Take your time – Do it right
By Andrea Cothern
Nothing annoys me more than reading a book and knowing that
the author has no clue what they’re talking about. The importance of doing your
research can’t be emphasized enough. Sure, nobody’s perfect, but assuming that
your readers won’t notice is simply insulting. You will get someone who is anal
enough to look something up, and the next thing you know, they’re writing about
it on every social network they have access to and you look like a fool.
If you’re going to write about making cupcakes from scratch,
for instance, you must list the ingredients.
When I was writing my debut novel, Ruby Sun, I had everything mapped out. My idea was simple enough:
What was my idea? Aliens coming to Earth. From where? Scientists had recently
stated that they had found a system that would possibly support life. I found
the system, figured out which planet would support life (there are four in the
system) and made that their home.
When I was co-authoring Corona
with Bernard Hovestadt (a sci-fi novel that involves some pretty funky stuff on
the ocean and the Titanic), a beta
reader thought it prudent to tell me I was wrong about something. Imagine my
satisfaction when I was able to come back with my source and prove him wrong.
Being able to defend yourself and your work is vital.
Conversely, a reader contacted me one day, very pleased that
when they had Googled Gliese (the red dwarf star that is the center of my
aliens home system), they found it! I didn’t have to use a real planet or
system, but because I did, it might make it more real to some readers.
Isn’t that the point? Having the reader get lost in your
work? I may never have stated it in my book, but I had hours, days, months, the
year, and the lunar calendar noted. If my characters were outside at night and
the moon was out, it obviously wouldn’t be the same moon two weeks later. It
might not have mattered. But then again, it could have.
You just never know. If you’re going to be a writer, don’t
do it half-assed. Someone out there will know, and they’ll rip you a new one.
And they might just have a voice big enough to ruin your career.
My Work:
Ruby Sun
Corona
Coming Soon:
Sapphire Moon
Where to find them:
Ruby Sun
Corona
Blurb:
Life in
Blanding’s about as thrilling as watching paint dry. Nothing exciting ever
happens. Then the Sheltons move to town, and Beth’s life will never be the
same. What’s up with this new family? Their son Robert’s drop dead gorgeous—and
he’s got a chip on his shoulder the size of a planet! Lizzy is lively and fun,
not like the bossy and demanding Clare, who’s supposed to be Beth’s best
friend! Until she sets her sights on Robert, that is! The mystery begins to
unravel after an innocuous trip to the museum. Can this be true? Are they
really extra-terrestrial visitors? Has Beth fallen in love with an alien? When
did her life become like an episode of the X-Files?
Getting Robert to tolerate being around Beth
is only the tip of the iceberg, as she falls head over heels for the gorgeous
outworlder. But that love is threatened by a mysterious man who seems to be
after the family. Who is he, and what does he want? And to what limits will he
go to obtain his goals? Will Beth end up relocating to another planet to stay
with her newfound love, or will she be forced to let him go to save him?
Ruby Sun excerpt:
My head started swimming as his lips parted
and mine opened in response. His breath was sweet on my face, and I was
drinking it in. The full kiss only made my lightheadedness worse, and my knees
started to give out. As if he was reading my thoughts, he pushed me further
into the kitchen without breaking the kiss. His arms traced down the sides of
my body to my thighs, where he gripped hard and lifted, placing me on the
counter. Taking my cue from him, I wrapped my legs around his waist with his
hands still in place, pulling him closer to press his body against mine. With
the same urgency, he kissed my cheek, moving down my neck and around to my
throat. When he reached my collarbone, I remembered that I needed to breathe.
Who needed air at a time like this?
I took a deep breath and shuddered—the
butterflies rode a roller coaster in my stomach.
This was wrong.
Then again, nothing had ever felt so right.
Bio:
Andrea Cothern is the author of two novels. The first, Ruby Sun, is currently available as an
ebook at museituppublishing.com and amazon.com. Its sequel, Sapphire Moon, will be available through
the same publishers late 2012. In her spare time she enjoys painting, crafting,
reading, writing, and spending time with her husband, Jason, and their daughter
Madison. She currently lives in Orlando, Florida.
Great interview, Andrea. I read Ruby Sun AGAIN just recently - still love it! Thanks for sharing some of the info about the background research that went into it and best of luck with the new publications.
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