Linnea Sinclair Interview

If there is one author who personifies the best in SFR today, Linnea Sinclair would be the one. Winner of the RWA's RITA in 2006 for GABRIEL'S GHOST, winner of the 2008 PEARL and 2009 PRISM awards for SHADES OF DARK, nominee for too many awards to mention for her other space-based romantic adventures, Sinclair is a writer who has earned an enviable following in both the science fiction and the romance camps. She is both groundbreaker and leader in the coalescing subgenre of SFR.

Sinclair kindly agreed to take time out from preparations for her appearance at the upcoming Romantic Times BOOKLovers Convention in Columbus OH (April 26-May 1) to share some of her news and views with the SFR Brigade. SFR Brigadier Donna S. Frelick conducted the interview via email.

SFRB: The latest in your Dock Five Universe, REBELS AND LOVERS, recently hit the stands. What do fans have to look forward to with this book?

LS: REBELS is Devin Guthrie’s story. He’s Admiral Philip Guthrie’s youngest brother, and a character who’s been mentioned only obliquely in HOPE’S FOLLY. But unlike his illustrious older brother, Devin is non-military and definitely a geek. He idolizes Philip, but his path was a different one—or so he thought. Where FOLLY, and to some extent GABRIEL’S GHOST and SHADES OF DARK, had a more military SF tone, REBELS doesn’t…because Devin isn’t. I call him my ‘reluctant hero.’

REBELS is also Kaidee Griggs’ story. Fans of my books will likely find some similarities between Kaidee and Trilby Elliot from FINDERS KEEPERS in that both are independent freighter operators (though Kaidee wasn’t always…). But Kaidee is a bit more jaded than Trilby—older and wiser and not necessarily from positive experiences.

The book in some aspects is about loyalty—earned and misplaced—and about how our view of our family defines not only how we see ourselves, but how we see our possibilities. It’s also a rip-roaring, high-action space opera story with lots of chases down back corridors with bad guys shooting at good guys, some edge-of-your-seat starship flying, and great love scenes.

SFRB: You have a short story appearing in an anthology called SONGS OF LOVE AND DEATH: TALES OF STAR-CROSSED LOVE, which is due out in November. This is HUGE news—an anthology of stories blending SF, fantasy and ROMANCE, edited by SF stalwarts George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. Tell us about the project and what you think it means for the wider acceptance of romantic elements in science fiction.

LS: I was gobsmacked ::ka-ching to author Lynne Connolly:: when I was asked to submit a story for a Dozois-Martin anthology. I own Dozois anthologies and love Martin’s writing. They’re icons in the genre of SF. Which is why I was also excited they chose to do a cross-genre anthology that included romance. Yes, I do think it signals if not an acceptance at least a nod of legitimacy to paranormal romance and science fiction romance (the latter, of course, still lagging behind). I’ve noted on a number of SF blogs that have highlighted the upcoming anthology that more than a few readers have never heard of many of the romance or SFR authors mentioned. So this should bring some familiarity on that side of the equation. Equally, those who will be picking up the anthology because of Mary Jo Putney, Jo Beverly or Marjorie Liu also get to meet the stories of Peter Beagle, Neil Gaiman, Robin Hobb and others more well-known in the SF aisles.

Do I foresee 100 % acceptance from both camps? No. There are and always will be SF readers who reject any kind of romantic subplot in their stories, and there are and always will be romance readers who shy from the intricacies of tech and/or the “strangeness” of alien worlds. But it’s definitely a step in the right direction for at least alerting both camps to the possibilities found in the other.

SFRB: There is always a great deal of debate within the SFR community about the “dynamic tension” between romance and science fiction in our subgenre. How do you find a balance between the two in your work? Do you feel pressure from representatives of the market, or from fans, or from anyone else, to steer your work in any particular direction, and how do you deal with that pressure?

LS: My first inclination is to say that I don’t find any kind of balance, that I write what I want to read, but then I also acknowledge that probably because I read a lot of SF that there are things permanently embedded in my brain that affect what and how I write. Once I’m through the first draft I do, yes, go over with an eye to both genres and their arcs in the story. But even if I were to write pure SF, I’m a character-driven writer not plot-driven, so the emotional component would always be in there.

My books’ balance comes somewhat from the way I work characterization and world building. To me, the two are intertwined. It goes to the old adage of people being products of their environments. When I write, I don’t think of my character’s world or environment as high-tech or science fiction-ish, I think of it as their present day, their home, their culture. I don’t approach it any differently than if I were to set the book in 1812 France or 1929 India. Interstellar travel is a reality to my characters, so I don’t have them wonder about it any more than I wonder about the streets in my city, or my car sitting in my garage. It’s there, What we would call the SF elements (to us) are parts of their world, and must be seamlessly presented as part of their world.

