Ask the Author: Sonia Orin Lyris
Answered Questions (8)
Sonia Orin Lyris
I gave this fascinating question some thought, riffling through my memories of the thousands of worlds I've visited in the SF&F genre. So many fabulous and vivid worlds to choose from, but I settled on Ian M. Banks' Culture novels, worlds in which money is no longer social currency, and good health and meaningful work are there for everyone. Gender change, body mod, and galactic travel -- what's not to like?
What would I do there? Everything! Inner travels, outer adventures. I'd see the planets, I'd sail the stars.
And everything I do here, in this world, I would do there: love, dance, make stories, and search out the finest chocolate.
Because, as far as I'm concerned, some things transcend worlds.
What would I do there? Everything! Inner travels, outer adventures. I'd see the planets, I'd sail the stars.
And everything I do here, in this world, I would do there: love, dance, make stories, and search out the finest chocolate.
Because, as far as I'm concerned, some things transcend worlds.
Sonia Orin Lyris
Thank you for asking.
"The Seer" is about a girl named Amarta, who can see into the future, and what happens when she comes to the attention of the powers of the empire.
It's a story very much about power. I wanted to explored what happened when different kinds of power met each other.
But it's also about love, and loyalty, and questions of fate.
There's an ancient Greek story, about Cassandra, a prophet who could see into the future, but is cursed to not be believed. "The Seer" is sort of a cross between the Cassandra story and Game of Thrones, but of course it's much more. It's an exploration of different kinds of power, from prophecy to governmental force, from money to magic. The world is large and built from a history that goes back tens of thousands of years, that winds through civilizations that rise and fall, against a backdrop of powerful magics and the mages who wield it.
As for me, I wondered what would happen if Amarta was asked the right questions but by the wrong people. And I wanted to know who she was.
And now I'm working on the sequel.
"The Seer" is about a girl named Amarta, who can see into the future, and what happens when she comes to the attention of the powers of the empire.
It's a story very much about power. I wanted to explored what happened when different kinds of power met each other.
But it's also about love, and loyalty, and questions of fate.
There's an ancient Greek story, about Cassandra, a prophet who could see into the future, but is cursed to not be believed. "The Seer" is sort of a cross between the Cassandra story and Game of Thrones, but of course it's much more. It's an exploration of different kinds of power, from prophecy to governmental force, from money to magic. The world is large and built from a history that goes back tens of thousands of years, that winds through civilizations that rise and fall, against a backdrop of powerful magics and the mages who wield it.
As for me, I wondered what would happen if Amarta was asked the right questions but by the wrong people. And I wanted to know who she was.
And now I'm working on the sequel.
Sonia Orin Lyris
For me, a seed for a story can come from anywhere. I might be walking down the street and pass a man gesturing wildly, talking to the air, saying "It wasn't me, Edward, it wasn't me!" and wonder what that's all about, and write a scene and see where it goes.
I might hear a news story about the breakdown of diplomatic ties between two countries, and wonder what would happen if in addition to all the resources they're wrestling over, we could add in powerful magics.
I might take a cliché opening, such as "it was a dark and stormy night and there was a pounding at the door" and begin to wonder. Who's at the door? What's so urgent? And who's inside, about to have their lives changed? This was the seed of the first scene of "The Seer," my epic fantasy. I wanted to know the answers.
In short, inspiration can come from anywhere. It can be about a character, a situation, or a world. It can be about a particular struggle, or challenge, or injustice -- or triumph. Anything that comes alive in my imagination, really. Any story that intrigues me.
Then I sit down, and take my metaphorical pen, dip it in metaphorical ink, and start to scribble.
I might hear a news story about the breakdown of diplomatic ties between two countries, and wonder what would happen if in addition to all the resources they're wrestling over, we could add in powerful magics.
I might take a cliché opening, such as "it was a dark and stormy night and there was a pounding at the door" and begin to wonder. Who's at the door? What's so urgent? And who's inside, about to have their lives changed? This was the seed of the first scene of "The Seer," my epic fantasy. I wanted to know the answers.
In short, inspiration can come from anywhere. It can be about a character, a situation, or a world. It can be about a particular struggle, or challenge, or injustice -- or triumph. Anything that comes alive in my imagination, really. Any story that intrigues me.
Then I sit down, and take my metaphorical pen, dip it in metaphorical ink, and start to scribble.
Sonia Orin Lyris
Delighted that you'd like to read these stories. Thanks for asking.
"Blades" was the Willamette Writers Conference Kay Snow First Place Winner in 1992. It is available online, for FREE, at smashwords. Here's the link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view....
"It Might be Sunlight" was first published in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, in 1993. Readers have been contacting me for twenty years, asking for a reprint, telling me it's their favorite short story. They lent it or lost it, and they want another copy. I admit it's one of my favorites, too.
It is available from Amazon or Createspace, but in hard-copy only, for reasons I'll explain to you in private correspondence, if you're interested. Just drop me a note.
Here are those links:
http://www.amazon.com/Might-Sunlight-...
https://www.createspace.com/4022754
"Blades" was the Willamette Writers Conference Kay Snow First Place Winner in 1992. It is available online, for FREE, at smashwords. Here's the link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view....
"It Might be Sunlight" was first published in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, in 1993. Readers have been contacting me for twenty years, asking for a reprint, telling me it's their favorite short story. They lent it or lost it, and they want another copy. I admit it's one of my favorites, too.
It is available from Amazon or Createspace, but in hard-copy only, for reasons I'll explain to you in private correspondence, if you're interested. Just drop me a note.
Here are those links:
http://www.amazon.com/Might-Sunlight-...
https://www.createspace.com/4022754
Sonia Orin Lyris
The sequel that one of my best fans keeps demanding of me. Yay, Greg!
Sonia Orin Lyris
Write a lot. Read a lot. Think a lot.
Sonia Orin Lyris
Everything is research. Every fascinating person I meet, every wild and crazy night out doing something ill-considered. From riding a horse to wielding a sword, as long as I survive it, it counts as research.
Sonia Orin Lyris
Deadlines. I love deadlines!
Oh, sure, fans and first readers motivate me, too. "Where's my sequel?" asks one of my favorite fans, nearly every day, and that often motivates me to push forward.
Oh, sure, fans and first readers motivate me, too. "Where's my sequel?" asks one of my favorite fans, nearly every day, and that often motivates me to push forward.
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