Attack of the Feminist Nazis from Outer Space

"Maybe it is just the cover art, but he is wearing several layers and a coat while her skin is bare. I wouldn’t dress like she did to go to a fight in a cold place, so I infer she isn’t smart enough to be worth while to read about. If he likes her, there is something wrong with him. If he got her into the situation clothed like that, he is despicable. No good reason to read this book, and I write this sort of book professionally. Get new cover art."

The preceding was a comment from someone on Linkedin commenting on the cover art for The Starhawk Chronicles. Apparently, my critic feels that my main character is a misogynistic caveman who subjugates the women around him. 

The Starhawk Chronicles  has been available for a little over 6 years now. Never in all that time have I heard anything other than positivity towards the cover art. I never believed in having a female character wearing a metal bikini with size FFF boobs hanging out on the cover unless it was absolutely an element in the story, which it is not. I also have 3 daughters and the last thing I wanted to do was have my main female protagonist sexualized in any way, giving them the wrong impression that women should be portrayed that way. I don't think there is anything offensive about how Kayla is portrayed on the cover. Even her jumpsuit is far from skintight. One of my problems with the Star Trek series of the late 90's-2000's was having a key female character, important parts of the crew, wearing outfits that basically look painted on. Don't get me wrong. I'm no prude. I just don't see the point , or practicality, for a character to be dressed like that who isn't of low repute.

As a friend pointed out,
 Kayla has a 2nd amendment
 right to "bare arms"

...but this person is apparently appalled that her arms are bare while Jesse is wearing a jacket, and that makes him "despicable." Anyone who has read the book knows that As for Jesse being sexist, I must point out that Kayla pulls his fat from the fire on several occasions. She is in no way subservient to him.

I cannot abide weak female characters. The one thing that always bothered me about 1950's sci-fi/ horror films was that the female lead was always there to do nothing more than scream and run away from the monster, to be rescued by the hero.(Margaret Sheriden in 1951's The Thing from Another World being an exception.) My view of women in sci-fi were influenced by Princess Leia, Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor, and others. I write strong female characters. I believe in women having equal rights, but when uber-feminists criticize male characters without even reading the book, well...let's just say it hurts their cause.

Classic example of not judging a book by its cover. And I've seen her covers. Not a lot there to judge.

Makes The Starhawk Chronicles look like War and Peace.

Welcome to My World

“All his life has he looked away. . .to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. What he was doing.”   - Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

Not sure if this holds true for Luke Skywalker, but, in my case, truer words have never been spoken.

I have always dreamed of going to the stars. I remember helping my father in the garage one chilly March night in 1978, having only recently seen the original Star Wars for the first time. It was a clear night and the moon was very full. It was then, gazing up at the heavens, that I realized there was more to life than just this tiny rock we lived on called Earth. Heavy thoughts for a seven-year-old.

I have not looked down since.

I became obsessed with space, and anything to do with the subject. I would watch every space shuttle launch and landing. I watched every hokey sci-fi show that came out in the 70’s and 80's(Anyone else remember Jason of Star Command?) and devoured many a novel or comic book on the subject. I wanted to be Han Solo, or Buck Rogers, or Battlestar Galactica’s Starbuck. My friend Dave and I would play different variations of space cowboy every Saturday afternoon.

The author at 8 years old (right)

 at a Star Wars meet-and-greet

 with Darth Vader and a

very questionable-looking

 Chewbacca

Then, when I was twelve years old, the writing bug bit me…or, at least, the slightly unoriginal, highly plagiaristic writing bug.

My first short story was a twelve-page, hand-written epic called Space War 3000. Its first five pages were my own creation, the last eight of which I copied almost word for word out of the novelization for Return of the Jedi, merely changing appropriate names here and there to make the story my own.

Apologies to Mr. James Kahn, the novelization’s author. He had nothing to fear from me.

Nevertheless, I continued to hone my skills as a writer. High School saw me wiling away many a study hall session creating worlds and mapping out galactic battles, when I should have been doing homework or studying.

