Today it gives the Speculative Fiction Showcase great pleasure to interview R.S. Penney, author of Bullets and Bones: A Sci-Fi Western (Desa Kincaid Book 2).
Bullets and Bones: A Sci-Fi Western was released on 29 March 2020. First off, can you tell us about the eponymous heroine, Desa Kincaid? Who is she and what makes her tick?
Desa is someone who wants to help the whole world. She has a natural talent for her world’s magic system, an art called Field Binding, and she wants to teach that art to everyone she meets. Teaching that art to the wrong people has gotten her into trouble when she was younger, and now much of her life is defined around a self-imposed quest to correct those mistakes.
I should note that no matter how much good she does, Desa will never feel that her work is done.
You know that phrase, “Scratch a cynic and you find a disappointed idealist?” That’s Desa in a nutshell.
What in particular distinguishes a Sci-Fi Western from a traditional Western (I’m thinking Louis Lamour for example) and how does it differ from a Weird Western?
I suppose what makes it a sci-fi western is the magic system. Field Binding allows you to Infuse inanimate objects with the ability to drain or release energy. You can choose from many different forms of energy: light, heat, gravity, electricity, kinetic force. Even sound. This allows the magic to have a great deal of versatility.
I’m sure you’ve heard Clarke’s Third Law. “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” The reverse is also true. Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
You have societies that use Field Binding to power vehicles or to keep food cool. The part of the planet that’s most like the Old West is actually one of the least technologically-advanced areas.
I’m not sure what a Weird Western is. So, I couldn’t really tell you how it’s different.
This is the second book in the series. The first book was Desa Kincaid - Bounty Hunter. How does the second book differ from the first and how has the protagonist changed?
Oof… Spoilers.
Should I RAFO that one? (Read and Find Out).
Well, you were kind enough to interview me; so, I should give you something. Here’s what I will tell you. In the second, you see much more of the wider world. The first book focuses mostly on the western setting in a nation that is very similar to 1800s America. In the second book, you see some of the other cultures and how they’ve utilized Field Binding. You also get a glimpse at some corners of the world that haven’t seen a human in thousands you years. And the things that lurk in those forgotten hideaways.
Are there any specific challenges in writing a female character and any pitfalls?
I don’t find it more challenging than writing male characters. But here’s some advice I’ll give to men who want to write women.
First, avoid stereotypes. Don’t assume that your female is “more nurturing” or “soft spoken” just because she’s female. Desa is neither of those things. There’s nothing wrong with writing women who are nurturing or soft-spoken, but they should be contrasted against women who don’t have those qualities. And what’s more you should evenly distribute such qualities among your male characters as well. Some male-characters can be your typical macho, “No one fights like Gaston,” type. (Marcus, for instance). Whereas other men can be warm and empathetic. (Tommy).
Second, don’t write a single woman in a world full of men. Of course, you should have other female characters in the main cast. But some of the extras who only show up for a scene or two should be women as well. Maybe the magistrate in this town is a woman. Or maybe the administrator of this space station is a woman. Don’t have them all be white.
Third – and this is crucial – if you’re thinking about having sexual assault as part of your heroine’s story, stop right there! Don’t do it. Unless you are a survivor, you should not be trying to tell that kind of story. And I would say that should be true for your male characters as well.
In the first book, Desa Kincaid is a bounty hunter. For Star Wars fans of a certain generation, this inevitably calls up memories of Boba Fett. How easy is it to escape the influence of such a powerful trope, and is it a help or a hindrance?
Desa is kind of the anti-Boba Fett. So, it wasn’t that hard to escape the trope. Boba Fett is a highly overrated character.
Can I be Rich-unfiltered for a sec?
Ah, what the heck?
Boba Fett sucks!
Most overrated character ever.
Will there be a third book in the series?
Yes, a third and final book.
I may return to this world at some point after this with a novel about the descendants of the characters in the original trilogy. The protagonist of that series will be Dex Kincaid. And just so you don’t think that you know how Desa’s story will end, I will tell you this: Dex may have Desa’s last name, but he is not biologically related to her in any way.
You have recently published Fragile Hope (Justice Keepers Saga Book 9). What can you tell us about this latest instalment in the saga?
The Justice Keepers Saga is a much bigger epic. If you’re into Game of Thrones or Wheel of Time, this is your series. The Justice Keepers books are divided into sub-arcs or “seasons.” Fragile Hope is near the end of Season 2.
So, in brief: around the time of the Neolithic Revolution, aliens took primitive humans from Earth and scattered them on Earth-like planets. Some of those humans have developed space flight and built interstellar societies.
There’s Leyria, a Star-Trek utopia that has eliminated prejudice and poverty. (But is way too proud of its own accomplishments).
