Where you’ll find stories...
...reminiscent of Andre Norton or Anne McCaffrey's early tales with overtones of Sharon Shinn. Strong female roles in addition to unusual men and loves that last for years.
I have always thought of Science Fiction and fantasy as the Out-of-the Box genres. They stretch the mind, coaxing it out of the mundane and into the extraordinary. Especially Science Fiction, because there are no magic bullets to get characters out of a fix. No rings to rule them all. But, they’ve got really cool gizmos and gadgets and awesome ways to get from point A to point B. Think Star Wars.
Add some romance to the mix, and well, you’ve got it all. Again, think Star Wars. Think Princess Leia and Han Solo. Without that added nuance, you’ve got a great tale with all the elements Joseph Campbell pointed out in his Hero With A Thousand Faces. But the romance makes it touching. Makes it human. Provides the warm fuzzies many of us (including myself) want and need to make the experience complete.
That’s what I like to write and to read. Science Fiction adventures and love stories that sprinkle in some fantasy (just can’t help myself.) I like to take my characters and put them in situations where the reader can enjoy the read (my primary goal) but also can explore contemporary issues in an out-of-the-box format. It’s a non-threatening way to get the reader’s mind to problem solve. Take The PeaceKeeper Corps. That book is way out there and not for everyone’s taste, but its underlying question is how much guidance does one give a third-world-type population in order to nudge it into a so-called better lifestyle? It’s not an in-your-face exploration. I hate those. It really doesn’t even answer that question. But it does explore it.
I’ve just launched a new series that looks at over population, planet’s resources and the need to protect Mother Earth. The fantasy touch with this series is all the planets are sentient beings. But talk with our modern day druids of Earth, our shamans or aboriginal tribes and they would tell you our Earth, our home, is sentient. So, is my fantasy touch actually fantasy?
See what I mean? Out-of-the-box.
