Questions or comments about TREASURE OF EDEN

On October 1, Jaime's third adventure, TREASURE OF EDEN, was released.

What are your thoughts on this story? What scenes or characters did you enjoy? (Or not?) What questions do you have?

We'd love to hear from you--and we're happy to answer any questions about the Bedouin, the world financial markets...whatever comes to mind.

What were the first things you knew about Eden?

B.K.: It is a place of harmony and peace, but that does not mean it is boring and stagnant. It is a place where our God given gifts are nurtured and grow.

SHARON: I saw the brilliant colors—both the jewels and the flowers, especially the bougainvilleas and morning glory, could hear the music, and could smell the tuberose. Also, that they have comedy clubs. How else could they deal with the insanity of the Terris world?

Do they have pets in Eden?

SHARON: An interesting question, as they would certainly love to care for things, but they have limited resources, and might have to leave pets to the Terris world. There have to be some pluses to being in the Terris world!

B.K.: If they don’t, I refuse to go.

SHARON: Okay, this might again be my tuckered out thing popping up again. Or it could be because you have one dog, and I have a horse, three dogs, four cats and two mice (not to mention 2 children). In my version of a perfect world, I could use a break!

Now over to YOU, dear Blog Reader--what would you expect to find if you visited Eden?

For the actual answer to this and other pressing questions about Eden, you should pre-order the Inside Eden story that takes place between CHASING and BEYOND. To preorder, use the email listed on EdenThrillers.com

How far ahead do you plot Eden Thrillers?

When I read stories that keep me on the edge of my seat, like the Eden thrillers, I always wonder how far ahead the writers know what will happen. Do you create the stories as you go along, or is there a master plan? (Or are these actually true stories...:))--Thriller Fan

site of Sharon's panic

B.K.: I think there is always some truth underlying any work of fiction. Usually some incident, some event that we witness or experience in real life acts as a springboard for our stories. I couldn't create interesting characters without having met people who fascinate me, whose personalities are unique and hard to forget. And while we may know the final ending of a story while writing the first paragraphs, many of the details seem to unfold as it is penned. Sometimes Sharon surprises me with elements in a story I hadn't expected, and sometimes I even surprise myself when I get to the end of a page I am writing and discover something about the plot or a character I hadn't expected.

SHARON: While there is usually room inside a scene for characters or actions to surprise us, the truth is that the stories are very carefully plotted--they have to be when so many stories intersect, and information from each character's journey, or story arc, gives clues and impacts on others.

When we begin work on a thriller, all we really have is the basic plot and the large story arc: beginning, movement of the story and the ending. Starting to bring in the characters at that point is THE FUN PART. Once that heady period of discovery is over, THE SLOGGING WORK PART sets in, as all those cool characters and fun story lines have to be meticulously plotted so that we, as the authors, know who does what when and when information is revealed. Thrillers are really an intricate series of set-ups and pay-offs, with the stakes rising as you go along.

Then, for me, the PANIC STAGE sets in as we figure out how we get to that big climactic scene and pull it off. ("We've got a girl, we've got a helicopter, we've got a bad guy, and this certain thing has to happen with other characters, how does it all come together???") That's when you've got to work and work and work to make it not only fit, but make perfect sense, and be the perfect denouement. But even now, when I'm really really happy with the denouement of TREASURE, I remember clearly an afternoon of pacing the grounds of a certain French chateau, saying to B.K., "But--arrgh..." for several hours running.

Once you have the order of the scenes, you're back to where the life of the characters and the book itself can start to surprise you once again. Which doesn't mean it's not still slogging!

Treasure of Eden book trailer!

Here's the first TREASURE OF EDEN book trailer. What do you think??





The trailer was produced by V-WORX, Warwick, NY

Has the real Dagger of Ur been found and returned to the Iraq Museum?

This question came up in our study group. Has the real Dagger of Ur been found and returned to the Iraq Museum?--Katy Girl

What a great question. And thankfully, the dagger and sheath were both recovered from an underground bank vault in Baghdad, only slightly mud-covered and worse for the wear.

Here are a few photos of employees of the Iraq Museum during the happy discovery...

Which is your favorite Eden book?

B.K.: I think Beyond Eden, because the writing of it was healing for me at a time when I really needed an outlet. It certainly has the most gut-wrenching ending for me.








SHARON: Seriously, it’s like asking which is your favorite child. You remember the excitement and newness of the first, CHASING, and have the most euphoric memories of TREASURE, the most recent, since it wraps up so many of the story arcs. But you don’t want to forget the “middle child,” which for us was BEYOND. I love Daniel Derry, and discovering so much more about Jaime, and loved the settings on Patmos and at the Monastery of St. John.


