A Doorway Back to Forever: Believe by Nanette O' Neal: Author Interview, Excerpts and Giveaway

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Best friends share everything, right? Unless it’s a secret that could cost them their lives.Robyn and Kit are born with forbidden magic-sense, the power to see and hear beyond Earthly sight and sound. It’s a curse that haunts them, but the girls are strangely drawn to it—could there be more to this power than they’ve been told?

When they spill their secret, it opens a doorway back to Forever—a beautiful realm where magic-sense began. They learn the truth: they have been given a noble gift. It connects them to the Skyborn royalty of this new world. They’ve been summoned back by the forces for good to preserve the kingdom and revive the power where it once flourished—on Earth. It can thrive again, if Robyn and Kit are brave enough to follow

However, the doorway awakens more than magical fairy-tales. A dark force is unleashed—one that has battled the Skyborn since time began, and it wants the girls dead, the Earth destroyed.

Beyond the doorway is where the adventure begins—trickery, kidnapping, a prison break, rescue teams, sword fights, magical gold-dust, holographic medallions, and singing orbs—but only for those who have the courage to believe.

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Nanette O’Neal has had a long time passion for the idea behind the Doorway series, stemming from her faith and her love of story. Her interests have always been strong in various creative endeavors, such as music, martial arts, science fiction and fantasy. Having studied music in college, she made a career of teaching and directing various ensembles in the public and private fields for years. When she decided to tackle writing, she began an intense process of study and research in the craft, through the use of text books, online tutorials, chat and critique groups, as well as various workshops, conferences and retreats. The Doorway series consists of seven novels about faith, courage, and the power within the human soul. She contributes regularly to an inspirational column for a religious website, Ldsblogs.com, and maintains her blog, Nanette O’Neal’s Doorway, found at NanetteONeal.blogspot.com. Feel free to subscribe to her blog posts and to like her author page, Nanette O’Neal, Author, on Facebook. Nanette loves her husband and family, her faith, the mountains, aviation museums, Star Trek, and dogs.

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Author Interview Questions:

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Do the characters have special meaning to you?

Yes, each character has special meaning to me, some representing aspects of my own childhood, while others were inspired by my loved ones. While no one character represents a single individual, I think it’s fun to imagine yourself within the story. Sometimes I see myself as Robyn, and other times Kit. I hope the readers will find themselves in the story as well.

What was the inspiration behind this story?

My faith played a huge part in formulating this story. The questions of where did we come from, why are we here, and where are we going, drove me to search for answers of an eternal nature. As a child, fantasy and science fiction stories were stepping stones to these answers. Later, a deeper search led me to my faith, line upon line, through inspiration and not by coincidence. I’ve always been drawn to stories that explore the powers we were born with and the drive to find an eternal home.

You mentioned faith—whose faith is this story based on?

You could argue the story is based on the faith of the reader. Harold Remis, the director of the movie, Groundhog Day, once commented on this. His movie was a comedy with a spiritual message. He received fan mail from people of all faiths, from Judeo-Christian to Hindu and even Zen Buddhism. The theme behind each letter was the same—each fan thanked him for writing a script that spoke directly to their faith. He was fascinated by this. The movie spoke of eternal truths that transcend doctrine, and therefore touched people of all faiths. My hope is, as people read my story, they may see beyond the fantasy elements, plot structure, and characters, and allow the spiritual message to draw them closer to their faith, whatever that may be, giving them courage to be better individuals after reading it.

Excerpts: 

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Scene One—Magic-sense: scary

“Good night, Kit.” Her mom’s voice echoed in a weary monotone.

“But Mom, it’s still summer vaca—”

“You need to get some sleep before our big move. Good night.”

These voices were so different from the first. A father, a mother, a grown son—concern, urgency. Kit scanned the room. Empty, yet she called out anyway. “Who’s there? What’s going on?” No one replied. The feeling in the room left as quickly as it had come.

Kit’s hair lay in wet strands along the back of her neck. She tried to slow her breathing, but the gasps wouldn’t stop. Shirley stirred for a moment, then turned toward the wall. Kit switched off the lights and sat down at the foot of her bed.

Eavesdropping on her parents was only a game. Hearing conversations from invisible people either meant she was crazy…

…or she had magic-sense.

Either way, she was in big trouble.

Scene 2: Magic-sense—Funny

After a few minutes of silence, Kit spoke up again. “Look at the geese.” She pointed to a flock of birds flying in V formation in the distance. She sat up to watch their approach. “Most people call them Canadian geese, but my dad told me the correct name is Canada geese.”

Robyn sat up too, and then cocked her head as she stared more closely at the oncoming birds. Their wingspan was awfully broad … and the necks were longer, thicker, with something feathery streaming from them. A mane? She shaded her eyes from the sun. Could it be? Were there four legs dangling underneath, with hooves? Robyn darted a look at Kit. Can she tell yet that there are twelve flying horses in the sky?

“My dad hates Canada geese. Back where I come from, they’re everywhere, and they poop all over the sidewalks and you can’t get them to leave. And the honking is so loud.” Kit shaded her eyes too. “See how they make that V?”

“Yeah … I see the V …”

“That helps them fly better—something about aerodynamics, and less stress on the whole flock. I’ve never seen other birds fly like that.”

“Or anything else, either …” Robyn clamped her lips shut. Yes, these were horses, flying horses. Twelve flying horses. Each one had a rider wearing shiny robes and armed with swords at their waists. The leader had his sword extended outward. Two riders from the tail end of the right side of the V veered out of formation—a man and a woman. They pulled back on the reins and their horses lifted their heads high, then changed direction and dove directly for the girls.

Robyn shot up like a rocket. “Come on. Let’s get going.” Kit was up too, eyes plastered to the sky. They bolted down the hill in opposite directions, headed for home.

Robyn looked back at the riders. The V formation was heading onward. The two lone riders circled above the hill, then picked up speed to catch the flock. That was like nothing I’ve ever seen. She slowed her pace and caught her breath as she watched them fade out of sight.

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