I was sixteen years old when I first met the crew of the Starhawk.

“This one, a long time have I watched.” - Yoda

The Starhawk Chronicles is a tale years in the making. April 19, 1987 is the official

80's superstar Michael Jackson starring

 in Disney's Captain EO-inspiration

(Yes, really!) for The Starhawk Chronicles. 

birthdate, if fictional characters can be considered born.  The idea came about while waiting on a particularly long line at Disneyland. We had just come from seeing the Michael Jackson 3-D movie Captain EO. I loved the idea of a bunch space-faring misfits that come out on top. Over the next weeks and months, the crew of the Starhawk began to take definite form. They would be a group of down-on-their-luck space pirates, constantly in trouble, and just as constantly getting out of trouble by the story’s end. The final, final draft of the manuscript weighed in at over 250 pages—quite an accomplishment for someone still in high school. Over the next few years I would teak away at it until I had it just right. Then I threw the whole thing out.

Looking back, the story about a group of down-on-their-luck space pirates who accidentally end up on Earth and wind up with a teenage stowaway who will eventually take over as captain was just a bit too much like the 1984 film The Last Starfighter (A personal favorite of mine.). I decided to make the crew rougher, the story a bit darker, and ditch a character that I could only loosely call a heroine. Oh yeah, and make them bounty hunters, not pirates.

"Bounty hunters? We don't need that scum!"- Admiral Piett, The Empire Strikes Back

I have been fascinated with bounty hunters since Boba Fett first appeared in the

Some more, realistic inspirations
for the crew of the Starhawk.

1978 Star Wars Holiday Special (NERD ALERT! Yes, I own a copy.) and the 1980 Steve McQueen film The Hunter. This profession seemed a natural fit for the crew of the Starhawk. Most of the characters and personalities stayed true to their original incarnations, Jesse Forster became the troubled leader of the crew, Rahk Garrakis and the Nexus Gang, planned antagonists for the sequel to the original Starhawk tale, became the villains, and Kayla Karson is introduced as Jesse’s rival, sidekick, and potential romantic interest. (I have to admit, Kayla is so much fun to write, I have a series of solo books planned for her as well.)

So, the novel is done, edited, re-edited, tweaked, pinched and so-forth. I begin submitting to agents and publishers…and hit a brick wall.

Everywhere I tried, I was told “We like your concept, but it doesn’t fit what we’re looking for at this time.” Translation: Since your novel does not include whatever happens to be popular at this moment (Sparkly vampires, etc.), we don’t to take a chance on it.

I thought about self-publishing years ago, but then it was considered a vanity thing. “Not good enough for an agent? Self-publish to feel better about yourself.” The times have changed. With the advent e-books and self-publishing services like Amazon KDP, Smashwords, Lulu and others, those of us who have something to say can now be heard, whether the traditional publishing world wants to hear us or not.

That being said, if you pick up one of my books hoping for something filled with profundities and deep thoughts about where mankind is going as a race; tales along the lines of Azimov, Bradbury, or Clarke, then I suggest you hit your local library or bookstore and pick up a copy of Azimov, Bradbury, or Clarke. While it would be an honor to be included among those great writers, I don’t see it happening. They used science fiction to explore and comment on the human condition. I’m just writing to have fun. My writing, and the aforementioned influences behind it, has, admittedly, a certain cheese aspect to it—a Saturday matinee, sugar-induced, roller coaster with heroic heroes and dastardly villains (Yes, I said dastardly!) My only defense is that I am a child of the 80’s. Cheese is what we did. Just watch any episode of Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century and you’ll see where I’m coming from. Not that I view that as an entirely bad thing. I'm guessing that those out there with a nostalgic attitude probably share my POV.

That’s all I have for now, fellow space travelers. I shall endeavor to keep this blog current and entertaining, sharing my passion not only for writing, but for all things geek. Until then, keep on geekin’ on.

Regards,

Joe

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