Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Escalation/Stephen Tremp Guest Post

I'm happy to be one of the bloggers on Stephen Tremp's Escalation Blog Tour.  Take it away, Stephen!
 

Wormholes. A Tough Act To Follow

Wormholes.  Just what the heck do they look like?  And what would it be like to the person traversing a portal through space and perhaps time?  Watching wormholes in classic movies like Contact and TV shows like Sliders, it would seem like I had a tough act to follow.

But I did not look at these questions as problems a writer has to overcome.  I saw them as opportunities to write some really cool stuff that kept me awake late into many nights!!!  With a little help from my editor Marvin Wilson, of course.

First, the colors.  Most shows use blues.  So I opted for the opposite; orange and yellow.  Just to be different.  Then came the experience.  How would one feel once they exited, other than being thankful for being alive?  I took off on this very thought.  Here are example from each of the three books from the Breakthrough trilogy:

In Breakthrough:  The bad guys use wormholes to assassinate powerful global figures.  In and out without a trace.  Seems like a perfect crime.  Here is Staci Bevere returning and explaining what she experienced, which ironically trumped the murder of a Massachusetts State Senator she just committed.

“That was fantastic, Nicky.  It’s the journey of a lifetime.  I’ll never get over the feeling of being in one location one moment, then being in another place the next.  It’s hard to explain, but I felt a sensation of ecstasy and elation.  I experienced what seemed like an awareness of bliss that awaits us on the other side.  It was as if I had passed through an angelic host along the way.”

Hold that thought.

In Opening:  Here is Staci expecting the same blissful event, but encountering something horribly different (This is my Readers Digest version of the event):

Staci was scared.  No, she was horror-struck—heart racing— breathing hard.  She had experienced an event completely new to her, a sense of imminent evil when she stepped through the wormhole.

Although her journey from Cambridge to Manhattan was almost instantaneous, Staci felt as if she had spent a lifetime in the tunnel.  It was as though she had passed through a caliginous catacomb of decaying bodies and malodorous swamp water.  Yet, somehow, she sensed the rotting bodies belonged to the living— if that were even conceivable .  It was a place of agony and terrible suffering.

The best way she could explain the phenomenon was that she had skirted deadly close— maybe the event horizon?— to … what?  Like a black hole opening to some demonic supernatural realm?  Whatever , it had to be the outer edges of the bowels of Hell.  The horrible feculence … and the sense of living while eternally rotting and suffering … could not be accounted for any other way.

In Escalation:  Here is Chase’s childhood friend traversing a wormhole to save the day.

I’m going to make it.  Bennie felt a rapturous euphoria like never before.  He knew he had experienced something no one else had.  The ultimate round trip thrill ride: stepping through a wormhole and crossing over into a parallel dimension.

Bennie had lost all recollection of time.  The passage could have been a brief moment.  Or hours.  Maybe a lifetime.  After taking that initial leap he’d experienced the sensation of traveling through space with only the momentum of his initial step forward.  Along the way, there was no up or down, right or left.  But he didn’t think he was spinning.  He felt upright through the journey.

He couldn’t see Carol.  Only fading colors, blending together into different hues, fluctuating from bright to dull, back and forth.  He couldn’t understand, let alone interpret and describe, his surroundings.  Time and space raced by, silently, and far too fast for his mind to comprehend.

But he could feel his hand squeezed tight around Carol’s.  Warm.  Soft.  He sensed she tightened her grip.  And he was not going to let go.  Up ahead, a light.  Growing.  Turning blue.  Is that the sky?  The trip … it’s … it’s over.  We’re arriving on the other side.  Bennie felt a bliss he hoped he’d never forget.

He skidded to a halt in arid dusty sands.  Carol ran into his back.  He almost gave way.  But he held his own, keeping her from knocking them both face first in the sand.

This is how I describe wormholes from the characters POV to the reader.  Of course, there are many more instances of traversing wormholes in the Breakthrough series.

If you enjoyed this post, stop by Stephen’s Blog for more information on the Breakthrough series.  To download Escalation: The Adventures of Chase Manhattan >CLICK HERE<.



