Interview and Giveaway with Author Sara Brookes

I'm so happy to have Sara Brookes here again. She released a new book, Midnight's Ghost and I fell in love with this wonderful science fiction romance. You can read my review here. Please give her a warm welcome and be sure to check out the giveaway at the end of the post. 


Susi: Hey Sara. Thanks so much for coming over to The Geeky Bookworm again. First of all tell us a bit about yourself?

Sara: Geek. Sums it all up in one word. *G*

Susi: Describe a typical day of writing? Are you a planner or pantser?

Sara: Since I work a full-time job, writing is usually crammed into the few minutes I have when I get to my desk before I actually have to start for the day, my 1/2 hour lunch break and then whatever time I can make at night or on the weekends. Luckily I have a very supportive family that understands when the brain starts chugging along. Needless to say, pizza delivery is on speed dial. Oh, I'm definitely a pantser. A good majority of my writing is done in a spiral notebook, loose leaf paper or even post-its. I travel a lot, so while the laptop is a great writing partner - pen and paper are still my best friends.

Susi: Your new book was released the month and to my luck it is a science fiction romance. You know I love you now? I really have to grab this opportunity to talk science fiction.


What was the first science fiction novel you ever read?

Sara: The first one I remember reading was Splinter in the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster. I imagine most people are scratching their heads, but it was a novel written in case Star Wars bombed (and we know how that turned out...) and gives a different perspective on things. A waaaay different perspective. Leia fights Vader - hello!

Susi: And your first movie?

Sara: Empire Strikes Back (Hrm...are we seeing a Star Wars theme?) when I was 5. To this day, it is my all-time favorite movie. I vividly remember standing in line for tickets to see Return of the Jedi and I was 8 for that. Had the thrill of my, very short to that point, life when I got to meet Darth Vader while waiting.

Susi: First TV series?

Sara: Buck Rogers, believe it or not. I was 4 when it started airing on TV and I remember sitting down with my dad to watch it.

Susi: Comparing your experience in the science fiction genre: is the actual science part more important than the cultural differences between the races?

Sara: I think both are important, but I tend to read sci-fi books with more science than explanations of the differences. I wanted to have a world where everything was just accepted as the way it was without getting too much into lengthy explanations of difference races. There's some of that in Midnight's Ghost, but I try to keep it to a minimum. The different races just exist with each other just as if it's always been that way.

Susi: If you could choose any character out of science fictional world to hang out with, who would it be?

Sara: Rick Deckard (as if the Star Wars stuff didn't date me already...). As you can tell, late 70's/early 80's sci-fi was a huge influence for me. Blade Runner is still, to this day, a fantastic movie. Or maybe it's just Harrison Ford...

Susi: Okay back to your book now: Tell us a bit about Midnight's Ghost?

Sara: Space opera. Those are usually the first words that come to mind when I think about the book overall. It's dramatic, filled with action and adventure. Plenty of romance and sex and a co-pilot that's just too amusing not to laugh aloud at sometimes. It's about two people who were already deeply in love at one point in their life but ended up separated through events. Events that one of them, Wallace, still blames himself for (and probably always will). Tarans's not a pushover, and yes, she's stubborn, but he hurt her and any woman would react the way she does.

Susi: One of the most important things for a science fiction novel in my eyes is the consistence of the created universe. Tell us a bit about your Star Runner world. What makes your world special?

Sara: One of the great things about world building for sci-fi is while you're only limited by your imagination, you still have to operate with basic rules. That's the "science" part of it. I think you start edging into fantasy if you don't and there's nothing wrong with it. There's a touch of it in this world I've built, with Taran's tactile abilities, but for the most part, it's science. From the spaceships flying around to the cybernetic technology that's discussed. Because you need to understand how the world works as a whole, the rules and limitations of the characters, politics enter into the mix - but only just a bit. I don't intend for that to be the sole focus of the series.

Susi:  Tell us a bit more about the political system of your world and how they effect the action of your main characters?

