Science, Family Conflict, and the Mysteries of the Afterlife Collide in Marissa Janine Carter’s The Balance Problem
NEW ZEALAND — November 13, 2026 —What happens when unresolved family conflicts follow us beyond the boundaries of life as we know it? In The Balance Problem, author and former medical researcher Marissa Carter explores this question through an imaginative blend of family drama, speculative fiction, artificial intelligence, and the mysteries of the afterlife.
When the death of their daughter Tina leaves prominent neurosurgeon Sam struggling to save his wife Veronica from a catatonic state, his efforts succeed at an unexpected cost: the collapse of their marriage. Veronica subsequently joins forces with their surviving daughter, Io, to establish a construction company, but the business soon becomes entangled in illegal activities.
Meanwhile, Alice, a protective mother and skilled CPA, becomes determined to expose the company’s wrongdoing. Her mission grows increasingly personal when her daughter Maya and Io fall in love and attempt to marry. The resulting family confrontation destroys relationships, leaving all five individuals estranged and unable to reconcile their differences.
But their story is far from over.
As the five lie comatose in a Boston hospital, their consciousnesses become part of an extraordinary experiment involving simulated realities in Heaven. Kapurna, a senior operative tasked with guiding their experiences, faces an increasingly complicated assignment. Heaven operates under alien control, with an artificial intelligence system creating challenges even its overseers struggle to understand.
Vic and Juno, two beings responsible for maintaining order, must contend with growing interference, unexplained disruptions, and a mysterious phenomenon known only as the balance problem. As their attempts to restore stability threaten to trigger dangerous consequences, Kapurna must find a way to keep his subjects alive while helping them confront the conflicts that tore their families apart.
Blending deeply human struggles with larger questions about consciousness and existence, The Balance Problem challenges readers to consider whether reconciliation is possible when reality itself becomes uncertain.
Carter brings an unusual perspective to speculative fiction. As a semi-retired medical researcher with more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications and book chapters to her credit, she combines an analytical background with a longstanding fascination with the afterlife, near-death experiences, and spiritual exploration.
Her research interests extend to near-death experience literature, New Age spiritual teachings, and Dr. Dolores Cannon’s Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique, in which Carter has received training. These areas of exploration helped inform the imaginative foundation of The Balance Problem, bringing scientific curiosity and metaphysical speculation together in a story about relationships, responsibility, and the unknown.
At its heart, The Balance Problem is more than a story about Heaven, aliens, or artificial intelligence. It explores the consequences of grief, the complexity of family relationships, and the possibility of finding understanding when conventional solutions have failed.
About the Author
Marissa Carter is a semi-retired medical researcher and author or coauthor of more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters in medical and chemical research. Her interests include worldwide travel, nature, reading, and the mysteries of the afterlife.
Her fascination with consciousness and what may exist beyond physical life has led her to explore near-death experience research, New Age spiritual literature, and Dr. Dolores Cannon’s Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique. Drawing on these interests and her extensive scientific background, Carter explores unconventional questions about existence and human relationships in her novel The Balance Problem.
She currently resides in New Zealand.
Media Inquiries:
Fearless Publishing House
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HQ8W7S66
Media Contact
Company Name: Fearless Publishing House
Contact Person: Marissa Carter
Email: Send Email
Country: New Zealand
Website: https://marissacarter.com
