Featured Interview With Author ANNE RILEY
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Washington state, the 11th of 12 children, or as I like to say, one of ten middle children. I moved to the midwest in high school and college. After my husband I were married, we settled in Portland, Oregon where we raised our three kids. I moved back to Illinois to spend time with elderly parents. My dog Scout makes an appearance in my new book, but under disguise. I have two lovely grandchildren ages 3 and 6. I am very happy.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I've always loved reading. It didn't occur to me that I could write a book until I was in my 50's. At that point, I decided I had a few things to say.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Favorite Authors? All over the map. My all time favorites: Harper Lee, Robert Pirsig, Charles Darwin, Michael Rothschild, Stephen Jay Gould.
Favorite Genre: I like anything that is smart and well written and makes me think. Politics. Science. Mystery. Medical Fiction.
Inspiration? All my favorite writers inspire me, but I am mostly inspired by the idea that I need to stay true to the thing I want to say to the world.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
DINA: Nature's Case For Democracy is a sci-fi-ish story in which Dina, a mysterious, invisible creature chooses Sara Wallace, a middle-aged woman still grappling with the death of her daughter five years on, to explain that humans are on the edge of extinction. Nature has practiced pure democracy successfully for 2 billion years, but humans, newcomers to the game of life, are messing things up and are going to destroy themselves, and take a lot of other creatures with them when they do. Together Dina and Sara unravel the puzzle that is human existence and forge a a perspective that may allow people to survive.
From my earliest days, I figured that life had to make sense, that is, it all should fit together in a logical flow. The problem is, I couldn't figure it out. In 1990 I read Bionomics by Michael Rothschild, Rothschild argued that economic systems mirror life systems. It was a brilliant book. But the book left me with a major question: if economic systems mirrored life, shouldn't humans mirror life too? It was so obvious to me, that I was sure someone would write that book within a year or two.
In 2018, I was still waiting for that book. I realized finally that no one is going to write that book. I know, I'm slow on the mark. So I wrote it. It took some time to work out the theory, but it stays true to the idea that all life works the same way. It just doesn't look like it on the surface. THat's because everything is constantly changing and every once in a while some new form shows up that can do something previous forms could not do, Life does things matter cannot do. And humans do things life cannot do. This book makes the case that our human ecosystem works just like the natural ecosystem but it starts from a different place, so of course it will have different results. That difference may result in humans destroying themselves and the earth on which they live.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
To discover a new awesome author, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors around. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring!
If you are an author and you want to find new readers come submit your book to our Awesome Book Promotion service.