Now, granted, there are those SF readers who want every tech detail explained. But that feels unnatural to me. I don’t think about who invented the microwave oven when I pop my popcorn. I don’t even know who invented it, nor do I care. I care that it works and doesn’t burn my popcorn. Now, if I were also an appliance repair-person, sure, then when making popcorn I might think of how the unit works. So if I write a character who’s an appliance repair person or a starship jumpdrive technician—then yes, the tech detail belongs there. But the tendency to make everyone in an SF story a techno-whiz-kid reads falsely to me.

In the same sense, I try to make the romance arc of the story make sense to the characters and the action. Just as everyone in the universe isn’t a techno-geek, everyone in the universe isn’t always hankering to get it on. I have a problem with romance novels where—when bullets are flying—the two main characters can think of nothing but getting into each other’s pants. Sorry, but I’ve had the business end of a gun pointed at me (I’m a retired private detective) and the last thing on any (normal) person’s mind at that moment is sexual satisfaction.

Yes, there is that “life affirmation” thing humans experience after having avoided death or having dealt with death or something tragic. There are people who come home after a friend’s funeral to fall in bed and make passionate love. It’s this “reaffirmation of life” drive. But they don’t do it AT the funeral (at least, normal people and characters we can identify with don’t). Dodge the bullets, escape from the bad guy, leap safely from the speeding train…find a safe place, THEN make love.

So as to pressure from readers or fans or bloggers, sure, those are the kinds of things I get from time to time: why aren’t your characters groping each other on page four? Why haven’t you detailed the schematics of the jump drive in chapter one? The answer to both things is because that doesn’t belong at that point in the book. Both the world and the characters’ emotional reactions are organic to the plot in the way that I write, and yes, that’s my judgment call.

If I get a sincere fan mail from a reader asking those questions, then I might, yes, explain as I have here that there are actually biological reasons that nullify the human sex drive during a fight-or-flight reaction (which is why getting it on while bullets fly doesn’t work for me—the human body won’t logically cooperate). Other times, I’ll just say ‘thank you for sharing.’ However, if my editor or another author in my genre whose work I’ve read and respect comes at me with those kinds of questions, I will seriously look at the scene in question. Eight books and one novella don’t make me an expert. I’m always looking for ways to improve my writing. I still take workshops and online classes. Someday I may even learn to plot (I’m a pantser).

SFRB: The romance market has seen the repackaging and republishing of a number of older SFR titles by established writers in recent months. Sherrilyn Kenyon did it with great success with her LEAGUE series, but Jayne Ann Krentz (writing as Jayne Castle) is also trying it with three titles originally published in the ‘90’s. Are these simply smart marketing moves for the individual writers, or do they have positive implications for those of us hoping to convince an agent or editor there’s a market for SFR?

LS: I read one of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s early SFR novels eons ago—in ebook format when ebooks were on floppy disks (yeah, that long ago) and remember enjoying it. I know that’s the story on which she’s basing her current LEAGUE series, and it’s on my to-buy list (or rather, my to-download as I have a Nook). I think SFR has changed since the 1980s and 1990s, and I don’t know if a simple re-release—either of her work or Krentz’s—would be as effective as an update/rewrite of a concept from them, which I’m assuming has been done in this case.

I’m not sure what it signals on the part of the authors or the market since neither author has confided in me. I can guess that with movies like the new STAR TREK and AVATAR, that authors and marketing people are recognizing that there is a continuing interest in things SF-y. But that’s only a guess on my part. Both Kenyon and Krentz are hugely respected names, and I’m thrilled with any contribution to the genre they’d care to make. I do think their name recognition could bring in new readers, and that can only be a good thing.

SFRB: Care to predict any trends? If SFR were to take off sales-wise in the next year or two, which way(s) do you think it would go? (And steampunk or YA don’t count—that’s too easy!)

LS: Nope, no predictions. Wish I could, but I’m not privy to any inside information, other than what you’ve obviously heard: steampunk is big and the YA paranormal market shows no signs of tapering off (and a recent PW article noted its trend toward dystopianism…if that’s even a word). SF has long embraced dystopian plots, so I can see an alignment there, and steampunk has long embraced things technical, so I can see a melding there.

If SFR were to finally take off (Oh, joy! Oh, rapture!) I think it would be because of the efforts of someone like Gardner Dozois in putting together an anthology that addresses both genres. I’m convinced (because I meet them at book signings now and then) that there are SF readers out there who would love a romantic subplot to their stories and have no clue SFR exists. I do think paranormal romance readers know we exist but I’m not sure military romance readers do, and I see to some extent a natural crossover there.

