Meet Reagan McGuire, author of Can You See The Music?

What would you do if you were offered the chance to extend your life indefinitely? Would you use that gift for good or evil? Would you take life for granted or treasure every day? Reagan McGuire has posed that question in his novel, Can You See The Music?, in a honest and powerful view of how humanity has much to learn about life and living, and I am pleased to feature him on my blog to talk more about his novel.

Collette: Thank you for agreeing to answer my questions, Reagan. Can we start with a little bit about you? Who is the man behind the story?

Reagan: That is a very hard question for me to answer. I am the adopted grandfather of two twin Navajo children age 9. I worked for the last 6 years at Northern Arizona University doing bark beetle research. I am an avid reader and a left wing liberal. 

Collette: When did you start writing?

Reagan: I started in December of 2010. I did not know I could write until the words spilled out of my head and onto the page. 20,000 in the first twenty days. The dam was broken, the flood then came.

Collette: Where did you get the inspiration for Can You See the Music?

Reagan: I wish I could say it was something I had thought about and sat down and wrote on purpose, however it was not. What I can say is that the work came out of a lifetime of observation of the human condition.

Collette: Were you inspired by someone to write the genre you’re writing in?

Reagan: I am always inspired by the great writers throughout history. Balzac, Tolstoy, Conrad. I could go on and on.

Collette: Do you write full-time?

Reagan: No I write when the spirit moves me. Sitting down and trying to write seems a bit silly to me. If it does not come from the depth of my being, I do not want it on the page.

Collette: If not, what do you do to pay your bills?

Reagan: Damn, pay the bills??? Hell now I know why those pieces of paper keep growing on my desk.

Collette says: Ha ha… I know, those pesky little things always seem to pop up too regularly. Maybe if you close your eyes they’ll go away! J

Collette: Can you tell us a little about your work?

Reagan: My book Can You See The Music? is a timeless tale about time. I use life extension which will be a reality soon to take up important issues that all humans face.

Collette: How did you come up with the idea of Can You See the Music?

Reagan: This book was inspired by this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson “It is not the length of life, but the depth of life.” Within two decades life-extension will be a fact. The biology is there. People will be able to live to be 125 to 160 years old. This is something that needs to be discussed.  This book is an attempt to start that conversation.

Collette: How long did it take you to complete?

Reagan: Six months.

Collette: Your story has a touch of science in it with a very powerful message. Can you describe your research into your subject?

Reagan: I wish I could say that I spent hours researching the book, but alas I did not. Whatever scientific and philosophical ideas that are exposed in the book came from reading and thinking on the deeper issues life brings us.

Collette: Can you describe Richard in a few sentences? What is he like? What does he want? Goals, strengths, weaknesses, etc.

Reagan :Richard is a flawed man who early on in life gets on a mission to save those he loves from dying. His lifelong dream causes him to create a formula to extend lifespan. He never realizes until deep into the story that 'in all creation, the seeds of destruction are sewn.'

Collette: Are any of your characters based on real-life friends or acquaintances?

Reagan: Most of them are composites of some of the remarkable people I have been blessed to have known.

Collette: Do you ever incorporate yourself into your characters?

Reagan: Richard would be me on many levels. Inspired but flawed.

Collette: Are you still writing? If so, what will your future projects entail?

Reagan: I am now co-writing a romance novel. Shakespearean love denied by the reality of ones life. 

Collette: How often do you read?

Reagan: Often , I have no life :-)

Collette: What is your favorite genre to read?

Reagan: I love reading Science anything that has to do with the evolution of human consciousness. I have been reading Henry James and John Le Carre' recently.

Collette: Ebook, paperback or hardcover?

Reagan: Paperback and hardcover.

Where can we find you online?

Website: http://www.cystmusic.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002500754923
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Can-You-See-Music-ebook/dp/B0054RBNMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316095526&sr=8-1
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Reagan1mc

Collette: Where is Can You See The Music? available for purchase?
http://www.cystmusic.com

Collette: What formats are your book available in? Epub, PDF, Kindle

Collette: Reagan, thank you so much for sharing a bit about you and your work with me today. I wish you all the best of success, and keep up that philosophical thinking. You have made some very thought-provoking and valid points in your story. It was a pleasure to read and learn more about you.