Interview with author, Aurora Lightbourne

Today I welcome author, Aurora Lightbourne! Please leave a comment to enter for prizes Aurora will tell you about later in the interview.

Aurora, welcome to Immortyl Revolution.  What age group is your work geared toward?

I write stories I would like to read. Whether they appeal to adults or young adults that is up to the reader to decide. I try to keep them at about an 8th grade reading level, according to MS Word.

Into which genre would you say your work falls and why?

My Space Trippers Series is Sci-Fi/Fantasy adventure. It is Sci-Fi because it is set in the future and the people are on a ship which gets sent far from home when an invention called 'The Space Tripper' activates.
I am also working on a 'steampunk fairytale' and that is technically also Sci-Fi as it deals with different technology in a Victorian type time.

Tell us a little about your book.

Space Trippers is a fun Sci-Fi series.  Valesque Rhaugh is a Virrilian Engineer, banished from her home planet for allegedly selling weapons to the humans. She lives a quiet life, moving from place to place and constructing new gadgets. Lately she has been living undercover in hostile Earthian territory, constructing her latest project; a state-of-the-art scientific exploration vessel.

The corrupt Earthian organization, the I.P.A. has sought control of her inventions before, but she had always turned them down flat. One determined General has now set his sights on her unfinished ship. In one fateful day he has her unarmed vessel taken over and ordered out for war duty, against her people! Worse yet, they shanghaied her as part of the crew!

When she wakes up, three days after launch, kidnapped on her own vessel, her nightmare has only just begun. Soon she discovers a sinister secret as her long lost device, the Space Tripper activates and sends them all hurtling into the unknown.
When the crew finds themselves stranded in uncharted space all fingers point at her. She is reluctantly befriended by a very flirty pilot, a shy young genius, an air headed android and a suspicious alien girl found drifting in space.

A fun, light series. Each book in the series follows the next in this episodic adventure. Each stop on the continuing journey delves a little deeper into the pasts, feelings and motives of each character as the entire story begins to unfold.

You can see a book trailer here: book trailer

Who is your favorite character in your book(s) and why?

I would have to say Valesque is my favorite, most of the story is told from her point of view. You have to sympathize with her, she is completely innocent, just trying to live her life and has finally found some happiness when the people she hates most come and turn her life upside down in just one day. She tries her best. She is not great at people skills, but she means well. It will be interesting to see her progress through the series.

What other writers would you say have influenced your work and why? What are some of your favorite books in the genre?

Goodness, I am not sure if anyone has influenced this particular work. I used to read a lot as a teen, I could finish a 300 pages book in a day, but I read fantasy, Sci-Fi was too dry. I like humor, so in the Sci-Fi genre the only book I can think of offhand are the Hitchhikers series. I loved those books. Douglas Adams was the king of zany. His Marvin the robot was my favorite character in that series.

What is your writing process like? Do you do a lot of background research? Do you plot every detail or do you prefer the characters to move the story in new directions, or a combination of both? Do you belong to a critique group and do you find this helpful?

I research when I get an idea, to get my setting right. Like my newest stand-alone story 'Brass Hearts' I looked up period transportation I could make into steam vehicles. I looked up fashions, corsets, everything. I find internet search invaluable when writing.

When I get a story idea I will write down all I know about it as an outline. I will set up my time line and what key points, conversations and scenes I want to be sure to include and when. The characters add things of their own, some people show up when they weren't supposed to, like Tim who just has to be included in any conversation within earshot, and with Tim that can be pretty far.

Do you have any advice for young or beginning writers?

Write about anything to build your skill and learn what your personal writer's 'voice' is. Creative writing is a good practice tool. Just pick a theme, an item, a word and write a short story on it. You will learn to develop a more vivid imagination.

Who is your publisher and where are your books available? Are there e-books and hard copies available?

I am with a little publisher called FairSpot Publishing. Books 1 & 2 are available as a volume (both books together in one cover) from any bookstore in your town or online that uses the Ingram catalog ( like B&N for instance). Space Trippers 1-3 are all available individually in ebook formats, including Sony, Kindle, Ipad etc, from ebook retailers.  You can find them listed on sites like B&N: Barnes and Noble. 
Book 3 will be available in paperback later this year.

What is your website and/or blog where readers can learn more? Can they friend you on Facebook or other sites?

My author site is: http://alightbourne.netau.net/you can find links to my Facebook and Twitter from there.

Are there any upcoming signings or appearances you'd like to mention?

I am still on my Online Book Tour until June 3rd. So there is still time for people to get in on the prize drawings!  You could win gift cards, an autographed book and 'character' bookthong and more just by leaving me a comment on my stops, like this one. 

Also you can get in the drawing for a $25 Visa gift card by playing a crossword game with me. It only has 14 words and most of them are in the FREE half of Space Trippers Book 1 you can get from the link on my site: http://alightbourne.netau.net/ 
You don't have to leave your computer and you can visit the stops even after the scheduled date, that is just when the interviews and posts will go live. ( you may have to search the blogs archive for my earlier posts)

For details on the tour, prizes and game visit my Tour Event: Aurora's tour

Aurora, thanks for joining me today and good luck on your tour!