A Gal Named Galaxy

Once upon a time, many years ago, I wrote a short story titled "Me 'n' the Bot." I wrote it off the top of my head with little forethought, then put it away and let it "marinate," as I call resting a manuscript.

Occasionally, I would take it out and tinker with it: revising, extending, editing, and so forth. I never had any thought of trying to publish it; I had too many other irons in the fire, including a science fiction trilogy ( The Tartarus Trilogy. )

As I gradually added to and refined the story, it dawned on me that it was becoming a short novel. I had fallen in love with the two main characters: a tough, feisty female "recoup" agent named Galaxy Rand and a mysterious robot she refers to as "pal," "chum," "Blackie," and eventually Tin Man.

I loved the budding relationship between two such wildly different characters. It became a case of the characters taking up the story and running with it. I could hardly keep up!

So, in 2014 Galaxy Rand became my first space opera and fourth published novel. She's been very popular ever since, and I still love her dearly.

You just never know where an idea will come from or where it might lead you. Let your imagination run wild, and try to keep up with it! Keep on reading and keep writing!

MRTighe

Hard Scifi or Soft Scifi?

Over the past few years, a lot of my readers have told me that I write science fiction for people who don't read science fiction. That puzzled me a bit at first, but after thinking about it, I realized they mean that I do not write primarily about hardware or scientific theories.

My work is character-driven. The setting may be a space ship or an alien planet, but it's my characters who run the show. And those characters aren't bug-eyed monsters or intergalactic spiders. They are more or less "human" or humanoid. They have very human feelings: love, hate, jealousy, loneliness, etc., and very human motivations: thirst for vengeance, lust for power, wrestling with morality, etc.

Character-driven scifi is often referred to as "soft" science fiction, while scifi based primarily on scientific concepts and theories is referred to as "hard" science fiction. I have read and enjoyed both types; however, looking at a list of my favorite scifi novels, I clearly come down on the side of soft scifi. Examples are Zenna Henderson's People books and Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider series, all longtime favorites of mine.

If you are one of those who don't usually read scifi, or have never given it a try, you might want to investigate my Tartarus Trilogy ( Judgment on Tartarus, True Son of Tartarus, and Ransom of Tartarus.) Amazon books has a look inside feature, so you can take a peek without buying anything. You can check out my website ( www.tartarusgalaxy.weebly.com ) for my book cover blurbs and quick links to Amazon. If you are on facebook, you can also "like" my individual book pages to see snippets from all three books.

If you've been hesitant to try science fiction, be brave! Give it a go! You never know what you might be missing.

MRTighe

Who To Go To For Writing Advice?

If you are a new writer, who should you go to for advice on writing? Certainly not your Mom or your favorite cousin, not even your BFF! Nor a writing group composed of amateur writers or online writers' group who don't know any better than you do.

I would recommend books on the art of writing which have been written by well-known writers of your particular genre ( that is, fiction, romance, mystery, scifi, etc. ) Take advantage of their expertise. The fact that these people have succeeded as authors against all odds proves that they know what they're talking about.

Maybe not everything they advise will be applicable to your work, but it's well worth listening to their advice and taking it into consideration.

I've blogged before about the advisability of joining a writers' group, Some are good; most are not. It all depends on who else is in the group. What have they written? Are they published or not? What is their motivation for joining? Do they love to tear other people's work into bloody shreds, or are they actually trying to be helpful? Or do they simply kiss butt rather than honestly critiquing?

Be careful that you don't find yourself in a destructive group. Not only can it severely damage your self-esteem, but it might cause you to lose confidence as well as your motivation for writing. ( Heaven forfend! )

There are tons of good books on writing that have been written by respected authors. Choose some who are familiar to you, whose work you respect. I'm sure you'll find them useful. Give it a try.

So keep reading and keep on writing!
MRTighe

From Star Trek Fandom To Babylon 5 Fandom

As long-time Star Trek fans, my hubby and I were hooked from the start on Babylon 5. We had attended a lot of Star Trek themed conventions ( cons ), and one of our favorites was Rebelcon, now sadly long gone. It was at Rebelcons that we first met many of our favorite Babylon 5 stars, including the late Michael O'Hare and the late Stephen Furst.

But the very first celeb we met there was Ed Wasser, who played the infamously evil "Mr. Morden." Ed was very approachable and friendly, and we enjoyed talking to him. My own favorite star, however, was the late Richard Biggs, who played Dr. Franklin on B5. He was the nicest man you could imagine, easy to talk to and very kind. At that point, Babylon 5 was in danger of cancellation, and Mr. Biggs was surprised and happy to hear that fans on the East Coast stayed up until 1 am to watch every episode.

Over the ensuing years at Rebelcons and United Fan Cons, we were lucky enough to meet several other B5 actors, such as Robin Atkins Downs, Pat Tallman, Robin Curtis, Jason Carter, Claudia Christian, and Mira Furlan.

