Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the authors?
Bernadette is a poet and an aspiring author who published her first book in 2013 has published several poems short stories in newspapers, magazines and ezines. She has also been invited to speak at a couple of conferences - Australia and Illinois.
Philippa is an aspiring author. Read between the lines and figure out the rest. She sure is trying to do the same. See previous blogs written by her, and/or read. Juggling time, between home, school and family.
Matthew is a song-writer/aspiring/author/videographer who has composed and published a few songs. He has also created, shot and published a few exercise videos for his own website. In addition to the songs and the videos he has also published one book and is working on another one.
What is the purpose for the Adventure by Train Blog?
Our blog is a way for Philippa and Bernadette to let others know about the novel series we are working on. It has evolved in that it is also a way to advertise and thank the businesses, services and ministries that have allowed us to use them in our novel and now short stories. It is also a place for others to be able to help us … if they want to...and our readers can make donations for the e-books we are writing.
When did this project begin?
For Bernadette - If you want the long answer, it began in 1999, which has been explained in another post in this blog. If you want the short answer, it began in the spring of 2015 when I posted a status update on Facebook. Philippa and I came together and started writing not long afterwards.
Where do the authors come from?
Philippa is from New Zealand, and currently resides in the same town as mentioned in the book - Rotorua, New Zealand.
Bernadette resides in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. One of the stops along the way between Halifax and Vancouver will be here at the church I attend.
Matthew resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Deborah originates from Toronto and Gamechangers’ Ink also has a Grand Opening setting in Toronto which will also be in the novel.
Why Halifax?
Even in the dream the train traveled from the east to the west and since there is no way for the train to come from PEI, it made sense for it to start in Nova Scotia.
Who are your main characters and who created them?
Bernadette created one of the main characters as well as several others who will be in the novel and short stories
Deborah – has been widowed for 8 years. She gave birth to 6 children, but 1 committed suicide due to bullying at the age of 15. She is a Grandma with a six year old granddaughter and a two year old grandson. In a few months there will be 2 more grandchildren, but 1 is already in heaven having passed away in infancy. She has recently graduated with her Master of Social Work from University of Toronto and has been hired as a Sessional Professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This means she will need to leave her family behind as she moves from Toronto to Halifax.
Philippa created three of the main characters as well as several others who will be in the novel and short stories.
Pipi – former great-grandchild of a religious scientist and druid professor, who took his following to cult level and those who tried to survive leaving are reduced to gang level activities that fed into the secret society that plagued the last generations with scientific research and tests for programming the mind. Presently taking a hiatus from her CEO and Board Member duties to face her own demons as it were, the suppressed memories of when she wasn’t in her great-grandfather’s favour. Company co-founder and tycoon business owner. Recently widowed she is set on the truth coming out now to help her be free before her day of reckoning comes for the sins of the past to imprison her for a life sentence that isn’t her own. A Viking prophecy, a Scottish grandmother’s wisdom, a lifetime going onboard medical ships, old ships, and running when the pressure gets too much, will the others ever be able to get her to sit down for a talk over what comes next? American/Maori New Zealander with a gift for accents and languages, but is quintessential all Kiwi after years of denying her Other Side existed or was real, as the only way she knew how to treat everything was through games.
Haulani - web designer, game developer, president of a successful entrepreneur company. Childhood spent between Hawaii and Tokyo, Japan. With an almost tiger-like religious step-mother and his father trying to make up for the recession that took his tech-toy company down with working with the enemy friend, Mr. Mace, he feels like a lost little boy badly wanting a playmate who is just like him.
Alain – former bad boy gone military, then progressed to military chaplain before returning home. We now find Alain climbing the corporate ladder within the World of Gamechangers’ Ink and all his past has led them to hiring him to be their spiritual guide/pastor. There’s a lot of history that Philippa hopes to address in a series way in the future when the Adventures of Gamechangers’ Ink get summed up in a novel form or wherever God takes them.
At the present moment all other characters created by Philippa are connected to the three main characters in some way.
