One-year anniversary of Stellarnet Rebel

Posted on January 2, 2013 by J.L. Hilton

Carina Press published my first novel, Stellarnet Rebel, one year ago today, and changed my life. FWIW I will forever be a professional sci-fi author. But the achievement is bittersweet.

My writing skills improved more than I ever thought possible between the start of Stellarnet Rebel and completing the sequel, Stellarnet Prince. With many thanks to my editor, Alison Dasho. I look forward to writing ever more and better stories.

I’ve had a crash course in the publishing/e-publishing industry, queries, submissions, summaries, elevator pitches, conventions, panels, the science fiction and romance genres, marketing, blogging, social media, and book reviewing. And I still don’t feel as if I understand a damn thing.

With my Aldiko and Kindle phone apps, I spend more time reading. I’ve enjoyed the stories of fellow Carina Press authors Robert Appleton, Ella Drake, Nicole Luiken, Christine Bell, Jax Garren and Julia Knight, because they are often edgy, funny and sexy in all the ways I enjoy.

Being an author and knowing how much I appreciate hearing from happy readers, I am more likely to reach out and contact authors whose work I’ve enjoyed.

I’ve made many new friends of readers, sci-fi fans, publishers, artists and fellow authors, who I’ve met online or attending conventions and other events.

I’ve learned how easy it is for mistakes to slip by the eyes of three editors and a dozen rounds of revisions. But I also have higher expectations when it comes to dialogue, character development, world building (now that I even know that’s a thing) and action sequences. I notice other elements I never noticed before — editing, pacing, tropes, cliches. This affects, for better or worse, my enjoyment of books, movies and TV.

When I like a book, I am eager to share my favorites on social media. There are so many books being published but so few promotional dollars being spent by publishers. Word of mouth, reviews and Internet buzz are essential to an author’s success. And I understand that a “bad” book isn’t necessarily terrible for everyone, just wrong for my tastes, so I’m a much kinder person when I do write reviews.

What’s been disappointing to me is that, despite being a finalist in the EPIC ebook awards, selected for my publishers Best of 2012 Staff Picks, an average 4.12 star rating (out of 5) on Goodreads, several 5-star reviews on Amazon, and the many events I attended in 2012 to promote the series, sales of Stellarnet Rebel have been dismal.

I appreciate well-intentioned friends who ask, “When is the movie coming out?” But those types of questions, along with inquiries about the book’s sales, are just lemon juice on my wounds.

Why hasn’t Stellarnet Rebel sold well? It would be easy to say “because it sucks” — and there’s no denying that it is a debut novel, and science fiction, not The Grapes of Wrath. Except for that EPIC award thing, all of the positive reviews, or the fact that Audible picked it up and the audio book narrator loved it. My publisher and editor loved it enough to offer me a contract and a series. It can’t be that bad.

There could be many other reasons. Debut authors typically don’t sell well. Which is why we’re told that the best way to promote our books is to write another one. It’s all about backlist and ongoing releases.

I’ve also discovered that science fiction with romantic elements, especially when written by women about women (and not young adults), doesn’t sell so well.

It could be that my publisher, being an imprint of Harlequin, is not reaching a sci-fi reading audience, and most romance readers aren’t interested in post-cyberpunk science fiction action adventure with video games, socio-political commentary and unconventional relationships. I’ve had some male readers tell me that they were initially turned off by the Harlequin association, but eventually read it anyway (and were glad they did).

Perhaps there’s no interest in alien love stories. Perhaps I should have written about vampires, werewolves, zombies and S&M steampunk airship pirates, but with a more vanilla romantic couple — instead of an exhibitionist threesome with an alien version of Ben Franklin and a sapphire-skinned emo outcast who have no qualms about making a news blogger sandwich.

The fact that the Stellarnet books are ebooks and audio books only, not print, is probably also against it, despite the overall increase in digital sales and decrease in paperback sales. Based on my experiences, science fiction readers, oddly, resist new technology. It makes little sense to me that people who love futuristic stories and dressing up like sci-fi characters would not be using smartphones and tablets with wild abandon. But the “I like to turn pages and smell a book” force is strong with that audience.

I do very much appreciate those readers and reviewers who told me how much they enjoyed the Stellarnet books. They keep me going. The third Stellarnet book needs to be finished. And I have more stories I would like to tell. But I won’t be attending as many conventions nor devoting as many hours to writing, in 2013. For the sake of my health and sanity, and in fairness to my family.

Let’s be real. I know, from my experience as a jewelry designer, that it takes years to build a following and a reputation. But at this point, I just can’t devote myself full-time to something that is going to pay me 20-cents an hour.

When I think of all the evenings I spent in isolation, writing, revising or “building my social media platform” rather than being with my children, watching a movie with my husband, playing a favorite video game, going out with friends… Or when I think about how I set aside my volunteer work and my fairly successful jewelry design business, so I could write instead… When I think about the hours in therapy and the Xanax pills so I could figure out how to deal with going from being a very private person to being in the public eye, with my heart and soul bared on the page for all to read and judge, or sitting in front of a room full of people, speaking on a panel as if I know anything they need to hear…

All of the work and sacrifice, and only a small number of people are reading Stellarnet Rebel. I can’t help feeling crushed. It’s hard not to be bitter about a public that would rather rally around a pedophile vampire or some BDSM fanfic.

Has it really been worth having this dream come true? As Duin said, “There are two great tragedies in life, Belloc. One is not getting what you want.”

The other is getting it. Happy anniversary, Stellarnet Rebel.

~ J.L. Hilton

Connect, support, comment or contact the author here 

Posted in News & misc, On writing..., Science Fiction, Stellarnet Rebel, Stellarnet Series | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Goofy heroes and compassionate heroines

Posted on December 28, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

This post originally appeared on the Contact – Infinite Futures SF blog on December 18, 2012.

My 12-year-old daughter asked me who would play Duin if they made a Stellarnet movie.

She’s read portions of Stellarnet Rebel and Stellarnet Prince, and Duin is her favorite character. She thinks he’s more like a goofy sidekick than a hero, and the goofy sidekicks — much to her frustration — never get the girl in other stories. In her words, it’s always the “emo, romantic, troubled, complicated heroes like Belloc” who are the sole love interests.

My child loves Jack Black, Gary in Dorkness Rising, Much in the BBC Robin Hood, Chunk in Goonies, and Chowder in Monster House. She’s also a big fan of Kim Possible and her awkward assistant Ron Stoppable.

Which reminds me a bit of “Oak Moon,” my award-winning fantasy short story about a raggedy wizard and his shillelagh-wielding beloved who live in an alt-reality Dark Ages.

I based Duin on a mixture of Madeye Moody from Harry Potter, Stephen the Crazy Irishman from Braveheart, G’kar from Babylon 5, and Ben Franklin; but months after creating Duin, I got around to watching Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and he was Duin, completely, but some readers have suggested Matthew McConaughey, who is goofy, older (Duin is in his 40s) and he has the etched build of a Glinnish swimmer.

“Who would be Belloc and Genny?” Tara asked.

I based Belloc a little bit on Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood, with a bit of Michael Phelps and Josh Groban.

But the perfect actor for Belloc would be Eddie Redmayne, whose slender physique and portrayal of Jack in Pillars of the Earth are absolute Belloc-ness. And apparently he can sing, since he’s also Marius in the upcoming Les Mis movie.

