interviewss.pjdodd4.html

Your debut novel was a contemporary suspense piece, so why do you now choose to write a “futuristic novel”?

I’ve always enjoyed speculative literature, both in books and through movies and television. The situation in this story works best in a future where the reader is free from wondering why isn’t there a law against this or where were the police? So I used a colonizing venture, with a group traveling alone in space, looking for a new home. These humans are literally making things up as they go along.

I know that readers who found it hard to put down The Gift Horse may initially be disappointed that I chose this genre. While this piece may not be quite as suspenseful, the plot does twist and turn a bit. I hate being bored, and that comes out in my fiction. I don’t think readers will find this story predictable, because that would have bored me. Also, readers who don’t know much about physics won’t find this book intimidating, because the emphasis is on the characters, not the hardware. My publisher labels this book as science fiction, but when I sent it in, I called it a “futuristic” and I think it is a better label. I don’t know enough physics to write hard sci-fi.

What themes do you explore in Trinity on Tylos?

There are several, but major themes include responsibility vs.desire and the importance of motherhood. The female crew members are abducted to serve as surrogate mothers to the aliens, which is a springboard for several aspects of parenting. Every novel will have something of the author in it, and my experiences as a parent gave me some perspective on this topic. Marriage is another theme in this story. The “romantic element” in this novel is unusual, because the main character is married as the story opens, but she is torn away from the husband she loves early on. Losing a spouse is one of the greatest traumas in life, and Venice experiences that. Trinity on Tylos can be read is an action/adventure set in space, but it has themes associated with responsibility and sacrifice.

Are there any similarities in these two novels?

Not many, but I’m sure readers will find some I haven't even thought about. Both stories use an abduction as a plot device, and both have female main characters who are physically attractive as well as highly intelligent. Also, each of these women is strong without being a smart-mouth. One of my pet peeves is the emphasis on “attitude” in modern fiction. The characters which are being popularized by chick-lit often strike me as being crass and ego-centric. I don’t admire such people, so I don’t employ them as characters, except as minor ones, in my stories. The males in Trinity are not superheros, but they are decent and honorable men.

Of course, my writing style is similar in both novels. Modern readers grew up with a television in the house, so quite a bit of current fiction is written in scenes, often with plot and dialogue being as important as character, and mine certainly falls into that pattern. Description is more understated, for I want my readers to use their imaginations, and that is true for both novels. Also, I do not view a linear narrative to be necessary. Early novels were always written chronologically, but modern fiction can skip about more, focusing the reader on what the author deems important, and I do employ some time skips in these novels. The Gift Horse takes place over a seven year time period, and Trinity on Tylos covers almost twenty years. Without some time skips, these books would be really, really long!

Why did you choose Whiskey Creek Press?

To a certain extent, they chose me, in that they offered a contract on this novel. However, I sent the manuscript to this publisher because I had read some of their other titles, and I liked all of those books. Also, this publisher is small, which means they can give my book more attention than a larger one might, and their marketing is filled with energy. WCP emphasizes electronic books, which is a growing market, but they also have paperbacks, so those who want a traditional book can purchase one. Overall, I’m quite pleased to be invited to join WCP’s growing list of authors.

Please take a look at the other offerings from WCP via the links page, or using Fictionwise if you prefer multi formated eBooks. I continue to be impressed with their overall quality.

