Veteran iU author Gail Logan and “The Serpent’s Last Secret”

Veteran author Gail Logan talks about her new book, The Serpent’s Last Secret, which completes her trilogy, published through iUniverse. 

The Serpent’s Last Secret ends the trilogy that began with The Sundisk and Time Is of the Essence.  Along with A Matter of Loyalty, a novel about post revolutionary Russia, The Serpent’s Last Secret, and my other novels reflect the importance of the natural world and the vital role that world plays in maintaining peace, order, and harmony in today’s environment.

That basic theme is pre-eminent in almost everything I write including my poetry, and one might say it is the essence of my writing.

Since the beginning of history many often have looked to Nature for inspiration, healing and even well being throughout their lives. In my first novel, The Sundisk, Jaime discovers an ancient sundisk on her family’s farm property. Since she regards the artifact as a unique find, and since she is determined to keep it a secret, her knowledge of the disk’s strange writing helps her to understand the importance of nature and her own life’s priorities. That inner revelation eventually motivates her to share what she knows about the disk with others, namely her father (an archaeologist, Tom Daudelier) and his colleague, Harry Worthy, Jaime’s future husband.  The sundisk’s importance gradually grows, and the knowledge obtained from the sundisk’s hieroglyphs, opens doors to other worlds and other times. The strange and haunting journey continues with Time Is of the Essence and culminates with the final revelation known as The Serpent’s Last Secret where a missing gem stone, finally found, unlocks the secrets of the universe, and the door is open for the novel’s participants to reach into the past and go forward in their own time with the realization that world turmoil and corruption of the natural world must end before men can progress.

The ideas for my novel are drawn mainly from classical mythology, especially from Ovid’s The Metamorphoses, and the writings of Aristotle or from more recent writers such as non-fiction classicist Edith Hamilton, author of The Greek Way, the astronomer/author Harlow Shapley, Of Stars and Men, Edmund Harold’s book Focus on Crystals,  and the writings of James Churchward. Sadly, despite much evidence, Churchward’s lifelong search for the lost continent of Mu eluded him, yet from a practical standpoint his books still make a good deal of sense.

What these writers emphasize in their work is that the past is just as significant or perhaps even more so than what the present or future might turn out to be. To ignore the past or to gloss over the insight and achievements of the ancients is detrimental to our own successful scientific and spiritual development.  We must learn from the past for in doing so we may achieve a more harmonious and better environment than the one we presently have and perhaps even avoid our own demise.

I’ve been asked if I’m working on a sequel. I suppose the discussion I started in my trilogy could lead to other books. For the time being, I shall let that matter rest. Those who read my books, if they are thoughtful, might understand that the message I try to convey in all of them is the need to find the strength within ourselves always to love and forgive regardless of the circumstances. Positive self-discovery often leads to personal achievement, whether it is in science, technology, creative arts or in life.

As for sharing my books with others, I always look forward to the opportunity to be included, in discussions, book fairs, book signing opportunities or any other means or through the local media to promote my books and message to others. I’ve only had positive experiences working with the people of iUniverse in this regard for they are helpful in so many ways. I guess that’s why I keep publishing my books with them.  Of course I would recommend iUniverse to other authors wanting to publish a book. Quite honestly, iUniverse services are great.

If I have any advice to give to aspiring authors, it is to tell them to write about something positive and meaningful to you in your life. Forget the negative. Let your light of hope and peace shine for others to see. As you write smile and enjoy what you are doing.

Make sure to check out the iUniverse site for more advice and blogs, as well as iUniverse Facebook and iUniverse Twitter. For a FREE Publishing Guide, click here!