Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Why Sci-Fi Romance?

by Cathryn Cade

When people find out I’m an author, they ask what kind of stories I create.

When I say Sci Fi Romance, I receive a certain look. The listener blinks, then tips their head to one side and views me with narrowed eyes, like an art patron viewing a modern art piece and trying to figure out what the heck it’s supposed to mean.

They’re seeing a casual-classically dressed woman of a certain age with the lines of a happy outdoor life on her face and minimal jewelry, no tattoos, living in North Idaho with a DH, golden retriever, and SUV … and they’re struggling for context.

I used to attempt to explain the wonders of SFR, the incredible depth and breadth of the genre, and the many uber-talented writers. But anymore, I usually just stick with the short answer: Cowboys!

My SFR began with the ‘horse operas’ I watched as a young child, so called because the movie cowboys and gals would break into song as they rode along on their horses. In the 60’s and into the early 70’s, westerns ruled American TV.

My dad was a cowboy, mom was a cowgirl, and so were their parents. My great-grand-parents were settlers in Montana who built themselves a huge ranch and a town around it. Since these were my heroes and heroines, it seemed only natural to me that the history of the US West comprised so many of the popular TV shows.

Roy Rogers & Dale Evans, The Lone Ranger, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Big Valley, Death Valley Days, Rin Tin Tin, The Rifleman, The Real McCoys … and the list went on. And yes, now we realize the cultural stereotypes rampant in historical productions of those days, but it was fabulous stuff for a kid to dream on.

The American West is no longer the wide-open frontier it was then, and we as Americans have realized the native cultures were treated extremely badly by many settlers (happy to say Gr-Grandad & Gr-mom were not among them) and by the early military. Such is the history of human civilization, sadly. But modern day North Americans now work together to right wrongs and celebrate native cultures, so although we now view our past through a clearer perspective, we can still enjoy the ‘High, Wide and Handsome’ possibilities of the frontier days.

And now we have a new frontier to dream in … space. My Cade-iverse is as wide and deep as my imagination, peopled by beings as wild as the cowboys, cowgirls and native tribes of my family’s past … okay, wilder—my beings have extra powers. But they all spring from the Old West.

Tyger and Dragolin shifters? Coyote, Raven and Fox are all Native American tales.

Dealing with space critters? Mountain lions + wild mustangs = catamount ponies.

Scary humanoid aliens such as Gorglons and Ingoes? Check out Pacific NorthWest Native American story-telling masks, brrr!

The LodeStar Corporation? Hudson Bay Fur Traders, the big cattle companies, the railroads

Planetary exploration with the TerraCon Expedition ? Lewis & Clark & Sacajawea

The InterGalactic Space Forces? The US Cavalry



Cyborgs? … okay, that one I can’t correlate. Cyborgs are just plain fun, so look for them in my next SFR!



Thanks for riding along with me. Join me in the Cade-iverse for some rollicking space opera … and you just may recognize a favorite historical character or two.



Start with LodeStar Series #1, STARK PLEASURE; the Space Magnate’s Mistress. FREE on all sales outlets!
 



Can she survive the perils of the galaxy on her wits … or will she have to use her body?

Kiri te Nawa will do anything to escape the perilous streets of New Seattle, Earth II and find the treasure for which she searches the galaxy, even become the mistress of space magnate Logan Stark. But is he her savior, or simply the man who wants to own her?

Just when she is ready to trust her heart to this powerful, magnetic man, she's kidnapped and thrown into her worst nightmare. Will he search for her, or believe she's betrayed him with an old lover?

Set in the futuristic galaxy of The Orion Series.



I’ll see you there!

Cathryn Cade

Best-selling author of sci fi romance

RT 4.5 Stars and Night Owl Reviews TOP PICK

… it’s hot in space, red hot!


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5 comments:

  1. You know, I never thought about it but now I do see it in all your books! I liked the walk down memory lane. Sometimes the serials before the main feature were better than the movie itself! Loving all your books - may 2016 be a prolific and prosperous year for you!!

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  2. I love cowboys in space! Hence my obsession with Firefly, I suppose!

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  3. I love cowboys in space! Hence my obsession with Firefly, I suppose!

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  4. I love your explanation! and of course Gene Roddenberry used to say Star Trek was Wagon Train in Space, so you're following in some excellent footsteps. I always believe humans need a new frontier and I wish we'd hurry up and get there in real life!

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  5. I loved all those shows and now that you pointed it out, I do see the correlation. (Psst. Hey, you forgot Sky King! LOL) I also loved the sappy Sci-Fi shows like Fireball XL5 (puppets in spaaaace...long before the Muppets were a twinkle in anybody's eye) and Lost in Space, so I'm sure that also fed my love of SFR. Great post, Cathryn!

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