When did you first have the thought you'd like to write a book?
I first started writing when I was eight. My first (memorable) idea came when we went to Disneyland on the Matterhorn, and I had an idea for an Abominable Snowman children’s story.
What was your path to getting Astraeus written and published? What type of research did you do?
Well, I’ve been traditionally published since 2015 under a pen name, mostly contemporary romances and some New Adult novels. But at heart, I’m a sci-fi nerd, and I love everything related to astronomy. I studied it extensively in college and frequently visit the Planetarium with my family. I’m a hard-core Trekkie, and a few ideas for the novel had been floating around my mind for several years. After writing six romance novels, I decided it was time to write something I’d feel comfortable with my children reading, but also something which appeals to adults. I submitted Astraeus to a few different publishers. After receiving a few different offers and considering what they each had to offer in terms of editing and cover art, I decided to accept Covey Publishing’s offer, and I’m so glad I did. They’ve been incredible.
Where did the idea for Astraeus come from?
My imagination, classes in college, mostly, and the desire to explore the possibility of life on other planets/in the universe. If we exist, surely others exist, and I wanted to explore the science of that beneath the action, drama, and romance of the adventure.
Why did you pick the setting you did?
Because I find futuristic concepts fascinating, and up until now I’ve always written contemporary romance novels. In my writing, I’m all about exploring “what-if’s” and exploratory concepts, be they emotional or figurative. Also, I think space is interesting. How humans survive in space is interesting, and I wanted to go further into how that might evolve a hundred and fifty years from now. The stakes of the characters’ situations were interesting to me, and I felt a strong pull to write it.
Are your main characters completely imaginary or do they have some basis in real people? Do they reflect aspects of yourself?
They’re imaginary, but their feelings and passions are certainly real. Sakota is a driven, purposeful person who cares about making a difference and saving humanity. Astraeus has his own reasons for what he does as well, as does Rutledge. In essence, everyone in the book is after something in some form or another, damaged by something, and driven by something. I do like to sprinkle tiny morsels of myself into certain characters, but they’re each their own person.
Did you face any blocks while writing Astraeus, and if so, how did you handle them?
The blocks I encountered while writing Astraeus were mostly research-related. I wanted the science to be as accurate as possible, so a great deal of the world-building and astronaut-life consumed a good portion of the outlining process. It was a fun book to write, but it was important to me that it seem believable as well, so I took my time on that before getting to the meat and gravy of the story.
What have been surprises you've encountered while writing the book and after?
You know, it’s been well-received, for the most part. I’ve been very touched by the wonderful reception and how many people loved the book. I think the surprises have been the heavy political tones some people seem to take away from the novel. Everyone reads what they will into every book they pick up, but it’s fascinating to me (especially in our current political age) how passionate people can get, and how passionate some have become over this book. And I mean that in a good way. I didn’t intentionally set out while crafting this pre-apocalyptic world to offend people or rile up political sore spots, but there are some who have carved out a lot of political undertones reflective of what’s going on in our world today. And that’s okay, I think it ended up being a timely piece that deals with a lot of “what-if’s”, which is what science fiction is all about. Books should say something about life, sci-fi especially. They need to stir you.
What did you learn? For instance, what did you learn about yourself, your process, the writing world; about space, planets, and extraterrestrial life?
I learned that I really enjoy writing sci-fi. I will continue to write romance under my pen name, but this is the first book in the line of many for Astraeus, and I have a few novels outlined for the future which I’m looking forward to exploring. I’ve always been passionate about space and the concept of intergalactic travel, so the buck won’t simply stop here. I learned the universe is indeed infinite, and there’s always something to explore. I greatly enjoyed writing the second book and getting more into how life on other planets looks, and how humans would fare there.
What aspect of writing gives you the most trouble?
Writing blurbs. The most painstaking thing ever is to craft the novel of your life, edit it to within an inch of its life, get it all set up for success, and then having to condense a several hundred-paged novel into a two-paragraph, saleable pitch. It’s every author’s nightmare.
Tell us about your writing space and how or why it works for you.
I’m something of a writing nomad. For the most part, I enjoy writing in the comfort of my living room with my dogs at my feet, typing away at a laptop, but I’m also a mom. I wrote Astraeus everywhere, at family fun centers, libraries, soccer games, the car pool lane, on planes, while making dinner at the kitchen counter, you name it. As a parent author, you sort of have to do what you can, wherever you are, with what you have. Sometimes that involves getting up early to squeeze time in. I don’t like writing to interfere with family time, so it’s a delicate balance.
What are some of your favorite books and why?
Anything by Stephen King. He’s a master storyteller, and he writes strong, realistic women. A few of my favorite novels include King’s The Stand and Dark Tower series, The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, Intensity by Dean Koontz, the Legend series by Marie Lu, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, anything by Shakespeare or Alice Walker, Roots by Alex Haley, and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.
Who is your favorite hero/heroine?
Chyna Shepherd from Intensity. Like Stephen King, Dean Koontz writes women well. She’s realistic, emotional, and gritty, while being vulnerable. Her inner strength from her past rings true to her circumstance, and she’s a fantastic, nuanced character who I deeply love.
What are you working on now?
I’m shuffling a few, nearly-completed romance novels around, and gearing up to write the third installment in the Astraeus trilogy. I recently finished Astraeus II: Retaliation, and I should have a release date soon. I also have a YA dystopian sci-fi novel on the back burner, so there will be more sci-fi releases in the next year.
Would you like to try your hand at writing a different genre? Which one and why?
Absolutely. I write like I read, all over the place, and I think limiting myself to one particular genre as an author is debilitating. Like any aspect in life, you have to branch out and grow, and there are areas I’m eager to explore in writing, such as my military experience, which up until now I haven’t really used (other than for Rutledge in Astraeus). I have toyed with the idea of writing historical romances and also some crime/military thrillers down the road.
If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be?
Possibly voice over work. I’m a theater person, musically inclined, and I really enjoy both musical theater and plays, but I’ve always struggled with stage fright. I’d love to do some voice over acting at some point.
One pre-apocalyptic Earth. One desperate space mission to find a solution. One unexpected alien. When Dr. Sakota Thorell signed onto the mission to scout out a new, habitable planet, she knew discovering extraterrestrial life was always a possibility. But she never expected to find an alien adrift in space, nor for that alien to be so intriguing. Sakota feels an instant and undeniable attraction to Astraeus, but he represents a million possibilities, and just as many threats.
There are others hunting Astraeus, and his rescue may cost Earth its last hope.
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Haley Cavanagh is a science fiction author, playwright, and screenwriter. Her award-winning, debut sci-fi novel, Astraeus, released on October 12th, 2018 with Covey Publishing. Haley has been an award-winning published novelist since 2016. Her seven romance novels are written under a pseudonym. She also occasionally writes informative articles for corporate magazines and healthcare-related brochures. She served for most of her young adulthood in the U.S. military, and she is an alumni of Columbia College, a theater nerd, and a nature enthusiast. She resides in the United States, and when she’s not writing, she enjoys spending quality time with her family.
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