I'm currently working through the edits for Europa, Europa and thought I'd share some of its background with you.
Back in January, I got contacted by one of my publishers, Total-E-Bound. They were down one slot in an upcoming SFR anthology. Did I have anything?
Inspiration for stories can come from multiple sources. In this case, it came from my usual muse who also happens to be my husband.
"I need a story," I told him, plunking myself down at the dining table. "SFR."
"Your Republic universe?"
I thought about that, and my low boredom threshold, for a few minutes. "Not necessarily. In fact, I'm thinking I'd like to bring it closer to home this time."
"The Moon?"
"Nah, too close. Something a bit further out. But maybe not too far out. I don't want to get into any discussions on faster-than-light travel."
"Well, we were talking about Europa last week."
I straightened. "We were, weren't we? A moon that's also a water world."
"The best bet for life in our solar system," he added.
And, just like that, the character of Salvia came into being. She is a human, modified to be able to live in the oceans of Europa. She has to have good cold tolerance, an ability to see in pitch-black water, be able to breathe water (of course), and perhaps a few other characteristics that "normal" humans hadn't quite bargained on. (You're going to have to read the story to find out what they are!) The obvious nearest mammal to model Salvia on is the dolphin. And a few piscine adaptations, such as photopores to be able to "see" in the dark, wouldn't go astray either.
But why is Salvia in this story? What has gone wrong in her life? How about the crushing loneliness that comes from being the only entity of her type in the entire world? For a smart, sensitive creature like Salvia, such isolation would easily lead to depression and a rebellion against authority figures for requiring her to work with little meaningful compensation.
She is eventually sent a companion, a young brash male by the name of Rhus. But that's not all. Oh no, there's a deeper game afoot. A game that, if they're not careful, may lead to the death of one, or both, of them.
Now, just because you write a story for an anthology upon request, it doesn't mean you'll automatically be included. It all depends on the editor. And, even though the name of the anthology was "Seeing Stars", I really didn't have a single star, starship or even starry sky in the story! All the action happens beneath metres of ice on Jupiter's moon. To my relief, editor Lisa Cox liked what I did and decided to include it in the anthology. Whew.
So that's where "Europa, Europa" came from. I hope you'll find it interesting.
* KS "Kaz" Augustin writes sf&f romance from the boondocks of southern Malaysia. You can catch up with her weekly rantings at blog.ksaugustin.com She keeps full first chapter previews of all her stories at www.ksaugustin.com
Back in January, I got contacted by one of my publishers, Total-E-Bound. They were down one slot in an upcoming SFR anthology. Did I have anything?
Inspiration for stories can come from multiple sources. In this case, it came from my usual muse who also happens to be my husband.
"I need a story," I told him, plunking myself down at the dining table. "SFR."
"Your Republic universe?"
I thought about that, and my low boredom threshold, for a few minutes. "Not necessarily. In fact, I'm thinking I'd like to bring it closer to home this time."
"The Moon?"
"Nah, too close. Something a bit further out. But maybe not too far out. I don't want to get into any discussions on faster-than-light travel."
"Well, we were talking about Europa last week."
I straightened. "We were, weren't we? A moon that's also a water world."
"The best bet for life in our solar system," he added.
And, just like that, the character of Salvia came into being. She is a human, modified to be able to live in the oceans of Europa. She has to have good cold tolerance, an ability to see in pitch-black water, be able to breathe water (of course), and perhaps a few other characteristics that "normal" humans hadn't quite bargained on. (You're going to have to read the story to find out what they are!) The obvious nearest mammal to model Salvia on is the dolphin. And a few piscine adaptations, such as photopores to be able to "see" in the dark, wouldn't go astray either.
But why is Salvia in this story? What has gone wrong in her life? How about the crushing loneliness that comes from being the only entity of her type in the entire world? For a smart, sensitive creature like Salvia, such isolation would easily lead to depression and a rebellion against authority figures for requiring her to work with little meaningful compensation.
She is eventually sent a companion, a young brash male by the name of Rhus. But that's not all. Oh no, there's a deeper game afoot. A game that, if they're not careful, may lead to the death of one, or both, of them.
Now, just because you write a story for an anthology upon request, it doesn't mean you'll automatically be included. It all depends on the editor. And, even though the name of the anthology was "Seeing Stars", I really didn't have a single star, starship or even starry sky in the story! All the action happens beneath metres of ice on Jupiter's moon. To my relief, editor Lisa Cox liked what I did and decided to include it in the anthology. Whew.
So that's where "Europa, Europa" came from. I hope you'll find it interesting.
* KS "Kaz" Augustin writes sf&f romance from the boondocks of southern Malaysia. You can catch up with her weekly rantings at blog.ksaugustin.com She keeps full first chapter previews of all her stories at www.ksaugustin.com
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