Ahoy, Mateys!

I know I said I’d be too busy writing novels this summer to post from the Captain’s Chair, but I had a couple of cancellations (i.e. late blog post submissions from lazy ass writers. LAZY FREAKIN’ WRITERS!) and decided to ruminate on a subject that’s been in my head for a bit now.

You see, I’m writing some space opera the next couple of months. I am sure some of you are all like, “Space opera? Jake is going to have lasers and spaceships and aliens and lots of pew-pew action and space blood and space guts!”. Which is a nice thought, but that’s not where this novel is going. It may get there in the next book in the series, but this one isn’t my usual action and blood novel.

I like to call it medieval space fiction. You know, like medieval historical fiction, but in space? Or, better yet, Game of Thrones in space! But maybe not so brutal. And no magic, because space. Yeah, that.

Will there be action? You betcha! Romance? Oh, for sure! Blood? Of course! But it’s not horror and it’s not a thriller. There will be more story and character. And no lasers. Nope. No lasers. This is low tech space, y’all.

With that said, I wonder what my fan base is going to think. Those looking for my brand of action/gore may be doing a little head scratching. I could lose a couple readers. I could also gain some new readers that dig space opera for the intrigue and plot and all that good stuff, but don’t like the heavy gore or action of my other novels.

It’s going to be an interesting trade-off. Time will tell.

I have to say that I really like switching it up. Letting the story unfold and characters breathe without having to horribly mutilate one in each chapter is nice. Again, there will be blood, just not the level of blood in my horror and action novels.

The other part I’m digging is playing with tropes. Space opera, as many have defined it, is essentially fantasy in space. I’ve never really written fantasy. I’ll also be honest and say I don’t read fantasy. At least, not high fantasy. I watch it, but don’t read it. And this may come as a shocker- I don’t really read space opera. Which may be a good thing, in a way, because I don’t have any preconceptions of what I’m supposed to be doing. I get to wing it as usual! Huzzah!

Where does this all leave me? And how does it relate to you as either reader or writer? Where does it leave the folks that read this blog?

Well, it leaves me still writing a novel a month, but with a fresh perspective. I timed this perfectly so I’m kind of taking a gore/horror/action vacation, but still writing books.

As readers, it leaves you with something new to look forward to; a little different style and genre to mix up that Jake Bible goodness.

And as writers, it shows y’all that you don’t have to stay in one genre, one style, one way of writing. You get to switch it up when you want to. Don’t worry about what comes after, just write a great story and let the readers/fans sort it out.

Speaking of sorting it out, I have a bit of medieval space fiction to get back to and make all shiny and new. Or gritty and old. It depends on where this story takes me. We’ll see.

Cheers!

Disclaimer: Views From The Captain’s Chair are just that: views. These are not laws. These are not set in stone. I could be totally wrong. I could be off my rocker (shut up). I could be full of S-H-I-T. I could change my mind next week. All of that is possible. Who knows? But if even just a little of this helps you then I’m happy with that. If it just makes you stop and think then I’ve done my job. Which I really need to get back to. Blogging don’t pay for the bourbon! Oh, and the whole Captain’s Chair thing? Yeah, I write in a captain’s chair. It’s true, Mateys! Got a question? Need some one on one? Shoot me an email, a DM, a PM (no BMs) or comment below.

Jake Bible lives in Asheville, NC with his wife and two kids.

Novelist, short story writer, independent screenwriter, podcaster, and inventor of the Drabble Novel, Jake is able to switch between or mash-up genres with ease to create new and exciting storyscapes that have captivated and built an audience of thousands.

He is the author of the bestselling Z-Burbia series for Severed Press as well as the Apex Trilogy (DEAD MECH, The Americans, Metal and Ash), Bethany and the Zombie Jesus, Stark- An Illustrated Novella, and the forthcoming YA zombie novel Little Dead Man, and Teen horror novel Intentional Haunting (both by Permuted Press).