Genny is based somewhat on the socially-responsible Margaret Hale in North and South and Marion from Robin Hood. And also a bit on Natalie from the TV show Monk.

I see Genny as intelligent and courageous, but most of all kind. She can shoot a gun or kick a creepy ex-lover in the face, if she has to, but her strength is in thinking her way out of difficulty and having the courage to do the right thing. I’m a bit tired of the idea that “strong” characters have to be snarky, self-centered or violent.

Genny is balanced, kind and forgiving. This is where I think she owes a debt to Natalie, Adrian Monk’s assistant who is tough enough to fight at his side, smart enough to figure things out, brave enough to do what needs doing, even sassy at times, but never loses her empathy and loving spirit.

If you’ve read the Stellarnet Series, who would you like to see play some of the characters?

~ J.L. Hilton

Connect, support, comment or contact the author here 

Posted in Movies, Q&A, Romance, Science Fiction, Stellarnet Prince, Stellarnet Rebel, Stellarnet Series, TV Shows, Wren & Wood | Comments Off on Goofy heroes and compassionate heroines

J.L. Hilton interviewed by the Galaxy Express

Posted on December 12, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

This interview originally appeared November 12, 2012, on the Galaxy Express.

The Galaxy Express: Name up to three experiences in your life that influenced your decision to become a writer.

J.L. Hilton: I could read and write before I entered kindergarten, and I made storybooks full of pictures before that. I was in second grade when I had to make a book for class. We made covers out of cardboard, filled the inside with lined paper, and I filled mine with a story about Princess Leia. In 3rd grade, I wrote horror stories with my classmates as characters. I won writing awards in elementary and junior high school, and had my first fantasy short story published in Dragon magazine by the age of 18. So, I don’t recall there being a decision process involved. I’ve been telling stories for as long as I can remember.

TGE: What about science fiction romance appeals to you?

JLH: I know this isn’t part of the question, but I just want to take a moment to say that I’m uncomfortable with the distinction made between “science fiction” and “science fiction romance.” I understand why it’s there, and the “Happily Ever After” being the main defining element, but…

Star Trek has tons of romance. In Firefly, Babylon 5 or Battlestar Gallactica, there are relationships galore. Love motivates the characters, just as it motivates all of us IRL. “Love keeps her flying,” as Malcolm Reynolds says. So why are those not called romances? Sometimes I get the feeling that some people see romance as a lesser “soft” thing not worthy of being a part of “real” science fiction, and I don’t agree with that.

The other day I watched Forbidden Planet from 1956. If that were written as a novel, exactly as it plays out on the screen, it would be so SFR it’s not even funny. Hero meets heroine on a distant planet, they must overcome obstacles to be together, and they end the movie in each other’s arms. It’s a romance!

Anyway, back to the original question… Like any speculative genre, sci-fi is great for “what if?” Navigating a relationship is hard enough in the real world between two humans. But what if it’s a human and an alien whose cultures and bodies don’t quite match up? How does love persist in spite of their differences and in spite of the challenges of technology, social prejudice or interplanetary war? Those things fascinate me. I think that fiction is a beautiful way to write about real feelings and human truths.

TGE: Without going into spoilers, who are the movers and shakers in your Stellarnet universe?

JLH: The main characters are Genevieve “J’ni” O’Riordan, a human interstellar news blogger with a fierce desire to expose fraud and injustice, Duin the alien rebel and gun-running revolutionary (turned UN ambassador in book two), and Belloc, a mysterious alien with a secret identity that could destroy their relationship and start a civil war on his home world, Glin.

There’s also Seth, J’ni’s xenophobic ex; Hax, a tech guru and game developer with a hacktivist bent; Blaze, the “Colonel Badass” military leader of the UN troops in Asteria Colony; and Aileen, owner of the only extrasolar Irish pub.

TGE: I thought that STELLARNET REBEL had a strong first contact theme. Does STELLARNET PRINCE explore that theme further or go in a different direction?

JLH: STELLARNET REBEL is set about ten years after scientists discover sentient life on other planets and several years after making first contact. But there are many people on Earth who still don’t believe it (just as there are some today who don’t believe we landed on the moon). Some humans, such as J’ni’s parents, are angry because it challenges their belief in being the center of God’s universe and His only creation, so they say the aliens are demonic. Some insist they’re a hoax. Others, like her ex Seth, are just scared and/or prejudiced against non-humans. They think the aliens will bring incurable diseases and other horrors.

In STELLARNET PRINCE, Duin and Belloc become the first aliens to set foot on Earth. Reactions range from worship to death threats, and everything in between. Then there’s that awkward meeting with J’ni’s parents. I think most of us can relate to that, even if we’re not aliens.

I wanted to do something a little different with the aliens in my books. In a lot of science fiction, aliens are an all-or-nothing situation. Firefly, Blade Runner and Gattaca, for instance, have no aliens. Star Wars, Babylon 5 and Star Trek have aliens everywhere and it’s no big deal. No one thinks twice about Dax and Worf, a Trill and a Klingon, getting together in DS9, or Delenn and Sheridan marrying in B5.

But in the Stellarnet Series, aliens are a big deal. The romance between human and Glin is a “first contact” of a very literal kind – the first ever in the history of everything. That has repercussions that are felt throughout books one and two, and into book three, which I’m writing now.

TGE: Heroine Genevieve O’Riordan is a blogger. What can you tell us about the type of blogging she does?

JLH: She is a news blogger. It’s like being a reporter, but in a future where newspapers and magazines no longer exist as we know them now. Everything is digital. News isn’t reported when the paper arrives on your doorstep or when you turn on the TV at 10pm. News is reported constantly, and the public is as interested in the personality doing the reporting as it is in the news being reported.

Blogs, videos and social media are not separate as we think of them – Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Blogger, etc – but are all aspects of one Net, one cohesive system, to which everyone is constantly connected through personal devices. J’ni is her own cameraperson, editor and news anchor – posting videos, articles, headlines and updates in real time, as things happen. There’s little to no line between her professional and her private life.

She operates under the auspices of Interstellar News Corps, a huge media corporation. In STELLARNET REBEL, INC sends her to Asteria Colony, the first human settlement outside of the Solar System. There, she meets Duin, who is trying to get someone, anyone, to listen to what’s happening on his nearby planet. Invaders imprisoned his family, destroyed his village and are stealing water from lakes and rivers. He doesn’t know why. As their relationship goes from professional to romantic, J’ni goes from obscurity to Net celebrity, through the course of the series.

TGE: Duin and Belloc are alien heroes. How are they different from other alien heroes in science fiction romance?

JLH: Their race, the Glin, is androgynous until puberty and they don’t have the same male/female power issues as we do. Both sexes care for offspring, hunt, gather, make tools, learn, teach, or whatever. Both can be Truth Tellers or Elders.

Duin loves children and loves to sew. Belloc is a musician. Duin and Belloc are both very emotional. Glin don’t cry tears like humans. Instead, they have a membrane that thickens and turns white over their eyes when they are sad. They get white-eyed frequently throughout the story and aren’t ashamed of it.

I love flawed heroes and anti-heroes, so there’s that, too. Duin is pyrophobic, talks too much, tends to self-righteousness, and overestimates himself and others. He is optimistic and ebullient to the point of annoying, though his heart’s in the right place. Belloc is shy and reticent, self-loathing, outcast, secretive and overly sensitive. My sister calls him “emo Glin.” The story is not just about how they relate to J’ni, but how they relate to each other. Each learns a lot from the other throughout the series.

