Hi all,
Well, yay for Friday. It’s looking like it’s going to be a good weekend, have a friend’s wedding tomorrow (that I’m also taking the piccies for) so that should be fun. Speaking of which, I excited to have the fab Pippa Jay visiting today. Pippa writes some awesome sci-fi based romance, and is going to be chatting about her release, Quickshot.
So, let’s start with you telling us a bit about yourself.
After spending twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay is now a stay-at-home mum who writes sci-fi and the supernatural. Somewhere along the way a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. In between torturing her plethora of characters, she spends the odd free moment playing guitar very badly, punishing herself with freestyle street dance, and studying the Dark Side of the Force. Although happily settled in the historical town of Colchester in the UK with her husband of 22 years and three little monsters, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.
Pippa Jay is a dedicated member of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade, Broad Universe, and EPIC, blogging at Spacefreighters Lounge, Adventures in Scifi, and Romancing the Genres. Her works include YA and adult stories crossing a multitude of subgenres from scifi to the paranormal, often with romance, and she’s one of eight authors included in a science fiction romance anthology—Tales from the SFR Brigade. She’s also a double SFR Galaxy Award winner, been a finalist in the Heart of Denver RWA Aspen Gold Contest (3rd place), the 2015 EPIC eBook awards, the 2015 RWA LERA Rebecca (2nd place), and the GCC RWA Silken Sands Star Awards (2nd place).
Ooh, impressive! Was there a specific moment where you first knew that you wanted to be a writer?
Not as a writer, because I’ve written all my life so that’s always been a part of me. But being a published author? Yes. After not writing for a decade and only ever finishing one whole book before, I took a short story and expanded it into a 110K novel. Once it was done I was hit with the thought of what should I do with it? Stick it in a virtual drawer or try to get it published? I went for publishing.
Lol, that’s some expanding 😉 But, it is hard taking that plunge from writing for your own pleasure to putting it out there for the world! Do you have a particular writing routine, or any special rituals?
When writing, I just plug myself into my mp3 and get going. I no longer have a particular time or place to write – it’s actually got harder to find time as I have more titles out now, and they need updating, promoting etc, and having a laptop means I can write in bed, on the sofa, out in the summerhouse…I’ve even written in my car waiting for my eldest to come out of the cinema. And my smartphone means I can write anywhere, anytime (I once wrote a 17K novella on my phone while on holiday). I *do* make an effort to write something every day, though, even if it’s just blog posts. I aim for a minimum of 250 a day, but that might well mean writing 1000 one day, then scraping a mere 20 a day for the week.
I do love my laptop as well, it’s great just being to get comfy in random spots and get the words out 🙂 Tell us about the genre you write in, and what drew you to it.
Most of my titles fall under the science fiction romance genre, though they often cross/include other subgenres (speculative fiction though). I’ve always loved science fiction and science fact, but blending in romance gives it and extra dimension for me. As one reviewer put it, “…SciFi that engages your emotions…”
Sounds like the best kind! Are there any particular authors or books that have really inspired you?
We were set A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin for our English Literature study in secondary school (11-16 years), and I loved the style of the writing. Then I read Anne McCaffrey throughout my teens and that really inspired me as she wrote the kind of things I wanted to write (like Star Wars) – SciFi but with psi powers. Doctor Who has also been a lifelong inspiration.
Yay, always good to find another Whovian 😉 What five things could you never do without?
Chocolate, music, my smartphone, my husband and my children. Um, if I count the kids as one ‘thing’, that’s acceptable right?! 😛
Hehe, I think we’ll let you off with that. Tell us a bit about your new release.
Quickshot is a hot space opera short, inspired by Guardians of the Galaxy and Firefly. My heroine is a trigger-happy, bisexual POC with a traumatic past who earns a semi-honest living as a galactic courier. Then she encounters Devin, and there’s an immediate spark. But it turns out he’s in a lot of trouble with the Imperium, and it drags Sal into an unfortunate meeting with the ex-lover who betrayed her.
Ooh, definitely intrigued! Where did your inspiration for it come from?
Initially from seeing Guardians of the Galaxy (three times!). I loved it! I wanted to write a character like Peter Quill – a reluctant hero, slightly klutzy and jumping his way from one girl to the next. Then a hint of Zoe from Firefly crept in, before Sal exerted herself as a fully fledged character with things of her own to say. There may also be a touch of Farscape in there.
Lol, well now you’re hitting all my favs. What did you find most enjoyable about writing it?
I love writing tortured characters, but although Sal has a traumatic past, she’s really just out to have a good time and she has NO inhibitions whatsoever. It was really liberating to write her, and it was so much fun.
Sometimes it’s just fun to cut loose with a character like that 🙂 What was the hardest part about writing it?
Although it’s not the first story I’ve written with a POC lead (though it *is* the first published), it is the first I’ve done with a virtually non-white universe. I’d been reading a lot of articles complaining about the lack of diversity both in the stories and among authors, and a lot said against white authors being guilty of racism, sexism, gender bias etc, plus a lot of upset in the romance community in general. So I was really nervous about the reception my story might get as a white author (I’m already used to the bias against women writing SF, which is sad). My editor also slapped me for a couple of things (for which I’m grateful). In general, there will always be someone who is triggered by something you write, but hopefully no one will be too offended by my attempt because it certainly isn’t intended.
Thank God for editors, right? I can see it would be a little intimidating writing about POC and then wondering about the reaction to it, it’s probably one of the things that has subconsciously put me off it – so you’re much braver than me lol! Who’s your favourite character in it? (I know, I know, favouritism!)
Sal, without question! The story is all about her.
So, just in case anyone’s not convinced yet, why should we run out and buy it right now?
If you want a fun, short and sexy read, with a sassy heroine and a cool, part-cybernetic hero, then this is for you.
Well, I’m definitely sold 🙂 Check out the book details here:
Blurb
Sal, a legal carrier (just about) of whatever comes her way, puts her trust in just two things: her guns.
Keeping out from under Imperium eyes—especially those belonging to a certain Ehi Wahu—while making a living, and trying to keep a lover who can tolerate her twitchy trigger fingers, are the extent of her ambitions.
Then a kiss from a passing stranger, and a promise of the biggest score in a long time, tempt her. Devin fulfils more than one need, but he comes with more trouble than one woman can handle. And this time it’ll take more than her guns to save her. She’ll have to trust a man again.
And you can get your hands on a preorder copy here:
Amazon: http://mybook.to/Quickshot
And don’t forget to follow Pippa on social media to stay up-to-date on all her news.
Website – http://www.pippajay.co.uk/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/pippajaygreen
Blog – http://pippajay.blogspot.co.uk/
Have a great weekend x
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