But right now, I’d say TREASURE because I love the strong female characters, the world of the Israeli Bedouin, the excitement of the chase, and the character of Mark. And, well, what happens in the cave.

The End of CHASING EDEN (spoiler alert)

Last Sunday, B.K. and I visited the winner of the EdenThrillers.com Book Group contest--Sharon in person, and B.K. by speakerphone (with life size cut-out of her for inspiration). The winners were the St. Mark Book Group in Bethesda, Maryland, and they were a wise and witty group of people. We had a great time!

One woman brought up a comment about the ending of CHASING EDEN. She said she felt that throughout the story, Jaime had acted selflessly, but in making the decision she made at the end of the book, she acted selfishly for the first time. This reader felt Jaime made the wrong choice.

What do you think?

Chaplains and Guns

I understand that chaplains are not allowed to carry weapons while on duty. Are they allowed to be armed when they're in danger off duty? If they're attacked by the bad guys, are they allowed to fight back?

B.K.: When a chaplain is off duty, (not in uniform), and acting as a private citizen, the Army does not dictate whether that person may or may not carry a weapon. Just as long as the weapon is carried legally, with proper permits and licenses, the military authorities will make no comment. I have many chaplain friends who own personal weapons and like to fire at the ranges, go hunting, or even keep them in their home for personal protection.
When the questions refers to being “attacked by bad guys”, if it means while off duty, then a chaplain has the rights to legally defend him or herself just like any other citizen, within the law. If the question refers to fighting back in a combat situation, the response is different. Army regulations are clear on this point, saying “a chaplain will not bear arms.” This is a very strong statement, requiring that even in a firefight, when bullets may be flying, a chaplain will not pick up a weapon and fire back. If a chaplain chooses to do so, they risk facing disciplinary action. This may sound harsh, but chaplains have a very important mission that is endangered when they make themselves a combatant. Besides, we have a chaplain assistant to watch our back, so we can focus on other things besides the battle. I would advise any potential chaplain who would not feel comfortable going unarmed into a combat situation to find another calling.

SHARON: I'm assuming the question has to do with the multitude of bad guys that Jaime runs into while on assignment as an Eden Operative in BEYOND and TREASURE. Here, Jaime's answer is more complex because she is guided by the intensive training she received at Mountaintop in Eden. It won't be clear exactly what that is until the "inside Eden" book that tells the story between CHASING and BEYOND comes out, but we can get clues from Jaime's responses to people and situations, as well as those by Kristof and Yani. Suffice it to say they're held to a higher standard than the average citizen.
What should that standard be? If YOU were answering that question for a group of spiritually enlightened people, what would you say? What standard do you want to hold yourself to? That's hopefully one of the interesting questions the Eden books cause us to contemplate.

How Do You Go About Crafting Villains?

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT CRAFTING VILLAINS?
(photo: interior of Satis' unfinished HQ, CHASING EDEN)

B.K.: When I am working on a villain I draw character traits from some of the more distasteful people I have known, seen, or read about. But to really get to the heart of them, I have to draw on my understanding that as humans, we all have our good and bad sides, so I must be willing to look inside myself, see if I can think like them, sort of become them for a short while.

SHARON: It's a little frightening how easily I can slip into the mindset of a villain. In each book, there is one psychopathic assassin, who is truly evil of intent. The other characters who are trying to thwart Jaime, I try to make more shaded. In fact, I purposely give each of them some thoughts that echo how I feel about some issue, just so that person and I have a point of agreement, and I have to appreciate his or her humanity.

Do you have a question for S.L. Linnea?

We'd love to hear from you! If you've got a question for Sharon and/or B.K., click on the "comments" link below and submit it.

Godspeed--

(And why would we post a photo of an old church bell tower in France?)

Eden Thoughts on 9/11

If you're anything like me (Sharon), 9/11 always brings mixed emotions. For many of us New Yorkers, who dealt not only with the attack directly but with aftereffects that seem never ending, there is a certain emotional fatigue.

As many of you know, my husband Bob works a block from the World Trade Center. That day, after the first plane hit, I lost all contact with him. (Story here) The day was harrowing for B.K., also, as she watched events unfold on television at First Cavalry Division HQ in Texas, and knew things would never be the same. She was certainly right. Within a year and a half, she was on the ground in Iraq, during the opening days of OIF 1.

