The Hot Author Report

Interview with Lisa A. Shiel – Author of ‘The Evolution Conspiracy, Vol. 1: Exposing Life’s Inexplicable Origins and the Cult of Darwin’

Lisa A. Shiel researches and writes about everything strange, from Bigfoot and UFOs to alternative history. She has been interviewed for big-city newspapers, national magazines, drive-time talk radio shows, and TV news. She has a master’s degree in library science. As a fiction writer, Lisa developed the Human Origins Series—which includes the novels The Hunt for Bigfoot and Lord of the Dead. Lisa’s other nonfiction books are Backyard Bigfoot: The True Story of Stick Signs, UFOs & the Sasquatch (a finalist in ForeWord Magazine’s 2006 Book of the Year Awards) and Strange Michigan. Her latest book, The Evolution Conspiracy, Vol. 1, marks the initial release in a planned three-book series. Find her online at EvolutionConspiracy.com, Twitter.com/LAShiel, or on Facebook.

Q: Tell us briefly about your book.

In The Evolution Conspiracy I probe the evidence for evolution to expose its strengths, as well as its flaws, without involving religious beliefs. In spite of what many biologists say, evolution is far from an irrefutable fact. In The Evolution Conspiracy I provide the tools you need to make up your own mind— tools like a list of 171 references, a detailed glossary, a thorough index, and numerous illustrations. I present the evidence, with my analysis of it, then I encourage you to think for yourself.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

Right now I’m working on my third novel, Ancient Ones, part of my Human Origins Series. I’ve already published two books in the series, The Hunt for Bigfoot and Lord of the Dead. After the novel I plan to start work on volume 2 of The Evolution Conspiracy, which I have already begun researching.

Q: What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?

I read mainly nonfiction (history and science), because facts inspire my novels as well as my nonfiction books. The one book that inspired me the most, and encouraged me to question the mainstream dogma, was Forbidden Archeology. The author of that book, Michael Cremo, provided a nice blurb for my book The Evolution Conspiracy.

Q: Where you have lived and what you have experienced can influence your writing in many ways. Are there any specific locations or experiences that have popped up in your books?

I live in Michigan, so naturally Michigan locations show up in my novels. Since I’ve lived in or visited many other places too I have plenty of personal experience to draw on for my writing. One particular location, the Paluxy River in Texas, shows up in two of my books (the novel The Hunt for Bigfoot and the nonfiction Backyard Bigfoot) because of the controversial discovery of fossilized human footprints there. For The Evolution Conspiracy I go beyond the borders of my hometown to explore evidence from around the world, and even outside it. Saturn’s moon Titan appears in the book, but I have not actually been there—yet. Hey, you never know what might happen in the future!

Q. Why did you choose to write a book critiquing evolution?

I’ve been interested in the topic for a long time. In my novel The Hunt for Bigfoot I explored the problems with theories of human origins by wrapping the discussion in an adventure story. When I searched for nonfiction books critiquing evolution, however, I discovered virtually all of them rely on the author’s personal theory or religious beliefs rather than focusing on the evidence itself. I realized I could fill a void in the literature by writing a book that does just that—lays out the evidence, examines it through a secular lens, and lets you decide for yourself what to believe. The evidence can poke holes in evolutionary theories all on its own. That’s why I wrote The Evolution Conspiracy.

Q. Are you saying scientists are completely wrong about evolution?

Absolutely not. Natural selection, the idea that organisms adapt to their surroundings via genetic mutations, makes sense and can be seen throughout nature. But can natural selection, or any of the current evolutionary theories, explain the origins and diversification of life on earth? The evidence is flimsy at best. When it comes to the origins of life itself and the origins of most organisms alive today we must rely on the fossil record, a fragmented and incomplete archive. Genetic evidence has turned out to be equally unreliable. In the future new, concrete evidence might crop up to prove beyond a doubt that evolution is responsible for the living world we see around us. As yet, the evidence fails to do that. In The Evolution Conspiracy I take you through the evidence step-by-step, showing where it holds up and where you might sink into quicksand.

Q. What do you hope readers take away from your book?

A feeling of empowerment. Most pro-evolution books tell you what to think rather than showing you all the evidence and inviting you to decide for yourself. On blogs and websites evolutionists frequently ridicule anyone who expresses doubts about evolution rather than embracing the diversity of opinions. Both of these factors cultivate an environment in which laymen often feel like interlopers incapable of understanding the discussion. In The Evolution Conspiracy I promote one simple idea—anyone can understand evolution. You don’t need me or anyone else, even someone with a PhD, telling you what to believe. I challenge you to read, think, and decide for yourself!