Being Kind, A Brave New Race by a Newtown resident who uses the pen name Linda G. Palma is the author’s first novel. The work explores a “futuristic world,” a “barren world,” that exists “after the world wars end” and a genetically engineered species generates life on earth. Both science-fiction and soul-searching, the book also looks at freedom, equality, and “the continuum of life,” Ms Palma said.

“It is also a love story,” she said, surrounding “characters who sacrifice much to achieve their dreams.” The book is published through Being Kind Press, New York, New York, 2019.

Buy a signed copy or hear excerpts with the author during readings in late October. Ms Palma invites the public to join her for any of the upcoming author events: Sunday, Octrober 20, from 2 to 5 pm, at Avance Day Spa, 32 Church Hill Road in Newtown (The Villages at Lexington Gardens); Thursday, October 24, 5 to 8 pm, at Raymour & Flanagan, 14 Candlewood Lake Road in Brookfield; Saturday, October 26, 1 to 4 pm, at Pottery Barn, Danbury Fair Mall, 7 Backus Avenue in Danbury.

Describing her book, Ms Palma said that her science fiction novel speaks of “nurturing mother earth,” and of “maintaining a sustainable planet to keep balance and harmony in a new world. Building community bonds and reestablishing family values is the backbone of a better world.

“This life-learning read will take you on a journey through life — to believe on one’s self is to conquer one’s convictions,” she added.

With the book now published, her feelings are mixed.

“I feel like a child being excited and looking forward to having my story touch so many ... and waiting for their feedback,” the author admitted. “I also am missing the world I have created.

“I miss my characters — some who are visionaries and have the strength to persevere and some who make me laugh and others who can move mountains.

“I already know where the sequel will take us,” she said.

Through her writing and research, she made discoveries, including “how to extract the most vibrant colors from plants onto textiles and learning about the sea and the bonds and emotions of sea mammals,” all of which are in her story.

Ms Palma has researched, she said, “how we can live sustainably and connect our past to the present. I have learned so much from my characters and my research to achieve a better world. It is very philosophical. We can learn much from this novel.”

Teasing the reader is the following plot description on the back cover: the two protagonists, “upcoming archeologist Atomic and his secret heartthrob, Aurora, an aspiring marine biologist, separate after high school graduation to pursue further education. They soon discover that the truth about their origins was ‘not the whole story.’” The book’s scenario is “A mirror to our own planetary predicament of failing to put the Earth first.” It “reflects the values of equality, critical thinking, questioning status-quo, and building family and community bonds to forge a new and sustainable tomorrow.”

During a recent visit to The Newtown Bee office, Ms Palma brought with her a few phrases to describe Being Kind, A Brave New Race, including, “When Aurora and Atomic, a sister and brother of genetically engineered beings, unite in their crusades to encourage a brave new race, they uncover their true identities within a life of concealed traits.”

Ms Palma also offered another description, “This novel takes you into a world that will have you ask, ‘Where is humankind heading?’ In this future world, with qualities similar to ours, we find that we have allowed technology to infiltrate our homes and compromise our privacy. We ask why humankind has taken their freedom for granted,” and delves into sources of fear, ignorance, power, and jealousy.

An excerpt online at beingkindpress.blogspot.com gives readers a glimpse: “A new batch of superior beings had just been hatched and abruptly awakened to a divergent reality. Two newborns kicked at each other as they lay side by side. Atomic opened his eyes for the first time. His eyes of intrigue followed the stream of light that entered from a window and settled upon his inquisitive sister lying beside him. Aurora squinted as she stared into his eyes. Her eyes opened wider as the sun reflected the brilliance of lavender hues. Aurora reached over to hold Atomic’s hand; she smiled at him and cooed. Atomic held onto her small hand as she squeezed with tremendous might. Her tight grip would not let go as the technicians tried to take their vitals. Aurora and Atomic cried as they were harshly separated from one another. A world of possibilities was before them, and Aurora seemed to know what she wanted…”

A Conversation With The Author

Speaking with The Bee on October 2, the day Being Kind, A Brave New Race was published, Ms Palma offered brief hints and insights into what inspired her novel — a mix of personal interests, science, family, and favorite books and films.

She reiterated thoughts also shared on her website, including the fact that among her favorite books is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and science fiction movies including such as The Man Who Fell to Earth and Close Encounters of the Third Kind have influenced her ideas about the “anatomical and spiritual transformation of humans,” the website states.

Ms Palma was in high school when she read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, published 1931.

“It it stuck with me; it made an impression. I was amazed how a person in the 1930s wrote about genetically engineered beings,” she said.

Her novel, she said, is “based on things I thought in the 70s; things I am still seeing now in the current events of our world.”

Among her main messages of the books, she said, is “how human evolution would change… we’re all connected in the start.”

Revealing one of her book’s secret details, Ms Pamla described a telescope through which her characters look back and “view the beginning of time. It’s the Big Bang theory.” She sees the Big Bang theory as “how the present began.” She said, “Think about conception; it’s two things coming together then splitting apart.”

Also related to these concepts is her cover art — an illustration of an ammonite. According to an internet search, ammonites are the extinct relatives of sea creatures such as the modern nautilus. Ammonites lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Together, these represent a time interval of about 140 million years. The image is a segmented spiral.

The ammonite is tied to her message, the author said.

“What drew me — it sort of looks like an embryo with a curve to it as it first develops,” she said. “It as a transitional fossil. This is the symbol, the whole meaning of the book.

The sea creature “inspired a positive energy. It’s symbolic to the energy of life,” she said.

Of her cover artwork, she said, “I had this vision to design the chambered shell into a timepiece of hope and rebirth.” The ammonite’s descendants are the cephalopods, and it looks similar to the nautilus “except the ammonite has less chambers. Its spiral shell represents the continuum of life, evolution, and the entry of life. It shares positive energy, and I turned its center into an eye to represent wisdom when you end your journey. I see this ammonite curled as the conception of an embryo where the spine is so vivid but as we form, we absorb to walk erect and persevere in our journey.”

The ammonite on her book cover represents hope and rebirth, she said.

Ms Palma also talked about fear, ignorance, jealousy, and power.

“Ignorance… a lot of people feel humankind has different races, but it’s morphology — we should all just see a person for who the person is; we all stem from one,” she said, “Equality, no matter how diverse we are, brings forth a united world for peace. Unity conquers prejudices.”

The new world is a Utopia, “but the two protagonists realize it is not utopia because you don’t have your freedom anymore. The new nation is a one-world nation,” she said. Everyone is equal, genetically modified beings, a mocha-cream color, she said.

Stressing a main message, she refers to “Imagine” by John Lennon. Paraphrasing, she said, “Imagine everyone living in unity.”

About The Author

Writing poetry and short stories has been Ms Palma’s passion since she was a child, as stated in her book. As an undergraduate, she studied the science of evolution as well as creative writing at Queens College (CUNY) before entering a 25-year career in marketing and design consultancy.

She enjoys many pursuits, including “advocating for a better future for our children by orchestrating fundraisers to raise awareness on fostering children.”

Copies of Being Kind: A Brave New Race are available through amazon.com and Kindle, at Avance Day Spa, and at Relay Book House, 102 Greenwood Avenue in Bethel. A copy of Being Kind, A Brave New Race also can be found at C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street.

For additional information, including public programs as they are added to Ms Palma’s schedule, visit beingkindpress.blogspot.com.