Author Interview Part 2

Posted on October 24, 2015 by flwq1578

By Lance Erlick

Why did you choose science-fiction as a genre to write in?

I grew up with science fiction stories, movies, and TV shows. I’ve found myself drawn to this genre because of the ability to speculate about our many potential futures. I like to explore the future implications of social and technological developments on people, the characters in my head. Science fiction in its broadest sense considers itself the big tent, bringing in traditional science fiction, fantasy, horror, historical time travel, and alternative history, all of which speculate about different worlds and different ways we can relate to each other. I find this to be an exciting place to write.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Write because you have a passion for stories. Write because you have characters in your head that you want to share with other. Write because you have stories rattling around that keep you up at night because they need to be told. Write because you want to take the journey with your characters and believe others will want to come along.

Whatever you do, don’t write with the goal of striking it rich. You have a better chance of winning the lottery, though winning it through writing will be far more enjoyable, plus you can share it with your fans without impoverishing yourself. In writing, don’t copy what you believe will be popular if you don’t have passion for the stories themselves. Your readers can tell and you will be frustrated with the result.

Make sure you know where your story is going before you write, otherwise you could end up with a flat, or even circular story that doesn’t go anywhere. Don’t be afraid to experiment and test your boundaries. You are bound to grow from the experience even if that particular story doesn’t sing. An example is writing from the points of view of different genres and people who are on the surface different than you. When you stumble onto writers block, I find it best to frame the problem and move onto something else, letting my subconscious sort out a solution. It might not always work, but I find trying to bulldoze a solution never does. Then edit, edit, edit some more. Your potential readers deserve the best experience you can provide.

Do you have any works in progress you’d like to tell us about?

I’m working on several story ideas right now, more than I have time for. I’ve sketched out another novel in the Regina Shen series that people are asking for. I have two completely different alien stories I want to tell. Then there’s is a time travel story that shoots back into ancient history and a futuristic computer hacking story. That’s the short list.

Author Interview

Posted on October 18, 2015 by flwq1578

By Lance Erlick

Have you been writing for a long time?

I’ve been writing since I was eleven. We moved around a lot while I was growing up, including a stint in a boarding school in Brussels. Stories that I read and wrote seemed to anchor me. Writing has come in spurts with bursts of creativity interspersed with life and other priorities pulling me away. But every time I’ve gotten dragged away, I’ve come back better prepared and with renewed vigor for writing.

What inspired you to start a writing career?

At first, I enjoyed adventure stories and then thrillers and science fiction, in particular Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and Ray Bradbury. My first writings were inspired by stories I’d read that I felt I could match. One published story that had great promise but fell flat inspired me to write my first novel. Unfortunately, I soon learned that getting into someone else’s story and writing my own were quite different. My story was even flatter than the one that inspired me. It took many years of practice and development to get to the point I felt confident in my writing. Then I found inspiration in my many interests from history to science and social developments.

Is this your first series? If not, can you tell us about your first series?

Regina Shen is my second series. My first, the Rebel series, actually didn’t start out as a series. I’d written Rebels Divided, now the third book in that series, and one of the main characters bugged me to write her story. That became The Rebel Within, followed by The Rebel Trap. The series takes place after a second civil war divides the United States into a Federal Union that is predominantly female and a warlord controlled Outland in the mountains, since mountain people tend to be a fiercely independent lot. Because of atrocities committed during the war and technology that allows two women to have a child without a father, the Federal Union has gone down the path of ostracizing males.

Annabelle Scott is at odds with the Federal Union because they took her parents when she was little. Raised by an adoptive mother in the political opposition, she is expected to become a cop or a mechanized warrior supporting her regime.

In The Rebel Within, she rebels against being forced to capture escaped boys, including one she fancies. This puts her and her adoptive family at risk. In The Rebel Trap, her military commander gives Annabelle audio implants and video cameras to watch everything she does, which kicks her rebelliousness and risks to a new level. Then, in Rebels Divided, the local governor pledges Annabelle to the local warlord as part of a secret deal and Annabelle has to find common ground with an Outlander she’s sworn to kill. The series deals with the dilemma of following conscience at odds with what she’s told to do.

Author Fair

Posted on April 19, 2015 by flwq1578

Attended Barrington’s first Author Fair yesterday. Never know what to expect but met some interesting authors from the area and some curious readers. I want to thank Ashley Johnson and her crew for putting this together and hope she will continue the program next year.

We were able to showcase the first two books in the Regina Shen series:

Resilience: Outcast Regina Shen faces a hurricane that threatens to destroy her swamp home and her family. Global fertility has collapsed. Chief Inspector Joanne Demarco of the notorious Department of Antiquities believes Regina holds the key to avoid extinction. Regina fights to stay alive and avoid capture while hunting for family.

