Author Interview: Greta van der Rol

I reviewed Greta van der Rol's The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy here last week with much shameless fangirling. I couldn't help it; the book seriously has absolutely everything a science-fiction fan could possibly want. When she sent out the feelers for potential hosts of a blog tour, I jumped. Okay, I nearly tripped over myself trying to get in line. But it worked! Because here she is!

First and foremost, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview!

My pleasure, thanks for asking.

How did you get interested in science fiction?

I started reading SF in my teens, I think. I was always a fantasy fan and then I moved on to Asimov, Clark, Wyndham. I enjoyed science - except for the maths bit - so I didn't want to study physics but the night sky fascinated me. All those pin pricks, all those suns. Awesome.

For your history degree, did you specialize in any specific location and/or era?

I studied mainly European history, with an emphasis on Nazi Germany. I suppose that's a relic of my family past. But I also studied Indian history for 3 years.

Do you think your study of history helped, and if so, how, when you started world- and government-building in your Iron Admiral series?

Most definitely. The opening situation, where 3,000 ptorix miners are murdered in a massacre which is blamed on the Confederacy Starfleet, was based on the very real staged attack on a radio station at Gleiwitz, just on the German side of the German/Polish border, in 1939. The Nazis staged the raid to give Hitler an excuse to attack Poland. I also drew on history to come up with the Ptorix Khophirate (Empire). I imagined an Empire which had expanded as far as it was going to, and then started to crumble at the edges. Examples could be the Romans or the Ottoman Empire. Humans are the encroaching 'barbarians', if you will. And increasingly, the ptorix border governors are flexing their muscles, trying their own bid for power. And, of course, humans are not a unified group. That would be silly. Isaac Asimov took a similar approach in his Foundation series.

What inspired the ptorix?

I really did not want yet another humanoid alien race, like ten foot tall blue humans. I also limited the number of technologically advanced intelligent species to two. The chances of there being scores of them out there, ala Star Wars, is pretty unlikely for lots of reasons. So I deliberately came up with a species based on a set of requirements; smart, able to manipulate tools, come from a similar planet to Earth (so we can share a planet without breathing equipment or physical modification). But I made sure they didn't see the world in the same way. And no, there's no chance of a ptorix/human cross.

Was the combination of romance and science-fiction a conscious decision, or did you just go with what the story demanded?

I never started with the idea of writing a romance. When I first wrote the book, the romance happened, but rather later because Saahren arrived on the scene rather later. Advice from an agent (who passed) led me to rewrite as more of a romance, where Allysha and Saahren meet fairly early in the piece. I confess, I was quite surprised when a romance happened. I've never read a whole Mills and Boon book, so it wasn't my sort of interest.

Please tell me about the new book.

Allysha and Saahren have a way to go. He's managed to persuade her to stay in the Confederacy but she isn't ready to start an intimate relationship with him. The Galactic People's Republic still wants Allysha for some unknown reason and they've recruited her estranged husband, Sean, to deliver her by fair means or foul. Allysha still has many questions about the death of her father, for which she had believed Saahren was responsible. Had Saahren committed an atrocity, as she'd been told? She has to confront the past to find answers; he has to learn to let go. At the end, both of them will be forced to make shattering decisions.

Who is your favorite character? Why?

Saahren. I'm a woman. I like him because he's such a mix of driven brilliance in his job and total insecurity when it comes to women. He's a klutz but he's also a hunk. And he tries very hard to get it right.

Do you have any plans to continue this series beyond the current titles?

There is a third book on the way set in the same universe (ptorix and humans) but with different characters. My publisher has already expressed undying lust for Admiral Hudson. Saahren gets a cameo part in the story, which takes place before the Iron Admiral books. Beyond that - who knows?

Is there anything else you'd like for readers to know?

If you enjoyed the Iron Admiral books you may well like 'Morgan's Choice'. It's a different universe but it has a similar mixture of action, adventure and politics. You'll find more than a hint of my study of Indian history in that one.

Thank you for having me.

No, Ms. van der Rol, thank you!

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