Q & A with D.G. Kaye

Q & A with D.G. Kaye, featuring author Jacqui Murray and her Hot #NewRelease – Natural Selection – #Prehistoric #Fiction

Published on by dgkaye

I’m happy to be welcoming back author Jacqui Murray to my blog to feature her new release in her pre-historic fiction series – Natural Selection (Book 3 in the Dawn of Humanity series). Jacqui is also a tech teacher and has authored almost 60 books, in fiction and nonfiction. I’m happy to be part of Jacqui’s blog tour and promoting her new book, which was released late last month. Today we’ll get to know a little more about Jacqui and her books.

Jacqui Murray

About Jacqui:

Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, the Man vs. Nature saga, prehistoric fiction, and Rowe-Delamagente thrillers. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, blog webmaster, and Amazon Vine Voice, and is a freelance tech ed journalist. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, Savage Land Fall 2024.

x

Get this book on Amazon

x

Blurb:

In this final book of the trilogy, Lucy and her tribe leave their good home to rescue captured tribemembers who are in grave danger. Since leaving her mate, Lucy created a tribe that includes an eclectic mix of species–a Canis, a Homotherium kit, and different iterations of early man. More will join and some will die but that is the nature of prehistoric life, when survival depends on a mix of man’s developing intellect and untiring will to live. Each brings unique skills to the task of saving Raza and his Group from sure death. Based on true events from 1.8 million years ago in Africa, Lucy and her band of early humans struggle against the harsh reality of a world ruled by nature, where predators stalk them and a violent new species of man threatens to destroy their world. Only by changing can they prevail. If you ever wondered how earliest man survived but couldn’t get through the academic discussions, this book is for you. Prepare to see this violent and beautiful world in a way you never imagined.

Welcome

What are your writing goals for this year?


I have an overarching theme as it relates to my prehistoric fiction: to bring the critical go- nogo periods of man’s evolution alive for readers. The first trilogy, Dawn of Humanity, told how earliest man stepped away from the apes and survived the feral world of prehistoric earth. The second trilogy, Crossroads, chronicles man’s exodus from Africa as we spread throughout Eurasia regardless of threats, harsh climate, and unknown dangers. The next trilogy—Savage Land–will address a time 75,000 years ago when nature almost defeated us. Since I know little of that time period or the species of man who inhabited it, I’ll spend the next year researching, something I love doing!

D.G. – Amazing researching man’s evolution – almost like being an archeologist.

x

How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite of your books and if so, why?


I’ve written dozens of non-fiction books, all related to the use of technology in education. The other non-fiction I wrote is Building a Midshipman, the story of my daughter applying to the United States Naval Academy, one of the premier science and engineering schools in the US. Though a memoir, it is also a how-to book for high school students who may think their dreams exceed their reach, share with them how to make that happen.


After that, I wrote two thrillers, the start of a series centered around Navy life. I have a third drafted, but decided instead to pursue a passion I’ve had for several decades, to explore how our ancestors survived a paleo world in which we were ill-equipped to compete. I’ve written six books in this series, called Man vs. Nature, and have just started on the third trilogy. Right now, that continues to be my lodestar. I don’t know if that’s a gift to know what my next book will be or a condition. Whichever, I know I have to follow it.

D.G. – You are such a dynamo Jacqui!

x

What is your favorite social media network as an author, and why do you find it
effective?

I don’t really like any of them. As a tech teacher, with a daughter who works in cybersecurity and a son in satellites, I know too much about the dangers of social media and the internet to be comfortable with any of them. I have a business and professional presence in Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, but keep them generic and non-personal. I avoid those like Tik-tok that make no secret of their lack of protection for the private information of users.

D.G. – I’m with you on social media. I wouldn’t miss any of it if they all closed down – except messenger where I can keep in touch with people.

x

Excerpt

Chapter One

One Pack Ends, Another Begins

Africa


The Canis’ packmates were all dead, each crumpled in a smeared puddle of blood, Upright killing sticks embedded where they should never be. His body shook, but he remembered his training. The killers’ scent filled the air. If they saw him—heard him—they would come for him, too, and he must survive. He was the last of his pack.

