By Veronica Scott
My progression as a writer has moved over time from writing
and illustrating my own ‘novel’ at the age of seven (princesses, flying cats,
flying horses and a riverboat captain hero) to several connected series of
scifi novels in junior high and high school that were heavily influenced by Tom Corbett Space Cadet and ‘Star Trek,”
with elements of Trixie Belden thrown
in. (Those novels are never seeing the light of day, folks.) My first two published books were standalone
and released in 2012. One from Carina Press and the other self published.
I haven’t looked back since but became a full time author in
2015 and now have somewhere around 20 books out (it varies as anthologies go on
and off sale etc.).
Late in 2017 I decided the time had come for me to tackle an
actual series, with an overarching plot arc that would run through the five
volumes. Ta da!
I never used to think
I could write such a series, being an as-I-go plotter (also known as a seat of
the pants writer) and wasn’t much tempted to try it. The ‘series’ I wrote as a
teenager were done as standalone books and then I’d get a new idea and write
the next one with the same characters. There was no single plot direction
driving the arc, just adventure and romance. I wasn’t trying to get to any
specific end point.
As a published author, I like writing standalone stories set
in one universe, be it ancient Egypt or my interstellar civilization, the
Sectors. Sometimes I even do a sequel or have the same characters make an
appearance in more than one book (usually as secondary characters since they’ve
already had their own story told). So, I still do connected series with no
problem and I do have a long term arc for the Sectors in my head, but don’t
require each book to move the action forward.
When I was thinking about what concepts I might use to write
a series that would hold my own interest as an author and hopefully be enjoyed
by the readers, I realized this might be my chance to tackle a trope I’ve
always loved – the genetically engineered super soldiers. I never got enough of
Lora Leigh’s Breeds or Laurann
Dohner’s New Species and the advice
to write what you want to read seemed to me to apply here.
So I came up with the Badari, tough warriors created by the alien
enemies of the humans in my Sectors. I added to that mix a colony of humans
kidnapped in their sleep by the aliens in charge of all this questionable
science and brought to the planet where the Badari are held, to serve as
subjects in more experiments. The questions in the big arc are how do the Badari
gain their freedom, how do the humans ever get home to tell the Sectors about
this new threat…and of course how does the romance occur in the midst of all
this?
The first volume, Aydarr, came
out in December and the second book, Mateer,
just recently released. Now I’m working on the third story, with probably two
more to go to wrap everything up. I also have lots of plot ideas in my head for
more stories about the Badari, if readers like them, but those would be in my
standalone writing style, since the big arc will be wrapped up. “Sidequels”!
It’s going fine so far, I’d say. I did enough outlining to
know what the major plot point to be achieved was for each novel, but not so
much detailed planning that my Muse would balk at writing the book. (As I’ve mentioned
before, if I plot too much before I write, I lose all interest in doing the
actual writing. The creative spark flees – the story is told.)
It’s too soon to say if I’d write another actual series. I
really do like the standalone experience of writing and it suits my tendency
not to outline or plan ahead in detail, but I’m enjoying this challenge so far.
I think my biggest hurdle is that I feel I owe it to the readers to get each
book in the series out within 4-6 weeks of the previous book and so I have to
write the Badari novels back to back, not stray off and play with some other
shiny plot in between. But sometimes life happens, as they say, like moving to
a new apartment in late December, and the writing schedule goes out the window.
And I do love my covers!
The blurb for Mateer: Megan Garrison, a doctor at the Sectors
Amarcae 7 colony, goes to sleep one night as usual only to wake up in her
nightgown, strapped to a table in an alien lab, destined to be the subject of
terrifying experiments. Granted a brief reprieve, Megan and the other kidnapped
humans are released in the middle of a forestlike enclosure on this unknown
world and told to survive as best they can for now.
Her only hope is Mateer, the genetically engineered alien
warrior imprisoned with the humans. He knows more than he’s sharing about this
planet, their captors and the fate of other humans, including perhaps her own
sisters. Turns out everyone from her colony has been kidnapped by the Khagrish,
a ruthless race of alien scientists. Working for enemies of the human-led
Sectors, the Khagrish have created the Badari to be super soldiers.
Mateer, a tough Badari enforcer, now a rebel, is captured
while infiltrating the lab to help his pack bring it down. He’s also been
ordered by his leaders to search for Megan and save her life at all costs.
Tortured by the enemy, he’s offered one chance at survival – convince Megan to
become his mate and assist the Khagrish with further experiments.
As the situation at the lab grows worse, Megan struggles
against her deep attraction to Mateer, while she does her best to shield the
other humans from the terrible Khagrish experiments. For his part, Mateer knows
she really is his fated mate and despairs of being able to keep her safe, as
the rebel attack is delayed and she fights the truth of their bond.
Will they be able to work together to defeat Khagrish plans
and preserve human lives until the promised rescue happens? And what of their
future together – will Megan accept Mateer as her true mate, or walk away if
she’s freed?
Author
Bio and Links:
USA Today Best Selling Author
“SciFi Encounters” columnist for the USA Today Happy Ever
After blog
Veronica Scott grew
up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved
ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in
everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own
stories.
Seven time winner of the SFR Galaxy Award, as well as a
National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, Veronica is also the proud
recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal relating to her former day job,
not her romances!
She read the part of
Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “The City
On the Edge of Forever.”
