Are you ready for a new, fresh and original space adventure? Saffron Bryant (a.k.a. S. J. Bryant) created unique universe with her The Nova Chronicles. The series reached their episode #7 with the latest title Adventurer, which was released earlier in December.

It’s a great pleasure to introduce our next guest at Land of Books. Welcome!

– Saffron, what are your books from The Nova Chronicles about?
– The Nova Chronicles are a science fiction series that focus around Nova, a rebel bounty hunter who takes on dangerous missions, and her fight for survival. She has to battle blood-thirsty aliens and avoid the overbearing Confederacy in a desperate search for freedom. I like to think of it as “Tomb Raider in Space”, although some readers have said it’s more than that.

– How did you decide to write the story?
– I’ve always loved science fiction but I often find there’s a lack of strong, independent female characters – and that had to change. I’m obsessed with Doctor Who, and I always loved Tomb Raider, so the idea to combine them was the first seed for this series, and it grew from there.
– What was the biggest challenge during the write up process of such series?
I think it’s the same with most writers, but just getting into the habit of sitting down and writing every day is the biggest challenge.
– Tell us something more about your main characters? Are they close to someone from your real life?
– I didn’t base the main characters on anyone I know, but they do kind of represent things. Nova, the protagonist, is a strong, independent character whose rough childhood has made her tough but also reluctant to rely on others. The other major characters have all suffered in some way but come out stronger on the other side. Her best friend, Tanguin, is a computer genius but only because she spent the first half of her life in a virtual reality lie. Aart, is always ready with a joke and a grin, but only to hide the pain of watching his home planet torn to shreds. I like the characters to have depth, even if it’s not fully explored in the books, it’s there.
– How much time did you need to finish the story and to publish it?
– Writing the first draft of a Nova book usually takes about a month, then comes the dreaded editing. With beta-reading, professional editing, and editing it myself (for what feels like a billion times) this stage usually takes about 3 months. Every book is different though and requires different amounts of work. I try to have multiple books at different stages all the time so I can have consistent releases.
– What the readers will find in your book Snow White 2.0?
– Snow White 2.0 was a fun book I wrote as a parody of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It’s part of a collection of Fairy Tale re-writes I’m doing with a group of other authors, we call ourselves “The Scifi Collective”.
You can find a bigger summary of my thought processes for Snow White 2.0 here But in summary, in the original, Snow White makes stupid decisions that I think encourages young girls to be passive and wait for prince charming. So, again that had to change. Snow White 2.0 is set in the future on a planet where the ruler is selected based on a beauty contest. The main character hates that and eventually decides to rise up against it and change things (with the help of seven dysfunctional robots).
– Give us some insight about The Lost Child Saga?
– The Lost Child Saga was my first series and although I’ll admit it has some problems, it still holds a place close to my heart. As a child I always wanted a pet dragon and so naturally I wrote a story about it. This series focuses on a race of people who are paired with a dragon companion at birth. These dragons have special powers (from simple fire breathing to hypnosis) but the village is quiet and secluded and wants nothing to do with the outside world. Of course, naturally with fantasy, an evil overlord comes along and disrupts the peace, forcing an unlikely band of heroes to leave the safety of home to save the world.
– Who are you?
I am a dreamer most of all I think; daydreaming about dragons and space-ships. Aside from that, I’m an author, an artist, and a scientist.
– What are your writing habits?
– When I’m in ‘production mode’ I write every day (usually 2000 words). However, I find editing much more difficult so I’ve gotten behind with that lately and therefore at the moment I try to edit 1000 words a day… Christmas has not been a productive time…
– Are you satisfied by the sales of your book?
– Very much so, although there’s always room for growth. I hope that as The Nova Chronicles continue it will pick up more readers and move on from there.
– What are you doing to promote your book by the best possible way?
– I don’t do much with social media; I tried but I found the return just wasn’t worth the time I was spending. So now I focus on releasing more quality books and that’s the best marketing I can do. Of course, this week I got a Book Bub ad, which boosted sales astronomically, but that’s like trying to hunt a unicorn.
– When we will see book #8 of Nova Chronicles: Prisoner and would you unveil something more about it?
– Book 8 should be out in the next few months- it’s being edited at the moment. I usually think of each of my Nova books with a one-line tag. E.g. Hunter was “Vampires in Space”, Justice was “Murder Mystery in Space”. Prisoner is “Prison Break in Space”, because I took some of the ideas from the TV show and adapted them for this book.
– As a sci-fi specialist, what is your opinion about the current movie super hit Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
– I may be attacked in the virtual streets for this, but; I haven’t seen it yet… I will, no doubt, I’m looking forward to it, but I wasn’t desperate enough to brave the crowds for the first week. (The Hobbit movie on the other hand…).
– If you may ask yourself one question in the interview what it will be? (Don’t forget to answer)
– Q: What advice would you give someone who wants to write a book but can’t find time? A: My advice here would be the same for pretty much anything anyone wanted to achieve; the only thing standing in your way, is you. The truth is, everyone has 24 hours in a day, everyone has to work, pay bills, sleep, eat, etc. the only difference is how people choose to spend those hours. I think if you’re struggling to find time to write your book (or to learn a new skill, or do ANYTHING) then you need to sit down and examine exactly where you’re spending your precious 24 hours. How many of them do you spend watching television? On Facebook? Scrolling through pictures of cats? If you’re honest with yourself then you’ll always be able to find time that you could spend on your book. Then the only other question becomes; would you rather write your book, or find out what Grumpy Cat thought of the latest episode of Game of Thrones…

To learn more about Saffron Bryant check out her Website
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Take a look at her books
Survivor (The Nova Chronicles Book 1)
Adventurer (The Nova Chronicles Book 7)
The Fallen Star: Book One of The Lost Child Saga
Snow White 2.0