Book Club Choice #6 Author Q & A

Book Club Choice #6 Author Q & A

Star Trek: The Original Series (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Book Club Choice #6 Author Q & A

Once again, we find ourselves sitting in a book-lined library, a crackling fire nearby (none of the books are on fire), a tray of lovely canapés nearby. I am sitting here with M C Pehrson and we’re here to talk about Matters of the Heart.

Why the Original Series? I saw that you have a number of stories already, and this one is toward the middle. How does this story fit in with your own plans for your universe? Is this a corner, or more of a cornerstone?

I write about the original series because it’s my first love, from way back when it premiered on television. Spock, Kirk, and McCoy. Great stuff! “Matter of the Heart” is just one step of Spock and Lauren’s life journey in my series. It is an important step, though.

 

In the opening, Lauren observes the aftermath of ST: IV – an aftermath that a lot of people much have had to deal with. Is the damaged beach house at all symbolic of the damage to her relationship with Spock? 

 

I don’t remember thinking of the damaged beach house as symbolic of Lauren’s relationship with Spock, but that’s a great idea! You’re deep!

Humpback whale  Observing her reactions to Gillian, I could not help but wonder why she felt that way. Beyond canon, do you show anything in any other stories that would lead her to the conclusion that there was something between Gillian and Spock, versus something between Gillian and Jim?

Lauren is jealous of Gillian for the simple reason that Lauren knows via the grapevine and news reports that Spock is working with her. This is Gillian’s only appearance in my stories. She’s a beautiful, charismatic lady. No wonder Lauren is upset, especially when she sees the two of them together.

 

Are Doris, T’Beth or Lauren based on anyone?

 

The character of Doris came out of some Trek novel. I don’t remember which. She stuck in my mind and I’ve built her up for my series. T’Beth and Lauren are not based on anyone I know in real life.

 

Do your personal experiences inform your writing at all
I think bits and pieces of ourselves always go into our writing. As for personal experience, no, I have not been kidnapped by Klingons recently, and my daughters never acted as angry and disrespectful as T’Beth. I enter into my characters as they do their things. It’s like acting out all the parts in a play. Sometimes they really wear me out! 

Which of your stories are you closest to or most proud of? (Choose a baby or all of them will perish!)

Vulcan (Star Trek)

The stories  l’m most proud of? Oh, gosh! Two upcoming ones are special. “The Darkness And The Rapture” sends Spock into pon farr.  And  in “The Cherished And The Chosen”,  T’Beth undergoes a dramatic change of heart and Spock finally gets the daughter he deserves.  Then there’s a special pair called “Deadly Intent” and “Armed and Dangerous” which will take Spock in totally new directions. Then “Testament”– a monster of a story that is totally pivital to the series. I could go on and on. Lots to come.

Expanding on that some have you a particular favorite character or pairing within all your stories?

 

Favorite character?  Uh….Spock? Favorite pairing? I’m enjoying the relationship with Spock and McCoy.  And Spock has a couple of future relationships in the series that were fun to develop.
When you do write, do you have a particular process? Do you plan the story? Do you beta the story or run the idea past someone? Is there an arc to your characters and stories or is it more organic? Do you listen to music as you write? Must you retire to the study and curl up with a cat (dog, parakeet, gerbil, I’m not picky) on your lap? Do you scribble down stories on napkins?Catherine Hicks Star Trek Voyage Home  

When I’m in heavy writing mode, a new idea will come to me before I’m finished on the current story. Ideas percolate. If a story is very large and complex, I’ll take the time to do some outlining. Right now I’m mostly rewriting, getting the series ready to post. These stories have been sitting in boxes for years. Last summer I almost threw them away, but now I’m glad I didn’t.

Stories can come right out of the blue, too.  A couple of days ago a phrase came to me, I whipped it into a story, and have posted the idea as a challenge. 

No, I don’t listen to music when I write. I need lots of quiet. My only pet is an old chicken that lives outside. I’m not going to hold her on my lap. 

Yes, I do lots of story note scribbling. Heaps and heaps of little notes. 

What do you seek to explore when you write? Is the focus on characters, plot or theme?

 

When I write, I seek to explore the characters in (usually) dramatic situations.

 

Care to tease our readers with any story plans you have in the pipeline?
Okay, I already mentioned some future stories in my series. I also have 5 or 6 stories slotted for the new Trek universe with Spock-Quinto and crew. I’ve discovered that the character dynamics are different, but fun. One thing I’ve done is to rewrite “A Taking Of Leave” (the first in my series) for Spock-Quinto. The story – and of course Spock’s life – comes out very different from Spock-Nimoy. But this is  quite a long way off.

 

Have you collaborated in your writing at all?

 

Yes, I  collaborated on one of my upcoming stories with my young grandson, who was 9 at the time. In the story he wrote a story-within-a-story by a future son of Spock’s.

 

And to finish, we’ve had the pleasure of reading Matters of the Heart. If you would recommend a story of yours to others, which would it be?

 

Cover of "Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home ...

Cover via Amazon

What story would I recommend? Well, as before, reading them in order is the best thing, or you’ll end up confused. But if pon farr is something you enjoy, you might check out “The Darkness And The Rapture” which will be posted soon. And “How Fragile A Thing” is a good follow-up. 

Thanks for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts!

Thank you!

And we have a response! Thanks, FalseBill!

FalseBill’s take on the story

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