Author Spotlight - Excerpt from "That Syncing Feeling"

Enjoy this excerpt from "That Syncing Feeling" by Michelle Levigne.
Moderator Steph

*****

The airlock signaled all clear, pressure equalized, and something small and dark stepped into the shadows of the airlock. Nureen watched all the sensor readouts, both displayed in front of her and what came through her ship link, straight into her brain. Everything looked good -- at least, nothing had been detected that would endanger her life. That meant nothing, because Rovers knew, better than anyone else, that there were weird and wonderful and terrifying things out there beyond the range of the most modern technology and sensors. Just because the equipment couldn't see or sense something didn't mean it wasn't there.

Okay, I give in, she silently groused. I need some shore leave badly.

In response, the airlock pinged, signaling it was ready to open. She made one more check of the readouts, took a deep breath, and sent through the mental signal to open the airlock.

Two seconds later she nearly went to her knees. Nureen managed to hold back the automatic "awwwww" as she stared down at her visitor.

It was less than a meter tall, with enormous emerald eyes and big tufted ears. Its fur was silver shading toward lavender, and its four arms and four legs were short and chubby and sported four fingers or toes with blunt silver nails.

It was all she could do not to go to her knees and scoop up the creature in her arms to cuddle it.

"Hey, wait a minute." Nureen took two steps back from the goomibah. For good measure, she held her breath, in case the totally mythical, appears-only-in-children's-entertainment-vids-creature gave off mind-altering substances that registered as totally natural. They wouldn't set off red flags in her sensors, even as her brain melted and she lost three-quarters of her intelligence rating.

Oh, I'm so sorry, that buzzing voice said into her brain, without the creature's lips moving. I thought this form would make it easier for you to accept me.

This form? Nureen definitely needed shore leave. Metamorphic creatures were the stuff of legend, just like the goomibah.
We don't have time to discuss history and fable. The Synch is going to catch up with us. Those horrid hive creatures damaged my ship, and I certainly can't leave you out here unprepared. You'll have to trust me.

"Trust you for what?" Nureen dodged sideways, guided by instinct before her conscious mind registered that the goomibah was ... flying, straight at her. Without wings.

She shrieked, biting back a string of curses, when it flattened and wrapped around her neck and shoulders. All right, it was warm and soft and smelled of vanilla and ambrosia apples -- but it shouldn't have been able to do that. And wasn't there a parasitic flying plant on Congress IV that smelled like paradise when it wrapped around its victims' heads, rendering them unconscious before digesting them?

I'm protecting you! that voice insisted. Look outside your ship!

Nureen listened to her gut instinct more than the warm, soft sheet enfolding her, and braced herself for the worst as she looked.

It was worse than the worst. Mostly because she usually only imagined one thing at a time as "the worst." The "worst" she could imagine right now was to see the Talroqi ship bearing down on her.

She was wrong.

The vortex had expanded and was reaching out greedy fingers for her.

It had already grabbed hold of the Talroqi ship and was tearing it apart.

She figured if the vortex had the Talroqi for dinner, she was dessert.

********

REVIEWS FOR: THAT SYNCING FEELING:

Many thanks to Candy at Single Titles for a great review of my Borealis novella, "That Syncing Feeling."



Star Rating: 4.5 Stars


Rover Pilot Nureen Keala’s joy ride comes to an end when she receives an SOS from an alien running away from a Talroqi queen ship. Nureen rescues the telepathic shapeshifting creature named Tessur. The anomaly that captured Tessur suddenly grabs Nureen’s ship and tosses her into an unknown dimension ruled by a dictatorship called the Trans Planetary Protectorate (TTP). The TTP is a corrupt government out to rule their entire universe. Nureen’s appearance lets them know that there are new and unexplored areas of space left to conquer. To keep the TTP from her homeland, Nureen depends on Tessur and a dead hero from her own dimension. Can a simple pilot stop an invasion?

Five years earlier, Tedrin Creed fell into the same anomaly that captured Nureen. Creed hopes Nureen can help him get home. First he must convince her that he is really Tedrin Creed. According to Nureen, Tedrin Creed died fifty years ago during a space battle. Creed must convince Nureen that the anomaly captured him and that he did not die. Creed is a hero to Nureen. He was her grandfather’s best friend. Will Creed convince Nureen of the truth before the TTP can invade their universe?

