Indie Author Interview with Eva Caye - Author of the Science Fiction Romance Series To Be Sinclair.
Eva Caye wrote eight books in the To Be Sinclair series before she could afford an editor. She achieved her goal to have all eight published within one year, and has spent her time since formatting them for print-on-demand.
The To Be Sinclair saga begins with DIGNITY and its companion volume MAJESTY, which detail the romance and first years of marriage of the Emperor and Empress of the Sinclair Demesnes.
Interview with Eva Caye
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| Author Eva Caye |
Eva Caye: In my sophomore year of high school, I wrote a book report on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, with the only mark the teacher made on it a big, red A+ on the front. In my senior year, I wrote a story from the point of view of a Bible rotting on a shelf, and the only thing besides the A on the front was, “You made me cry!” That is pretty much my standard of excellence now, whether the reader admits to having cried at some point. I have won a few local contests and experiment with poetry. I prefer haikus, although I am not as confident in my poetic abilities as I am a novelist.
When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
I have always been a writer, but I first acknowledged being obsessive about it after a health crisis in 2008. Since then I’ve written eight books in the To Be Sinclair series, with three in progress.
Tell us about your writing process. Do you have a writing routine?
It starts with a question that nags me, and eventually becomes a vision. At this point, it feels like I am psychically tapping into a future parallel dimension, because the visions will build in my mind until I must write them or go mad. In addition, if I try to change the scenes, they play themselves over and over until I get up in the middle of the night and change them back! I am not certain I hold that to be an actual belief, though.
"[...] and explained everything to my editor’s satisfaction."
What do you find easiest about writing? What the hardest?
The easiest thing about writing is word choice; Thesaurus.com helps a lot! The hardest thing about writing is making sure I have tied up all the little sub-plots, tidied up all the details, and explained everything to my editor’s satisfaction.
"Writing the final line thrills me."
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Writing the final line thrills me. If I do not get emotional over the final line, I have not finished the book yet.
Mrs. Caye, please tell us a little about your science fiction romance series ‘To Be Sinclair.’
Set about 600 years in the future, the To Be Sinclair series answers the question, “What will the greatest ruling family in the history of the galaxy be like?” It begins with Dignity, the romance between microengineer Lady Felicia and Emperor Victor Sinclair. Majesty is their first years of marriage, particularly Felice’s development of stargate technology. Fealty and Royalty concern the romances and tribulations of their first two sons and three daughters, whereas Dynasty and Loyalty deal with the educational and trust issues of six other children. Evan’s Ladies is an add-on book of four novellas describing his romances and scientific travails, and Nobility begins the third generation of Sinclairs, for it is future emperor Prince Matthieu’s coming-of-age story and romances.
.jpg "To Be Sinclair - Series") |
| Click to Read an Excerpt |
What inspired you to write the series?
I wrote Dignity to deal with my depression, as well as to turn more romance readers on to science fiction. Majesty is about 95% science fiction, Fealty is perhaps 95% romance, and the rest of the books are about 50-50. A little something for everyone!
Who do you see as your target audience and where can we buy the books?
Most of the books are ‘new adult’, 18+, because that is the age when people are ‘finding themselves’, discovering what they are good at and exploring what kinds of things they like. The protagonists in all my books are at least 20, with the exception of my work-in-progress Morality.
Above all, I feel the genre of science fiction romance is coming into its own now. Science fiction is on one end of a spectrum between reason and emotion, with romance the other end. When you have people dealing with scientific problems, then you have the opportunity to explore their emotions, and the ‘greatest of these’ is love. I offer Easter egg short stories with most of my books that are more sexually explicit than the novels, and label them as such, just in case the science fiction readers want to avoid them.
I have the books at several sites:
http://payhip.com/evacaye
http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/501
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/eva-caye
What makes your series special?
Fiction’s true power is not in exploring far-out realms, in my opinion. The true value of literature is in exploring ourselves, from our potential for love to our inner demons. As a result, I do not go for huge ‘Good vs. Evil’ stories, but rather Good vs. Other, in which the others think they are the good guys, too! In particular, my reviewers frequently mention how realistic my stories are, with normal, flawed characters and problems that get solved in realistic ways. I give the reader the experience of being ‘part’ of the Imperial Family, of knowing them as well as they know their own family, and ultimately in giving them hope for the future of humanity.
How long did it take it to write the series?
I wrote the first four books in 80 days, although they were very rough drafts. I took another year to write the next four books, and these three works-in-progress are taking a year. One is the mind-blowing finale; two books are prequels, although they are more science fiction than romance, which I plan to market as such.
"Don’t worry about finding your ‘voice’; that comes automatically."
Can you give some advice for other authors regarding the writing process?
Explain everything! Don’t worry about finding your ‘voice’; that comes automatically. But if your reader is not satisfied to have all his questions answered, then you have left a plot hole somewhere. You do not have to explain all the science in your science fiction, but you do have to explain enough that the readers understand its limitations. You do not have to describe the back-story in big chunks, but you do have to explain it in little pieces, here and there, enough to ‘go on’.
Are you working on another book project? Can you tell us a little about it?
The finale of my series, Morality, addresses everything from the double standards between men and women to the morality of everyday scientists trying to hold down jobs with questionable ethics. The first prequel, Enter the Goddess, is set on a planet founded by scientists, and deals with the uniquely practical mores they come up with as standard in their society. The second prequel, Undying Dawn, is about the founder of the Sinclair Demesnes, some 400 years before the main series; it discusses the choices made in colonizing a planet, particularly why a monarchy is superior to a democracy. I am amazed at how few people in the U.S. analyze the problems a democracy holds for its members!
"[...] if someone had told me 20 years ago that I could carry my library in my purse, I would have laughed in his face!"
Where do you see the book market in 5 or 10 years? Will there be only ebooks and will book stores disappear like record stores disappeared?
E-readers are a huge convenience; if someone had told me 20 years ago that I could carry my library in my purse, I would have laughed in his face! Yet print books will never go completely out of style, because there are situations in which an e-reader does not work, such as with no electricity. I prefer e-readers because I do not want to contribute to the waste stream of millions of unsold books, on their way to hopefully be recycled, though I fear many end up in landfills. If we do not suffer a huge apocalypse that destroys all electronics, like an EMP, then ebooks are forever.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
I prefer to use my computer. I frequently upload my works-in-progress, download the resulting files, and use them to edit.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
I am trying to put out a garden this year and am working on some ‘permaculture’ designs, such as hugelkultur.
How can readers connect with you?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eva.caye
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EvaCaye
Blog: http://evacaye.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.evacaye.com
Thank you very much for the Interview, Eva.
About the Book One Dignity (To Be Sinclair)
.jpg "Royalty (Eva Caye)") |
| Click to Read an Excerpt |
Lady Felicia Sorensen, a brilliant microengineering student, finds herself pressured to date Emperor Victor Sinclair, for he has fallen madly in love with her. Despite being showered with extravagant gowns and attention, she longs for a fascinating life as a scientist, instead of the stressful and dangerous destiny of an Empress The social pressures of being the Emperor's Betrothed, from gossip and manipulation to an assassination attempt, cause her to weigh her love for him against her personal goal, to do research in her own lab someday.
How can Lady Felicia follow her dream while still bending to the political necessities of a high elevation?
- "Cinderella meets scifi! [...] I really enjoyed this novel Eva Caye writes a beautiful whirlwind romance that reaches the heart of every girl that loved the princess fairy tales! This series is definitely on my to be read list!" - Reader Review
Links to the Series
Link to Eva Caye's Author page on Amazon
Link to the eBook To Be Sinclair Book One: Dignity with Excerpt on Amazon