TGE: STELLARNET PRINCE promises lots of political and social unrest. Where do you hope to take this series and what kind of adventures can readers expect?

JLH: STELLARNET REBEL is a love story set against the backdrop of larger issues involving freedom, environmental destruction, bigotry and technology. In STELLARNET PRINCE, there’s still a love story, but the scope of the whole story expands. Our heroes leave the remote, isolated Asteria Colony to visit an overpopulated Earth and a vulnerable Glin.

Characters from the first book – J.T., Nish, Eb and Brendan – take on a greater role in the sequel, and new characters are introduced. Two of my favorites are the U.S. president and an alien translator who ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Duin’s cherished beliefs and unwavering confidence are challenged. Belloc longs to leave his past behind and forge a new future for himself. J’ni has to deal with the costs of celebrity and loyalty to her alien family.

I’m working on book three, which will continue all of the plot threads I’ve mentioned. I’d like to visit the planet Tikat, the home world of Duin’s enemies, and bring back the Finders from book one, as well as introducing new characters, new technology and new personal and planet-wide challenges for the heroes.

TGE: Silly question time! If you could create a Halloween costume based on any character from your universe, who would it be?

JLH: I’d love to see someone dress up as a Glin, but that would probably require Hollywood-level makeup skills. The Glin are humanoid, but bald, no ears, and large irises, with very little white in their eyes. They have what is called countershading – light on one side of their bodies and dark on the other. Many aquatic and land animals have this on Earth, too. It’s a kind of natural camouflage. If not a Glin, seeing someone with J’ni’s viridian hair, cute little dresses, big boots and cyberpunk bracers would be sweet.

Posted in On writing..., Q&A, Romance, Science Fiction, Stellarnet Prince, Stellarnet Series | Tagged , | Comments Off on J.L. Hilton interviewed by the Galaxy Express

Q&A with sci-fi author J.L. Hilton and paranormal suspense author Angela Campbell

Posted on December 9, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

This interview originally appeared November 9, 2012, on paranormal suspense author Angela Campbell‘s blog.

Angela Campbell: I’m a big sci-fi geek and loved Stellarnet Rebel — it was so unique and more emotional and, dare I say it, political than I expected. The world-building you did in it was quite incredible. I can’t wait to read Stellarnet Prince. Where did the idea for this series come from?

J.L. Hilton: Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed it. This series began when I had a dream of Genny and Duin meeting in the middle of the Asteria Colony market. I woke up, wrote the scene, and the rest just seemed to exist, fully formed in my mind. Exactly how that happened is still a mystery to me. At the time, there were several things stewing in my subconscious. I was rewatching Babylon 5, discovering North and South, listening to Les Miserables and Irish folk music, viewing the first season of the BBC’s Robin Hood, and playing video games.

That same year, 2009, I was also a global sponsor of Can’t Stop the Serenity for which I designed and donated sixty handmade pairs of Browncoat earrings, to help raise money for Equality Now and other charities. So, Firefly was on my mind, too.

Angela: (Squeals) Firefly! oh my gosh, I love Firefly! And Capt. Mal. Mmm. Yummy Capt. Mal. (Composes self). I’m sorry, What were we talking about? Oh, right. I love that your subconscious drew inspiration from so many different and varied sources. For those who haven’t read Stellarnet Rebel, can they read Stellarnet Prince as a standalone, or will they be completely lost without knowledge of the first book?

J.L: I think Stellarnet Prince could be enjoyed alone. I tried to provide enough context that there wouldn’t be any “huh?” moments for first-time readers. But I recommend both, for the best experience. There are several twists and turns in the first book. If they were read out of order, you’d have all the spoilers.

Plus, the characters grow and change, and I think that process is interesting to watch. The story grows and changes, too. Stellarnet Rebel is about a few people in a space colony who are caught up in circumstances larger than themselves. Stellarnet Prince introduces several new characters and expands in scope. Though the heart of the story is still Genny, Duin and Belloc, and how love and friendship survive through difficult circumstances, they are no longer powerless but have to deal with the power they have as celebrities and political figures.

Angela: The first book dealt with a — I don’t know how to describe it without giving too many details away other than to say it’s a sort of complicated love triangle between Genny, Duin and Belloc. Does that continue in Stellarnet Prince? (For the record, I liked Duin, but I’m Team Belloc all the way).

J.L.: The complicated love triangle continues, and it’s an important aspect of the sequel. I’m trying to think of things to say about that without being spoilery… The two males in the story are aliens, so they have a different outlook on love and relationships than we do. They come from a different cultural and religious background than anything on Earth. Which is what makes it interesting. But given their individual histories (which you know from reading Rebel), there’s a lot of personal conflict between them.

Angela: I should point out that while your first book does have a romantic element, it’s mostly a sci-fi read. There was also some humor that I loved. Is that true of Stellarnet Prince?

J.L.: There are moments that made me laugh and cry while writing, but rarely are they the same moments that readers find funny or sad.

I aimed for a similar balance of action/adventure, technology, character development and humor in Stellarnet Prince. “World building” is the term I often hear from reviewers, and there’s even more of it this time around. We’re not just on Asteria, we’re on Earth in the year 2062 (and Mars, for a chapter), and we spend more time on Glin, Duin and Belloc’s home world. There are also several glimpses into Tikati culture and physiology.

Hax and his other Haxes are still their crazy selves. Blaze spouts his weird colonel-isms. Duin is… Duin. Genny has her sarcasm and Belloc his wry, subtle wit. You will meet some new folks who are a hoot. Stellarnet Prince is funny, but the plot thickens and I think it overshadows the humor. A little bit. You’ll have to let me know what you think, when you read it.

What were some of your favorite moments from Stellarnet Rebel? I’m always curious.

Angela: Without being spoilery, I loved the avatars for Ginny’s friends in the beginning, especially Nik (or Neek), Hax (one of your characters) was fun to read, and I thought some of the Asteria regulations were a bit humorous (and a little terrifying) as well as some of the information Genny looked up on the Asternet.

I’m a pretty big fan of your heroine, Genny, because she’s kind of the futuristic equivalent of Nellie Bly. Did you draw inspiration for her from anyone in particular?

J.L.: I think Genny was a bit of Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe) from North and South, and a bit of Marion (Lucy Griffiths) in the early episodes of Robin Hood. Marion was a brave defender of the downtrodden and a kickass heroine – just don’t get me started on what a lame tart she turned into later in the series. She didn’t deserve the black guyliner tears Gisborne cried for her.

This might sound weird, but I also think Genny comes a bit from Natalie on the TV show Monk. I’ve always loved Natalie – she has a way of being assertive, sassy, capable and intelligent but also loving, compassionate, balanced and kind. She’s a gentle soul, but not a pushover. Strong, but not obnoxious. Like Genny.

I think she’s a little bit like Rose (and Duin is like the Ninth Doctor), but I didn’t watch that season of Doctor Who until after I’d written most of Rebel, so they weren’t really based on those characters. They’re just coincidentally a lot like.

Angela: Are there any more books planned in this series?

J.L.: I’m working on a third book. I’ve thought about doing prequel novellas. I could tell the story of Genny’s stay on the space station Perspective, when she met Seth. Or how the people of Duin’s river captured the Tikati ship, and how Duin learned to fly it and to speak English before coming to Asteria. Or Belloc’s childhood, and how he and his mother ended up on the Tikati prison ship. I’d love to tell the story of how Hax became the head of the Tech Center and built his leet lair. I could write a whole other series about Hax.

