Okay, maybe this a tad self-indulgent, but I thought I’d give you a glimpse of what I do so that those of you who might not have read me thus far might be so enticed when you realized it actually reality-ish but also it was so much more!
My name is Mary Louise Davie and I write Hard Science Fiction.
What is Hard Sci Fi? According to WIKIPEDIA it is: Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific accuracy or technical detail or both.
How do I maintain reality/accuracy in the details? To start I have a background in the sciences and the math needed to make the calculations. Next I absolutely love anything space related and follow it in the news and also write a Science Blog. (for both those reasons.) NASA is a great help. If I need to know something specific I know many of scientists at NASA either personally or have been referred to them if they specialize in whatever area I am asking about. Another way NASA helps is I attend many of their events – launches, special events, behind the scenes tours where I have the opportunity to speak to even more of their specialists. Another way is research. When I do research it is often taking the known science a step further - Such as my first of the Sanacion series – The Black Hole Mission. I did all the calculations and actually came up with a very different theory based on them. (Within the year two scientists, one in CA and one in France came out with similar theories. How’s that for validation?)
With regard to the black hole – I do not believe that calculations for space and real objects can be handled with make-believe numbers. I also believe that everything must follow physics, not as some theorize that black holes represent a break in that concept.
I do all this research so that you don’t have to. I don’t get writers block, per se, but if I am writing a scene and the science doesn’t quite make sense, I can’t fake it; my brain slams on the brakes and I have to go and do the research again or more. Do I write all the research in the story? No. That might be boring. Think of my novels as real life going on. Real life contains science all around us. Take that, add that the real life takes place in space or on another planet and add in the people. If you were experiencing those things in those places, what might happen next?
We live the story together. I say that because, like many authors, when I write, it is appearing the whole time like a movie in my head. I know many of you when you read experience the same thing. Actually it is a large part of why a book is often better than the movie. People who don’t get it make fun of that fact deeming it impossible – we know better!
Do I have some on-going themes regardless of which book or where it takes place? Yes. I really am not a pessimist, but I do believe that some things need to change in the basic ways that most humans think.Some, not all, are governed by beliefs that the way we have life (water, oxygen…) is the way everyone else in the Universe must. Or believe in absolutes a little too strongly. Also there are those who believe shoot first and ask questions later. (Or laser first, same thing really!) I know my books are simply fiction but I honestly hope they will have an effect on these beliefs.
Each book I write I get better. Also, with each new book I try something new. Could be the method of moving from scene to scene, how I do dialogue, where we are or what we are doing…The book I am currently working on has me planning the science more than ever before and speaking to more people at NASA JPL etc. for details regarding robotic missions and more really cool things that to tell you might spoil the awesome plans I have!
So if you like romance or humans just living or mysteries, there are elements of every one of them in my books – don’t be scared off by the Science! I do the science so you don’t have to and what little I put in is for those who want it, if you’re not one of them, skip over it! I have actually had readers who were primarily romance readers but read my Sanacion books anyway and got hooked.
Some of you know me from my tours with Wizard World ComicCons that run the gambit from Austin,Texas to Sacramento, CA, Nashville, Tenn to Chicago, Il. Or Farpoint in Maryland, ShoreLeave, also in Maryland or the numerous other events (High School Sci Fi events, Colleges, bookstores…) and perhaps you’ve even seem my presentations. Most of them are NASA presentations. I write various informative, and in my opinion, really cool. Presentations such as: NASA Takes on the Galaxy – where discussed are the various stops through the galaxy be they robotic missions or planned Lunar (or Martian) trips. Some of the cool discoveries from running water on Mars to the Lunar Caverns and then some stops which are more theoretical such as Titan or Europa (was at first getting more real by the minute!) Pluto and the frozen worlds and so on. I update it constantly as new data comes in as this presentation remains relevant. I also have a new one on the planned Mars trip which speaks of the newer plan of going to Phobos first; it is called Mars Impending. It also has a section that speaks to the Phobos elevator which I am gaining extensive knowledge on as it is related to one of my books or at least a similar set up is. I also do non-NASA ones but to be honest the NASA ones are more popular. I just like getting the word out on how cool NASA is since they need a better PR agent! (I actually start of every presentation with a quick view of the stuff they do for Earth. Even though I don’t prefer to cover happenings on Earth I’m sick of the argument that begins with ‘they don’t do anything down here why should we pay for space?...’)
Anyway, I’ve rambled on a bit so I’ll end this now. I just thought maybe someone somewhere would want to know a little about how this stuff all goes in my mind.
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