Interview with Cerece Rennie Murphy, author of Order of the Seers Trilogy

12:00 AM
Cerece Rennie Murphy fell in love with science fiction at the age of seven, watching “Empire Strikes Back” at the Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C., with her sister and mom. It’s a love affair that has grown ever since. As an ardent fan of John Donne, Alice Walker, Kurt Vonnegut and Alexander Pope from an early age, Cerece began exploring her own creative writing through poetry. She earned her master’s degrees in social work and international relations at Boston College and Johns Hopkins School for Advance International Studies, respectively, and built a rewarding 15-year career in program development, management and fundraising in the community and international development arenas – all while appreciating the stories of human connection told in science fiction through works like Octavia Butler’s “Wild Seed,” Frank Herbert’s “Dune” and “The X-Files.” In 2011, Cerece experienced her own supernatural event - a vision of her first science fiction story. Shortly after, she began developing and writing what would become the “Order of the Seers” trilogy. Cerece lives just outside of her hometown of Washington, D.C., with her husband, two children and the family dog, Yoda.

For more information, follow Cerece at http://www.cerecerenniemurphy.com

Connect with Cerece:


About The Book

What would you do if you held infinite power in the palm of your hand?

The Order of the Seers trilogy poses this question within a story that fuses action, mystery, and romance within a science fiction adventure that keeps you at the edge of your seat.

Captured and enslaved for their extraordinary gift, a group of individuals, known as Seers, are forced to serve a ruthless world organization that uses the power of the Seers to exploit the ultimate advantage: knowing the future. While a brother and his Seer sister fight to evade the group that hunts them, an unlikely captured Seer plots his escape from within the organization and sets off a chain of events that will change the world.

The journey begins with Order of the Seers (Book I) and continues with The Red Order (Book II).  The final chapter in the Order of the Seers trilogy, titled The Last Seer (Book III), will be released on September 30, 2014.






Book Trailers:

Link to trailer for Book I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dJHEfETnAE
Link to trailer for Book II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL20RBdgji4
Link to trailer for Book III: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvduqiK_x8o


For More Information:


Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? Where did you come up with the idea to write your book?

Well, first of all, thank you for having me! I'm thrilled to be here. The process of bringing the Order of the Seers Trilogy to life has been one of constant discovery. Four years ago, the idea for the story came to me while I was washing the dishes. I saw this man walking towards me with a cataract-like film over his eyes and ash-blonde hair. I knew instantly that he was a Seer and that he was enslaved for his ability. This entire world just came to me. I was so excited. By the time my husband got home, I had enough of the concept to know I had an actual story. At the time, I didn't even know if I could write it. Up until that point, I'd never written a full length story, but I was committed to trying. And the rest is history.....


Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

You know, for the most part, I think I am lucky. I've had a story outline since before I started writing the first chapter. Halfway through writing the first book, I realized it was going to be a trilogy and I jotted down a very rough synopsis of events for the 2nd and 3rd books. So I've had a road map of where I was going since the beginning and that helped a lot. In many ways, my outline became my lifeline when my schedule left little to no time for writing. In fact, I would have to say that finding time to write was my biggest challenge with each of these books and the only advice that I have for that is to keep at it - no matter what. You will never get all the time you want, but if you keep writing, you will eventually finish.

The 2nd challenge that I faced was fear, which was constant and ongoing. Fear of rejection, fear of not being a good enough writer, fear of success (yes, every time someone tells me they bought or read my book, I feel a little queasy) and fear of failure. I'm truly sorry to say that I've never found a way around this, but what I can tell you is that I have learned to bare it without paralysis. With every book I write and publish, I'm a little less afraid. I know how to manage the fear better and work around it to get things done. Marketing guru, Seth Godin calls this dancing with the fear and I would say that is about right. My only tip on this subject is to acknowledge fear for what it is. I meet writers all the time who say "Well, I'm just not inspired right now," or "I've finished my novel, but I can't publish it until it's perfect, so I'm working on it. I'm in my 5th year of editing." I can tell that, to them, these all feel like logical and legitimate reasons not to write, but I call a foul. Are you uninspired or are you afraid that if you start to write, it won't be any good? Are you working to make your novel perfect or are you hiding behind the editing process because you are afraid of rejection? The quicker you identify things for what they are, the quicker you can decide if you're going to let fear win or not.

Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

I self-published my books and it was really a great choice for me. Though it's been a challenging journey, I don't think my books would have gotten the exposure they have otherwise.


Q: Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

Yes, there is a wonderful community of authors out there who share their wisdom with you willingly and often for free. I encourage people to take advantage of the various websites and blogs where writers have posted information on everything from how to copyright your books to best tips for fighting writer's block. You don't have to believe or follow everything, but there is a lot of hard-earned insight available if you're willing to take a moment to look for it.


Q: What other books (if any) are you working on and when will they be published?

Hmm. Right now, I am working on a children's book with my 6 year old son, who loves superheroes, skateboards and swords. I hope to have it finished by Christmas. After that, I will be working on a historical adventure and a 2-part space opera. Both of them will require some pretty heavy research and planning so I don't have a deadline for either of them right now. I also recently decided that I want to write a romance because, after Order of the Seers, I need a story where my characters are not facing imminent death every second of their lives! I've already started writing it, so who knows when it will be ready, but I'm having fun.


 Q: What’s your favorite place to hang out online?

I'm not a big "online" person, but if I am on social media, I like Facebook because it simulates more of a human exchange than any other platform out there. It took me a long time, but I finally get Facebook.


 Q: Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to get across with your book?

I believe that each of us has a God-given potential and purpose - to inspire, to educate, to free, to lead. At the end of the day, I would love for people to read Order of the Seers and then ask themselves, what am I really capable of? I believe each of us can be superheroes.


 Q: Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?

Thank you again for the opportunity to share with you and your readers. It has been a pleasure. If anyone would like to learn more about me or my work, they can visit my website at www.cerecerenniemurphy.com.

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