Today I have Skilja Peregrinarius here talking about his inspiration behind the story Inside the Eye. It is a steampunk style story and you can find it in Coming Together: Through the Storm.
So here is Skilja Peregrinarius to talk about Inside the Eye
There are many tiny influences for Inside The Eye:
I wanted to have a culture that wore great kilts, I wanted to show
how people kept their humour, sense of fun and nobility in the
harshest of conditions, I wanted to show a situation where an elite
class was absolutely relied upon to keep the world working - food in
one direction, raw materials in the other - etc. In addition, I find
storms exciting.
But the key part of the setup is that long, long ago I read a space opera story about a couple sailing through the stars. That's not a euphemism: They had a sailing ship that needed trimming and tending, with sails that caught starlight. They were also genetically different, to be able to tolerate radiation, while somehow having no trouble breathing or talking. What struck me most was the atmosphere of the story: It was a fantasy for adults, in the tradition of Lord Dunsany or H.G. Wells' Tales of the Unusual. There was a complete lack of explanation of the mechanics of the story; there was simply a patently absurd tale about two people having a romance while sailing in outer space.
To this day I have no idea who wrote it, what it was called or what compilation of stories I read it in, but the basic details and the surreal atmosphere stuck with me. So when I thought about "weather being central to the story", of course I thought of a permanent storm, then I thought of a world defined by a storm, then I remembered this old story and started thinking about a couple who have to fly through the storm, in a craft that is never explained but simply is, built of wood and belonging to a secretive, elite group who are apart from the people they serve but still intimately part of them (double entendre intended). I normally write quite hard, precisely detailed worlds, so this story was an enjoyably refreshing change for me.
But the key part of the setup is that long, long ago I read a space opera story about a couple sailing through the stars. That's not a euphemism: They had a sailing ship that needed trimming and tending, with sails that caught starlight. They were also genetically different, to be able to tolerate radiation, while somehow having no trouble breathing or talking. What struck me most was the atmosphere of the story: It was a fantasy for adults, in the tradition of Lord Dunsany or H.G. Wells' Tales of the Unusual. There was a complete lack of explanation of the mechanics of the story; there was simply a patently absurd tale about two people having a romance while sailing in outer space.
To this day I have no idea who wrote it, what it was called or what compilation of stories I read it in, but the basic details and the surreal atmosphere stuck with me. So when I thought about "weather being central to the story", of course I thought of a permanent storm, then I thought of a world defined by a storm, then I remembered this old story and started thinking about a couple who have to fly through the storm, in a craft that is never explained but simply is, built of wood and belonging to a secretive, elite group who are apart from the people they serve but still intimately part of them (double entendre intended). I normally write quite hard, precisely detailed worlds, so this story was an enjoyably refreshing change for me.
About Skilja Peregrinarius
Skilja Peregrinarius is the
Coming Together nom de plume of a speculative fiction writer whose
first published piece was in Coming Together: Arm in Arm in Arm. He
recently also contributed to Coming Together: In the Trenches. He
tends to write, with wild lack of discipline, in any speculative
genre, about any situation, that seems interesting. Far-future SF,
steampunk, alternative history, space opera: it's all good. He likes
to explore the ways people react, adapt, and grow, in situations that
might otherwise destroy them or their humanity.
Thanks to Skilja for popping in!
Please don't forget that you can buy Coming Together: Through the Storm
from Amazon, All Romance Ebooks and many other places. All links can be
found here: http://www.eroticanthology.com/throughthestorm.htm
Competition/Give Away
If you happen to be so kind to buy the book (you should, it's really
good if I do say so myself!) and then review it send me the link to my
email address reliefanthology '@' gmail 'dot' com I will put you into a
prize draw to win any one of my ebooks/books (you get to pick which).
Which means not only do you get to donate to charity (all proceeds of
Coming Together: Through the Storm go to Mercy Corps) you may well be
getting two books for the price of one - and that can't be bad at all.
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