Interview: Aubrie Dionne, Author of Nebula's Music

Today we have author Aubrie Dionne with us, author of the book I just reviewed, Nebula's Music. Aubrie is both an incredible musician and writer. She has written and published numerous short stories, two novels, and is currently writing another space opera (how cool is that genre's name??). She will also be querying literary agents very soon for her next book, Desert Nomad.

I'd love it if you could tell us about your writing journey. How long have you been writing, and what got you interested in the first place?

I've been writing my entire life. My first book was about a flutist that travels back in time and impresses the court with her playing. She joins a band of minstrels and falls in love with the prince. I wrote it all throughout high school. It was awful, and I'm glad I got it out of my system! Later on, I would come up with stories to go with the music when I taught flute. My students loved the stories so much that they asked me to publish them, and here I am today!

Why epublishing? What do you have to tell us about your experience writing ebooks?

Every full length book that I write I query to agents. So far I've gotten a few requests for sample pages and a few fulls, but no one has offered to represent me. Sometimes it takes several books to hit the right formula of what they are looking for. I decided to submit the books to e publishers because I thought they were still viable novels and I didn't want them to go to waste and never be read.

E publishing has taught me a lot about the industry and writing in general. I have editors, and experience working with them. I also get to submit my novels and short stories to reviewers for further input. My writing has improved in leaps. If I ever get an agent, I'll have the skills necessary to edit the book to their liking. Meanwhile, my writing is getting published along the way.

I especially loved how your writing was grounded with strong verbs. You mentioned before that you've learned to write without adverbs, and I completely agree! Well done! I saw on your blog you have Nebula's Music and Dreams of Beauty. These are considered novellas, correct? Since they're shorter novels?

Thanks for the compliment on my verbs! I'm still working it out and I'm sure you'll find a few adverbs here and there. Dreams of Beauty is YA, so I think it's considered a novel even though it's short. Dreams of Beauty is the second book that I wrote, so it's not as polished as Nebula's Music.

Of all your characters, who do you like the best? Who can you relate to the most?

Every single one of my characters has a part of me in them, even the villains! I can relate to all of them, even the balding, middle age man that's in my new space opera. It's scary how much of myself I put in not knowing it until after the book is finished! I guess that's the only way I can make them come alive.

Tell us about the book you're currently working on.

I really enjoyed the space opera setting in Nebula's Music and decided to write another, full length novel based on that sub genre of science fiction. My work in Progress is titled Desert Nomad. Here is the blurb I've been working on for my agent queries. (Because you can never start thinking about it early enough)

Aries is a Lifer: a sixth generation colonist living aboard the Ark , a deep space transport vessel destined for a paradise planet two hundred years away. Her purpose is to maintain the life support systems and marry Lieutenant Barliss, producing two genetically superior children to take their place at the helm.

Stifled with a predestined existence determined by computer calculations, Aries manipulates an escape months before her marriage ceremony to Barliss. Her flight pod crashes on a desert planet with minimal survival conditions and she is caught between the search and rescue teams of the Ark and the primitive hunters on the alien world. While struggling to survive, she is rescued by Striker, a space pirate exiled by his mutinous crew. Together they search for the last relic needed to revive an ancient alien craft, their only means of escape. With the search teams flying above and the hunters stalking them below, Aries is forced to make the ultimate sacrifice; her freedom for Striker’s life. Striker must bargain with the same pirates that exiled him in order to rescue her.

I'm about half way through and loving it!

I especially like your first two sentences. It pulled me right in. Do you have any final comments before we end the interview?? You've been so great!!

Final comment: thank you so much for taking an interest in me and my writing.

You are so welcome, Aubrie. Thanks for answering my questions!