Space Opera... not Soap Opera

Space Opera: A space opera is a grand epic drama or adventure set in a distant sci-fi future; an epic adventure in space that focuses less on the technical details and more on good vs. evil and character development. The mechanics of how things work ('hyperspace', 'the force') tend to be glossed over, as opposed to traditional "hard sci-fi" in which the technology is as much a character as those using it.

I have always been a character-driven writer. I care more about the people in the story than necessarily the things happening around them. Not to say those events aren’t important, but it’s about how those events affect the character, changes the character, rather than how the character externally reacts to the event.

I remember the first time a reviewer called my Phoenix series a space opera. First I thought “What? Like a soap opera?”. Then I began researching the genre and realized, yes, my series is very much a space opera. Sure, I have tech and I have aliens and I have explosions and battles. I have, in the immortal words of Colonel Jack O’Neill, “Big, honkin’, space guns”. I have space travel and amazing ships, but I also have men and women and children trying to find their way in a universe that has flipped them on their collective ears.

Instead of talking about favorite books in the genre of space opera, I’d rather talk about my favorite television series categorized as a space opera. Much science fiction can be categorized in some degree as a space opera, this particular show is the epitome of space opera in my mind.

Farscape.

I love this show because of the thought put into the backstory of each character right along with the movement of their lives through the larger arc of good vs. evil. Follow with me…

You have a living ship called a leviathan named Moya carrying a ragtag group of escape prisoners, ousted potentates, runaways, an outcast soldier, and an astronaut from Earth who was tossed across the universe through a renegade wormhole.

“Once upon a time there was a boy named John and John was an astronaut. He lived in a far away place called Earth which is so far away you've never heard of it. One day when John was out doing astronaut things a big, blue wormhole gobbled him up and spat him out at the far end of the universe. Things were looking grim in Mudville, till our hero met an amazing living ship, made some nice new friends, and he hooked up with his dream girl. We could've lived happily ever after, but the Peacekeepers raped, chased and tortured us for years on end.”

~~John Crichton, The Peacekeeper Wars

You’ve got an entire race of people known as Peacekeepers whose entire purpose was to, well, keep peace but they turned into bloodthirsty dictators instead… oh, and they are genetically engineered descendants of humans. In this mix you have a gentle warrior, a schizophrenic lunatic, a slug-based potentate, a sex-starved runaway, a former savage-cum-priestess, an outcast soldier, the list goes on.

I’m a romantic. Anyone who knows me knows this about me, so yeah… the love story is key for me. Of all the television shows and movies and books I’ve read, the love story of John Crichton and Aeryn Sun rank right up there at the top. It’s beautiful, really. Maybe it’s Ben Browder and Claudia Black… maybe it’s the writing, but their story is the core of it all. They are the glue, the driving force. 

 

And that is why I love space operas. I love the story of people. People suffering but coming through. People loving. People losing. People fighting. People giving all they are for someone else, sometimes everyone else. People facing adversity, reaching for hope. People lost in despair. People clinging to each other for peace, for strength, for a reason. Fathers. Mothers. Brothers. Sons. Daughters. Friends. Wives. Husbands. Leaders. Followers. Soldiers. Doctors. Civilians. Children lost in the world. Holy men and evil men. Righteous and corrupt. Misguided and lost, seeking a reason to live. The hopeful reaching for the desperate. The criminal who longs to be more. The politician sick of his own rhetoric.

Give me a space opera any day.

I decided I wanted to add a little video to show how much I love these two...

 

Read more about The Phoenix Rebellion and Phoenix Rising at http://www.GailDelaney.com

End Game is climax of science fiction series that appears worthy of the often overused word “epic”....This is a gripping saga that any sci-fi fan is guaranteed to enjoy.

JERR -- 5 Stars

Science Fiction and its many subgenres

Science fiction... where to start, where to start? I guess from the beginning.

As many other SF lovers, H. G. Wells was the author that triggered by devotion to science fiction. His "Time Machine", with its descriptions and underlining essay on societal structures, blew my mind.

And don't even get me geeking on Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. If you want to explore some new SF authors, check out this site: http://www.classic-sf.com/Authors/Authors. It's pretty comprehensive.

I just love the possibility and wonder SF brings to its readers. It takes what's happening today - political, social, economical, technological - and looks forward to envision plausible scenarios of where it will lead humanity.