Many of our best-loved conventions have since disappeared. We miss the adventure, the camaraderie, the fun of meeting our favorite stars--several of whom had crossed over from acting in Star Trek to acting in Babylon 5. Sadly, many of B5's stars have now passed "beyond the rim," but they will always be fondly remembered.

These are certainly moments and people that we will always remember--moments that could never be recaptured.

Peace and good holidays to all!
MRTighe

What Is Cosplay?

   One of the things I've always loved about science fiction conventions and, more recently, comic cons is called "cosplay" nowadays. This refers to the practice of fans and con-attendees dressing up as their favorite characters or to invent their own costumed creations.

   Probably the first time I ever encountered this tradition was on the West Coast at a Westercon held in Santa Barbara, California. ( The East Coast, being more proper, hadn't yet succumbed to such shenanigans! ) This was the one and only con where I also dared to wear a costume: a bright orange Indian sari. Though I thoroughly enjoyed being part of a cosplay group, I was never tempted to indulge again.

   I get much more enjoyment from observing the creative efforts of others who cosplay. Over the years I've been attending cons, I've seen some memorable costumes, from the sublime to the ridiculous. For instance one young woman who won Best Costume for a non-costume: a scattering of glued on sparkles and very little else!

   At another con, I was impressed by a pair of very detailed, authentic-looking Borg. ( If you're a fan of Star Trek, you know what I mean. ) I've seen spectacular winged beings, Elves, Minbari, Harry Potters, etc. One of the best costumes was a gorgeous Chris Hemsworth look-alike dressed as Thor, hammer and all. Sigh!

   But perhaps my most memorable experience was at a Rebelcon in Mass. A group of Klingon cosplayers were gathered at the hotel pub. As the last of the group got up to leave, the bartender hollered across the room, "Hey, Klingon! Who's paying for the drinks?"

How very Klingon of them!

I love those who take the time and effort to produce and wear these costumes They show their true love for their characters and make events much more fun for fellow fans.

Cosplay forever!

MRTighe

Liar, Liar!

All fiction writers are accomplished liars.

We not only tell whoppers on a regular basis, but we try to make them as believable as possible! The main difference between writers of fiction and pathological liars is that writers do not believe our lies are true. Well, most of us anyway!

We just love ( and are addicted to ) making up stories of all kinds: historical romances, paranormal tales, horror stories, mysteries, Western dramas, scifi adventures--whatever!

The truth is that we not only love to write but always hope that our readers love to read these well-embellished lies of ours. Remember that to weave a good lie requires believable details--and lots of them!

So, my fellow liars, never stop writing, and to my readers, never stop reading!

MRTighe

Do You See Yourself in Your Characters?

I had always heard that writers tend to put themselves into their characters. I found that a bit hard to believe--that is, until I became a published author myself. Since analyzing my own characters, I have discovered some amazing similarities:

1.) My heroine, Ensign Rona Scott, is probably the most like me. I suppose that is be expected. She starts out a bit timid and unsure of herself due to her lack of experience; she fears she's going to "deep-six" her first mission in deep-space aboard the space cruiser Astrella II. But Rona is stubborn, curious, impulsive, head-strong, and on occasion, feisty. Also like me, she happens to be open-minded and soft-hearted, and she stands up for her principles.

2.) Another of my main characters, Malkis of Tartarus, is also stubborn to a fault and brutally honest ( unlike me. ) He usually hides his true feelings, which I tend to do all too often! But above all else, he believes in honor and loyalty. He has a keen sense of Justice, very much like me. Of course, these attributes tend to get him in trouble. He's not all that popular with his shipmates, many of whom hate his guts.

3.) Richard Hughes, the Captain of Astrella has a notorious temper with a short fuse ( unlike me--I have a very long fuse, but a terrible temper! ). He plays by-the-book, like I do, but his no-nonsense attitude isn't my cup of tea. Bring on the nonsense!

4.) One of my most favorite characters is Kalom of Eris. He's light-hearted with a great sense of humor. He's informal, down to earth, and has been known to break the rules--but only for good reason. I think Kalom represents the more playful, cocky side of me--not the worry-wart!

5.) Lastly, there's Dar-kan ( the villainess introduced in Book 2 of my trilogy.) This Ghendarian Ship's Commander is young, but well-trained as a warrior woman. She's probably the least like me,  or at least I hope so! She's sexy, viciously cruel, and sadistic. But in her own twisted way, she's also naïve, curious, and dead-stubborn ( again, guilty as charged! ) We all have a dark side; like Dar-kan, I tend to be selfish and want everything my own way. I'm also as bossy as hell--first-child syndrome.

My fellow writers out there: Do you ever see aspects of yourself in any of your characters?
Have you ever sat down and tried to analyze them? You'll find it's actually rather fun!

Keep on reading and keep writing no matter what!
MRTighe