It's Wednesday, so it time to feature another writer. Today's feature is Lynne Stringer, author of the science fiction trilogy,
Verindon.
Lynne Stringer has been passionate about writing all her life,
beginning with short stories in her primary school days. She began writing
professionally as a journalist and was the editor of a small newspaper (later
magazine) for seven years, before turning her hand to screenplay writing and
novels.
Lynne is the author of the Verindon trilogy, a young adult science
fiction romance series released in 2013. The series features the books The
Heir, The Crown and The Reign. Lynne's latest novel, to be released in October
2016, is Once Confronted, a contemporary drama. Visit www.lynnestringer.com for
more information.
Interview
What made you want to become a
writer?
I have always enjoyed writing. I can remember writing a little book
when I was eight and when I was a teenager I amused myself by novelizing movie
scripts and episodes from my favorite TV shows.
Tell us something about how you
write? i.e. are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you have any weird or necessary
writing habits or rituals?
I tend to make up my books in my head first. I always know where I’m
going to end up, although sometimes things on the journey there can take me by
surprise when I sit down to write. I don’t usually write a story outline. I
haven’t found this helpful for me.
Do you think people have
misconceptions about speculative fiction? Why do you think it is a worthwhile
genre?
I’ve always enjoyed fantasy and speculative fiction. I like things that
take me to new worlds.
Could you tell us a bit about
your most recent book?
My most recent book is due out on 1st October but unlike my science
fiction series, the Verindon trilogy, it’s a contemporary drama.
What gives you inspiration for
your book?
Things in the every day inspire me. With the first book in the Verindon
trilogy, The Heir, I was inspired by a pick-up line. You know, the one where
the boy says to the girl, "You are the only reason I was put on this
planet". I started to wonder about why a guy might say that to a girl if
he meant it literally, rather than figuratively.
Of all the characters you have
created, which is your favorite and why?
My favorite character is Keridan and he’s my leading man. I also have a
soft spot for another character in my trilogy, although he scares the hell out
of me. His name is Hajitis. If you want to find out why he’s so scary you’ll
have to read the books.
Do you have a day job in
addition to being a writer? If so, what
do you do during the day?
I am a professional editor by trade. People pay
me to help improve their books prior to publication. It’s nice that my day job
is not unlike the thing I love the most, which is writing.
The Heir (Verindon #1)
Sarah hates the prestigious high school she attends. Most of the other
students ignore her. School is only made tolerable by the presence of Dan
Bradfield, the boy she adores. Dan is the heir to his father’s multinational
computer company, but he is dating Sarah’s best friend, Jillian.
When tragedy strikes, Dan is the one who is there for Sarah, but she
can’t shake the feeling there is something strange about him. Is he protecting
her from something? Is there something going on that she doesn’t know about?
And did she really see a monster in the bushes?
Sarah is desperate to uncover the truth, but it could take her to
another galaxy, and change everything she believes about who she is. Will it
bring Dan and Sarah closer together or tear them apart?
Buy on Amazon
Excerpt
It was well into the night by the time I went to bed, but my eyelids
had begun drooping long before Dan could convince me to go.
“Come on, Sarah,” he said, dragging me towards the stairs. “We can pick
this up in the morning.”
I was happy to go to bed by that time. I knew what would happen as soon
as my head hit the pillow.
But as I was lying in my bed, waiting to fall asleep, I noticed a
sound.
Drip … drip … drip …
I frowned. Had I left the faucet running in the bathroom? I jumped up
and turned on the light. No. It was off. The sound wasn’t coming from there.
Had I imagined it?
Drip … drip … drip …
I turned on the light in my room. Was there a faucet somewhere else? Or
maybe it was some pipe in the wall?
Then I saw it and my jaw dropped.
On the bedside table, where I had tossed it, was my father’s computer
device. And the table underneath it was melting!
I hurried over to check that my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. No,
it wasn’t. Directly underneath the device the table was oozing brown goo and
dripping it all over the floor.
I snatched up the device. Was it hot? Surely it couldn’t be hot enough
to melt wood! Was that even possible?
But no, it wasn’t hot, not that hot, anyway, although its readouts were
still flickering dramatically.
I frowned and looked at the floor. Much to my astonishment, the brown
ooze had disappeared, even though there had been a puddle a moment ago. Had it
dribbled away somewhere? I couldn’t see any sign of it.
I reached down and touched the bottom of the table. It felt dry and
smooth. No mark at all.
I jumped out of my skin as I heard a knock on my door. Still trying to
explain the brown ooze to myself, I went over and opened it.
Dan was there. “Hey. Just making sure that you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” I said, trying to come back to reality.
His eyes flickered down to the box in my hand for a moment. “Okay.
Goodnight, then.”
I shut the door and turned back to my room. Could grief bring on
hallucinations? I had no idea. I had been under a lot of stress. Maybe that’s
what it was.
I put the device back on the beside table and watched closely to see if
anything started to melt under it. Nope. It looked fine now. And when I turned
the light off I could hear nothing. Definitely imagination. I sighed and went
to sleep.
In the morning the first thing I did was check the bedside table to
make sure that there was no problem with it. As expected, it looked completely
normal, but there was something different in the room from when I had gone to
sleep.
My father’s little device had disappeared.
I searched all around, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I checked all
the nooks and crannies I could find – behind the bed, in the bathroom –
everywhere I thought it might fit. I even checked my bag again just to make
sure I hadn’t put it back in there. There was no sign of it. It was gone.
Tell me what you think. I love to hear your comments.
Fantasy literature transports you from the
mundane world into the strange and the magical. How does it do this? By making
that world believable, in its setting, its use of magic, and in its characters.
To transport you, the fantasy world must be as complex and rich as reality.
While I don’t like works that give long lectures on the history and geography,
a sense of both must be present in the fantasy world—this sense preferably
arising naturally from the needs of the plot and unfolding bit by bit. For
example, in The Goddess’s Choice the
way we learn about the longstanding animosity and history of warfare between
Korth and Lundia is through the king’s pressure on the crown princess Samantha
to marry. King Solar believes her marriage is necessary to maintain the fragile
peace between the joined kingdoms. The history and culture of the joined
kingdoms flow from and enhance the story’s central conflict.
For me, the most important element in creating
a believable fantasy world lies in the characters. A believable world must be
peopled with believable characters. In reality, few people are without flaws, but
few are so bad that they have no redeeming qualities. Fantasy characters must
be equally complex. Heroes must not be completely virtuous, and villains at
least need sound motives for their villainy. Robbie is burdened with anger, and
Samantha is headstrong and somewhat insensitive. On the other hand, Argblutal
believes (with some justification) the throne is rightfully his and that he’d
be a better king than a eighteen-year-old girl. When I read a novel, if I can
believe a writer’s characters, I can forgive other inconsistencies with the
work, but if I cannot believe the characters, nothing else the writer does can
redeem the story. Depth of character is the key to believability in the make-believe
world of fantasy.
