Fellow author and photographer F.C. Etier started a blog hop called Paying It Forward, in which tagged authors have to answer four questions and then tag another three fellow authors. I was tagged by Teresa Cypher, fellow sci-fi/fantasy writer and one of the founders of the Weekend Writing Warriors, a blog hop dedicated to sharing 8 sentences of your WIP every Sunday (it's a lot of fun: sign up to share your WIP or simply follow the links if you're looking for some awesome reads).
So, here are the questions:
What am I working on?
I just finished revising MOSAICS, Book 2 in the Track Presius Mystery series. MOSAICS will be released in September but in a few weeks I will be sending out ARCs -- free eBooks for early readers willing to write a review on Amazon. If you'd like to participate, you can read the details and sign up here. I'm also editing GENE CARDS, a mystery set in a near future, while mulling over a possible sequel.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I'm a scientist, in fact, I'm more than that, I'm a science nut, and when I write, I can't keep the science away from my writing. I'll go to a seminar and find the topic so fascinating that next thing I know, a story using those concepts pops in my head. A lot of science fiction borrows concepts from science and genetics in particular, and even though the stories are terrific, most of the time the science is not plausible. I don't mean this as a critique. What I mean to say is that I believe I can offer a different point of view because I know the science in my stories is plausible and that, to me, adds a new layer to the story, as you can always ask yourself: what if this happened for real?
Why do I write what I write?
That's a great question! I guess I like to imagine things and I ask a lot of 'What If' questions.
How does my writing process work?
Usually characters come first. I let them 'simmer' in my head so I get to know them better. Then comes a scenario, one of those 'What If' questions. And then I start to write...
Thanks again F.C. Etier for starting Paying It Forward, and Teresa Cypher for tagging me. Now I'll go tag three fellow writers to keep the blog hop going. :-)
Good post. It's fascinating learning from where stories come. You do write science into your stories. And the really cool thing is how you approach it: layman's terms. It must take a great deal of extra work to keep the science understandable for non-science types. Do you have beta readers from both camps--to critique the science, and to critique the story AND the understandability of the science?
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Elena, and I'm looking forward to another Track Presius Mystery!
Thanks for sharing this, and thanks to Chip, and to Venture Galleries for making it all happen!
Thanks so much Teresa, it makes me happy to hear this because I do put a lot of effort in making sure that the science I use can be easily understood! I want readers to enjoy the science as much as I do :-)
DeleteI love that the science in your stories is plausible. It's fun to read a story with far-fetched science, but even better when it's real and could likely happen.
ReplyDeleteThank you for thinking of me for this bloghop. Challenge accepted! ;)
Awesome, Chrys, I look forward to your post! :-)
DeleteThanks for paying it forward. Your blog will appear on my publisher's web site soon. I'll send you the link.
ReplyDelete(I'm a scientist, too -- pharmacist in fact. We had enough chemistry in pharm school we could have had a double degree were it not for interdepartmental politics.)
Thanks so much for organizing this Frank! And great to meet a fellow writer, photographer and scientist :-)
DeleteCharacters come first for me as well.
ReplyDeleteI think we're opposites when it comes to science. Then again, I'm not a scientist!
Science can be so inspiring, Alex :-)
DeleteI love that you incorporate real science in your books (I'm enjoying your book right now!)
ReplyDeleteI've always been fascinated by the "what ifs" in science - you just never know. :)
Thanks so much Kimberly! The consequences of the scientific what ifs can be so cool :-)
DeleteGreat answers! Very cool to see how you incorporate your love of science into your stories. And I agree with you about characters; they usually come first for me, too...
ReplyDeleteHi Heather, thank you ! :-)
DeleteThe key to whether or not the science is "far-fetched" or not lies in the word, "possible." If it's possible, then it's not far-fetched. Is it likely to happen? That's where imagination comes in.
ReplyDeleteI've never had a problem with the science in Michael Crichton's work, even "Jurassic Park" and "Micro."