From the age of eight, when a certain Tatooine farmboy
captured my imagination (and my heart), I've considered myself a SciFi author.
I wrote my own version of Star Wars,
a series of scifi stories linked by a bloodline spanning several decades
inspired by Anne McCaffrey's writing, some Doctor
Who shorts (what would now be called fan fiction, I guess), and finally a Doctor Who novella that was my first
ever completed work (rejected, but the fact that I finished was kudos enough
for me at age eighteen).
Then I didn't really write anything again until 2009, when I
completed my second novel, Keir. It
wasn't until attempting to get what became my debut novel published that I
discovered what I was writing was actually a little known genre called science
fiction romance. And having found what felt like home, I had no intention of
leaving. I love heavy tech SF and reading up on technology, but I try not to
put too much into my writing. I won't spend pages on technical details for how
my characters throw themselves through space or the genetics of an alien
species for fear it might slow things down too much. I do have psi talents such
as telepathy and telekinesis (though these abilities are mostly alien in nature
rather than magical). One of my even WIPs has intelligent griffins in it,
though that's not what they call themselves. As I began writing fantasy before
I got hooked on SciFi, I guess it's inevitable that there are still elements of
my old genre seeping in.
But Tethered
started out with the working title of Succubi.
So how did I get from SF to writing a being that sits very firmly in the
UF/paranormal category? Well...
I'd been chatting to a couple of friends on Twitter about how
elves and dragons had cornered more than their fair share of the mythological
representation in books. I was looking for some story ideas, and wondering
about taking a lesser known mythical being and putting a SF twist on it. And so
Succubi in Spaaaaace began.
Succubi was only the working title though, and a rough
summary of my heroine's ability. Because I am
(or was - I've written paranormal since) a SF author at heart. And she certainly
wasn't a Daughter of Lilith type succubus. No. Tyree was a genetically
engineered clone, and an assassin. She could alter her molecular density to
either crush an opponent, or become incorporeal to ghost down corridors faster
than a human could run, or walk through walls. Her method of
assassination...well. 'Succubus' should give you a clue. As Tyree says herself,
at least her victims die in ecstasy. :P
While her abilities might appear more magical/paranormal,
they have a scientific basis. Her people—the Inc-Su (taken from incubus and
succubus—have genetically 'perfected' themselves over the centuries since they
divided from humanity. Now living in seclusion from the rest of the human race,
they regard themselves as superior, but their limited numbers put them at
greater risk, so they still rely on their human neighbours. And as Tyree
discovers, she needs a certain human more than she thought, even with her
succubus abilities.
Tethered was a lot of fun to write,
and I hope it will be fun to read. In the meantime, I'm going to carry on
mixing those paranormal and fantasy elements into my SFR, and probably write
some more PNR too.
Here's the blurb for TETHERED:
She can kill with a kiss. But can
assassin Tyree also heal one man’s grief, and bring peace to a galaxy
threatened by war?
For Tyree of the Su, being an assassin isn’t simply something she was trained for. It’s the sole reason for her existence. A genetically enhanced clone—one of many in Refuge—she’s about to learn her secluded lifestyle, and that of all her kind, is under threat by a race capable of neutralizing their special talents to leave them defenseless.
For Zander D’joren, being a diplomat has not only cost him his appearance, but also the love of his life. Scarred, grieving, he must nonetheless continue in his role as co-delegate to the fearsome Tier-vane or risk a conflict that could only end one way.
Now both of them need to keep each other alive and maintain a perilous deception long enough to renegotiate the treaty with the Tier-vane, or throw their people into a war that could wipe out Terrans and Inc-Su alike. But there’s more at stake than humanity, whether true or modified. Can the love growing between them save them both? Or merely hasten their destruction?
For Tyree of the Su, being an assassin isn’t simply something she was trained for. It’s the sole reason for her existence. A genetically enhanced clone—one of many in Refuge—she’s about to learn her secluded lifestyle, and that of all her kind, is under threat by a race capable of neutralizing their special talents to leave them defenseless.
For Zander D’joren, being a diplomat has not only cost him his appearance, but also the love of his life. Scarred, grieving, he must nonetheless continue in his role as co-delegate to the fearsome Tier-vane or risk a conflict that could only end one way.
Now both of them need to keep each other alive and maintain a perilous deception long enough to renegotiate the treaty with the Tier-vane, or throw their people into a war that could wipe out Terrans and Inc-Su alike. But there’s more at stake than humanity, whether true or modified. Can the love growing between them save them both? Or merely hasten their destruction?
Buy links:
Breathless Press - (and for the whole of August, Breathless Press is offering 50% off to celebrate their 5th birthday!)
