Space Opera Fans discussion

Greetings Space Opera Fans!

It's Awesomely Awesome when one of our long-standing, active members who also happens to be an author has their book highlighted as one of the group reads.

This month Leonie Rogers is up on the hot seat Group Reads list for her YA-Friendly pick, Frontier Incursion. As you all know, this community is committed to reversing the exodus of young adults to the sparkly vampire genres, so I'm double delighted we have a sci-fi writing YA author in our midst.

So without further ado, here's Leonie Rogers to tell us a little of the story-behind-the story of Frontier Incursion.

And be sure to participate in the group read thread HERE: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Be epic!

Anna Erishkigal
SOF Borg Queen

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1. What books have most influenced your life?

Where do I start? I've loved reading for as long as I can remember. I had a great aunt and a mother who both loved reading too, and they provided me with the most eclectic variety of literature.

Possibly the most influential books in my early childhood years were CS Lewis' Narnia series, and then The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. But then then I discovered Andre Norton and the early Heinlein YA books :)

2. How do you develop your plots and characters?

My plots pop into my head like shots from movies. I know that sounds weird, but that's how it is. I see the image, meet a character, know what happens at the beginning and the end, and then start writing. The characters often develop themselves along the way. Sometimes I have what I refer to as 'the shower epiphany' - I have no idea what it is about having a shower, but it's good thinking time.

3. Tell us about your Space Opera Fans book?

Frontier Incursion is the first book in the Frontier Series. I think I'll let the trailer speak for it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvymD...

4. We all need a hero! Tell us about your protagonist(s)? Was there a real-life inspiration behind him or her?

Shanna is a teen, just starting to head towards adulthood. She's smart, not as tall as her peers, and a bit younger than her fellow Scout Cadets. Her parents train and breed starcats - huge, 100kg glow-in-the-dark felines who like to sleep on the bed, and she's also a talented trainer.

Because all her fellow cadets are a bit older, she's feeling a bit isolated from them. She's a fast learner though, which is just as well, because her world has just changed radically!

5. A good villain is hard to write. How did you get in touch with your inner villain(s) to write this book. Was there a real-life inspiration for him/her/it?

My villains are alien invaders. Unbeknownst to the settlers on Frontier, they've already gained control of the galaxy. They are insectoid, so I've tried to develop them with what I imagine might be insectoid social structures.

6. What real-life inspirations did you draw from for the worldbuilding within your book?

Frontier is dangerous. The weather's dangerous, the vegetation's dangerous, and the wildlife's dangerous.

I lived for years in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Every summer, huge cyclones sweep in from the Indian Ocean leaving destruction in their wake. A major feature of Frontier's world building is the storm season. I've had a lot of practice being in real cyclones, so I've hoped to bring that reality to the world of Frontier.

Frontier also has a lot of dangerous wildlife. I'm Australian. We have the vast majority of the most deadly snakes and spiders in the world living here, crocodiles, sharks, stingers, and of course the drop bear. (http://australianmuseum.net.au/drop-bear) Much inspiration.

7. Sci-fi fans love techno-porn! What real-life science (or pseudo-science) did you research for your book?

My poor human beings have been techno-poor for about three hundred years. Having said that, they've just reached the point at which they might be able to begin reconstruction. The invading aliens have none of those constraints.

They have FTL travel and communications (pseudoscience, I know!) and beam weapons, as well as aircraft and ground vehicles.

The human beings are re-developing their technology using the native resources available to them - they're clever and they value education, so they've had the theory, just not the time or the security until recently.

8. What was the hardest part of writing this book?

Stopping. The Frontier Trilogy was meant to be one book... Frontier Incursion stopped at 130,000 words. So did Frontier Resistance, and the final part, Frontier Defiant (written, but in the editing phase.)

9. What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

I really enjoyed writing the starcat cub choosing scene. It made me snicker as I wrote it. Actually, writing anything starcat! They are cats :)

10. Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?

I learnt that I'm a better story teller than I am a writer. I know that sounds weird, but I've learnt an enormous amount about writing along the way.

11. Is there a message in your novel that you hope readers will grasp?

Shanna is a girl in a completely egalitarian society. The settlers on Frontier couldn't care less about whether you're male or female. They do care whether you can do the job.

12. What are your future project(s)?

Frontier Defiant, the final book of the trilogy is written and submitted, but it's now in the editing process.

I've also begun several other projects, one involving a deadly disease in space, that I plan to make my priority. It'll be a book (hopefully) full of conspiracy and exploration of the galaxy.

13. If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?

I am a physiotherapist (physical therapist) and I really do like my job. Having said that, I have a background in volunteer emergency services. I would have really liked to pursue that professionally as well.

14. What is your preferred method to have readers get in touch with or follow you (i.e., website, personal blog, Facebook page, here on Goodreads, etc.) and link(s)?

You can contact me on:
Goodreads, via my profile.

Facebook via my author page. https://www.facebook.com/leonierogers...

My blog: http://leonierogers.me

Or I'm @RaeYesac on Twitter.

15. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to the Space Opera Fans community members?

Thanks heaps for being such a welcoming community of Space Opera Fans. I think Space Opera is one of the most fabulous genres - it allows us to explore so many themes and stories in the most amazing settings possible - the limit is only our own imaginations!

Anna alerted me that the trailer link wasn't working, so we'll try this one instead!

http://youtu.be/tvymDYRwj6Y