In conversation are debut YA authors Alechia Dow and Andrea Tang. The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow is described as a “beautiful and thrilling read for fans of Marie Lu and Veronica Roth”, while Rebelwing by Andrea Tang is “set in a wonderfully inventive near-future Washington, D.C”.
Now that both of their YA sci-fi debuts have been released, the two authors chat about debut novels, sci-fi, what they’re working on next, and more.
Alechia: Hey Andrea!! I’m so excited for your book, REBELWING! First of all, hello fellow science-fiction author debuting on the same day as me, heyyyy. Secondly, sentient cybernetic dragon… I want to know so much about this. Can you tell me your inspiration for REBELWING and of course, sentient cybernetic dragons?
Andrea: Hey there sci-fi debut buddy! Great question to kick things off with. REBELWING was in large part inspired by the desire to write a big SFF genre adventure with a contemporary voice and flavor. I’ve always been tickled by the notion of mundane problems in larger-than-life science fiction and fantasy plots – the bureaucracy and day-to-day paperwork involved in overthrowing an evil dictatorship, or getting licensed to pilot a giant robot, or balancing college admissions exams with saving the world. As for sentient cybernetic dragons, I love both dragons and mecha, so I figured those were two great flavors that might just taste great together, and am very fortunate to have found an agent and publisher who agreed!
Meanwhile, I’m mega intrigued by your take on the alien invasion plot. Can you tell me more about your inspiration for that?
Alechia: I grew up loving Star Wars, and aliens and always wanted to tell an alien story that explores humanity through an alien lense. THE SOUND OF STARS is that story. It allowed me to write all of the themes and ideas I’ve had over the years. After shelving two books, I sat down to write something new, and the first thing that came to mind was a teen librarian sneakily handing out books from her locker at school. I needed to understand why she was sneaking, what was wrong with the world that books were illegal? I took a long walk, thought about the kind of story I wanted to tell, and THE SOUND OF STARS came together. It was such a pleasure to write a story that features a book-loving black girl, a music-loving alien boy, and an epic road trip with so many lyrics and pop culture references. It was a love letter to art, and how it connects people from two very different worlds. Sometimes focusing on what connects us can make what separates us a little less important, and I feel that’s an important message right now.
Question for you: both of our stories are set in the near-future…how hard was it to imagine Washington DC as a dystopian city? Also second question, why DC?
Andrea: So, the lazy answer is that DC was an easy setting because I live and work here. Speculative worldbuilding off of an existing canvas that you see literally every day right outside of your apartment window is probably the easiest cheat there is — all I had to do was layer some cyberpunk aesthetic and tech over a real landscape. That said, DC also made sense for a politically-fueled plot. As a modern-day epicenter of power struggles and court intrigue, it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine it playing a similar role in a near-future version of the North American continent!
Lobbing a question over to you: do you find that your own personality filtered into your characters?
Alechia: It did in so many ways! Ellie is a plus-size black girl with anxiety and chronic illness. We may share the same identities, but I relate to Morris more than Ellie. We wear our hearts on our sleeves, we’re sensitive, a bit goofy, and totally confused sometimes, haha. Both characters love music and books, which is definitely me… and I’d totally travel across the US to save humanity AND art.
Okay, same question back at you… but I also want to know, how does your background in martial arts and Tae Kwon Do (omg, SO COOL) filter into your action scenes and the way your characters move? I know that’s a bit of a weird question, but when I write action/fights, I have to watch Ilsa Faust scenes from Mission Impossible, so I’m curious to know how someone with knowledge of martial arts writes action…
Andrea: Haha, I’m a giant fight nerd, so I love that you asked this! In the case of REBELWING, it’s a little tricky, since almost all of the action and combat sequences are conducted via mechanical creatures – some humanoid, some not – so that’s definitely an adjustment that has to be made from just normal hand-to-hand sparring that you’d see in contemporary martial arts or combat sports. That said, I do find some crossover experiences helpful to injecting a bit of oomph into even the mech fights – the adrenaline dump right before and during a tough spar or matchup, the way fear of or proximity to physical danger affects the way you breathe and move, and the way you learn to think and physically react under pressure were all helpful things to keep in mind for those scenes!
