Extraordinary Adventures with Vijaya Schartz

The Write Way Café welcomes author Vijaya Schartz, a martial artist who writes strong heroines and brave heroes.

When did you first have the thought you'd like to write a book? 
Born in France, I was an avid reader since age three, and I started writing stories in the first grade. I loved it and received many encouragements from my teachers. At eighteen, I devoured detective stories and dreamed of writing one. But I was heavily involved in gymnastics (French National team) and there was no time. Later, I found myself dreaming of writing again. At the time, I thought I knew everything, like all young people that age, and I wanted to write a book on how to run a country, because, obviously, the French government wasn’t doing a very good job of it. So I started writing. At the time my boyfriend was a Greek refugee whose father owned a newspaper. He was a good writer and editor himself, and I gave him my pages to read. When he got back to me, he said “the writing is good, but the ideas are not new, and this book was already written and published.” I couldn’t believe someone beat me to the punch. I asked about the author who had dared publishing that book before me. He said, “The author is Plato, the year was 380 BC, and the title is THE REPUBLIC.” So, I went to the library and borrowed The Republic by Plato, read it, then decided I didn’t want to rewrite it. Still, I was thrilled my ideas and Plato’s were so similar.

What was your path to getting Black Dragon written and published? What type of research did you do? 
I love science fiction. I binge on sci-fi books, movies, and TV shows. I call it research. It’s difficult to research the future, and other writers have done it before me. I particularly enjoy exploring the possibility of telepathy as a mode of communication, whether natural, or enhanced by technology. There are also sci-fi parameters to respect in order to be believable in that genre. The sci-fi aficionados already know much from literature. Sometimes sci-fi writers actually inspire the new technology, like the flip phone and the electronic tablet. Of course, I keep abreast of the latest developments in space technology, but my stories are so far in the future that what we know now may no longer apply. Still, a sci-fi author has a responsibility to respect the technology. To, me, however, the technology is only a background, and is secondary to the story and the characters. My characters drive the plot and they are the heroes and the villains, not the technology… although, I also have some cool, human-looking androids as characters, and animals as well, especially cats.

Where did the idea for Black Dragon come from? 
Strong heroines and brave heroes have become my trademark. I like a fighting woman. I was a martial artist myself and would have gladly become a soldier given a chance, but the opportunity wasn’t open to women in France at the time. So, a woman in uniform was the obvious choice for my heroine. It was to be a sweet romance, so I needed a handsome and fascinating hero. I needed a conflict, and what better conflict than throwing opposites together, the law enforcer and the lawless rebel. The other elements of the story grew organically, including the cat. I love cats and I think they are wonderful companions, ideal when you live in a small, closed environment like a spaceship or a space station. And no story would be complete without a villain, and this one, like all my villains, is particularly despicable. A reviewer once stated that I wrote the worst (meaning best) villains in science fiction. As for the gorgeous android woman, it’s another favorite trope of mine.

Why did you pick the setting you did?
I first created the Byzantium space station for another sci-fi romance series, THE AZURA CHRONICLES. In that series, Byzantium is the setting for a small part of the stories, which are primarily set on Azura, an angel planet. But I had created the space station and enjoyed writing about it. It made sense to write a companion series of independent stories set in the same universe, and limited to that space station. Deep Space Nine and Babylon Five captivated TV viewers for decades. Many movies feature space stations, and they are the most interesting places in the universe, where all kinds of people mix and trade and fight their battles. But although Byzantium is under the control of the Galactic Trade Alliance (GTA), it is a civilian hub, and far from being clean and orderly. The structure is old and falling apart for lack of maintenance. Set at the edge of conquered space, Byzantium hosts tourists, but its slums are ruled by deadly gangs, and in its bowels, the GTA holds a penitentiary called the Fortress, where they keep the most dangerous felons in the galaxy.

Are your main characters completely imaginary or do they have some basis in real people? Do they reflect aspects of yourself? 
I believe all my characters reflect an aspect of myself. I couldn’t write them if I didn’t feel what they feel. My strong heroines definitely are extensions of my independent personality. Most are athletic, some are spiritual, etc.  It was a scary experience when, as a green writer, I wrote from the point of view of one of my villains. Would I identify with evil? But I found it liberating. Although I did not condone my villains’ actions, I believe we all have the seeds of good and evil in us, and what makes us who we are is the way we choose to deal with the problems we face. A villain tends to act selfishly, while a hero will be selfless… and none of us are perfect… or completely evil.

Did you face any blocks while writing Black Dragon, and if so, how did you handle them? 
Usually, I write from a loose outline. When I feel blocked, it’s because I don’t know what should happen next in the story. All I have to do is brainstorm the details of the next few scenes or chapters, and as soon as I know what should happen next, the writing flows again.

What have been surprises you've encountered while writing Black Dragon and after? 
It confirmed in my mind that all cats are telepathic to a certain degree. Don’t laugh. My cat is judging me right now. I also discovered that a romance didn’t necessarily need love scenes. This series is sweet, which means the romance focuses on falling in love. In Black Dragon, there are a few sexy innuendos, funny nudity, and one very hot kiss, that’s all. There is no sex, on or off the page. Their first night together will happen after the novel is over.

