Science Fiction/Fantasy
Date Published: 09-20-2022
Publisher: Aurelia Leo
Humans have always feared Caen’s kind.
Survivors of a mysterious virus, Ruĝa Morto, that killed 80% of Earth’s population two centuries ago, they have endured enslavement as Neurologically Compromised Individuals, or NiCIes, owned by OnyxCorp. Now, in 2261, Caen begins a perilous journey to seek the Vagabonders, the original moon colonists, whom many believe hold the key to freeing his people.
He knows he is hunted. He expects death at every turn.
But he doesn’t anticipate meeting Dr. Ligeia Obumbwe, a human biogeneticist desperate to protect her brother Finn, yet another victim of the endemic virus. When OnyxCorp promises to keep Finn safe in exchange for her work in their lunar lab, she accepts despite her increasing unease regarding the Corporation’s motives.
Ligeia and Caen become unlikely partners in a dangerous quest to reach the Vine, the space elevator that is the first step in their journey to the moon.
What they find along the way could help them bring OnyxCorp to its knees…or destroy everything they love.
What is the hardest part of writing your
books?
Finding the time to write. I work full-time, I
teach online, and I have a 25-acre farm that is gorgeous but needs a lot of
attention. My partner Joe and I are working our butts off right now to get on
track for our eventual retirement, so it’s difficult to squeeze in writing
time.
Maintaining creativity is also a challenge. One
would think that living through an actual pandemic would be inspiring for an
author working on a series about a post-pandemic world. The political and
social landscape of the last several years really undermined my confidence in
humanity. I lost a job in 2020, we had some financial struggles, my dad was
diagnosed with eye cancer. Then my brother Rick, my best friend since
childhood, died very suddenly mid-2021. I topped all that off by having some
back surgery at the end of 2022. I greatly underestimated the influence that
those types of life challenges can have on one’s creative drive and focus. I’ve
been reading Charlie Jane Anders’ Never
Say You Can’t Survive, and I highly recommend it for anyone who is finding
themselves unable to be creative because the world just kind of sucks right
now. Yeah. It sucks. Use your writing to work through it.
What songs are most played on your Ipod?
I had Daft Punk’s Discovery album playing almost non-stop when I was writing Vagabonder, and the Spotify playlist for
that book includes everything from Vangelis to Tangerine Dream to Hans Zimmer
to Jamiroquai. I think Oliver Cheatham’s “Get Down Saturday Night” is also in
there. I like to have music in the background that evokes a feeling or action
when I’m writing a scene, and electronic music tends to have that future-space
vibe that I like.
Do you have critique partners or beta
readers?
I had a few friends read a beta version of Vagabonder when it was certainly NOT
ready for prime time! A writer friend and I are experimenting with a coaching
routine where we keep each other accountable to our writing goals. My late
brother Rick served as a beta reader, and he offered some excellent critiques and
tips that definitely improved a few of the characters. My partner Joe has been
my greatest cheerleader and writing champion, and he was the inspiration for a
lot of the plot and the direction the book took. I have an amazing family, too,
who has supported my writing and made it known how proud they are.
What book are you reading now?
I always have a few books going so I have
something to read depending on my mood. I mentioned Anders’ Never Say You Can’t Survive. I’m also
finishing up the last book of Joe Abercrombie’s First Law Trilogy, Last Argument of Kings; re-reading Jane Eyre; and I just picked up Chloe
Gong’s These Violent Delights. I’m
eagerly anticipating J. Dianne Dotson’s The
Shadow Galaxy, a collection of her short stories that comes out March 3.
How did you start your writing career?
I’ve been writing short stories since I was a
kid, usually dramas that helped me work through teenage angst and awkwardness
through a plucky, smart heroine who always knew what to say. Not at all like
me! Writing doesn’t pay well, though, so I put my writing aside for a long time
in pursuit of a career and a family. I got back to writing in 2012 when the
kids were older and I had more time to do things for myself.
My partner Joe and I were watching a lot of zombie
movies and series at the time, and we had a conversation one night about how it
might be different to have a virus actually make people better humans rather
than flesh-eating monsters. We kept talking about it over evening margaritas
for the next few months, and eventually I’d sketched out the general plot for
Vagabonder on a couple of yellow legal pads. I rewrote it on my laptop late at
night after work. Then I rewrote it again. And again. And again until I had the
entire story, which was very long. I pitched the book to Stephanie Hansen at
Metamorphosis Literary Agency in 2017 during a writer’s conference in Kansas
City, and for some reason she requested the full MS and offered representation!
I couldn’t believe it. She recommended that I break the book up into smaller
books (a very good idea!), so I spent another year or so editing and rewriting
until it caught the attention of my publisher, Aurelia Leo, who bought it in
2019.
Then the pandemic struck. How ironic that my book
about a post-pandemic world was delayed by an actual pandemic! Eventually
things got back on track and we got a pub date in September 2022. I have high
hopes that my second book won’t take as long!
Tell us about your next release.
My next release is book 2, the sequel to
Vagabonder, that will continue the adventures of Ligeia, Caen, Sakata, and
Erlang as they seek the mysterious Vagabonders on the moon and try to identify
who was responsible for the attack that ended book 1. I don’t have a title yet.
I have a space noir in the works as well that
features a runaway AI and a veteran space cop who’s too old for this shit.
And I have sketched out a space fantasy set in a
Jupiter-like cluster that’s being invaded by a powerful, mysterious dark force.
That story features a protagonist who’s definitely “the chosen one” but who
doesn’t care to save a bunch of people who’ve done nothing but make her life
miserable.
About the Author
R. T. Coleman grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she nurtured a passion for reading and writing while nestled among blankets and pillows in her bedroom closet. Her love of science fiction was born when she saw Star Wars in the theater in 1977. Imagine her disappointment when she realized she could never actually be Princess Leia.
She lives in Springfield, Arkansas, with her partner Joe on their 25-acre farm, where she works as an instructional designer by day and a writer and editor by night. Vagabonder is her debut novel.
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Thanks for the interview on this nook. It looks good
ReplyDeleteCannot wait to read this book
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds intriguing. Great cover.
ReplyDelete