TBR welcomes Theresa Danley

TBR: Welcome to TBR, Theresa. Will you share a little bit about yourself?
Theresa:  Thanks Cate!  Glad to be here.

A bit about me – well, I love science and history and I enjoy research, so quite naturally I’m a fan of archaeology.  I also like to write and actually began writing historical fiction.  But there was just one element missing.  It was my craving for good adventures that converted my historicals into thrillers.  As a result, I finally broke through into the published domain with my first two archaeological thrillers, EFFIGY and DEITY.

TBR: Tell us about DEITY and where it's available.
Theresa:  DEITY is the sequel to my first book, EFFIGY.  My main characters, archaeologists Anthony Peet and Lori Dewson, find themselves challenged by another series of twists and mysteries that lead them through some of Mexico’s most fascinating ancient sites.  Of course, as in the first book, readers can expect to find Mesoamerican mythology entwined with modern science and history.  I call it an archaeological thrill ride through the Mayan Long Count Calendar.

You can find DEITY in paperback or electronically through Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Deity-ebook/dp/B008GN0ICI/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1

or directly through the publisher, Whiskey Creek Press: http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1018

TBR: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Theresa:  Here’s the cover blurb:

“While on the hunt for two missing colleagues in Mexico, anthropologist Anthony Peet barely escapes a cenote collapse with his life while his student, Lori Dewson, is lost to a watery grave. Reeling from the tragedy, he is forced to continue his search, which quickly leads to the trail of a stolen reliquary cross rumored to have direct access to God. Little does Peet realize he’s centered himself between two opposing paramilitaries gridlocked in their own clandestine war.

Combed from the land where even gods are known to fall, subtle clues sweep Peet from majestic Mayan pyramids to Izapan mythology to the Long Count Calendar’s cosmology. Secrets are as entangled as the tropical forests and unraveling them requires wading through the emotional jungle of his own heart. In this world, truths are distorted every step of the way and Peet must determine which friends cannot be trusted, which enemies to befriend, what finds were never lost and which losses should never be found.”

TBR: Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?
Theresa: What a fun question.  Interestingly, I would most like to share dinner with my newest character, Chac Bacab.  Chac enters the series in DEITY and as the story progressed, his character surprised me as he development.  I had so much fun writing him into DEITY that it feels like the story ended before I could fully explore his potential.  We just might see more of him in the future!

TBR: While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?
Theresa: I never knew just how fascinating Mesoamerican cultures were until I began researching them.  Their understanding of astronomy and how they evolved their daily life and mythology around their cosmology is truly impressive.

TBR: Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Theresa: While keeping as true to science and historical facts as possible, I offer my own explanations and interpretations to a few of the ancient world’s greatest unsolved mysteries.

TBR: What's next for you?
Theresa: Currently I’m working on the third and final book in the series.  In the third book, the characters bring back what they’ve learned about the Mesoamerican world (through EFFIGY and DEITY) and use that knowledge to solve a couple mysteries closer to home.

TBR: Any other published works?
Theresa:  EFFIGY is also available through Amazon and Whiskey Creek Press.  While DEITY is centered upon the cosmology of the Mayan culture, EFFIGY begins the series with a focus on the cosmology of the Toltec culture of Central Mexico.

Here’s the cover blurb for EFFIGY:

“A serial killer is on the loose, depositing his victims’ hearts amid the Toltec ruins of central Mexico.  Meanwhile, a priceless Mesoamerican artifact is stolen from the University of Utah, sweeping archaeologists Anthony Peet and Lori Dewson on a desperate recovery mission south of the border.  Accompanied by a reluctant colleague, an enthusiastic young journalist and a Yaqui woman in mourning, the team must decipher clues hidden within the Aztec sunstone, mystical Toltec pyramids and astronomical calendar rounds to find the priceless effigy of Quetzalcoatl.  They suddenly find themselves in a race against the coming solar eclipse, all the while dodging a corrupt Mexican police force still on the hunt for the sadistic murderer - a killer who’s chosen one of them for his next human sacrifice.”

TBR: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Theresa: For me, the challenge is making a fictional story work around actual historical events or true science because often what I want the story to do won’t comply with real world facts.  A lot of adjustments have to be made, but that often creates some really great plot twists in the process.

TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
Theresa: Readers can find me at www.theresadanley.com  

TBR: Readers, Theresa will give away an autographed copy of DEITY and a special prize to one lucky commenter. She'll pick a winner next week and announce the winner here. Be sure to leave your email address so she can contact you.

Thanks for visiting TBR, Theresa. All the best to you.

Theresa Danley: Science, Deadly Prophecies and the Gods

Terence Snead: Welcome reporters.  Photographers.  Friends.  If you’ll all please take your seats, I know there are a lot of questions you’d like to ask and we’ll be happy to answer as many as time allows.  

