Read an Ebook Week: J. C. Hay

Happy Friday! Today brings a new author to these here blog parts, one who I discovered through Samhain editor Sasha Knight’s recent space opera anthology, Impulse Power.  The covers for her two space anthos (done by artist Kanaxa) are so incredibly cool that I pretty much drooled in anticipation for several months.  J. C. Hay, who has only chatted with me once or twice on twitter, was indulgent enough to agree to be one of my spotlight features this week.  (Whether he had any idea what he was getting into is questionable, but he’s a good sport!)

An Impulse Power story.

Syna Davout thought it was supposed to be a simple smash-and-grab job—smash onto a luxury yacht, grab the cash, and split the proceeds with the client. Unfortunately, the client failed to mention that she’s the diversion for an assassination attempt that destroys the yacht and leaves her with a passenger she never expected. A fugitive telepath caught in the middle of a revolution.

Galen Fash thought his days were numbered. The fledgling revolution on his homeworld needs him to buy them time, with his life if necessary. The last thing he needs is to get involved with a pirate captain-for-hire whose larger-than-life emotions draw him like a moth to a flame.

Inexorably, Syna is dragged into a war that isn’t hers, and they both discover—between knock-down-drag-outs—that their whole is far stronger than the sum of their parts. Dodging the enemies that want them both dead will be hard enough. First, they have to survive each other…

Warning: this book contains Space Vikings, gossipy AIs, boxing-as-foreplay, rogue telepaths and a demanding pirate captain who likes to be in charge. The author will not be held responsible for a desire to punch your partner in the jaw, or a sudden awareness of latent psionic ability.

Only J. C. Hay knows what he was expecting when I sent him “a few silly questions” to answer, but answer he did, with wit and vigor, so now I present to you his ground breaking opinions on ebooks and the robot apocalypse.

#1) Why do you write ebooks? Aren’t you worried that you’re contributing to the eventual fall of civilization at the hands of the robot overlords?

E-books just seem the perfect medium for tales of Science Fiction. After all, what spaceship doesn’t have a collection of books on holocubes or what-have-you. As for the second half of your questions, I’m writing SF-Romance, so I have been working to pave the way for our Robot Overlords for some time now by helping to soften their image. Also, I believe the PC term is “Biomechanical Protector” – We felt that Overlord sent the wrong message.  Continued use of the outdated phrase might require me to spend time in one of the public relations training camps, so I’m going to stop there.

#2) Some say the world will end in robots, some say in zombies. Which are you?

I say it’s two great tastes that taste great together. Give me robots that infest and reanimate the dead. Robots and Zombies together in a hybridized apocalyptic snack cake of awesomeness.

#3) Finally, the greatest question of our time: Caveman vs Astronaut. Who’s gonna win that epic battle?

Wow. Tough choice. Still, it doesn’t take much observation to realize that civilized man, as the astronaut surely must be, has no chance against the unbridled savagery of our Ancestors. Caveman in the second round, by knockout.

Contest: I’m going to buy someone a copy of J. C. Hay’s Hearts and Minds, so if you’d like to be in on the running, leave a comment and answer this question: if you could have any psychic power (link only included for examples), which would you choose?

(Me? I would love to be able to teleport. No more rush hour traffic, man.)