Inspiration for Writing The Seventh Sun

The Seventh Sun is a science-based thriller about Black Swans: not the bird, but the event.  Black swan events are those sudden and unpredictable disasters that tend to turn our world upside down. The idiom originated in the sixteenth century among scientists to represent an idea or theory that didn’t exist, because at the time, no one in Europe had ever seen an actual black swan.  But then, Dutch explorers discovered real black swans in Australia and brought several specimens back to Europe. Surprised and embarrassed, the scientific community reinvented the term “Black Swan” to mean “blindness to the unexpected.” What makes black swan events so devastating is their element of surprise.  With no warning, there is no time to build defenses, so black swans sweep in unencumbered, creating havoc.

Decades ago, I went on a scuba diving vacation to the small island of Guanaja off the coast of Honduras. It was an idyllic location of great beauty both on the island and at the underwater sites we explored.  The fictional Palacio del Sol resort in The Seventh Sun is based on the original Posada Del Sol resort where I stayed. My personal experiences with the Payan people I met there and the friendships I developed stayed with me. I hoped to return to Guanaja in the future for more scuba diving adventure.

Years later, tragedy struck the island. On October 26, 1998, Hurricane Mitch visited Guanaja . . .

To read the rest of the article about the writing of The Seventh Sun, go over to the excellent online publication, Mystery Tribune.  Check out their other articles as well!