Michelle Levigne takes a young pilot and tosses her into a situation that will change her life forever. Nureen had a crush on Tedrin Creed and dreamed of fighting aliens at his side. The anomaly presents Nureen with her fondest wish, but she does not trust Creed. He is too young to be the hero of the Talroqi war. The Trans Planetary Protectorate rules most of the known universe and is a brutal dictatorship. Ms. Levigne presents a story with lots of action and a forbidden love that should not be possible. Will Nureen help Creed return home and prevent the TTP from learning how to navigate the anomaly?



Major thanks to Long and Short of it and Night Owl review sites for their very kind words about my SF books.



First off:
Borealis: THAT SYNCING FEELING
New from Desert Breeze Publishing




Here are some snippets from the review:
Rating: 4.5 Books

Reviewed by Foxglove


That Syncing Feeling is a sweet and delightful love story, filled with adventure and humor, and unusual creatures. 

Michelle Levigne has added to the Borealis family with a romantic story of finding love where you least expect it, and with the most unlikely couple. I found this to be a fun filled and action packed adventure, with tongue in cheek humor, sweet first love and lots of danger along the way. 

Nureen Keala is smart, courageous and a bit of a dreamer. She is following in her grandfather’s footsteps, and trying not to disappoint those in command of the Fleet. ... I loved Nureen, with her daring attitude and her sassy remarks. I liked that she didn’t instantly believe Creed was the real deal, but made him prove his identity. ... I like Creed’s determination and his tenacity, and the way he finally was able to come to terms with his feelings for his best friend’s granddaughter.

The secondary characters in this are few but interesting. Tessur is a morphing shape changer, able to become anything that is even remotely organic, and this talent saves the day more than once in this adventure. My favorite comic relief was the addition of three TPP scientists assigned to keep watch over Tedrin Creed, Drs. Moek, Kerli and Lairy. They were clueless as to Creed’s intentions, and his ability to trick them was priceless.

There is a bit of adventure and danger as the trio of Nureen, Tedrin and Tessur make their escape from Borealis, and I was on the edge of my seat through most of the story. Do they make it back to their dimension and find a life together? You’ll just have to read That Syncing Feeling to find out.

Author Spotlight - Michelle Levigne talks about the inspiration behind "That Syncing Feeling"

Like I said on Monday, there were certain elements I wanted to play with. I wanted to have fun and be silly. I wanted a "merry chaos" story, where the main character kept muttering, "Why ME?" as one weird, inexplicable thing after another happened, and no matter how hard she tried, it just all kept going downhill.

I had this shapeshifting character named Tessur that I had created for a series of Star Trek fan fiction stories for the club I used to belong to. Essentially, my character, Lt. Mikara (animal telepath, cultural anthropologist) meets up with Cyrano Jones on her way to join her ship. Yes, that Cyrano Jones, of "Trouble with Tribbles" fame. Poor Cyrano, trying to get rid of this little three-legged stool that could walk ... and Mikara meets Tessur. They torment her captain with things that he's sure he shouldn't see, and Tessur gets Mikara out of trouble when she's temporarily assigned to the Enterprise (she's positive it's a death sentence) and "loses" her landing party team to a planet-wide mental "reprogramming" field.

In "Syncing," Tessur takes on various faces/bodies to get Nureen and Creed out of tight spots, and acts as a translator for her when she lands in an alien dimension. And he drives her crazy the first time she sees him "melt" into new shapes that shouldn't exist.

I torture my characters. It's fun!

Author Spotight - Michelle Levigne talks about her passion for writing Science Fiction Romance

I just like the flexibility, the extra possibilities available in the whole SF genre. I guess I write romance because relationships are important in the stories. One of my friends pointed out that my stories were very "domestic," meaning the relationships were a large partof the story.

There are more "toys" to play with, writing SF. More things to do, more places to go. But the important thing is to make sure that the "toys" and the otherworldly settings and situations are integral to the plot -- if you took them out of the story, the story would fall apart, it couldn't be written without them. If you can take away the ray guns and the spaceships and have the same story without a hitch, then maybe it really isn't an SF story, you know? I'm working on a series of short stories where I take faerie tales and turn them into SF romances. This is possible, maybe even necessary, because of the "unearthly" elements in faerie tales -- the magic, the creatures, the strange landscapes, the curses, the quests, the characters -- it translates well into SF settings and characters. The genie can turn into a sentient computer. Goblins turn into aliens. The Beast turns into a hero infected with a mutating disease. Beauty is the intrepid doctor who works to cure him. On and on.