Who influenced the creation of these characters?
Daddy God influenced the creation of the characters. As He gave the dream. The dream was given in to Bernadette in 1999. From the dream came a poem and in 2015 the poem became the beginnings of what you now read on this blog in regards to Deborah.
After posting the dream and the poem onto a group page I belong to, Daddy brought Philippa, Matthew and I together and one thing led to another and now we are working together to bring life to a dream that was given almost 2 decades ago.
Who influences you as authors?
Bernadette
The Lord of all Lords and King of all Kings - Daddy God. My children, my grandchildren, friends, family, past experiences, future dreams
Philippa
The Bible and the strong characters found within. Anne McCaffrey, Janette Oake, L. M. Montgomery, Karen Marie Moning, Blake Healy, Julie Garwood, Johanna Lindsey, and various other authors who wrote something good towards accepting and managing different characters.
What are they doing in Halifax?
Pipi was in Halifax to grief over the passing of the last person to have realised the truth behind her and her past and the future that was likely to descend upon her. Haulani and Alain are in Halifax to celebrate Pipi’s 25th birthday, get her to Toronto at some point, and find themselves opening an Arcade in Halifax in the time leading up to that much anticipated Grand Opening. They are part of the Gamechangers’ Ink group who fulfil the dreams of others who do not know where to start or how to take their dreams from dream to reality. Their own dreams are about to become realities after meeting Deborah and so the goodness of God becomes tangible even to them through the planning and ongoing adventures they had and hopefully will keep happening.
Dalhousie University hired Deborah as a Sessional Professor to be part of the Social Work Department. Her job will start in the fall, but she came to Halifax early to look for and hopefully purchase a house or at the very least rent a place before classes start.
What languages do they speak?
Deborah speaks English
Pipi speaks a variety of languages but tends towards a blend of New Zealand English, American Slang, British English, Japanese, New Zealand Maori, Samoan, Irish Gaelic and some Scottish Gaelic.
Haulani speaks Japanese, Chinese, South Korean, Hawaiian, Polynesian and English
Alain speaks Scottish Gaelic and English
What are their beliefs and values?
Deborah follows the precepts of Jesus Christ and lives her life as such. She believes that Jesus died and rose again to save her soul. She has no problem telling others that He is her Saviour and if they would let Him, He would be their Saviour too. She believes that Daddy God has her back and keeps her safe.
Pipi is skittish on organised religion, so follows her own budding beliefs, but her values are very rooted in the Word and the cult’s upbringing and some other truths that have been revealed to her that is for the project she originates in. Strongly believes in the power of Jesus’ name and blood, His stripes, His resurrection, and ascension. Has her own ideas of what is to come and all that is within her is a desire to war on Daddy’s chess game and be positioned where He sends her to be. As a Seer from infancy she has matured past the point of battling everything physically and has learned how to enter into the courts and doesn’t know what to do next. She’s out of her depth and holding on an ongoing conversation with God is the only way to see through until Alain fulfills the purpose God has for him to be with them now and not earlier.
Haulani had a Catholic upbringing that changed to something more non-denominational when he went with his best friend to a church service on his first Sunday in Hawaii and his rebellion fizzled out to just embers and pranks against his parents. When the company began to move into that direction too, he hopped on board and hasn’t gone back. With Pipi, they struggle with the whole Daddy and lover and other English theologies, but embrace it just the same.
Alain is more your typical Presbyterian. Right is right, wrong is wrong, and everything is by the book. When he first comes across this World of Gamechangers he has gone to the extreme of being a working vicar/celebrant/traveling minister and fallen in his relationship. Nothing works out to his hopes unless he teams up with Haulani and Pipi and finds his religion offended but his relationship with God deeply rooted in the Truths revealed in pursuing the Life within the Good Book again that had called to him when he was in the military.
What kind of books do you read?
Bernadette used to read mystery, adventure and romance, but changed to thriller, paranormal and healing, until entering university. In university fun reading became academic reading such as textbooks, articles and journals.
