Tom Rico, author of Northern Lights

Northern Lights by Tom Rico is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Northern Lights by Tom Rico
UK: Northern Lights by Tom Rico

Northern Lights by Tom Rico

Northern Lights by Tom Rico

It was past midnight in Norway when Dante awoke to find his wife Hannah standing by the bedroom window. She was mesmerized by the red glare and high winds pouring into the bedroom from the Northern Lights. The red tornado that touched down in the small town of Fredrikstad on this particular evening, brought with it much more than just a delightful display from the Aurora Borealis. Follow the story of Hannah and Dante as they become chosen by the forerunners to save as many people as they can from the horror that awaits them. Mutations now walk the planet under the emerald colored sky as the battle between good and evil ensues, who will prevail in this story of love and disaster. 

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Author Quiz interviews Tom Rico...

If you had to sum up your book, Northern Lights, in three words, what would they be?
Invasion

Armageddon

Zombies

Where did the inspiration for Northern Lights come from?
My book challenges the different cultural perceptions of God. It places the concepts of science and religion on a scale, and gives the reader an opportunity to decide which one carries more weight.

It also makes a strong statement about the corruption in today’s society, not only in politics but in the heart and soul of everyday people. And then asks the most challenging question. How pure is the love in your heart?

Would your book, Northern Lights, work best as a movie adaptation or as a TV series?
Movie – for sure! The imagery that is brought forth from an alien invasion that is cloaked by the beauty of the Northern Lights would light up a movie theater. Then to further the vivid cinema experience and watch the planet over-run by mutants under an emerald colored sky would take the movie experience to a whole new level. 

So much could be done with the story-line in this novel that even Stephen Spielberg would feel challenged!

Without being too specific and without revealing too much about the plot, have you ever killed off a character who you felt particularly attached to and if so was it an emotional experience writing the relevant scene?
Yes, Jesse Hendricksen was a beautiful young nurse and aspiring Doctor when she became “INFECTED.” It had to be done but why couldn’t she be saved?

When deciding on your book title what influences you most; potential sales or artistic integrity?
Artistic integrity: Because if you focus on the artistry of the novel and the imagery it puts forth the sales will generate themselves!

How do you see the publishing industry changing over the next few years?
For sure – The internet, blogging and connecting to social media is the wave of the future for expanding knowledge and awareness of your novel.

What are some of your favorite quotes from reviews that you've received?
The Editor’s comment:  "The pleasure of this novel is that it is vividly imagined. The reader senses that the writer is really seeing the things he is describing. That's no small feat. He also has a good instinct for pacing and maintaining suspense."

Would you rather have great reviews but average sales or great sales but average reviews?
That’s a tough one its like asking do you want to feed your bank account or your ego? I’d like to think I’m not an egotistical person so I would hesitantly say “sales”.
 
What advice would you give to a new author who has just finished writing their first novel and is unsure as to what steps to take next?
Be certain your done editing, and start blogging!

What would you say is your biggest strength as a writer?
IMAGERY – Like the editor says I have a knack for making the reader feel like they are inside the book and after all that’s what reading is about – to escape into another world.

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Thanks for your comments, Tom, and good luck with your writing.

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Here's a short excerpt from Northern Lights:

We all ran for cover in the camp set up for the workers. The heat climbed as it went overhead, and the hairs on my arm singed. It was maybe a kilometer high aloft, but its colors ignited the heavens above. I thought to myself, thank God it’s not lower and closer. I felt the heat radiating from above. Had it been lower we would have been cooked in our shoes for sure. People screamed as it soared by like a meteor. After it passed toward the river, we walked into the clearing. The fields were still illuminated. A pinkish red draped across the landscape of the hills from the afterglow. The winds died down and our hair was tousled in the aftermath. We looked east, over the river, stunned and waiting. It hovered over River Avon, spinning and glowing pink in the orange night sky. The backdrop of clouds was enhancing its radiant hue. It made the clouds glow pinkish-orange, exposing the massive electromagnetic energy cast by the U.F.O. It stopped spinning for a split second, turned white at its oval rim, and dropped like a stone into the river. The wind then quickly died. The crimson night sky behind it slowly faded. We stood there, one hundred plus people, astounded.

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Tom Rico, author of Northern Lights

Discover more about Northern Lights at Tom Rico's blog:
Tom Rico's blog

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Follow Tom Rico on twitter:
@T_Rico1

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Northern Lights by Tom Rico is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Northern Lights by Tom Rico
UK: Northern Lights by Tom Rico

Northern Lights is also available from the following online booksellers:
Barnes & Noble
Books A Million