Casselman author Carolynne Raymond celebrated the completion of her time travel trilogy with a book launch for the third and final installment of the Earth and Airus series, A Life Freed, on Thursday, Oct. 10, at the Casselman Public Library.
The trilogy explores themes of reincarnation and time travel, following two main characters as they navigate life, death, and separation across different worlds and timelines.
« In one life, one dies and the other is left behind. In the next book, the survivor is coping with the loss while the other is in another world. And in the third book, they end up in different points in time but eventually find each other again, » Raymond said.
This was Raymond’s first public book launch, despite A Life Freed being her fifth published work. Fifteen people attended the event, including family, friends, library staff and residents.
Raymond’s journey as an author began with the publication of her first book, A Life Cycle Reborn, in 2013, followed by the second book, A Life Again, in 2020. She shared that she didn’t enjoy writing during her school years but always loved reading.
« Eventually, I got to a point where I was reading books and thought, ‘I could probably do that.’ Indie publishing became big in the late 2000s, and I thought, ‘If this person made it on their own, maybe I can too.’ That’s how the first book started, » she said.
Raymond drew inspiration for the third book from the 2022 Netflix series Ancient Apocalypse, in which British writer Graham Hancock presents theories about an advanced civilization existing during the last ice age. « I liked his idea that advanced civilizations may have been around much longer than history books suggest. I took that idea and ran with it for the third book, » she said.
The Icelandic landscapes featured in the 2013 TV show Vikings, particularly the Skógafoss waterfall seen in season five, also influenced the terrain described in A Life Freed.
« Carolynne is part of the Casselman culture, and we really appreciate that she chose to present her work here in our beautiful library, » said Casselman Councillor Francine Leblanc, who attended the launch. « The doors are always open to culture in Casselman. »
A Life Freed is available as an eBook, hardcover, and paperback.
