Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Café
Meet Andorra Pett; with her trusty sidekick, she’s taken over a derelict café. On a mining station. It just happens to be orbiting Saturn!
She’s hoping for a fresh start, away from all the drama of her old life. It’s a chance to relax and start again in a place where nobody knows anything about her or her past.
But the café holds a secret, and secrets have a habit of coming out; whether you want them to or not. And being accident prone doesn’t help. The more you try to pretend that you know what’s going on, the worse it gets.
Andorra’s plans for peace and quiet get lost amid the revelations and skulduggery and she soon realises that the fate of the whole station lies in her hapless hands.
In space, you can still trip over your feet; the question is, will you land upright?
She’s hoping for a fresh start, away from all the drama of her old life. It’s a chance to relax and start again in a place where nobody knows anything about her or her past.
But the café holds a secret, and secrets have a habit of coming out; whether you want them to or not. And being accident prone doesn’t help. The more you try to pretend that you know what’s going on, the worse it gets.
Andorra’s plans for peace and quiet get lost amid the revelations and skulduggery and she soon realises that the fate of the whole station lies in her hapless hands.
In space, you can still trip over your feet; the question is, will you land upright?
Universal Purchase Link - https://www.books2read.com/u/4XoQ6e
QUESTIONS
1. Where is home for you?-
Brixham in sunny Devon
2. Do you have a day job outside of writing, and if so, what is it? -
I’m retired and wondering where I ever found the time to go to work, talking about time, where did it all go?
3. What is your favourite childhood book? – The Famous Five books, they were ordinary people having adventures, finding themselves in unexpected situations and dealing with it. It sounded like fun and made me wish that my life was like that.
4. Has a book ever made you cry? If yes which – Fluke by James Herbert.
5. What is your favourite Genre to read? & What are you currently reading? – As well as Sci-fi, I like Fantasy and just about anything else, as long as it has a strong story and plenty of action, from Jodi Picoult and Barbara Erskine to Wilbur Smith and Frederick Forsyth. And I’m a big fan of indie authors, the people you might not have heard of.
6. When you're not writing what do you like to do in your down time? - Eat cashew nuts and chill.
7. Describe your life in five words.- What can possibly go wrong?
Alright lets talk writing.....
8. What first inspired you to write? - Reading Asimov, Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke. They made me wonder if I could have a go at making a universe.
9. How do you come up with ideas for your stories? – Dreams, situations that I’ve found myself in, places that I’ve been. They all suggest things, as do the obscure facts that I seem to attract.
10. What kind of research do you do & how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? – I do a lot of research but only as I go along. Once I have the plot idea, I think about where it could be set for maximum effect. When it comes down to it, the setting is just another character; it can have emotion and a voice. Once I know what I’m going to do, I can construct the science and technology to fit, based on what we have now but expanded into the setting. I try to make it all as realistic and logical as I can.
11. Are you indie or traditionally published? -
Indie by choice
12. Would you rather write standalone, standalone with connections to your other works, or multi book series? - I always intended to write standalone, then readers started asking me what happened next, or before, or what did I mean by a certain comment. So I sort of got dragged into writing series. I try to start new projects but spend most of my time on sequels, prequels and spin-offs.
13. What is your main Genre of writing & would you ever be interested in writing other Genres? - I write Science Fiction and Steampunk adventures. The setting varies from the far future of humanity to a grown-up Victorian society. My Andorra Pett books are crime fiction with a sci-fi twist, a departure from my usual style but a lot of fun to write. They’re set very close to now, maybe fifty years on from where we are.
14. What is your most recent/up coming release? - My last novel was a Steampunk adventure called A New Life in Ventis. Next is the sci-fi crime story Andorra Pett on Mars.
15. Do you ever base your characters, events or places on real people, events or places? - I have a wife and three daughters, all strong, interesting women. My daughters all have amazing husbands who I would have been fortunate to have had as sons. My family have inspired me in many ways and I like to think there’s a little of them in my characters. But I can’t tell you which, they might be reading this!
16. Who has been your favourite character to write about so far? - That’s difficult, I love Andorra, she’s been a joy to write, with her being so far outside what I normally do. I’ve also got a soft spot for many of the others, and not just the main ones, some of them may only be involved for a few pages yet worm their way into your mind. They almost deserve a book of their own, they have stories to tell as well. We’re back to the time thing again, I can only type so fast.
17. Who has been your most difficult character to write about so far? - It’s hard to single one out without spoilers. I find that villains and all those with questionable motives are difficult to portray. As a relatively honest person, I struggle to get into the head and motivation of those who do harm. Yet they can be rewarding to write. It’s nice to know that, at the end of the day, I’ve brought them to life, I can withdraw the privilege.
We're all interested in knowing???
18. What are you working on now? -
As well as Andorra and other sequels, prequels and spin-offs, I have two new novel projects, which I hope might turn into series. I’m also writing an online course in World Building, based on a workshop that I hold.
Lastly, it’s time for Seven quickies – you can only pick one answer!
Paper or ebook?
eBook
eBook
Facebook or Instagram?
Facebook
Heels or flats?
Crocs! (Rebel)
Spring, Summer, Autumn/Fall or Winter
Spring
Spring
Up early or sleep late?
Up early
Up early
Salty or sweet?
Salty
Beard or clean-shaven?
Beard
Salty
Beard or clean-shaven?
Beard
Thank you so much! Tell us where readers can go to find out more about you and your books.
My website is www.richarddeescifi.co.uk, there are lots of freebies, extracts from all my work and a new post about writing, either mine or someone else’s, every week.
I’m on Facebook RichardDeeAuthor
And Twitter Richard Dee Sci-fi
Author Bio –
A native of Brixham in Devon, Richard Dee's family left Devon when he was in his teens and settled in Kent. Leaving school at 16 he briefly worked in a supermarket, then went to sea and travelled the world in the Merchant Navy, qualifying as a Master Mariner in 1986. Coming ashore to be with his growing family, he used his sea-going knowledge in several jobs, including Marine Insurance Surveyor and Dockmaster at Tilbury, before becoming a Port Control Officer in Sheerness and then at the Thames Barrier in Woolwich. In 1994 he was head-hunted and offered a job as a Thames Estuary Pilot. In 1999 he transferred to the Thames River Pilots, where he regularly took vessels of all sizes through the Thames Barrier and upriver as far as H.M.S. Belfast and through Tower Bridge. In all, he piloted over 3,500 vessels in a 22-year career with the Port of London Authority. Richard was offered part time working in 2010, which allowed him to return to live in Brixham, where he took up writing and blogging. He retired in 2015, when he set up and ran a successful Organic bakery, supplying local shops and cafés. The urge to write eventually overtook the urge to bake but Richard still makes bread for friends and family. Richard is married with three adult children and two grandchildren.
He can be found at www.richarddeescifi.co.uk
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RichardDeeAuthor
Twitter - https://twitter.com/@RichardDockett1
Thank you so much for taking part in the Blitz, and for thinking up some great questions.
ReplyDeleteThank you & you're very welcome, Happy Reading, Thanks for stopping by very much appreciate you taking the time.
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