My all-time
favorite SF book is Ringworld by
Larry Niven. And although the romance is thin, the plot, characters and
settings are fulsome. I don't know what inspired the author, what genius spark
of intelligence lit up Niven's brain. I do know he was a mathematician during
his college years, and loves to delve into theoretic physics in his books. It's
that background that informs his writing, and, I believe it's what allowed him
to build the incredible universe he did with his Ringworld series.
When I
approach writing SF fiction, I don't have a background in math or physics. I
took bonehead classes in physics, chemistry, biology, and math. Consequently, I
have to do a lot of research when building my worlds. I try not to dip into
territory in which I will surely make errors, but I rely on current technology
and then imagine where that tech might take us in one hundred, even two hundred
years. Although some of it might be magical-seeming, I think science grinds
through at a relatively predictable pace in most cases, a pace we can take some
chances on foretelling.
I try to set
my SFR only 150 years in the future. That gives me some solid footing on which
to work. I use my imagination, and inspiration from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, "The
Matrix" by the Wachowski brothers, Dreampark by Niven and Barnes, and many others. I try to fit
elements of these works into my books without stealing from them, and try to
enhance any romantic concepts to give my books a passionate heart.
"The
Matrix" introduced me to gel immersion. Current physics led me to nanites,
and then I thought, what if there was a
nanite gel that affected the brain and body? What could it do? Doesn't that remind you of "Fantastic
Voyage" by Harry Kleiner?
So my
nanite gel immersion was born. The nanites are so small, they can infiltrate
the body through pores in the skin and inhalation of the gel. It causes a sleep
so deep that dreamers experience a programmed set of circumstances as though
they were real. Thus, we're led into the dream romance.
For other
books, I built my world around a more dystopian Earth, where there is a nuclear
war between Asia and the West. Cold War politics led me to this future. When
you're a person for whom bomb drills were the norm as a child, where "duck
and cover" was simply part of the school curriculum, it makes an
impression on you. Creating a dystopian future from that was natural, as was
creating a fantastic bomb shelter underground where close quarters means
conflict and romance.
All authors
are influenced by something, something so memorable that it makes an indelible
imprint on our brains. Hopefully, it leads us to create equally compelling
books that influence a new generation of readers. What influenced/s you?
---------------------------------
Charlotte & the Pirate: Romantek Book 2 is my latest book. Another Romantek
book, Eddie, My Love, is due out May 30, 2014.
Blurb for Charlotte & the Pirate
Charlotte
Darrell desperately needs to buy a Romantek dream vacation in the hope that
their rejuvenation process can heal her horrid facial scar and restore her life
back to what it was before her accident. But her virtual reality dream isn't
all she expected.
Rex Boyd is
a counter cyber-terrorism expert, working for Romantek. The company is aware
that someone is trying to break into their operations and terrorize paying
customers. Rex hopes to protect one of the most vulnerable, the rich and
influential Marie Carthage.
Once in the
dream, fighting the terrorist who has gotten access to Romantek's system, Rex
finds the situation confounded by Charlotte's presence. Is she a paying
customer like Marie, or is she part of the terrorist's network, there to do
harm to Marie and start a firestorm of lawsuits that would bankrupt Romantek?
And how will he ever reconcile his feelings for her with his suspicions?
Charlotte
finds herself in love and in danger. The dream has become a nightmare, and
there doesn't seem to be a path toward happiness.
Links to Charlotte & the Pirate:
Author Bio:
Patricia
Green is a full-time fiction writer specializing in erotic romance. She
provides the reader with love stories that emphasize fun characters with quirky
personalities. Patricia is the author of more than 20 published novels and
novellas.
In her
personal life, Patricia is married and the mother of twins. When she’s not
being the angel of domestic harmony and a semi-crazed creator of fictional
friends, she loves to read, crochet, knit and watch hockey and baseball.
Social
Media:
You can
reach Patricia Green in the following ways:
Email: pig
(at) patriciagreenbooks (dot) com
Twitter:
@PatriciaIGreen
