I’m excited to have had the chance to chat with debut author, Everina Maxwell, about her highly anticipated novel, Winter’s Orbit. In order to ensure the successful resigning of the interplanetary peace treaty, the recently widowed Count Jainan is forced into an arranged marriage with Prince Kiem. When the pair discover that Jainan’s first husband’s death may not have been an accident (and that Jainan himself is a suspect in the murder investigation), Kiem and Jainan must learn to work together in order to clear Jainan’s name and prevent interplanetary conflict. We chat with Everina about science fiction, future projects, writing advice, and, of course, Winter’s Orbit.
Hi Everina! Congratulations on publishing your debut novel: Winter’s Orbit! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I live in Yorkshire, where I write around the edges of my day job and don’t really go out otherwise. Sometimes I go for walks. I spent all of last winter convinced I could learn to identify every tree with a free app on my phone and I learned an important life lesson: trees are easier to identify in summer.
If you could describe Winter’s Orbit in just five words, what would they be?
Space princes arranged marriage! I had one word left over but trying to make it grammatical was a losing battle.
What inspired you to write this story?
I wanted to mash up everything I loved about science fiction with everything I loved about fanfic (feelings! deep exploration of relationships! There’s Only One Bed!) – and, to be honest, once I’d come up with the sad marriage ceremony I had to write to the end and fix everything.
How did you come up with the unique names used for the people and places in Winter’s Orbit?
Mainly I put together syllable collections that sound ‘right’ to me. Then on the second draft I do a pass for phonetics: I’m not a linguist, but it helps to sand off the inconsistencies and see if I can strengthen existing patterns. I do admire writers like A K Larkwood, who created a new set of phonemes for all the cultural groups in The Unspoken Name, but life is short and I’m a slow writer, so I take shortcuts wherever I can.
Who was your favourite character to write about?
For sure the charming, outgoing, mild-disaster-area Prince Kiem. It’s so refreshing to write a character who reacts to every situation by just opening his mouth and starting to talk. Half the time I didn’t even know what he was going to say; I just dropped him in a scene and things happened around him.
What is the main message that you want readers to take away from Winter’s Orbit?
Winter’s Orbit is in one sense a comedy of manners, in one sense a space opera, but at its core it’s about coming through a dark time and the long process of healing. Ultimately it’s a book about kindness.
Will there be a sequel to Winter’s Orbit? If so, when can we expected it?
The main characters get to enjoy their happy ending for a bit, but I’m in the middle of writing a book set on a faraway planet in the same universe. The two main characters are even bigger disasters, and I’m very excited about that.
Do you have any advice for new authors looking to get published?
Depending on what stage you’re at, from beginner to advanced: read everything, especially in your genre; write a lot and finish things (I recommend NaNoWriMo); and finally, if you’re already pretty on top of all that, finding other serious aspiring writers to form a community with can help enormously.
What are your top 3 favourite books?
They change every time I answer this question. I almost always say Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold, which is my favourite character-driven space opera. On top of that, two of my recent favourites are The Unbroken, by C. L. Clark, which is a brilliant f/f flintlock fantasy set in colonial/post-colonial North Africa, and a re-read of In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan, a light-hearted m/m fantasy about a boy who ends up at knight school and demands to know why they can’t find an alternative to killing people. Comic fantasy, maybe? It has jokes. I love books with jokes.
During these challenging times, what is something that you do to help yourself stay positive?
Freshly made cup of tea and a biscuit. Highly recommended.
