Cynthia Sax And Why I Build Universes
I get attached to people. I’ve known and loved Dragon for well over a decade (we won’t say how many years more – grins). I’ve worked with my cover artist on other projects long before I was a published writer. I consider readers to be part of my book family and I worry when I don’t hear from them.
This is no different for my characters. My characters are their own beings. It is sort of like the characters in our dreams. They might come from our brains but they do their own thing. I care for many of them…greatly. I also want them all to find their romantic happy ever afters…if that is possible (sometimes it isn’t possible).
All my cyborg romances and my alien romances are standalone romances. The main couple (or more) find their romantic happy ever afters in their story. Often, however, they will appear again in future stories as secondary characters when their friends or other loved ones or, in some circumstances, their enemies find their romantic happy ever afters.
When I was a newer writer, I fought this inclination of mine. I would try to write solo stories, stories that weren’t part of a world or connected in any way to other stories.
I failed happily at this. (laughs)
Now, I accept that I will be writing multiple stories in the same world. I currently have 23 cyborg romances and 12 alien romances written in one futuristic universe. I’ll tell one existing character’s story and add three interesting secondary characters. (grins)
That’s okay. It is a huge, exciting universe and I love writing in it.
I tend to read stories set in worlds also. I love when I recognize a secondary character from a previous story. I also love staying in one literary ‘place’ for a while. If I return to it often, that place begins to feel like home and the characters feel like family.
What are some of your favorite book worlds or universes? What makes them special to you?
