Sci-fi author B. Williams chats with me today about her new romantic science fiction novel, The Retrofit: The Callistar 1.0.
Bio:
B. Williams is an American author who writes in several genres. The most prominent are urban fantasy and science fiction.
She prefers to settle in on a rainy day with an open keyboard and some music for noise as she types out her stories. Each one is meant to be a world that one can step into and feel the characters and relate to their emotional journey.
When she’s not writing, she spends time with her little family and reads to further her abilities.
Welcome, B. Please tell us about your current release.
The Retrofit is a sci-fi romance that focuses on character development in a way that progresses through the entire series. I am currently writing book two and the overarching believability of these characters growing and changing because of their environment is very important to myself and my coauthor. But in the first novel we explore Quinn, the retrofitter, and Kira, the ship’s captain. Kira refuses to take shore leave with the rest of the crew instead staying behind to essentially nettle Quinn to no end. He does not take kindly to her meddling and they start on terms that are less than friendly. Toss in a bit of a sarcastic AI, crew members coming in and out as they prepare for deep space exploration, and misunderstandings and you have a recipe for eventual happiness.
What inspired you to write this book?
J.J. and I started this one without knowing where we were going. Originally I didn’t see the characters ever actually reconciling but as we launched into it we knew this was going to be exactly what we wanted in the end. But the way we started was, hey, let’s do something different and we launched from urban fantasy to deep space with a kick butt heroine and a independent but introverted male lead.
Excerpt from The Retrofit:
She watched a man who’d been written off as nothing but an asset who was now realizing just what it meant to be human.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I am currently editing and compiling The Callistar 2.0. We do have The Callistar 1.5 out already which covers two crew members, Rick and Hela, but in 2.0 we return to our main two. Quinn and Kira are still learning and adjusting to being around each other, and the whole crew, and that growth is once again exhibited. I just finished working on a scene with Quinn where if it had happened early book one the end result would have been vastly different and as an author I couldn’t help but be proud of the character and what J.J. has done with him.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I started writing in high school back and forth doing roleplay. I would read fantasy novels that spanned eight hundred plus pages and I wanted to be able to live in those worlds. So writing like that for me made me more comfortable in exploring different topics and genres. Now I read adult novels and look for different inspiration but having a co-writer, J.J. really helps keep me motivated as I get the excitement of not always knowing what is coming next.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I write part time, work part time, and parent full time to a very rowdy toddler who keeps me on my toes. Sometimes during the day I can get snippets in here and there writing on my phone but otherwise I end up writing after everyone is in bed when I have an hour or two to myself. When I am working it is on the ambulance providing patient care or teaching healthcare classes for other providers.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I’m not sure it’s so much of a quirk but I challenged myself once and I found that I can write as quickly on my phone as with a keyboard, with effort.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A teacher, and I still love to teach just now to my coworkers.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I believe in stories that take their time, that grow and change, and allow readers to see more than they thought possible in these characters. To mimic reality even if in strange and outlandish locations. I hope that everyone can find in some small way that they relate to them, and in them see that they can be anything they want to be.