Pamela J. Dodd answers questions about Trinity on Tylos, published by Whiskey Creek Press.
	What’s this novel about? The title helps set the stage for this one, but the story centers on one character, Venice Dylenski, a young security officer on an earth colonizing ship, journeying though space at some indefinite time in our future. In the course of their travels, they meet another vessel, and the alien captain initiates a series of get acqainted sessions. Unknown to the humans, however, this alien captain has a problem, one which can only be solved by abducting human females. As their ship faces what seems to be certain destruction, Venice and another female crew member volunteer to go with the aliens because that seems to be the only way to save everyone else. So Venice winds up on a planet in the Tylos star system with one human and one alien companion. And that’s just the first fourth of the book!
Your debut novel was a contemporary suspense piece, so why do you now choose to write a “futuristic novel”? I’ve always enjoyed speculative literature, both in books and through movies and television. The situation in this story works best in a future where the reader is free from wondering why isn’t there a law against this or where were the police? So I used a colonizing venture, with a group traveling alone in space, looking for a new home. These humans are literally making things up as they go along. I know that readers who found it hard to put down The Gift Horse may initially be disappointed that I chose this genre. While this piece may not be quite as suspenseful, the plot does twist and turn a bit. I hate being bored, and that comes out in my fiction. I don’t think readers will find this story predictable, because that would have bored me. Also, readers who don’t know much about physics won’t find this book intimidating, because the emphasis is on the characters, not the hardware. My publisher labels this book as science fiction, but when I sent it in, I called it a “futuristic” and I think it is a better label. I don’t know enough physics to write hard sci-fi. What themes do you explore in Trinity on Tylos? There are several, but major themes include responsibility vs.desire and the importance of motherhood. The female crew members are abducted to serve as surrogate mothers to the aliens, which is a springboard for several aspects of parenting. Every novel will have something of the author in it, and my experiences as a parent gave me some perspective on this topic. Marriage is another theme in this story. The “romantic element” in this novel is unusual, because the main character is married as the story opens, but she is torn away from the husband she loves early on. Losing a spouse is one of the greatest traumas in life, and Venice experiences that. Trinity on Tylos can be read is an action/adventure set in space, but it has themes associated with responsibility and sacrifice. Are there any similarities in these two novels? Not many, but I’m sure readers will find some I haven't even thought about. Both stories use an abduction as a plot device, and both have female main characters who are physically attractive as well as highly intelligent. Also, each of these women is strong without being a smart-mouth. One of my pet peeves is the emphasis on “attitude” in modern fiction. The characters which are being popularized by chick-lit often strike me as being crass and ego-centric. I don’t admire such people, so I don’t employ them as characters, except as minor ones, in my stories. The males in Trinity are not superheros, but they are decent and honorable men. Of course, my writing style is similar in both novels. Modern readers grew up with a television in the house, so quite a bit of current fiction is written in scenes, often with plot and dialogue being as important as character, and mine certainly falls into that pattern. Description is more understated, for I want my readers to use their imaginations, and that is true for both novels. Also, I do not view a linear narrative to be necessary. Early novels were always written chronologically, but modern fiction can skip about more, focusing the reader on what the author deems important, and I do employ some time skips in these novels. The Gift Horse takes place over a seven year time period, and Trinity on Tylos covers almost twenty years. Without some time skips, these books would be really, really long! Why did you choose Whiskey Creek Press? To a certain extent, they chose me, in that they offered a contract on this novel. However, I sent the manuscript to this publisher because I had read some of their other titles, and I liked all of those books. Also, this publisher is small, which means they can give my book more attention than a larger one might, and their marketing is filled with energy. WCP emphasizes electronic books, which is a growing market, but they also have paperbacks, so those who want a traditional book can purchase one. Overall, I’m quite pleased to be invited to join WCP’s growing list of authors. Please take a look at the other offerings from WCP via the links page, or using Fictionwise if you prefer multi formated eBooks. I continue to be impressed with their overall quality.
Pamela J. Dodd answers questions regarding her novel, The Gift Horse,* and her writing career.*