Angela: Let’s get to know J.L. Hilton, the person. Are you a member of any TV show/movie/book fandoms?

J.L.: I like IT Crowd, Babylon 5, LOTR, John Dies at the End, Star Trek TNG and DS9. I’m a huge fan of Firefly and Yogscast. I’m also a big supporter of Glitch and Zombie Orpheus Entertainment’s Journeyquest and the Gamers series.

Angela: What would people be surprised to learn about you?

J.L.: It might not be much of a surprise after my current blog tour, but I’m also a jewelry designer and a tarot card reader. And I can tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue. For some reason, that seems to surprise people.

Angela: I’d like to thank J.L. for taking time out to chat with me today.

J.L.: Absolutely! Thank you!

Posted in News & misc, On writing..., Science Fiction, Stellarnet Prince, Stellarnet Rebel, Stellarnet Series, Visiting authors | Comments Off on Q&A with sci-fi author J.L. Hilton and paranormal suspense author Angela Campbell

Talking about LIAR’S GAME with author Kait Gamble

Posted on December 9, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

This interview originally appeared on the Contact – Infinite Futures SF blog on December 2, 2012.

I recently read Liar’s Game by Kait Gamble, published by Carina Press. It’s a novella about a rag-tag crew of former prison inmates who are presumed dead and want it to remain that way. As a result, they’re stuck living in space, scrounging to survive. A bit like Firefly, they find a stowaway on board, and the plot revolves around the discovery of who she is and what she’s up to.

Kait Gamble was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and started writing to entertain herself during the long winters as a child. She now lives in England. Visit her at KaitGamble.com.

Kait was nice enough to chat with me about Liar’s Game last week.

J.L.H.: Are you a fan of Firefly? Liar’s Game had a similar feel.

K.G.: Yes, I’m a huge fan of Firefly! I loved the series and the characters. When I started writing Liar’s Game I hadn’t watched it in about two years and it didn’t really dawn on me that I was writing something similar until I started watching them again with my daughter. But the themes of friendship and trust along with adventure are things that I always have at the back of my mind when I write.

J.L.H.: OK, six years on a ship with those awesome men, and no hanky panky? It did say six years, right? Aurelia must have had a lot of batteries.

LOL! I pictured her being like me when I was growing up. I hung out with a group of platonic guy friends who treated me like a little sister all through elementary and high school. We watched each other’s backs and went through all kinds of insane adventures but there was never a hint of anything more, though we would have probably given up limbs for one another if it came down to it.

J.L.H.: This book felt like a sequel to me. Did I miss something? Is there a previous book? Or are you just that good at creating a back story and camaraderie between the characters?

K.G.: Nope not a sequel. I like to think of it as a taster. A prequel. The camaraderie was easy to write as I just imagined my younger self with my friends. Though none of us was a cyborg or a mad scientist, sadly.

J.L.H.: You were a mad scientist… on the inside. Will there be more books about the crew of Euchronia?

Yes, I’m writing more in the series now. I plan follow the crew and tell the story of each of the crew members resolving their pasts and hopefully finding them someone to love.

J.L.H.: Is Keys the type of guy you’d go for IRL? He’s similar to Belloc (in my Stellarnet Series), the knight in shining armor type. But really, if it were me, I’d be with Duin — or in your book, probably Everhard (despite his faults) or if were younger, Bam.

I have gone for his type in the past and it’s a great fantasy but the knight in shining armour isn’t what I look for now. I can take care of myself, thank you very much. But it’s tough to say. I would probably go for Everhard because of his sense of humour, he’s smart and he’s fine to look at. Bam always cracks me up which is a plus. I’m drawn to Meri’s brains but he’s a bit too old for me. Maybe I should write a combination of them all lol!

I’m falling for Duin in Stellarnet BTW. It’s still early in the book but he stands for his beliefs and won’t back down. How could you not love a guy like that?

J.L.H.: Readers tend to like Belloc, but as you said, I can take care of myself, thanks, so Duin is my favorite. He’s a mature character who has serious goals beyond falling in love and protecting the heroine, and he respects and relies on her ability to take care of herself.

But speaking of lovable characters… Poor, oil-stinky Bam! Was he meant to be a steampunk-ish character or a cyborg? I saw him more as a cyborg, but some reviewers of your book seemed to think he was steampunk, and that there were steampunk elements to your story. Yes? No?

When I started writing Liar’s Game it was meant to be steampunk and you can still see some elements in it (ie. All the Queen Victorias that have reigned). Bam was definitely meant to have steampunkish style prosthetics. He’s evolved somewhat into a ramshackle cyborg since he’s put together with scraps and whatever else Meri can bang together.

J.L.H.: Well, I thoroughly enjoyed Liar’s Game and I can’t wait to read more. It kept me guessing, and it really wasn’t a SFR — it was science fiction with a heroine and romantic elements. Which I love.

Thanks, Kait, for taking the time to chat!

~ J.L. Hilton

Connect, support, comment or contact the author here 

Posted in On writing..., Q&A, Romance, Science Fiction, Visiting authors | Comments Off on Talking about LIAR’S GAME with author Kait Gamble

Character interview with Genny, Duin & Belloc

Posted on December 8, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

Paranormal and SF romance author Veronica Scott interviewed J’ni, Duin and Belloc, the main characters in Stellarnet Prince. This interview originally appeared on her blog November 8, 2012.

Veronica Scott: Today it’s my pleasure to interview three lively characters from STELLARNET PRINCE. Welcome to: Genevieve O’Riordan / J’ni Nagyx Duin (she has two names, human and Glinnish), Duin and Belloc!

First a very short blurb about the book: One rebel. One outcast. One blogger – who loves them both. In a universe where everything is on the Net, they must keep secrets that could tear their relationship and an alien world apart. Book two in the Stellarnet Series, following Stellarnet Rebel (January 2012).

What was your life like growing up?

DUIN: It was glorious! I was born in White River, in the Watershed area of Glin, where there were always fwap to eat but one too many garrablug. (Laughs) I could show you the scar where that one too many bit me. I had three fathers, two mothers, and Whish Nagyx Sala – the soul bound of the mother who gave birth to me, though he died when I was a nursling.

I had… (counts on fingers) twelve siblings. I think. Maybe more, but I left White River as soon as I could hunt and never returned. Blame Ullu. She made me want to stay in Willup W’Kuay. What about you, J’ni?

J’NI: I’m an only child. I grew up in old Chicago, on Earth. My father was a lawyer most of my life. He’s a judge now. My mother was – still is – involved in various political groups, foundations, charities and that sort of thing. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother. My mother thinks that’s why I’m a difficult person now, because I wasn’t socialized properly in a daycare.

DUIN: Great Rain, J’ni, you are one of the least “difficult” humans I’ve ever encountered. Cressa is entirely wrong, on that account.

J’NI: She’s wrong about a lot of things, but that’s not what we’re here to discuss. Belloc, do you want to talk about your childhood?

BELLOC: No. Should I?

DUIN: Of course not. Next question, please.

V.S.: Before you met each other, what were your plans/hopes for the future?

DUIN: I aspired to nothing more than to see my children have more children while I hunted wallump and swam beyond the Last Wave a happy, free Glin, whose soul would return to my family again in the Great Rain. Then the Tikati came with their flame-throwers and water tankers. They destroyed my village and imprisoned my family. I found a way to leave Glin and went to Asteria Colony for aid.

