A visit to Cafe CNN and Planet Haven 6

I’m a bundle of nerves as I make my way to the Time Warner Building in Columbus Circle for my interview on Cafe CNN. If you’ve got CNN EN ESPANOL and can tape it, I’ll be on around 8:45 am! So nervous.

To help me get over my nerves, I’ve got the wonderful Aubrie Dionne with me today who is sharing the inspiration for her latest release, HAVEN 6, a space opera from Entangled Publishing.

What I Pictured for the Planet Haven 6

I wanted my space opera trilogy to mirror the Star Wars trilogy in that the first setting was a desert planet, the second setting an ice world, and the third setting, a forest/jungle. So, Haven 6’s setting was largely inspired by that ideal. I wanted a jungle planet, with mountains, forests, meadows, and swamps- something primordial and dangerous, but also lush with resources and gorgeous with undiscovered territory at the same time. You see a glimpse of this planet at the end of Paradise 21, but this is the primary setting for Haven 6.

To create this world, I searched on Dreamstime.com for different jungle pictures, and the one below is the closest I found that reflects the sci fi element as well as the primitive feel. It was too dark for the cover of the book, so I used it for inspiration for my writing.

Although there aren’t any dinosaurs on Haven 6, there is a big beast lurking in the swamps that gets in the way of the protagonists’ journey. Without giving too much away, I tried to go for a realistic animal that would evolve in such an environment.

The inhabitants on Haven 6 have chosen to forgo technology because it was the ultimate downfall of Old Earth. Therefore, they live in tree huts and use the natural world to make their clothes and tools. I worked very hard to describe the type of things they’d make using Haven 6’s resources. They have buckets made of reeds and crude leather and cotton clothes. They hunt with bows and arrows, living a lifestyle alike to the Native Americans on Earth.

The external conflict of the story comes from the technology of the colonists from the Heritage clashing with the natural existence of the inhabitants of Haven 6. This issue was fun to explore while writing Haven 6, and I hope you’ll enjoy the arguments of both sides while reading!

Thank you so much Aubrie for sharing your inspiration. As I mentioned before, HAVEN 6 is available from Entangled Publishing. Look for it on Amazon or at B&N by clicking here.

If you’re a Goodreads member, take a moment to check it out by clicking here.