What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
Really, it was Desire. She was an unnamed background character in another story I wrote where a completely unprepared Earthman got lured into a bar so a pair of bad-guy telepaths could pump him for information. In that scene, a tiny table dancer had to step outside the parameters of her programming in order to stop him from misbehaving just before he got dragged off and sold to a debt broker. I wondered who she was and how she did that.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?
The thing is, this changes all the time. I’m constantly reminded of a character’s mood by one song or another. When I think about The Law lately, I hear “Unstoppable” by Sia. That might be because, as I’ve been writing the series, she’s been shining through Desi’s egocentric narration more and more. For Desire, I keep thinking about “Lucky Me” by Sarah Slean, because that’s just like her: watching everybody with judgy smugness, but cute about it. Still, I can’t ignore that old song “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass, because that’s pretty much how she starts the novel.
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Both SF and fantasy are my top choices for fiction. I switch back and forth, in fact. In SF, I love everything from the hard science stuff to the character-driven space operas. I’m a bit more fussy with my fantasy, but I really love swashbucklers and stories where the magic is big and wild when it arrives. In the last decade, though, I kind of fell into the opposite of that. Magical realism is great when there’s just a touch of odd magic in a character-driven piece. Oh, and I love both steampunk and cyberpunk. Yes, I write all that, I suppose—except cyberpunk. I might not be intense enough as an individual.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Well, for starters, I was poking around on Edge Publishing’s site and came across The Scrolls of Bishop Eubulus, and Other Stories by Rebecca Bradley, so I bought it, and I’m reading through that whenever I get the chance. It’s amazing writing. Over a year ago, I ordered book one of the Mapmaker trilogy by N. E. White and then couldn’t start it until I finished my own work. I love cartography both as an art form and an information interface. A whole section of my personal library is dedicated to mapping and exploring. So here’s a book about cartography by a cartographer. I couldn’t pass that up. I also picked up a copy of The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams I haven’t been able to start yet, and that’s going to thrill my little book-hoarding self. There’s more from her I want to check out, too (The Bookbinder, for one). Both these writers feel like they speak directly to me.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
There are several scenes I really like. Certainly, the first scene was already so familiar as a setting. Head2, the too-seedy-for-the-neighbourhood brothel with its unfortunate and violent clientele, is a neat place for anything to unfold, and Desire is just perfect for it. I almost wish she’d stuck around in there, but alas, she had an adventure to pursue. Another fave is when the girls are aboard the Hardy Jumper, this alien ship with its belly full of weirdos with their obsessive pursuits and turf wars. Things got serious, of course, but while I was at the start of writing it, the whole place felt brimming with all kinds of potential. I think that was four times the length, just in individual little tales, before I trimmed it for the book. All the alien ship surprises, the mysteries and sordid relationships, and a whole mini-colony of travellers set up in the galley—there was a lot going on. I’m pretty sure I’ll be pulling out some of that later in other stories.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
I used to do this thing where I listened to music for ten to twenty minutes, then wrote for half an hour, then listened to music again. I picked tunes based on what feel or pace I wanted for the story, and there was no genre of music I skipped: classical, country, pop, rock, punk, or metal. If I needed a sound to pump up (or slow down) a section of the story, I jammed to it. Something happened over time, though. I found that I was writing longer and listening less, and I surprised myself a couple of times by looking up from the keyboard to find hours had passed, the sun had set. Sometimes, if I was alone in the house, I’d be hungry or something and realize I’d missed both lunch and supper, and it was late at night. Now I’ve got the computer set to tell me the time on the hour, so I’ll get up and walk around at least. And when I can, I will pick a piece of music to listen to.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
None of my female characters will ever be rescued by a man. They can be rescued by other girls and women. They can be rescued by teams that include both men and women. There can be men who sincerely try to rescue, and maybe they fail, or she gets herself out, or another woman comes along. There can be groups of both men and women who are rescued by a man—that’s fine, too. Just not the trope of a woman needing rescued by a man. There’s nothing at all wrong with male heroes and good guys. But I have had it up to the eyeballs with women characters—even super-strong heroine types with all the training, weapons, and resources—ending up at one point or another needing rescue, and “along comes the man to save the day!” That circumstance is just not something I’m interested in.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
I want readers to live in the universe. It entertains the heck out of me. I want that same joy for everyone. So, remember the stations, remember the ships, remember the various life forms. Obviously, they should remember the main characters, because they’re coming back, but seriously, I hope the settings in this series stay with people the way they stay with me. I hope they can tell themselves their own stories from inside those same stations and ships. It’s a lot of fun.
Tristis Ward is the author of the new book Assassin at Allgate (Desire & The Law Book 1)
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