J’NI: I went to Asteria Colony as a blogger for Interstellar News Corps. I had no idea Duin was there, but I knew there would be some interesting stories in such a remote place. I had a friend stationed in the military zone, and he emailed me about it. I discovered Duin in the Sector M market square.

DUIN: I used to stand on one of the sewer pipes and recite great political speeches from human history, mixed in with information about the oppression of my people. No one cared and I didn’t know what else to do, until J’ni washed up on my shore. Belloc, were you in the refugee camp on Wandalin, by then?

BELLOC: My only plans were to avoid drawing attention to myself, and to survive. Though I had little reason, after my mother died in a Tikati prison ship.

V.S.: Do you have a motto or code you live by?

DUIN: Awah na glem! “For water and freedom!” It’s the motto of every Glin who resisted the Tikati invasion.

J’NI: I’ve always liked that quote about how evil only exists when good people do nothing. I will never sit by and do nothing, if I can help it.

BELLOC: I own J’ni my life. She is the only current that guides me.

V.S.: What one thing would you take to a desert island?

DUIN: Well, water, obviously, if it’s a desert. I couldn’t survive in a desert without it.

J’NI: I think it’s more of a hypothetical question, to identify the thing you value most.

DUIN: I don’t value any one thing. Humanity’s illusions of ownership assume I would elevate things above love, freedom, water, you, Belloc, my people, my world? What a ridiculous question.

BELLOC: Assume there’s water, and J’ni and I are with you, and we can make slings and huts and hunt for food. What else would you want?

DUIN: Nothing at all. That’s sounds delightful. When can we leave?

BELLOC: I’d take Mysteria. That’s the best MMO on the Net.

J’NI: I’d take chocolate. That’s one thing I really missed when I was in the Glin refugee camp. Other than Duin, of course.

DUIN: I’ve never known you to lie, J’ni.

J’NI: I’m not lying. I did miss you.

DUIN: With our young, handsome husband as a distraction? You disappoint me, Belloc.

BELLOC: We weren’t married then. I didn’t think she’d be interested in me, when she shared the soul of the Elder of Long River, Hero of the Uprising and founder of the Freedom Council. I meant nothing to her.

J’NI: Yes, you did. You were my best friend, when I needed you most.

V.S.: What are your future plans?

BELLOC: J’ni and I are having a human wedding ceremony on Asteria, and then all three of us are going to Earth.

J’NI: We’ll be stopping in India and then heading to the United States to meet President Hamilton and visit my parents.

DUIN: I intend to establish a Glin chancery within Washington, D.C., and continue strengthening Glin’s friendship with Earth. I’ve petitioned to join the U.N. and hopefully we’ll force the Tikati out of Glin, once and for all. I am indebted to the United States for the work we’ve done together so far, but I want to make sure an invasion will never occur again. Glin is still extremely vulnerable.

J’NI: Thank you for inviting us to your blog. Your readers can find out more about us on the Net at JLHilton.com.

V.S.: Totally my pleasure!

Posted in Q&A, Science Fiction, Stellarnet Prince, Stellarnet Series | Tagged , | Comments Off on Character interview with Genny, Duin & Belloc

Guest: Jax Garren, “How Beauty Met the Beast”

Posted on December 3, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

My guest today is Jax Garren, author of How Beauty Met the Beast, a retelling of the classic fairy tale about a scarred army veteran and an educated burlesque dancer who team up with the Underlight anarchists to fight corporate oppression and the mysterious Order of Ananke. As soon as I heard about this book, I couldn’t wait to read it. It did not disappoint. A sexy, edgy, political, thought-provoking, page-turning read.

JLH: Beauty and the Beast has been my favorite fairy tale since childhood. What made you decide to write a modern version?

JAX: I love Beauty and the Beast, too. It’s not actually my favorite fairy tale–that’s either Sleeping Beauty or Rapunzel. I’m not sure what that says about me that I’m a fan of women locked in towers; I try not to analyze it too much because I probably don’t want to know. 🙂 But I do love Beauty and the Beast.

How Beauty Met the Beast was inspired when my little sister and I were inventing cocktails and watching reruns of that old CBS Beauty and the Beast.

JLH: I LOVED that show. I was a teenager when it originally aired, back in 198–um, blergh, something…

JAX: I loved Ron Perlman’s beastly Vincent, but I also couldn’t quite get behind the lionesque look. Or that he was so dern sweet. The love story in that show was very platonic, and I always found myself frustrated that there wasn’t more of an edge to it.

JLH: Yes!

JAX: My sister and I got to imagining how we’d make a 21st century “beast”–why he looked like a beast, where his fighting skills came from, how the physical change from “human” to “beast” affected him. In the CBS series, the beast had always looked different, but in the original fairy tale he was transformed. That aspect of dealing with such a profound life change is something I find interesting.

And that is where Hauk (my Beast) came from. He’s a nice guy, but he’s not innocent. He hasn’t always looked the way he does, and he knows exactly what he’d do with Jolie (Beauty) if he could! The TV series also spawned the Underlight idea. I’ve always loved the city-beneath-the-city trope in fantasy literature. For my series, though, I wanted to create one with a purpose beyond collecting lost souls.

JLH: How else is How Beauty Met the Beast different from the traditional story?

JAX: The biggest difference (other than the modernization) is the addition of a whole other plot of warring secret societies. Instead of alone in a castle, Hauk works in the Underlight, a nationwide (USA) organization of anarchists. In Austin, Texas, where the story is set, they have developed an off-grid community in the tunnel system under the University of Texas. The society’s main mission is to fight against a priesthood of wealthy corporate powerhouses who worship Ananke, the Greek goddess of fate. The Order of Ananke has taken it upon themselves to make the world run smoothly by trying to control it, whereas the Underlight is all about freedom despite the chaos and cost. This struggle between the Underlight and Ananke is the common thread among future stories after the Beauty and the Beast trilogy is done. I’m currently working on a Rapunzel-inspired plot with Hauk’s best friend as the hero, and I have ideas for Sleeping Beauty and Snow White tales, but we’ll see…

The Order of Ananke ties into another big difference between this and the original tale, and that’s Jolie’s father. In HBMtB Reginald Benoit is wealthy (like the merchant in the original story), but he isn’t the nice guy of the fairy tale. Unknown to Jolie **MILD SPOILER** he’s a priest for The Order of Ananke.**END SPOILER** Jolie does end up in Hauk’s home because of her dad, but not because Jolie is exchanging her life for his. The complicated relationship between Jolie and her father is explored more in the final book, How Beauty Loved the Beast.

Finally, Hauk isn’t a prince turned by a fairy, he’s an ex-Army Ranger from working class Ohio whose “beast” appearance is the result of a fire he lived through while serving in Afghanistan. There is some magic in his surviving the fire and he has some special qualities as a result, but that’s something I’ll let everyone learn more about as they read!

Other similarities and differences start getting into major spoilers, so I’ll have to let readers find out for themselves.

JLH: Your book is described as a paranormal science fiction romance. What are your thoughts about the classification of your book?

