by T.L. Smith
As
well as the air, stars, plants, civilizations and the people who call
it home. A lot goes into building worlds when you step into Science
Fiction or Fantasy. I’d like to say I put a lot of work into
developing the worlds in my stories, but so far they come to me as
virtually complete images, just needing a bit of polish to make them
shine.
My
most recent release, Star People Legacy, takes place on Earth in the
near-future. That made the world building part easy. I even knew
exactly where it took place. On the dry, hot, inhospitable Goldwater
Bombing Range in southwest Arizona.
Why?
Two reasons. First, I was stationed on the U. S. Air Force side of
the range during my stint in the military. Secondly, one day some of
our guys came back from dirt-biking on a closed section of the range,
with a ‘men in black’ story. Most of us questioned whether they’d
sampled some wild cactus, getting the benefits of a bit too much
mescaline.
Whatever
the truth was, I carried that weird little story around in my head
for years (and years). Then, driving through the area on the way to
San Diego Comicon with Gini
Koch
(SFRB
member and author of the Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Kat series), I
told her the story. I barely got the words out of my mouth before MY
story coalesced. I pulled out my laptop and started writing.
Of
course the story in my head was different. I had to alter the
location slightly. The base I’d been stationed on is virtually gone
now, so I shifted to the Yuma side of the range. The primary
character became a female U.S. Marine Captain. Also a member of the
Navajo Nation.
Socially,
the issues of illegal immigration still exist, but other issues have
changed. Such as Native American politics. In my future world they
had truly become One Nation. My ‘men-in-black’ encounter leads
the character into a truth-altering battle, where ancient Native
American mythology collides with Science Fiction.
The
secondary characters took a bit of supporting research, except for
one special person. On the way to San Diego, we (meaning Gini) got
pulled over by an Arizona Highway Patrolman. He let us (meaning Gini)
go with a verbal warning, and told us (yeah, meaning Gini) where all
the next speed traps were. So Mr. Highway Patrolman became my
character’s main squeeze, and I didn’t kill him.
My
characters grew as I nailed down the exact myths needed to tell the
story. I threw in some real historical facts, blending them in to fit
the story. Since I tend to write strong female military characters, a
little misogyny show up. Sad to say, but I can’t help but to
believe that gender issues in the military will never totally go
away. Not even when we ‘poor defenseless women’ start kicking
butts all the way to Alpha Centauri.
All
this happened in the back seat of Gini’s jam-packed Scion, driving
just a wee bit too fast, through my old stomping grounds. I had the
story completely outlined by the time we unpacked in San Diego.
But
this was just one example of my world building process. For writers,
ideas come from all around us. Something that happened in our real
lives. A joke on the radio. A picture on a passing billboard. Someone
tossing out a ‘what if… all can be sparks igniting our next
endeavor.
Our
unbelievable characters can be a real people. That fellow soldier we
served beside. A professor that impressed us. An Ex who didn’t. All
these people can be morphed into what we need, modeling them into the
perfect lover, or villain. Or both.
A
great resource for figuring out imaginary societies, politics and
religion exists right here on planet Earth. Within the same
continents we have everything from Super Powers to 3rd
World countries. Every nation contains a magnitude of differing
religions and politics, from relatively peaceful to frightfully
warring. From the past we hear the extinct whispers of humans who
struggled to survive. And everywhere you can find a theorists trying
to figure out what it takes to create Utopia.
As
for the environments of our fantastic new world, look to our planet
Earth. She gives us a vast array of environments, from frozen tundra
to scorching deserts, from the highest altitudes to the deepest sea
trenches. Ancient ruins to modern skyscrapers. It’s all here
waiting for us to build or tear down at our literary whim.
So
plant your feet wherever you desire, take a good look around and see
that grows.
T.L.
Smith was born in Louisiana, but calls Phoenix, Arizona home between
bouts of wanderlust. Even a stint in the U.S. Air Force as a radar
specialist brought her back to the desert. Her time in the service
taught her to appreciate the military culture and ever-changing
technologies, giving life to the Science Fictions she loves so much.
T.L. Smith often writes from a military perspective, strong women
holding their own as humanity moves out into the stars, but with a
touch of romance. She believes the only vacuum her characters should
live in, is on the other side of the airlock. Come visit her vision
of the future as we throw ourselves out into the universe. Check out
her website www.tlsmithbooks.com
or blog http://tlsmith-sfauthor.blogspot.com
Star
People Legacy
The
day Captain Beth Castle put on the U.S. Marine Corps uniform, she
made a vow to protect her country and its citizens. It was a vow she
knew she’d uphold for life, but nothing prepared her for what she
faced in the Tinajas Mountains east of Yuma, Arizona.
While
inspecting Aid Relief Stations along the Arizona/Mexico border, an
ancient myth she’d learned growing up on the Navajo Reservation
comes to life. A hostile encounter with a strange group of men
triggers a change in her body and Spirit.
When
she goes to her family for help, Beth discovers the horrible truth --
the myths she's been told about are real...real aliens.
Now
Beth's involved in an epic battle between good and evil -- a battle
that could cost her everything she holds dear, including her family
and the man she loves.
Star
People Legacy is available at:
