More specifically, why space opera?

Maybe – probably – because I was raised on Star Wars, and I love the idea of playing around in space. Maybe because it’s fun? But I think what really did it was all the sci-fi I started reading in 2023. A friend recommended that I try the Expeditionary Force series by Craig Alansone on Audible because we both love audiobooks while we walk our dogs. I was immediately hooked. 

Is the best writing? No. Does he need an editor? Yes (don’t we all?). Is it a compelling story? Yes, up until the last few. Was it funny and full of heart and a little overblown melodrama with some sciencey stuff thrown in? Absolutely. And I loved those books (love, really, but like many series, it went on too long). 

Alanson, in a way, gave me “permission” to start writing the stories that bounced around in my head, the worlds I wanted to keep discovering and building, and the little hints of characters that made me laugh. I stayed in the sci-fi genre because in a lot of ways I feel freer here to write the way I want to – with immense detail, and little side stories that make my ADHD brain happy. 

The genre is expansive: hard sci-fi, military sci-fi, space opera, near future, speculative, cozy sci-fi. I like the space to breathe a little, be a little silly. After all, I spent the last several years writing a serious book about Disability and fandom, and a little silly is important. At least right now. 

And yes, many of the things I care about deeply show up in my writing, but for me, sci-fi is breathing room. It may not always be that way, but right now, I’m happy in this genre.