Pages

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Learning from sci-fi


Welcome to the Earth Day Blog Hop! 

I have to admit, I find it a little ironic that I have a new story about life in a different world than our own coming out the same weekend I'm doing a blog hop for Earth Day. But then again, if you think about it, the best sci-fi stories are the ones that make you appreciate the world we live in even more.

Look at Dune by Frank Herbert. It's widely recognized as the first novel of its kind to address planetary ecology, doing so with such pristine world-building and characterizations that the book has become a classic. In fact, its publication in 1965 is often credited with contributing to the environmental campaigns from which Earth Day was created in 1970.

By using another planet, Herbert had the freedom to address what a delicate balance ecosystems must keep in order to thrive, a criticism readers could translate into their day-to-day worlds. The best part about it is that he does so without preaching, never sacrificing the story for the message. He presented the question of how to maintain the health of an entire ecosystem and compels readers to search for their own answers.

And isn't this what we need to do as individuals in our quest to save our own planet?

Everybody has different needs, different lifestyles, different abilities. The fact of the matter is, the measures we take for Earth Day have to work for us, or we won't stick with them. We can teach our children what we can, but isn't it nice to know they can find the same lessons in genre literature?

I know I take comfort in that thought. I'm proud to be a genre author, now with a sci-fi romance, too!

In celebration of the hop, I'll be giving away an e-copy of of a title from my backlist, in addition to all the other prizes that are being given away. All the winners will be picked Sunday night. Enjoy the hop!

25 comments:

Rosanna Leo said...

Sounds fascinating, Vivien! Best of luck to you and enjoy the hop!

Carin said...

I loved the Dune series, I will have to check out your books. thanks Carin
mawmom at gmail dot com

Beckey said...

I agree... If your children see that you enjoy something that they too will take an interest in it as well (actions speak mountains while words are just that... words.)
Also, Dune was a great read...



BeckeyWhiteATgmailDOTcom

brother john said...

I love the Dune Series . i will have to check out your books . Happy Green Day
tigerbrock42@hotmail.com

Melissa Brock said...

I have to check out your ebooks and i love the Dune series .
Happy Green Day

Dragonyka said...

Same here. Loved Dune. Will have to get some of your books.

Nay Nay said...

I love Sci Fi romances. They are so open to interpretation when you are visiting different worlds and species. I love how Earthers or Terrans are viewed in them. Thanks for being part of the hop and for the chance to win. <^_^>
reneebennett35 (at) yahoo (dot) com

bn100 said...

Sounds interesting

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

Sasha Devlin said...

I enjoy reading sci-fi romance, but often feel like my brain doesn't process it well enough to try to write it. And yet your post makes it sound as if it's not that far out of reach. Thanks for that.

sasha(at)sashadevlin(dot)com

Alianne said...

When they released the Children of Dune movies I had SUCH a huge crush on Leto... *sigh*

I am with you, though. I love stories that make you appreciate what you have. Green grass and blue sky. Can't beat that =)

Happy Earth Day

SheriV said...

Sounds like a great read.

smurfettev AT gmail DOT com

Belinda G said...

Romance in any genre is fun for me. I like seeing what the author envisions. Sci Fi and Earth Day would seem to go well together because you can show what the planet would look like if we don't take care of it. This fascinates me. Some authors do it well.

Thanks for the opportunity to share.

Belinda G
belgre AT comcast DOT net

Christina Livingston said...

great post! :) mygirls01(@)yahoo.com

Fedora said...

I remember reading the entire Dune series in my teens, Vivien! I'm thrilled now to see so much more scifi romance--looking forward to acquainting myself with your stories!

f dot chen at comcast dot net

DD Symms said...

I never thought about sci-fi being a way to appreciate our life here on earth even more.

Unknown said...

Great post and Congrats on your new release!

leanne109[at]hotmail[com]

Unknown said...

Great Post ! Cant wait to read your books.
hannah.calmond@googlemail.com

The Scarf Princess said...

I love sci-fi and love the sound of this book!

Joder
joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com

Anonymous said...

I love Dune. It's inspired quite a bit of my writing as well.

By the way, your cover for Aria of the Eclipse is awesome. I hope you're enjoying the hop!

Michelle Bledsoe said...

Do you know I have not seen or read Dune. I know, I know, what the heck is wrong with me...LOL
I will remedy that situation soon.

koonie2888 at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

I remember reading the dune books when i was younger. My mom used to say i was her little flowerchild even though i was born in the wrong era as i was always trying to save plants and find other uses for things. I love the cover of your book and there is nothing wrong with being a scifi romance writer... I like sci fi romances so keep them coming.

j.m.platt83@gmail.com

Shadow said...

I havent read this series yet. Definitely gonna have to soon! They sound great! Thanks for sharing!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

JoAnna said...

I haven't really read the Dunes series. Thanks for the giveaway!

beckerjo at verizon dot net

Anonymous said...

Happy Earth Day! Look forward to reading your books, thanks for the giveaway and good luck with the Hop! :) alabamagirl_711@yahoo.com

LynTaylor said...

I haven't read Dune but now you've got me intrigued :D Happy Earth Day!

evlyntaylor1(at)bigpond(dot)com