MONDAY MORNING MAILBAG

Question: What made you want to write a science-fiction fantasy romance like Only Bad Options?

Answer: It was a variety of things, but mostly, it was the right story/idea at the right time.

For years – YEARS! – I thought “I don’t like science fiction,” and I wouldn’t even try it. I’m not sure where this opinion/idea even came from. Maybe because I never much cared for science classes in school/college. But every time I was in the bookstore/library, I would skip past the sci-fi section and go straight to fantasy/romance. If it had spaceships and aliens, I wouldn’t read it, but if it had magic weapons and talking animals, well, I would read the whole series and all the spinoffs.

But over the past few years, I’ve gotten more and more info sci-fi books, movies, and TV shows, and I’ve enjoyed things like The Mandalorian and Killjoys. And of course I’ve always loved the original Star Wars trilogy. Plus, I found that a lot of sci-fi stories do have those elements of magic that I love, and I realized that I was missing out on all these great characters/stories/worlds.

In early 2021, I had a tiny break in my writing schedule. I had been thinking about doing an enemies-to-lovers, soul-mates type of story, but none of the worlds/magic systems I was thinking about seemed quite right. Then I thought, “What if I made it a sci-fi world, but with magic?” And that was the first light-bulb moment for me.

But I was still having some trouble with the worldbuilding. One day, I was lying on the couch, resting my neck/shoulders, and thinking about what I could add to my sci-fi world to make it more interesting and unique. And I thought “What if you had all this magic/technology, but the society was sort of old-fashioned and focused on marriages, alliances, and bloodlines, like in a historical romance book?”

I literally sat bolt upright on the couch, like “Yes! That could work!” And that was the second light-bulb moment for me. I’ve always enjoyed taking the elements/tropes/etc. I like most about various genres, mixing them together, and putting my own spin on them. So that’s why Only Bad Options is a mix of science fiction, fantasy, and historical romance.

And I’ll be honest – part of writing Only Bad Options was also a business decision. I thought writing in a new-to-me genre like sci-fi romance might help expand my reader base. #fingerscrossed

I don’t know that I’ll ever like hard/technical sci-fi, just as I don’t like hard/technical books in other genres. I’ve never particularly enjoyed reading tons of details about weapons, vehicles, etc. (like in a Tom Clancy-type book). I also don’t know that I’ll ever like alien stories. But at least now, I’m open to trying those things, and that’s a win in my book. Thank you for reading.

Have you ever changed your mind about liking a genre, book, movie, or TV show after giving it a second chance?

PRE-ORDER ONLY BAD OPTIONS:

ABOUT THE PRINT BOOKS:

I will be doing a print version of Only Bad Options, and I will share those links when they go online later this summer. I will also share more information about the audiobook as it becomes available.

ONLY BAD OPTIONS DESCRIPTION: