What follows is a compilation of several posts Maria Barry made to the Visionary Fiction Group blog on Goodreads.com. She agreed to our reposting them, with a few editorial liberties, here on the VFA site. About Maria Barry I am a publisher/publicist, part of the UK based John Hunt Publishing Ltd. My background is mind,…
The Goodreads book giveaway will be going on until November 30th, 2014. Click here to enter. To paraphrase Mark Twain, everyone talks about climate change but no one does anything about it. No one, particularly those in power, wants to make the necessary sacrifices. For example, the US government refuses to comply with international environmental agreements. And…
How much does a spirit weigh? In 1901, after numerous experiments on people and animals, Dr. Duncan MacDougall determined that the human spirit weighed an average of 21 grams and that dogs didn’t have spirits. However, his results were considered false due to flawed methodology. All subsequent experiments using better methods and equipment have shown…
Too smart for ageless wisdom teachings? We don’t need wisdom teachings from the past to guide us on our journeys toward self-discovery, right? We have science. We have technological gadgets galore. We are so full of confidence, determination and eagerness to push forward that we hardly even read the instructions that come with our purchases and assignments anymore. As my granddaughter says when…
Summer has exhaled and faded. The nights are beginning to lengthen. Leaves burnish in shades of red, gold, and orange, and drop from the trees. The last of the harvest is gathered, and the remains of the crops are tilled back into the fields to nourish the soil for next year’s planting. Our lived life is…
I’ll handle this question in one sentence: There is no way to overcome radio stage fright. Every time I’m on the radio is the first time. Before every interview, I sit in front of my home altar, repeating my mantra so that my over-heated heart does not explode and squirt blood out of my ears….
Reading I don’t recall learning to read. Nor do I remember ever not reading. With two parents who read and wrote as regularly as they breathed, it was natural to follow suit. I grew up on an isolated farm without a radio or TV, so books were it for information and entertainment. But I was…
Clea and Visionary Fiction. This takes me back quite a few years. I bumped into a friend in Town — Simon. I’d just got out of my car on the way to the Post Office, when he called me and he asked if I’d done any more writing since we last met. I told him…
A Novelist’s Turning Point, Mid-Atlantic (Summer 1997) Even from the farthest reach of the dock on New York’s 53rd Street, the Queen Elizabeth 2 was too long to photograph. I couldn’t, with a wide-angle lens, get the whole ship into the frame at once. So I shot it by halves, the front and then the…
“Buen Camino!” These words offer wishes of good fortune to travelers of the Camino, or ‘The Way,’ – a pilgrimage on the Compostela de Santiago trail that runs from southern France through northern Spain. A friend from my writing critique group recently invited me to trek this 500 mile path with her. I was excited…
Just today, Sept 4, 2013, I received the following email from Monty Jones, author of the classic Visionary Fiction Booker series (Naked into the Night, Lost in Las Vegas, Dead Water Rights), and I want to share his generous offer on what may be the final edition of his printed works with members of…
August has been a rewarding month for Visionary Fiction, first with Jodine Turner winning Honorable Mention in the Global eBook Awards and now with my book, Jessie’s Song, taking home the bronze medal in the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards. May more VF authors win awards and bring recognition to this uplifting and thought provoking genre….
I didn’t choose to write visionary fiction; it chose me. This may sound strange to you and what I’m about to share even stranger, but I can think of no better way to explain how I ended up writing in a genre that parallels the new neural sciences and has yet to find a receptive audience. A word from…
We all like to be acknowledged for our talents, for our creativity, for our accomplishments. Writers are no different. We get input from our critique groups, our beta readers, our agents, editors, and publishers. But we especially appreciate the feedback and reviews received from readers. We love to know if our book touched them, helped…
Visionary fiction has always been my favorite genre, even before I knew it existed as a genre. This post is about who influenced me to write visionary fiction. It’s bound to cause some controversy. The drumroll please… The author whom I most identify with is Ayn Rand. “The secrets of this earth are not for…
I write visionary fiction. Unfortunately, mainstream agents and publishers do not recognize visionary fiction as a genre. In fact, they have dubbed it “the kiss of death” with the flat of their swords. In the past, visionary fiction was heavy on preaching and light on storytelling, so it deserved temporary banishment to the time-out corner. But…
By Margaret Duarte For part one of the article, click here. Hal Zina Bennett points to ebooks as a significant piece of the puzzle when it comes to proving to the mainstream that visionary fiction has something valuable to offer. “Maybe successful visionary fiction is a little like the legendary Hindu rope trick,” Bennett says, “where the fakir throws…
By Margaret Duarte The genre of visionary fiction leaves many people puzzled, even the experts. Take Hal Zina Bennett, author of more than thirty books, including: Write from the Heart, Writing Spiritual Books, Follow Your Bliss, and Spirit Circle, his own contribution to visionary fiction. When I asked Hal to define visionary fiction, he said,…
By Eleni Papanou Visionary Fiction villains are my favorite of all villains because they have a chance to evolve beyond their fiendish personalities. What sets apart visionary fiction from other genres is good and evil are seen as acts rather than the core of a person’s existence. In other words, even villains can evolve. Since…
I like to use the nice stuff, the good stuff. I put my feet on the coffee table, I use my best dishes, and I squeeze every ounce of practicality out of my spiritual beliefs. I like the good stuff. Visionary Fiction is the ultimate in good stuff. You can find a far more definitive…
Eleni Papanou interviews Tui Allen Hi Tui. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview. I have to say, Ripple: A Dolphin Love Story deserves five stars for its originality alone. You’ve truly done something visionary here, and I can see you put your heart and soul into the story. It was a…
Michelle Gordon interviews John A.A. Logan Do you believe that we are all, every one of us, connected on an energetic level? Why? I suppose my instinct tells me that this is true. Twenty-four years practice and study of meditation and yoga also predispose me to see the world from that viewpoint. I was brought…
Nadine May I have created a visionary fiction network group, the ‘Visionary fiction network group’, on Linkedin, for promoting the VF genre. All VF authors are welcome to join, and can find us here
Karen M. Rider Setting the Literary Stage for Visionary & Metaphysical Fiction Rapid-fire change is ongoing in the publishing industry—and it’s not just in the way books are produced, marketed and distributed. Perhaps like no other period in literary history, writers are experimenting with voice, style and format. Such literary exploration arises from both a…
Thanks for supporting the VFA! We look forward to another year of posts, book reviews and insights from visionary authors. Here are some of our highlights from 2012: The article that started it all – read how the VFA began. Relevance Of Visionary Fiction Series Visionary Fiction Challenges Our Species to Evolve – Michael Sussman…
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our readers, From the Visionary Fiction Alliance
Editor’s Note: This post appears courtesy Margaret Duarte’s site (slightly edited). By Margaret Duarte I’ve been blogging for over two years now , and lately I’ve been doing some serious soul-searching about the value of working so hard. Then today (16 October), I received an email from Dean Koontz concerning the post I wrote about him…