            Thank you.

            Again, welcome.  I believe our panel needs no introduction.  It seems like just yesterday we were all crowded into this very same lecture room waiting for the big unveiling of the Effigy of Quetzalcoatl, the extraordinary artifact discovered in the EFFIGY project directed by author Theresa Danley.  I’m pleased that we are brought together again with the fortunate recovery of the artifact after it had been stolen ten days ago.  So without further adieu, I once again give you our very own expert in Mesoamerican Archaeoastronomy and emeritus professor, Dr. John Friedman, professor of  Southwestern anthropology, Dr. Anthony Peet, and anthropology student, Lori Dewson.

            Gentlemen –

Tribune Reporter: Dr. Peet –

Peet: Please, just call me Peet.

Tribune Reporter: Certainly, Peet.  Some are comparing the discovery of the Effigy to that of King Tut’s golden mask.  As the archaeologist who discovered the Effigy of Quetzalcoatl, how do you view this discovery?

Peet: Actually, I should refer that question to Lori.  She was the one who first discovered it.  I just led the excavation.

Tribune Reporter: Of course.  Miss Dewson, is the discovery of the Effigy comparable to King Tut’s golden mask?

Lori: Well, it is flattering to see all the attention the Effigy is receiving.  I think the fact that such a beautiful artifact was discovered in the southwest really captures the public attention and who can resist a good mystery presented by the questions we have yet to answer?

Tribune Reporter: What kind of questions?

Lori: We’d all love to know for sure how a Mesoamerican artifact from central Mexico came to be interred in an Anasazi grave here in the southwest.  But what we currently know about the Effigy and where it came from is on the blog link at www.theresadanley.com.

Channel 6 Reporter: Dr. Peet.  How was an artifact as valuable as the Effigy stolen from the University of Utah campus?

Peet: The theft resulted in an unfortunate chain of events that just happened to work in the thief’s favor.

Tribune Reporter: But wasn’t the Effigy supposed to be stored in the Museum of Natural History?

Peet: That is correct.  However, the Effigy was removed from the museum for further study and it was from the lab that it was taken.

Modern Archaeology Freelancer: What’s left to study?  All the scientists in the field agree that the Effigy was taken out of Mexico and traded to the Southwestern Anasazi.  Isn’t that correct, Dr. Friedman?

John: Yes.  At least that is the conclusion I have arrived at.

Lori: However, there is still room for other interpretations.  It’s too early to say for certain how the Effigy was found in Utah.

Modern Archaeology Freelancer: What kind of interpretations?

Lori: Well, that’s what I was working on as part of my Master’s dissertation when the Effigy was stolen from the lab.

Tribune Reporter: Dr. Peet, when did you discover the Effigy missing?

Peet: The night of the theft.

Channel 6 Reporter: How did you know the Effigy was taken back to Mexico?

Peet: Well, there were clues left behind.  With John’s help, we were able to decipher the thief’s motives and trace the Effigy to Mexico.  However, that’s where things became complicated by a third party.

Channel 6 Reporter: So the theft was nothing more than a scheme to sell the Effigy on the black market.

Peet: No.  It was a much deadlier game than that.

Tribune Reporter: Are you implying there was a murder?

John: Actually, we’re not allowed to discuss the details of the crime until the Mexican AFI and the FBI have concluded their investigations.

Modern Archaeology Freelancer: Is it true you recovered the Effigy somewhere in the ruins of Teotihuacan?

John: We found clues in Teotihuacan that led us to the Toltec ruins of Tula.  The hunt for the Effigy inadvertently gave us a tour of central Mexico’s most impressive sites.

Modern Archaeology Freelancer: Why had the thief chosen to take the Effigy to an archaeological site?

John: Tula is the ancient site where thousands of years of astronomical observations shaped the theology and mythology around the Effigy of Quetzalcoatl.  It all had to do with ancient projections of time and belief.

Tribune Reporter: Ancient projections of time?

John: The ancient Toltec calendar and cosmology were the basis of the thief’s motive.  Unfortunately, I cannot share more than that at this time.

Channel 6 Reporter: Where is the Effigy now?

John: That is classified at the moment. 

Lori: But rest assured it is safe.  Besides, what are the chances it’ll get stolen twice?

Theresa Danley
www.theresadanley.com

Theresa Danley’s interest in history, science and adventure all come together in her action-packed archaeological thrillers. Her explosive adventures explore the impacts ancient mythologies can have on modern ideologies, extracting answers to the unknown and mysterious through heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat suspense.
Theresa began linking the realms of the ancient world with the present in 2010 with the publication of her first thriller, Effigy. Now, the journey continues with the coming release of Deity (July 2012), and the third book which is currently in the works.

Theresa lives along the hi-line of Montana where she keeps busy raising her family, riding her horses and entertaining her imagination with writing and research.