It’s been many years since I started writing the Star Rider Universe and I’ve learned a lot. Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge is the first book in the series. It came about as a result of a series of six dreams that were like watching an action-packed sci-fi movie. I ended up with 90 pages in my dream journal. This inspired me to write a sci-fi novel based on my dream. I read books on writing, attended writing classes, and went to writers’ conferences all the while working on the novel. Writing a novel has been compared to giving birth. For me, it was like that. I finally gave birth to this amazing story I’d been given in a dream. Star Rider is the code name for the main character, Toemeka. She and a small team of operatives are on a mission to work with the underground resistance to overthrow General Falcon, the tyrant who seized control of the country ten years earlier. Though the original story idea came from a dream, I’d enjoyed Star Trek while growing up and later as a young adult, Star Wars. Sci-fi had been dominated by male writers and readers for many years and the main characters were usually male. Star Wars broke with this tradition and had a strong heroine, Princess Leia. I still remember some of her classic lines from New Hope.“ Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?” Leia asks Luke when he comes to rescue her. “Will someone get this big walking carpet out of my way?” Leia says to Luke and Hans as she pushes aside the hairy Wookiee, Chewbacca. From The Empire Strikes Back. “Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking, Nerf-herder!” Leia says to Han. I was also inspired by Jackdaws by Ken Follett about Flick Clairet a British secret agent sent to Nazi-infested France in World War II. It was based on a real-life unit of female British spies in France. Women were used as spies during World War II because they were less likely to be suspected. Though I was writing sci-fi, I’d read more fantasy than sci-fi. Lord of the Rings inspired me in junior high. As an adult, I enjoyed books like Jennifer Robertson’s Tiger and Del series. It was a fun series with a strong female warrior figure who was out for justice after her family was killed. The main character in the first three books is Toemeka, but there are also male heroes, her partner, Erling, and her love interest, Michio. Toemeka is a Coalition operative and fighter pilot. She’s young, makes mistakes, and gets into situations over her head. She’s also brave and loyal to her team and those she cares about and is dedicated to freedom. From writing about Toemeka and her adventures, I’ve learned about love, compassion, friendship, family, and sacrifice. I’ve also learned about staying true to myself and following my heart. I’ve learned both from my characters and from my own journey as a writer. |