What did you learn? For instance, what did you learn about yourself, your process, the writing world? 
Since I had thirty novels published to date in different genres, Black Dragon is not my first novel, far from it. I made most of my discoveries about myself while writing my first four or five novels. I discovered that I know more than I think I know. I discovered that good research can provide many ideas for plot and character development. My process is a mix of plotting and pantsing. I know where the story is going, who the characters are, where they clash, and where they come together.  But I also leave room for last minute plot twists, for improvisation, for exploring unforeseen elements of the story… as long as it makes for a better novel. My work is often called imaginative, and I have to agree.

What aspect of writing gives you the most trouble? 
Action scenes and fight scenes come easily to me. I’m a martial artist (Aikido and Tai-Chi as an adult, and Judo and Karate as a teen). Emotional scenes take me longer to write and require more rewrites. I give them special attention because they are essential to any story.

Tell us about your writing space and how or why it works for you. 
I live alone in a small apartment, with my cat. It’s by choice. I call it my writer’s cave. Welcome to a writer’s life. I always was a hermit by nature. I like it that way. It’s the only way I can find the time and the peace to write all these books. I have a very large desk, panoramic wi-fi, a laser printer, and I work on a laptop, to which I added an ergonomic keyboard and mouse. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and it has saved me from carpal tunnel syndrome. My only distraction is my cat, who likes to be part of the process. Fortunately, she sleeps most of the day.

What are some of your favorite books and why? 
Dune by Frank Herbert is my all-time favorite sci-fi novel. The world he created for this series is fantastic and so believable. Only the early books in the series were written by Frank Herbert himself. The later books were written by a team of writers including his son. As for the romantic element in my sci-fi novels, I followed in the steps of the great lady of sci-fi romance, Linnea Sinclair, a trail-blazer of the genre. Her Dock-Five Universe series inspired me when I started writing this genre.

Who is your favorite hero/heroine? 
As a reader, I had many over the years. I used to be very taken with Jamie, the hero of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. As for the heroines, I always admired the strong, kick-butt type, like Lara in the Tomb Raider series.

What are you working on now? 
I’m finishing the second book in the Byzantium series, Akira’s Choice, coming in October 2019. I’m also revising and refreshing the Chronicles of Kassouk sci-fi romance series, for a new edition from BWL Publishing (after the closing of a former publishing house). The first book, Noah's Ark is coming out August 1st, with one new book each month after that. Next I’ll write Book 3 in the Byzantium series, and Book 3 in the Azura Chronicles series. These two series are closely related, and some characters from Azura also appear in Byzantium.

Would you like to try your hand at writing a different genre?  Which one and why? 
I already write in other genres. I have a medieval romantic series based on Celtic legends, The Curse of the Lost Isle series, which is now complete, with eight novels. I also wrote a few contemporary romances, one of which, Asleep in Scottsdale, includes a mystery. And my most popular novel, and the first to be published, is a reincarnation story titled Ashes for the Elephant God, and is set in India (where I lived for a while). Ashes for the Elephant God won many awards and includes philosophical, inspirational, and spiritual elements (like Eat, Pray, Love, but my novel came out first). I have no plan of writing in any other genre at this time, but who knows? What makes the future exciting is that it often surprises you.

If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be? 
I had many careers over the years and did most of the things I wanted to do professionally, including singing, acting, painting, and living in exotic places. I love the ocean, and I miss it in Arizona. When I lived in Hawaii, I was a tour guide and a surfer. I often dream of returning to that simple lifestyle… and someday, I might. A seer once told me in Hawaii that I would go live on the “mainland” but would eventually return to a beach. He said he could feel the sand between my toes. I love that image. I may or may not return to the ocean, but no matter where I am, or whatever else I do, I will always be a writer. Writing is in my blood. I’ve been correcting my elders’ grammar since I was three, and writing fiction since I was five years old. I find language fascinating, and I have more stories to tell than I can write in a lifetime. To me, writing is not just a job, it’s a passion I cannot escape.

A gambler is cheating in a den of the Byzantium space station, and Lieutenant Zara Frankel intends to catch him in the act. She always gets her man, but this one could prove more than she can handle.

Captain Czerno Drake, code name Black Dragon, has come under cover to break his innocent uncle from the most secure penitentiary in the galaxy, on the Byzantium space station. He will stop at nothing to succeed, even enrolling the help of Zara, the lovely straight arrow GTA enforcer. When Zara realizes that she’s been duped by a shrewd but seductive rebel, her reaction surprises everyone, most of all herself.

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Vijaya's cat, Jasmine

Born in France, award-winning author Vijaya Schartz never conformed to anything and could never refuse a challenge. She writes strong heroines, brave heroes, and cats. She likes action and exotic settings, in life and on the page. She traveled the world and claims she must be a time traveler, since she writes with the same ease about the far past and the far future. With thirty titles published, Vijaya Schartz writes action adventure laced with sensuality and suspense, in exotic, medieval, or futuristic settings. Her books collected many five-star reviews and literary awards. She makes you believe you actually lived these extraordinary adventures among her characters. Her stories have been compared to Indiana Jones with sizzling romance, and she takes that as a compliment anytime. She writes to entertain. Find her and her books at: http://www.vijayaschartz.com

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