Vigilance: Regina Shen is pursued by the notorious Department of Antiquities for DNA they believe can stop extinction. She jumps the Barrier Wall into the Federation to find her kidnapped sister. Stuck on a heavily-guarded closed university campus, she must use her wits to escape and rescue her sister without letting either of two rival Antiquities inspectors capture her.

Lance

Labor Day Weekend Promo Sale

Posted on August 31, 2014 by flwq1578

Nocturnal Lives is sponsoring a group of science fiction/fantasy authors (including yours truly) offering their books in Kindle for $2.99 or less over the Labor Day Weekend. Come check it out on the Nocturnal Lives website.

Lance

Why Write

Posted on June 3, 2014 by flwq1578

I’ve been asked by readers why I write what I do. Many authors get the bug when they read a story and say, “I could do that.” Then they sit down to write and discover it’s not as easy as it looks, at least not to write well.

Like other aspiring writers, I went through the phase of trying to copy the style and ideas of authors I enjoyed. That helped to improve my writing skills, but it didn’t make me a good writer. There’s a spark in good writing that comes from the heart, not from technique. No amount of copying another writer will bring that out.

My first stories were inspired by other stories and events in the world around me, and ranged from thrillers to science fiction, none published. In time I gravitated toward science fiction and “what if” of ideas floating through my head.

The Rebel series grew out of two things. First was my-way-or-highway politics in which there was no middle ground. I wondered what would happen if extremists on both sides got their way. Second was revolutionary fertility research on the verge of allowing anyone to contribute skin cells, have them coaxed into stem cells, and implanted into an egg for fertilization. It’s intended to help infertile couples, but in the hands of extremists, could lead to an all-female society.

These ideas created a new world. Into that world, I considered a male protagonist, but felt a young girl coming to terms with her society would make a more interesting main character. Annabelle was born.

Other stories rattle around inside my head, but I’ll always look at Annabelle as a big inspiration.

Lance Erlick

Rebels Divided—Comments

Posted on June 2, 2014 by flwq1578

While Rebels Divided is a sequel to The Rebel Within, it was written as a standalone novel. In fact, it was written before its prequel as near term science fiction with young adult protagonists.

In a nutshell: The first time Geo (19) sees Annabelle (19), they meet as enemies and she doesn’t kill him. That counts for something. After the Second American Civil War, a nation remains divided. Coming from enemy camps, Geo and Annabelle must come together to rescue her sister and gain justice for his pa’s murder. Complicating this, the Federal governor and Outland warlord conclude a secret deal, pledging Annabelle in marriage to the warlord and putting a bounty on Geo. While trying to survive and achieve their goals, the pair must struggle with growing feelings for each other despite being sworn enemies.

As one Amazon reviewer noted: “This is not a book about space travel or jaw-dropping technology. Rather, it centers on the consequences of what happens when men & women fail to “get along.””

Another Amazon reviewer called it: “Nicely paced SF novel with more than a few twists to keep the reader wondering. Fine SF novel.”

Kirkus Reviews called it “An action-packed love story with even more twists and turns than its prequel.” They went on to say: “Followers of the series will be more than happy to find Annabelle Scott just as feisty and zealous as she was when last they saw her.”

Click here to buy.

I hope you enjoy. If you would like to be notified of promotions on my stories, when new stories are available, and occasional writing related comments, click here to sign up for my newsletter.

Lance Erlick

The Rebel Within–Expectations

Posted on May 31, 2014 by flwq1578

While developing new stories, this blog has been quiet for a time. Now that we’re working to release a sequel to The Rebel Within and an unrelated short story, we plan a few blog posts to recap the two published stories and provide a sneak preview of the pending new release.

While The Rebel Within has received eight great reviews on Amazon, I’d like to respond to expectations and misconceptions. The story is near term science fiction with a young adult protagonist that explores gender in a potentially new age. It’s a first book in a series that soon will have three novels. As such, one Amazon reviewer referred to it as an “exciting set-up for a potentially interesting dystopian YA series.” After noting that she was looking for more story in this novel, this reviewer went on to say: “As with most YA series, the first book has the task of setting the scene for a story that must span several volumes.” Fair enough. The Rebel Within does have more setup than its two sequels, which are much more action-oriented. I hope you will check them out.

The Rebel Within: Annabelle (16) lives in a world where men are exiled, quarantined or forced to fight to the death to train the military elite. The first boy Annabelle has ever met just escaped prison. As a cop intern, she’s expected to capture him. Instead, she risks everything to help the boy, even while, in order to avoid exile, she’s forced into the elite military that took her parents.

In response to some reader comments:

Yes, there’s violence in The Rebel Within, but only what’s relevant to the storyline: Annabelle is forced to join the military unit that took her parents. One Amazon reviewer said that: “Even though there is fair amount of violence in the book, it should be acceptable reading for teens, and is sure to result in a good discussion in school or library environment.”