JAX: Haha! There was a debate. To be honest, I would’ve classified it as Urban Fantasy, but that was nixed by the publisher. I was surprised when they called it science fiction–that classification hadn’t crossed my mind–but I can see what they were thinking. There’s a little bit of dystopianism to the setting. It’s set in the immediate future in which corporations have continued to gain political sway and aren’t well policed. I actually think this is happening too much already in reality, but I added the Order of Ananke as a sort of conspiracy/ruling force behind it. There’s also some weird science. The Underlight community, the anarchist group that Hauk belongs to, exists off the city electric grid and tries to function in a no-waste manner. There are a pair of young scientists who live there and create weird technological gadgets to make up for what they would otherwise lack.

The paranormal I agree with. There is some magic in it, though not a lot, and Hauk has a few supernatural things about him. In the book-verse, magic is something that most people don’t believe in or use, but it actually does exist. Some characters even use it without realizing it.

I definitely agree with the romance label, particularly if you look at the trilogy as a whole. This first story doesn’t have a happily ever after ending, but the three put together make a romance, and each book shows progress toward that final book’s HEA.

Jean Cocteau’s “Beauty and the Beast,” 1946

I’m a fan of magical realism where everything seems normal… except this thing. This is a little heavier than that, but for the most part the world is written to feel like you already live there. And then something more happens. Most of it is not out of the realm of what some people really believe in–magic, Pagan gods, conspiracy theories, possession, etc. But there aren’t spaceships or vampires or Dungeons & Dragons style fireball flinging. The romance is heavier; there’s a steamy scene early in, and Hauk and Jolie have tension throughout the book and the series. The main overall point of the trilogy is the building of the relationship between the two.

JLH: How do you feel about mixing genres? Does it make it difficult to write? Difficult to market?

JAX: I love mixed genres–reading it and writing it. It’s fun to be able to play in different worlds and create your own. Why can’t you have magic and weird science in the same story? It does make marketing hard, as exemplified by the difficulty classifying it. It can be hard for readers, too, because when you see “science fiction” or something else on a cover, you start reading with a set of expectations that the book will probably not fulfill. That’s been the most mixed reaction in reviews so far. Some people love the genre bending and some people are like, “What is this? It’s all over the place!” I had fun writing it; some people are going to dig it and some aren’t. Which, you know, is going to happen no matter what. 🙂

JLH: Is this book also a little bit steampunk? It looks like it, on the cover.

JAX: This has been a common misconception, and I think it’s because of Jolie’s outfit maybe? She’s a burlesque dancer, and I assume that’s what she’s dressed for, but I think it’s getting interpreted as steampunk. There are some tiny steampunk-like elements in the story because the Underlight has no electricity, and as a result they use gaslight and clockwork to make things run. Plus Hauk had a leg amputated after the fire and now has a mechanical replacement built by the Underlight scientists. But it’s not a steampunk novel, no. I do love my cover though, even if it’s been giving the book an unintentional steampunk rep!

Illustration by Mercer Mayer

JLH: When I read the description of your book, “a burlesque dancer and a scarred Army Ranger team up with a colony of anarchists to fight the power,” I was SO excited to read this book. Where in the world did you get your ideas and inspirations?

JAX: Aw, thanks! Well, like I mentioned earlier, the initial inspiration came from 80s TV and vodka–a potent combo. It actually started as a 15K short (less than half the length of the current version, but ending in the same place) that Angela James, the head editor at Carina, asked me to expand and resubmit, and I got initial notes from Rhonda Helms, my editor. They liked what I did with it and the outline for the three story arc, so I got my first sale.

I’ve always liked movies and books with a fight the power message. As I also mentioned earlier, I do think that wealthy corporations have way too much say in government and get away with all kinds of craziness. Each story in the trilogy begins with an Underlight mission inspired by news articles that I’ve read. Jolie Benoit’s dad was inspired by a certain news mogul. After I finished the first version of the story in the spring of 2011, that news mogul got splashed all over the press in a scandal, and I started laughing because it’s exactly the kind of thing my character would’ve done. (Although they don’t physically look anything alike, for those who know to whom I refer. Reginald, my character, is very image conscious.)

As far as the hero and heroine go, I am the daughter and granddaughter of war veterans (Vietnam and WWII), so making a soldier hero is a natural extension of the respect and love I have for men in uniform. My dad is also such a laid back, friendly guy with a great sense of humor. People used to ask if it was hard growing up the daughter of an Army officer, if he was strict or yelled a lot or something, and I had no idea what they were talking about.

As for Jolie, sometimes it feels like a lot of romance novels have uber-handsome, well-sexed (over-sexed?), wealthy men and average looking, klutzy heroines who are just scraping by financially and longing for some good sexytime. There’s nothing wrong with this (I read those, too), but I figured if I was going to have a hideously scarred, blue-collar hero who hasn’t come vaguely close to sex in five years, I could also have a gorgeous, graceful, rich heroine who’s comfortable in her sexuality. Gorgeous, graceful, wealthy and kind are part of the original Beauty and the Beast fairy tale anyway.

The burlesque dancer and aerialist part I added for fun. I LOVE aerial arts and go watch Sky Candy, a local troupe, on a regular basis. Plus Austin, where I live and where the story is set, has a pretty strong burlesque community, and they have proved to be the nicest, most fun group of people.

Illustration by Walter Crane, circa 1900

JLH: Agreed. Burlesque seems to be growing in popularity here in North Carolina, too, and I’ve met some of the dancers. Wonderful people. The dancers and the audience have so much fun, and there don’t seem to be the body-image issues seen in mainstream media.

JAX: I volunteered at the Texas Burlesque Festival to help with research and, in addition to helping backstage, I got to interview several dancers. I will never forget being in this huge dressing room with maybe fifty performers in various states of undress (and in burlesque, undressed is REALLY undressed). I was interviewing Coco Lectric, a local performer who’s made a name for herself on the national scene, and asked her what brought her into burlesque and why she stayed. Her answer surprised me. She asked if I’d heard anyone complain about the size of her own ass. I blinked. Thought over the weekend. Looked around the room at dozens of women (and a few men) of all shapes and sizes, many of whom were lounging around in pasties and a g-string. And I realized I had not once heard a single comment about body shape. It was pretty astounding.

A common story among the dancers I interviewed is that that they got into burlesque to see if they had the courage to do it, almost like a personal dare. But something changed when they’d completed their first routine; being that naked in front of a cheering crowd made them realize that all the things they’d picked on about themselves–the shape of their butt, the size of their chest, the cellulite on their thighs–were meaningless. Everybody’s shaped differently, and everybody can be sexy just the way they are. It’s a great vibe to be around.

JLH: Part 2, How Beauty Saved the Beast, comes out in February and the finale, How Beauty Loved the Beast, releases in May. Is each a stand alone episode with a beginning, middle and end, or are they more like parts of a serial? I assume they should be read in order?

JAX: Though each story does have its own plot arc, they definitely work better in order. It’s the same hero and heroine throughout the three. The titles tell you pretty much exactly what happens in each. They meet in How Beauty Met the Beast, which is the shortest work at 38,000 words (a little over 100 pages). How Beauty Saved the Beast is longer (52,000 words; around 175 pages). It develops their relationship and, like the title says, Jolie has to do some rescuing. How Beauty Loved the Beast is the longest at 73,500 words (about 225 pages) and it’s the one with the big finale–both with Ananke and with the relationship.

I did a lot of research into burn scars and the physical, psychological and social challenges that survivors of severe burns have to work through. Intense is an understatement. One thing I didn’t realize when I first had the idea was that the medical treatment for burning is often more horrific than the burning. It can last for months of repeated surgeries while the patient lives in isolation because of the danger of infection. As their suffering at the hands of doctors continues, a lot of burn survivors start to associate any form of touch with pain, even long after they’ve left the hospital, making them very protective of their new skin and unwilling to let people close to them physically.

