland, and there's a giveaway at the end. So be sure to check that out!!!

Here's a bit more about the book and Ann and I'll turn the blog over to Ann!


Hedgeland Blurb:

Hedgeland, an urban fantasy of time travel. Dr April Neuland, a Professor of Ancient Languages turned non-fiction writer, has been plagued by dreams all her life, dreams of her past life in the Otherworld. Meanwhile, in a parallel dimension of April's past and Caridwen's future, Worthing, a Future History Professor, has allied with the Military to access Future Internet communications and use new technology to influence April to write an ebook novel revealing where she, in her past life as Caridwen, hid the Kiste, a device to travel through time and space. Hedgeland weaves all three time/space frames: Caridwen, Worthing, and April. Hedgeland is the first in the Hedgecraft Sequence, but is a fully self contained novel with no cliff hangers.

Author Dr Ann Nyland was on Faculty at the University of New England, Australia. She is a grammar pedant, ancient languages translator, and best selling non-fiction author of such books as The Complete Books of Enoch; Angels, Archangels and Angel

Categories: What the Ancients Said; The Book of Jubilees; A Devil of a Job to Find Satan in the Bible, among others.

Guest Post:

The worlds in Hedgeland.

Ok, it might seem complicated at first, but bear with me! There are three worlds in Hedgeland.

The present world is our world, our time, and is about Dr. April Neuland, a former college professor of ancient languages. From her childhood, April has been plagued by dreams of her past life as Caridwen.

There are two past worlds, the first being the ancient Caer Sidi, Caridwen's world, a technologically advanced civilisation. To us this is
the "Otherworld." When Caridwen's people made their regular Crossings into our world, it was in our Neolithic times. The Caer Sidi residents call our world the "Otherworld" and we call their world the "Otherworld." Caer Sidi is in another dimension of time and space.

Caer Sidi is in fact the "Otherworld" in Celtic mythology. I have used actual academic research (as opposed to general internet stuff which is
usually inaccurate) as the historical background of the Hedgecraft series.

In Europe, hedges were considered a place to cross into the Otherworld. The 'hedgerider' was someone who could cross between worlds. In earlier European times, many of the villages were surrounded by a hedge, and so the hedge symbolised the barrier between this world and the Otherworld.

The term "hedgecraft" was also known as "hedge riding" and means crossing the "hedge" (boundary) between this world and the Otherworld.

Today, the term 'hedgerider' can refer to any witch, but traditionally, it was someone who could cross spiritual boundaries. The hedgewitch referred to in the recent book Hedge Witch - a guide to Solitary Witchcraft by Rae Beth is more of a Wiccan type of hedgewitch and does not encompass the traditional meaning of the world.

The third world is "modern" Caer Sidi, Worthing's world. To us this is, again, the "Otherworld." This equates to our Bronze Age times. Worthing is a Future History Professor. His civilization is able to access certain internet communications from centuries into the future, and their future is our time.

The Military in Worthing's world goes further, and uses new technology to influence April to write an ebook novel revealing where she, in her past life as Caridwen, hid the Kiste, a device to travel through time and space. April does write the ebook novel, the title of which is Hedgeland.

Hedgeland weaves all three time/space frames: Caridwen, Worthing and April. Hedgeland is the first book in the Hedgecraft Sequence. I am interested in parallel dimensions such as in String Theory, and explore this in the novel.

I am in fact April, and I have kept the present section largely autobiographical.

Many of the paranormal events I describe actually happened. April writes a novel called Hedgeland. I like this as a literary effect, and it fits with the parallel worlds in the book. This is art imitating life which is imitating art.

As a prize at the end of the blog tour I am giving away an appearance in the next book of the Hedgeland Sequence which will be out this year. You will be able to appear in the Present Section as yourself. Have a nasty ex bf? This is the ideal way to get revenge.


Buy: Amazon







The next stop on the tour: It's All About Books

4 comments:

Denise Z said...

This is great, each stop of the tour we get more and more background! I have now past wetting my appetite to beginning to drool! Thanks for the great interview. Look forward to reading the book!

dz59001@gmail.com

DrANyland said...

Thanks for the lovely words, Denise!
Thanks for having me here, Andrea, great blog!

Belinda said...

I lvoe this insight you shared today Ann :) That's one of the great things about writing - you can include all kinds of life experiences you've had and it makes the characters stand out. Good luck to whoever wins the final prize!

Anonymous said...

I love learning new things, whether it be words or history. Thanks April!

 
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