Between Light and Dark by Rian McMurtry makes you realize that being a geek and a nerd is both cool, more so if you have superpowers. Life is not always as it is. There is more than meets the eye, and sometimes, it is our innate mechanism to judge people based on what we see or hear from others without really knowing the story behind them. McMurtry introduces us to a world of impossibilities and that is dominated by young people with supernatural powers, and just like what the famous line says from a renowned comic character, “With great power comes great responsibility”. It makes you wonder how these kiddos will be able to handle such power even in a novel fiction like Between Light and Dark.
What’s the meaning behind the title of your book, Between Light and Dark?
It refers to Angela’s needing to decide what sort of things she wants and what sort of person she wants to be.
Do you sense some cruelty to animals in your book? Do you think some readers will be aware of it?
Not intentionally. Brigit and Malcolm both have nature-centric foci and I was thinking in terms of nature or ocean deities summoning aid while the bad guys were cruel and manipulative.
Where did the powers of the nine teenagers come from? Who gave it to them? How did they discover they have supernatural powers?
They don’t know where it comes from, and they don’t answer that question until the fourth book, “Light from Darkness”. How they discovered it is covered in the second book, “A Light in the Darkness”, and the quick answer is by accident.
The geeks and the nerds of nine is a fascinating plot, do you intend to write a book series of every member of the geeks and the nerds of nine?
The series continues to follow Angela in “A Light in the Darkness”. I was experimenting with a tight focus. In the third and books, “Love in the Darkness” and “Light from Darkness”, I open it up and follow multiple characters.
Why Seth did not just tell the truth to Angela? It will fix all the confusion on Angela’s part and the readers’ end.
Unless he did something else to prove it, he had no reason to think Angela would believe him. They weren’t close at the start of the book, and he took his commitment to the others to keep the secret very seriously. He also doesn’t want constant requests to raise someone else, which he knows (or at least thinks) will be coming en masse if knowledge about his power got out. “Bring back my mom” “Bring back my boyfriend” “Bring back Elvis”.
Are you trying to discreetly tell your readers the corruption and dishonesty in a religious organization through Reverend Johnson?
It seemed a good villain. I’ve noticed a lot of shock and bewilderment in the news stories about religious leaders who turn out to be corrupt, fleecing their flocks, and/or are sexual predators preying on children.
Do you believe in God?
No. If the bible is proof of god, Action Comics #1 is proof of Superman.
What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book?
Sitting down, writing it, and keeping with the writing.
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?
I’m currently working on a fantasy adventure story and a sci-fi story. Not getting distracted in somewhat difficult.
We’ve just started a new year and I’ve seen lots of posts about new years’ resolutions. Do you have anything special that you’ll be focusing on this year?
Those two stories. As for resolutions, as a teenager I resolved to make no more new years resolutions, and I’ve kept that one.
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