Welcome to FAR, Michelle. Michelle Levigne is the author of Dark One, Heir of Faxinor, Spirit Chanter, Picture This, Sunsinger, Spacer’s Creed, Dead World, The Lady and the Order, Fever, True Caderi, 10,000 Suns, Azuli Eyes and Scout’s Pride.


The background information for The Commonwealth is informative and through. What inspired The Commonwealth? How did you create its history, present, and future?

The Commonwealth started out as a handful of unconnected book ideas. I’ve been writing toward publication since high school, so I have a LOT of books in my files, a lot of story ideas. And I have quite a few that started as fan-fiction stories, but have transformed over time to be original universe material. As I continually went through my ideas, revising each one, I “discovered” places where they connected. Or I realized that the background or culture I had pieced together for one story worked for another, and wove together a way for them to connect. Bit by bit, the different historical eras of the Commonwealth came together.

And as I created bridges for the books to connect, I created backstories to fill in those gaps, and the history of the Commonwealth was born. For instance, I wrote “Chorillan,” the 4th book of the Chorillan Cycle, before I wrote “Azuli Eyes” or “True Caderi.” The Leapers, who appear in several books now, were first created for a SF/F series I’ve had sitting in my files for umpteen years now. The basic story is about the adopted daughter of an Air Force colonel, who learns her birth mother is still alive when she develops a telepathic connection with her. Then she learns her mother is an alien. If you guessed Alex, the Leaper captain who appears in “True Caderi,” you guessed right.

“True Caderi” started out as a contemporary story idea, but I realized it would work so much better as an SF, and the Commonwealth was already solid enough in my head to move everything over and use the foundation already established. So you see how it all kind of comes together, like a mosaic, from many disparate and originally unrelated pieces? It’s great fun. I’m still discovering as I go … and I have so MANY book ideas still to be written.

Azuli Eyes is the first book in The Chorillan Cycle. What inspired a story about mutation gone haywire? Did modern day genetic research influenced Azuli Eyes?

As I said up above “Chorillan” was the first book I wrote. It originally began (ouch) 18 years ago, as a bunch of scribbles I wrote in a notebook, on the bus, during my grad school choir tour. And it was about a girl who goes to live on a colony world with some relatives and meets/falls in love with the leader of a group of people who are basically “going native.” They choose to live without technology, live a simpler life, and they basically have to flee far into the wilderness to avoid persecution. The Azuli weren’t anywhere around in the first draft or two.

Somewhere along the way, the Azuli kind of waltzed into my imagination and demanded their equal rights. Then I decided that the Wildlings didn’t choose their simpler life, so much as it was forced on them. The Gen’gineers are a rather recent addition to the story. And not to give anything away … but Wildlings aren’t mutations, and the Gen’gineers don’t have anything to do with Phase. Gen’gineers are just trying to take advantage of it! All answers will be given in the fifth book, “Silver Azuli.”

Modern day genetic research? Not really, though I’m aware of what’s going on in the news. It didn’t influence me as much as the book “The Cartoon Guide to Genetics.” I’m serious, there is such a book. For those of us who aren’t very scientifically inclined, such books make things very easy to understand, and borrow information and use it correctly in our stories.

Why the Chorillan Children? Was it the innocence associated with children or their inability to deceive?

I chose children because the change in Phase had to start early, while their bodies were still maturing. Children react instinctively. Children are more prone to trust the Azuli and find some enjoyment in their adventure, even if they’re hungry and wet and dirty. Can you imagine adults going through all that and not screaming for a cure every other day?

Was Scout Captain Ian Fieran’s mission the starting point for Azuli Eyes?

Yes. I had to get Ian to the planet to meet Miranda. Actually, the short story, “Scout’s Pride,” was written before the entire book with the same title, and THEN I wrote “Azuli Eyes,” when I realized Ian and Miranda had a story, too. It’s kind of backward engineering … but then, everything fits together so well. I hear mystery writers work that way, too. They write the solution to the mystery, then work backwards.

Scout’s Pride follows Ian’s daughter as she continues her father’s work. When will Scout’s Pride be released? How did the Scouts way of life influence Kay’li?

“Scout’s Pride” was released in April. Don’t tell anyone, but I basically looked at the person Kay’li needed to be, to come back to Chorillan and rescue her childhood friends and fight the injustice, and that told me what kind of upbringing she needed. Then, I had already created the Scout Corps (or rather, the birth of the Scout Corps) in my Sunsinger books. It was easy to bring those two storylines together. Kay’li and Ian are descendants of Bain Kern, the hero of the Sunsinger books. The Scouts are idealistic, altruistic, tough. Navy Seals/Marines/Boy Scouts, with a little knight errant thrown in.

Sunsinger is the first in five books about Bain who wants to be a Spacer. Who/What inspired Bain’s development?

Actually, there will be 10 books altogether in the Sunsinger series. I just turned in #9, “Gemar” to my publisher and I’m eagerly waiting for the cover art for #6, “University.” The 10th book is titled “Scouts,” and is the first official mission of the newly born Scout Corps.

What inspired Bain? Ummmm …. I think I had just read the book “Barbary” by Vonda McIntyre, and was daydreaming about a girl being raised on a small spaceship. Then, I had the brilliant idea to start writing kids’ books, for whenever my brother and his wife ever started having kids … and it kind of snowballed. I just let go and had fun. And I looked at other Commonwealth stories I wanted to write and set the stage for some of those books in different Sunsinger books. For instance, “Gemar” takes place on a planet with a history of shapeshifters – and someday I hope to write about those people. “Aramar” takes place on the lost colony world by that name, and I introduce two children who will be the main characters in their own book, when they’re grown up. Etc.

Who/What did Bain’s first teacher Captain Lin Fieran derive from? How do the Spacers differ from the Scouts?

Lin … is tough, confident, and something like I want to be whenever I finally grown up. But she’s gone through a lot of things I don’t ever want to face!

Spacers are BORN Spacers. With a genetic gift. Scouts are a military organization. Spacers have a gift that has to be trained. Basically, Spacers are pilots, whereas Scouts are many different jobs/specialties.

Spacer’s Creed involves a secret that may destroy Bain’s dream. How does Bain’s dream affect the Spacer’s Creed storyline? How does Lin’s secret affect the Mashrami invasion?

Lin’s secret has nothing to do with the Mashrami. They just happen to be the current big problem in the universe, and it’s getting in the way of her biggest goal, which is to find the scattered remnants of her family. That’s what brought her to meet Bain in the first place. Family is everything, to Spacers. Bain wants to be a Spacer, a pilot. He’s offered a chance to be a Ranger and get all the training he’ll ever need, but by this time he’s learned that some things are more important – he chooses to stay with Lin, even before she reveals they’re family.

How did Spacer’s Creed influence Dead World? Where did the Mashrami come from? What influenced their invasions of other worlds?

The Mashrami are basically reacting out of desperation. Their world is dying, and it never occurs to them to share or ask for help. I deliberately left them nebulous, unseen except for their effect on other races and worlds. In order to survive, they think they have to wipe out all lifeforms that would compete with them for the worlds they want. That inability to communicate and share will eventually destroy them.

“Spacer’s Creed” didn’t really influence “Dead World.” It’s just another step in Bain’s growth, another adventure.

In The Lady and the Order, Bain meets Sister High Scholar Marnya. Will she influence his future? How does her life and his intertwine?

Will the reader learn more about the Order?

The Order supports Bain when he goes before the Commonwealth Council to establish the Scouts. Readers won’t see Bain interact with Sister Marnya anymore, but the things he learned from her will continue to affect his life.

Yes, I have several books planned about Sister Marnya and the Order. Genetic manipulation contributed to the Downfall. People classed other people as non-human and made them slaves, and were trying to breed the perfect Human, just like the Gen’gineers. Well, the Order is made up of people who are the result of all that breeding and manipulation. They live very, very long lives. And that’s all I’m going to tell you for now. The first book is called “Undying,” but I don’t have titles for the others yet. I’m not even sure if there’ll be two books total, or three.

Will Fever be the last book in the Sunsinger series? How does this colony world’s secret relate to the past books and/or the Corillian world?

Chorillan, please.

No, “Fever” is not the last book. There are 5 more in the series. The colony’s secret really doesn’t relate to the other books, beyond the fact that Bain meets Gorgi in this adventure and Gorgi shows up in other books and eventually helps Bain establish the Scout Corps. And Gorgi’s descendant, Nobi Cole, is a relative and has a big role to play in the Chorillan books.

With True Caderi the reader is introduced to the Conclave. How does the Conclave differ from the Commonwealth?

The Conclave is made up of Lost Colony worlds, who were abandoned during the Downfall. When those worlds rediscovered space flight, they contacted each other. The Commonwealth is a unified government, whereas the Conclave is very loosely aligned, independent worlds, working together for the sake of profit and not much else. If they have to sacrifice another world for their own safety and profit, they will.

What/Who influenced the Conclave and Adlan Caderi?

Can’t really recall who influenced the Conclave, but Adlan Caderi is made up of several roles Sean Connery played. He’s a pirate, a rogue, a charmer. Ramirez from the Highlander movies, a little bit of Bond.

In what ways does True Caderi differ from Azuli Eyes? How does genetic tampering related to Qinda story?

Leapers were “born” just before the Downfall. Lots of genetic tampering, and genetic prejudice. The ancestors of the Leapers (whom you will learn about in the Sunsinger book “Leap Ships”) were Khybors, and they were, basically, the results of a lab accident. The girl who survived the accident passed on her changed genetic structure to her children, and a race was born. By the time you get to the Commonwealth’s era, Leapers are a race and there’s no more genetic change or development with the gift.

In “Azuli Eyes,” Phase is not an accident. But you’re not going to learn how it happened or why until you get to the 5th book ……..

In Wind Walker the reader glimpses a few of the troubles that follow the Downfall. Will the Colonists inability to overcome their past errors lead to another Downfall?

To be honest, I don’t know. There might be some disasters on individual worlds, but the Order is there to make sure that the Human race doesn’t make the mistakes of their ancestors. And the Order has a very, very long memory.

How did Tayree and Arin develop? Did the Ayanlak come before the story or did the story create them?

I honestly don’t have very clear memories of how the whole “Wind Walker” story came to be. It’s been sitting in my files for years. Every once in a while, I took it out, refined and revised it, and changed many, many things. A lot of the culture, the conflict between the tribes and the colonists, came about as necessary plot elements to explain why these two were separated and why it was so necessary for them to be together. Originally, Arin was a Human and Tayree was an alien. At one point, I think they might even have been settler and American Indian in the Old West! But I just don’t seem to do very well writing historicals …..

The theme of genetic tampering is throughout the Commonwealth books. How does your view of genetic research affect the books? Is it the research or the motives of humans that create these conflicts?

It’s not so much research as the whole question of what makes someone a Human being and at what point life begins, and the value of Human life. The whole question of abortion and euthanasia. I believe we are more than just our bodies and the information stored electronically in our brain cells. I believe there is more to our lives than just our physical existence. And therefore, we have a whole lot more responsibility for our own actions and for each other than current Society is willing to accept.

What upcoming books do you have planned for the Commonwealth?

“Fire and Stars,” Chorillan #3 is due out in July. “Chorillan” book #4 is due out in November. I don’t have a date yet for “Silver Azuli,” the 5th and final Chorillan book. The rest of the Sunsinger books are “University,” “Leap Ships,” “Aramar,” “Gemar” and “Scouts.” I’m working on “Moonbirds,” the sequel to “Wind Walker.” And then there’s “Undying,” the first book about Marnya and the Order. I also want to write a series of books leading up to the birth of the Leapers, and touching on the Downfall. So I’m going to be quite busy for the next 10 years or so.

The Dark One is a retelling of Odysseus through the eyes of his wife Penelope. What inspired Penelope’s story?

I have loved “The Odyssey” since I saw a very old movie “Ulysses and Penelope,” starring Kirk Douglas. I was in junior high. I found a very good translation of “The Odyssey” and read it, multiple times. Somewhere along the way, I thought, “What about Penelope’s side of the story?” and daydreamed many years before I actually wrote it down.

Will there be a sequel?

I don’t think so!

Andrixine Faxinor intrigues me. Did she demand her own trilogy or did she appear as you were writing Heir of Faxinor?

Faxinor began as a dream, with a ruined castle, an attack, and a girl needing to rescue her mother and baby sister. No, Andrixine did not demand a sequel or a trilogy. I just realized that there were more stories in this particular universe I had created. I mean, she has SIX brothers and sisters. That’s a lot more stories waiting to be told.

Are you able to tantalize us with a few snippets from Heir of Faxinor and its sequel?

If anyone wants a sample chapter of “Heir of Faxinor” and “Lorien,” they can email me and I’ll send them the PDF files from my sampler disk. MLevigne@aol.com Or they can check out my Web site, www.mlevigne.com and learn how to order the entire sampler disk, with the first chapter and artwork for ALL my current and upcoming books.

What/Who inspired 10,000 Suns? Where did the idea for the Bainevah series come from?

Again, I’d have to say another dream, but so long ago I can’t remember. Often I just scribble ideas and put them in my file, and when I find them years later they spark an idea and I take off with it. Suns began with the idea of a scholarly girl taken as a concubine when her father died/was executed as a traitor. She spends all her time in the palace library and makes friends with a man who only visits the library at night. Yep, you guessed it, the king. This book has gone through probably a dozen revisions since that original concept. And, as usual, as I created the incredibly complex society of Bainevah, I realized the story doesn’t end with Challen and Elzan’s happily ever after. The big conflict they’re caught in, a battle between demi-gods, includes other people’s stories before it’s resolved. The next book, already turned in to Amber Quill, is “Fire Priestess,” the romance of Challen’s parents. Then follows “Song Weaver,” about Elzan’s brother, Rushtan and his quest to find Challen’s kidnapped brother, Asha. Finishing up with “Threads,” where Asha fulfills his destiny. Maybe …..

How does Spirit Chanter differ from your other books? Was it easier than SF and Fantasy or did it have its own challenges?

Chanter started as an attempt at horror. A boy is haunted by the spirit of his twin sister, who is trying to use him to get revenge on their father, who murdered her when she was a baby. That short story got rejected at every SF magazine I sent it to, and sat in my files for a few years. Then I decided to try to turn it into a romance. I guess it worked! All my books have their own challenges. Some books write themselves, some books take years before I get everything ‘right.’

How was writing Picture This different or similar to Spirit Chanter? How did a present day Romance differ from your previous books?

Picture started as an attempt to write comedy for the defunct Duets line at Harlequin. Then I tried to make it a strictly suspense story …. Now it’s a mix of suspense and humor, which suits me. It’s similar to my other books in that, right now, I only write what I WANT to write, what intrigues me, what satisfies me. If the day ever comes when I’m under a contract for a certain number and type of books, that might change. I had fun with Picture because I set it in a place I love, South Bass Island in Lake Erie. It was a great excuse to take trips up there for more alleged ‘research.’

Are they future books outside of the Commonwealth forthcoming?

Yes, I have more books planned that follow up after Picture. I’m working on the sequel, “How to Bury a Millionaire” right now. You met Jen’s alleged cousin, Tyler, while she was day-tripping on the island. Millionaire is his story, and it’s getting to be quite a trick intersecting his story with Jen’s. But fun.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your books?

Not that I can think of right now!

Are there any other genres you would like to explore?

I’m already writing SF/Fantasy/Historical/Romance/Suspense – what else is there?

Is there any music that inspires the different genres?

Nope.

Do you have a specific routine before you write? Do you write in one area only or everywhere?

Everywhere, anywhere I can. I carry a notebook with me. I have an Alphasmart Neo that I take with me on the train to work. I try to write every morning when I get up, and try to spend a large chunk of continuous time each weekend at my computer. My ideal vacation is just me and my computer and no chores, writing in my pajamas all day long! Doesn’t work out that way, and by the second day of the routine I usually get antsy. But that’s because I’m not used to having that much uninterrupted time. I do need my day job right now for living expenses.

Who/What inspired you to write?

I can’t honestly say. I’m a book addict. I love to read. Somewhere along the line, stories I really enjoyed started to linger in my head, and I would add on to the stories after the book ended. Or I would rewrite books that didn’t turn out as I thought. I can remember revising Classic Trek episodes to put my own characters in. All in my head, of course. Then in college I discovered Starfleet and some arms of fandom. My first few stories were all fan stories. Star Trek, The Phoenix, Highlander, Beauty & the Beast, Stingray. I’m still writing fan fiction, paying tribute to my roots. My latest is a Stargate SG-1 story published with Solstice Press.

Anyway, my love of stories and constantly daydreaming got me in trouble – I had to study for final exams! So I started writing down my stories in an effort to “kill” them. It happened before in junior high when I tried to write down my daydreams. Only this time, they didn’t die, but grew. And now people are actually buying my books. Amazing, huh?

Who are some of your favorite authors?

C.S. Lewis. Terry Pratchett. J.D. Robb. Max Lucado. Sherilynn Kenyon. Jennifer Crusie. Nora Roberts. Holly Jacobs. T.A. Barron. Tamora Pierce. Vonda McIntyre. Ann Crispin. Janet Evanovich.

Is there a way other than your website for fans to keep updated?

I have an electronic newsletter people can sign up for. Just go to my Web site and sign up. I don’t have a set schedule, like every month or whatever. I send out news whenever there’s news. There are often contests connected with a new book release, like: the first three people to email me get a baby alien doll, or the first two people who send me the specific Web address where to find this new book get some leaf-shaped candles. That sort of thing.

What final advice would you offer to writers who are seeking publication?

Keep writing. Keep daydreaming. Keep practicing. Get feedback from other people who write the same thing you do, or close enough. Connect with a writing group. Yes, you have to be alone to write, but you can’t write in a vacuum. Read everything you can, write whenever you can.

And accept the fact it’s going to take a long, long time. I was writing for over 10 years before I sold my first story, a novella that won first place in the Writers of the Future Contest – “Relay” appears in volume VII. Then, it was another 10 years before I got my first e-book contract. In between, I did a lot of writing, a lot of revising, and got about a two-foot-high stack of rejection letters in between. I got over 40 stories and poems published in fan fiction. I didn’t get paid (except in free copies) but I got a lot of feedback, a lot of practice, and got my name out where people recognized it when I went to conventions. That helps a lot.

And I knew I was making progress when the rejection letters went from the generic “doesn’t suit our needs” to the editor addressing me by name and telling me specifically what about the story didn’t work, and even inviting me to resubmit.

Finally, any last thoughts.

That’s about it. You covered everything, and then some.

Thank you Michelle for taking the time to answer my questions and give us a glimpse into your life and world. For more information about Michelle Levigne and her books, visit her website at http://www.mlevigne.com/index.htm.


Interviewed by: Dena