Author Eva Caye's To Be Sinclair saga has reached its
finale with the release of MORALITY,
the eighth book in her futuristic royalty-in-space series of sci-fi romances. Given
the occasional lament that SFR lacks enough novel-length stories, I saw this as
an opportunity to connect readers with the work of an author who's been
contributing exactly that kind of content to the genre. Therefore, Eva Caye is
aboard to tell us more about her epic
series!
The Galaxy Express: What
was the initial inspiration for your To Be Sinclair series?
Eva Caye: I wrote Dignity to deal with my depression.
I took the person I was (overstrung alpha, forced to make judgments every
day) and began having conversations with the person I wanted to be (student of
science, focused on learning how to get things done). The pressure of
those internal dialogues was so great, I began writing them down, and they
developed into characters. By the time I had completed the rough draft of book
one, I knew essentially what the entire series would be like.
TGE: What kind of setting
can readers expect from the books?
EC: The To Be Sinclair series consists of a ruling family
who cares about the lives of their subjects; they work hard, take
responsibility, and anticipate the needs of their society. In other
words, the Sinclairs are genuine, loving, brilliant, and thoughtful, acting for
the betterment of their people, virtually the opposite of every politician and
government currently on Earth!
TGE: Does each book stand
alone or is there an overarching plot?
EC: They are best grouped as companion volumes. The
overarching plot is stargates, ‘stelluric’ science, but each two books are
philosophically bound.
Dignity and Majesty cover the romance of the Empress and Emperor,
as well as the Empress’ development of stargates. Fealty and Royalty
cover the duties as well as the personal sides of their first two sons,
destined to be politicians. Dynasty and Loyalty are over
six siblings who will carry on the Empress’ stargate legacy, as well as the
security involved in being members of the Imperial Family. Nobility
and Morality are about the two most important grandchildren, the one who
will be Emperor of his generation, and the cousin who will be his greatest
support.
I do have an extra book of four novellas, laughingly referred to
as ‘book 6.5’. Evan’s Ladies is about the problems the youngest Imperial
Son has in finding a lady, and it is my editor’s favorite for its
heart-wrenching travails.
I have also added extra short stories or novellas to the ends of
the books, completely unpublicized, as ‘Easter egg’ lagniappes. They are
usually from the point-of-view of a secondary character, so you get to know the
entire Imperial Family, and they are often more erotic than the books!
TGE: Who are a few of the
heroes and heroines readers will meet?
Empress Felice is the star of the series, the most important
person in the galaxy, so each character revolves around her in some way.
Emperor Victor Sinclair is dominant in the largely behind-the-scenes
politics, so I show his involvement in his family more than anything.
‘Pizazz’ could be Crown Prince Zhaiden’s middle name, while his brother
Phillip is his right-hand man. Princess Anne is declared the most
intelligent person on the planet, but sees more than her fair share of pain, so
the younger siblings tend to revolve around her. Of the grandchildren,
Prince Matthieu and Princess Grace are very complex characters, for all that
they are next to godlike in their zeal to perfect themselves.
TGE: Please tag the first
book, DIGNITY, in six words.
EC: Future Empress-scientist triumphs behind the scenes!
TGE: Describe a few of the
underlying themes explored by the various books.
EC: A science too dangerous to be allowed to be known, yet too
valuable to hide; depression as an inherited disease; the security needed by
important people on an everyday basis; being raised in a family known for
‘forward-thinking’, where achievement is assumed of you; finding the right
person with whom to share your life when you are surrounded by people who have
no idea what your life is actually like; finding friends you can trust with
your life itself.
TGE: What can readers
expect in terms of heat level?
EC: I describe sexual encounters explicitly, but briefly and, ah,
scientifically, and usually not more than to make a plot point. Almost
all the sex is implied, but I do have at least one fairly explicit sex scene in
each book, and always to make a point, such as to cement the relationship.
TGE: What's been the most
rewarding about self-publishing? The most challenging?
EC: I love having complete control over my work! Why should
I cut scenes just to keep the manuscript under a certain number of pages?
In truth, my writing is so spartan I have to go back and add
embellishments. I had Dynasty out for three weeks before I
realized it needed an emotional reaction by the Imperial Sons to the climax!
TGE: Where can readers find
your books?
EC: Amazon, OmniLit, AllRomance, Smashwords, Payhip. All but
Morality are available through CreateSpace, too.
TGE: What's next for Eva
Caye?
EC: I have two prequels to the series over half-finished; they are
both about 450 years before the series, some 150 years in our future. One
is about the society founded by scientists on Corona Segundus, and the other is
the founding of Sinclair Demesne. My third work-in-progress is about a
lady dealing with the official formation of a telepathic guild, as well as a
godlike alien.
TGE: How can readers
connect with you?
What can jolt an 18-year-old Princess
from her worries about her sex life? Her training in Grandmother’s secret
stelluric science, of course!
Daughter of the most brilliant
scientist on the planet, Princess Grace Encino-Sinclair fights to have a
private life, quite difficult to achieve since she has been trained to so many
Imperial secrets. Her relentless duties become a never-ending scramble to meet
Imperial demands by using her scientific and political knowledge, as well as
her consummate social skills. When the most unthinkable assassination of all
occurs and everything goes downhill from there, Grace suddenly finds herself
the most highly trusted person in the Empire, the power behind the Imperial
throne….
Discover the power of ladies as the
backbone of Demesne society in this novel of social intrigues, ethics, and
justice, as Princess Grace defines the true meaning of morality!
About the author
***
Ms. Caye, thanks so much for your art, and for your time.
Joyfully yours,
Heather