No Aliens - Guest Post by Author Cathy Pegau

Three Reasons I Don’t Write Aliens

And Three Reasons Maybe I Should

Guest Post by Cathy Pegau

At this point, I haven’t written alien species as the main characters or hero/heroine in my science fiction romance. Not that I have anything against them. Some of my best friends are from space. No wait, that’s spacey. Never mind. Anyway, all of the inhabitants of my worlds are plain ol’ human beings. Here are some reasons why I stick to the species I know best (even if the men make me shake my head in wonder at times : ) And reasons why maybe I should give the green guys a try ; )

1.      Known biology. For the most part, I know how humans function. By using them, I don’t have to worry about all that messy science : P Kidding. I love biology. Creating a new species has its appeal; I just haven’t had the inspiration to do so.

On the other hand….There are GOBS of configurations of body parts and subsequent positionings that could make a story…um…interesting. Create your own species? Hmm. Give them sensitive areas or erogenous zones that aren’t typical or expected? Hmmm…

2.      What are the chances of humanoid life out there? I’m guessing pretty low. For the sake of my novels, the species we’ve encountered aren’t more intelligent than animals, let alone candidates for potential mates.

On the other hand…The point of speculative fiction is to, in fact, speculate! What if there are species just waiting for us to reach a certain maturity? Or on their way and we have yet to invent the technology to detect them? There are many reasons why we haven’t bumped into aliens at this point, but that doesn’t mean we won’t. Just because we’re barely out of our own cosmic backyard doesn’t mean we’re alone in the neighborhood.

3.      The Human Condition. I’m no expert in this field (or any other, for that matter) but like most writers I’m fascinated by human interaction. Why are these two people attracted to each other? What is it about the other person that makes them rail and shake their fists while wanting to kiss them? How can the characters get over their differences (some of which are so opposing they’re often enemies in the beginning of romances) to come together (heheh. “come together” heheh. Sorry. Carry on…)

On the other hand…What better way to explore our humanity than through the eyes (or whatever ocular mechanism) of an alien species? And if there is a way for two characters to be any more different and possibly at odds than by being different species, I’d like to know what it is.

So I guess there’s no real reason for me NOT to take a stab at an alien romance. But I’ll tell you right now, I think I will be drawing the line at anything that includes tentacles. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

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Cathy Pegau can’t seem to write anything that doesn’t include some sort of foray into a different reality. Her debut novel, Rulebreaker, came out in August 2011. Her second novel from Carina Press, Caught in Amber, releases January 28, 2013. The third book set on the mining colony of Nevarro, Deep Deception, comes out in May 2013.

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