How do you go about creating a dynamic plot like the one in The Gift Horse? In the beginning one must have characters and problems. I created Angie and Marc and gave them each a problem. Then I placed them in a setting and put in some minor characters to interact with. But, most importantly, I refused to give them an easy way out. Life has a way of slugging away at us, and I made sure that there were no easy avenues for my characters. What is this book about? If I have to explain it in a sentence, I usually say, “This story is a Faustian anti-romance.” What I mean by that, is that it takes the usual story line of a romantic suspense piece and twists it around a bit. The main character is a victim, from her youth, when first one parent then another dies. So this girl, at the tender age of seventeen, is forced to make a deal with her devil. She isn’t particularly happy with her choice, but it is her belief that she does the best she can with what life has handed to her. On the one hand, Angie is a victim, but on the other, she is also a survivor. Why did you write The Gift Horse? I’ve always enjoyed writing, so I wrote it because I was enjoying it. Some stories don’t hold my interest long enough to be completed. However, this piece served as an outlet for some concerns I have regarding male/female relationships in our society. The whole concept of dating has a scary side— some guys view every dinner, every show, every present as a payment for some sexual favors down the road. Don’t get me wrong; there are plenty of gentlemen out there; but the idea of paying for intimacy exists as well. The Gift Horse extrapolates the dangers of paying for intimacy. Do these characters represent real people? Yes, and no. Like most writers of fiction, my experiences are part of my prose. For the most part, my characters are imaginary. Perhaps a composite is the best way to describe the characters. Some of them share certain traits with people I have known. I really doubt that my friends and neighbors in Georgia will be able to read it and recognize the characters as locals, because I didn’t base these characters on any specific people. The main character, Angie, is tall, as I am, but she and I don't share many other characteristics. Did your years in the classroom have any influence on the novel? Sure. Writers must, to some extent, write what they know. Angie, my main character, reacts the way some of my former students might react. Here’s another example: there is a scene in the opening chapter which takes place in an American Literature class; I taught American Lit. Are you writing anything else? Of course. Some people take photographs, some cook fancy dinners, some garden. While I dabble in a couple of those, for my real stress relief, I write. When I began trying to get The Gift Horse published, I had three other manuscripts in varying stages of completion on the hard drive of my computer. One of those books is described above, and I have two more manuscripts which are waiting for the muse to inspire me into the perfect ending. Any advise for other writers who want to get a book into print? There are many ways to improve one’s writing and to contact the right people. I got my start at the Harriette Austin Writers Conference at the University of Georgia, which is “on hiatus” due to financial considerations. There are some other, similar conferences, including one sponsored by the South Carolina Writer’s association. Many writers, editors, and agents attend such events, looking for new talent. I learned how to format my manuscript by reading articles posted on the internet, and I found Booklocker via an author information web site. Another piece of the puzzle was taking the Writer’s Digest Novel writing course. You don’t actually write an entire novel in that course; it is designed to take the author through the first 12,000 words, but it was a great course. The assignments also helped me create a query letter, a synopsis, and a chapter outline. For writer's who are in a hurry to get something between the covers, POD (print on demand) can't be ignored, and services like Lulu.com have reduced the amount of money required to get into print. Conventional publishers, large and small, often usually take a year or more to go from contract to publication, while a POD can do it in a couple of months. That is one reason to consider POD, but it will limit sales to the author’s friends, family, and a few acquaintences. Bookstores don’t want to stock POD books, so if that is a goal, don’t do POD. Any thoughts on the publishing industry? I'm still in the early phase of my writing career, but I have learned some interesting facts and formed some opinions already. First, the chances of a new writer becoming famous (or wealthy) are almost nil. Larger houses devote all of their resources to “proven” talent. Smaller houses usually lack the resources to provide any real promotion to speak of, which means that to succeed, authors must be salespeople as well as writers. Most experienced writers advise newbies to keep writing and working until they are accepted by a conventional print publisher, but I do believe that the newer options like POD and e-publishing are viable options. Sure, getting a contract with the big guys is great, but sometimes just getting in print meets the goal. Can you list some “do’s and don’ts” for aspiring writers? There isn’t a rule book, of course, here are some things that I have learned: • Do get professional help in editing. I have twenty years of experience evaluating writing, but my editors have helped me improve, and pointed out problems that I totally missed. Poor editing keeps many books out of print, and can make authors who have real talent look bad. People who decide to self-publish ought to seek a good editor, because poorly edited books make self-publishing a risky business • Do keep writing. If the first efforts don't provide the success you want, keep at it. Experience is a great teacher. •Don’t take rejection personally. (That one is hard, though. Really hard.) •Don’t expect to get rich. Not everyone you know will buy your book, and getting people who don't know something about you to buy it can be even more difficult. Who are some of the writers you appreciate and admire? I could take a very long time indeed answering that question. Early favorites were writers of “romantic suspense” including Mary Stewart and Phyllis A. Whitney. I really enjoy Suzanne Brockman and Janet Evanovich, whose works are modern versions of those early mixtures of romance and adventure. My favorite genre to read for fun is science fiction. Authors such as Catherine Asaro, Susan Grant, Lois McMaster Bujold, David Weber, and Elizabeth Moon have numerous volumes on my bookshelf. I do read some non-fiction, but much of that is technical in that I do my own web design and some print design on computers.