ninamunteanu

combination of the high calibre acting and wonderful chemistry between the two lead characters (a tough yet vulnerable Aeryn Sun played by Claudia Black and a scientist adventurer played by Ben Browder). Often dark, dirty and edgy, "Farscape" combined wry (and often bathroom) humor with drama of large scope and high stakes that resonated in a personal way. This show more than any other dared to dig deep into its characters, show them as flawed and leave them that way, then permit them to fulfill incredible story arcs of personal growth. This is what all good stories are about. Which brings me to the main course of the show and what captured my heart: the love story. The evolving (and struggling) relationship of Astronaut John Crichton and Peacekeeper Officer Aeryn Sun (thrown together by happenstance and misfortune) provided the foundation upon which the series explores, through the metaphor of its remarkable alien universe, what it means to be human. Whether it is in conflict or in love and passion, or simply working cooperatively to solve a problem, John and Aeryn sizzle on screen. Providing a plethora of banter, yet beautiful, endearing and often funny interaction, John and Aeryn's growing (and struggling) relationship remains one of my favorites of all the classic and contemporary love stories I have encountered to date.

Liquid Silver Books has published your first novel, "Collision with Paradise," a SF romantic thriller. Tell us about starship pilot Genevieve Dubois, and her latest research mission.

Genevieve is a hot-shot space ship pilot obsessed with space adventure. A bit of a recluse with a tragic past, she accepts a dangerous mission to captain a crew of researchers to the mysterious planet, Eos, convinced she's looking for adventure but really running away from a relationship she can't handle. While the real mission is shrouded in mystery, like the planet itself, she's naively under the impression from her briefing, as captain of ZAC but not as mission commander, that they are meant to peacefully solicit knowledge from the Eosians in how they manage to run their society so impeccably. When she learns the awful truth, she must face her guilty past and embark on major damage control to save all that she loves.

Is Genevieve a citizen of Earth? What time period is your novel set in?

Yes, she's from Earth and destined to be the first human to make contact and have a relationship with an extraterrestrial. The story is set several hundred years in the future when we have harnessed bio-technology and created organic sentient ships like Zac.

What exactly is ZAC?

ZAC is a bio-mechanoid (to use Rochne O'Bannon's term from "Farscape" for a similar type ship, a Leviathan). I'd conceived ZAC before I ever saw "Farscape", though, and described him (yeah, it's a "he" -- Genevieve's choice when she tweeked ZAC's personality) as a sentient ship, essentially an AI with self-regulating and replicating nano-technology. ZAC is basically a mechanically-engineered biological entity with intelligence and a personality. ZAC is fueled by the dreams of the crew. The crew remain in what is called hibe (hibernation) during most of the extensive journey and the ship harvests the theta waves produced by each sleeping crewer to fuel its organic nano system. Genevieve, as captain, is taken out of hibe monthly to run ship diagnostics, confirm flight trajectory and conduct interstellar research.

How did Genevieve's employer learn about Eos? What affect have alien explorers had on the planet's inhabitants? Are communicative lines open between the two planetary races? How do they keep peace? Does one race wish to dominate the other?

Earth learned about Eos through a strange interstellar visual broadcast from one of the Eosians, an introduction and invitation to share knowledge and peace together. But the communication appeared haughty and condescending and fueled fear and paranoia among humans who became terrified that the arrogant Eosians wished to enslave humanity. It was this fear that prompted the secret military mission to Eos, unbenownst to Genevieve.

I won't ask about Genevieve's past because I know it plays a major role in who she is, but has it created a protective barrier in her relationships?

Yes. She is a slightly damaged soul, whose quest for adventure as a star ship pilot is in reality a yearning for healing. As a resultof a disappointing relationship and a tragedy, she has locked away her soul and basically become a loner, shutting herself off from love. But this isn't really what she wants and is reflected in her choice of dream-time sexual fantasy during hibe; whereas her fellow crew members choose wild and crazy fantasies while in hibe, she chooses a normal relationship with a man she loves for hers.

Is this "ultimate sexual fantasy" each of her crewmembers are experiencing something devised by those of Eos?