Speaking of letting hobbies and/or professional skill sets filter into our creative work, how does your background in pastry arts and librarianship affect your writing?
Alechia: In THE SOUND OF STARS, I got to use my knowledge and research (lol) of popular young adult books. When I was a teen, there weren’t so many diverse stories out there, and not ones that are as inclusive and revolutionary as today. Which is really another conversation about how brave and vocal teens are today. That said, when I thought about what books Ellie would be reading, I took that into account and tried to find ones that matched her personality. The stories I wrote since THE SOUND OF STARS are a bit more foodtastic. I got to use my love of food writing in a contemporary fantasy that also includes recipes! I try to write what I enjoy, and hopefully you can read that passion on the page.
So here’s my big, bold question. Science fiction. What made you fall in love with science fiction? What are your favorite stories? What do you think will happen in the future of YA scifi?
Andrea: Fantastic question! I love that there’s no real limit to the storytelling options in science fiction – it’s such a flexible, creative genre, and it asks questions that can be both super fun and deeply profound. Plus, honestly, I really first fell for sci-fi through kid lit — most notably the Animorphs novels, as well as a lot of superhero comics (and ensuing animated adaptations, to say nothing of the good old anime classics!). As for the future, with so many incredible, innovative new sci-fi stories from a range of voices and author backgrounds coming up on the YA market, I think we’re going to keep seeing an evolution in the genre – which really, is what sci-fi should ideally do!
What about you? What are some of your favorite sci-fi stories and what draws you to this shared genre of ours?
Alechia: I fell in love with scifi early on; Gargoyles, every episode and each comic book I could find at my local library of X-Men, Star Wars, and some old school Star Trek. When I was a teen, I read a lot of mysteries and Philip K. Dick. Science fiction, to me, is the best genre because it’s popcorn escapism; you can totally forget where you are, who you are, and enjoy the story unfolding in front of you while eating popcorn… is that an actual term? I fell in love with Octavia Butler, but while the genre itself was/is more diverse than others, there still wasn’t a lot of representation. If you look at some of the oldest sci-fi stories, they’re predominantly white. When I decided to write for fun and eventually with the aim of publishing, science fiction felt right. You can explore so many topics and themes in science fiction and you can be totally inclusive. I hope I can write more sci-fi books, I feel like there are so many stories that haven’t been told yet, and want to see the genre thrive.
Next question: can you give us a hint of what you’re working on next? For me, it’s foodie fantasy, more science fiction exploring humanity (my favorite kind of themes, can you tell?), and maybe one day, a rom-com whodunnit, which would be totally fun!
Andrea: At the moment, I’m toiling away on a companion novel to REBELWING, but one of these days, I’d like to branch out into contemporary fantasy, which is my other great genre love of mine. I have a few fun ideas cooking in the back of my mind, including a really voicey first-person fantasy thriller with an unreliable narrator, but I’m trying not to let it distract me from my current deadlines, with mixed success!
Are there any books whose releases you’re particularly looking forward to?
Alechia: This was such a pleasure! I’ve been wanting to talk to you forever! There aren’t that many YA science fiction authors, we’ve got to stick together. As for some of the books coming out soon, I have to say I love GODDESS IN THE MACHINE by Lora Beth Johnson, GLITCH KINGDOM by Sheena Boekweg, CROWNCHASERS by Rebecca Coffindaffer, and HENNA WARS by Adiba Jaigirdar! Books I’m looking forward to reading: A SONG BELOW WATER by Bethany C. Morrow, LEGENDBORN by Tracy Deonn, THE GILDED ONES by Namina Forna, A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN by Roseanne A. Brown, WHERE DREAMS DESCEND by Janella Angeles, INK by Tori Bovalino, and ACE OF SPADES by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé!!
So many good books to read, right?