Stephen Tremp lives with his wife and two daughters in Mission Viejo, CA.  He has a B.A. in information systems and an MBA degree in global management.  Stephen has a background in information systems, management, and finance and draws from this varied and complex experiential knowledge to write one-of-a-kind thrillers.


29 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Everyone would react differently, and you showed that. Like in Galaxy Quest when they are all zapped to the ship. Most are quivering. Fred says cool.

Natalie Aguirre said...

I don't watch much sci-fi so I didn't know about wormholes. That's cool they have colors and that you picked opposite ones to be unique.

Magaly Guerrero said...

The idea of controllable, stable wormholes as an assassination tool--or a way to make the crime happen--it pretty awesome. I like Alex's example. It also makes me think of Sliders. Sweet!
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cleemckenzie said...

I can imagine those brightly colored passages through time and space! Can't wait until I can actually take a trip in one, but I promise I won't use it to escape after a crime; I'll use it for an escape from my mind-controlling computer. Great to read about all of your books and how they're connected through this amazing futuristic travel phenomenon.

stephen Hayes said...

I don't read much Sci-Fi but this does sound like a good story.

Stephen Tremp said...

Thank you Lexa for hosting me today. I had a great time developing the whole wormhole scenes. They actually go well beyond simply traversing space.

Using wormholes ofr travel between point A and point B has the most unexpected consequences as a whole Pandora's Box is opened. The characters discover there exists a freeway system of wormholes. Complete with unexpected on ramps, off ramps, detours, and dead ends.

Kate Larkindale said...

What an interesting idea! I've never thought about using wormholes to travel.

klahanie said...

Greetings humans, Lexa and Stephen,

Escalation certainly gives you a lift. I thought Chase Manhattan was some kind of drink. Never mind :) Stephen, your wormhole concepts intrigue. Good to see you on the lovely Lexa's site. Now we have some exciting news on "The Big Bark Theory."

Pawsitive wishes,

Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar! :)

Kelly Steel said...

I enjoy scifi stories. And this one sounds awesome! Congratulations to Stephen!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Gotta watch out for those tricksy wormholes! ;)
Congrats, Stephen!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I like how the experiences were different. I always get my idea of what it would be like from Stargate. I would step through the Stargate without hesitation.

Unknown said...

Very nice. It is amazing what you can take away from an experience. Thanks for sharing. A portal from one wold to the next.

Stephen Tremp said...

Alex, Galaxy Quest is a favorite of ours. Been a few months so I'll put it on out Netflix queue for the weekend.

Stephen Tremp said...

Magaly, in and out without a trace. Some people just think different. For better or worse.

Stephen Tremp said...

Natalie, my books technically are not Sci-Fi. They just happen to have the element of SciFi in it.

Stephen Tremp said...

Cheryl, that's the trick. Connecting a series. Unbelievably, I read a series that are too much stand alone books and not an intercollected series.

Stephen Tremp said...

Hey Stephen, long time no see. Thanks for stopping by. If anything, Escalation would be a good read if you did not want to read an entire trilogy.

Stephen Tremp said...

Kate, then I added a bit of time travel too. Only 33 hours. But enough to make a world of difference. Literally.

Stephen Tremp said...

Klahanie, I do have a penchant for Jack Russell Terriers! And I'll drink to that!

Stephen Tremp said...

Thank you Kelly!

Stephen Tremp said...

Lynda, look out! There's one behind you right now!

Stephen Tremp said...

Susan, I loved the Stargate series. I need to re-watch a few episodes on YouTube.

Stephen Tremp said...

Lady Lilith, the best part is that we don't know what lies on the other side. As a writer, this is a gold mine!

Denise Covey said...

Stephen's commitment to sci fi is amazing.

Crystal Collier said...

I love it. Any time you can be in the characters shoes while they experience something, that grabs me.

LD Masterson said...

I love finding Stephen and Escalation on so many blogs.

DMS said...

Wormholes have always fascinated me! It was great to learn about how Stephen came about his descriptions of them in his book. Sounds like fun research. :) Wishing Stephen the best of luck. I have been hearing great things about Escalation!
~Jess

Anonymous said...

It's so awesome to read and see people's POV's about wormholes in books and shows. Maybe this will happen in the near future.

Jocelyn Rish said...

Wormholes are so fascinating, so it's fun to read how Stephen images people would experience them.

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