But some good came from that day, as well. It's the birthday of my dog Freedom (see above), who has brought much grace and joy to my family.

And the journey that started that day for B.K. and myself separately, led us eventually to Eden, to contemplate what's on the other side of violence, and how we can work to find that place within ourselves.

Thanks so much for coming with us on that journey which included some healing for the two of us. We hope Jaime has been a stalwart companion for part of your journey as well.

Love from Sharon & B.K.

WHERE IS THIS CAVE?

What's your guess?

And why do you think it's on an Eden blog?

What would be your Eden vocation?

What would be your Eden vocation?

B.K.: Well, there are a couple options, and just as I look back at my own life and can see a variety of roads not taken, the same might have been true for my gardener choices. I could have been an artist (more specifically, musician. Don’t ask me to draw or sculpt anything!) I could also have been an educator/trainer. But a lot of what I do now would fall in the integrator arena. It would certainly be the exciting path, and I am not one to sit still for long. And considering my current level of responsibility in real life, I might have risen to the ranks of Operative Coordinator. But of course, I would had to have survived the stupid mistakes I would make along the way.

The one vocation, which is required of everyone and yet would be the absolute most difficult for me, would be gardener. Finding the patience for that path…what a challenge…and if I succeeded there I could accomplish anything.

SHARON: Of the six “tracks,” I think I’d be on either the Artists (as a storyteller) or Contemplative track. But that might just be because I’m tired. Once I get there and get caught up on about 20 years of sleep, I might well be itchin’ to Integrate…

FROM SHARON & B.K.

Which track do YOU think you'd like to be on?

The choices are:

GARDENERS (contemplative)

INTEGRATORS (deal with the Terris world)

ARTS (of all types)

EDUCATOR/THINK TANK (tackles tough questions regarding the state of the world and Eden, teaches)

CARPENTERS (don't just deal with wood, keep Eden running)

SCIENTISTS/RESEARCHERS

Post and let us know! (If you'd like, put your real first name in the post so we have an idea of who you are.)

How have the two of you managed to write three books together while living in very different locations?

Sharon and B.K. have been friends since elementary school. They've written the Eden Thrillers together, often while B.K. was halfway around the world--so this first question is a natural.

Photo of B.K. at the 4th Sister in Ur, Iraq wearing her "I make stuff up" t shirt.

How have the two of you managed to write three books together while living in very different locations?

B.K.: I have learned, in this relatively short time of being a co-author of a fiction series, that writing is a very solitary business. When we are brainstorming, it is helpful for Sharon and me to be together, especially in some exotic place that fires the imagination. But the majority of our work entails slogging it through page by page, chapter by chapter. It doesn’t matter if we are in the same room or thousands of miles apart, we still have to focus, individually, on the character or scene of the moment.

SHARON: I’ve co-authored a fair share of nonfiction, but before the Eden Thrillers, it never occurred to me you could write fiction as a team. I still believe it’s a rare thing when it works as well as it does with us. A good part of it worked because we laid out exactly what we were each doing on each book; I think a lot of it came from the fact that we knew we were looking out for each other instead of just looking out for ourselves. We trust each other a lot. We also roll our eyes at each other a lot. I think, over three books, we only really got into one knock-down, drag-out fight, which I still enjoy re-enacting for others after I’ve had a glass or two of Sangria.

But the bottom line is, writing is a very solitary business, and it was truly a wonderful thing to have someone else you could talk to about your very-involving work. That isn’t usually the case. In fact, there was one time I was writing some very difficult scenes, and B.K. went on vacation—away from her base in Germany—and I felt bereft. I actually had to re-write those scenes after she came back, because they were really important, and they weren’t as good as they needed to be!

WELCOME to the "Garden"!

A special hello to the readers of the Eden Thrillers! B.K. and I have been looking for a while to find a way to be accessible to you all, to answer questions and talk about topics of interest.

So far the Eden Thrillers consist of the first two books, CHASING EDEN and BEYOND EDEN. The great news is that the third book in the first trilogy, TREASURE OF EDEN is coming out from St. Martin's Press on Oct. 1, 2008. In anticipation of its release, B.K. and I are going to post a reader question here EVERY DAY in September. Please feel free to post any questions or comments you have. We'd love to answer your questions. Each week, we'll send a free Advance Reading Copy of TREASURE OF EDEN to someone who has posted. No contest to enter, any inane comment do!

There are some fun surprises coming up between now and October 1st, so PLEASE STOP BACK daily! (Or, if you have a life, every other day will do.)

Meet you at the Fourth Sister tomorrow!