The real thing that would launch SFR would be a movie that openly embraced both genres. Maybe Nora/JD Robb’s IN DEATH series as a movie or TV series. Or Susan Grant’s MOONSTRUCK or Catherine Asaro’s ALPHA. Thing is, SF movies are dang expensive to make with all the special effects. There are other books, other genres that can be translated to the screen more inexpensively. Giving an actor a set of fangs costs way less than giving him a starship and a spacestation full of wacky looking aliens.

SFRB: What are the top three things we in the SFR writer/fan community should be doing to promote and expand the market for the subgenre? (Besides reading and writing more books—again, too easy!)

LS: For readers, word of mouth. Tell your friends, your librarian, your bookstore clerk about the genre. Educate them. You might be surprised how many have no idea—especially since some of us are shelved in romance and some in SF (or like me, shelved in SF in Barnes & Noble and in romance in all other bookstore chains). Face out our books when you see them (that is, cover to the front instead of spine). For unpublished writers, study the craft, study both genres, enter contests and win (and thereby get word of mouth)—especially contests that are judged by editors and agents. For published writers, spread the word to your fans. I frequently recommmend Susan Grant’s or Jess Granger’s or Catherine Asaro’s books to my fan group. I also have a “You Might Also Wanna Read” folder on it where authors are encouraged to post teaser chapters for my fans to devour. I encourage other authors to come on my fan group and announce their book’s release or new award or great reviews. My group is fairly evenly split between SF readers and romance readers (though we’re not heavy on erotica—sorry…). I’d like to see other SFR authors doing the same—adding other authors’ SFR releases to their newsletters or teaser-chapters on their fans loops: cross-pollination. I also have links to other SFR/PNR authors on my website. Again, this helps my readers find things to read when they’re not reading my books. Keep the pipeline filled…

SFRB: What's in your WIP file? Anything new and exciting you'd like to share with us?

LS: At this exact moment, my WIP file is under a pile of shhhhhtuff for the enormous Romantic Times BOOKlover’s Convention, in which I’m teaching not only pre-con workshops Monday and Tuesday, but have a two full days of panels and parties, Wednesday and Friday. And the big book fair on Saturday. My big party, of course, is the Intergalactic Bar & Grille Reader party, where we routinely pull 200 attendees (we’d pull more, but the room we get is rarely large enough) and we give away 200 goody bags full of blinky-flashing-glow shhhhhtuff, and we have a party game where bar guests win books and T-shirts and jewelry and posters and more blinky-flashing-glow shhhhhhtuff. And have a lot of silly fun. It’s the only science fiction-based party at RT. I think this is the fourth or fifth year I’m hosting it. I’d very very much like to keep it going. This year’s barflys—along with yours truly—are Isabo Kelly, Catherine Asaro, Liddy Midnight, Janet Miller, Karin Shah, Jess Granger, Stacey Kade, Colby Hodge, and I’m hoping Leanna Renee Hieber will also come by.

SFRB: Okay, this may seem like a cliched question, but we're writers and you know we'll all be hanging on the answer: what is the best piece of writing advice you ever received? And what would you advise us as writers slogging away in the star freighter engine rooms of the SFR world?

LS: Read Dwight V Swain’s TECHNIQUES OF THE SELLING WRITER. My first crit partner—a long-time HQN author and Trekker—gave me that advice. She refused to critique me until I read Swain. She was right. Swain’s writing advice is flawless, timeless, and spot-on. I judge several national writing contests and at least eighty per cent of the mistakes I see (and deduct for) in those manuscripts are easily avoided if the writer would only read (and employ) Swain’s teachings. It doesn’t matter which genre you write in. Swain’s book is the CRAFT part. It’s what gets and keeps readers hooked (and editors and agents before them, because if you don’t hook an editor or agent, you’ll never get a chance to hook a reader.)

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The SFR Brigade wishes to thanks Linnea Sinclair for sharing her knowledge, insights and time in answering these questions, and to SFR Brigade member Donna S. Frelick for conducting her interview.

As a very special bonus, Linnea Sinclair has a huge giveaway to offer readers who comment below. She will award one each of her novels, GAMES OF COMMAND, SHADES OF DARK and her recent release, REBELS AND LOVERS to three commenters. (If the winning commenter resides in a foreign country, a PDF of the novel will be substituted). OR if like many fans, you have already read and savored all of these great novels, she is offering the selection of one product from her Intergalactic Bar & Grille Café Press store as an alternative prize. Twitter Brigade and bloggers, let's get the word out and get this party started.