The Making of Operation Earth by @MariaHammarblad #scifi #scifirom
The Making of Operation Earth
Guest Post by Maria Hammarblad
Operation Earth had a long way from idea to publishing. It started out as a short story. Aliens invaded the Earth. One girl got the opportunity to save it. The End.
Short stories are all fine and dandy, but unless a writer has many and can put them together into a compilation volume, there’s not much to do with them. I played around with it and added parts here and there, and ended up with a short novella.
It was a bit shorter than Desert Breeze Publishing’s minimum word count for a novella, but I sent it in anyway. The editor in chief wrote back that she liked the idea of the story, and if I could expand on it, we could publish.
I did a happy dance, and started worrying.
To be called a novel, a book should have at least 40,000 words. Preferably 50,000 or more. In my mind, Operation Earth was still a short story; it barely qualified to be a novella. Did I have enough substance to the story to expand it?
Only one thing to do: put on my big girl pants and start writing.
Once I typed away at the re-write, the story grew, and grew, and grew. All of a sudden there were more people and events, and portions that just had to be added. It ended up with 54,000 words, and that’s about average length for my books. To make things better, I’m happy with the story.
I thought I was happy with it in the short form, but that was an illusion. In this version the main characters get to tell everything they want to tell, and their story is complete.
Is Operation Earth a book for you? Maybe.
If you’re into hard-core science fiction, probably not. I can give a feasible theory for how stuff in the book works, but it’s not in the book. I can babble about scientific progress and more or less believable theories at great length, but I do my best to keep it out of the books.
If you’re into erotica, probably not. I tend to give my characters privacy in the bedroom. I made one attempt at writing a sexy action novel, and my editors cut out both the violent parts and the love making. Epic fail.
If you’re into lighter science fiction, you might enjoy my book. Aliens not only come to visit; they come to take over. Everything we had is gone, but we’re still human, and in the midst of chaos, love can prevail.
Operation Earth by Maria Hammarblad
Seven billion people on Earth go about their daily lives, and no one is prepared when a global EMP slows the world to a crawl. With all our technology incapacitated, everything changes. Within days alien soldiers line the streets, and life will never be the same. In the midst of chaos, Rachael Hill struggles to adapt to the new order, doing her best to keep herself and her cat alive.
On a ship far above the planet surface, Peter just got his new Earth name, and can’t even remember his identity from the last world he visited. It’s another day on the job, one more planet on a never-ending list. That is, until Rachael bumps into him, dropping exotic objects all around his feet. His culture taught him females should be obeyed and protected, but he never had an urge to leave himself at a woman’s mercy until now.
Available From:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Desert Breeze Publishing
Author Bio
Maria Hammarblad is a Swedish export to Florida who came to live in the US late 2008. She writes science fiction, contemporary novels, and award winning screenplays. Her biggest interest besides writing is playing the bass. Today, she lives in the Tampa Bay area with her husband Mike and their rescue dogs.
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