A classic example is a story idea I had, where a rich, powerful, ruthless man, kidnaps a young woman who turns out to be his daughter. He couldn't get away with it for long in our modern world. However, put the story in a star-spanning civilization, where every planet has its own laws, and communication and tracking people isn't easy between worlds, suddenly it's very possible. And the daughter he kidnaps was originally bred for him for a specific purpose, for possible genetic gifts that will make him even more powerful. If he can get her to think like him.

So the possibilities are broader and more convoluted in SF, and you can have all sorts of tools and toys and settings and sidekicks that you can't find in our modern world that has become so very small and familiar.

Author Spotlight - Q&A with Michelle Levigne

STEPH: I don't know much about "That Syncing Feeling." What's it about?

MICHELLE: It's a tie-in to my full-length novel SF romance, "Blue Fire." Nureen, the heroine of "Syncing" is childhood military brat friend with Rhianni, the heroine of "Blue," and even shows up several times.

Nureen is a hot-shot pilot, out having a snit-fit in a scout craft, because she's stuck patrolling dead space instead of being in on the action, supporting Rhianni. She gets a distress call, and ends up falling through a vortex into another dimension -- the Borealis universe -- with a shapeshifting creature named Tessur. On the Borealis, she runs into Tedrin Creed. He's been there 5 years, after falling through a similar space anomaly. Problem: Nureed knows who Creed is, her grandfather's best friend, a war hero, who is presumed dead after a massive space battle 50 years ago. Naturally, she doesn't believe he is who he says. Creed has bigger problems: they only have so much time to get to the space anomaly and get home before it closes. Maybe permanently.

STEPH: How did you become involved in writing for the Borealis Science Fiction Series?

MICHELLE: Gail asked for more victims -- err -- intrepid writers willing to try to play in her playground. I got my start writing fan fiction, playing in someone else's playground, and it sounded like it might be fun!

STEPH: What inspired your story?

MICHELLE: I wanted to give Nureen an adventure. I had to figure out how to get from the "Blue Fire" universe to the Borealis universe. Answer: Space anomaly. Then I thought about all the trouble you can get in if it's not only distance, but time that's messed with. Then I had this shapeshifting critter I created for a bunch of Star Trek stories years ago, that I wanted to take out of retirement. And I wanted to have some fun.

STEPH: How long did it take you to write?

MICHELLE: Maybe 1 week for the first draft, then maybe 2 days each for each revision. When you're having fun, the stories just flow.



STEPH: How did you come up with the title "That Syncing Feeling?"

MICHELLE: Tessur, the shapeshifter, refers to the space anomaly/vortex as the Sync -- as in "synchronizing" as well as "sinking." And I wanted to get a little silly -- play on words, "Sinking Feeling."

STEPH: Have you read other Borealis stories?

MICHELLE: Yes! Fun. I read them for research before I got started. Big shoes to fill!

STEPH: Did you grow up with a passion for Science Fiction?

MICHELLE: I think so -- I can remember playing Star Trek on the elementary playground. The climbing tower was our spaceship. We slid down the poles for our "transporter." I always got to play Spock because I was the only one who could do the Vulcan salute.

There's always been SF around. I loved it when they started publishing the Star Trek novels. Then the original Star Wars came out when I was in high schoo. I can remember going to the SAME theater to see Star Wars for my 16th and 17th birthdays.

STEPH: What's your writing space like?

MICHELLE: Right now it's a mess. Lots of bookshelves at one end of the room. computer desk and worktable at the other end of the room. Papers everywhere, notebooks on the floor, where I'm organizing/sorting/ridding notes for upcoming books. Don't even look in my closet, where it's always a jumble of promo materials and packing boxes and projects I haven't finished yet. But it's all MY mess, and it's a comfortable place with a big chair that's good for sitting and typing for a looooong time. I have my music to shut out the rest of the world, a window that looks out on the back yard with a creek and trees and bluejays and deer walking through.

STEPH: How long have you been writing?

