One of the toughest walls for a new writer to crack is the publishing market,
and Rhonda Mason nearly
saw the process crack her. The debut author of THE EMPRESS GAME struggled with
rejection and
uncertainty.
“Yeah, it’s been a long, long road. For me, the hardest part was handling the
rejections,” she said. “My
thesis novel (an epic fantasy) went through the rounds with all of the agents,
and while it got a lot of
attention and requests for full (manuscripts), it ultimately was rejected by
everyone. I took that very
hard. I even stopped writing for a while because of it.”
Unable to sell her manuscript, Mason switched gears and began working on a
space opera that finally
broke through. In THE EMPRESS GAME, people battle in a tournament of ritualized combat
for the chance to
be queen. It was a genre that Mason loves to read.
“One of the things I love about space opera (versus harder sci-fi) is the
chance to use technology in
creative ways, even if it’s not 100-percent scientifically accurate,” she said.
“Tech isn’t my fave element
in a story, character and character interaction is. I love being able to work
in a futuristic setting while
still focusing on my character arcs.”
Unlike her heroine, Kayla, she isn’t as brave or confrontational. But Mason,
who divides her time
between writing, editing, bulldogs and the beach, does share her character’s
dedication to family.
“Kayla and I share an intense devotion to family. I was born into a family of
five, but then my dad left
and I grew up in a family of four—me, my two sisters and my mum,” she said. “We
became super tight
as a result, and I love my family to pieces. Kayla and I share that protective
instinct and willingness to
sacrifice for family.”
After signing with a literary agent, doors opened for her work. She signed with
UK-based Titan Books
over a larger US-based publisher, although she admits she hadn’t a clue who
they were at the time.
“What sold me on Titan Books was the enthusiasm they had for EG,” Mason said.
“They made EG a lead
title, gave it fantastic cover art, but most importantly, they actually spent
resources promoting it. That’s
something I doubt I would have gotten as a debut author at a Big 5.”
Now that her publishing dream has been realized, work is underway on the second
and third books in
the trilogy, which might take almost two years to complete. And then it’s back
to tackle the project she
originally hoped would be her debut.
“I am very much looking forward to getting back to that fantasy novel I started
while EG was on
submission,” Mason said. “I honestly don’t know if I’ll return to space opera
after that. EG is the only
space opera story that’s ever come to me. Guess I’ll have to just wait and
see!”
Giveaway
What's your favorite space opera? Leave a comment below and be entered for a
chance to win a signed copy of THE EMPRESS GAME.
Rhonda Mason writes space opera and fantasy fiction with kick-ass female
protags who save the day. Of
course, they get into a fair bit of trouble along the way. Aside from hand-to-
hand combat, Rhonda
loves snorkeling, bulldogs and flying up north to visit her family.
She has a masters in Writing from Seton Hill University's Writing Popular
Fiction program where she
focused on speculative fiction.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
One seat on the intergalactic Sakien Empire’s supreme ruling body, the
Council of Seven, remains
unfilled, that of the Empress Apparent. The seat isn’t won by votes or
marriage. It’s won in a tournament
of ritualized combat in the ancient tradition. Now that tournament, the Empress
Game, has been called
and the females of the empire will stop at nothing to secure political
domination for their homeworlds.
The battle for political power isn’t contained by the tournament’s ring,
however. The empire’s elite
gather to forge, strengthen or betray alliances in a dance that will determine
the fate of the empire for a
generation. With the empire wracked by a rising nanovirus plague and stretched
thin by an ill- advised
planet-wide occupation of Ordoch in enemy territory, everything rests on the
woman who rises to the
top.
13 comments posted.
The only ones I've read are the four book series " The Scrolls of Xavier" by another new author ' John A. Ashley '. So I guess this would be my favorite since it is the only ones I've read . Thanks for this giveaway . Your book sounds very exciting , I hope to read it soon .
(Joan Thrasher 11:49am July 16, 2015)
Space opera? Not sure! I like sci-fi and fantasy, though. I recently read "Song of Scarabaeus" by Sara Creasy which I enjoyed.
(Cynthia Powers 10:53pm July 16, 2015)
Congrats on the new release! My favorite space opera is Dune by Frank Herbert. Also enjoy Star Wars and Battlestar Galatica.
(Bonnie H 11:15am July 29, 2015)
First off, I am a big fan of the space opera genre. Science fiction mingled with the
nuances of space makes for a great story, in my book. My favorite would have to
be Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
(Alice Hunter 12:19pm August 3, 2015)