Guiding Stars of Inspiration #amwriting #scifi #fantasy

I don't know if being a book worm made English Literature at school not only easier but interesting to me, or if I was lucky with the books assigned to us. I was already a fan of fantasy and scifi, though I would read pretty much anything including things from my parent's bookshelves that were totally unsuitable for my age. But I even enjoyed Shakespeare, mostly loathed by my classmates (and my kids!). In my first year at secondary school (age 11-15), we were assigned Jane Eyre (which I enjoyed) but also A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin. I loved it, and I think the almost poetic style (not quite as heavy as Tolkien) is what went on to influence my own style (which my editor described as lyrical). It also confirmed my favourite kind of hero: quiet, talented and tortured.

At this stage I'd found my home in fantasy - Terry Brooks, David Eddings, JRR Tolkien, Barry Hughhart, Terry Pratchett, and so on. In year four we got an anthology of science fiction edited by Brian Aldiss - heaven for me! Even WW2 thriller Rogue Male and a weird play about murder and intrigue in an all boys school were a delight to me. I'd also moved towards scifi and become an avid fan of Anne McCaffrey, which put the final seal on my preference for what is now referred to as science fantasy, but with a romantic soul. I'd picked up a Star Trek book by Janet Kagan simply for the feline alien on the cover (Uhura's Song), Drowntide by Sydney J. Van Scyoc (another book which reading back now I realize influenced not just my leading hero Keir but my apparent love for marine planets), and more sea in Mirage by Louise Cooper (I also loved her Time Master trilogy).

But it was in 2009 on completing what became my debut novel that I found more recent authors to inspire me. Hunting for an agent prompted me to find other published works to compare my own to. Googling scifi with a medieval setting led me to Jaine Fenn and her Hidden Empire books. Psi powers mixed with old Earth myths in a far future setting? Perfect.

Since then I've discovered many friends and peers also writing scifi romance where I can happily lose myself (and you can find my favourites on my Goodreads shelves HERE).
And while I can't claim to come anywhere near the standard of my latest writing heroine, finding elements I love and parallels to what I enjoy writing gave me that little bit more confidence in my own work.
I'm Pippa Jay, author of scifi and supernatural stories with a romantic soul. I hope you enjoyed learning about some of the books and authors that have shaped me as a reader and a writer.