Aedre’s mum died in a sky city accident. Aedre survived.
Cloaked in grief, the young mystic travelled five light-years to the Firesnake for a fresh start.
But the backwater planet was overflowing with crime and violence, and she got in trouble with corrupt police and the mafia. She stumbled upon cages of naked women she wanted so dearly to free.
Her spirit guardian, an owl-woman, told her she’d become the saviour of slaves. But she didn’t understand how, though she knew her friends were in trouble.
INTERVIEW WITH RAYNER YE
How did you write the Firesnake/Plan8 Slaves series?
For my first ever book, I used the Snowflake Method and motivation reaction units. But first, I researched on NASA about exo-planets in Goldilocks Zones for my Seven System Plan8 Alliance. For five months before planning my book, I designed my galactic alliance, geology, geography, drew maps, religions, different ethnicities, a bit of history, the ancient amethyst pyramids, etc. Halfway through my series, I wrote into the dark, then used the snowflake method again when too many naughty characters wanted the lime light.
Then I planned out the first two books, using the snowflake method. I started at the Aedre, YuFu, Noomy Foster, Sharr Shuvuu, Bamdar (and other cheeky buggers sneaked in later.) After writing the first three chapters, I joined a critique group (thenextbigwriter.com). I got slashed and torn apart. But it was all good. I got brilliant advice. I licked my wounds and kept re-writing those chapters until critical reviews became good ones. The only criticism I ignored throughout was that I ‘had too many characters.’
Why is your heroine a mystic and yogi?
People say you shouldn’t base characters on yourself. Well, will you forgive me if I say, “Come on! I was a novice.” Luckily, she’s not completely like me. My Mum’s still alive, I never got arrested when I taught English in Jakarta, and I never got involved with the mafia or had to do the other things. The teleportation bit might have been cool, though. Oh, yes, authors already teleport.
One of the heros is Chinese. Do you know much about Chinese culture?
My husband’s Chinese. I lived in China for three years. I lived in Indonesia for a year, too. My in-laws can’t speak English, which helped tremedously in acquiring Mandarin.
There’s a temple in Five-Light Years to the Firesnake. It is like a Buddhist one. Is there a reason for that?
When I lived in Sunter Gardens, Jakarta, I walked past a local Vihara (Buddhist temple.) I knocked on the door and said, “Kung Fu?” If you want to know what happened next, read the series! Apek was my Shaolin Master (Mon-Fri). I did Wu Shu in the weekends.
There are hardly any spaceships. Why?
YuFu’s Run 4 is my most space-based book. I love galactic alliance, so use spaceships to transport those ignorant about the portals or who don't have crystal stars. I prefer to write about terra firma political problems, war, terrorism, conspiracies, slavery, etc.
Why write about that dark stuff?
It evokes emotional reactions. I’m all about motivation reaction units, even when dictating into the dark.
What's your next plan?
Narrate YuFu’s Run 1-4.
Have you done that before?
Nope. But I have a hover, I have a plasma gun, and I have the guts to kill the bad guys.
Huh?
I have a mic, the acting dream, and many like my voice.
Do you think you’re a talented writer?
Yes, for those who like my stories. No for those who don’t like my stories. Come on. How can you say what’s right and wrong? Stories are stories, not scientific experiments which require fixed variables.