Sci-fi wannabe

One of the questions I was asked recently is why do I write sci-fi/fantasy and why do I like the genre? I was told there is so much more out there to read! And I agree! There is! And I love a good mystery! Romance is good, but a full body lust push just isn’t my style. I prefer Hitchcock’s theory of giving just enough information that the imagination takes over. I’m not one to stick loyally to one genre! Why not involve as many elements of the different genre as possible? Isn’t that the way life is? I’ve certainly had days that were fiction strange! And some of my students are definitely from “somewhere else”!

A while back, I was told I was good at memoir writing – that my stories were clear, believable, helped people relate. And they were boring for me to write. What is the challenge of restating something that has already happened – water under the bridge so to speak. Where is the imagination in the story? Writing sci-fi/fantasy is my opportunity to be someone else on paper – no costume or makeup required – just an active imagination. It is the opportunity to let a bit of myself out, to take that part out for a spin into fantasy and see how “I” respond, and to see if “I” can stand up to the challenges.

My character Lady Ev D’Ander in the Tracker series is a very small part of me and a lot of what I wish I was: musician, good with animals and people, adventurous, confident, unafraid to take action when needed. Ev is my wannabe – she is who I’d like to be when I grow up.