Tell us about The Zul Enigma.
My debut novel, The Zul Enigma, took me seven and a half years to write. It opens in the year 2068 and looks back at a cataclysmic event occurring in December 2012. Zul is behind it, but nobody knows who, or what, Zul is… a human with a hidden agenda… or a mysterious being from another realm.

Set against a backdrop of overpopulation, world war and climate change, and charged with a chilling twist, 55 years on one woman launches a quest to unmask Zul. Locating two survivors from the day, she peals back layer upon layer of subterfuge to expose the most horrific conspiracy you could ever imagine.

That sounds really interesting. Is it a genre novel?
Some reviewers say it’s hard to pigeonhole The Zul Enigma into a specific genre as it’s unique. It’s set in the future, so it could be described as science fiction although I prefer to call it futuristic. It’s also both a thriller and a love story. It weaves New Age beliefs with hard science facts and is securely grounded in reality… the plot is so bizarre I needed to do this to make it credible. I think I succeeded, since many people have commented that they believe something similar could actually happen in real life.

What kind of readers has it attracted?
The Zul Enigma will appeal to people who enjoy reading something different… something controversial… something that will push back the boundaries of their credibility. It’s not a comfortable read, and it may edge some individuals yet to question the way our planet is run beyond their comfort zones. A couple of the comments it’s inspired are “chillingly possible. An intelligent and riveting read which left me with a lasting sense of unease” and “makes you question yourself and the world you live in”. If you don’t want to be shocked, do not pick up this book!

Complete this sentence for us: if you like _________________, you’ll love The Zul Enigma.
something that makes you think, something that will make you question

We’re guessing this isn’t one of those books that begins to fade from the memory immediately the reader closes it.
I’d like readers to feel not just that they’ve read a mind-blowing book, but that they can’t help but keep thinking about it long after they’ve
turned the final page.

Have you written any other books that we should read next?
Not yet…

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I was born and grew up in England in Beckenham, Kent, just a thirty-minute train ride from London, where I used to work. Always searching for adventures I love to travel, and had already visited many countries in Europe (including an epic over-land school trip to Russia) by the time I was 20. In 1983 I had the chance to move to Singapore and I lived and worked there for 13 years, enjoying the tropical climate that allowed scuba diving and water skiing all year round. That is where I met my husband. We then settled in Bali, Indonesia, in 1997, the year our daughter was born.

I’m the type of person who loves to be amazed and I’m on a constant mission to push back the boundaries of credibility – my own and others’.

Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work?
The Zul Enigma website is at www.thezulenigma.com. There you can read the 1st chapter of the book as well as delve into the ‘Fact or Fiction’ page where you’ll discover that nearly all the theories, concepts, technologies, organisations and places mentioned in the book are real.

What about Twitter and Facebook?
My Twitter handle is @JMLeitch. You can find me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/JMLeitch and The Zul Enigma on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/whatabout2012.

What’s next?
I’m sorry… that’s a secret!