Quest of the Hybrid by Ginger Gelsheimer and Christina Keats is the first book in the Aurora Conspiracy Trilogy. Nineteen-year-old Jesse and her older brother James are living on their family farm in Aurora, Texas. Haunted by the disappearance of her mother years ago into the windmill that stands on the property, the very windmill where an alien spaceship crashed in the late 1800s, Jesse is determined to find her mother. Even though she has her mother's journal, she's not sure where to start until she finds what appears to be a crystal key among the things left behind by her mother. Enlisting the help of Marcus, the pilot of a crop duster plane, and a good friend of her and her brother, they end up flying into a portal to another dimension, leaving James behind, completely baffled. From here the story sweeps you away into the Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis, the Pyramids, and an unknown mysterious planet. From alien spaceships to the aliens themselves, Jesse is surprised and amazed at every turn, but this spunky adept young woman has an even bigger surprise ahead of her, one not even she could have imagined.
Quest of the Hybrid is a wild and entertaining read. Already aware of the spaceship crash that was reported to have happened in Aurora, Texas in 1897, I was eager to see how these authors wove fact with fiction in this story. I think they did a great job! The characters are believable, and the descriptive text was kept to a minimum in places it needed to be, yet the back story was given when necessary. As I read, I had no problem envisioning the sweeping scenes laid out by the authors, as well as some of the technology Jesse encountered. I would definitely recommend this book to young and old alike, and I look forward to reading the next book in this trilogy.
Reviewed by Chameleon (B.G.) for Reader's Favorite
Q. Ginger and Christina, thanks for joining me here! The way the two of you came together as a writing team
amazes me. It made me feel like you two were destined to be a writing
team. Can you tell the readers about it?
Ginger - Christina and I were young college grads brought
together by a temp agency that stuffed the local telecommunications
company, Quest Communications, like sardines with people our age. We
became friends right away and have been for almost 20 years. Living
on opposite ends of the country, we made an effort to see each other,
which wasn’t hard given she’s in Colorado and I’m in Florida -
we’re always vacationing. We’ve been through marriage, babies,
careers and all tons of other stuff! We’ve shared highs and lows
and we’ve always stuck together. We love to shake a room with the
fun energy we project.
Christina - I do feel destiny
comes into play with things like this. When I came into my wonderful
post-grad telecommunications (temporary) career I made many new and
great friends and one of them was Ginger. One of the things that has
always fueled my friendship with Ginger was our common drive and
unstoppable hunger for the bigger things in life. Not bigger and
better in a materialistic kind of way, but the fuller life experience
we share with only certain people in our lives. No matter the highs
and lows we experience at any given time, our beliefs in “going for
it” never dies. We’ve been through a pretty good gamut of life
events (and then some) and our drive and friendship remains a
constant. Our dreams are big and our imaginations are even bigger.
Finding this common outlet through writing made complete sense!
Q. That's amazing, but I can't honestly imagine trying to
collaborate on a book with someone that lives 1600 miles away, that
really takes some serious thought syncing, yet you've proven time and
again that it works beautifully for you both. What's the secret?
Ginger - Obviously, technology has made it much easier because
we can hold video calls in Google Hangouts. It’s almost like we are
in the same room. But also, it takes staying engaged with the
project. When you have to read and reread a story hundreds of times,
it better be interesting! And even more so because we have a series
and trilogy, so we have to make sure we never conflict, or create a
box we can’t get out of down the road.
...oh, and then there’s Aurelius-the muse, who is very LOUD! He
doesn’t like his story sitting cold for too long, there’s way too
much to tell.
Christina -The one thing Ginger
and I had going for us on the tele-writing was that we knew
each other so well in both work and play. We do see each other more
often than it might seem and both of those things were factors
whenever we were together. Writing was a natural expression for both
of us and that partnership, matched with our shared creative
ambitions, was bound to happen. It also helps that we both are
extremely in touch with the energies that come our way. When Aurelius
came knocking we were quick to respond and build that relationship
with him and all that came with it!
Q. Quest of the Hybrid wasn't just a fun fanciful tale for
me. Because it was based on a true event and spun off from there, it
changed the way I saw it. Tell me what actually got this series going
for you both.
Ginger - It was one of our “make sure to stay friends by
seeing each other frequently” visits when we accidentally came up
with the Aurora Conspiracy project. We had no idea it would lead to
something we will probably work on for a decade. It’s amazing what
happens when you add a little vino to the moment. One minute we’re
watching Ancient Aliens about a spaceship crash in Aurora, Texas in
1897 with so many unexplained bits of evidence, how could it not have
happened? And then what if he lived? ...and the next minute, Aurelius
was born. Now he rents space in our heads and is “high-maintenance”
demanding that his story gets out.
