Sci-fi thriller: Supernature

BY

Henry Lyons

Inspired by the song writer Jean-Marc Cerrone's 1977 smash hit song by the same name, this a story about genetic engineering gone awry.

When two seasoned patrol officers find an unconscious woman on the side of a vacant stretch of road, they are unaware that their investigation will uncover the beginning of the end for man kind as we know it.

After a series of strange incidents in the Arizona desert along with unexplained disappearances on a California beach an unlikely team of investigators and scientists join together to unravel an incredible mystery.

Something is causing animals around the world to mutate, evolve and breed at an accelerated rate endangering the lives of thousands. All of the evidence points to a substance created by a suspected eco-terrorist working for the world’s largest biotechnology company. It becomes a race against time for the team to find a solution to halt the spread of the mass mutations. If they fail it could mean the end of man kind.

Please welcome author of Supernature, Henry Lyons. Lyons is a man who wears many hats. He’s a writer, an educator, a computer specialist, a graphic designer, a video editor and a political activist. In 1992 Henry founded Lyons communications Industries, a computer consultant firm which later became H.V.Lyons Graphic Design Studios. The vision of the company is to make technology accessible to the masses through several entities; advertising, marketing, public relations, web design, and technology support.

As well as employed as a Special Education Teacher for the New York City Department of Education and writing Supernature, Lyons is also an author of Deep Thoughts, a collection of poetry.


Other books to look out for in the near future:
Antsy Anthony - a children’s book centring on a child with ADHD.
Twisted Affairs - an erotic thriller.
Voyage of the Grey Wolf - science fiction.
The Soldier of God - a fantasy drama.
Plus there are plans for a series of books including a follow-up book to Antsy Anthony and a sequel to Supernature.

Deep Thoughts is a collection of poems, essays and visual imagery that show the world as filtered through the mind of a man in torn by conflict. Henry Lyons is a writer that speaks about his loves, his pains and his relationships. Sometimes dark but always honest Deep Thoughts is just that an example of one man’s deepest thoughts.

Is Supernature your debut novel?
Yes this is my first novel but not my first book. Last year I published my first which was a book of poetry, Deep Thoughts. It was really a collection of poems that I had written and saved over the years along with my memoir. Supernature however is a story that I had rolling around in my head for a number of years. After the success of my poetry book I decided to try my hand at turning my story into a novel.

Can you tell us a little about the novel?
Well first let explain what gave me the inspiration for the story. During the late 1970s and early 1980s I worked as a D.J. in various night clubs here in New York. One song quickly became one of my favorites. It was entitled ‘Supernature’ by a French artist named Cerrone. Although it was a disco tune the lyrics spoke about man manipulating nature and nature turning on man. Being a fan of science fiction I fell in love with the concept. Years later I came up with the idea of a story centered on a genetic experiment gone awry causing nature to evolve at an accelerated rate.

Years later when I finally started my novel the story had changed only slightly.

The basic synopsis is this, two police officers in Arizona find a young woman unconscious on the side of a deserted road. During their investigation they uncover a growing threat to man kind. Unknown to the general public mutant wild life has been popping up all over the globe. In the United States a special task force has been formed to deal with the problem. As the story progresses so does the problem, until the mutants threaten the very existence of the world’s human population.

How much research did it involve?
I did a LOT of research for this book! I mean a lot. From the very beginning I wanted a believable story. I wanted a science fiction where the science was real science not some made up stuff that makes no sense. I also wanted a story where the locations where real locations. So I did extensive research on not just the science in the book but also the locations that various scenes took place in. If my characters travelled from one location to another they travelled down real streets in the right direction to get to their destination. For example there are references to the F.B.I. headquarters in Phoenix Arizona. In the story some agents travel from a hospital in Phoenix back to their Field Office. The route that they take is the real route a person would take to make that trip. That’s the kind of detail I’ve placed in the story. All the chemicals, weapons and vehicles used in the story are all real. This was all possible because I spent a lot of time doing research.

How does it compare with other novels?
I wanted this story to be unique. I didn’t want a science fiction that was so full of science and techno speak that it would turn off readers. Another thing that I wanted was for the story to be very visual and descriptive. There are action sequences in the book and I wanted to put the reader right in the middle of the action and make them feel what is happening. I also wanted characters that people would care about.

What audience is the book intended?
Well first of all I’m a High School Teacher so while I was writing the book I had my students in mind. I felt that if I wrote on a high school level anyone could enjoy it and so far the adults who have read the book have given me some very positive feed back. There are even references about global warming and environmental concerns that are topics many of my students are interested in. So the audience range is from teen to adult.

How long did it take you to write it, and how many drafts?
It took me a little over nine months to write the book and it went through about four drafts in the beginning.

Will you be interested in writing another genre?
Yes. Some of the genres I am interested in writing in include thriller, horror, and erotica. I’m also interested in writing a spy novel.

If Supernature is going to be part of a series will I have to read all the books to understand the story?
I am working on the outline for a sequel to Supernature. One of the things I am going to attempt to do is to make it a stand alone read but it will be a continuation of the original story.

Do you have a favourite scene?
Yes I do. It’s a scene where a character by the name of Cooper, dressed in protective gear, has just used a flamethrower on a swarm of mutant killer bees to help free a humvee full of important people. After he frees the truck the bees surround him. Here is the scene:

As Cooper sees the Humvees speed off he begins to wonder if this was such a good plan. They had walked a lot further away from the conservatory than he realized and now getting back was near impossible. The swarm has completely engulfed the three men. Cooper begins to feel the stingers making their way through his gear. He can’t even see five feet in front of him. Walking through the swarm is like walking in a blizzard at night. Soon he realizes that he has lost sight of the two soldiers he came out with and he’s not sure what direction the conservatory is in. His breathing begins to increase as fear sets in. Slowly he inches along hoping to be going the right way. Then suddenly he trips over something in the road and falls face first hard onto the pavement. It’s one of the other soldiers. His dead body lay stiff on the ground as the bees continue to sting it. Cooper then notices that his own face mask has torn when he fell. In a panic he grabs at the opening only to tear it more. Bees rush into his head gear, stinging him all about the face and neck. He can’t breathe, he can’t even scream. Every time he opens his mouth the bees hush in choking him even more. He tries spitting out the bees but is stung both on the inside as well as the outside of his mouth. His tongue begins to swell; his throat closes up as his airways bulge from the venom. He rolls around on the ground holding his throat and gasping for air. Without thinking he rips off his head gear to take a breath. Instantly hundreds of bees attack him stinging him about the face and neck. One bee plants a stinger deep into his throat and another stings him right in his left eye which sends daggers of pain straight through his brain. He grabs the insect and crushes it in his hand. The pain is unbearable. The veins in his neck and face turn blue and swell, his body twitches and jerks, his muscles stiffen, dark venom laced blood oozes out of his ears and nose. His body jerks violently a few more times then finally falls still.

Are you agented?
No I’m not.

Who are you published with?
I’m self published and I'm working with a partner in putting together out own publishing company.

Are you a full time writer?
No. For now I write as a hobby.

Do you have any writing experience?
Not really. The only experience I have writing has been writing poetry.

What are you working on now?
I am presently working on two books. One is an erotic thriller entitled ‘Twisted Affairs’ and the other is a fantasy drama named ‘Soldier of God’.

Twisted Affairs is about a woman who plots with her lover to murder her husband. But their scheme doesn’t quite turn out the way they planned.

The Soldier of God involves a man who loses his entire family and gives up on life only to find later that his tragedies where a holy test of his faith. If he passes the test he will be endowed with supernatural powers.

Contacts:

Blog: hvlyons.blogspot.com
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