Upbeat stories laced with politics, history, and mystery with a side salad of romance

 

After a decade or so I've finally worked out what I write. By that, I don't mean genre, I mean what's the essence of pretty much all my stories? What makes me tick as a writer (and a reader)?

I suppose it comes down to what do I like to read?

I like science fiction. I loved Asimov's Foundation series and his Elijah Bailey stories. I regularly re-read Jack McDevitt's Alex Benedict books, as well as the stand-alone Infinity Beach, but I'm not so keen on his Academy novels – mainly because of the style. While the Alex Benedict books are written in first person, the Academy novels are written in third with POV jumping around too many people. However, one Academy novel grabbed me. Humanity discovers a planet occupied by humanoids living in a simple society reminiscent of medieval times on Earth. The planet is soon to be visited by a devastating storm that attacks civilization but the people who find the planet are not permitted to overtly interfere. If they reveal themselves, it would be like the coming of the Gods to Ancient Egypt or Greece. How do they warn the aliens about the coming catastrophe without revealing themselves? The book is called Omega.

I never could shake my fascination for history, despite the best efforts of the fellow who taught the subject in my final year of high school and I ended up getting a BA(Hons) (I think Americans call that cum laudae). So I have an interest in true crime, like Jack the Ripper. Or the subject of my historical novel, To Die a Dry Death, about the wreck of the Dutch merchantman Batavia off the coast of Western Australia in 1629.

I also like detective stories. Authors like Peter Robinson, Agatha Christie, Ruth Rendell come to mind, as well as plenty of others.

In summary, the books I read tend to have a mix of a mystery to solve, some compelling history to explain the current circumstances, and a current political situation to complicate things. You could describe Star Wars in the same way.

What don't I read?

I don't read paranormal romance, even if the paranormal is alien. I'm not interested in dystopian stories or horror (Alien comes to mind – never seen it, never will) and (with the exception of Star Wars) I avoid magic in my SF.

When reading romance I tend to skip through the steamy bits. My sex scenes are always M/F and not specific. I reckon my readers can fill in the details. None of that is a value judgement, just a statement of my preferences.

So that's my niche. I write upbeat stories laced with politics, history, and mystery with a side salad of romance.

The Search for the Crimson Lady fits that brief perfectly.

 BLURB:

One hundred years ago the pirate ship Crimson Lady terrorized the space lanes, then she disappeared without a trace, leaving behind nothing but tall tales and legends. Until Tara Wyndham finds an artefact from the lost ship

Rys Kovas made a mistake when he left Fleet to take over his uncle’s tourist business. He jumps at the chance to hire out his luxury yacht to go hunting for a ghost ship with the lovely Tara and her grandfather. But murder, sabotage, and accidents mar their journey.  It’s clear somebody doesn’t want them following the trail. As the danger ramps up Rys suspects there’s more to the mystery of the Crimson Lady than a long-lost spacefarer’s story.

Can Rys, Tara, and her indomitable grandfather unravel the mystery and escape with their lives?

Here's a snippet to whet your appetite.

Eldarni pointed at the model at the center of the display, an elegant vessel with long, flowing lines. "You've heard of the Crimson Lady?"

"Of course," Rys said. "I tell some space stories as part of my tour. The Crimson Lady's one of them. Guests love that stuff. A phantom ship, floating endlessly among the stars, sometimes turning up to terrify freighter crew."

Eldarni leaned forward. "But you know it was a real ship."

Rys shrugged. "I'd heard the stories before I bought my uncle's ship. For me it was like the Solstice Spirit – I stopped believing in that when I was about five. Not believing in the Crimson Lady took a little longer."

From the corner of his eye he noticed the lovely Taralyn smile. He raised a hand. "I mean, I know she existed. Or at least, I'm willing to believe she did. But that was over one hundred years ago. She was a pirate ship — a Human pirate ship— preying on freighters in the trade lanes around the outer limits of the Empire. And then she didn't. There are lots of theories. The most plausible is that the Yrmak clans didn't like the competition and destroyed her. The most popular is that she was pursued and disappeared into some other spacetime continuum. From that shadow space she returns from time to time, a ghost retracing her past." He shrugged again. "My uncle told me the spiel, what to tell the guests, suck them into the mystery, maybe even hint that they might see her, somewhere out there near the Seymara Drift."

Find out more about the book

Just a few more days and Obiwan Kenobi comes to a screen in my house. Judging by the trailers it's looking very good. But I'll talk about that next time.

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Cheers,

Greta