MICHELLE: Feels like forever! I can remember scribbling stories in junior high, daydreaming and rewriting TV shows that didn't satisfy me, or continuing the storyline of movies and books that really caught my attention. I started seriously writing books, actually FINISHING them, in 10th grade. So yeah ... forever!

Spotlight On: Borealis II Anthology

5 QUESTIONS FOR BOREALIS II AUTHOR SHEA MCMASTER

#1 - What's your Borealis story about?

Kal Raines is the war hero in disgrace who has been shunted to the armpit of the universe and tasked with keeping the dying station under control of the TPP. His world revolves around holding the station together with bubble gum and baling wire despite the prison on the lowest levels, Uudon addicts running around, pirates and thieves passing through and the occasional Rebel attack. It’s one administrative headache after another until he comes across Merri Sumner meditating in his arboretum. Little does he know she’s the infamous Rebel Agent, Bella Bleu there to do some networking and to determine if he’s convertible or beyond redemption.

#2 - How long did it take you to write?

About a month. The first draft flew by in two weeks. This one practically wrote itself. One day I was out running errands and found myself impatient to get home and finish reading my book. Then I realized I was chomping the bit to finish reading the story I was writing! Now that’s fun J

#3 - What attracts you to writing sci-fi?

I love the versatility of world building. The imagination has no bounds within the rules you create.

#4 - What's your favorite Sci-Fi TV show or movie?

I’m a Trekkie. Especially bonded with TNG. Love me some Picard and Ryker men. Rwarr.

#5 - Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?

I have a Sony, which I love to carry in my purse. At home I read most of my ebooks directly from my laptop, that way I can knit or crochet while reading. I feel guilty sitting down to “just” read. Doesn’t stop me from buying books, though!


*****************

5 QUESTIONS FOR BOREALIS II AUTHOR, STEPHANIE BURKHART

#1 What's your Borealis story about?

Elijah Kess has been dispatched by the Rebellion to investigate the Uudon Trade on the Borealis. Persephone Talon has also been dispatched by Sarina Laroux to do the same thing. The story opens with an exciting chase as Elijah, deep undercover as a TPP enforcer chases an Uudon OD. Only Persephone finds the OD and they discover a patch. Soon, the two are trying to figure out what the patch does and how it relates to Uudon - and they step all over each other to do it.

#2 How long have you been writing and what's your inspiration?

I've been writing ever since I was 5, but seriously for publication, about 10 years now. I have a very active imagination and Juliet, my muse, never lets me sleep. (so to speak)

#3 What do you write besides Science Fiction?

Right now, I love writing paranormals, but I prefer to tackle werewolves and witches. The Hungarian is a paranormal romance set in England and Hungary in 1901. It's sequal, The Count's Lair, will be released in Feb 2011 and I have another paranormal, a bit darker, The Wolf's Torment, releasing in May 2011. I have a steampunk called Victorian Scoundrel coming out in July 2011. I have a horror short story in the Etheral Gazette that has a Lovecraftian influence called The Scorpion Temple, and a contemporary Christmas story called "Christmas in Bayeux" in the Victory Tales Press anthologies coming out. I try not to limit myself to any particuliar romantic subgenre.


#4 Do you have any special writing rituals? Candles, music, chocolate, coffee?

Coffee. Definately coffee.

#5 Do you read a specific genre and is it different from what you write?

I typically read romance, but I also like biographies and memoirs and new age stuff. I just finished reading Patrick Swayze's "The Time of my Life" and Sylvia Browne's End of Days. I love JK Rowling. I wouldn't consider her Harry Potter stuff romance, more fantasy adventure. As you can see, I get around in my writing - and reading.

Borealis Week - Character Interviews

Today we've got PI Barrington, Gail Delaney, and J. Morgan in character for some interviews. We hope you've enjoyed Borealis Week here at the Blog. Feel free to join us next week as we spotlight author Toni Noel!
Smiles
Steph

Inspiration for KHAI ZAFARA (Evangeline Lilly)


5 QUESTIONS FOR KHAI ZAFARA (PI BARRINGTON)

#1 - What do you think of the Borealis?

I grew up there thinking it was the end all and be all of fulfillment in life. I loved and respected my father who devoted his life to his military career in the TPP and I just assumed I would follow his footsteps and I did but not for those reasons. When he was murdered joining the TPP became less of a career and more of an obsession – actually completely an obsession – to exact revenge upon those who killed him. I had little time to indulge in activities outside my TPP duties, I didn't shop the bazaars for anything other than necessities, didn't visit the bars. And I'd only been to the upper luxury levels when duty called for it. As I said, the TPP was my life.

