Author Interview! And GIVEAWAY, With S.A. Huchton

As many of you have seen, I read and reviewed Maven by S.A. Huchton.  This is a SFR, Science Fiction Romance.  Now, don't run!  It's Romance with a science flair.  I so loved it!  And I hope to share a bit of the book with you in this interview with Starla.

Please give a big welcome to S.A. Huchton!

M:  Welcome Starla! Thank you for stopping by for the interview today.

M:  Your first book of the Endure series, Maven, is available in all formats now. This is a SFR, Science Fiction Romance. Now, before everyone runs at the mention of Science Fiction, there are no aliens and it’s light science (I read it already, I know this is true). Right?

SAH:  You are correct. I wrote something that appeals to my own personal preference when it comes to Science Fiction, that is to say, relatively grounded in reality and without bombardment by a bunch of terminology I need a Google search open to decipher. If science isn’t accessible, it appeals to few besides the experts. Since that’s not me, I wrote to my own level.

M:  You’ve mentioned to me a few times, when we chat, the Romance in this story can’t happen without the science and vise versa. They really are intertwined together. Can you share a bit of how so?

SAH:  Oh. Hmm. That. Well, I don’t know how much of that I can talk about without giving spoilers for the rest of the books in the series, but I’ll give it a shot.

Basically, without the science in the plot, there would be no reason for these two characters to get together. There would be no glue forcing them to be in proximity with one another. You can have all the chemistry in the world with another person, but if they aren’t around that tends to fade. Without the situation, the science, that Lydia and Daniel encounter, who’s to say if they’d have come around to their relationship at all? The problems they face require both of their skill sets to solve. It really is an equal partnership, which was exceedingly important for me.

I’d talk about the reverse of that, in taking the romance out of the plot, but the other books in the series sort of fall apart without it. Their union *cough* as a couple is absolutely crucial as the story goes. I can’t really say much more than that, though. Because spoilers. ;)

M:  Well, can't blame a girl for trying for spoilers or secrets of whats to come. ;)

M:  You had to do lots of research for this one. What did you research the most? And I *think* there is mention of help from your husband? ;)

SAH:  What did I research the most? Well, I think it was probably the microbiology stuff. I spent hours trying to figure out what a group of mad scientists bent on world domination might do to bring their plans to fruition in this setting and how they might accomplish that. Conversely, I also had to figure out what the good guys could or would do to fight that. Fortunately, my husband was a microbiology major and gave me a lot of guidance and explanations about bacteria and genetics and what happens with all that stuff, as well as how remedies for infections and such are created.

Running a close second is the technology used in the book. My husband studied computer science for his master’s degree so I’ve been subjected to lots and lots and LOTS of terminology as we were married when he was in that program. Some of that I was able to pull out of memories of our conversations about his projects and homework and classes, but, again, he was instrumental in explaining things I didn’t know or was having trouble wrapping my head around in terms of these books.

Perhaps it’s not 100% accurate in all things (it is still fiction, after all), but I worked very hard to make things plausible while not going overboard with technical talk. I made notes in very generic terms about the things that happen, so that, when I had to write the actual book, I could explain it both accessibly and correctly. Mostly. My notes probably look something like if you were giving a science lecture to toddlers. Because that’s pretty close to how I felt about this when I started. LOL

M:  This sweet romance is set underwater. I love the creation of the station here. It’s sure a sight and lots here in this military underwater station. Will we get to see more of the station? And of our little tailed dolphin friends?

SAH:  Much like the show Firefly would have been a very different thing without the anchor of the Serenity setting, so too is the DWRC Endure at the very core of the story. I won’t say you get to explore every last room of the place, but there will be new additions and locations explored in the other installments of this series.

Oh, the dolphins will continue to inhabit the Endure, but with varying degrees of involvement. How much of a role they will have to play by the end of the last book is yet to be seen, but, yes, there is more still to come.

M:  I’m hooked on these books! Can you tell us how many books there are and how soon we could expect them? I’m so looking forward to diving into the next one!

SAH:  As of right now I’m planning on four books. I know how torturous it can be, as a reader, to have to wait for the next part of the story, so I wanted to try my hand at a fairly fast release schedule. The second installment, Nemesis, will be released on August 26, which is right around the corner. The third one goes live November 28th. The final book in this story arc hits the virtual shelves on February 27th, 2014. I’m excited to see how this little experiment translates to readership. It’s not the norm, but I want to see how people react.

