Ailsa Abraham is visiting!

It's Friday!  

...and I'm delighted to welcome back my friend and fellow Crooked Cat author - Ailsa Abraham.

It's a wee while since Ailsa's visited this blog and I need to catch up with how her writing is doing these days, but first she's sharing a really topical subject today. 

Whatever your views on religion, the practices regarding some religious observances, and adherence to some of the doctrine, are having extreme outcomes which are causing untold misery around the world today.

Though, how does that relate to Ailsa's excellent novels...

Premonitions?

Thank you so much, Nancy, for inviting me to post on your blog today. 

Recent events in Europe and subsequent comments on social media have made me wonder if my books were prescient. Some of the more-quotable posters suggested that banning all religion would solve most of the world's current problems. Less polite ones, I'm not going to mention. 

That is rather a drastic solution but one that is tried in “Alchemy” when a scientist finds the answer to the other great poser of the day – our increasing dependence on limited supplies of fossil fuels. In an attempt to combat two evils in one go, she bargains the formula for the catalyst for rapid methane conversion against the elimination of all organised religious gatherings.

To see whether this is a viable, as well as an often-cited, solution, you will have to read both “Alchemy” and “Shaman's Drum”. It seemed to me that most often when one cures one ill, one creates another problem and this proves to be the case. Just as in medicine when pills to solve one condition have unwanted side-effects, so in this case, unforeseen consequences ensue. 

It does, however, give space to two people to unite to fight against this new threat and fall in love, even though they are the original “opposites attract”. Many obstacles lie in their path, including saving mankind from the results of its decisions but will they succeed in the end and be allowed to marry? 

A little about Ailsa.

Ailsa Abraham retired early from a string of jobs, ending up with teaching English to adults. She has lived in France since 1990 and is married with no children but six grandchildren.  She copes with Bipolar Condition, a twisted spine and increasing deafness with her usual wry humour – “well if I didn't have all those, I'd have to work for a living, instead of writing, which is much more fun.”. Her ambition in life is to keep breathing and maybe move back to the UK. She has no intention of stopping writing. Her other passions are running an orphanage for homeless teddy bears plus knitting or crochet.

As Ailsa Abraham :

Alchemy and Shaman's Drum published by Crooked Cat 

Four Go Mad in Catalonia – self-published, available from Smashwords

Twitter - @ailsaabraham

Facebook – Ailsa Abraham

Amazon Author Page

Web page

Thank you for coming today, Ailsa. My best wishes to you for a great year in 2015, healthwise and with regard to your writing.

Slainthe!