Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: Fighting Gravity by Leah Petersen

Today we're welcoming author Leah Petersen to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her science fiction debut novel, "Fighting Gravity".

Two random commenters during the tour will receive a prize pack both containing these items hand knit by the author: a hat, a replica of the symbol of an important institution referenced in Fighting Gravity.. So comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win!

Leah graciously answered my questions.  Thanks, Leah!

You've chosen an interesting non-niche "genre" to write in -- non-erotic M/M Science Fiction. Did you choose it, or did it choose you?

I used to think I was crazy to have written, as you said, in a non-niche genre. Who in the world was going to read a gay sci-fi without at least the payoff of steamy sex? I’ve come to learn that maybe I was underestimating people, or perhaps overestimating my own uniqueness. I didn’t write the story down for a long time for just that reason: I didn’t think it had an audience. It’s surprised me how many people expressed an interest in it, and then really enjoyed it.

I definitely didn’t set out to write anything like this. I’ve always imagined in sci-fi and fantasy universes. That was always a given. The m/m angle took me completely by surprise. At that point, I’d never read any fiction with a gay relationship as the focus. Literally never. I did a lot of catching up on that when I was trying to learn the industry and get my book published, but I was as genuinely surprised as Jake was when he fell in love with the Emperor.

Worldbuilding always fascinates me. What did you do to create the world in "Fighting Gravity"?

Well I “cheated” in that I simply fast-forwarded the world we’re already in. It’s lots of fun to look at the hot issues of the day and imagine them settled in some drastic, definitive way that changes society as we know it. I started by imagining what would happen if devastating religious wars turned society away from organized religion to idolizing a strong central government, and went from there.

Any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

I like to write outside, which isn’t all that strange, but my favorite is when I’m outside and it’s raining. Granted, this is on a covered porch because my laptop’s not waterproof, but there’s something amazing about the sound of the rain. I don’t think there are many muses more powerful than that.

Anything new coming up?

The sequel, what else? ;) Fighting Gravity’s the first in a trilogy, so coming next is IMPACT VELOCITY.

Anything you'd like to ask our readers?

Yes. If you were (are) a writer, what’s the story you’d like to write? As a reader, what is the story you’d love to find to read?

When Jacob Dawes is Selected for the Imperial Intellectual Complex as a child, he’s catapulted from the poverty-stricken slums of his birth into a world where his status as an unclass is something no one can forget, or forgive. His growing scientific renown draws the attention of the emperor, a young man Jacob’s own age, and they find themselves drawn to each other in an unlikely, and ill-advised relationship. Jacob may have won the emperor’s heart, but it’s no protection when he’s accused of treason. And fighting his own execution would mean betraying the man he loves.

Leah Petersen lives in North Carolina. She does the day-job, wife, and mother thing, much like everyone else. She prides herself on being able to hold a book with her feet so she can knit while reading. She’s still working on knitting while writing.

FIGHTING GRAVITY is her first novel.

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