Sometimes it's dystopic, such as "Ender's Game" (Orson Scott Card) or "The Children of Men" (P. D. James). Sometimes it's utopic which usually ends up a emotionally repressed nightmare any-who, such as "Childhood's End" (Arthur C. Clarke) or "A Crystal Age" (W. H. Hudson).

SF is not as easily defined. Usually when you say you read SF, the fellow SFer asks, "What kind." That's because in reality, science fiction is a broad term that encompasses a lot of different sub genres:

·         Alternate history

·         Anthropological

·         Apocalyptic (I personally add atomic punk into this subgenre but I know there are differences of opinion in this thought)

·         Cyberpunk

·         Dieselpunk

·         Hard SF

·         Military

·         Soft/social SF

·         Space opera - the SF subgenre I usually write

·         Space western

·         Steampunk

·         Superhuman (not to be confused with superhero, which is fantasy...think genetically engineered soldiers)

·         Time travel

Mix and match these bad boys together and you got some really great stories, but where I think SF really rocks is when one or more of the above blend with another main genre: SF Comedy, SF Romance, SF folklore (think vampires in space type stuff), SF mystery, SF thriller, and on and on.

For me, I usually focus on women-driven SF. I start with space opera and dash in some anthropological, genetic engineering, military and western bits as the characters tell me they need and go from there. The science fiction I'm really focused on reading right now is the SFR...science fiction romance, usually set in space.

So, what kinds of SF do you enjoy reading or are interested in checking out?

Hairy Characters

No, I'm not talking about werewolves or demons. I'm talking about pets. Domesticated pet characters are a rarity in science fiction, especially in space voyage and off world subgenres, which I think is a shame.

Let's break it down even more, to cats and dogs, which are the two most prominent animal companions for humans. There is something about cats and dogs that call to a natural bond with human beings. Not to mention their natural tendency to offer themselves as protector and friend.

Cats have been domesticated as early as 3500 BC by ancient Egyptians. (I personally believe the ancestral God-worship of cats is why felines can often be so cocky and "superior" to others...including us.) Okay, yeah, they had a bad break during the Middle Ages but they recovered with the whole Black Plague incident when they turned superhero and killed the plague-infected rats.

Scientifically, petting your animals lowers your blood pressure. Pet owners tend to live longer. They also reduce depression and studies have shown they improve how people see their quality of life.

And you think cats are long-standing companions, then you'll be blown away by dogs.

Canine partnership with us Homo Sapiens has be as long ago as 4500 BC. Most people think they started as only hunting "tools" but it's been shown they were hunting companions, not tools, and in fact were also revered by Egyptians.

This relationship has not waned with the evolving times. So, why would this change for the future? Why are domesticated animals so far and few between in SF works? Yeah, there are a few scattering pet characters, but not many.

When I began writing the second book in the Telomere Trilogy, it was natural for me to work a pet into the story. A male character, Damani, wasn't him without his dog. They were a pair. I further expanded that relationship in the third book, End of Eternity, when he took center stage as the main male character.

Below is an excerpt of End of Eternity, showcasing the bond between this man and his dog. (Just remember, this book is in draft form and hasn't been edited to publisher's specifications. The final could - will - be different.)

Excerpt:

"Zane." Damani crouched, buried his face in his dog, and didn’t care who saw or heard the emotion in his voice. He nuzzled Zane's neck, rubbed his side, and patted his belly. "There’s my boy. Aren’t you a sight for tired eyes. You miss Daddy?"

Zane barked, jumped his front paws onto Damani’s thighs, and barked again.

"That’s a big fat yes," Galvin decided. "Though, he might want custody rights with Makai. The way my brother spoiled him, you’d thought Zane was Makai’s dog. They were inseparable."

"You have a new friend?" Damani asked Zane, cupping his jaw.

With his world once again right, Damani let his attention return to Luna and Jetta. A definite change from when the women first met. No verbal communication, but Damani was sure mind speech was happening. A lot by their expressions and Jetta's sly glance in his direction. They hurried off, out of the hangar bay.

"I don't need to hear minds to see you're in deep trouble." Galvin positioned himself next to Damani and watched the woman leave. "I've seen the same look from her several times and it never ends well."

"So have I," Jace added and slapped Damani on the back. "Sorry, Watcher."

"No matter. Let me clean up and then I'd like to know where we're at with the case."

"Noah's already called for a mission briefing in three hours. Rest a bit. Seems you need it," Galvin said with a sarcastic pat on his cheek.

Galvin and Jace strode off together.

