A Guest at the Armchair: Audrey Sharp

Welcome to A Guest at the Armchair, where we pull up a second chair for an author we admire and talk about one of their books. This time the signal’s coming through from Audrey Sharp, beaming in to tell us about herself and The Dark of Light.

Greetings fellow sci-fi fans! I’m Audrey Sharpe, the creator of the Starhawke Universe of interstellar space opera adventures featuring Captain Aurora Hawke and her crew. I’ve been a fan of science fiction since I was four. That’s when I saw Star Wars in the theater for the first time. Sitting in that darkened theater as the music swelled and the Star Destroyer flew overhead… I was hooked. Consequently, I grew up believing in the Force and dreaming of becoming captain of the Enterprise. While I’ve never worked out the logistics of FTL travel and transporters in my daily life (which sure would come in handy), writing science fiction allows me to create my own private holodeck.

That I became a writer surprised no one who knew me. I come from a long line of writers, including my mother, who has been making her living as a romance writer since I was in grade school. In fourth grade I wrote a sci-fi play that I tried to talk my friends into performing for the class. No dice, but it was a sign of things to come. When I told my mom that I’d written my first sci-fi novel, she lit up like a Christmas tree. She’s been my editor and #1 fan ever since.

My books feature strong female characters, swoon-worthy aliens, and epic battles of good versus evil. My award-winning first novel, The Dark of Light, launched the Starhawke Universe, which has expanded to more than a dozen books, including two sci-fi romances. I credit another movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness with planting the initial seed. I saw that movie five times in the theater. Each time, it felt like it was feeding a well in my soul I hadn’t known had run dry. As I was walking to my car following the third or fourth viewing, whispers of the character who would become Aurora Hawke started in my head. When the voice kept getting stronger, and was joined by several others over the next few weeks, I finally sat down and started writing. The Starhawke Universe was born.

One question I get asked a lot regarding this series is whether Aurora is based on me. The answer is… partially. We definitely share a physical resemblance and an overactive sense of responsibility. Point either of us at a problem, and we want to solve it, or at least ease the suffering of those affected by it. Her crew are also based on some of my nearest and dearest. What fun is being a sci-fi author if you can’t populate the starship with your friends and send them on interstellar adventures? It’s an incredible gift that I cherish every day. It also makes the writing an absolute delight.

THE DARK OF LIGHT

Save a planet. Sacrifice your future.

For Aurora Hawke, protecting the secret of her half-human heritage has been a lifelong challenge. Taking command of her own starship and the best crew in the quadrant has been her dream. Failing at both is her nightmare.

But the survival of a planet may depend on it.

With millions of lives at risk, she’ll do whatever it takes, even if revealing her unique abilities means spending the rest of her life on the run.

Grab your copy at Starhawke Bookstore (direct from Audrey) or at the usual shops.

A Guest at the Armchair is a recurring feature from Armchair Alien, where we pull up a second chair for an author we admire and talk about one of their books.

And there is more from Audrey here.