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When Kristina
asked me for a post on the importance of women in scifi, immediately Mary
Shelley leapt to mind. Every time there has been posts about the bias against
women in SF, the misogyny, the claims of 'fake' geeks girls, etc, usually the
first thing mentioned is that a woman wrote the first SF story ever. So I'm not
going over that ground again, even though I think it's hugely important.
Instead, I decided to talk about the women IN scifi—the characters rather than
the creators—and specifically one woman who had a real impact on me. Because to
me, the portrayal of those is just as important and significant as the die-hard
gals who keep going with their favourite genre no matter how tough the going
gets.
There are several
scifi women who have inspired me to write what I write. They've inspired my
characters too. But the first I can remember was a companion from long running
cult SF series Doctor Who—the feisty
and determined Sarah Jane Smith. For those who may not be familiar with Classic
Who, she was the forerunning of characters like Martha, Rose and Donna Noble. Years
before Donna was giving the Doctor what for, she was there, arguing with him,
getting in his way, and just as often saving him. She was the first companion I
remember who, while she did her fair share of screaming, also did a fair bit of
fighting, of facing up to the villains, and who wasn't afraid to speak her mind
or stand up for what she believed in. It made a lasting impression on me.
And when she got
her own spin-off series—The Sarah Jane Adventures— even though it was meant for
kids, I watched that too. My kids watched and enjoyed it with me. My daughter
got to see one of the SF women who had such a huge impact on me, and I hope she
gained something from it.
With the death of
actress Elisabeth Sladen—who played Sarah Jane, and with such courage up to the
end as she carried on filming despite cancer—a part of me died too. But I hope
some of the decisions I've made in my life, and the way I write my female
characters in my story pay some small homage to the influence she had on me for
so many years.
Do you have a
character who inspired you as a child?
Blurb:
She can kill with a kiss. But can
assassin Tyree also heal one man’s grief, and bring peace to a galaxy
threatened by war?
For Tyree of the Su, being an assassin isn’t simply something she was trained for. It’s the sole reason for her existence. A genetically enhanced clone—one of many in Refuge—she’s about to learn her secluded lifestyle, and that of all her kind, is under threat by a race capable of neutralizing their special talents to leave them defenseless.
For Zander D’joren, being a diplomat has not only cost him his appearance, but also the love of his life. Scarred, grieving, he must nonetheless continue in his role as co-delegate to the fearsome Tier-vane or risk a conflict that could only end one way.
Now both of them need to keep each other alive and maintain a perilous deception long enough to renegotiate the treaty with the Tier-vane, or throw their people into a war that could wipe out Terrans and Inc-Su alike. But there’s more at stake than humanity, whether true or modified. Can the love growing between them save them both? Or merely hasten their destruction?
For Tyree of the Su, being an assassin isn’t simply something she was trained for. It’s the sole reason for her existence. A genetically enhanced clone—one of many in Refuge—she’s about to learn her secluded lifestyle, and that of all her kind, is under threat by a race capable of neutralizing their special talents to leave them defenseless.
For Zander D’joren, being a diplomat has not only cost him his appearance, but also the love of his life. Scarred, grieving, he must nonetheless continue in his role as co-delegate to the fearsome Tier-vane or risk a conflict that could only end one way.
Now both of them need to keep each other alive and maintain a perilous deception long enough to renegotiate the treaty with the Tier-vane, or throw their people into a war that could wipe out Terrans and Inc-Su alike. But there’s more at stake than humanity, whether true or modified. Can the love growing between them save them both? Or merely hasten their destruction?
Buy links:
Breathless Press - http://www.breathlesspress.com/index.php?main_page=product_free_shipping_info&cPath=6&products_id=597 (and for the whole of August,
Breathless Press is offering 50% off to celebrate their 5th
birthday!)
Smashwords – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/455540
All Romance ebooks - http://www.bookstrand.com/tethered-0
Add it to your Goodreads TBR here – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22085149-tethered
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Bio:
After spending
twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals
laboratory, Pippa Jay is now a stay-at-home mum who writes scifi and the
supernatural. Somewhere along the way a touch of romance crept into her work
and refused to leave. In between torturing her plethora of characters, she
spends the odd free moment playing guitar very badly, punishing herself with
freestyle street dance, and studying the Dark Side of the Force. Although
happily settled in the historical town of Colchester in the UK with her husband
of 21 years and three little monsters, she continues to roam the rest of the
Universe in her head.
Pippa Jay is a
dedicated member of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade, blogging at Spacefreighters Lounge, Adventures in Scifi, and Romancing the Genres. Her works
include a YA science fiction novel—Gethyon—published
through BURST (Champagne Books), three self-published short stories (Terms & Conditions Apply, The Bones of the Sea, and Reboot), and she’s one of eight authors included in a
science fiction romance anthology—Tales from the SFR Brigade. She’s also a double SFR Galaxy
Award winner, been a finalist in the Heart of Denver RWA Aspen Gold Contest (3rd place), and the GCC RWA Silken Sands
Star Awards (2nd place).
You can stalk
her at her website http://pippajay.co.uk, or at her
blog http://pippajay.blogspot.co.uk, but without
doubt her favorite place to hang around and chat is on Twitter as
@pippajaygreen.
Website
– http://www.pippajay.co.uk
Blogs
–
Adventures
in Scifi - http://www.pippajay.blogspot.co.uk
Spacefreighters
Lounge - http://www.spacefreighters.blogspot.com
Romancing
the Genres - http://www.romancingthegenres.blogspot.co.uk/
SFR
Brigade - http://www.sfrcontests.blogspot.co.uk/
Twitter
- https://twitter.com/pippajaygreen
Pinterest
- http://www.pinterest.com/pippajaygreen/
Amazon page - http://www.amazon.com/Pippa-Jay/e/B0080QVWEE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1406376408&sr=8-1
1 comments:
Thanks for hosting me!
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