Author Name: G. G. Kellner

Book Title: Hope, A History of the Future

Book Genre: Speculative Fiction

Release Date: April 19, 2022

Publisher: Spark Press

Welcome to the Spotlight! How would you describe Hope, A History of the Future?  

This SF novel bridges the fact fiction divide and carries the reader beyond the horizon of environmental catastrophe, offering hope in this time of despair.

What sparked the idea for this book?

There were many factors but seeing the state of the world and the sense of hopelessness in both my adult children and my students as they talked about the future of the planet deeply touched and concerned me. I began to believe the world needed a story of both hope and possibility out of the many calamities we faced. So, in 2016 resigned from my teaching job. I broke into my tiny retirement account and moved to a remote cabin, with only an outhouse and a wood stove.  I set to work writing Hope, A History of the Future.

How long did it take for you to write the book? Did you do any research?  

Two years for the first rough draft, two more years for editing and publishing. A lot of research went into this book! The book bridges the fact fiction divide so though it is a novel it is based on scientific possibility as well as historical precedence which I include at the back of the book. Readers can see this is not just my imaginings alone. We could create a peaceful, just, verdant, future world.

What drew you to speculative fiction?

We are bombarded with bad news because it sells and we are hard wired to attend to it ––but what I think people equally crave (maybe even more) is a story of hope, a vision of possibility, plausible and supported by history and facts.

What’s your favorite part about being an author? What do you find challenging?

My favorite part about being an author and the thing I find most challenging are one and the same. Control of my own time. Luckily, I was a single working mother for many years, raising two boys essentially on my own. So, I know a lot about self-discipline and working hard for something I care about.

If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read Hope, A History of the Future?

It’s a page turner and only takes about 4-5 hours to read. It’s meant for readers 16 years old and up. It’s full of adventure, a little romance, and a mystical cat named Plato weaves himself through it all as a trickster character. He holds his tail in the shape of a question mark asking the ultimate question, “What does the future hold?”

What about the writing/editing/publishing process has been the most surprising to you so far?

Just how very long things take!

Any words of wisdom you give your pre-published writer self (or to a new writer)?

 Pick A shorter tittle than I did! I couldn’t count the number of times I have written Hope, A History of the Future

What are your interests outside of writing and reading?

 I live on an island in the Salish Sea in a home that has been in my family for five generations. When I’m not writing or reading I’m probably working on a painting or a sculpture.  I also love walking the beaches and forests of my island home with my dog. I’m actually allergic to cats.

What can you tell us about the sequel to Hope, A History of the Future that you are working on now?

It picks up the story threads and characters from book one and carries the reader on another adventure into a peaceful, just, verdant future world. It includes more information on the scientific and technological reasons for hope in a coming world and it follows a story line where we avoid an environmental collapse by acting in unison now.

Where can readers find you?

 My contact information is below starting with my website

https://hopeahistoryofthefuture.com/

 I’ll be running a workshop in late June at the University of Washington for the PLATO Society Conference titled “Creating a Peaceful, Just, Verdant Future”

Instagram @hope_a_history_of_the_future

Facebook https://web.facebook.com/hopeahistoryofthefuture

Twitter @GGKellner

TikTok @GGKellner

Thank you, G.G.! Hope, A History of the Future is out TODAY.

Hope, A History of the Future

One quiet afternoon in 2037, Joyce Denzell hears a thud in her family’s home library and finds a book lying in the middle of the room, seemingly waiting for her—a book whose copyright page says it was published in the year 2200. Over the next twenty-four hours, each of the Denzell family members discovers and reads from this mystical history book from the future, nudged along by their cat, Plato.

As the various family members take turns reading, they gradually uncover the story of Gabe, Mia, and Ruth—a saga of adventure, endurance, romance, mystery, and hope that touches them all deeply. Along the way, the Denzells all begin to believe that this book that has seemingly fallen out of time and space and into their midst might actually be from the future—and that it might have something vitally important to teach them.

Engaging, playful, and thought-provoking, Hope is a seven-generation-spanning vision of the future as it could be—based on scientific projections, as well as historical and legal precedence—that will leave readers grappling with questions of destiny, responsibility, and the possibility for hope in a future world.

Author bio:

Gayle G. Kellner lives on an island in the Salish Sea in a home that has been in her family for over 100 years. She is a writer, artist, poet, and former educator. Gayle is a weekly guest on the community radio program The Brown Briefly, a humorous look at politics and culture. When she isn’t writing, reading, or painting you can probably find her wandering the beaches and forests of her island home with her dog, Pippi, or swimming in her beloved Salish Sea. Gayle is allergic to cats.