"Come, Zane." Damani snapped his fingers and both walked side-by-side towards his quarters, where he planned for a long shower.

It seemed the two men worked out the remaining stiffness between them as well. He shook his head. Chaos. It's what family and friends brought. Chaos, turmoil, and stress. Happy one moment, fighting the next, then flipped to happy all over again. He didn't need any of those things.

 *     *     *     *     *

Hope you liked the excerpt.

Who knows, there could be doggies out there, ready to explore the stars at our side. Let me know what SF books you've read with strong cat or dog characters. I'd love to add them to my TBR list.

Oh! And remember, next week our summer crossover event starts. We'll all be hopping around from here and swapping blogs with each other.

It'll be crazy! It'll be wild! It'll be fantasmic!

Gail Delaney: Attack of the Interview

I know people doing interviews are supposed to slap their interviewee on the back and tell them how great they are. That's part and parcel for these things. This time the greatness is well deserved. Back in 2006, I was just becoming a published Romance author and basically was still learning the ropes. I'd read Historicals like forever and had just learned about paranormal romances. Then, somebody told me there was such thing as Science Fiction romance. I scratched my head and said, "I don't see it." Coming from a SciFi background, I didn't even want to sample this travesty. There was very little smooching in outer space. Han Solo was the only exception to that rule, thank you very much.

Then, because you knew it was coming, I met Gail Delaney. Well, met in a messenger window, but met nonetheless. After talking to her, I reluctantly rethought my stance. She had grown up on all the things I had. She talked the talk. Which talk? Geek, of course. So, I read the First Phoenix book and was floored. Sure there was some smooching, some angst and other things you'd expect from a romance novel. As I read on the smallest ebook reader ever made, believe me in 2006 you could go blind reading ebooks, I became a fan. Phoenix was everything I loved in Science Fiction. A little while down the road, I reread the newer version, and it held up to the test of time and rereading. No, it was better the second time around!

So, where's this interview? It's coming, just hold your jump drive and I'll get around to it. I've got a few more things to say first. If you've never read this series, you're missing out. I just hope by the end of this interview, you'll see why you're missing out and get off your keyboard and see why I'm not only a fan, but a fanatic when it comes to Science Fiction and Romance.

Gail, hope I didn't gush too much, but you were the one who turned me on…uh… I mean turned me onto SciFi Romance.

Jmo: I want to ask do you consider your books Science Fiction foremost, or Romance with SciFi elements?

Gail: Hmm, that's an interesting question. I actually see it as sci fi with strong romantic elements. I say that because there is much more going on in each book other than a story of a boy and a girl, although that is a primary storyline. There are deep friendships, there are familial relationships, there's danger and intrigue, mystery, deception, all kinds of stuff. And because the 'story' of any given couple doesn't always fully resolve in a single book (John and Jenifer in Janus being a good example), it's also not a typical romance in that aspect.

Jmo: Phoenix is more than a series. It's even more than anything I've ever read in a series before. The world building is amazing. When the idea for Phoenix came to you, was it this grand in scope? If not, how did it evolve to where it is now?

Gail: I would love to be able to say I imagined the entirety of the 'world' when I began Revolution, because then I could claim brilliance. But in truth, I had no idea when I began where Phoenix would lead. Sometimes, I was just as surprised when something was revealed as I hope the reader was. The entire Phoenix universe has become so real to me, I just feel like I'm relaying history, not writing fiction.

Jmo: The world isn't the only thing big. I'd have to say you have the largest cast of characters I've ever seen. How hard is it for you to keep all those voices under control? Under control! How do you keep them straight in your head? As long as we're on this subject, how do you decide which characters get to take center stage?

Gail: Man, you are just full of questions. I imagined the series from the beginning as a 'cast of characters' type of approach, much like a television series with a large cast. Each episode focuses on one or two people or storylines, but that doesn't mean the rest of the people in the series don't do anything.

As far as who takes center stage, that grows from the development of events. It's a natural flow from one book to the other, with little to no pause, just like in life. Keeping them straight hasn't felt like an issue for me because I feel I know them all so well. Now, sometimes I do have to remind myself "This book is about ___ and ____. You should get back to them".

Jmo: That brings us to Janus. We've talked about the origins of Phoenix. The evolution of Phoenix. The characters of Phoenix. So, what have you got in store for us in this new addition to the mythos that is Phoenix?