No, Annabelle’s military training is not a traditional 2014 American basic training because her society has different values and constraints than ours.

Yes, The Rebel Within is told in present-tense narration, which was a conscious choice. The two sequels are told in past tense, which made more sense for those stories. But my early reviewers believed The Rebel Within worked best in present tense. One Goodreads reviewer notes: “I should not have allowed that dislike to delay my reading this novel. After a few pages, I didn’t care about tense, and after a few more, I didn’t even really notice.”

Yes, in a world without men, there will be … lesbians. It would be one aspect of such a society. No, there is no graphic sex because that’s not relevant to the story line.

Then there were the positive reviews: “Over all, it was really enjoyable, and a thought-provoking read.” (Amazon reviewer)

“This was an exciting, very well-written read which kept my attention right to the end.” (Amazon and Goodreads reviewer)

“Belle herself is an interesting enough protagonist – she has a snarky, sarcastic wit that colors her narration, and it’s clear that she’s no fan of the world that has developed since her birth.” (Amazon and Goodreads reviewer).

Click here to buy.

I hope you enjoy. If you would like to be notified of promotions on my stories, when new stories are available, and occasional writing related comments, click here to sign up for my newsletter.

Lance Erlick

Rebels Divided—Great Review

Posted on March 12, 2014 by flwq1578

“This is not a novel to be missed!” “shows the strength and willpower of young individuals, which is something I find quite lacking in today’s time.” “I loved Geo’s character; he has a heart to match Annabelle” “I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a third book!”

These are excerpts from a great review posted on Girl of 1000 Wonders. Check it out.

FREE ebook June 19-20 (2013) The Rebel Within

Posted on June 18, 2013 by flwq1578

Just a reminder that I’ll be offering The Rebel Within as a free Kindle ebook on June 19-20 (2013) at Amazon, so download and enjoy. Pass this along to your friends in case they are interested.

Kirkus Reviews referred to The Rebel Within as “A stimulating, worthwhile story of a dystopian future.” They went on to say, “The novel has plenty of action and suspense, made all the more thrilling due to the investment readers have in the characters.” and, “Annabelle is believably stubborn, yet also vulnerable and likable.”

After the Second American Civil War, the Federal Union pursues a world without men by rounding up the remaining males.

Annabelle is a tomboy who lost her parents at age three. Despite her rebellious acts against a conformist society, the state pushes her to become a cop intern at age 16 to catch escaped boys. Then she’s forced to choose between joining the elite military unit that took her parents or being torn from her beloved sister and adoptive mom. Meanwhile, she meets a handsome boy who escaped prison, and helps him get away.

While facing a cop intern boss who hates her, a military commander who demands too much, and an amazon bully who won’t leave her alone, Annabelle struggles with conscience. Will she risk everything by hunting for her imprisoned birth mother and helping escaped boys avoid the federal roundup? Can she stand up to the amazon? Will she survive the rigorous military qualifying program so she won’t be sent away, while remaining true to herself and protecting her family?

Will she cross paths with that handsome boy again?

Go to Amazon to get your download.

FREE ebook June 16, 19 & 20 (2013) The Rebel Within

Posted on June 15, 2013 by flwq1578

I will be offering The Rebel Within as a free Kindle ebook on June 16, 19 and 20 (2013) at Amazon, so download and enjoy. Pass this along to your friends in case they are interested.

After the Second American Civil War, the Federal Union pursues a world without men by rounding up the remaining males.

Go to http://amzn.to/162EvjG to get your download.

Kirkus Reviews The Rebel Within

Posted on June 3, 2013 by flwq1578

A stimulating, worthwhile story of a dystopian future.

Readers will easily engage with this well-written tale. Annabelle is believably stubborn, yet also vulnerable and likable. Erlick also paints other characters vividly; for example, Dara, a mech and Annabelle’s nemesis, is so nasty that readers may find their skin crawling whenever she enters a scene. The novel has plenty of action and suspense, made all the more thrilling due to the investment readers have in the characters. The novel’s psychological elements keep things interesting, as well; the fact that Annabelle must join the force that killed her father, and try to remain an individual in a society that praises sameness, certainly has an effect on her. Readers will likely think about this society long after finishing the book.

Review of The Rebel Within

Posted on May 6, 2013 by flwq1578

Fran Lewis just reviewed The Rebel Within, giving it a five star rating. Some of her comments:
Fast paced, action packed and definitely filled with energy and characters that will keep you wondering what is going to happen next as Annabelle leads the way.
What would you do to protect the ones you love? The author raises this question along with many others.
An ending so explosive and surprising you won’t see it coming.