Christina Engela Interview With Robb Wallace
This was an interview conducted by Robb Wallace, published on October 16, 2021.
Christina Engela Author Bio:
Christina Engela, one of South Africaâs most unique, prolific and skilled storytellers, has already written and published numerous fiction and non-fiction titles and is best known for her creative sci-fi stories and realistic characterization. The Port Elizabethan writer brings a wealth of personal experience to each of her stories, and with more than one new offering in the pipeline at any given time â and new titles being made available in audiobook format, the future is bound to be busy for her fans! You can find out more on ChristinaEngela.com
Check her out at Moon Books Publishing!
Get âBlachartâ â book 1 in the Galaxii Series by Christina Engela on Audible now, audiobook narrated by Nigel Peever!
You can find out more on ChristinaEngela.com
âChristina Engela is a South African editor and author of horror, fantasy and science fiction novels. Her books are never short of suspense, adventure and humor, while her colorful characters and thought-provoking settings take readers into another world, making her one of the most gifted and creative storytellers. A firm supporter of the LGBT community, Christina believes that Sexual and Gender Minority characters arenât reflected enough by authors due to a number of reasons. As such, Christinaâs writing isnât stereotypical, and her characters arenât stereotypes, regardless of their sexuality or gender.â â Booksradar.com, June 21, 2021.
https://www.booksradar.com/engela-christine/engela.html
An interview with science fiction author Christina Engela
About Christina Engela (Who, why, when, where, what):
Q: Tell us something about your books, including your genre and your characters and/or themes.
A: My primary genre is science fiction. My usual style is that of space opera, with a good deal of action and adventure thrown in, also including elements such as suspense. I also include touches of horror and fantasy for good measure.
My lead characters tend to be heroic inspirational types like Mykl dâAngelo or Joe Lofflin, and sometimes theyâre anti-heroes like Blachart the Corsair. While my leads generally fall somewhere on the LGBT spectrum, this is not always the case. For me storytelling is about the people and their issues and obstacles and how they overcome them. Thatâs why I donât write high science fiction â for me, sci-fi is more about the adventures of friends living in a distant different future than about explaining the fine details of how future tech works!
Q: Where are you based?
A: I live in the city of Port Elizabeth, on the South-eastern tip of Africa, in a country called South Africa. I was born here nearly 50 years ago â and unless something goes incredibly right, Iâll probably die here too!
Q: Latest releases and upcoming titles?
A: My latest print/eBook release was a novel called âMirror, Mirrorâ (2019). I just finished the first draft of another novel, âSentinelâ, which is book 4 in the Galaxii Series, but that will need to go through the editing process before anyone sees it! A few of my books have begun to appear in audiobook format â the latest is âBlack Sunriseâ, book 1 in the Quantum Series narrated by Darla Middlebrook. Sheâs still busy with book 2, which should be coming out shortly.
Q: What are you currently working on?
A: I usually work on several books at once â it tends to keep things more spicy that way, donât you think? I just finished âSentinelâ last week, and Iâm still busy with âThe Song Of The Drillipedeâ, âUnderground Movementâ (Quantum book 7) and âWhere Darkness Softly Treadsâ (Galaxii book 5). I also have a horror story lurking ominously in the background that needs finishing (shivers)! Its working title is âPetsâ.
Q: What inspires you to write?
Iâm not so sure âinspiresâ is the right word. For me writing is more than that â itâs a drive, an obsession almost. Inspiration is just about WHAT I write⊠Iâm almost never happier than when Iâm deep in thought behind a PC typing away at a story! Perhaps itâs an escape? Maybe. But what an escape it is then!
Q: When and why did you get into writing fantasy/Sci-fi?
A: To clarify, I donât write pure fantasy â at least I havenât yet! My main genre is sci-fi, but I blend sci-fi with elements of fantasy. The same is true for horror.
It was in about 2005 when I wrote the first book in the Quantum Series, âBlack Sunriseâ that I first started to blend elements of other genres with sci-fi. Yes, itâs set in a sci-fi framework, but thereâs a lot of fantasy elements in the series â from the character of Fred the Arborian, whoâs an alien walking, talking pot plant who causes drama and theatrics wherever he goes â to critters like the crabby-grass that roam the sidewalks and parks of Atro City, to the strato-penguins that fly high overhead, with the occasional straggler exploding if it strays too high. In later books, Vampires have also made the occasional appearance, and they begin to feature quite strongly from book 5 onwards.
In my third series, âPanic! Horror In Spaceâ, I blend sci-fi with horror to create a satirical look at how people in a higher tech future would deal with paranormal events such as hauntings and things which so far defy scientific explanation â like zombies for example! Naturally, thereâs a lot of comedy in this series because itâs meant to be a parody. There are also serious parts, and there are things in there which do truly frighten me!