There’s Antaur, a society that is obsessed with genetic purity. Because they are the only planet where humans evolved telepathic abilities.
And there’s Ragnos. Basically America in space. “We will conquer other planets to ‘liberate’ them. Then take their natural resources to keep our economy afloat.”
The main villains of the series spend a lot of time trying to instigate a war between these three powers. Fragile Hope deals with an attempt to broker a peace treaty. You can read and find out to see if it’s successful.
How does the Justice Keepers Saga differ from the Desa Kincaid novels? Are the universes linked?
The Justice Keepers Saga is a much bigger story than the Desa Kincaid books. It’s also a space-opera as opposed to a western. I think it may be fair to say that the Justice Keepers Saga and the Desa Kincaid novels exist within the same multiverse, but whether they will ever interact, well…You’ll have to read and find out.
What drew you to writing Sci Fi in the first place?
A neurodivergent brain?
I honestly don’t know. It’s something I’ve always done ever since I was old enough to act out stories with my action figures. I know that I very deliberately used the same model that J. Michael Straczynski used for Babylon 5 to write the Keepers Saga.
Season 1: introduction
Season 2: rising action
Season 3: complication
Season 4: climax and resolution.
I’m the sort of person who takes ideas from different media and blends them into a hodgepodge to create a unique world. I loved the idea of a series of novels, each one telling a separate, self-contained story. But those stories link together to form a grander narrative. Using the concept of seasons (like a TV show) helped to provide narrative focus.
Yes, you can pick up one of the later Keeper novels if you’re interested. You don’t have to start at the very beginning. The story is designed to be accessible enough that you can figure out what’s going on. That said, if you like big epics, then starting at the beginning and going all the way through will give you that experience.
You have been described as a mathematics whizz. Can you tell us more about that and does it affect your writing?
I’m described as a “math whizz” because I have a degree in math and stats. But I’ll be honest with you: after my second year of university, math stopped making sense to me. At that point, it stops being about crunching numbers and starts being about discovering the fundamental properties of numbers.
Has it influenced my writing? I think it gave me an appreciation for logic. So, that probably helped in writing plot twists that don’t feel contrived.
What Sci Fi authors do you like to read, and what do you read outside the genre?
I’m going to include fantasy in this.
So, for sci-fi/fantasy, my favourite is Brandon Sanderson. But I’ve discovered a whole bunch of great authors recently.
K.L. Hagaman
C.L. Schneider
Laura Diaz, whom I have the privilege of calling a friend.
Outside the genre.
Ken Stark writes some great horror.
Lynn Cooper is good for romance.
And Vivienne Rose.
How do you see your work progressing in future?
I’ll finish the Keepers Saga and the Desa trilogy. (knock on wood). I’ll probably write more in those universes. Though I promise not to pull a Rowling and keep making retcons after the series is finished.
What tips would you give budding Sci Fi authors? What have you learned?
Find an editor you trust. Someone who isn’t afraid to tell you when you’re wrong but who respects your vision and wants to see it come to life.
What do you do to relax?
Write?
Lol. It does help me relax, actually. But I can’t be writing all the time. I do a lot of reading, of course. I try to do that for an hour each day. How engrossed I get in a book depends a lot on the genre. I’ll usually tear through a fantasy or sci-fi novel. Seriously, go read Nite Fire by C. L. Schneider. It’s fantastic.
Mystery, however, is not really my genre. So, I have to work a little harder to get through a mystery book. Same with crime fiction. I’m reading a mystery novel right now. It’s a perfectly good book. It will get five stars. (Because it deserves five stars). It’s just not a genre that really holds my attention.
I’ve been playing a lot of Legend of Zelda lately during the pandemic. I started with A Link to the Past (reliving my youth), went on to Ocarina of Time. Now I’m doing Twilight Princess for the first time. Word of advice: get the Game Cube version, not the Wii version.
Oh, and I play chess.
Does anybody wanna play chess? Hit me up on twitter. @keeperssaga. We’ll set up a game.
About J.C. Penney:
I knew I wanted to be a writer at the age of fifteen, when I looked at J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5 and thought, “I want to do that!” I love layered stories that evolve over multiple books/seasons. My grand space opera eventually became the Justice Keepers Saga.
If I had to pick a favourite book, it would probably be Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn: the Final Empire. It's a wonderful mix of Pride and Prejudice, Star Wars and Oceans 11. Also, I love his magic systems. I created a similar, physics-based magic system for Desa Kincaid: Bounty Hunter.
When I'm not writing, I'm usually giving talks on sustainability. I've done several in Toronto, one in Athens and one in Brisbane. It was a wonderful opportunity to see the world. If there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask!
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