"I like your dark, FIREFLY kind of world."

This comment about Grimspace came from an agent I didn't sign with, and it got me thinking about how I wound up with the "world" I invented.

Then a reader emailed me, asking for more details about the book. She's a fan of girlie sci-fi that features fast-paced, edge-of-your seat action spiced with longing and angst. Well, good news for her, that's exactly what I've written.

So here's the thing. I didn't do what most writers do in terms of world-building. I didn't sketch out the galaxy and name the planets and decide what technology was available. Set up a story board and do reams of pre-work.

I sat down with a blank mind, and I wrote. I did everything wrong too, according to the textbooks. Just for starters, I wrote in present tense and in first person. Jax isn't a kinder, gentler heroine either; at the beginning, she's a chilly, self-involved bitch who cares for nothing as much as saving her own ass. (Don't worry, she grows throughout the book.) But if everyone else is following the rules and you break them in the right way, does that make your book fresh?

Hell if I know.

Anyway, I revealed information about the world as I went along, but of course, I was limited to what Jax would know. And if she didn't know, I didn't. It was just that simple.

The end result is a world that combines the feel of Joss Whedon's FIREFLY with the world set forth in PITCH BLACK. I didn't set out writing with those in mind, but when someone else spotted the influence, I couldn't dispute it. My universe is stark and currently in turmoil, populated by humans and aliens, striving to coexist.

I also spun the idea of the Corporate environment growing to an insane scale. Imagine a company so big, so many branches, so many employees, so much money and power, that over time, it replaced the government. Sound crazy? Give Microsoft a few hundred years. :)

Another wrinkle I put into things is communication. Since I eschewed faster than light travel in lieu of grimspace, this creates a question of "how do they communicate over long distances?" Well, they utilize bounce-relay satellites, and it's not instantaneous. It's like interplanetary email and it takes time. Unless you're within a certain range, there's no instant communication in my world. This creates unbelievable difficulties if you're waiting for word before making a decision. I also take current emerging technologies into consideration when defining what science looks likes. There are no warp drives or teleporters to be found, but you can certainly replace damaged body parts via hospital organ banks.

I could go on, but it's probably best to let you discover the rest yourself. Though you may see glimmers of FIREFLY and PITCH BLACK in this book, I've created something uniquely my own, and I hope you enjoy getting lost in the world Jax lives in next March.