Q: Who are your favourite sci-fi/fantasy writers/authors?
A: That would have to be Harry Harrison and Terry Pratchett!
Q: What is your favourite fantasy series and why?
Terry Pratchettâs Discworld series of course! Iâve always admired his writing technique, his wit and intelligence, and how he tells a story. He also had a way to construct the text so that you could read the same book again and pick up on something new that you missed the last time â which is something I absolutely admire! He told human stories, and his ability to cut through all the pretense and bullshit to expose the core of the matter was remarkable. His character and world-building was intricate and life-like. He could play his audience like a maestro conducting an orchestra. If there were any writer of any period or genre that I could hope to evoke, it would be him.
Q: What is your favourite sci-fi series and why?
A: Star Trek, without a doubt â although Star Wars always seemed to come a close second. Firefly was also right up there with them too! Thereâs adventure, tech, excitement â but also emotion and depth. Itâs not just a bare-knuckle brawl or things blowing up for no reason, itâs about purpose, doing the right thing, helping people, being better. Itâs inspirational. Best of all, the tech is based on actual science of the time! I like happy endings I suppose, because if we were to consider the story of our species with all its problems and its history of falling and rising civilizations and failures to reach the stars to attain equality with the gods of old, then Star Trek would be that happy ending.
Q: Who are some of your all-time favourite sci-fi characters? And why do you think they became your favourites?
A: Spock from the original Star Trek of course! I admired his logical mind, his Sherlock Holmes methodology and style â and his abilities to control his own pain and his struggles with his own limitations.
Q: Do you follow any entertainment outside of books? (Video Games, Boardgames, Comics etc)
A: I have a collection of around 2000 comics! I collect a fair variety, and I have most of the Star Trek comics, and also items like Magnus Robot Fighter, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, BSG, Space Family Robinson etc. In the graphic novel department, Tintin, Asterix and Lucky Luke are my all-time favorites. I also have a selection of figurines and models spanning the same interests â itâs just a pity that in South Africa most of anything we find here is Star Wars and not much else!
Q: Whatâs going on in the next few months? Anything on the Horizon?
A: I recently signed with a local publisher called Hally Park, who will finally bring my books into South African book shops in print! This countryâs publishing and book selling industry is still steam-powered, and nouveau publishers like Hally Park are likely to break the strangle-hold on indie authors in South Africa! They have a contract to supply books to public schools, so what this brings forward is the likelihood that my books could be appearing in schools in future!
Q: What kind of books did you read that contributed to your upbringing, as far as fantasy and science-fiction?
A: I grew up reading a lot of sci-fi, mostly Star Trek (the TV adaptations of the original series by James Blish). I read those a lot! Also, there was an old series called Tom Swift by Victor Appleton that I enjoyed too.
Tintin was a huge influence on me as a child, and although it wasnât sci-fi on its own, Tintin and his companions did travel to the Moon in one of their adventures (Destination Moon & Explorers On The Moon), and were saved in another by a UFO (Flight 714)!
Q: Was your upbringing pretty geeky?
A: (Whispers) I loved learning about dinosaurs and science and space travel from books, and read encyclopedias at the breakfast table! When I was 14 I had fifty copies of National Geographic magazine on my shelf!
Q: Do you have a process, do you plan or do you fly by the seat of your pants?
A: I plan the broad strokes of the story, but the finer detail â well, that writes itself!
Q: How has your writing process changed since you first started writing?
A: When I first started writing, it was literally with pen and paper! Since 2003 itâs been digital. This has made revising and editing much easier â and relegated writerâs cramp to the past! Having the internet handy for research has also improved the process.
Q: How long does it normally take you to write a novel, and what proportion of the time is spent doing what?
A: That varies! I worked on âBlachartâ from 1991 until 2005 (14 years!) while âSentinelâ (begun in 2020) took just over a year to complete the first draft. The difference here was that Iâd started writing âBlachartâ in the old-school style â with a pen and paper, rewriting each draft over manually, which is very time consuming and labor intensive! In 2003 I digitized it and then it became much quicker and easier to write and edit my books! In 2005, I wrote the first three books in the Quantum Series in just three months!
Starting a new story for me begins with mentally developing a picture of what Iâd like it to be about, then working out how it will influence or fit in with the over-all story arc of whatever series itâs in, and then planning which characters will appear in it. If itâll be previously used characters, that saves time, but if I need to invent new ones, I spend a little time working out who and what Iâll need, determine their roles and create interesting backgrounds for them, picture their appearances and personalities and so on. Often I wonât know I need a new character until I get to a certain point in the story, and then Iâll do this on the spot!