Illustration by Margaret Tarrant, 1915

Plus there’s the whole psychological trauma of having to look at yourself in the mirror and not recognize what you see. When my story starts, Hauk has had a few years to deal with the physical ramifications of his scars and emotionally handles his transformation pretty well as he’s fighting for the Underlight. But as much as he’s attracted to Jolie from the first time he sees her (she’s hanging from a hoop with almost no clothes on while singing about being naughty; I’m not sure that it’s love at first sight 😛 ) this type of trauma is not the kind of thing anyone can just jump into a relationship from. All three books were fun to write, but as Hauk and Jolie (finally, my editor would tell you) start taking the relationship to the next level, it got particularly daunting to be emotionally honest. I’ve never written anything that challenging in my life!

JLH: How long have you been writing and what else have you written? Any WIP you’d like to share?

JAX: Oh, my, I’ve been writing my whole life! I started taking it seriously a few years ago, and just kept writing and taking classes and submitting until I got my break. I’m currently polishing up a New Adult Urban Fantasy called Angel of Air and Earth (although, who knows; maybe a publisher will call it a contemporary romance heehee). I’ve also started to work on the next book in the Tales of the Underlight, this one based on Rapunzel with Brayden, Hauk’s best friend, as the hero and a woman we’ll meet in How Beauty Saved the Beast (book 2) as the heroine. The leads are so wildly different from Hauk and Jolie. Brayden is a hacker with a handsome face, a glib tongue and a penchant for lock picking, and the heroine is… well, I’ll let you meet her in the next book! I’ll just say that she’s more than a little Type A and she and Jolie don’t get along particularly well. Or at all. It’s been really strange jumping from writing Jolie’s point of view to the point of view of somebody who can’t stand her!

JLH: I can’t wait to read it. Thanks so much for visiting, Jax, and I wish you all the best success!

For more information about Jax Garren and the Tales of the Underlight series, see JaxGarren.com.

Posted in Q&A, Romance, Science Fiction, Visiting authors | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Stellarnet Tarot

Posted on December 1, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

For fun, I created Tarot cards of the main characters in my Stellarnet books, the cyberpunk romantic tale of interstellar news blogger Genevieve O’Riordan, her soulmate and alien rebel-turned-ambassador Duin, and the sapphire-skinned outcast Belloc. In the second book, Stellarnet Prince, they visit Earth, meet the U.S. president, punch monsters in the eye, thwart a kidnapping, befriend a cyber-ghost and consult digital tarot cards.

Cross my palm with silver and we’ll see what their cards have to tell us…

Genevieve “J’ni” O’Riordan as the Queen of Cups

The QUEEN OF CUPS represents love, compassion, kindness, creativity and literacy. She is of pure heart, a loving woman and a loyal friend, just like Genevieve O’Riordan. In Stellarnet Rebel, Genny is moved by Duin’s account of his world, Glin. Tikati invaders enslave and imprison Duin’s people and begin a process of environmental devastation. She uses her blog to interview him and tries to convince Earth to intervene. In Stellarnet Prince, she’s become a reluctant Net celebrity dedicated to mending the rifts between humanity and aliens, between herself and her xenophobic parents, and between the two individuals she loves most in the universe.

Duin as the King of Cups

Duin, like the KING OF CUPS, is a mature, paternal man who is creative, intelligent and kind. The elder of his river, he cares about others and always responds to their needs with compassion. He is tolerant of all points of view and shows patience in the most trying of circumstances – unless he has to deal with the Tikati who invaded his home. Then he’s hot vengeance on a stick and woe to any who get in his way. His magnanimous good nature is pushed to the breaking point in Stellarnet Prince, when he attempts to ally Glin with the U.S. and join the United Nations, but humanity’s friendship is as challenging as Tikat’s aggression.

Belloc as the Knight of Cups

The KNIGHT OF CUPS is romantic, sensitive, introverted, visionary and intense. He will give the impression of being open, calm and caring, but is often subject to intense inner turmoil and insecurity. This card represents someone who will sweep you off of your feet, pledge to love you forever, propose marriage, tell you everything you want to hear – and mean every word he says. He will rescue you, adore you, and fear he still isn’t worthy of you. Is it no wonder that Belloc is a reader favorite? But does he have the strength to keep secrets that could start a civil war and destroy the only people he loves?

The Major Arcana card STRENGTH represents the ability to weather any storm, to swim when one might sink. Genny needs strength to withstand the disapproval of her parents and the scrutiny of a Net-based society where every move she makes is followed, blogged and trolled, every minute of the day. Duin needs strength to deal with the dark side of humanity and the horrible truth behind the Tikati invasion. Belloc needs strength to face the terrifying r’naw of Glin and the ghosts of his past.

I’ve chosen the r’naw eye as a symbol of that strength, for reasons that readers of Stellarnet Prince will understand.

R’naw eye and Belloc’s gloved hand for Strength

Tikati as the Devil

The Ace of Cups with a j’ni flower

Hax as the Magician

Colonel Blaze Villanueva as the King of Swords

Seth MacGowan as the Knight of Swords

Any other Stellarnet Tarot cards you’d like to see?

~ J.L. Hilton

Connect, support, comment or contact the author here 

Posted in News & misc, Science Fiction, Stellarnet Prince, Stellarnet Rebel, Stellarnet Series | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Stellarnet Tarot

J.L. Hilton interviewed by Plotting Princesses

Posted on November 30, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

This interview originally appeared November 27, 2012, on the Plotting Princesses blog.

 

 

 

 

Plotting Princesses: How did you get from your day job to writing romance?

J.L. Hilton: I still have a day job homeschooling my girls, ages 8 and 12. I’ve also been a professional jewelry designer for more than ten years and I continue to do that. Not as much as I used to, but I do.

Over the years, I produced a little fiction and a lot of non-fiction – short stories, newspaper articles, columns, that sort of thing. I was content with jewelry as my primary creative outlet, and in 2008 founded a jewelry artists’ collective called the Triangle Jewelry Makers. In 2009, I contributed three projects to the book Steampunk Style Jewelry.

I had no desire to become a professional novelist. But in May 2009, I woke up from a dream and had a story in my head that wouldn’t go away. It consumed me. I wrote it down, had a few people read it, and they urged me to publish. So here I am.

Plotting Princesses: What are your three favorite books of all time?

J.L. Hilton: Les Miserables, Jane Eyre and Vanity Fair. I’m also a big fan of the collected works of Yeats, Dickens, Shakespeare, Poe and Doyle. I love classics. I’m reading the collected works of Elizabeth Gaskell right now.

Plotting Princesses: Morning, afternoon, or evening person?

J.L. Hilton: Evening to very early morning. If I could, I’d stay up until 3am or 4am and sleep until noon. Lunch would be my breakfast. My body is just made that way. I’ve tried to force it into a different schedule without much success for 40 years. I can do it if I have to, but I function much better when the sun is down.

Plotting Princesses: Music–with or without? What kind?

J.L. Hilton: I can’t listen to music while I write, but it helps when I’m plotting, outlining or composing a scene. I use it to get into a character’s head or into the mood of a scene, then I turn it off and write.

