Incoming—a new science fiction romance release from author Diane Dooley called BLUE YONDER (Decadent Publishing)! I’ve
read and enjoyed her first three books, BLUE GALAXY and BLUE NEBULA (both
available through Carina
Press) and MAKO'S BOUNTY (Decadent Publishing) and so I'm delighted to add her latest to my TBR pile.
Diane Dooley is aboard TGE so we can learn
more about BLUE YONDER! But first, here’s the cover and blurb:
Earth is drowning, but Isabel Visconti
won’t be going down with the planet. Her earnings as a factory drone and
prostitute will soon fund her escape to the stars. All she’ll leave behind is
her late husband’s best friend, Daniel Morneau, who has disappeared into the
underbelly of the city’s criminal gangs. Until he shows up, pleading for
Isabel’s help.
It’s the old Daniel, the kind, gentle one.
The man who bought medicine for her dying husband then helped her through the
grief. It’s the Daniel she couldn’t possibly refuse to help. But Isabel has
already been given a choice by Daniel’s psychopath boss. Betray Daniel—or spend
months travelling to a far-off colony, servicing a violent criminal gang along
the way.
When Daniel is abducted, Isabel is his
only hope. He may die without her, but is there time enough for love on the eve
of the end of the world?
***
And now for my interview with Diane
Dooley!
The Galaxy Express: What inspired you to tell the story of
Isabel and Daniel?
Diane Dooley: It’s set in Athens, Greece,
where I once spent a lot of time. A lot of people from various parts of the
world wash up in Athens for some reason. It’s always been that kind of city,
and I love using it as a setting. (Blue Galaxy also started in Athens.)
I’ve spent a probably unhealthy amount of time
thinking, reading, and writing about the end of the world. Isabel and Daniel
are two ordinary people. They’re not rich or wealthy or powerful or famous.
They’re just trying to survive. And that’s it, really. Weary survivors in an
iconic city on a dying planet. How can they find hope? How can there be time
for love?
TGE:
Please share at least five tags that you feel are important for readers to
know.
DD: Apocalyptic. Novella. Heroism.
Survival. Hope.
TGE:
What kind of futuristic technology can readers expect in this world?
DD: Very little, actually. In Blue Yonder, humanity has just about
used up everything Earth has to offer. People have gathered in the surviving
cities and are fleeing the planet via spaceports, heading out to the space
colonies. So, though there is future tech in the form of space ferries, arc
ships, space stations, etc, back on Earth it is fast reverting to the stone
age. There’s no fuel for cars. There’s no ammo for guns. There’s no medicine
for diseases.
TGE:
Are there danger/action-adventure elements in BLUE YONDER or is it a more
character-driven story?
DD: It’s a bit of both. Isabel and Daniel
are both tough survivors, well equipped to do what they must do to get a place
on a ship off Earth. But they also have their complexities. Neither seem like
heroic material, and yet a situation arises in which they both have to dig deep
into themselves to find the people they would have been in less apocalyptic
circumstances. And then, of course, there’s the villain: Vangelis. He’s a very dangerous man with a bunch of
pretty vile minions. So, yes, there is danger and action and adventure :)
TGE:
Name the last movie you watched. Would you recommend it? Why or why not?
DD: Last movie I watched was Mad Max: Fury
Road. It was fantastic! I love really intense chase scenes and I’ve been
missing seeing great stunt work, so I was a happy camper. I loved rooting for
Furiosa and the gals, and was happy to see an action movie in which there were
so many female characters with agency. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
Thanks for having me, Heather!
About
the author
Diane
Dooley was born in the Channel Islands, grew up in Scotland, and now resides in
the United States. She lives with her best friend/husband and two obstreperous
boy children in a falling-down farmhouse in the sticks.
She writes short stories and novellas in
several genres and has been published in a variety of online and print
publications, as well as by several digital-first publishing houses. She is
also the Fiction Editor for Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly and a long time
worker bee for the Science Fiction Romance Brigade.
* * *
Read an excerpt of BLUE YONDER.
For more information about where to obtain
a copy, visit the author’s web
site. If you’re a reviewer, contact the author for a
review copy.
Add BLUE YONDER on Goodreads
***
Joyfully yours,
Heather