Q and A: White Fire – a sci fi adventure
White Fire is out and I’m biting my nails. Soooo to pass the time I thought I would do a little Q & A on White Fire.
When did you write White Fire?
Actually the first draft was written when I was 17. Which was *mumble mumble* years ago. Long before I decided to take this whole writing thing seriously. When I did pull it out of the basement and blew away the inch of dust, I realised it needed a lot of work to get it up to scratch. I’d learned a lot from my research and my twitter community, my betas and CPs (critique partners) friends, workshops and reading… so much reading. I worked on it, fixed it up and … Ta da!
Where did you write White Fire?
On the train, by hand.
How many times did you rewrite White Fire?
Many many times. (My hand still cramps just thinking about it.) It went from a multi-POV (point of view) to a single POV and back so many time. I rewrote the start and the end completely. But before you ask. There are a few scenes that are STILL there from the very beginning.
Was it always called White Fire?
Nope. Once, a long time ago… It went by a different title, in fact a few different titles. Some of them didn’t make a lot of sense at the time, I just really liked them! Haha and nope, I’m not telling what they were.
Why did it take so long?
Because that’s what happens. Life gets in the way.
Who is your main character?
Toni Delle is the main character. This is her story. White Fire is about her first job as an agent for the SPT. And as you know, a lot of first jobs don’t go the way you plan. You think you’re as hot as (I was going to say something rude here but I won’t – Sauce… hot as hot sauce… meh, I’ll think of something better.) Toni is tough, but she has flaws and fears. She wants to be the best. This is her journey of self discovery, with a few awesome battle scenes thrown in as well.
Her partners are a canine robot named Mate and a shipboard AI named Zach.
Her mission is to find and stop a number of gun smugglers, and it won’t be as easy to solve as she thinks it will be.
White Fire is about overcoming self doubt, and failure. About how you keep going when all hope is lost. Never give up, never surrender.
Who would like White Fire?
My first response is to say everyone! Haha but I know that is not true. I think, if you like Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy you will like White Fire.
Age range?
Oh this one is soooooooooo hard. Technically, White Fire would fall under NA (New Adult) as Toni, the main character, is in her early twenties. I think this is an age group that is hard to define. In your early twenties you might love hard core adult sci fi stuff but you might also like light-hearted, PG style content (family viewing) sci fi. Heck, read whatever makes you happy. It’s all subjective. I love lighter sci fi and fantasy. And why not? I think sci fi and fantasy like Star Trek, Star Wars, Dark Matter, Guardians of the Galaxy and so on are about family. So is White Fire. It’s about the family we choose.
I was reading mostly adult books back when I was an upper teenager (17/18 yrs old) so it’s a tough call and obviously a tough sell for booksellers. NA is just not a category that you can push these days (though I think there is a market for it).
White Fire will appear in the Science Fiction section but I would have read it when I was a teenager (16 and up) because that’s what I liked to read back then. It’s a lighter sort of sci fi. My character, Toni, is in her early twenties and learning about herself. Discovering WHO she is. It doesn’t technically qualify for YA (where a character is typically in their teens). But really, if you like entertaining (fun) science fiction, why not give it a go…
Path to publication?
This little manuscript is my baby you could say and therefore hard to let go. Over too many years to count I have had assessments with manuscript assessment agencies, had mentors and attended workshops. I’ve met wonderful beta readers, CPs, editors and more wonderful wonderful people because the one thing I know for sure… I might be an author with great ideas… But my editing leaves a lot to be desired. (Though I’m learning here too.)
One of the things I have learned is that you can’t see your own flaws. Having another set of eyes can help you see what you can’t see.
Shout out to the amazing…
Marissa Fuller!
Kate Foster Editorial Services
Then I hired the amazing Joel Naoum of Critical Mass Consulting to help me bring White Fire to fruition. His services have a range of options from chatting about marketing strategies to full on Production Services (and hand holding!) Joel is fantastic to work with and assisted me every step of the way.
He also introduced me to freelance editor Libby Turner, who I absolutely adore. 🙂 She just “got me” and for that I can’t speak more highly. (Well I could, because she is amazing.)
White Fire is out now!
Amazon UK https://amzn.to/2AG0nsz
Amazon US https://amzn.to/2HbrVvF
Amazon AUS https://amzn.to/2srtH1M
Barnes and Noble https://bit.ly/2TL72Jb
Goodreads https://bit.ly/2Fpc1Mz
Rambles, writing and amusing musings 