#2 - Did you think Teyrnan was just going to be another prisoner transport?

That's an understatement! I should have known he'd be a major problem from the second I removed him from his cell! He was trying stupid tricks to make things difficult for me rather than trying to get away which was more disconcerting than if he'd actually tried to escape! The worst part though, was that he was laughing at me, just mocking me and that infuriated me, causing me to make idiotic mistakes I normally wouldn't have made. He shook me up just by being physically close to me when other prisoners were barely human in my mind.

#3 - How did you feel once you learned the TPP descripted you?

Utterly shocked and betrayed. Consciously I couldn't believe they would do that to their own, but I think deep down I knew the TPP was capable of anything and just refused to acknowledge it. That was another reason Teyrnan was able to upset things, my faith in the TPP was already on shaky ground and he kept hitting on all those sensitive frail points of my belief in it.

#4 - What's in store for you now that you've left the TPP?
It's all wide open at this point. I just know that we'll be together regardless what happens. I'm also sure that I'll be running from the law so to speak, I'll be a fugitive from the TPP myself, just as is everyone in the Rebellion. I'm still a little nervous about whether the Rebellion will accept me on Teyrnan's word but I have to take it on trust at this point. Either way, I'll be happy just to be with him. I couldn't ever leave his side, ever!

#5 - What did you feel when you first kissed Teyrnan?
That kiss was magnetic and a rush of emotion at the same time. I never wanted it to stop. It made me hungry for more. It was just so…right, so meant to be and so safe. Not to mention the physical intensity. It sort of rocked my world though I wouldn't admit it at the time, lol!

5 QUESTIONS FOR THERON KESS (GAIL R. DELANY)

Inspiration for Theron Kess (Oliver Hudson)


#1 - How long have you been a mercenary?

I left Andromeda Prime when I was 14, hoping to find a way to take care of my mother and baby brother after my father left. I wasn't very good at it, until Rufus Pappa found me and pretty much saved me from starvation. For ten years, I was his apprentice while he taught me everything I needed to know about the 'ship for hire' trade. Call that mercenary if you want, but at the time I called it a living. I've been on my own for about ten years now, but I attribute everything I know to Ruff in one way or another.

#2 - Why did you accept the job to get Princess Sarina off Borealis?

I went to King Saron, pledging my oath that I would bring Sarina home to him. What else could I do? The Laroux family took Elijah and my mother in, made them family, and took care of my brother after Mama died. I owe them so much more than I could ever repay. Bringing Sarina home safe was just a down payment.

#3 - How did Sarina break through your defenses?

Honesty with oneself and honesty with The Greater Power is one of the tenants of my 'current' occupation. Sarina didn't have to break through. She was already there. The first time I saw Sarina, she was in the palace kitchen, talking with my mother and helping my brother make hosta seed sweet biscuits. Eli was covered in flour and she patted it out of his hair, laughing and smiling with them both. I didn't even know she was 'Princess Sarina', I thought she was another girl who helped in the kitchen. But, I remember she was beautiful. It wasn't until years later, when I saw her stand with King Saron at my mother's funeral, that I knew who she was. If anything, I cared for her all the more.

I wanted to believe that, after so many years of living only for myself, she would have no affect on me. It didn't take long at all for me to know that was just a lie I told myself. We both had changed, but her soul was still that young princess baking sweet biscuits with my mother and brother.

#4 - Are you guys planning on children?

* chuckles * I am quite sure that answer varies slightly between us. There is nothing I would cherish more than to have a child -- or children -- with Sarina. And while I know she wants children as well, she is a soldier. The two halves of her soul are often in conflict. Perhaps when the TPP has been beaten back in this quadrant, we can talk about it more.

#5 - How has life changed since you became a Shepherd?

It is much more peaceful. One might not believe that, considering the fact that Sarina and I live in a Rebellion war camp that could be attacked at any time. We are equipped to move at a moment's notice, and while I no longer carry a weapon, Veruca is never far away. But, when you consider the fact that I spent 10 sol years running from 'somewhere', running to 'somewhere', and dodging pulse blasts, waking up each morning with my wife beside me is the greatest peace I could ever know.

