« Books I Didn’t Finish: January 2013

Persistence of Vision Blog Tour: Interview With Liesel Hill + GIVEAWAY

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on January 26, 2013 | 0 Comments

In a world where collective hives are enslaving the population and individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, Maggie Harper, and independent 21st Century woman, must find the strength to preserve the freedom of the future, but without the aid of her memories.

After experiencing a traumatic time loss, Maggie is plagued by a barrage of images she can’t explain. When she’s attacked by a creep with a spider’s web tattoo, she is saved by Marcus, a man she’s never met, but somehow remembers. He tells her that both he and her creepy attacker are from a future in which individuals are being murdered by collectives, and Marcus is part of the rebellion. The collectives have acquired time travel and they plan to enslave the human race throughout all of history. The flashes Maggie has been seeing are echoes of lost memories, and the information buried deep within them is instrumental in defeating the collective hives.

In order to preserve the individuality of mankind, Maggie must try to re-discover stolen memories, re-kindle friendships she has no recollection of, and wade through her feelings for the mysterious Marcus, all while dodging the tattooed assassins the collectives keep sending her way.

If Maggie can’t fill the holes in her memory and find the answers to stop the collectives, the world both in her time and in all ages past and future will be doomed to enslavement in the grey, mediocre collectives. As the danger swirls around her and the collectives close in, Maggie realizes she must make a choice: stand out or fade away…

Add to Goodreads

Liesel Hill writes across three genres: scif/fantasy, historical fiction, and crime drama. Graduate of Weber State University and lover of all things fantastical! :D

Hello, Leisel!! Thank you so much for being here on the blog today!

Where did you get the idea for Persistence of Vision?

It was a bunch of things that came together, actually. It started with a story that my sister’s ex-co-worker told her about vacationing in Vegas with her husband. They stopped by a bar for a quick rest, ordered mixed drinks which they didn’t watch be mixed, and woke up twelve hours later in a strange hotel room. Crazy, right? And they’ve never known what exactly happened to them during those twelve hours. It was just a tourist trap—and really crazy, scary one—but just that. My imagination, on the other hand, makes it so much more!

What was your favorite character to develop?

Because I know the back stories of all my characters, I pretty much love them all equally. For this installment, David was probably the most interesting one to develop. I became kind of obsessed with the idea of someone breaking away from the Collective—about the sensations and emotions they would experience at the very instant in time when the choice was made. Of course, for such a choice to be made, I had to figure out why it would be made. The reason is rooted deep in the shadows of David’s past, which we only glimpse in book 1.

What is your favorite scene or quote?

That’s a tough question! Definitely one of my favorite scenes is when we see Marcus use his staff to wipe out an army of Arachnimen. That scene drives home to Maggie (and hopefully by extension the reader) what a dangerous, awe-inspiring world she’s been thrown into. The weight of it settles on her most heavily in that scene. (Plus it’s a pretty cool display of power. :D)

As for a quote, if there was any line in the book I hated, it wouldn’t be in the book. The only thing that comes to mind is at the end of the chapter entitled “The Canyons of Time.” I allowed myself to philosophize about Marcus’s despair. It allowed me to wax sort of Norman MacLean about it all. I had fun being poetic. :D

Are you in the process of writing anymore novels?

Yes! Several, in fact. I’m just finishing up Book 2 of Interchron. It’s nearly ready to send to the publisher. I also have a historical fiction trilogy in the works. It’s set in Russia in the Middle Ages, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Book 1 of that trilogy will be out in September. In addition, I’m just starting work on a high fantasy series that involves dragons, though I doubt we’ll see that one until next year at least.

Do you have a favorite author, or one that inspires you?

I have many that inspire me. My answer to this question is always Robert Jordan. I’ve been reading The Wheel of Time saga since I was in high school; since long before I had any serious writing aspirations. I learned more about story-telling, characters, and writing style from Jordan than most other authors I’ve ever read combined. His writing has influenced me in ways I can’t even articulate.

What is your favorite book?

Again, too many to choose a favorite, but as mentioned above I love all the books in the Wheel of Time Series. I also read Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness at least once a year. I love it for everything it is, but in terms of writing, it shows very effectively the continuum that encompasses both heroes and villains, and how a hero can become a villain very easily, based on only one or a few bad choices.