I associate the interstellar news blogger Genevieve O’Riordan with songs such as “Stars” by Switchfoot, “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin and “Written in the Stars” by Blackmore’s Night, because this is a story about her traveling into the stars and finding her destiny there. For the alien rebel Duin, I listen to traditional Irish songs such as “The Rising of the Moon” and “The Wind That Shakes the Barley,” or the modern songs “Hero” and “If Today Was Your Last Day” by Chad Kroeger/Nickelback. I know there’s a lot of Nickelback hate on the Internet, but I care more about lyrics than a band’s popularity. They are songs about taking action and trying to do the right thing, which is perfect for Duin. For the outcast Belloc, some of his songs are “Home” by Depeche Mode and “When You Say You Love Me” by Josh Groban, because those are songs about loneliness, longing, and finding a place to be.

I listened to “Come What May” from Moulin Rouge a LOT while writingStellarnet Prince. For me, this song expresses the heart and soul of the story. If there’s a theme song to sum up the first book, Stellarnet Rebel, it would have to be “You Raise Me Up,” because at its core it’s a story about how the choices we make can either lift up or tear down our fellow beings.

Plotting Princesses: First or third POV?

J.L. Hilton: The Stellarnet Series is third person. The main POV character is Genevieve “J’ni” O’Riordan, but some chapters are written from the perspective of the aliens Duin and Belloc. In book two, a few chapters are also written from the perspective of a Tikati alien named Kitik and a Glinnish alien named Eb.

Plotting Princesses: Do you juggle multiple projects?

J.L. Hilton: I currently have six – seven? do I hear eight? – WIP, including a weird west supernatural, an alternate history/fantasy adventure, a series of erotic sci-fi novellas, and a first-person POV urban fantasy. The third book in the Stellarnet Series is the one I’m focused on right now, but the others drift in and out on occasion.

Plotting Princesses: What’s harder, the beginning, middle, or the end?

J.L. Hilton: Definitely the middly bits. When I begin a new story, I tend to write one or two of the chapters very near the beginning and a climactic scene near the end, then I fill in what happens between. I’ve compared my process to the underpants gnomes on Southpark. “Phase 1: Collect underpants. Phase 2: ?. Phase 3: Make profit.” Part 1: Interstellar blogger meets alien freedom fighter. Part 2: ?. Part 3: Well, I can’t tell you that without major spoilers!

Plotting Princesses: Revisions. Love ’em or hate ’em?

J.L. Hilton: Love love love ’em and my editor Alison Dasho. That’s where the magic happens.

Plotting Princesses: How did you come up with that title?

J.L. Hilton: My original title for the first book was Asteria Colony. Now, I can’t think of it as anything but Stellarnet Rebel. It’s an awesome, utterly perfect title. I wish I could take credit, but it came from my publisher, Carina Press. They pulled it from a list of words my editor and I sent them which included “stellarnet” (what I call the future Internet that spans several stars, planets and moons) and things like “spacepunk,” “metalscape” and “technorebel.”

Plotting Princesses: Best advice anybody every gave you?

J.L. Hilton: About writing, or life in general?

For life in general: “Unless it’s yes, it’s no.” It was given in the context of relationships, not to stay in one if your heart – or the other person’s – isn’t in it. But it can apply to a lot of things. I guess it’s sort of like “follow your heart” or “don’t cast your pearls before swine.” Go in the direction of your enthusiasm, and don’t waste time or effort on those who are indifferent to you.

For writing: “Stop using so many adverbs. It should be obvious from the dialog whether it is sad, angry or hopeful.” lol

Plotting Princesses: My ideal fictional hero would think me gorgeous no matter…

J.L. Hilton: … if I had bed-head, ears, small eyes and no color on my back. Genevieve O’Riordan is beautiful by humanity’s standards, thanks to her genetic modifications, but the Glin don’t have hair or ears. They have large, dark eyes and coloring on the back halves of their bodies, like frogs. Beauty transcends physical characteristics, for my heroes.

Plotting Princesses: What’s your favorite dessert?

J.L. Hilton: Black and white cookies (aka half moon cookies). You just had to bring them up, didn’t you? Where’s my car keys…

Plotting Princesses: Do you write at home or someplace else?

J.L. Hilton: I usually write on a laptop in my bedroom. But I did write portions of the Stellarnet Series at Tir na nOg Irish Pub and on thriller novelist Andrew Britton’s couch.

Plotting Princesses: What’s your favorite type of hero/heroine and why?

J.L. Hilton: Flawed heroes who can’t seem to get a break (Edward Scissorhands, Phantom of the Opera) or anti-heroes who aren’t afraid to break the rules (or a few heads) and flaunt convention in order to do what’s right and protect their own (V for Vendetta, Firefly). Belloc is a little bit of the former, Duin is a little – ok a LOT – of the latter.

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Where cyberpunk meets costume drama

Posted on November 29, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

This post originally appeared November 28, 2012, on Susanna Fraser’s blog as part of a guest author exchange.

That I love science fiction is something I’ve written about in many interviews and blogs. But I rarely get to talk about the fact that cameos, brass bezels, watch parts and copper wire surround my laptop because I also design Neo-Victorian jewelry. My work is featured in Steampunk Style Jewelry, 1000 Steampunk Creations, and Make Jewellery magazine.

My favorite books are Vanity Fair, Les Miserables and Jane Eyre. My favorite adaptation of Jane Eyre is the 1996 directed by Franco Zeffirelli – who also directed my favorite versions of Taming of the Shrew and Romeo and Juliet.

Some of my favorite authors are Poe, Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I am currently reading my way through the complete works of Elizabeth Gaskell, and I love the miniseries North & South, based on her 1855 novel.

I haven’t met a costume drama or period piece I didn’t like. Whether it’s Fingersmith, Downton Abbey, The Way We Live Now, the Sharpe series, Nicolas Nickleby, Little Dorrit, The Devil’s Whore (renamed a tamer The Devil’s Mistress in North America), Emma, the Forsyte Saga or many, many more. I’m in the U.S., but I watch more BBC than American telly, thanks to Netflix.

Not only have I read Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, I’ve watched two movie versions (1945 and 2009), as well as a movie of Wilde’s Canterbury Ghost, and his own life story in Wilde starring Stephan Frye and Jude Law. My favorite portrayal of Wilde, however, is by Peter Egan in Lillie, about the life of Lillie Langtry.

I’d rather read literature from the Victorian period than Neal Stephenson or William Gibson. So why am I writing a cyberpunk science fiction series?

Cyberpunk is described as “high tech and low life.” The genre is about advanced science, things like digital technology and genetic modification – the “cyber” – coupled with a degree of breakdown or radical change in the social order – the “punk.” Stellarnet Rebel takes place in 2062 and features an interstellar news blogger, a freedom fighter and a video game loving outcast.

Daniela Denby-Ashe as Margaret Hale in North & South was one of my inspirations for my Stellarnet Series heroine, Genevieve O’Riordan. Victorian authors did not just write about pretty gowns and balls, they wrote about social change, women’s rights, the desire for freedom and independence, the power of kindness over cruelty, compassion and reason over superstition and fear. They delved into the human heart, not only its loves but its frustrations, faults, hopes and dreams.

In its way, the Industrial Era was also about “high tech and low life.” Think of factories and mines, orphanages, smoke, sickness, poverty, and Oliver Twist. I wanted to take those themes and move them into our immediate future. Even in a world with digital technology, Internet and social media, some things don’t change.

~ J.L. Hilton

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