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.