I generally work on more than one project at a time, so in one week I might work on two or three different books more or less simultaneously. I do this so that I donât get in a rut; it helps to keep it interesting â and if the writer remains interested, then the readers will too!
Q: What is your favourite part of the writing process?
A: When I hit my stride and Iâm typing away furiously, my mind already two sentences ahead of whatâs appearing on my screen! Itâs a rush!
Q: Have your previous vocations influenced your writing?
A: Definitely. Iâve been a lot of different things in my life, including being a soldier and a computer technician and I have plenty of anecdotes and experiences to enrich my writing!
Q: Do you involve other people in your writing, as collaborators or editors? How do you make this work?
A: Not often, but it has happened! I co-wrote some short stories with Alex S. Johnson, and I assisted Deena Larsen with the translation of her Rose Project into Afrikaans. Collaboration can be very difficult, so there needs to be some form of chemistry between participating writers! As for my own writing, I do it all myself.
Q: As far as writing goes, what do you use? Software, Apps, Hardware etc?
A: For the last decade or so Iâve typed and processed my stories on a succession of laptops which I carry virtually everywhere I go! I use nothing special, just Word to type and format the manuscripts in, PowerPoint to design covers, posters and book trailer videos, and Exel to track and manage sales and distribution.
Q: Do you do a lot of research for each book? If so how do you conduct your research?
A: Define a lot! Ha ha. Well, it depends on the individual book. There might be aspects of the book that Iâd need to research, and where my personal experience and my creativity run out, my usual avenue is the internet!
Q: How do you overcome blank writing spells?
A: I start by opening a manuscript Iâm still working on, read through it, and then do a little editing â which turns into embellishing â and then (if uninterrupted) this turns into full-blown writing. Honestly, if nobody stops me I might not be seen for hours!
Q: A number of fantasy/sci-fi authors have been known to use art, music, exercise, alcohol and even drugs as a way to find inspiration to enter the zone! Do you use any tools to enter into your creative headspace?
A: I find that music helps.
Q: Do you prefer to write in silence and or have some sort of sound in the background?
A: That depends on my mood. Mostly I prefer to have soft music in the background, usually playing on the laptop I use for writing!
Q: Will your next book be traditional or indie published?
A: âSentinelâ (already completed) will be published exclusively through Hally Park Publishers.
Q: Would you recommend self-publishing to aspiring authors, or would you suggest a more traditional path?
A: Definitely. Itâs pointless and counterproductive to sit around and wait for a traditional publisher to accept your manuscript, or to âdiscoverâ you. Meanwhile, you could be self-publishing, refining your work, and most importantly, building your audience and your brand!
Q: What sort of input do you give to formatting, cover design, marketing?
A: I edited, formatted and designed covers for my books, and also did most of the marketing. In the case of books distributed through Moon Books or Hally Park, they have either used the covers I supplied with them, or asked me to approve the ones they made to suit them.
Q: What do you do pre and post-release to help get your books noticed?
A: I mention the book and its series in posts and articles, also in my newsletters. I also write articles to promote them and share these all over social media. I promote them to reviewers and then circulate and promote the reviews.
Q: Marketing is so important nowadays, whatâs your best advice to fellow authors?
A: Get rich some other way 
Write for the love of it. Marketing consumes all your free time which would be better spent writing more.
Q: How did you decide the pricing of your material; how did you go about promotion/advertising and distribution of your work?
A: Since I live in South Africa and most of my book sales are via the internet, the income is calculated in USD. The Rand-Dollar exchange rate is pitiful really, so in terms of sales this is the only time it benefits me at all! For every $1 I get in royalties, that works out to around R15 â so conversely what I decided to do was price my eBooks as low as I reasonably could. To determine a base-line price I researched similar books by other authors and then set what I felt was a reasonable low price for my books! In most cases, my books go for around $2.99, which I think is quite cheap! Even in South African Rands, it only works out to about R60, which is far cheaper than some other similar novels in eBook format!
As for marketing and promotion, I was always a firm believer that this should be handled by publishers â but Iâve had to roll with the punches, and accept that this simply doesnât seem to happen anymore. My US publisher has run a few Facebook ads in the past though itâs hard to gauge how effective that has been.
When it comes to spending power, the currency conversion rate that worked in my favor in terms of earnings, now works against me in this department as the âonly $50â asked by some internet marketers works out to R750! The worst part is, thatâs per title, not per author â and I have over 30 titles I need to market! The $3000 per title asked by others at the opposite end of the scale works out to R45,000! (Plop!) I have no idea what sort of person thinks a poor struggling author could possibly afford to pay fees like that, but what I do know is, theyâre delusional! Consequently, I had to learn to do marketing on my own, picking up tips here and there and figuring it out as I went along. Honestly, thereâs only so much you can achieve with free marketing.
