KEIR by debut author Pippa
Jay is now out from Lyrical
Press! It’s always exciting to discover another author who decided to write a science fiction romance. Plus, color me giddy with
anticipation about diving into a new story.
I invited the author aboard to discuss her
novel-length book. But first, here’s the cover and blurb for KEIR:
Outcast. Cursed. Dying. Is
Keir beyond redemption?
For Keirlan de Corizi--the legendary 'Blue Demon' of
Adalucien--death seems the only escape from a world where his discolored skin
marks him as an oddity and condemns him to life as a pariah. But salvation
comes in an unexpected guise: Tarquin Secker, a young woman who can travel the
stars with a wave of her hand.
But Quin has secrets of her own. She's spent eternity
searching through space and time with a strange band of companions at her back.
Defying her friends' counsel, Quin risks her apparent immortality to save Keir.
She offers him sanctuary and a new life on her home world, Lyagnius.
When Keir mistakenly unleashes his dormant alien powers and
earns instant exile from Quin's home world, will she risk everything to stand
by him again?
***
And now discover what Luke Skywalker, mitochondrial
mutations, and freestyle street dances have in common:
The Galaxy Express: Congratulations
on the release of KEIR! Please tell us three unforgettable facts about
yourself.
Pippa Jay: Thanks so much! Hmmm, unforgettable? I do
freestyle street dance, have a celtic butterfly tattoo on my right wrist, and
my first crush was Luke Skywalker. They might just be odd enough to be
memorable.
 |
TGE: What inspired
the story of KEIR?
PJ: Originally he was just someone I had in my head from a
dream, all beaten and locked up alone in a dungeon. When I woke up, I instantly
had a name for him, and the whole story came from that one image. But it’s also
based on my aversion to discrimination of any kind. The hope that one day we’ll
all be able to see beyond someone’s appearance/race/faith/disability etc to
what really lies within.
TGE: Please list six
brief tags for KEIR that you would like readers to know about.
PJ: Science fiction romance, time-travel, redemption, space
travel, aliens, demons
TGE: What was the
path to publication like for this book?
PJ: Convoluted but relatively short! I’m a UK
author so it comes as a surprise to some that my publisher is in the US.
I started off with the Writers’ and Artists’ Handbook like most British
writers, researching the very few agents and publishers in the UK
that take speculative fiction. It’s a long, slow process with almost all
submissions done via snail mail -
time-consuming and darn expensive!
But science fiction is a bit of a niche genre here and although I got
feedback that my writing was good, no one took me on. Research and networking
on the internet helped me hone my query letter and sharpen up my editing
skills. Then a friend and fellow author in Alaska
suggested that I move my efforts to the States. She helped me find and research
publishers in the US
and I submitted to my top three choices. KEIR got snapped up pretty quickly
after that.
TGE: Please describe
the heat level in KEIR.
PJ: It's sweet, with just the one bedroom scene. The bedroom
scene is mildly sensual, with no explicit terms.
TGE: What’s the most
interesting scientific fact you discovered in the past six months?
PJ: That a group of individuals cloned from a single
organism won’t necessarily be identical, as you might think. Mitochondrial
mutations mean they can vary.
TGE: Which science
fiction romance stories from books, film, or television had the most impact on
you?
Looking back on it, I can see I’d come across a lot of sfr
in books and films, especially with reading authors like Anne McCaffrey. But I
wasn’t really consciously aware of it until Farscape
when the romantic tension between Aeryn Sun and John Crichton grabbed my
attention. I loved the whole concept of the series, and although I always
thought they would end up together, the relationship had a lot of interesting
twists on the way.
TGE: Where can
readers find you?
PJ:
Blogsite: http://pippajay.blogspot.com/
Facebook: Keir -
Beyond Redemption (book page) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Keir-Beyond-Redemption/114058821953752
Pippa Jay (profile) https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001581482219
TGE: What else can
readers look forward to from you?
PJ: The sequel to KEIR - LOST SERENITY - is currently with
my editor. I have a straight scifi novella that needs a little more tweaking
before it goes out on submission, and I’m polishing the rough draft of a
science fiction romance novella. There’s also a scifi short that I’m hoping to
self-publish as soon as it’s finished and fully edited.
***
Ms. Jay, thanks for your time, and for your art.
The author is on a blog tour currently and there are
giveaways, too! Click here
for complete details.
Joyfully yours,
Heather