WELCOME PIPPA JAY

My special guest today is the superbly gifted author Pippa Jay. She and I not only share a love  of all things Science Fiction Romance, but we both love Medieval history as well. Pippa is here to talk about her ideas on mixing SFR and Medieval. And she is also introducing her wonderful new book, Keir which released at Lyrical Press on May 7^th. In Keir, Pippa blends both of these genres in an intriguing way. You won’t want to miss reading this book!   

Science Fiction Romance with a Medieval Twist

I LOVE the medieval period. One of my earliest memories of reading is of an old and battered book translated from Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory. With stories such as the legend of King Arthur and Robin Hood being a big part of my early reading, and a love of castles, and films like  A Knight’s Tale and the recent BBC retelling of the Arthurian legend in Merlin, perhaps it’s not so surprising that an element of the medieval has snuck into my science fiction story.

But I’m not a historian or an expert on the era. It’s something I’d like to study when time and money are available. However, I did want an element of realism in my story, something more concrete from that time period to give depth to my version. The first major step had to be the palace of Adalucien - Keir’s birthplace and his eventual prison. I searched the internet for images that fitted with my original concept of the castle and found the best match in Italian Gothic.

Not only did it have the right outward appearance and basic layout, but I loved the descriptions of the plastered and decorated interiors which subsequently found their way into the bedchamber of a key character. I drew a (very) rough floor plan so I’d know what each character could see if they stood at a certain point…and where they’d be running if they had to!

Researching the castle took me into the structure of Italian medieval society, and so the ruling Matriarch of Adalucien was born. Catholicism and the Spanish Inquisition led me to the night of torture that Keir suffered as a child, and left him ashamed to show his face to anyone. So much of the early part of the story was influenced simply by the hunt for the perfect castle that I wonder what might have happened if I’d gone for a completely different style…

So, to find out more about how I’ve blended medieval elements into a science fiction romance, just comment below (with your email address) to win an ebook copy of Keir, and tell me your favourite historical era. You can also stop by the other blogs on the tour by checking them out Here and there’s also a special prize up for grabs on my blog Here to celebrate Keir’s release on the 7th May, available internationally. All prizes will be drawn after midnight BST (in the UK) on the 14th May. But if you can’t wait until then to find out if you’ve won, all new titles at Lyrical Press Inc are 30% off for the first week after release.

Keir - a science-fiction romance available 7th May 2012 from Lyrical Press Inc: 

Kier Blurb:

Outcast. Cursed. Dying. Is Keir beyond redemption?

For Keirlan de Corizi--the legendary 'Blue Demon' of Adalucien--death seems the only escape from a world where his discolored skin marks him as an oddity and condemns him to life as a pariah. But salvation comes in an unexpected guise: Tarquin Secker, a young woman who can travel the stars with a wave of her hand.

But Quin has secrets of her own. She's spent eternity searching through space and time with a strange band of companions at her back. Defying her friends' counsel, Quin risks her apparent immortality to save Keir. She offers him sanctuary and a new life on her home world, Lyagnius.

When Keir mistakenly unleashes his dormant alien powers and earns instant exile from Quin's home world, will she risk everything to stand by him again?

Kier Book Trailer:

BIO:

A stay-at-home mum of three who spent twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay bases her stories on a lifetime addiction to science-fiction books and films. Somewhere along the line a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. Between torturing her characters, she spends the odd free moments trying to learn guitar, indulging in freestyle street dance and drinking high-caffeine coffee. Although happily settled in historical Colchester in the UK with her husband of 18 years, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.

LINKS:

Pippa's Blogsite

Twitter:  @pippajaygreen

Facebook:  Keir- Beyond Redemption (book page)

                    Pippa Jay (profile)

Pippa on Goodreads