M:  You tell the story from both Lydia’s and Daniel’s eyes. This has made it so easy to fall in love with them and the love they share. How did you come to share point of views of both characters?

SAH:  If you’re asking if I planned it that way, no. When I sat down to write Maven, I had only ever intended on writing from Lydia’s point of view. Daniel had other ideas though. He decided he wanted to tell readers his side of the story. Given his experience with what other people think about him, I guess I could understand how he might be a little defensive. I guess that’s really it. I wanted readers to see why I liked Daniel so much and the best way to do that was to let them into his head. I was nervous about this, though. After all, what do I know about being a guy? In the end, I decided to let the character speak for himself and not worry so much about that.

M:  Okay, I’ve drilled you enough for the time. Now time for fun questions… I ask these of all my first time visitors. (so, next time you stop by, more tough questions! LOL)

M:  If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

SAH:  If you’ve read Maven, you might know the answer to this one. For years I’ve been fascinated by Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I can’t imagine that photographs do that place justice. There are other places I’d love to visit some day, like a few sites in Italy, Greece, Egypt, China, but that one is really at the forefront of my mind. Probably because of Daniel. ;)

M:  Tea or Coffee?

SAH:  Tough question. It depends on the time of day. Before noon? Coffee all the way. After that, I’m more likely to brew up a cup of tea. Maybe this speaks to my characters some. I’m a good mix of Lydia and Daniel both!

M:  Favorite Color?

SAH:  Red. The darker, deeper kind and less the bright, tomato red.

M:  Favorite Childhood Fictional Creature?

SAH:  Elf-type creatures were always my favorite. Like the gelflings from the Dark Crystal.

M:  Now, as an adult, what’s your Favorite Fictional Creature? (can be the same as when a child)

SAH:  I’m split on this one. I seriously love dragons now (little mini ones especially), but elves still have a good chunk of my loyalty.  Because Legolas.

M:  Favorite Word? (any word at all)

SAH:  Right now? Supercavitation. Totally a thing. I discovered it in researching stuff for book three. Not only is it fun to say, but my geeky little heart skipped a beat when I learned what it meant (and saw footage of it in action). I won’t spoil it for people. They should totally Google it.

M:  Thank you kindly, Starla, for stopping by for the interview. I wish you all the best with Maven and the series.

SAH:  Thank you, Melissa! These were some great questions!

M:  Here’s wishing you all the best in words and pages!


Maven
Book Description:

How far would you go for love?

Since losing her parents at 14, young prodigy Dr. Lydia Ashley has focused on one thing: an appointment on the Deep Water Research Command Endure. Now 21, she’s about to realize that dream, but nothing is how she imagined it would be. Her transitional sponsor forgets her, her new lab is in complete chaos, and, as if that weren’t enough, she’s about to discover something so horrific it could potentially destroy all life on the planet. 

Daniel Brewer, a noted playboy and genius in his own right, may be exactly what she needs… Or he may make everything worse.

Has she finally found a puzzle she can’t solve?

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Author Bio:
Starla Huchton released her first novel, The Dreamer's Thread, as a full cast podcast production beginning in August 2009. Her first foray went on to become a double-nominee and finalist for the 2010 Parsec Awards. Since her debut, Starla's voice has appeared in other podcasts including The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine, The Drabblecast, and Erotica a la Carte. She is also a voice talent for Darkfire Productions, and narrates several of their projects, including The Emperor's Edge series, This Path We Share, and others. Her writing has appeared in the Erotica a la Carte podcast, a short story for The Gearheart (earning her a third Parsec nomination), and an episode of the Tales from the Archives podcast (the companion to Tee Morris and Philippa Balantine's Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series), which garnered her a second finalist badge from the 2012 Parsec Awards. Her second novel, a Steampunk adventure entitled Master of Myth, was the first place winner in the Fantasy/Science Fiction category of The Sandy Writing Contest held annually by the Crested Butte Writers Conference. Maven is her third completed novel and the first in a planned series of four, being released under the name S. A. Huchton.

After completing her degree in Graphic Arts, Starla opened up shop as a freelance graphic designer focusing on creating beautiful book covers for independent authors and publishers. She currently lives in Virginia where she trains her three Minions and military husband.

Find Starla Huchton:
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Maven on Goodreads