Meet the #Author Monday - Chris Hayes

Please tell us a bit about yourself:

I’m a Family Medicine physician currently working in the field of college health. I began writing science fiction generously laced with romance about ten years ago as a hobby because that’s what I enjoy reading.

Tell us about Sikkiyn:

Sikkiyn is a science fiction novel which happens to include a lot of romance. It’s set in the future and features space travel, telepathy, and both scientific and cultural extrapolation. I don’t really think of it as a romance novel per se, because I did my best to avoid most of the typical romance novel tropes. On the other hand, if a reader is looking for detailed descriptions of technological wonders and exciting space battles, this book will probably have way too much emotion and not enough gadgets in it. In short, Sikkiyn is the type of book that I like to read.

What inspired you to write this particular story?:

I have always been fascinated by the interplay of culture and how different languages and cultures affect the way we interact with other people. I had the idea one day that if we could read minds, this process would in many ways be made easier. And then my imagination took off from there. Sikkiyn is the result. Apparently I’ve got a very strange imagination. 

Please share a favourite snippet from your book:

“Larsen’s pulse pounded in his ears. He was drowning in desire—hers, his, theirs—and Lara’s thoughts whirled around in his head. Curiosity predominated. He wanted to block her search but he didn’t know how. His fear that she would discover how he really felt about her and take advantage of it, only to drop him once the novelty wore off like every Ragnaran girl he’d ever felt anything for, was soon overwhelmed by a sense of rightness. He felt her struggle with her own impulses before giving in.

Her lips were closed when she leaned forward to kiss him, an achingly sweet and innocent first kiss. Larsen forced himself to meet her innocence with gentleness rather than passion. And then her lips opened, his tongue tasted hers, and all bets were off. She was a fast learner.”

Which comes first for you – a character's looks, personality or name?:

Looks, I think. I have to picture the character in my head and let him or her talk to me for a while so I can get a sense of the personality I’m creating. The name usually comes later.

Any tips for aspiring authors?:

Write. Do it every day, even if there’s really no time to do it. Find a group of friends to read your work and tell you what they think you need to add or change, then re-write. A lot. An online writing group is good because it’s easier to be brutally honest with someone if you don’t have to see their face. And you want your friends to be brutally honest with you.

Questions for fun:

If you had the power of time travel, is there anything you would go back and change? Why/why not?:

I think I would go back in time to Germany and find Adolph Hitler as an infant. Then I’d bring him back with me and raise him to be a decent human being.  I believe that every child is redeemable.

What super-power would you choose?:

I’d want to be able to read minds at will, like Jane Grey in X-Men.

If you could have three wishes, what would they be?:

I’d wish for a way to end all lethal illness so that people would only die of natural old age or their own rash actions. My second wish would be for a way to produce and distribute enough food to end famine (especially considering all the people who’d be living so much longer).  My third wish would be for an end to war. (Idealistic?  You bet.)

Coffee, tea or wine?:

Tea most days. And then there are the days that require wine…

What is your favourite book? (aside from one of your own!):

That’s an impossible question to answer. I can’t even decide who my favorite author is on any given day.

Favourite genre and why?:

Science fiction romance, of course.  : )

Favourite colour?:

Blue, an intense cerulean blue.

Upcoming news and plans for the future?:

Sikkiyn will be available in Kindle format on November 26^th, 2014 from amazon.com and in paperback from amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and solsticepublishing.com by January 26^th, 2015.  I’m working on the sequel as we speak, to be entitled Farspeaker.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us!

Here's a link to the Sikkiyn order page on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Sikkiyn-Chris-S-Hayes-ebook/dp/B00P9MBM1A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415297379&sr=1-1&keywords=Sikkiyn

Here's a link to my Amazon.com author page: http://www.amazon.com/Chris-S.-Hayes/e/B00PBIH2UW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Facebook author page at https://www.facebook.com/sikkiyn

Facebook Event!

There is a release party on the 28th with a chance to win a free copy of various e-books including Sikkiyn. Here's the link to the release party: https://www.facebook.com/events/397683397052611/