WHAT THE F*** IS A SPACE OPERA? Guest Post by Robin BaChar

So in my constant state of curiosity, I heard about Robyn Bachar's book tour for her new Space Opera. The first thing that came to my mind was. . .I've always wanted to read that genre. However, I had to admit that, that I have no freaking idea what defines a Space Opera. Personally, I just love the name! It just rolls so eloquently off my tongue-- S p a c e  O p e r a.

Regardless, I asked Robyn to come on the Fantasy Floozies Blogspot to educate us on what defines a Space Opera. Here she goes:

NOTE: Robyn will be awarding $20 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host.

My urban fantasy series, the Bad Witch books, was easy enough to explain to my friends and family: witches and vampires in Chicago. Simple, right?

But when I started my Cy’ren Rising trilogy, none of them had ever heard the term “space opera” before.

“Is that like a rock opera?” my mom asked.

No, not so much, though the idea of coming up with lyrics for “Nightfall: The Musical” was tempting.

They were familiar with science fiction—especially my dad, who first introduced me to Star Trek. But when I wrote Nightfall I had space opera in mind.

So what is a Space Opera?

I’ll break it down into three ingredients:

1. Epic action and adventure!

Sci fi can be small and personal, but space opera does things on a big, loud, and often melodramatic scale. Space opera is like soap opera, where there’s often yelling, fighting, and tears, as though every conversation has life or death consequences.

The future of the galaxy is at stake. In Nightfall, a dark secret from Talena’s past will change her fate, but also that of her world.

2. In space!

Space is clearly important to a space opera. You need starships. Big ones, small ones, shiny top-of-the-line ones, and ships that are held together with duct tape and a prayer. They zoom from one corner of the galaxy to another, doing Very Important Things, even if they don’t seem important at the time.

At the start of Nightfall, Dack is on a routine mission, and when it goes wrong it starts a chain of events that will change his life forever.

3. With a band of heroes facing incredible odds!

The characters in space opera are usually part of a small group facing a huge task. Whether they’re boldly exploring where no one has gone before or they’re rebelling against an evil overlord, they have a tough job to do.

In Nightfall, Carmen Hawke is captain of the Talon, the flagship of the Cy’ren resistance. She’s got a tough battle in front of her, and the last thing she needs is the distraction of two former lovers looking to rekindle relationships that she left far behind her.

So a band of adventurers fighting an epic battle in space. Simple, right? I had a ton of fun writing this book, and I hope my readers enjoy the ride.



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Robyn Bachar was born and raised in Berwyn, Illinois, and loves all things related to Chicago, from the Cubs to the pizza. It seemed only natural to combine it with her love of fantasy, and tell stories of witches and vampires in the Chicagoland area in her Bad Witch series. As a gamer, Robyn has spent many hours rolling dice, playing rock-paper-scissors, and slaying creatures in MMPORGs. Her new series, Cy’ren Rising, was born out of a lifelong addiction to space opera movies and TV shows.

Website: http://www.robynbachar.com

Blog: http://therobyn.blogspot.com/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/RobynBachar

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robyn.bachar