Sara: Well, you have the Federated Electorate, which is basically an alliance of planets all seeking the common good for all. But they have their own rules that some planets don't join - for instance, Earth isn't a part of it. Then there's the IGP, or the Intergalactic Patrol, who started off as the "police" to keep everyone safe. But as everyone knows, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Taran's still holding a grudge with the Federated Electorate because they've done nothing about her father's death. But, as I said, Earth's not part of the alliance, so they don't care. The IGP is just outright tyrannical with the whole 'do as I say not as I do' attitude. No something you want to mess with, but I wouldn't have a book if my characters listened. ;^)

Susi: Your heroine Taran is a real kick ass woman with her own spaceship. Tell us a bit about her?

Sara: Taran's a spit-fire, no doubt about it. She's the only female Star Runner, so she inevitably feels as if she has something to prove. Really, she just wants to be left alone to run cargo, but Wallace, obviously, has other ideas. Add in her differences with being human and being a tactilepath, and she really, really feels she has something to prove.

Susi: I loved Taran's sassy attitude and her witty and straightforward way through the whole book. Was it hard for you to keep the jokes coming while writing?

Sara: With her, no. They came through naturally as I was writing her dialogue and keeping in mind her mindset as I worked through the story. It's probably because there's a lot of tension and the humor helps break that tension a bit.

Susi: I have to admit I have a little crush on your hero Wallace but what makes him so irresistible in your eyes?

Sara: Oh, Wallace. I said once that his is probably the most broken man that I've written. He's got so many layers to dig through and Midnight's Ghost only scratches the surface. It's not about his physical appearance, though that helps for sure, but as the story unfolds and you hear what he's gone through for her - for his love for her - you understand that he truly, truly loves her and would do just about anything for her. As she learns just how far he'll go, well...I'm not going to say because it's a key scene in the book, but *my* heart even broke as I was writing that scene.

Susi: How many books are planned in your Star Runner series?

Sara: Three overall, so two more are planned to be written. That doesn't mean sci-fi will stop for me. Just with these characters. Their story isn't done yet and I've got some questions to still answer that were raised in Midnight's Ghost. How did he get out of Widow's Bay? What really happened to her dad? And how do they deal with the overall fallout at the end of Midnight's Ghost?

Susi: What's up next in your schedule? What should we keep our eyes open for?

Sara: I'm currently in the middle of writing the next book in the Star Runner world, Midnight's Shadow. It's about 1/2 complete at this point. Since I'm usually writing several books at once, I'm also writing the 3rd book in my paranormal series. Blood Fever, the 2nd book in that series, will be out in July/August of this year.

Susi: Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions.

Sara: Thanks for having me again!


About the Author:
Sara has always been fascinated by the strange, the unusual, the twisted and the lost. She enjoys writing about reality with a razor sharp edge and loves where that sometimes takes her during the journey. Sara lives in Virginia with her husband, who long ago accepted the fact she converses with imaginary people. They are the proud parents of an energetic daughter who constantly wonders why Mom doesn’t just have the laptop surgically attached to her hip. The entire family is owned by two cats, Galahad and Loki, who graciously allow them to live in their house.


About the Book:
The timeline is excruciating.

Taran has three days to get her former lover – whom she’s barely speaking to – and the mysterious teenager she knows nothing about from one planet to another. Given the fact her ship, Eidolon, is the fastest in the star runner fleet, Taran knows she can make the run in the time Wallace has allotted. As the best – and only – female pilot, she’s got something to prove.

As if things weren’t complicated enough, Wallace, and the teenager he has in tow, are both escapees from the harshest prison facility in seven galaxies. Not only is Taran putting her career on the line, she’s got the Intergalactic Patrol hot on her heels. It isn’t long before unresolved feelings and tempers flare to life again and Taran is left second-guessing her decision of putting everything she stands for on the line.

Her determination may just cost her everything.

One man who feels no remorse for a crime he committed and one woman pilot determined to fulfill her promise equal one impossible mission.

~*~*~Giveaway~*~*~

Sara was so kind and offers a copy of Midnight's Ghost to one lucky commenter.


All you have to do is ask Sara a question or just comment on the interview.


Open to everyone who own's a email addy.


Giveaway is open till Sunday May 30th and I will announce the winner on Monday.


Good Luck!