Why Science Fiction authors also write Historical novels

As an author, I write romance in futuristic and medieval settings, and sometimes, I mix both into the same series, like in the Chronicles of Kassouk, where I pit a medieval society against an advanced technological race. And contrary to modern logic, medieval humans are smart, very resourceful and full of surprises... enough to outdo their betters. Everyone enjoys seeing the oppressed win in the end.

A number of new authors are now also writing medieval as well as science fiction novels, but this is not a new phenomenon. Marion Zimmer Bradley in the eighties and nineties wrote in both science fiction and medieval genres with her Mists of Avalon (Arthurian legends) series and her Darkover (speculative fiction) series, and she met with great success in both genres. Most of her readers did cross over the genres to read all her books.

Writing the past or the future is not so far apart. Research is still research. For the future, instead of researching historical facts, you research modern science in order to project where the next logical evolutionary step will lead, and what kind of future society it will likely engender. Creating an unfamiliar world and making it real to the reader, whether in the past or in the future, requires the same skills, the same kind of imagination that projects into a world with different sets of rules, a different political climate, different dress codes, eating habits, different laws and ethics, different religious beliefs, different taboos, etc.

The only thing that doesn't change through the ages is people. Although we would like to believe that we evolved over the last millennia, we really haven't. Despite our fancy laws, we still have serial killers and terrorists. Given the opportunity, any human being will behave in the same noble or despicable manner now as he or she would have centuries ago. And in the future, it will probably still be the case. Of course, in the future there also might be robots, cyborgs, and clones which might operate under a different set of rules. But is that so different from the rules controlling the slaves of ancient times?

The struggle for justice, however, like the need for love and freedom, are timeless and constant themes that keep repeating in the past, the present, and will most likely endure in the future. Because these needs are inherent to human nature.

In conclusion, whether a writer tackles the past or the future, what carries a story, beyond the action, adventure and plot, is human emotion. We all can relate to that. So I hope you try my medieval romantic series. It's not set in the future, but if you imagine it's on another planet instead of our own in the faraway past, it could very well be.

Happy reading.

Vijaya Schartz

Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick

http://www.vijayaschartz.com/

Traveling to India, the land of the Blue Gods

I was privileged to live in India for many months, in an ashram in a small village of Maharastra. At the time I wasn't writing novels but studying, translating nonfiction books, meditating, and keeping journals and travel logs. I fell in love with the land of the blue gods, the smells, the colors, the people and their philosophy.

It took me several years after I left this fascinating culture to finally have enough distance to write about it. It's difficult to write what you are living now. Later, with a broader perspective, you undersdand the facts better and the emotions are still fresh enough. Anyhow, since I write fiction, I decided to use my experiences of India as the backdrop for a love story, a very Indian story, a story of reincarnation.

That's how ASHES FOR THE ELEPHANT GOD was born. Although the story is fictitious, I used my deep immersion into East Indian culture to write a unique story tied to a unique place. In this novel, India is omnipresent, and only in India could this story ever happen. This book is the only one of mine like this. It is the book of my heart, the important book I was meant to write.

My other novels are action romances and romantic science fiction. I create new imaginary worlds for them. Although I wish I could visit the future and travel to other planets and come back to write about it. Maybe one day I will... if I live long enough. One can only hope. Since according to Indian culture, death is only the beginning and we keep reincarnating until the end of times.

ASHES FOR THE ELEPHANT GOD

To scatter her brother's ashes over the Narmada River, Fabienne leaves France for the mysterious India of her childhood dreams. As she awakens to a newfound spirituality, unexpected visions of a former life during the Raj stir ancient yearnings for a long lost passion. Mukunda, the palace architect Fabienne loved a century and a half ago, lives again as an American engineer and works on the local dam project. As Fabienne falls in love again with India and the man of her destiny, the tapestry of her previous life unfolds. But, in the karmic land of the blue gods, a ruthless foe lies in wait. The Kali worshiper, who murdered the two lovers in a faraway past, has come back through the centuries to thwart their dream once more.

reviews:

"... a broad-stroked, magnificent picture of a lavish India of the past and the present... a vivid tale of suspense... a gripping account of a woman coming to terms with heightened awareness... a destiny that yields true fulfillment." The Book Reader

"... entertaining, fast-paces yet deeply spiritual... Here is a superior metaphysical novel!" Richard Fuller - Metaphysical Reviews

"... passionate... love, lust, faith and deception... a magnificent offering to the world of fiction..." Charlotte Austin Review

"...rich, sensual... multilayered... a thriller... magical, mystical book..." Writer's Digest
 
The book is now available in all eBook formats. There is an older edition paperback with a different cover and you might still be able to find a rare copy on the internet.
 
Wishing you all travels, discovery, and many adventures on the way.
And a fantastic holiday season.

Vijaya Schartz
http://www.vijayaschartz.com/