Blog Tour: ON THE THRESHOLD

On the Threshold

by M. Laszlo

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GENRE: Historical Science Fiction

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BLURB:

Obsessed with learning the origins of the cosmos, the actual meaning of life, and the true purpose of civilization, a fine Scotsman named Fingal T. Smyth dedicates himself to the study of Plato’s most extraordinary ideas. Convinced of Plato’s belief that humankind possesses any and all innate knowledge deep within the collective unconscious mind, Fingal soon conducts a series of bold, pioneering occult-science experiments by which to resolve the riddle of the universe once and for all. However, Fingal forgets how violent and perilous the animal impulses that reside in the deepest recesses of the unconscious mind. And when Fingal unleashes a mysterious avatar of his innate knowledge, the entity appears as a burning man and immediately seeks to manipulate innocent and unsuspecting people everywhere into immolating themselves. Now, with little hope of returning the fiery figure into his being, Fingal must capture his nemesis before it destroys the world.

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Excerpt One:

Autumn, 1907: late one morning, some kind of torrid, invisible beast seemed to wrap itself all around Fingal T. Smyth’s body. Each one of his toes twitching fiercely, he exited the castle and scanned the distant, Scottish Highlands. Go back where you came from. As the entity wrapped itself tighter all about his person, Fingal blinked back his tears. I’m melting, I am. Aye, it’s the heat of fusion.

Gradually, the beast’s heartbeat became audible—each pulsation. At the same time, too, the illusory heat of transformation emitted an odor as of oven-roasted peppercorns dissolving in a cup of burnt coffee.

Over by the gatehouse, Fräulein Wunderwaffe appeared—the little German girl wearing a plain-sewn robe and square-crown bowler. In that moment, she no longer seemed to be a sickly child of seven years: her inscrutable expression resembled that of a wise, indifferent cat. 

Perhaps even some kind of lioness. Fingal cringed, and he recalled a fragment of conversation from three weeks earlier.

“She suffers from a most unnatural pathology, an anguished, maniacal obsession with cats,” Doktor Hubertus Pflug had explained. “Ever since the poor girl was a baby, she has always regarded it her fate to one day metamorphose into a glorious panther, for she believes herself to be ein Gestaltwandler. Do you know this word? It means shapeshifter and refers to someone who possesses the power to take the form of anything in nature.”

The heat radiated up and down Fingal’s spine now, and his thoughts turned back to the present. Aye, it’s a change of phase. I’m melting into a chemical compound. Despite all, he greeted the girl and willed himself to flash a grin.

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Interview:

Where are you from? Tell us a little about yourself!

I’m from Ohio, but I spent much of my childhood in Maine. From youth through my thirties, I traveled quite a bit in Greece, Egypt, the Czech Republic, Ireland, and elsewhere. Looking back, my wanderings were very important because they invest my idea books and journals with a global or universal feel. Still, I’ll always prefer Ohio as my home. Each of the four seasons really stands out in Ohio, and no one has more really beautiful metro trails for hiking. Cuyahoga Valley is a truly great and sacred place. 

Tell us about your book? How did it get started?

On the Threshold is a book in which the protagonist genuinely grasps the origins of the universe, the meaning of life, and the purpose of civilization. And he explains all in the last section. It was crucial for me to write a book like that because his Faustian quest forced me to answer the most basic existential questions a person can ask.

How do you create your characters?

My characters are always composites of the most interesting and thought-provoking people I’ve met in the years preceding whatever work in which said characters appear.

What inspires and what got you started in writing?

Nothing inspires me other than the congenital desire to find meaning in things. The wish to resolve the riddle of the universe, that’s what got me started in writing.

Where do you write? Is there something you need in order to write (music, drinks?)

I write things in my idea books and journals wherever I happen to be. Most of the journals that go with On the Threshold were journals I wrote whilst living in Westchester County, New York. Often, I found myself writing in Grand Central Station. When it comes to drafting, however, I must be home at my computer. And yes, it always feels good to have a bit of music playing in the background. Erik Satie is best.

How do you get your ideas for writing?

A combination of my conscious and unconscious mind and/or instincts and impulses determine what goes into my idea books and journals. Later on, I suppose both my conscious and unconscious mind work together to determine the story or narrative arc that naturally emerges from those idea books and journals.

What do you like to read?

Reference literature! I love dictionaries, reference.com articles, and old encyclopedias. In terms of fiction, I’ll always love Robert Heinlein and Ray Bradbury.

What would your advice to be for authors or aspiring in regards to writing?

Keep doing what you’re doing and take care. Everything will align one day.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I just want to thank the Pen and Muse Book Reviews. You’re so lovely.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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Laszlo is an aging recluse who lives in Bath, Ohio. Rumor holds that his pseudonym is a reference to Victor Laszlo, a character in the classic film Casablanca. On the Threshold is his first release with the acclaimed, Australian hybrid house AIA Publishing. Oddly, M. Laszlo insists that his latest work, On the Threshold, does in fact provide the correct answer to the riddle of the universe.  

Buy link: https://aiapublishing.com/product/on-the-threshold-m-laszlo/

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Laszlo will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway