Wednesday, August 17, 2022

NBTM Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: God's Intervention by Kenneth B. Little and Helen Davies @GoddessFish


God's Intervention: A Second Chance for Humankind

by Kenneth B. Little and Helen Davies

GENRE: Fiction - Literary


BLURB:


Humans are on the brink of disaster...

In the United States, President Samuel Cummings has taken the reins of a deeply divided country at a time when nuclear, chemical, biological and cyberthreats loom.

Things look bleak until God's emissary Sarah, a composite of 40 million female souls from Heaven, arrives on Earth with the message that God is intervening in human affairs to save the human race from itself. God, she explains, is the life force of the universe, the only intelligent form of energy. People who help others grow their own life force will join God in Heaven. However, many humans are more inclined toward hatred, intolerance and greed and so God is intervening to course-correct them.

The first thing Sarah does is to announce God's edict of 'thou shalt not kill' to the world. Anyone who tries to kill another person—or who enables someone to do so—will die instead. As commander-in-chief, Cummings must call back his military troops or risk his life. He must then deal with both the fallout and benefits of the dissolution of America's military-industrial
complex.

Sarah's mission is to establish a new world order that is kinder, better and united. As she guides the world through this evolution, President Cummings begins to notice a depth in his own soul that makes him both a better man and a better leader.

Sarah remains on Earth for one year to help the world come together, and
leaves behind a legacy of hope—a second chance for humankind.


Get a copy of God's Intervention on AMAZON.COM, AMAZON.CA, KINDLE, INDIGO CHAPTERS, BARNES & NOBLE, SMASHWORDS, BOOK DEPOSITORY, BOOKTOPIA, WALMART, and WATERSTONES



Excerpt:

What is going on here? he wondered as he searched for a salient point in her face, something that would give a clue to her identity and intentions . . . but the more he tried to focus, the more she changed. This lady’s face shimmered in an unearthly way, though it consistently remained female. Perhaps it’s a hologram? Those damn Russians are capable of beaming something over here. And they’re probably in league with the North Koreans. Maybe it’s some type of spy-bot . . .

But even as he thought this, he knew that wasn’t the case because along with the unknowable face, the woman in front of him projected such a peaceful presence that he felt his shoulders slumping the way they did after a good sauna or a hot bath. For a second, he wondered if she was some sort of new holographic technology that also delivered nerve gas, and if perhaps he was dying, but then he decided that wasn’t possible. The feeling he was experiencing was not unpleasant—and he was sure nerve gas was. No, this couldn’t be nerve gas. It was too enjoyable, like being massaged from the inside out. In fact, it was so relaxing that he felt a need to lean on his desk for support, and so he did.

He glanced down at his hands on the desktop, his white knuckles ensuring he would remain upright for the moment, and then back up at her. Her ever-shifting eyes locked onto his. Are they blue? Green? Brown? he wondered—and instantly, he was transfixed. They were bottomless pools of . . . well, hope. And as angry as he was at this person’s unwelcome intrusion into his lair—the Oval Office, the seat of power for the United States of America—he was also mesmerized by the overwhelming sense of rightness she projected. It felt like whatever wrong he carried in his heart and mind was being put to rights, and with sudden insight, he understood that just being near her was relieving him of some long-held emotional burdens he was not even aware he was carrying. In fact, something about the woman in front of him was energizing him, making him feel stronger and more confident than he had in years, though she still hadn’t even uttered a word. He was awed, and without conscious thought, his resolve to be angry and defensive drifted away like steamy breath in winter.

And then she spoke, though he could swear her lips did not move. Her eyes, however, projected deep feeling into his heart, and he had to look away as she said, “Mr. President, I am of God. You may call me Sarah of God.”


Interview With Kenneth B. Little

How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?

Sixty years ago I learned how to hide under my school desk in the event of a nuclear attack by Russia. Ever since then I have been concerned about the long-term future of humankind. Now, as a grandfather of school-aged children, I am more concerned than ever.

Whether we annihilate ourselves in one final conflagration or simply continue to pollute air, land and sea until we ourselves can no longer survive remains an open question. What seems clear to me is the fact that we cannot continue on our current course.

Three years ago I began a fanciful exercise to try to get myself out my funk over the future of humankind. I asked myself, “If I were God, what would I do to fix things so humans survive and realize their full potential as a species?”

I was amazed at how readily the answers came to me and how much my outlook on life improved. Fortunately, the first covid-19 lockdown occurred about the same time and with nothing else to do I began writing “God’s Intervention: a second chance for humankind”.

The idea that God’s emissary should be a composite of 40 million female souls encompassing all of human history came to me very early on. Sarah, with her god-like powers and impish personality, brings life to the story as she course corrects a paternalistic global power structure.

What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

The main goal I had initially was to outline a plan of action for how we could become at one as a species. I think the plan is credible and comprehensive and I am considering writing a sequel that would implement the plan without divine intervention.

