Geoff lives in a small seaside village on the beautiful far
south coast of Australia, with his wife and children (and his fish.) Right from
an early age he fell in love with the outdoors; especially the sea. When he was
very young he lived on a small farm, and spent many happy hours searching the
creek for small fishes, tortoises and other make-believe creatures. He learned
to ride a horse at the age of four, and sometimes rode his horse to school. When
he was eight years old his family went to live on a river. There were no roads
or cars down by the river, making it a very secluded and idyllic place to live.
After school he spent many happy hours fishing, and sometimes hiked with
friends up the river to exciting and unexplored places. These magical
experiences and places have helped form the backdrop for some of the settings
in his books.
He began reading books at an early
age, and started writing short fantasy and science fiction stories, which his
teacher would read to the class. His favourite subject all through school was
English, and he won a Commonwealth Scholarship before going on to university to
study English Literature and Marine Biology. He also has spent time studying at
Moore Theological College. He is also a member of YALITCHAT, an organization
for those who write Young Adult books. He is a keen environmentalist, and
supports the local zoo for endangered species. He owned a Christian bookstore
for several years, and would like to use the sales from his own books to
support the Salvation Army, and help those less fortunate in society.
Title of Geoff’s books:
THE ANGEL TREE/ DRAGONFLY
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Email Geoff: jnel2@bigpond.com
Q) What is Angel Tree about?
Joshua Sharpe is being terrorized by a giant tree creature
with snake-like limbs capable of snatching stars right out of the
night sky and yet—no one in his family believes him. Almost every night the
enormous monster comes right up to his window, shakes the house and tries
to grab him from under the covers where he hides sweating and shaking from
absolute terror. His only comfort are his invisible friends who warn him when
the creature is enraged, where to hide and whom to trust. If it were not for
his friends, Joshua would be all alone. And so, he does everything he can to
keep them around—including throwing his medication out the window.
Q) Why did you write this book?
After selling our Christian bookstore in 2003 I
decided to start writing again. Several novels later, THE ANGEL TREE
arrived.
Q) How long did this project take you?
From first writing to publishing, three years.
Q) When will this book be available?
Now.
Q) You actually have two books coming out. Tells us about the
second one, DRAGONFLY, and when we can expect to see it?
Michael knew Maddie was sick, but not this sick.
As his only friend in
the institution where they are both patients, Michael is determined not to
leave Maddie when he escapes. At first, she seems happy to go with him, though
she does an awful lot of rambling about the moon. But when they hole up in an
empty vacation house, Michael is forced to accept that Maddie was sicker than
he thought. Now as she lay staring up at the sky, he can tell she is gone. Gone
to the moon.
Desperate
to revive her, Michael takes Maddie to the angel tree in his friend Joshua’s
back yard. Michael is convinced the tree holds special magic that can bring
Maddie back, but his hope is dashed when it becomes obvious Maddie is truly
dead.
After
the funeral, Michael can’t get Maddie out of his head. He must find a way to
the moon to be with her. He thinks the answer lay in a medallion depicting a
dragon in flight with the moon in the background. If only he can find a dragon
and catch it, he can fly to the moon! But where to find a dragon?
Then
Josh shows him a special book all about dragons. The two boys steal away with
it, taking refuge in a local swamp where Michael finds a reference to the Dream
Weaver, a mythological creature that grants wishes. But when the creature
begins visiting him in different forms, things go awry. While Michael is
asleep, trying to decipher a cryptic message from the Dream Weaver, Joshua is
bitten by a poisonous snake. By the time Michael wakes up, Joshua is at the
point of death.
Now,
torn between his loyalty to a living, breathing friend and his desire to make
things as they once were, Michael must choose; Continue his search for a dragon
and a past he can never truly recapture, or help his dying friend.
The Dream
Weaver can show him the way, but the choice is up to him.
Q) What is your favorite book?
The Bible.
Q) Which is more
dangerous? Standing between a politician and a news camera, or being a writer
seeking reviews for your book?
I
don't fear either.
Q) What’s your
favorite movie?
The
Godfather.
Q) What is the first creative thing you wrote? When did you
write it?
Science fiction stories when I was about eight.
Q) Who is the person you most admire?
Jesus Christ.
Q) What is the most important thing in your life? What’s the
second most important thing?
God and then my family.
Q) Who is the greatest writer to ever live?
C.S.Lewis.
Q) What is your favorite thing about Australia?
The quality of life.
Q) What’s your least favorite insect and why?
I like them all. I used to keep funnel web spiders
in jars.
Q) What can we expect next
from you, after, Dragonfly?
I am currently working on a YA Paranormal novel
called SINISTER THINGS.
Thanks for dropping by Geoff.