5 QUESTIONS FOR: THE PROFESSOR (J. Morgan)

Inspiration for The Professor (Kate Beckinsale)


1 - How did the Professor come to settle on The Borealis?

Blind luck to tell you the truth. My former base had been compromised in an attack and I was forced to move. All things considered, I been stationed at locations a whole lot worse, but not by much.

#2 - What's the worst part of the Borealis?

Take your pick, but if I had to say one thing it would be the total lack of decent vintage Old Earth vids. I've been jonzing to watching a classic from the master of romantic teen comedies, John Hughes. So, if anyone can bootleg me a copy of Sixteen Candles, I've got a mountain of creds to slap in your account.

#3 - What's the thing you like the most about Kate?

His honorable nature and the view from behind.

#4 - Are you looking forward to life after the Borealis?

It sure ain't meeting my future in-laws. They sound like total sticks in the muds, but for the chance to spend the rest of my life with Kate, I guess I can put up with them. Besides, it might be fun to see how the other half lives and make them squirm every time they see me walk into the room. Okay, that's what I'm looking forward to the most.

#5 - What's your favorite indulgence?

Kate's view from behind.

Borealis Week - What inspires your Sci-Fi

Today the Borealis authors talk about what's inspired their sci-fi. Enjoy!

GAIL R. DELANY

My greatest science fiction influences were my first influences. When I was in elementary school, Star Trek was in syndication and an episode ran every day at four. I would watch the clock all the way home on the bus, jump out of my seat and run up my driveway just to make sure I got home in time. I kept a Captain's Log, just like Captain Kirk. And by far, Mr. Spock was my favorite Starfleet officer. Something about him "fascinated" me (Trekkies will get that. LOL), and it wasn't until years later that it was his pure sarcasm that drew me. Yes, Mr. Spock is frelling hilarious (a mix of sci fi fandoms there, but I don't care!) if you speak sarcasm as fluently as I do.

My other great science fiction influence was the Star Wars movies. Star Wars: A New Hope was released when I was in elementary school, but I never saw it until it was released on VHS. On the last day of school in fourth grade, my teacher wheeled in the big television cart and played Star Wars. I freely admit that my interest in Star Wars also stemmed from the itty bitty crush I had on Peter Cummings, a boy in my class who loved Star Wars. ☺ The first time I watched it, I may have been looking for Peter's attention, but once I saw it... I was hooked. My crush switched from Peter Cummings to Han Solo.

Sorry, Peter.

As I got older, I was up for watching just about anything science fiction. In junior high, one of my friends told me I should watch Doctor Who on PBS. Instead of rushing home Monday through Friday to watch Star Trek, now I watched Doctor Who on Sunday afternoons.

All three influences are with me still today.

PI BARRINGTON

Wow. It's been so long since I've read anything that I need to have a moment to think! Let's see. Harlan Ellison was a big influence or maybe just the most memorable, lol! Poul Anderson, Michael Crichton was a biggie and of course the biggest of them all for me – Ray Bradbury whom I've had the pleasure to meet twice. I've also found a writer and book that I really like, Ann Benson's "The Plague Tales". She has superb logic to her technology and makes the images come alive. The book was published in 1997 but I've only acquired it in the last four or five years. I think most of these authors (excepting Anderson) really write what I like and that's 'near future' science fiction. Of course a space station or two doesn’t hurt (I'm thinking of you Borealis, lol!) as long as we retain our humanity in it. I've read things that remove people from being people and that is just uninteresting to me. Oh, yeah and I've read a couple of Star Wars anthologies (there it is again!) which were great and some of them actually hilarious intentionally. One of the stories used anthropomorphism to give a robot (android) bounty hunter a point of view and human-like reactions which was difficult to pull successfully but the author did and I think I remember a Star Trek episode where Captain Kirk outwitted an android precisely because he did not do the logical thing, but the illogical and most especially unpredictable (to the android) that humans are capable of due to the fact we don't have a set of carved in circuitry with only prime objectives (oh yeah Robocop). In other words we can deviate from the programming that machines cannot. That makes good sci-fi.

