Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
You might feel like you’ve jumped through a time portal when you read this recap on behalf of the lovely conversation I had with Jennifer Silverwood on the 2nd of November during the kick-off weekend for #SciFiMonth (@SciFiMonth) – however, I assure you, you did not slip through an unseen black hole! I simply wasn’t able to post this until the following Saturday due to health reasons.
What transpired a week ago today is a beautifully lovely conversation between two bookish friends who just happen to be a book blogger and a Speculative Fiction / multi-genre story-teller who like to chatter about bookish topics they are mutually passionate about whilst Jorie has yet to discover a story by the pen of Ms Silverwood she hasn’t developed a heap of ruminative thoughts over!
This was a special cross-promoted chat for both #SatBookChat & #SciFiMonth as nearly the full convo was using both tags in order to engage the audiences from both groups of chatters. Sadly, during the chat itself, there was nominal engagement but it is my hope with this proper signal boost I can give the chat a second chance at finding its target audience of readers who are seeking a special something ‘extra’ in their readerly journey into Space Opera and Science Fiction!
The Heaven’s Edge series is told through a series of novellas before it will address a full length novel (at least two equal parts in novella form are slated to be published) whilst the novelist is an Indie Author who is cross-releasing her series into all formats readers might love to discover her stories inside! This was an ebook and now a print release series but it is (hopefully) soon going to be transitioning into an audiobook series as well. I was overjoyed truly hearing this news during #SatBookChat #SciFiMonth as audiobooks are simply my jam at the moment and finding NEW stories on the horizon to be released just makes me feel giddy!
Let me introduce you now to Heavens Edge and be sure to tuck into the archived transcript of the chat itself – where you can submit new replies (remember to use both hashtags!), share the convo as it aired live (via RT / favouring) and find out where the topics and the discussion took Ms Silverwood and Jorie overall! You will find she was openly responsive to enquiries about her writerly process, the intricacies of creating a world set in the Rims and what motivates her to write Space Opera in a YA illuminated world.
Without further adieu,
I give you my second “#SatBookChat spotlight”
wherein you can learn a bit more about the author & her series;
as well as where to find the archived chat we shared!
Series Introduction from the author Jennifer Silverwood:
Welcome to Heaven’s Edge! Grab your scythe blades, strap on your plasma gauntlets and prepare yourselves for one steampunkish adventure to the far corners of space with Qeya and co.
But before we begin, did you know this series about a group of stranded space teens was among the first stories I ever penned? A long time ago, in the year 1998, my folks had just bought our first computer. I wanted to write stories set in a world like Star Wars, but without adults interfering, of course. I spent my first formative writing years exploring Heaven’s Edge with Qeya and the gang. So it seemed only natural to update the story and make it my first publication twelve years later. My struggle to see Qeya published was what directed me to self-publishing and the rest is history.
We meet a crew of former Royals, the Miners who once served them. In Qeya, the crew was attacked by a mysterious alien force, then crash landed on the primitive world below. Trouble is, none of the adults survived and now a small band of children and teenagers must cross the boundaries their parents imposed on them to survive.
Over the years and between releasing my “big” books, I worked with editor and friend, Jessica Augustsson to breathe back life into this mini-series. It’s been one epic steam-clunking ride, reinventing this world from my childhood.
I hope you’re ready to take a tour of the Rim with me. Enjoy the adventure!
The Heaven’s Edge novella series:
**Omnibus includes first three Heaven’s Edge Novellas**
Qeya (book one)
Qeya, the future Queen of Datura, can’t do much about her red hair, but she knows how to wield a scythe blade and suck the life out of her enemy, literally. Life seems great, if a little boring on heaven’s edge. Until her ship is attacked and nearly everyone on board is murdered. Now, the miner who saved her is the only thing standing between her and the hungry beasts hunting them.
Ohre (book two)
All Ohre wants is the kind of freedom a life in the sea can give. But he doesn’t want to live it alone anymore. He wants the princess and if Qeya won’t come willingly, he’ll make her.
Tamn (book three)
Tamn has always lived by a code. He doesn’t question his duty. Until his crew is stranded on a hostile alien world and he’s forced to watch the girl he loves burn in the sky. Stripped of his reason for living, the voices from his past haunt and guide him in a path of endless retribution. Only the strongest will survive the trials ahead and Tamn is determined to keep the family he has left alive.
→ As revealled in #SatBookChat,
there are a potential 2x novella sequences & a full-length novel!
What do you think Spacers!? Is this the kind of Science Fiction cross-genre Space Opera you think you can sink your teeth into? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the *threads below but first I wanted to give another s/o to “RimRider” for without that lovely audiobook and the author who conceived of the idea for this spacepunk Rim world – I might never have charmed my way into seeking out more ‘Rim Fiction’ such as the Heaven’s Edge series!
When you think about the adversities alighting in Space from a purely inhabiting a speck of universe where there are more worlds than there are humans on Earth – you have to gather, you’re going to be at a clear disadvantage at the jump start of your life in Space! How Spacers manage to self-adjust to those obstacles is the mark of their courage yet Silverwood upped the ante on these kids by removing their parental units from not just watching over them but guiding them through life on the Rims itself!
This is a tangent of thought which matches “Rimrider” – as the teens in that Space Opera were also left to their own devices for most of the story (if not the series?) – it gives you a lot of room to breathe as an author but it also gives a fuller expanse of a world for a reader to enjoy dissolving inside.
For me personally, what I like most about stories set on the Rims is the outlaw Western frontier aspect of it! You really can see the cross-parallels from the wilds of the West (in the 1800s) with the Rims because the rules are out the window, the wits of man to survive is what counts most and its what you choose to do to survive that makes your reputation.
As we were chatting during #SatBookChat – I had wondered what drives other Science Fiction readers to the Rims and to mining colonies in Space? What different settings do readers via #SciFMonth enjoy exploring in their Space Operas and what appeals to them about Indie Sci-Fi in general? If you have any further thoughts on these topics or questions for Ms Silverwood – kindly add them to the comments – I’ll be checking this post throughout November and alerting Ms Silverwood of new replies!
This Jennifer silverwood Spotlight is connected with the chat I hosted via @satbookchat featuring this lovely author on 2nd November, 2019.
The press Materials are courtesy of:
View the archived chat via Moments
{SOURCES: Book covers for “Heaven’s Edge” series as well as the author biography and author photograph of Jennifer Silverwood and all promotional press materials (including the author’s banner), series synopsis and other bits about the series were all provided by the author Jennifer Silverwood and are used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #SatBookChat Jennifer Silverwood Chat badge, #SciFiMonth banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2019.
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