Gee! I never thought of that. It could have been. With the risk of providing a spoiler, Azaes (the alien who saves Genevieve when she crashlands on Eos) is a "soul-drifter," capable of entering someone's dream and manipulating the dream, which he certainly did on a number of occasions. I conceived the fantasies, however, as primarily having been the choice of the crew themselves.

Tell us about your non-fiction publications which led to "Collision with Paradise."

I started publishing non-fiction articles in the 1980s, mostly nature articles, out of my passion for the environment (hense my career choice as an environmental scientist). Articles varied from a yarn about my crazy cat aptly named "The Dog Who Looked Like a Cat" to travel pieces on the west coast of British Columbia. But my first passion has always been story-telling. I used to share crazy stories with my older sister in high school. I swear we came up with several plot lines of SF series that have since aired on TV. My first short story was published by Hadrosaur Tales in 2002, called "Virtually Yours," a kind of beauty and the beast cyber-love story. It was later picked up by Neo-Opsis Science Fiction Magazine and is up for the Speculative Literature Foundation Fountain Award this year. I was always into SF (classic stuff by Bradbury, Asimov, Silverberg, Heinlein, Wyndham) and I think my stories emulate their kind of fiction. But I also noticed that most of my stories often center on a love story. For me, this is a crucial part of any story. Relationships. Characters. How they interact, how love motivates us, how we shun it, how people deal with the strange things that an SF world can throw at them, through and of love. SF provides an excellent metaphoric platform for this kind of social commentary and the exploration of relationships.

You also write articles and critical reviews for SF magazines? Which magazines and what have you written?

The articles I've written are mostly on topics that fascinate me. One of my early SF-related articles is about artificial intelligence (in Strange Horizons) and explores where we are going with it. I had already researched the topic for a book (not yet published) I was working on. I've written several science pieces for Aoife's Kiss and its cousin magazine, Beyond Centauri, a kid's SF & Science magazine. These are very fun to write and require a different style of writing. One is an interview of two twelve year olds who'd designed a lunar space station. My critical reviews are often comparative critiques of books made into movies (e.g., "Solaris"; "I, Robot"). I credit my grade 9 English teacher, A.E. Whittahl, for providing me with the critiquing skills not only to analyze these works of art but to enjoy doing it.

How has your education enriched your writing skills? You've also taught at the University of Victoria, B.C. Did you teach Ecology? What is Limnology?

I didn't receive formal English or writing training beyond what one normally gets in high school and university. But, I think I was fortunate to have had some dedicated and inspirational teachers who were a little different and didn't restrict themselves to the curriculum. I taught ecology and limnology at UVic on Vancouver Island for several years before becoming a full-time environmental consultant. What does limnology mean? Well, some people think its the study of limbs. It actually comes from the Greek word "limnos" for freshwater. So, translated, it's the study of freshwater. My work as a limnologist involves going to lakes and rivers and investigating what makes them work and what makes them not work, like pollution.

Having lived on both sides of the fence: the fictional SF author and the educator of specific sciences, which side of you wants to dominate the other or keeps on popping up in your mind at strange times? You are an artist, as well?

That's a good question! Usually when someone says that, they don't have an answer, but I'll try... I'd say that being a scientist and a science educator has given me the objectivity and discipline to study and research topics and premises I use in my stories. As for dominating and popping up in my mind, I'd have to say that the fictional side, the story-telling side always wins. I get some of my best ideas from my science workplace and my scientific research. But the thematic elements of stories (the relationships and characters) take over and rule my imagination. To put it simply, I suppose I would say that I am an artist who uses science, ratherthan a scientist who does art.

What is your next writing project? And where can we order your book? What formats is it currently available in?

My current book,"Collision with Paradise," is available through Liquid Silver Books for $5.95. I believe it is available in several eformats, including pdf, html, and for certain palm-readers. My next book is "The Cypol" a novelette published by eXtasy Books expected to be released this fall. It's also a romantic SF thriller with a dark cyber-twist. Check out the eXtasy Books site or my website, SF Girl http://mypage.uniserve.com/~munteanu, for a description. I am currently writing a novel set in the same universe as "Collision with Paradise" and hope to market it this summer. It is a very exciting project and has me extensively researching our galaxy.