Other Worlds: Write What You Know

So as a proud member of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade, I’m participating in the SFRB Summer Blog Hop. We’re offering an grand prize (outlined below) and I’m personally offering a copy of my new book Elusive Radiance to two commenters on my blog post today. Just make sure you leave your email in your comment! (And disguise it from robots like this: aideelad at gmail dot com).

Science fiction has always been attached to other worlds, other places, other realities. I personally love creating a new place whether it be in outer space, here on Earth, in a technological future, or a steampunky past. But regardless of what any writer says, it’s never created out of “whole cloth”. Our expectations and assumptions follow us to these new places.

And this is for a very good reason – we’ve never been there. Any place a writer dreams up is filled with someplace they’ve been or something they’ve experienced, just like the creatures they create will be made from composites of people they know and parts of their own personality. You see, even when writing science fiction…writers always write what they know. Take my books for example:

Final Cover

In The Break-in, I filled roboticist Forbes Pohle’s lab with all the things I wanted in my dream lab as well as things I remembered from my brother-in-law’s grungy garage build site, and from robotics labs I saw in the background of DARPA videos on YouTube.

 

 

 

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Of course my character also lives in a fabulous home that you’ll get to see a little more of in the upcoming re-release of The Applicant. Stay tuned for more including the world’s coolest library and a garden based on one of my favorite fairy tales.

 

 

 

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In my book The Klockwerk Kraken, I patterned the Switchpoint Waystation on the truckstops that dot the interstate highway. A little dirty and smelling of fuel. And I also pulled on factory floors with loud noises and shouting when there are a lot of workers milling around because I thought space docks would be a little noisier with all the machinery used to keep the ships refueled and cargo lifted and loaded while enclosed in a metal space station.

 

 

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Of course in the sequel, Spindrift Gifts, the two main characters, Teo and Jimenez, travel to Teo’s home planet of Celos. Since this is a watery planet (hence the tentacles) I based the Spindrift storms on hurricane season here in the US. I made their homes look like elaborate coral reefs. And above them, the second reason for the tentacles, the artificial satellite ring glowed even at night, the way scientists extrapolate that a planet ring might.

 

 

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And in my newest book, Elusive Radiance, the action takes place on a planet setup for commercial tourism similar to Las Vegas. There are hotels and casinos with different themes such as the Marchen Hotel based on Earth fairy tales, or the Mountain Casino with full winter sports available like skiing, ice skating and sledding. But the main action takes place in a meeting area high above the planet and only accessible via space elevator and shuttle. I’ve been to so many business receptions and whether you live in the far future or right here and now, I think that heavy hors d’oeuvres and an open bar are standard for any good meeting of minds to drink and schmooze by.

 

So are you interested in reading a copy of Elusive Radiance? I’m giving away two copies to commenters on this post. In addition, make sure you sign up for the blog hop grand prize Rafflecopter here.

Happy Reading!
Aidee

 

***GIVEAWAY***
and don’t forget to comment below for a chance to win a free copy of my latest scifi romance!

 

 

28 thoughts on “Other Worlds: Write What You Know

    1. Thank you!! I'm pretty fond of them myself. I especially think the cover for Elusive Radiance is beautiful.

    1. LOL! Yes, Las Vegas is quite the spectacle. But it endures as a popular destination. I can't help but think humans in the future will continue to look for such entertainments. 🙂

    1. I totally agree. Science fiction lends itself to whatever the writer can dream up because someday anything could be possible!

  1. That is also why each reader perceives a different story, we also bring our own experiences and expectations. Thank you for the giveaway and good luck with the new release!

    1. Thanks! So true. A good book is almost a partnership with a reader. The author and the reader work together to make the story alive.

  2. I loved working in a laboratory. But you're write – we might imagine other worlds but we use things we know to help create them.

    1. Ooooo! What kind of laboratory? I worked in a physiology lab on calcium channels when I was in college.

    1. I know, right? Instead of casinos that take up blocks, it would be small cities devoted to a theme. Horrifying and spectacular! I so want to see it.

    1. I think houses based on coral reefs would have bright colors, fascinating structures, and of course, a great view of the ocean! 😉

  3. The one thing that always makes me laugh is when someone tells an author their alien world or their aliens are too human. It's as you say, there's no way to fully remove 'human' ideas because, well, that's what we know. Of course, the cool thing is how an author puts those ideas together. The combination makes something unique and is one of the reasons I love SF so much! And I live in Las Vegas. There is such a different perspective of the place from the locals vs the visitors. It would be fun to have a local character with his/her perspective versus characters who are visiting.

  4. It sounds like you have a science background — I think I'm a little envious. It took me years to get around to writing SF because I thought I wasn't qualified.

    Still not qualified, but I'm old enough to not give a damn!

    Love the cover for ELUSIVE RADIANCE, too!

    Cheers,

    t.

    1. I know just enough science to get in trouble. 😉

      I love the cover to Elusive Radiance, too. My ladies are so beautiful!

  5. So many exciting worlds I can't decide which one I would like to visit they all have there different quirks!

    ShirleyAnn(at)speakman40(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk

    1. Yay! Shirley Ann, you're one of my winners of a free copy of Elusive Radiance. Check your email for details.

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