J. MORGAN:

I think my influences started with reading novels based on the shows and movies I loved. Namely, Star Wars and Star Trek. It always goes back to Star Wars doesn't it? Whatever the case, from those fevered continuations, I discovered real SciFi. The first two authors and their works that I can remember having an impact on me were Anne McCaffrey's Pern series and Christopher Stasheff's Warlock books. The blend of fantasy and SciFi just amazed me. Before them, I didn't know you could have two things in one book, but McCaffrey and Stasheff did it so well you couldn't help but be drawn in by it. As I grew older, I discovered Robert Heinlein, Larry Niven and a host of other authors that did more than introduce me to new worlds. They opened my mind to thinking. To me that is the heart of a good book, it forces you to access what you know and consider all the possibilities that could unfold. Those authors gave that to me.

But, my two greatest influences in Sci Fi were Robert Asprin and Douglas Addams. If you've never read these two amazing authors shame on you. They were the first to teach me a valuable lesson. Science Fiction could be funny. The minute a friend dumped Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe into my lap, my brain was forever perverted to the funny side. I found Asprin earlier with his Myth Adventures, but he jumped into Sci Fi with a small tome by the name of Phule's Company. Yes, I posted the titles so you could run out and check them out. Really, you should check out all the authors I jotted down. They are amazing and not to sound threatening but if you don't, I've got a werewolf and a vampire slayer on the payroll. Do you really want them showing up with Conan the Librarian to make you? I thought not.

Borealis Week - What's your favorite Sci-Fi movie or TV series/

Hi everyone, today on the blog the Borealis authors talk about their favorite science fiction series. What's yours? Enjoy!
Steph


GAIL R. DELANEY
This was actually a very tough choice to make. Every science fiction program I've watched I've loved for a different reason. So, I'm going to cheat on the answer and tell you why I loved each one that I loved. I'm skipping Star Trek because that's a topic for another post.

Because science fiction can be in outer space, can be the future, can be here and now... my favorites vary just as much. My favorite science fiction program of all time is Farscape, which falls under the category of a Space Opera. Space Operas are a subgenre of speculative fiction that emphasizes romance, dramatic adventures, set mainly or entirely in space, with power elements of good and evil. And that's Farscape in a nutshell. Inspired by the creative mind of Jim Henson by way of his son, Farscape is one of the best romantic stories set within the parameters of a television series I've ever watched. In fact, my children and I are watching it through from beginning to end on DVD.

After Farscape, I would have to go with Stargate SG-1. I loved that SG-1 was set in the here and now, right here on Earth, but we had the technology to jump wormholes to other worlds, other galaxies. And of course, being a lover of romance, I loved the dynamics between Colonel Jack O'Neill and his second in command, Samantha Carter. Unlike Farscape where the romance was allowed to play out to its full potential, SG-1 was restrained. In the words of Jack O'Neill, when forced to admit his affection for his 2IC, he said, "I care about her. A lot more than I'm supposed to." As her commanding officer, regulations prevented them from openly admitting how they felt. But, oh, the fanfiction those two inspired!

I could keep going, but I've run out of word count. ☺


PI BARRINGTON

Star Wars. In my opinion that first movie shattered everything before it as well as influenced the designs of our actual space transportation. I watched it recently and while now it looks a little dated, so much of the design of our technology that exists today smack of that movie. We can look at Princess Leia's cinnamon bun hair style and laugh but to me at least our Space Shuttle design is really close to what Star Wars introduced. Prior to that movie, our space travel vehicles were phallic looking pointed rockets. Star Wars changed all that with sleeker, prettier fighters and space stations. And they were inventing film technology as they went using miniatures that blew away effects masters like Ray Harryhausen. Those miniatures changed film-sci-fi film-into the most amazingly realistic efforts that nothing, not even CG (with the exception of WETA) has affected and changed sci-fi as much. I actually ducked in the theatre when SW opens up and the giant white ship appears to travel over the audience after the narrative. That moment just blew me away like nothing else could. Body armor, blasters, and Bespin along with Darth Vader's man/machine combination (while not a new concept, the best attempt at it) are now called "sexy" technology but they were so beautiful and possible that it took away one of my big pet peeves: the suits/technology becomes the character as opposed to enhancing the character: if a suit or machine can do everything, who needs a protagonist?

For me Star Wars cannot be topped for innovation in both film and sci fi genre. It's gonna take something big to top that!