Q: Advice on making an impact in todayâs busy Scifi and Fantasy markets.
A: Itâs so difficult to stand out in todaysâ crowded markets! There are so many writers out there all peddling their stories as unique and creatively different or innovative â and readers really are spoiled for choice! The only thing, I think, writers can hope for without having the power of a big publishing or advertising company behind them, is to stand out enough to have their own little niche audience form around them.
Q: Must-read sci-fi novels?
A: âThe Stainless Steel Ratâ and âThe Technicolor Time Machineâ by Harry Harrison, âThe Door Into Summerâ by Robert Heinlein.
Q: Must-read non-sci-fi novels?
A: The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, âRiotous Assemblyâ by Tom Sharpe (in fact, anything by him!)
Q: Most prized book in your collection?
A: My Tintin and Asterix books!
Q: Do you read digital, paperback or hardback or do you listen to audiobooks?
A: Iâm not too picky! These days cost is a factor, so being well-aware that eBooks are cheaper, I often read those â and I donât blame other readers for doing the same! EBooks are easier to read in the dark, after all â or on the move! I like audiobooks too, especially the ones that have sound effects and lively narration! They remind me of the dramatized radio shows I grew up listening to!
Q: What are some difficulties youâve experienced in your writing career; how do you handle book critiques/criticism?
A: My first traditional publisher was a small press that made me take down all my self-published books â and then spent the next two years putting up just two of them. In the meantime I lost goodness knows how many sales while I waited for them to edit, format and design new covers for those books⊠and I also had no items to link to in order to promote! In short, while I waited, the reading world forgot about me. During the time I was with them, the publisher did zero marketing other than for their own staff members books; my own books were not promoted at all other than an initial announcement at release, and when I asked about marketing I was gruffly told âthatâs how the publishing industry worksâ! In addition, they were as transparent as concrete about sales â and every time I made enquiries, I was rebuffed or spoken down to. Then after wasting two and a half years of my time, one day out of the blue, they decided to rebrand themselves as a âpure horrorâ publisher and dumped the rest of their author stable, and me along with them.
Since then Iâve been stubborn about sticking to self-publishing and distrustful (and even resentful) of so-called traditional publishers! As a writer one has to be very careful who one signs contracts with! I find indie publishing to be an integral part of the creative process â not only do I get to write the story, I also get to design the cover and layout!
I have since signed with two small press traditional publishers (one in the US and the other in South Africa) â which means that I actually have two publishers at the moment â but I still retain the right to distribute existing titles on my own via my own indie channels as well! That way I donât need to lose any income (or my internet footprint) while I wait for any promises from said publishers to materialize!
When it comes to book reviews and critics, and even reader reviews, Iâve had good experiences over-all so far! That said, I know sci-fi isnât for everyone, and even sci-fi that includes a few novelty items like vampires or talking plants isnât for every sci-fi fan. Mind-bogglingly, some people donât like sci-fi that contains LGBT characters that arenât horrible clichĂ©âs or disparaging stereotypes, or which tackle current affairs and social issues head-on, and will take the trouble to leave their comments or send nasty notes via email.
Iâve always rolled with the punches and taken criticism from whence it came. A friend of mine once sagely advised me that âthereâs no such thing as bad publicityâ, so I list all my hate mail on my website for posterity. I visit them now and then for a good laugh.
Q: What are the best experiences in your writing career?
A: Writing itself (of course)! Finishing a new story and looking through it. Announcing to the world that my new book is available. Reading genuine heart-felt and honest reviews of my writing. Stumbling across public comments about my books on websites or forums etc. that I didnât know about. People I meet in shops asking about my next book. Feeling fulfilled when I look back at one or more of my stories and notice something funny or profound Iâd forgotten about.
Q: What are some encouraging words youâd give to another author/writer?
A: Write for yourself, publish for fame and fortune by all means â but never forget who it is youâre writing for.
Get in touch with author Christina Engela:
Website & Social Channels:
My author website & blog â https://christinaengela.com/
Moon Books: https://moonbooks.net/authors/christina-engela/
My Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaEngelaAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pinkfuzzyninja
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3358833.Christina_Engela
Book links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Christina-Engela/e/B00OBY5PD8/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/christina+engela?_requestid=2972541
Newsletter:
I have a monthly newsletter which is circulated from my website (https://christinaengela.com/)! I also put out weekly updates of goings-on in my life!
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Until next time, keep reading!
Cheers!
Catch me on social media! 
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All material copyright © Christina Engela, 2021.
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Originally posted at: https://christinaengela.com/christina-engela-interview-with-robb-wallace/
