FAN INTERVIEW
Jessica Sawa What pulled you into science fiction? And How in the world were you able to keep each dimension in order. I mean it switched so fast and was so quick paced that I think I would have gotten lost while writing it. so how did you keep everything in order?
Irene Helenowski I was just watching some specials on the Discovery and Science channels on the multiverse theory and thought it would be cool to to think about what I could be doing in another dimension. And sometimes I think about having a life in more than two dimensions, thus the fast paced changes in my book.
Borko When do you usually write? Do you write in your mind first and then on paper?
Irene Helenowski I write whenever I have free time and I just jot down what comes to me on my computer.
Nadine Kimmage-Mosby Will you be writing anymore sci-fi books? Or will you try a different genre? Did you think your books would be this popular? How did you discover writing?
Irene Helenowski I'm still deciding what to write next. It might be science fiction or something related to biostatistics and my job, or even poetry which I have recently taken up.
Mandi Foster Davis What was your inspiration for the whole multiverse concept?
Irene Helenowski I was watching a special on it on the Discovery channel and just started thinking about what it might be like to live a totally different life in another dimension.
Nadine Kimmage-Mosby How do you find time? Will you try a different sci-fi genre? If you could, would you write them the same again? Or change the concept and characters slightly? How do you feel about the characters? Why is the bad guy so nasty? Can you relate to any of the characters? Do you dream about them?
Irene Helenowski I'm still deciding what to write next. One day, I think about poetry and another day I think about something totally different. And sometimes I do think about re-writing the trilogy. Some characters and plots are definitely from my life experiences and if I was having a bad day, you can tell from how nasty the villain became, LOL.
Nadine Kimmage-Mosby One more lol - whilst you were writing did you find yourself talking to the characters like they were real people?
Irene Helenowski Well, sometimes I dreamed about my characters; that was
surreal. Like I took in my laptop to a place called Zelov computer repair or I was collaborating on a
pediatric project with someone named Maggie, LOL.
Donna Bond Are your characters based on any people in your real life?
Irene Helenowski Some stories really are based on real life experiences.
Mandi Foster Davis Can you tell us about the creative freedom of writing your villain? He is truly terrible. And I feel like he was probably fun to write.
Irene Helenowski He was fun to write. Just began writing him and then thought that he would be an interesting character to develop. And a good character to write when I had to vent; maybe that is why he is terrible.
Kelli Landon How do you get your ideas? Are they taken from real life incidents?
Irene Helenowski I definitely got some ideas from real life experiences.
Lauren Dootson I secretly love villains When did you start writing your first book and how long did it take you to finish? Did you know how the series would end before you started, or did you just let the characters do the work for you?
Irene Helenowski The entire trilogy took about two years – I did not know how it would end the middle of the second book and the I just came up with some stories to fill it up.
Lauren Dootson Who is your favorite scientist? You can only choose ONE.
Irene Helenowski Maria Sklodowska-Curie being the first woman and first person winning two Nobel prizes and being Polish, of course :)
Margaux Sky It's easy to choose others that influence us and name those important qualities about
another that inspire us, but it is equally important to be self-influenced. What about yourself influences your ambition to write?
Irene Helenowski I definitely think that working in a scientific field is what led me to start writing science fiction.
Julieanne Lynch Is there anything about writing and the publishing world that scares you? What advice would you offer other aspiring novelists?
Irene Helenowski I wonder how my books will be received and if they will ever catch on. But I would still tell aspiring novelists to go for it and write from their hearts.
Paul What do you look forward to in your life, Irene?
Irene Helenowski Well, I hope my family and friends are happy and healthy. Sometimes, I still wish I could have my own family. And maybe my trilogy being a success would be nice. But we'll see what happens :)
Gerry When you have a concept for a story and you think about various
parts of it, do you think of it in terms of written words, as in a manuscript? Or do you think of it more like real life, or perhaps as a screenplay?
Irene Helenowski I always visualize my scenes as if they were movies, even down to the music, including camera angles, panoramic segues, etc. I definitely think about how it would play out live and even what actors would play the characters. It does help with the writing process, but sometimes I get carried away too so I have to stop
Erika Dr. Helenowski, in your trilogy, your characters are physically able to enter the Multiverser and assume various lives. Do you believe that human beings have astral bodies? Do you believe in astral travel? Do you believe that people here on earth, can separate from their physical bodies and travel into other dimensions?
Irene Helenowski I don't know enough about astral traveling to answer that question but I think anything could be possible.
Erika do you have any personal experience in traveling to other dimensions. Do you think that the dream state could possibly be occurring in another dimension and that those we dream of are actually there with us?
Irene Helenowski No, I haven't traveled, but sometimes I do have dreams that seem as if they are real in another dimension.
Erika how would you respond to people who have had mystical experiences that have claimed that they have had actual visits from spirits, saints, or living people? Do you believe that as human beings we can communicate with the dead from other dimensions? Do you believe that upon the death of the physical body, that our consciousness exists in another dimension?
Irene Helenowski I do not know much about traveling but I believe anything is possible, including communications between dimensions, even between loved ones no longer with us in this one.
AUTHOR INFO
Irene
Helenowski, the author of “Order of the Dimensions”, is a
biostatistician an academic medical center in Chicago and recently
received her doctorate in biostatistics. She also enjoys going to
movies and concerts in her spare time.
STALKER LINKS
BUY LINKS
Order of the Dimensions
Revised Orders
Final Orders