He padded quietly through the bodies, paused at his mate, broken, eyes open, tongue out, pup under her chest, his head crushed. A moan slipped from his muzzle and spread around him. He swallowed what remained in his mouth. Without a pack, silence was his only protection. He knew to be quiet, but today, now, failed.

To his horror, a departing Upright looked back, face covered in Canis blood, meaty shreds dripping from his mouth, the body of a dead pup slung over his shoulder. The Canis sank into the brittle grass and froze. The Upright scanned the massacre, saw the Canis’ lifeless body, thought him dead like the rest of the decimated pack. Satisfied, he turned away and rushed after his departing tribe. The Canis waited until the Upright was out of sight before cautiously rising and backing away from the onslaught, eyes on the vanished predators in case they changed their minds.

And fell.


He had planned to descend into the gully behind him. Sun’s shadows were already covering it in darkness which would hide him for the night, but he had gauged his position wrong. Suddenly, earth disappeared beneath his huge paws. He tried to scrabble to solid ground, but his weight and size worked against him and he tumbled down the steep slope. The loose gravel made gripping impossible, but he dug his claws in anyway, whining once when his shoulder slammed into a rock, and again when his head bounced off a tree stump. Pain tore through his ear as flesh ripped, dangling in shreds as it slapped the ground. He kept his legs as close as possible to his body and head tucked, thankful this hill ended in a flat field, not a river.

Or a cliff.


When it finally leveled out, he scrambled to his paws, managed to ignore the white-hot spikes shrieking through his head as he spread his legs wide. Blood wafted across his muzzle. He didn’t realize it was his until the tart globs dripped down his face and plopped to the ground beneath his quaking chest. The injured animal odor, raw flesh and fresh blood, drew predators. In a pack, his mate would purge it by licking the wound. She would pronounce him Ragged-ear, the survivor.

Ragged-ear is a strong name. A good one.

He panted, tail sweeping side to side, and his indomitable spirit re-emerged.


I live.


But no one else in his pack did.

Except, maybe, the female called White-streak. She often traveled alone, even when told not to. If she was away during the raid, she may have escaped. He would find her. Together, they would start over.

Ragged-ear shook, dislodging the grit and twigs from his now-grungy fur. That done, he sniffed out White-streak’s odor, discovered she had also descended here. His injuries forced him to limp and blood dripping from his tattered ear obstructed his sight. He stumbled trying to leap over a crack and fell into the fissure. Fire shot through his shoulder, exploded up his neck and down his chest. Normally, that jump was easy. He clambered up its crumbling far wall, breaking several of his
yellowed claws.

All of that he ignored because it didn’t matter to his goal.

Daylight came and went as he followed White-streak, out of a forest onto dry savannah that was nothing like his homeland.

Why did she go here?

He embraced the tenderness that pulsed throughout his usually-limber body. It kept him angry and that made him vicious. He picked his way across streams stepping carefully on smooth stones, their damp surfaces slippery from the recent heavy rain, ignoring whoever hammered with a sharp rock inside his head. His thinking was fuzzy, but he didn’t slow. Survival was more important than comfort, or rest.

Ragged-ear stopped abruptly, nose up, sniffing. What had alerted him? Chest pounding, breathing shallow, he studied the forest that blocked his path, seeking anything that shouldn’t be there.

But the throbbing in his head made him miss Megantereon.

Ragged-ear padded forward, slowly, toward the first tree, leaving only the lightest of trails, the voice of Mother in his head.

Yes, your fur color matches the dry stalks, but the grass sways when you move. That gives away your location so always pay attention.

His hackles stiffened and he snarled, out of instinct, not because he saw Megantereon. Its shadowy hiding place was too dark for Ragged-ear’s still-fuzzy thinking. The She-cat should have waited for Ragged-ear to come closer, but she was hungry, or eager, or some other reason, and sprang. Her distance gave the Canis time to back pedal, protecting his soft underbelly from her attack. Ragged-ear was expert at escaping, but his stomach spasmed and he lurched to a stop with a yowl of pain. Megantereon’s next leap would land her on Ragged-ear, but to the Canis’ surprise, the She-cat staggered to a stop, and then howled.

While she had been stalking Ragged-ear, a giant Snake had been stalking her. When she prepared her death leap, Snake dropped to her back and began to wrap itself around her chest. With massive coils the size of Megantereon’s leg, trying to squirm away did no good.

Ragged-ear tried to run, but his legs buckled. Megantereon didn’t care because she now fought a rival that always won.The She-cat’s wails grew softer and then silent. Ragged-ear tasted her death as he dragged himself into a hole at the base of an old tree, as far as possible from scavengers who would be drawn to the feast.

He awoke with Sun’s light, tried to stand, but his legs again folded. Ragged-ear remained in the hole, eyes closed, curled around himself to protect his vulnerable stomach, his tail tickling his nose, comforting.

He survived the Upright’s assault because they deemed him dead. He would not allow them to be right.

Sun came and went. Ragged-ear consumed anything he could find, even eggs, offal, and long- dead carcasses his pack normally avoided. His legs improved until he could chase rats, fat round ground birds, and moles, a welcome addition to his diet. Sometimes, he vomited what he ate and swallowed it again. The day came he once again set out after what remained of his pack, his pace more sluggish than prior to the attack, but quick enough for safety.

Ragged-ear picked up the female’s scent again and tracked her to another den. He slept there for the night and repeated his hunt the next day and the next. When he couldn’t find her trace, instinct drove him and memories of the dying howls of his pack, from the adults who trusted their Alpha Ragged-ear to protect them to the whelps who didn’t understand the presence of evil in their bright world.

Everywhere he traveled, when he crossed paths with an Upright, it was their final battle.

Trailer for Natural Selection:

Set 1.8 million years ago in Africa, Lucy and her tribe struggle against the harsh reality of a world ruled by nature, where predators stalk them and a violent new species of man threatens to destroy their world. Only by changing can they prevail. If you ever wondered how earliest man survived but couldn’t get through the academic discussions, this book is for you. Prepare to see this violent and beautiful world in a way you never imagined. Based on true events.

A perfect book for fans of Jean Auel and the Bears!

Jacqui’s Books

Find Jacqui on her Social Sites:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jacqui-Murray/e/B002E78CQQ/
Blog: https://worddreams.wordpress.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacquimurraywriter/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/askatechteacher
Twitter: http://twitter.com/worddreams
Website: https://jacquimurray.net

©DGKaye2022

84 thoughts on “Q & A with D.G. Kaye, featuring author Jacqui Murray and her Hot #NewRelease – Natural Selection – #Prehistoric #Fiction”

  1. Wonderful little interview with our talented, busy, and accomplished Jacqui, Debby. I think her mind must be like a beehive! 🙂 As you know, I featured her a few weeks ago on Roaming About as well and I remain fascinated by her pre-historical books and theme. I like the bookshelf edition on the bottom of your post.

    Jacqui, I know you’re on a blogging break right now, but I hope the release of Natural Selection is going well and as expected!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    2. Today I was reading Natural Selection at the dentist when the receptionist asked me about the book. Normally she is not that nosy, but I didn’t mind. Turns out she is interested in that literary genre (pre-historic fiction) and she said she might buy it.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. This sounds an Amazing Trilogy from Jacqui Debby…. And what a great way to explore the Natural world, loved the interview and the Excerpt from One Pack ends Another Begins… through the eyes of original Wolf type animal eyes..
    Excellent Post and interview… ❤
    Wishing Jacqui every success with her books .
    Have a lovely weekend Debby. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. It must be a fascinating topic to research, and I am not surprised Jacqui is so taken with it. And there’s still plenty to tell. Congratulations to the author and good luck with her new book and the rest of the series! Oh, and I totally agree about social media. Thanks, Debby, for spreading the good news. ♥

