Tuesday 9 August 2011

Author Spotlight Week -Vijaya Schartz shares her passion for Science Fiction


After a period of being fascinated by the classics, then by Mystery novels as a reader, I discovered science fiction and fell in love. So many possibilities... It became a passion. What if?

Yet, as I was reading more and more science fiction, one element was always missing. Sometimes the stories ended on a depressing note, and there was nothing to deter from the somber themes. Even when the hero won in the end, he was usually alone.

For superheroes of comic books, victory was always bittersweet, as they had to protect their anonymity. I found that disturbingly unfair. Of course if they could just get the girl and be happy, it would be the end of their career. Can't imagine Superman kissing his wife and a bunch of snotty kids goodbye before jumping out the window to go save the planet from a nefarious intergalactic villain...

Later, when I discovered traditional Romance, I found it a little too mild and lacking in action and external conflict. I yearned for a grander scope to the stories, not just two people's happiness. I did however appreciate the guarantee of some kind of happily ever after at the end. It made me feel safe and fuzzy.

Then, when I decided to write for publication, what came naturally to me was science fiction. But I still yearned for a romantic thread.

Some of my friends say I come from another world, that I am a time traveler from the future who forgot who she was. I don't know about that, but it would explain a lot. LOL. I believe I have a solid imagination. But is it really imagination?

Thanks to my extensive travels and contacts with many earthly cultures, I can also discern which elements of a culture are purely Human (if any really are), which are dictated by survival, and which are ingrained from a young age, learned through experience, or forced upon an individual to fit specific cultural standards.

This discerning skill now allows me to write believable futuristic worlds and characters, even if their looks, their circumstances or origins would be unlikely in our world. It's a matter of justifying the differences to suspend the reader's ingrained beliefs.

So now, I write romantic science fiction with a kick, where I get the best of two worlds, with a guaranteed satisfying ending through the love story. So many science fiction novels tend to be dark and depressing. Not mine. My action-packed stories and kick-butt heroines lend themselves to many romantic conflicts, and I found that science-fiction is a perfect stage for it.

Find out more about my books at: http://www.vijayaschartz.com

6 comments:

  1. I agree Vijaya, who wents to spend hours reading something that is depressing. What experiences did you have in India that were included in Blue Lioness?

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  2. Hi, Linda:

    Thanks for the question.

    In different cultures, like in rural India for example, people's values and concerns are very different from those of the big cities and highly industrialized societies. Weather, for example is one of their main concerns. Family is another one. They react differently when faced with a problem. I like to think my created worlds are real enough to demonstrate that kind of thinking.

    Of course, politics and corruption are the same everywhere at all times. LOL

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  3. I admire your insight, Vijaya. You definitely have a handle on world building. I'm so glad you're at DBP!

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  4. Thanks, Melanie. I'm proud to be a DBP author. I am in very good company.

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  5. Vijaya, I love the Chronciles of Kassouk series and what you do so well with it is that you find the perfect balance between the characters and the adventure. You tell a story that just sucks one in and doesn't let go. You make your sci-fi believable and you don't overload the reader with too much technobabble.

    Looking forward to reading Blue Lioness.
    Smiles
    Steph

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  6. Vijaya - congrats on being such a trail blazer!

    I love that you give superhumans/superheroes their well-deserved happy endings.

    Barbara

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