Sci-Fi Encounters: A chat with Pippa Jay
My guest today is author Pippa Jay, who I first met several years ago as a fellow member of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade. She loves all things sci-fi, from Dr. Who to zombies. (One of her favorite movies in the genre is Warm Bodies with Nicholas Hoult — she's a huge fan!) Her SFR novels Keir and Gethyon were SFR Galaxy Award winners. Pippa's most recently released novel is When Dark Falls.
Here's how she describes herself:
A stay-at-home mum of three who spent 12 years working as an analytical chemist in a metals and minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay bases her stories on a lifetime addiction to science-fiction books and films. Somewhere along the line a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. In between torturing her various characters, she spends the odd free moments trying to learn guitar, indulging in freestyle street dance and drinking high-caffeine coffee. Although happily settled in historical Colchester in the U.K. with her husband of 21 years, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.
About When Dark Falls (courtesy of the author):
In a city where Dark Technologies Inc. now runs the show, Kadie Williams has more immediate concerns than the fall of Blaze, their guardian superhero. Almost every morning for the last few months she's woken up with cuts and bruises on her body and no idea how she got them. There are no nightmares. No evidence that she sleepwalks or any sign of a break in. And nothing to tell her who's been cleaning up after her. As just one of thousands of civilians conscripted to work in the labs of Professor Dark, she knew there'd be trouble ahead. But she never expected it to be so bad, or so personal.
Desperate for answers, Kadie looks to the new defender of the night, the only person who can hinder the total domination of Professor Dark—Nocturnelle. The mysterious vigilante superhero came from nowhere with her cybernetic sidekick Shadow, set on putting an end to the brutality of Dark's regime. But as his laboratories work on a new secret super-weapon, Nocturnelle and Shadow may not be enough to save Nephopolis...or to save Kadie either.
Veronica: What three things influenced you the most when writing this novel?
Pippa: Firstly, a sentence that just popped into my head out of nowhere, about a woman waking with unexplained claw-like injuries on her arm. At first the idea came across as too paranormal for me, so I tried to shift it more toward SF. Secondly, music. Very, very much the music. I'd just fallen in love with Linkin Park after hearing a couple of their tracks on some of the Transformer films, and bought their latest album, Living Things. All the tracks had quite a dark, industrial sound to me, which really influenced the whole tone and setting for the book. It was also responsible for the idea of the cloudburners scorching the sky in the story. Lastly, watching X-Men and Avengers Assemble, plus reading Liana Brooks' Heroes and Villains series. They all gave me the urge to write superheroes of my own!
Veronica: It's amazing how a piece of music can send the Muse off in a different direction and enhance the storytelling. Who was your favorite character to write and why?
Pippa: The main heroine, Nocturnelle. She was so conflicted — like two completely different people — and so set on insisting she wasn't one of the good guys despite the fact she was working with them. She spent most of the book in denial, and it was so much fun twisting things around her, forcing her to make choices and be the heroine even when she didn't want to.
Veronica: I'm really in love with the name Nocturnelle, by the way. Is there a quote or short scene from the book you'd like to share?
Pippa: One of my favourites is when she's facing her "boss" after a run-in with the enemy where her partner Shadow got knocked out cold. Her boss just sits there, then he yells, "You broke your damn sidekick! What the hell were you thinking?"
Veronica: Yes, must take care of those sidekicks! What's next for you?
Pippa: Three of my books from last year that released as e-books are coming out in print this year, along with a new digital release, Zombie Girl, a YA dystopian romance, plus, I'll be re-releasing my debut SFR, Keir, and two more stories in the same series. I'm also working on a paranormal romance short and a sci-fi romance short for separate anthologies.
Veronica: I'm always in awe of how many things you're working on besides the books, from the customized doll you just made to represent one of your characters, to the chickens (or "chooks") you raise. I know you're an avid reader as well so can you share what's on your to-be-read list?
Pippa: Oh, only about 200 e-books. >.< But top of the list is the long overdue Queen of Nowhere (space opera by Jaine Fenn), some hard SF from Neal Asher, and a ton of titles by fellow SFR Brigade authors (I'm especially waiting on Laurie A. Green's upcoming SFR series).
You can learn more about Pippa Jay and her books at pippajay.blogspot.com.
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Amazon best-seller Veronica Scott is a three-time recipient of the SFR Galaxy Award and has written a number of science-fiction and paranormal romances. Her latest is Mission to Mahjundar . You can find out more about her and her books at veronicascott.wordpress.com. Please e-mail Veronica at scifiencounters@gmail.com about content related to this column. Due to the volume of mail, e-mails may not be answered personally, but all will be read.