Christina - A typical and regular visit in Colorado with my
good friend, some good wine and good chatter left us yearning for
more...a norm for us. As we settled into the alien TV shows that have
always peaked our interest and it was as if a direct message flew in
and plopped right down beside us. The sunny and relaxing evening
turned into a high-energy night with high-speed momentum. A no less
than perfect scenario for the two of us. We thought, why do we, as
people, simply accept the truths fed to us on a daily basis without
even a small inkling to seek out the real truth? Truth may be in the
eye of the beholder, yes, but it also has a chance to make sense. Our
novel(s) is that truth and holds the story that comes with it. As you
follow history, this is what happened. Are people open to see that?
Q. I would bet there are more than enough that are. I've
heard more than a few people say that they thought this storyline would
make a great T.V. series, or movie. That would be an exciting
direction to take your creations, I would think.
Ginger - We have had initial interest, in fact, we originally
started with a screenplay and were asked to convert the script into a
novel trilogy. Write the book to build support for the movie. Write
the series to build support for the book. We’ve spent so much time
with Jesse, Aurelius, Emily and Syrius that these characters have
truly come to life for us...and they always step in s*@t! We
have to know what they are doing next.
Christina - Well, the
carefully-stated interest can be exciting to think about although
what it really does for us personally is continually take us back to
that first thought of it all and when Aurelius sought us out. It
reminds us that this story is actually something. Getting to know
these characters as they continually unfold has built a new world
around us and we are in contact with it on a daily basis. Sure, it
give us a feel good that they have a future with possibilities but
where that takes us (to a bookshelf or beyond) is yet to be seen. For
now, our loyalties lie with the story itself.
Q. Yes, first things first, for sure, but do you already
have the manuscript written, or just the layout?
Ginger - We have the old version written, which means we have
to pretty much start over.
Christina - The screenplay was
the initial focus. We did complete round one on that and it did
generate interest, however, now the request of books has taken us
beyond that first expression of the story. We will be revisiting
that part of the project as it comes back around, which in the big
picture, may not be that far off.
Q. While you're waiting for that possibility, what is it
that you're working on now?
Ginger - We are working on Book 2 of the Aurora Conspiracy
trilogy and episodes 5 & 6 for the prequel series. I am also
about to release episode 4 of The Dark Days series that I write
with my daughter, Taylor. I’m also excited to be working on a
script for an independent film that has to do with karma...that’s
all I’m sayin’!
Christina - Two more books on Aurora and the remaining
episodes are sitting right here but there is more outside of that. I
do have some other projects that will be getting more attention over
time for sure. One involves the younger readers of today and how they
can be even more involved in the world of writing, reading and
sharing. I have a big interest in this. On the other side of the
spectrum, I’ve got a very in-depth story unfolding as we speak
where tragedy may just meet up with humor when all is said and
done. One thing is for sure...the engines are running and I can say
with full confidence that there are crazy stories just waiting to
come out...for both of us!
Q. Wow, sounds like you both have enough projects to last you a
lifetime! If this series ever is wrapped up, what projects do you
have in mind for the future?
Ginger - I don’t think this series is going to be wrapped
up for awhile. We have both a future and a past to tell.
Christina - You know, this
project is bigger than ‘a book’ and is our primary focus in the
immediate future. Having said that though, there is always more going
on in the wings and I can’t see either one of us putting an end to
forward movement on any of our writing, anytime soon. Aside from this
project, we both have many good stories to tell whether individually
and together, the team holds strong and you just never know!
Chameleon: Any parting comments you'd like to leave my readers
with?
Ginger - I would like to thank all of you for supporting the
writers that you read. All of us start out the same-a shining thought
or idea that just chips away and demands to be written down,
remembered and shared. We never know if someone else will care to
enjoy our story, but we have to at least create that opportunity.
Christina - Well, it’s funny
that with this project we’ve said “join the journey” because it
pertains to our story. But it really kind of sums it up for me all
around. Expression (through writing) is a journey in itself. It think
it’s pure awesomeness to share this journey with other writers.
There is a great energy in that. We all have our stories and tales
and through the work we do and in good times and bad, the support
helps keep us going. As a parting comment, I’d say keep it together
and stay together. We can all help each other so that we don’t fall
off during any hard times because to have such strong feelings
about a story, it only feels right to give it a real chance to be
told. It truly is an amazing journey.
Thank you both
for an amazing interview, and great encouragement. I wish you both
the greatest success!
