Interview: Aubrie Dionne

Today’s interview is with Aubrie Dionne, author of several fantasy works, most recently the newly released Nebula’s Music. She speaks about the inspiration behind her work, as well as what she’s most had the most fun writing and why one of her future books may involve a unicorn.

LZ: How did you come up with the idea for “Nebula’s Music”?

AD: First of all, thank you for interviewing me!

Two things inspired me to write Nebula’s Music. The first is the character Data, the android, from Star Trek: The Next Generation. I watched TNG for all seven seasons growing up. It was on at 7 and 7:30 every night and Data was my favorite character. There was one scene with him playing the violin like a virtuoso and I always thought of that scene and how androids could probably play music perfectly, but lacked the emotion behind it. Data always dreamed of being human, and I thought about what it would be like to be made from a human and not synthetics. Would they feel more human than synthetic androids? And what if they somehow retained the previous human’s memories?

The second is the genre of space operas. I loved Serenity, Star Wars, Star Trek and the whole idea of a soap opera in space. I wanted to try writing one of my own with romance, action, drama and adventure.

LZ: Is there a message in the story you want readers to grasp?

AD: To treat everyone equally and respect their feelings. Nebula is prejudiced against because she is a cyborg and they view her as a lower life form. But Radian loves her as who she is.

LZ: Your writing often leans toward fantasy/science fiction with elements of romance. What about the genre appeals to you?

AD: Reading and writing are an escape for me and if the subject is real life-oriented, then there’s no escape, really. I want fantasy lands with super heroes and sorceresses. Just because it’s fantasy doesn’t mean it can’t be deep with morals and intellectual thoughts.

LZ: You mention why you lean toward the sci fi/fantasy genre, but is there any particular reason why romance crops up in your stories?

AD: Romance always seems to pop up because, for me, it gives the story more depth and adds some spice. Stories with romance are always more interesting for me to read than stories without it.

LZ: What of your works, published or not, have you had most fun writing, or found to be the most personally satisfying?

AD: I love writing short stories, whether it be for magazines, anthologies, or just on my own. Gypsy Shadow Publishing has published a lot of my short stories, and I also have stories in Silver Blade and Niteblade magazines. If I could write anything I wanted without thinking about the cares or concerns of publishers, agents and readers, I’d write about unicorns. Maybe someday I’ll actually sit down and go crazy with my unicorns? I don’t know.

LZ: How do you challenge or plan to challenge yourself as a writer?

AD: I’m trying to write darker, edgy stories. I grew up in a perfect pink bubble watching My Little Pony, The Gummy Bears, The Last Unicorn, etc. My parents were great, I had no trouble in school, and I got a full scholarship to study flute at the university. After that, I got two of the highest flute teaching jobs in the state. So my life’s been pretty nice, all wrapped up in shiny paper. And that’s what comes out in my writing. I have a very positive personality and outlook on life, and I need to be able to write characters that are jaded.

LZ: Ee! @ you referencing The Last Unicorn. Mia Farrow made a surprisingly foxy unicorn, y/n?

AD: Yes, Mia Farrow was a foxy unicorn! I love her personality (and could use some of it myself!) My favorite character was Smendrick the magician. I had such a crush on him growing up.

LZ : You have your review blog — Book Reviews by Aubrie. Do you take requests for that, or how can an author go about being reviewed by you? If you don’t like a book, do you post an honest review?

AD: As for my review blog, anyone can e-mail me with a request to review a book. I’m not a picky reader. I love reading and I’ll read the milk carton if there’s nothing else available. This means there is a good probability that I’ll like someone’s book. I don’t like graphic violence, excessive bad language or really dark books with no light at the end. If I don’t like a book, I won’t post a review. This has happened a few times, and I’m so sorry to those authors that I’ve had to turn down after looking at their books. A lot of times the books were very well written, but the story or the subject material just wasn’t for me.

LZ: What’s next for Aubrie Dionne?

AD: Well, I’ll definitely continue to write. I’d like to get some of my short fantasy stories in pro magazines and I’d like to get an agent someday to get widespread distribution of my writing, but if I don’t, that’s okay too. I love my ebook companies and I’m very happy with where I am. I’m currently working on another, longer space opera and intend to finish it within 2010.

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To purchase Nebula’s Music from its publisher, Lyrical Press, visit www.lyricalpress.com/nebulas_music.

For more information on Aubrie Dionne, visit her Web site, www.authoraubrie.com, or her blog, authoraubrie.blogspot.com.