AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Lynn Voedisch, Author of EXCITED LIGHT

We have a special guest with us today at Boomer Chick! It's Lynn Voedisch and she's the author of Excited Light, a contemporary fantasy about a young boy who while coping with a single, alcoholic mother, talks to angels at night, and they work a miracle when a stranger threatens his mother's life.

I don't know about you, but I love angel stories. Doesn't everyone? I talked to Lynn about angels and her book, Excited Light, and I think you will find the subject fascinating, also.

I give you Lynn Voedisch, author of Excited Light!

Boomer Chick: Welcome to Boomer Chick, Lynn! Would you like to tell us what your book is all about?

Lynn: "Excited Light" is about a 10-year-old boy, Alex, who lives alone in a creepy Victorian mansion with his divorced, alcoholic mom. The father is long gone. The mother, Allegra, often leaves the boy home alone, although not intentionally. She tries to be a good mother, but the disease is taking over. Lonely Alex talks about his troubles to his toy duck, Dudley. One day, Dudley responds and seems to be giving Alex divine messages. Allegra continues spinning out of control, falling into a romance with a nightclubbing cad. Eventually, she's at the brink of death and it's up to Alex and Dudley's divine messengers to work a miracle.

Boomer Chick: It sounds fascinating! I am so into angels and spirit guides and anything related so I’d like to focus on that aspect of your book. Can you tell us why you decided to write on this subject?

Lynn: I had an angel experience of my one (more on that later) and I transferred it to the fictional Alex, who is based on my own son and the conversations we used to have when he was that age. You really start to come into your own at age 10. I remember it as a turning point age when I was young, and it seemed to be a significant age for my son as well. I also had read "Practical Magic" by Alice Hoffman, and the idea of doing a magical realism-style book really appealed to me. Although no one has compared me to Alice Hoffman yet!

Boomer Chick: Do you have any angel experiences to share?

Lynn: I try to downpeddle this only because I usually get The Look when I tell this story. But, in short, I had been very ill, was in the hospital, and I woke up to hear a voice that gave me information to help me get better. I followed the advice and recovered. Since then I have believed in angels, for there is no other explanation for that experience. And, no, I was not just hearing voices! I'm not walking around talking to the thin air. I'm also not religious, just very spiritually minded. There is a big difference.

Boomer Chick: What has been everyone’s response to your book? I bet they are in awe!

Lynn: Well, my family sure was. They knew I was writing fiction, but I have a feeling they were rolling their eyes about it. No one expected an actual book to be finished. I've written two other novels since "Excited Light" was finished and have an agent looking for a traditional publisher. I've had excellent reader response to the book (which you can read on my Web site, www.lynnvoedisch.com), plus good reviews. Those readers who don't believe in angels consider them to be a metaphor for hope--and everyone believes in hope. Many publishers took a pass on "Excited Light" because "the angel fad was over," but I have found that there are many people who are not only interested in angels, but want to read about them. And these are not fluffy little cherubs, but big, powerful messengers of God. But, I reiterate, this is not a religious book. It's probably more New Age than anything else.

Boomer Chick: What do you plan on writing next?

Lynn: Right now I'm working on a fascinating project about a class of women in ancient Egypt who were second only to the Pharaoh in power. It's amazing to think of women who were that strong back then, because we are conditioned to think that women have only made strides forward in recent years. Actually, ancient Egyptian women had the most rights of any civilized people up until the modern era. I didn't want my novel to be purely historical however, so I'm using a device to bring a contemporary story into it. It's a bit complex to explain but easy to understand if you are reading it. I'm only on the first draft, though. My writing group is cheering me on. It's really a daunting project at times.

Boomer Chick: Thank you for coming, Lynn. Can you tell us where we can purchase Excited Light?

Lynn: I'd be delighted to tell you that. You can go to my website at http://www.lynnvoedisch.com/, Amazon.com, or any online store. You also can order it from any Barnes & Noble store. Here's a special plug for those in the Chicago area: it's available at Women & Children First Book Store in the Andersonville neighborhood and at Planet Earth in Evanston. I like to encourage people to visit independent bookstores.

I do want to mention that you can watch Lynn's book trailer at YouTube!

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