ABOUT THE BOOK
Thirty-eight year old Dr. Madeline Alleyn is a successful professor of Celtic History in upstate New York, but she is haunted by her past and the decision she made years ago to abandon her husband after learning of his strange heritage. When she discovers that she’s pregnant with triplets, she makes the decision to run to protect her children and, inexplicably, her husband also. Now, after nearly eighteen years of vigilance, the destiny from which Madeline has tried to escape catches up with her. As her daughters begin to develop psychokinetic powers, an attempt to murder them is made to negate an ancient prophecy. Escaping the murder attempt in the night, the triplets suspect their fate is tied to some ancient stones and their mysterious grandmother. But as they seek answers, they have to run for their lives. People are after them, some to finish the failed murderous act and others to protect them. Along the way, they seek to solve the riddle of the Stones of Sumer, a mystery with startling implications for humanity . . .Book Details:
Title: Veiled Memory
Author: S. P. Brown
Genre: Contemporary fantasy/sci-fi, paranormal thriller
Series: The Stonehenge Chronicles, book one
Publisher: Black Opal Books (April 27, 2018)
Print length: 370 pages
INTERVIEW WITH S.P. BROWN
Stan, what’s the story behind the title of your book?
Historian/professor with a dark secret tries desperately to protect her triplet daughters from their heritage. That’s the basic setup for the book, but as the title of the trilogy suggests it’s much, much more than that. The title is very meaningful and you discover its meaning about three quarters into the book. By the end of the trilogy the world will know the secret behind Stonehenge – how it was built, why.
Tell us about your series. Is this book a standalone, or do readers need to read the series in order?
This is book one of The Stonehenge Chronicles, a story about the origin of the monoliths and their significance. But it’s much more than that as well.
Do you have another job outside of writing?
College professor/administrator.
Who are you?
Stanley Paul Brown.
Where’s home for you?
Starkville, Mississippi.
Where did you grow up?
Plaquemine, Louisiana.
What’s your favorite memory?
Growing up, hunting with my dad.
What’s the dumbest purchase you’ve ever made?
Building a house in another state I eventually couldn’t/didn’t want to remain in.
What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?
To be patient in life.
Who would you pick to write your biography?
My wife (an excellent writer).
What do you love about where you live?
Southern culture.
Have you been in any natural disasters?
Hurricanes.
What is the most daring thing you've done?
Built a beautiful house on 8 gorgeous Ozark acres.
What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?
Built a beautiful house on 8 gorgeous Ozark acres and left it. Shouldn’t have moved there to begin with.
What’s one thing that you wish you knew as a teenager that you know now?
How to talk to girls? Not so hard, but then, well…
What’s one thing you wish your younger writer self knew?
That it was time to begin. Waited way too long.
What makes you bored?
Not having interesting things to do and a challenge.
What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
Again, waiting too long to begin writing fiction.
What makes you excited?
Watching a great movie.
How did you meet your spouse?
Jogging at the local YMCA.
What are your most cherished mementoes?
Wedding pictures, other family pics.
If you could only save one thing from your house, what would it be?
If it faced utter destruction, my wedding pictures, provided everyone else is safe.
What brings you delight?
Sitting with my wife on our back porch swing with glasses of wine and watching the rain fall.
Strolling the beach at sunset with my wife to the sound of the constantly moving water. Contemplating the awesomeness of the God who created this awesome universe.
What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“Because I told you so, that’s why!” -Vivian Cecile Lejeune Brown, my mother.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?
Oxford, England. If not there, Miramar Beach, Florida.
What would you like people to say about you after you die?
Fair, honest, faithful.
What’s your favorite line from a book?
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.”
What would your main character say about you?
Puts me through too much pain!
How did you create the plot for this book?
I wanted to create a covert group with ancient origins and tie it to Stonehenge. I wanted to set the story, though, in modern times and ground it firmly to this world. So I call it a contemporary fantasy. I had always liked what Rowling did in her Harry Potter mythology, but she never delved into the origin story of her wizarding world. I wanted to create a very different, but at the same time, similar mythology. So I ground my ancient group to Stonehenge and surprisingly to a bible tale out of Genesis 6. I created a very large backstory that underpins my trilogy.
Are any of your characters inspired by real people?
No none, though my wife is an academic historian, as is the MC in Veiled Memory.
Is your book based on real events?
No, but it is grounded to the real world, except all the psychokinesis going on in it.
Are you like any of your characters?
I would say no, I’m not.
One of your characters has just found out you’re about to kill him off. He/she decides to beat you to the punch. How would he kill you?
Explode my brain out with a mere thought.
With what five real people would you most like to be stuck in a bookstore?
They would all be famous writers I could learn from – Grisham, Tolkien, Rowling, Pullman, Flynn. Two of which are dead.
Who are your favorite authors?
Michael Connelly, John Grisham, JRR Tolkien, Philip Pullman, Jim Butcher, Vince Flynn, JK Rowling.
What book are you currently reading and in what format?
Hardback – Rowling’s sixth HP. AGAIN.
What’s one pet peeve you have when you read?
In fiction, overusing italics as in going inside the character’s head in the first person. One famous writer I know does that constantly. It’s irritating.
Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?
In the morning after a workout and in my home office.
What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing?
Nice turn of phrase.
Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
LSU campus. One of the top 25 research libraries in the U.S.
You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be?
Frodo Baggins sailing into the west to the undying lands.
What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? How did you deal with it?
Freshman English comp. “Your writing is inept.” Worked hard. Got better.
What would your dream office look like?
Like something out of the works of JRR Tolkien, or perhaps an exact replica of his office.
What are you working on now?
The Ruby Ring. The sequel to Veiled Memory.
OTHER BOOKS BY S.P. BROWN:
The LegacyFallen Wizard
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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Black Opal Books