I also wanted to create a story of hope and inspiration for the future of humankind. If we can come together around the concept of the kind of world we want for our grandchildren and their grandchildren, maybe we can find our way forward to such a world.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

Like any major project, getting to the final, print-ready draft is a long and laborious process. My two favorite words in the book are “the end”.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I have always enjoyed looking at the big picture when tackling a problem. Looking at the future of humankind from God’s perspective was fascinating.

Were there alternate endings you considered?

No. A world united and at peace seemed the only way to end the book.

Can you share some stories about people you met while researching this book?

Helen Davies, co-author of the book, did the critical edit of my first draft. I have never met Helen and we live on opposite coasts of Canada.

We are very different people. She is a farmer, musician and editor who is free spirited and has a zest for life. I am a retired business executive who gets up at 3:00 AM and watches business news from Europe.

The first time we talked by phone, we went on for 2 ½ hours and it was clear to us both that we had to be a team.

Thus began a two-year collaboration and a life-long friendship. We hope that God’s Intervention brings others together the way it united the two of us.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

I prefer fiction novels that challenge the mind with the implications of scientific and technological breakthroughs.

I recently reread Isaac Asimov’s novel “The Naked Sun”. Published in 1966, it does a brilliant job of predicting the implications of Artificial Intelligence and the Metaverse for human societies.


AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Kenneth B. Little is a 72-year-old retired business executive who is unhappy about how the state of the world has deteriorated during his lifetime.

The human population has ballooned from one billion to nearly eight billion, and people have moved off the land into massive cities where they have no ability to survive on their own. Instead, we rely on massive electrical grids energized by power plants largely burning fossil fuel; we’ve developed industrial complexes and global transportation systems that also rely on fossil fuel; we’ve created corporate farms that promote animal cruelty and destroy the soil by overusing chemicals; we’ve decimated our ocean marine life by dragging the ocean floor; we’ve created plastics that pollute land, rivers, lakes and oceans; and, of course, we’ve created nuclear, chemical, biological and cyber weapons that are now in the hands of unstable countries and terrorist organizations.

In short, we are racing headlong into a series of mass extinction events.

At seventy-two, Ken felt motivated to try to create a better world for his grandchildren by writing a fiction book full of non-fiction ideas that could potentially correct many of the world’s problems. Realizing that the only two avenues toward this were themes of divine intervention or mass extinction, he chose divine intervention as the solution, creating a scenario where God could step in to save humankind.

Ken wrote his initial manuscript during the Covid-19 lockdown, a 70,000-word overview that his wife told him read like a textbook. Deciding to see professional help, he engaged Tellwell Publishing to do a critical edit, which was performed by Tellwell editor Helen Davies.

Helen was intrigued by the storyline but, like Ken’s wife, felt it needed a lot of work to develop the characters and make it more engaging. With Tellwell’s blessing, Ken then contracted Helen to do just that. Thus began a most unusual and successful collaboration!

Says Ken:

Helen and I are completely different people. She is a writer, musician, and farmer. I am the grumpy old man who watches European business news when I get up at 3:00 a.m. We live as far apart as possible in Canada. She lives in Victoria on the West Coast, and I live in Fredericton on the East Coast. We have never met, yet we talked for nearly two hours on our first phone conversation. Usually, I never talk for more than five minutes with anybody on the phone. What unites us is that we share a passion for this story, and for the idea of a better, more united world.

During the writing process, Helen routinely sent me edited chapters, one at a time, always with the tagline, “I hope you like it.” I like it very much; the story I wrote that sounded like a textbook now brings tears to my eyes.

God’s Intervention: A Second Chance for Humankind is a story of hope.

We hope you like it.

Kenneth B. Little and Helen Davies


Connect with the Authors

WEBSITE ~ GOODREADS


 

Giveaway:

$15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC



Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.


8 comments:

Goddess Fish Promotions said...

Thanks for hosting!

Bea LaRocca said...

Thank you for sharing your interview, bio and book details, I have enjoyed reading about you and your work and I am looking forward to reading God's Intervention: A Second Chance for Humankind. The book cover is beautiful, honestly it made me want to read the story before I 'd even read the book details. How did you select the cover?

kennethblittle said...

Bea, I wanted a cover that emphasizes the critical role that women must play if we are evre going to create a world united and at peace. Initially I had hoped to have a holographic cover that portrayed the chimera that is Sarah, God's emmisary, but that was not possible.

kennethblittle said...

Helen and I would like to thank The Avid Reader for hosting our book. We hope your followers will read and enjoy God's Intervention. We also hope it helps people find ways to bring humankind together.

Sherry said...

This sounds like a wonderful book.

kennethblittle said...

Helen and I hope you read and enjoy it Sherry. We have never met each other but the story brought us together in a two-year long collaberation. Maybe in some way it will help humankind get back on track.

Dana Banana said...

I hope you are having a good start to the week.

Dana banana said...

Sometimes my comments don’t show up, so I apologize if this is a repeat. Thank you for the excerpt and the giveaway