by
Cassandra Chandler
I’ve loved Science Fiction for as long
as I can remember and devour it in any form I can find. Books, short stories,
movies, TV shows. I have a special place in my heart for B-Scifi movies—where
you can see the threads holding up the hubcaps and almost smell the corn syrup
and red food coloring (or grape jam, with some of the black and white movies).
It never mattered to me if the effects
sometimes just kinda…did their best. My imagination could fill in whatever I
needed it do. Nothing could compare to the wonder of those shows, the feeling
of infinite possibility. I actually enjoyed the cheesey dialogue, over-the-top
performances, and weird outfits that I sometimes recreated with my mom’s old
sewing machine. But there was one thing that I adored more than anything else.
The rubber monster suits.
I loved the aliens in those movies.
There’s something about the characters created by a person wearing a big rubber
suit that has always fascinated (and sometimes terrified) me. Practical effects
have a different feel than CGI, and the artistry that went into sculpting and
animating many of the costumes from the earliest Scifi movies adds to my
enjoyment of the stories.
The variety and imagination at play
with some of the weirder creations has always delighted me, but I’m most drawn
to alien takes on the familiar. I’ve been playing with this quite a bit in my
Scifi romcom series—The
Department of Homeworld Security.
It started in Entry Visa, with a four-armed, white-furred,
gorilla-like humanoid named Craig. I envisioned Craig and his mate, Barbara, as
Space Sasquatches (but don’t tell them I said that). I had a blast writing
them, especially the first scene where Craig meets the human hero, Henry, and
learns about weird human body functions like “sneeze.”
Of course, with my love of all things
reptilian, I had to create a race of lizard people. I had so much fun with the
Space Sasquatches, I decided to make these my take on “little green men” (and
women). Thus, the Vegans were born.
The most recent addition to my non-human
characters are the adorable Antareans—giant ant people. The Antareans have been
building in my writer’s mind for a long time. When they first popped into my
imagination, they were terrifying (because, you know… giant ant people.) But as I learned more about them and
their culture, I realized that they are actually what I would consider the most
“human” of all the aliens I’ve introduced in this series. They’re the most
loving and compassionate and the most connected to one another (hey, I’m an optimist).
I was so happy to have them show up in Export Duty.
I love it when new characters, new
planets, and new cultures just grow from my writer’s mind. And the best thing
about using them in books? I’m not limited by rubber monster suits or hubcaps
on strings. The only limits are my imagination. That’s the very best part of
writing Scifi.
The Department of Homeworld
Security #9 — Export Duty
Her next delivery
will be out of this world!
Lily’s main priority is to
steer her family’s import/export company toward altruistic pursuits. That is,
until her Nana starts talking about doing yoga with a little lizard person from
outer space. Lily’s new goal is to help her Nana see through her delusions. But
then, the alien in question actually shows up in the green-scaled flesh,
dragging along a doctor that Lily would love to have examine her.
As field medic for the
Coalition soldiers stationed at the Earth base in Florida, Rin is pretty
non-essential. His job is to smile and distract people while med-tech takes
care of whatever issue they're having. So why is a Vegan—the creators of that
technology—coming to him for help?
Throw in some desperate
Antareans wanting to start a trade agreement with Lily, and an attack by dozens
of fanged, furred Earth-monsters called “cats”, and Rin’s going to need some of
that med-tech for himself. Or maybe he’ll just let Lily tend to his wounds
Earth-style…
Buy it on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Export-Duty-Department-Homeworld-Security-ebook/dp/B07NV62PVD/
Buy it on Apple
Books: https://books2read.com/u/mqVgnO
Buy it Elsewhere:
https://books2read.com/u/bMZRDB
Author bio:
Cassandra Chandler spent
her preschool years daydreaming that she was an android from the planet Mars sent
here to observe humans. She's not entirely sure this isn't true. She uses her
vivid imagination to make the world more interesting, spawning the ideas she
turns into her whimsical Science Fiction romcoms and darkly evocative
Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Romances. Fast-paced and funny, lighthearted or
dark, her stories will introduce you to characters you want to be friends with
and worlds where you'd like to build a vacation home.
Let’s stay in touch!
Web Site:
https://cassandra-chandler.com/
Newsletter:
http://eepurl.com/boZm9j
Facebook Reader Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1562856810451659/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CassChandler
Disclaimer: The views expressed
above are solely those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the
Science Fiction Romance Brigade.
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