Please welcome Pippa Jay to the Far Edge of Normal! A stay-at-home mum of three who spent twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay bases her stories on a lifetime addiction to science-fiction books and films. Somewhere along the line a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. Between torturing her characters, she spends the odd free moments trying to learn guitar, indulging in freestyle street dance and drinking high-caffeine coffee. Although happily settled in historical Colchester in the UK with her husband of 20 years, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head. Her works have won a SFR Galaxy Award, and finaled in the Readers Favorite Award Contest and the Gulf Coast RWA Chapter Silken Sands Self-Published Star Award.
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What genre do you prefer to write? I write light scifi, sometimes with a splash of romance and always with a touch of fantasy.
What books, stories, other publications that you've written are your personal favorites?
All of them! Lol. But of course my current favourite has to be my latest release – Gethyon - because it’s all new and shiny, and I can’t wait to see if people like it. Plus I had a lot of fun writing it because it has spaceships and a sassy little bounty hunter called Jinx!
Anything new coming up?
I have a short story in the Tales from the SFR Brigade anthology, a FREE read coming out this midsummer.
What about you as a person?
What do you do to relax? Nap. Preferably somewhere sunny and quiet. Or watch a film, read a book, listen to some music.
Favorite movies or tv shows?
Mostly scifi, fantasy and comedy, although I’ll watch science, cookery and antique programs too. Films – Galaxy Quest, A Knight’s Tale, How to Train your Dragon, Dark Crystal, original Star Wars trilogy, Chronicles of Riddick, Megamind…I could go on. And on and on…
Hobbies?
I do the odd bit of sewing (I’m currently making a Jedi tunic and robe), freestyle street dance (and no, no video!), attempt to play guitar and pootle about in my garden.
What gets your creative juices going?
Music, images, films, books, TV, going for a walk or a drive, daydreaming………sorry, what was the question again?
Do you write to music, and do you want to share your playlist?
"All writers must have cats, especially if they write fantasy or speculative fiction." Do you have a stand on this one? Any cute pictures of your kitty or other pet?
lol! I did have two cats, feral brothers that we adopted, but when they passed away I didn’t feel like taking on any more. Our neighbours had five, and between them there were many a visit to the vets after they had fights. No more. But my eldest now has a leopard gecko called Yoshi, and we have four bantam chickens (the small versions) who are as much pets as livestock – Moya (mine), Eowyn, Scoop and Tails (named by the kids). But no, I don’t think writers should be forced to have cats as part of the deal. Minions, now, they would be more useful.
Minions, we could all use a few of those. What organizations do you recommend for those wanting to become writers?
I have to admit I didn’t join any to begin with. I became friends with a couple of authors via Facebook, then several through studying Start Writing Fiction with the Open University, then joined the Science Fiction Romance Brigade and made more writer friends on Twitter. But I’d suggest CritiqueCircle.com as a good place to start. You really do need to get good, constructive feedback on your early stuff to learn and make progress, and it helps learning to take critiques early on in your development. Believe me, you’ll never stop learning or receiving perhaps less than flattering responses to some of your writing! Also use Writer Beware to check out the latest news in publishing – scams, dodgy agents and publisher, new happenings in the publishing world. They also run a list called Preditors and Editors where you can look up agents, publishers and editors to see if there’s anything dubious you need to be aware of.
Any advice you'd like to share about writing?
Get it down. Worry about fixing issues later. Editing is far easier than staring at a blank page with a blank mind. And don’t take advice from a source you don’t know. Check them out to make sure they’re qualified to give you that advice. Don’t be *told* by one person you must do this thing in this way and no other. There’s a world full of options out there, and only you can decide what’s right for YOU.
Sometimes, that's a very hard decision to make. But I agree with you. Ultimately, the author has to take control of their work and how it's presented and treated.
What writers inspired you to become an author?
I read a lot of scifi and fantasy from a young age and right through my teens – Tolkien, Asimov, Eddings, Feist, Pratchett etc. But I guess my biggest influence back then was Anne McCaffrey.
All very familiar to me. Great list, BTW. Any special appearances or events coming up that you want to mention?
The Science Fiction Romance Brigade is holding their 2nd Midsummer blog hop from the 21st-25th June! There’ll be prizes and giveaways! They’ll also be releasing their first Tales from the SFR Brigade anthology and er…cough…I just happen to have a story in there myself.
If you could travel to any time in history, when would you visit?
The medieval period. A tough time to live in, but I love the architecture and the archaic lifestyle of that time.
If you could travel anywhere, on earth or off, where would you go?
I’d like to visit some of those planets Kepler is discovering. When they find one with the right conditions, I’m going! Otherwise…well, I have friends in Sweden, the US, Canada and New Zealand that I’d love to visit. I’ve been to Sweden once and loved the sense of solitude there – it’s so quiet out in the countryside! And they filmed Lord of the Rings out in New Zealand too.
What color would you wear if you had only one choice?
Black. Even if I had a choice. :-P
Describe your dream writing spot.
Somewhere with no noise, free uninterrupted Wi-Fi, a pick of playlists, warm, lots of cushions, and 24/7 room service.
We can all wish for that!
As part of her book release party for Gethyon, Pippa is offering this lovely prize:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
A YA Science Fiction Novel
Released by Champagne Books 3rd June 2013
His father died. His mother abandoned him. In the depths of space, darkness seeks him.
Abandoned by his mother after his father’s death, Gethyon Rees feels at odds with his world and longs to travel the stars. But discovering he has the power to do so leaves him scarred for life. Worse, it alerts the Siah-dhu—a dark entity that seeks his kind for their special abilities—to his existence, and sets a bounty hunter on his trail.
When those same alien powers lead Gethyon to commit a terrible act, they also aid his escape. Marooned on the sea-world of Ulto Marinos, Gethyon and his twin sister must work off their debt to the Seagrafter captain who rescued them while Gethyon puzzles over their transportation. How has he done this? And what more is he capable of?
Before he can learn any answers, the Wardens arrive to arrest him for his crime. Can his powers save him now? And where will he end up next?
Check out the book at any of these locations:
BURST - http://burstbooks.ca/product.php?id_product=99
Kobo - http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Gethyon/book-PBNMPmlj7E-LpAed79fkDQ/page1.html?s=Cgke5CRKHESGZxG7MmccQQ&r=1
Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gethyon-ebook/dp/B00D5UIQ80/
Amazon US - http://www.amazon.com/Gethyon-ebook/dp/B00D5UIQ80/
Omnilit - https://www.omnilit.com/product-gethyon-1216049-245.html?oid=
Thanks for hosting me, Jaleta!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! It's always a pleasure.
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