Retired biochemist pens interstellar,
spiritual short stories
“A high-quality
anthology with a Christian outlook that embraces science”—Kirkus
Brookeville,
MD—Nancy Joie Wilkie, a multi-talented artist by nature, is set to release
her second collection of celestial stories that combine science fiction and
faith. “Faraway and Forever—More
Stories” (She Writes Press, July 18, 2023) is a collection of novelettes
that will propel readers through space and time with introspective themes that
reckon with the physical and spiritual world around us. Through concise and
unique prose Wilkie introduces readers to complex characters that push the
boundaries of science and faith to meet at a compelling intersection.
“Faraway and Forever—More Stories”
is a compilation of interstellar fictional tales that takes the reader from the
not-too-distant future to a time when travel between worlds is a common
occurrence. Each stop along mankind’s journey outward to the stars is
accompanied by a deeper look inward—from examining how extraterrestrial beings
might use our
own biology against us, to whether a human
consciousness can survive in a virtual environment, to how wishes are really
granted. Original and thought provoking, these stories will stimulate the
intellect and engage the imagination.
“Hatred and anger and a need for revenge have followed us as we’ve spread
out into the stars. Perhaps such negative emotions are not things we can leave
behind as we move on. Why did God create us this way?”—“Half the
Sky,” “Faraway and Forever—More Stories”
NANCY JOIE WILKIE worked for over thirty years in both the
biotechnology industry and as part of the federal government’s biodefense
effort. She served as a project manager, providing oversight for the
development of many new products. Now retired, she composes original music,
plays a variety of instruments, and has recorded many of her original
compositions. She also created a series of greeting cards that display her
artwork and photographs. “Faraway and Forever—More Stories” is her second
collection of stories.
“Seven Sides of Self” was published
by She Writes Press in November 2019. She will be releasing a third collection
of short stories, “The River Keeper and Other Tales,” in early 2024. She is
also working on a science fiction novel and a children’s
story. She resides in Brookeville, MD. Her cards, prints, and more information
about her books can be found on her website.
An
Interview with
Nancy Joie Wilkie
What
would you say to people who believe Christianity and science are at odds with
one another? Why did you decide to weave faith and science into this collection
of short stories?
I would say that while I do believe there is a divine
intelligence running the show we call the Universe, I do not believe that to be
at odds with science. Science is simply our attempt to understand what the Good
Lord has created.
As for why I decided to weave faith and science into
these stories, it really wasn’t much of a decision or anything requiring a
great deal of thought. I am a scientist … albeit a retired scientist … and
always interested in how things really work behind the curtain. And I am a deeply
spiritual person. I think there must be a connection between science and
religion somewhere.
Can
you talk about your writing process and how you add “Easter eggs” into the
stories that give readers insight into your motivations behind your writing?
I do love Easter eggs! And there are quite a few in
these novelettes. Friends who know me well immediately recognize them. One dear
friend recently told me he wished he didn’t know me so well such that when he
was reading the stories his mind could stay in the story and not on me! It is
me just having fun!
As for the writing process …
whenever the Muses drop something into my head, I feel obliged to write it
down! It is really that simple.
What
was the most difficult short story for you to write in this collection, and
what was the inspiration behind it?
One of the stories was written 25 years ago while the
rest were written within the last two or three years. None of them were
particularly difficult to write. But I can tell you the story that was the most
fun to write … The Wishbringer! The trouble the main character has in finding a
significant other is a reflection of own journey of ups and downs in that
department. This story does seem to be everyone’s favorite!
In
one of your short stories, “The Goldfire Project” you explore what you call
“spiritual dynamics”. Can you talk more about that idea and why it was the
inspiration for that piece?
Being a distant relative of William Thomson—better
known as Lord Kelvin, a major contributor to the Third Law of Thermodynamics—and
having been a scientist myself, I have always been interested in the Three Laws
of Thermodynamics. After I lost my father to cancer 17 years ago, I started to
rethink how I viewed the soul and the afterlife—trying to make some sense of my
father’s passing—and then started thinking about our “before life.” It was then
that I thought developing the Three Laws of Spiritual Dynamics would be an
interesting analog and might be used in some of my stories. How do souls come
and go from our physical bodies? A future story titled “The Natural Order of
Things” (to be included in a fourth collection of stories titled "By The
Light Of The Sun") will explore these ideas and how they came about in
greater depth.
What
do you hope that readers will take away from this collection?
● The
more mankind looks outward, the more he looks inward.
● Is
there really such a place as heaven? And if we are given an alternate path at
the end of our corporeal life, would we take it?
● Relationships
between parents and children are complicated.
● Do
we really understand how the Universe operates and what if we are given a
chance to look behind the curtain?
● What
was the message that Jesus Christ delivered during his time on Earth? And how
would we respond to Him if He were to appear again?
What’s next for
you in your author career? Are you working on anything new? Oh, yes! I am
always working on something new! Those darned Muses never seem to leave me
alone!
I have a third collection of tales that will be
released by Austin Macauley Publishers LLC in early 2024—titled “The River
Keeper and Other Tales.” One of the tales is about Aurora, a young girl who
discovers a ring with magical powers and uses those powers to help a young
knight battle an evil dragon. It isn’t until after the battle she learns that
use of those powers came at a cost. The title of the story, not surprisingly,
is “Aurora’s Ring.”
And for the record (pun intended), inspiration for the
story came from a song of the same name, written by me after an idyllic day on
the beach. After hearing the tune, my musical collaborator, Stephen
Bloodsworth, suggested we compose and record a concept album telling Aurora’s
full story! And so we did! “Dragon’s Door—A Tale of Ring and Sword” was
released on Christmas Day 2022. You can hear songs from it on Spotify, iTunes,
Apple Music, Pandora, and our HearNow Web Page
(https://sparrows-tale.hearnow.com/). It is also available on Amazon … complete
with a really nice booklet!
Looking forward, I have
completed a fourth work of fiction titled “Who Moved My Planet? —A Story For
Those Needing To Understand Something About Needs (A Novella). I have several
beta readers reviewing it now and hope to send it to a publisher in early fall
of 2023.
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