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. I was happy to see this book published at last. I could hardly wait to find out what happened to Lucy and her group. So many obstacles lay in their way. But these primitive people are tough and resourceful. Our modern man is a wimp by comparison to these early people. Please write more, Jacqui!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  8. Excellent post Deb, it’s nice to see one of my favorite authors here. Congratulations Jacqui, I can see the popularity of the series! I’ve downloaded Natural selection, I know I am going to enjoy this one too.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Good interview, Debby. While I knew Jacqui was busy, I had no idea it was to this extent. I love the content from her regular blog and her education/tech blog. Looking forward to diving into Natural Selection in the next week or two.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. Hi Debby – I’ve loved Jacqui’s books ever since I read her first ‘Dawn of Humanity series’ – she is as you say alway professional, up-to-date and caring … it’s pleasure to help her out … all ways which!! Cheers to you both – Hilary

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    2. It won’t surprise you the more I read about the ancestors I’ll feature in my next trilogy, the more I find that they communicated with sounds–song, chirps, whistles–as likely as voices. Interesting…

      Like

      Reply

  17. I’m not so sure about blogs either – I just wrote a fairly long message on here, and it bounced back and told me it could not be posted. No idea why.
    And my internet security system labels Jacqui’s site as dangerous and won’t let me visit.
    Most frustrating.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Arg Deb, I’m sorry. I know WP has tons of glitches. It happens to me too on some blogs, I write away and poof, right into the ethers. I’ve learned, when leaving a lengthy comment to copy it before I hit send, lol. I also have some troubles getting on some blogs. Athough, I found with me, it’s my VPN I use that won’t allow me to certain sites deeming them unsafe. If I know the blogger, I just disconnect my VPN to visit. So, I’m sure it’s some kind of a security issues, maybe the old ‘http’ instead of ‘https’? x

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I always copied my comments for your blog before you moved back here! This is the first time I’ve had a problem in ages.
        I only use my VPN when I’m staying in hotels, if I have it on at home it interferes with my being able to watch Amazon Prime TV on my television 🙄🤔
        Weird, huh?
        It’s my anti virus software that doesn’t like certain blogs, I’ve no idea why, but I’m changing provider this week, so we shall see!

        Like

      2. Thanks for letting me know. Yes, I originally started using VPN for when I travel, but I often have it on at home too and find, like anti virus, it blocks me from using some sites, including blogs. I hope your new provider works out! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  18. Hi Debby, a lovely Q&A with Jacqui. I would miss WordPress a lot if it disappeared and it is a social media, albeit a better one that some others. I also like Facebook for keeping up with friends and family and Pinterest for finding interesting artworks. Twitter is my least favourite, because I see it rather as the dustbin of social media, where people just dump stuff that no-one ever reads.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hi Robbie. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on social media. I’m with you on all. I keep Fakebook mostly for chatting on messenger with friends. I don’t like the politics behind Fakebook or Twitter, and like you, I share posts to Twitter, but don’t spend much time there otherwise. I think many of us writers would miss WordPress if it were to fold. Let’s hope not. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    2. The odd thing is youngers (25-40 maybe) use Twitter for news. It’s a quick way to get headlines and then dig into articles of interest, and allows you to reach many opinions quickly. This is a big difference than getting what CNN or Fox News or Wall Street Journal considers top stories worthy of space.

      FB–absolutely agree.

      Pinterest–I can’t believe how much traffic i get to my blog from there! Yikes!

      Like

      Reply

      1. I’m sure it’s fascinating, and I thank you for sharing your fascination with us without requiring us to do all the research too. 🙂

        Like

  20. Great interview, Jacqui and Debbie. I’m with you on the social media. Wouldn’t miss it if all of them disappeared. I don’t mind blogging but that is not quite the same as social media. x

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s