A Fragile Peace on a Divided Mars: An interview with science fiction author Cindy Borgne

1) Please tell us about your book. 

Visionary of Peace is the second book in the “The Vallar Series.” It starts two years after the first book ( Available for free download on the day of this posting). Here is the blurb:

Ian Connors had planned to use his visions to spy on Marscorp in order to maintain peace, but flashbacks and nightmares make it impossible. Since two years of peace have passed due to a stalemate, Ian decides to try and live a normal life, until one day he has a vision so horrifying he has no choice but to become the seer he once was or Vallar will have no future. While he struggles to regain his ability, the Marcs plot to capture him alive in order to complete a deal for their return to Earth.

2) Please tell us about your main characters.

Ian Connors is trying to live a normal life on Mars, however, he’s a psychic. He killed Admiral Beacon, the antagonist from the first book, and he lives in fear of being captured by his enemies the Marcs. He also has visions of the future that haunt him. This time he sees a war that will destroy his people unless he finds a way to stop it. When he’s not completely stressed out, he spends his spare time repairing ships.

Kayla Merceir has been a diplomat, a spy and now she is engineering contained biospheres. She has a lot of trouble admitting she loves Ian because of a prior relationship that went wrong. From her spying experience and other training, she is a strong woman who joins Ian in stopping the war. She loves to paint pictures of oceans, forests, and other Earth-like places.

3) Was there anything you encountered during the course of research that altered how you decided to lay out your story?

One of the goals in the story is to generate a wormhole so the people of Mars can reach the Earth-like planet of Hinun. I did a lot of research about how to generate a wormhole and how they react. Also, I was looking for the newest ideas regarding wormholes because in real life we don’t have this technology. So yes, I was constantly tinkering with wormhole details.

4) This book alternates between two first person POVs. Why did you choose to do that, and did you encounter any special challenges with it?

Seer of Mars (Vallar 1) is written entirely in first person from Ian’s point of view. I found myself wanting to bring in another viewpoint, but I didn’t want to switch to third person. A few years ago, I would have never considered two first person POVs, but I had recently read some good books written the same way. I found out it could work, so I went with it.

5) This is a sequel. Did you always intend a sequel? Were there any special challenges you faced writing a sequel?

The first book has a definite ending. However, I did leave a few hints that there could be a sequel, even though I wasn’t sure if I would write one at the time. A lot of people asked me about a sequel, so I ended up writing one. Then the struggle began. There were two other versions written halfway through that I scrapped. However, being stubborn, I pressed on. I feel pretty satisfied that I finally finished it.

6) Do you have another book planned for this series?

Yes, but I want to switch to a different project for awhile. The third book would involve settling on the new planet.

7) What sort of future projects do you have planned?

I have two ideas. The first one is something post-apocalyptic, except the disaster would most likely be man-made, rather than from zombies. A possible title is The Middle of Nowhere.

Then I would like to do something historical, yet have something scientific involved. Most likely it would involve Native Americans obtaining some sort of technology before its time.

8) Where can people find more from you?

Readers can find everything on my blog. http://dreamersperch.blogspot.com/

Thanks for having me today, JA.

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Please note that Seer of Mars is free today (Feb. 26, 2013) for download on Amazon, if you haven't had an opportunity to read Cindy's first book.