Gail: John Smith and Jenifer came from the original series, although they never knew each other. They do, however, have a connection neither realizes until different points in the book and it's a connection each of them reacts to differently (can't say more than that). So, just as I alluded to in the last question, their story has grown from the development of events. In the first series, John was introduced as an alien stranded on our world after the Sorracchi attacks and he proved himself to be a strong ally. So much so that in this new series he serves as ambassador between our worlds.

Jenifer was a fleeting character in the first series, appearing only at the end of book two and the beginning of book three. She hadn't ever been intended as a main character. But, as their stories unfolded I realized there was much more to her than originally met the eye.

Our world is very different from the world first introduces in The Phoenix Rebellion, and so the stories are very different. We are now a world devastated by global war, a world that has learned we are far from alone or isolated in the universe.

Most of the characters readers came to know and care about in The Phoenix Rebellion are here again in Phoenix Rising, but their roles are different. Some will still be in the forefront, though their stories will not be the main driving forces of the books. Some will only appear as the supporting cast where they had once been in the spotlight. People readers met only in passing, or briefly, become the driving force. And some stories never had a solid enough ending to say they are done.

And there will be new characters. In Phoenix Rising you will meet a man from today (2011) who wakes up to a world so drastically different from the one he knew he can't quite absorb it. All he knew is gone. You will meet men created by, trained by, and exist only for the purpose of serving the Sorracchi. But the Sorracchi are gone, and where does that leave them? You will meet a woman trapped in a body stolen by an old enemy, an enemy still determined to find revenge. You will get to know better a brother once believed lost, and walk with him as he makes some terrible mistakes, and finds redemption again. And there will be more, but I haven't met them yet so I can't introduce them.

Jmo: The end of Rebellion had pretty much tied up the entire series while leaving us with bated breath on what came next. How hard was it to kickoff this new chapter in the series?

Gail: Very hard. Really really hard. It took me over three years to write this first book because I had to find my feet again. The world had changed, and I had to discover just how much before I could put myself into it. Janus picks up less than a year after the end of End Game in the first series, but a great deal happened in the final book and in that year in between.

Jmo: How far ranging are your plans for the series? Do you see it an ongoing and unfolding story with no end, or do you see it with a definite end point?

Gail: Right now, I see no end. I already have the idea to write another series titled Children of Phoenix, which will explore our future when the next generation takes control. These are the children who were young and lived through the war, children born from the ashes of a nearly-destroyed world. Children raised with the knowledge the war brought to us, whether we wanted it, or not. After that, who knows?

But, I also want to explore the roots of Phoenix. The mythos of the series talks of the birth of Phoenix in the years following first contact with the aliens who would eventually become our enemies. We know who founded Phoenix, we know who came into it. But, I'd like to write that story. Beverly Surimoto is a leader in The Phoenix Rebellion, and it is know she was raised within the embrace of the rebellion. She leads as Vice President in Phoenix Rising. Her parents were some of the early founders of Phoenix. I want to write Birth of Phoenix, telling the story of Cecelia Bennett and Kaemon Surimoto (Names subject to change, except the Surimoto part), how they came to be founders of the rebel group that would eventually save the world. And their story of love.

Jmo: Before I wrap this up with something insanely silly, what is the one thing you would like your readers to take away from the Phoenix books?

Gail: Hope, I think. There is a great deal of bad and wrong that happens in Phoenix. But, we as 'humanity' stand together in hope of survival, hope of the future, hope of justice prevailing. Remember always we are one creation under God, and in the end, the good guy wins. It's not always easy, but to be the good guy you've got to stand up and fight.

Jmo: Okay, because this is my interview and I can pretty much do what I want… Brahwahwahwahwa. If you were the copilot on a starship, who would be sitting in the chair next to you? Han Solo? James T. Kirk? Or, Captain Mal Reynolds? Answer honestly now and notice there are no Doctors in the house to make this easy.

Gail: Hmmm... those are my three choices, huh? Cuz, you know... Jack O'Neill was known to pilot a ship or two.

Okay... Well, in all truth, I rule out Kirk. Too much of a playboy. Solo or Reynolds. In truth, they are very similar men. Hmmm... Okay, I'm going to go with Mal Reynolds. I can't compete with Leia in a gold bikini anyway. But, Mal had a nobility I appreciated. He often "aimed to misbehave", and although Solo did what was right, I think Mal had a bit more conviction.

And he totally rocked those pants! Humina!

Thank you for this awesome interview, Jmo. And for the ego boost.