J. MORGAN:

Star Wars is the ever loving bomb! No other movie has influenced me more. I can still remember going to the Rose Theater, an impressionable boy of eight, and seeing it. From that moment on I wanted to be Darth Vader. Still do in fact or Boba Fett. Darth Maul is pretty awesome too. Yes, I am a student of the Dark Side. My love for science fiction didn't start with Star Wars but it did bloom into an obsession that I haven't been able to shake with it. The first movie to capture my interest was Planet of the Apes, along with a TV addiction to Lost in Space. I so loved Angela Cartwright. But, Star Wars affected me on a level, I'm sure I even understand. Maybe it was the battle between good and evil, or the story of redemption that got me. Whatever the case, every book I've ever written has some homage to the love of my life. As I write this, the Duel of the Fates is playing in my head.

That isn't to say, over the years I haven't dabbled in other venues. Battlestar Galactica, both old and new, Doctor Who, Tom Bakker being the best of them, Red Dwarf, Star Trek, every incarnation but Enterprise . See, the list goes on and on. That is the thing with Science Fiction, once you get started you just can't stop. You're like a junkie looking for your next fix. Which is a lot like being an author. Once you put words to page, you just can't stop. You want to see new worlds unfold in front of you and if you can create those worlds yourself, it just makes it all the more satisfying. For me, it all started with a galaxy far far away.

Borealis Week - Feeding the muse & growing a passion for Science Fiction

J. MORGAN:

I'm not sure I have a full blown passion for writing SciFi, but I definitely want to write more. Kiss me Kate has sparked the kid in me. I grew up on Sci-Fi, books, TV shows and movies. Basically, I devoured anything I could get my hands on. That love affair kept growing as I got older. Even though, I'm neck deep in ghosts, vampires and werewolves, I would like to try my hand at discovering new worlds one day instead of haunting the one we have now. In the end I think that's the heart and soul of a Sci Fi author. They're not content with the world as it is. They want to explore the world or worlds that might be just beyond the fringe of the present. Whether it is the near future or the far flung maybes that not even our grandchildren will have thought about. As an author, I can't help but want to be part of that. Scary thought, isn't it? An entire future full of Jmo. Then my tagline could be, The Future's so bright you gotta wear Groucho Marx Glasses. Okay, that might be going too far, but I think I could wait around just to see if it happens. Maybe in one of those Futurama head thingies. Now, that sounds cool! Somebody hook me up with that.

PI BARRINGTON:

I think that my passion for science fiction was a combination of luck and timing. I was fortunate to be born at the end of science fiction generation of the 1950's so that when I watched television as a child and forward the sci-fi shows were literally were in full swing. There was "Lost In Space", "Journey to the Bottom of the Sea", "The Time Tunnel" "One Step Beyond", "The Invaders", "Outer Limits", "Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman" to name the most famous series of the 1960's and 1970's. "The Outer Limits" was the show that really affected me the most because it showed humans sometimes at our worst and was downright depressing at times but for me, that was the reality of science and science fiction. Sometimes we do things we shouldn't just because we can and other times our bad humanity comes out and uses science as a power base or for some negative motivation. We have to be very careful with our technology. "The Outer Limits" was just the most intense for me. "Space 1999" was also a sentimental favorite. By the end of the 1970s both "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman" was the bar for sci-fi television and in the 1980s science fiction really came into its own through George Lucas' Star Wars episode. For me, it's all about military element that thrills me, lots of cool clothing, weapons, and effect, not to mention space travel itself! Plus, I'm just a girl nerd.



GAIL R. DELANY

I feel I'm being a bit repetitive on this because I did a similar set of blog posts a couple months ago, but I don't mind repeating. Writing science fiction is the ultimate test for your imagination. As writers, it is our natural instinct to 'create'. Whether it's create characters, create fascinating settings or plots, or in the case of science fiction and speculative writing, often creating worlds.

I write science fiction because I love asking 'what if...' questions. Because Borealis involves so many kinds of people and storylines, I got to create not only my own series of 'what if...' questions, but some 'what if...' questions for the other authors in the series. I feel like a movie director. "This is your motivation in your book..."

Borealis is my first venture into more 'hi sci fi' versus futuristic and/or speculative, and I find it's almost like writing in a different genre. While I could stretch the concepts of Earth in my Phoenix series, with Borealis I can stretch further -- and play with more cool gadgets. My hero, Theron, has a lot of cool gadgets.

Writing science fiction opens up so many doors, and sometimes a few spaceports.

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