About the Book:

Joy. Peace. Fear. Death. Hope. To many, these are just
emotions, facial expressions or words that are evoked in the face of numerous
situations. However, there are a select few in the galaxy that have the power
to wield them into something more. Into a weapon. Into a
personification of their inner being.

They are called Spectres.

Damien is one such person. With the Spectre Hope, he will
shoulder the hopes of the galaxy as he strikes out on an epic adventure that
will bring readers to all four corners of the planet, Gaia. From the peaks of
Mount Cygnus to the sand-blasted plains of the Tahiba Dessert, Damien and
his group of friends will try to find a way to end the war with the merciless
Vangarians and unlock the secrets hidden within the depths of their hearts.

‘Birth of Hope’ is NOW available for pre-order at Amazon and iBooks.

The Interview:

Tell us a little more about A.J.Trevors?

Well, my name is Andy. I’m 22 years old
this year and I’m based in Melbourne, Australia. Currently, I’m balancing my
time between writing novels and attending the Melbourne Law School. I love
nothing better than writing during the weekdays, but the weekends are reserved
for me to plunk on the couch and blissfully stare into space. Like all men do
from time to time. Oh, and I love chocolate. Let nothing stand between me and
my chocolate fix. Nothing.

When did you start writing? And have you always known
that you wanted to become an author?

It was so long ago that it’s hard to remember! I started
writing at the tender age of 13. At that time, I wasn’t writing full length
novels or even flash fiction, for that matter. It was just the usual topical
essays we get handed out in middle school. However, to my great delight and curiosity,
I actually enjoyed writing those essays. It allowed my mind to wander, to
imagine a world that was not in existence yet, to make my reader’s hearts thump
in their rib cage.

I didn’t always know whether I wanted to be an author. In
fact, I’m studying in law school right now! However, I always knew I had a
passion for writing and was encouraged to pursue it as a semi-profession by
many of my past teachers and tutors. I would love to be a full-time author, but
we shall see how my writing career paves out. You never know.

How did you come up with the idea of your book ‘The Gaia
Chronicles: Birth of Hope’?

The germ of the idea for ‘The Gaia Chronicles’ came about
from me thinking what would happen if I combined both the fantasy and sci-fi
genre into one novel. I loved both genres since young but very rarely have I
encountered a novel that could bridge both worlds into one book, and this is my
attempt at doing so.

I also realised that, in contemporary sci-fi, how empty
the world could be. For example, in Star Wars, you would have multiple planets,
such as Tatooine, Coruscant, Endor etc. However, there was barely any depth to
those planets. It was either a swamp planet, a dessert planet, a city planet.
There was just no elaboration of the world. Fantasy is different as it explores
the environment and the world our protagonist is thrown into. So, this novel is
about trying to bring about that depth of environment found in Fantasy into the
Sci-Fi genre.

What did you like the most about writing your own book?

What I loved most about writing my own book was that it
was mine! My ideas, my characters, my world. I could shape the story in any way
I want to and carve an epic storyline that would have the readers experiencing
the range of highs and lows which accompanies a great book. I hope I achieved
that!

Other than that, I love coming up with content that
excites readers other than myself. To see other people happy reading my novels
is the ultimate high for me. If readers are happy, so am I.

Which character in your book has stayed with you the
most? Do you have a favorite? 

Oh, there are just so many! Perhaps the character I
really love is not the protagonist, Damien, but the supporting character Adrix.
Without giving away any spoilers, character wise, he is a tougher individual
than Damien and been through a lot despite his tender age.

There were certain expectations that were placed on his
shoulders which caused him great pain and tension with others throughout his
life. I can identify with his struggles and also his flawed character. All of
us are human and all of us are imperfect, so I think Adrix is a fantastic
reflection of people who bear responsibility but crumble under its weight due
to understandable circumstances.

Can you describe your writing process? Do you have any
sort of ritual you follow?

I believe that many writers and would-be authors that are
reading this will totally understand my writing style. Even before I started
writing Gaia, I had to gather research. What was this world? The politics at
work. The important players in the galaxy. The protagonist. His past. His
future. His powers. His companions. This was an exhausting six months of
non-stop sitting in front of my computer every night.

Next is the planning phase. The number of chapters. The
content in these chapters. The length of the chapters. Then, I start to write.

I usually wrote every morning, between 8am-9am before
going to uni. I didn’t have a daily word goal in mind, per se, but I kept a
chapter goal, which was writing a chapter a week. I tend to listen to music as
a write because I find it quite soothing and makes it easier to concentrate on
my writing. Although my writing was finished in a few months, I can tell you
now that re-writing took up the majority of my time. So, writers, this is
advice to you. REWRITING IS IMPORTANT!

Where do you get your inspiration from? Do you use your
own experiences? 

If you mean inspiration to put in the writing effort
every day, I’m inspired by loads of people connected to my life. My friend’s
boyfriend is currently a CEO of a startup that aims to provide easier access to
scholarships for future university students. Another one of my friends is
running an online bakery whilst another distant cousin is currently a Youtuber.

When I meet and interact with all of them, I see the fire
and passion to do great things with their life and time, in every movement they
make and every word they speak. It’s because of them that I realised that,
‘Hey, I should do something with my gifts too!’ And thus, my writing career is
borne.

Inspiration in terms of content comes from many different
sources. There is a new wave of fiction writers on the market that espouse a
new writing style, which is abbreviation and directness whilst delivering great
content. I gather inspiration from authors such as Daniel Silva, Brent Weeks,
Anthony Ryan and, of course, the don of Fantasy himself, George R.R. Martin.

Are you a reader yourself? If yes, what kind of books do
you read?

Of course I’m a reader! I think anyone that loves to
write loves to read as well. I love reading lots of fantasy and fiction, though
I do sometimes read autobiographies, such as the ones of Steve Jobs and Malala
Yousafzai.

What are your future plans in writing?

Well, for now, if Gaia turns out well, I will write the
second novel. I’m already gathering a string of research before I start writing
the second novel in the series.

Other than that, I have plans of writing my first urban
fiction novel as well and I love to write guest blog posts whenever I can. I’m
also looking for some freelance jobs in order to satiate my passion for
writing.

About the Author:

A.J. Trevors is a 21 year old author hailing from
Melbourne, Australia. He has written two flash fiction novels entitled ‘Stab in
the Back’ and ‘Phae and the Sun Chariot’ respectively, which has garnered minor
success in the indie publishing world. He is currently working on his first
full length novel, a fantasy.sci-fi epic entitled ‘The Gaia Chronicles: Birth
of Hope’.

For more information about A.J. Trevors please visit him
on Facebook and Twitter.

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Maureen Bakker

Maureen is a mom, wife, nurse, and Ravenclaw living in the Netherlands. She spends her days juggling mom-life, reading, blogging, planning date nights with her husband and working as a nurse. Maureen also is a big Anglophile, loves cooking, Gilmore Girls, Bridgerton and Harry Potter.. Always!  Facebook | Instagram