Philippa used to read romance, mostly those with a historical setting; sci-fantasy/sci-fiction; a spattering of books that came across her path that changed and created the genre that she loves to write for. Add in Christian novels and series, some New Zealand teen romances and manga and you have a good idea too. Also, authors who use a lot of wit, puns, and lately Fantasy and paranormal stuff. Philippa also reads inspirational God-inspired books such as those written for/by seers and other gifted people.
What other things influence you?
Bernadette
My children, grandchildren, friends, family, loved ones, work, travels, hearing the stories of others, things I see and hear while traveling on a bus for 40+ hours as well as other places of observation.
Philippa
Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis, anime/manga, tv dramas and series that developed the characters over a long period of time. The church I grew up within and the ongoing battle to fit in somewhere. Television and YouTube, social networks and video games. God, Jesus, Holy Ghost, angels, the ongoing fight with the enemy, and friends. My daughter, the past that i had, and the present that will affect the future in some way. Thinking of how I could help and how I would like to be helped. I have dreams but there’s no one telling me they have a game plan on how and when it will work. Only God.
When does the story take place?
The story begins the last weekend in March, 2018 which is also Easter.
Where do they all come from?
Pipi is from New Zealand
Haulani is from Japan and Hawaii
Alain is from Scotland
Deborah is from Canada
Why did you choose to be part of this project?
Bernadette
I love to write and Daddy opened the doors giving me the opportunity of taking a dream and a poem and giving them more life than that of only being read by my family members and friends.
Philippa
I leapt without thinking because I wanted to take part in seeing my alter-ego take part and be developed for His glory before I had a chance to develop Pipi for my own glory. Haulani was a guest that was yet to be confirmed in Pipi’s further and future stories. Alain was/is brand new and therefore somewhat more malleable. Wherever this takes me is for the best, and I’m glad to have this opportunity to learn through these times. To draw closer to God, because that’s where the healing, the Son, and the fun truly is. With Jesus. And because Holy Ghost/Spirit is who i am having to trust to grow and develop these characters and myself as the author of them all.
How did Deborah and the Gamechangers meet?
It was an accident, but was by no means an accident. One woman learns how to fly while the other woman becomes a landing pad.
How do you know their meeting was no accident?
Daddy God has a purpose for their lives and He has a plan to which only they can carry out and accomplish. This was a divine meeting and was supposed to happen.
How long have you been writing?
Bernadette wrote her first poem December 1998. ‘Birth of a King’ was written in the ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ format. Poem Therapy was a way to find healing during a rather nasty divorce
Philippa wrote her first books back in primary. Growing up this translated into poems, the start of books, and daydreaming. The first attempt at a novel was in High School, the first attempt at two children’s books were in the years following High School. The poems got published online. Deciding to write a series while on the welfare system in New Zealand after the birth of her daughter, she was all set to write and research a series about a girl that travelled the world and had adventures while indirectly picking up friends who were a bit eccentric themselves. However, there were other ideas. While walking her daughter away from a train station in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, a whole world took over the historical adventure series. In January 2013, she had completed 20 chapters of the skeleton draft copy of ‘Skin of Gold’, the first in a series/saga. This is her first attempt at a writing project since that time.
How many books will be in the series?
There will be four stories to the series, but each story will be written in three or four segments.
Novel Titles
East to West 2018 North to South 2021 South to North 2024 West to East 2027
The Adventure Starts
All Aboard
The Adventure Goes On
Excitement On Board
We are also writing short stories to be offered as e-books. E-book 1 An Adventure Begins is being edited now and will be offered as a free gift for subscribing to the blog.
Philippa will one day tell the adventures that led them to Halifax that particular Easter weekend. While working on the segue manuscript that might go into a computer game or into its own unique novel that connects the original series Haulani and Pipi were to appear in with this series. The title of this novel will be the punned ‘Earth to Heaven’ and is set after the return of Jesus in this dimension. Deborah might be found in this series too, as memories of these adventures are retold from a futuristic potential special point of view.
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