Liquid Gold by Caroline Swart

   For over 20 years the Smith family has been carrying a large secret, one that can change the world.  Her family has been growing sunflowers that can be pressed and the oil can be put directly into engines without adding chemicals or modifying it.  Such a cheap and easy crop to grow would surely put many large companies out of business.  Because of a certain contract Dirk Smit, who lives in South Africa, signed over 20 years ago, these sunflowers have not been able to be used for what Peter Smith and his family have been using it for.  A very few people know about these seeds and it needs to stay that way until the family can get the seeds analyzed and patented since the company who bought out Dirk's crop had not renewed the patent.  But a company called Secure Measures is keeping watch of everything going on and are prepared to go to great lengths to make sure those seeds never come to light.
   While all of this is happening, Jennifer Smith is getting acquainted with very handsome Ryan Edwards.  He is a student at the college she attends and a trustworthy guy.  Her uncle is one of Ryan's professors and Ryan frequently helps him with things.  Ryan has had a complicated past and doesn't trust others easily, but he really likes Jennifer.  Things get complicated when Jennifer's ex shows up in town again.  Things get downright dangerous when one of Ryan and Jennifer's friends is almost beaten to death by one of the men looking for the special sunflower seeds grown on her family's farm.


   This was a very fascinating book!  It seems like it would be mostly a romance, but it actually is not.  There is a lot of action and danger to this book and the romance part balances it out well.  The story line about sunflower seeds being genetically modified for use in regular car engines and such is very interesting!  It would be very dangerous indeed to hold the key to a world energy crisis.  Huge companies that produced oil and such would not want that type of competition and people could get hurt, which is what happens in the book.  I love the scientific element to it!



A word from the author:

In the early eighties in South Africa, a reporter wrote an article about a farmer who used sunflower oil to power his farm vehicles. This was before biofuel became popular and there was a lot of excitement about the news. The article went on to say that South Africa's largest fuel company had expressed interest in the farmer's endeavours. Because of sanctions, fuel was difficult to obtain and there was a lot of excitement about a new energy source. Nothing was heard about the oil after that and the story evolved into a giant conspiracy theory. I was interested in biofuel  and wanted to find out about the process. While researching the subject, I remembered the story of the farmer and imagined what his life would be like if he’d been given the chance to market the oil and this led to the idea behind Liquid Gold. A lot of research went into the book and I’ve tried to be as accurate as possible by contacting universities and people actively involved in energy research. Hopefully readers will enjoy the romance and adventure that I’ve woven around this interesting story.



*The name Dirk Smit is not a typo.  In this story he is related to the Smiths.  Peter Smith changed his name from Peter Smit.


Here are some interesting links on alternative fuel for those of you interested:

-Mythbusters- Cooking Oil as Economical Diesel Fuel (video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEX1YFXYTdI

-Can I burn used vegetable oil in my car? http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-consumption/vegetable-oil-fuel.htm

-Sunflower Oil Use in Biodiesel http://www.sunflowernsa.com/oil/biodiesel/

Email Interview with Caroline Swart

Here is an email interview I did with Caroline Swart, author of Liquid Gold and Aspen and the Dream Walkers!!  Thank you Caroline!

1. Please tell us a little about where you are from.

I'm from a sleepy coastal town in South Africa called Port Elizabeth in South Africa. I travel between America and Africa regularly and have lived in Atlanta and New Jersey before.

 

2. When did you publish your first book?  What was the title of the book?

My first book, Liquid Gold, was published in 2010 and it's about two college students in Idaho who are in the cross hairs of a giant oil cartel because of a family-kept bio-fuel secret. The book has plenty of action and there's a budding romance between the two main characters.

 

3. What hobbies do you enjoy in your free time?

I was a professional singer many years ago, and still sing in a band at the occasional function or pub night. Being an avid reader, you can always catch me with my nose in an e-reader, and I've been known to dabble with a paint brush at times.

 

4. Would you tell us a little about your next book in the Dream Walker Series?

 The Dream Walkers consist of four clans, Power, Water, Fire and Wind, so there's a lot of scope for new characters and books in the series. I wanted to write about Ruby and Caden next. Ruby had a good reason for making Aspen jealous and Caden, the handsome blond Water Walker, knows just how to fire up her temper. His family is against clan-mixing so there's going to be a lot of conflict and romantic tension between the two of them. She is such a beautiful character and so firey that I couldn't resist giving her a story of her own. The book is called Ruby and the Fire Walkers. Of course the tale wouldn't be complete without a villain. Lord Andreas, the leader of the chancellors in Lanta, survived the attack on his castle and is looking for revenge. Unfortunately Ruby decides to follow Caden when he goes after his missing twin brother in Muda, just as Andreas is looking for someone to punish...

5. The idea of the Dream Walker series is very intriguing.  Where did your inspiration for this series come from?

My niece, Aspen Swart, asked for a young adult book and I created the world of Lanta with the main character being named after her. Most of the characters in my books are named after friends and family - it's a fun way of involving them in my work. I decided to write about nightmares because kids hate them and I could picture evil creatures feeding on the fear they generate. Lavendula is loosely based on REM (Rapid eye movement), which is the stage when your brain dreams and nightmares happen. REM typically lasts for ten minutes a few times during the night while you sleep. That's why Lavendula is shorter than Lemona. Imagining clans of warriors who fight the nightmares and save children from bad dreams was the next step and I wanted them to be on another plane or world to make the story more exciting. I keep picturing new towns, new super powers and incredible characters in my head, so hopefully the stories will get richer and more interesting as they evolve.

 

6. Have your life experiences had an impact on your writing?

Absolutely. I worked at a Drive-In late at night in a deserted ticket office when I was a teenager. Every night I wondered what was waiting for me outside of the office door while the sounds of the movies echoed around me. That inspired a host of stories in my head. Couple that with the thousands of novels that I've read and also with being involved in the music industry - which is a fantasy in itself - on stage, on television and in casinos, and you'll understand where I get my inspiration from.

 

7. How long have you been writing?

Since junior school. I would entertain my friends with self-penned, short novels and wanted to hug my English teacher when he said I should consider a career in writing.

8. What is your favorite quote?

If you don't have a dream, how are you going to make a dream come true? (Oscar Hammerstein)

If I could create my own quote it would be as follows:
Opportunity is like a wave. When it's cresting, don't wait - grab your surfboard and ride it.