Musing on the Underground
I know it seems a little odd for me to be focusing so much on a series that isn’t even available for sale, at the moment. However, Underground is one series that’s never far from my mind, so what better place to devote time to it than here, where my musings (and muses) show themselves to the world.
Underground started life in a few words jotted on the inside of a paper airplane, that turned a friendship into something more. I’ve been asked why, since it has such a heavy Science Fiction orientation, I chose to thread it with a romance, as well. My answer is simple. No one lives in a vacuum. Even the most solitary person you can think of has a past, they are how they are for a reason. And, because Underground’s characters are based in part on real people I’ve known, there are stories to be told, lives to be lived, by these characters. The romantic elements add depth and connectivity to the characters, and maintain that thread of essential truth necessary to make the fiction work.
*smiles* Of course, I’ve been asked the opposite question, as well - why, if I write predominantly Romance, would I write a book so heavy with Science Fiction and Suspense motifs that have little to nothing to do with the romantic interaction. That answer, as well, is simple. When I first started writing, decades ago, my focus was on the Fantasy and Science Fiction genres. Over time, my work evolved to incorporate Romance. TAMIA (Underground’s first book) was actually the first book I ever wrote that involved romantic interaction between the primary characters.
Underground takes a look inside the military world, and where I believe certain events and laws may be leading the world as a whole. And it’s definitely a more sociological Science Fiction series than it is technologically heavy (think Bradbury, not Roddenbury). Having grown up inside the “military machine” I’ve applied my unique perspectives to the writing process (I was actually still inside that world when I started writing this series, years ago). And, lest anyone misinterpret me, there is a reason I used quotes around military machine. I love the military, and I have nothing but respect for the men and women who are part of it (I would have been one, myself, had health issues not muddied the water), and my work is written from the perspective of those who put their lives on the line every day. How the changing world and policies of governments effects their lives and ability to do their jobs.
:) Well, I’ve rambled enough. Back to work, for me.
