This week for Meet the Author Monday we're introducing debut SFR author Lauren C. Teffeau, who has an exciting new book out from publisher
Angry Robot. Welcome, Lauren!
How or why did you first start writing SFR? Any particular inspirations?
I’ve always loved science fiction, and I’ve always loved romance, so I try to combine them whenever I can! Over the years, I’ve written a number of short stories that have been published in a variety of professional and semipro speculative fiction magazines and anthologies, but found that I couldn't really do justice to all the nuances of a romantic relationship in 2,000 to 7,500 words. So when I do write short and include romantic elements, I’m usually dealing with already established relationships.
With my novel length work, I have a lot more room to develop the characters and their emotional arcs but not at the cost of world building and story action—at least that's what I was going for with my debut novel
Implanted. In the book, I’m dealing with some of my favorite tropes: (neural implant mediated) telepathy, forced proximity, and partners both in and out of the relationship context.
Can you give a quick blurb on your most recent SFR title?
Sure!
Implanted was released August 7th from Angry Robot. It mashes up cyberpunk with solarpunk, and includes a mix of high-tech gadgets, light espionage, romance, and hard questions about the future.
When college student Emery Driscoll is blackmailed into being a courier for a clandestine organisation, she’s cut off from the neural implant community which binds the domed city of New Worth together. Her new employer exploits her rare condition which allows her to carry encoded data in her blood, and train her to transport secrets throughout the troubled city. New Worth is on the brink of Emergence – freedom from the dome – but not everyone wants to leave. Then a data drop goes bad, and Emery is caught between factions: those who want her blood, and those who just want her dead. To survive she'll have to confront her old life and the people she left behind. So long as she can convince them she’s still alive.
When writing, which comes first for you – the romance or the other elements of the story?
Usually—though not always—the story world will come to me first, but almost immediately on the heels of that, I’m looking for two characters whose romantic arc can run parallel with the larger story. Once the world is built, it’s a lot easier for me to just focus on the romantic pairings in subsequent books, whether it’s a prequel, sequel, or standalone set in the same milieu.
Give us a brief snippet of a favorite scene or passage from your work.
Rik simply lets the silence build, the connection between us alive with feeling. Synching can be surprisingly intimate, depending on how a user customizes their implant settings. The length of delay between thought and message. Whether or not nonverbals should be broadcasted. The priority of the interaction over other tasks and contacts. We’ve become so attuned to one another over the years, now our connection practically vibrates with what’s left unsaid. My doubts, his certainty, yes, but also a desire for more – a strange sort of friction as we run up against the limitations of our current configuration, like a snail that’s outgrown its shell.
“This. This is why we have to meet.”
Have any of your books received any special recognition? What and Where?
Not yet! The book has only been out since August of this year, but hope springs eternal that people will love it. Though it was featured at the
2018 European Speed Reading Championship, and the winner said he couldn’t wait to read it more slowly so he could better savor it the second time through. ;)
Where’s your favorite place to write? Do you have a dedicated writer’s cave?
While I do a lot of stuff in my home office, it tends to be more administrative work instead of creative work. There, I’m writing blog posts or sending emails or critiquing manuscripts. Real writing gets done at my favorite coffee shop—I have a couple I rotate through—where I draft by hand in my journal or mark-up printouts of my latest WIP. There’s something about the white noise of the espresso machines that sets my mind to whirling. Plus the caffeine certainly doesn’t hurt!
What are your favorite SFR movies or television series and why?
While the worlds of Star Wars and Star Trek are pretty much obligatory, I also love The Fifth Element with Milla Jovovich and Bruce Willis. I’m also a sucker for the first Matrix movie.
About the Author
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Photo credit Kim Jew Photography
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Lauren C. Teffeau was born and raised on the East Coast, educated in the South, and employed in the Midwest. Lauren now lives and dreams in the Southwest. When she was younger, she poked around in the back of wardrobes, tried to walk through mirrors, and always kept an eye out for secret passages, fairy rings, and messages from aliens. Now, she writes to cope with her ordinary existence. Besides the obligatory bachelor’s degree in English, she also holds a master’s degree in Mass Communication and spent a few years toiling as a researcher in academia. Her short fiction can be found in a variety of speculative fiction magazines and anthologies. She is also an active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a PAN member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA), and a member of the Land of Enchantment Romance Authors (LERA).
Implanted from Angry Robot Books is her first novel.
To learn more, please visit
laurencteffeau.com.
You can find
Implanted here:
