GUEST POST: Sci-Fi World-building by GETHYON Author Pippa Jay!

Please welcome guest host YA Sci-Fi author Pippa Jay as she talks about world-building and her latest book GETHYON!

World Building – Future Fashion

World Building – Future Fashion

I'm not one to follow fashions, and never have been. As a teenager I set my mind on bucking any trend, and now as a busy mum of three I just don’t have time. Comfort and practicality are my two main requisites when it comes to what I wear! 

But for my characters, it’s a different story. While I might not spend a whole paragraph on their latest outfit, what they wear and how they dress is a small but important part of the world building. It helps define the society. Are they technologically advanced? Wealthy or poor? Is it a significant part of their culture, or something that depends purely on their age group? Do they wear little because there’s no social stigma, because the amount of flesh they show is either a statement or lack of concern, or because they’ve perfected climate control and don’t need it? One outfit can tell you so much about the character and their world.

My young hero Gethyon isn’t bothered by his clothing especially. He’s an outsider, with few friends. But as he hops from world to world, what he wears changes with his locale.

When trapped on the hidden world of Lyagnius, he spends his time learning to fight. For the ubiquitous combat suits in a not very original black, I had something like the suits from X-Men in mind (without the leather though) and the new style ‘spacesuits’ that had hit the news at the time. However, after hunting on the internet for this post, I came across these which are a close approximation. They’re snug fitting and flexible to allow movement, but padded enough to provide some protection from body blows. 

SD Combat Suit

Pixie Coat The ‘chinga’ popular in Loganum was loosely based on the Jedi cloak (yeah, I’m a Star Wars fan!) and the club craze for ‘pixie’ jackets. Since Gethyon meets up with the local youth, something a bit trendy in our modern culture felt appropriate. As Loganum is wealthy in planetary terms and an ‘easy’ world where the inhabitants live in comfort, the population can afford to go for slightly flamboyant rather than purely practical.

Copy of Ben Kenobi's Jedi Robe

And for Marisol's outfit, I wanted something simple but a little out of the ordinary. I have to admit that it probably looks a bit kind of chainmail, which is odd. Marisole isn’t a fighter despite her inner strength, but it seemed suit her, as she becomes Gethyon’s lady in shining armor. :P As for Gethyon himself, well ... After finding an image of a red haired guy dressed in a red shirt and black jacket on dreamstime.com for my cover, the clothing kind of stuck. :)

To celebrate the release of Gethyon, I’m offering a pretty piece of green crystal. For your chance to win, fill in the rafflecopter below, and in the comments tell me what you think we might be wearing in the future.

The Prize!

A YA Science Fiction Novel

Released by Champagne Books 3^rd June 2013
Available from Omnilit, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Kobo and BURST

 

Abandoned by his mother after his father’s death, Gethyon Rees feels at odds with his world and longs to travel the stars. But discovering he has the power to do so leaves him scarred for life. Worse, it alerts the Siah-dhu—a dark entity that seeks his kind for their special abilities—to his existence, and sets a bounty hunter on his trail.

When those same alien powers lead Gethyon to commit a terrible act, they also aid his escape. Marooned on the sea-world of Ulto Marinos, Gethyon and his twin sister must work off their debt to the Seagrafter captain who rescued them while Gethyon puzzles over their transportation. How has he done this? And what more is he capable of?

Before he can learn any answers, the Wardens arrive to arrest him for his crime. Can his powers save him now? And where will he end up next?

Pippa Jay:

A stay-at-home mum of three who spent twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay bases her stories on a lifetime addiction to science-fiction books and films. Somewhere along the line a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. Between torturing her characters, she spends the odd free moments trying to learn guitar, indulging in freestyle street dance and drinking high-caffeine coffee. Although happily settled in historical Colchester in the UK with her husband of 20 years, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head. Her works have won a SFR Galaxy Award, and finaled in the Readers Favorite Award Contest and the Gulf Coast RWA Chapter Silken Sands Self-Published Star Award.

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