Welcome to Stephen Ethier, author of Relic and The Void Revealed

 

Welcome to author and good friend, Stephen J. Ethier!! 

I'm so excited to have Stephen on my blog. I was fortunate to be a beta reader for Relic, an enjoyable sci-fi adventure!

Stephen J. Ethier has a lifelong interest in science fiction and fantasy, both the reading and the writing of it. Although he has written over thirty-five books in other fields, he is excited to delve into the world of fiction. Currently he has published three fiction novels with many ideas for more.

He paints and draws with precision and feeling, carves, sculpts, and builds with real talent, and was a wonderful teacher with boundless patience and enthusiasm. He even moved quickly from novice to expert in most sports he attempted. And, when it comes to the written word, his ability to paint vivid pictures is one of his most stunning gifts as a writer.

In his career as a college instructor, he taught ages 18-senior in a variety of disciplines in a variety of countries. And, as time went on, he developed his burgeoning skills into many academic books on computer-aided design, modeling in three dimensions, architectural design, animation, mechanical design, and other areas in that broad field.

To summarize, he has taken his skills in a variety of areas and intermixed them into the conception, creation, and production of his books. He designed and produced the covers for all his technical books as well as his three novels.

 

Website and other links:

Author Website: https://stephenjethier.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorStephenEthier/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/836654.Stephen_J_Ethier

Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephenjethier

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenjethier/

 

Do your characters come before or after your plot?

Usually, an overall concept comes to mind from something I’ve recently read or dreamed. From there I try to determine what the outcome might be. I say “try” because, once I develop the characters and set them on their way, they often have a way of altering the route, more often for the better. I want a strong plot with a believable end with my characters providing the driving force.

 

How do you choose a villain and how do you make them human?

I prefer to call my “villains” “antagonists” as they are usually in the way of my protagonists reaching their goals. But I find the connotation of the villain to be too black and white as my antagonists can be both good and bad. Their characters have developed from their own past experiences that usually lead them to make the wrong choices. My antagonists can certainly have villainous traits but often they have an understandable reason for why these traits developed. They are not completely evil, but they certainly want to hinder my protagonists.

So, to answer “how I choose a villain”, having read many books both fiction and non-fiction, I suppose my opposing characters come from a composite of real-life people and fictional ones. Of course, I tailor each antagonist for a particular protagonist, having traits that will contrast and cause conflict. I make them human by developing a believable history about what caused them to choose the path on which they travel.

 

Do your reading choices reflect your writing choices?

To some extent, my reading choices reflect my writing. I have loved reading science fiction and fantasy books since high school. So, my early endeavours in writing were along similar lines. But as I matured, my reading choices broadened into many other genres both fiction and non-fiction. “Real-life” books contain a wealth of realistic plots and characters because these things really happened. However, to hone my craft I read all types of fictional books such as suspense, mystery, crime. I try to understand how those authors develop plots and character to further my own stories. Even television and movies can provide interesting ideas on choices that writers make.

Which type of characters are your favorite to write?

This may sound like an easy out, but I enjoy writing all my characters, even a few of the subordinate, background characters. I think of each book as its own world, populated by a variety of characters and each one that participates in the story is important. So, I spend a significant amount of time on each one and get excited as their characteristics develop. When I have developed a character sufficiently to “live” on its own, I am extremely happy. I have often said my characters have a mind of the of own once I have laid the groundwork and as such, they dictate the twists and turns my stories may take. Sometimes I will be writing along a particular path and then suddenly realize that character wouldn’t do that or say that, and the story has to deviate from its initial trajectory. But to be honest, sometimes the antagonist can be truly fun to write because they would do things I would never do. It’s almost like a guilty pleasure.

 

What are you working on now?

That is a bit complicated because I get ideas at an alarming rate. I may be in the middle of a particular writing project and another, to me, brilliant idea surfaces that would not work in the current project. So, I must press pause on the current project and get enough framework down on the “brilliant” idea. Then I can return to the paused project, press play, and get back at it.

To illustrate my answer, I am currently working on the third book in the sci-fi/fantasy series Origo Essentia. I have the plot and new characters developed and have written three chapters. However, I recently had an idea on a twist in the plot which will involve a completely fresh start to the book. And back I go.

 

What sort of research do you do for your work?

Even though my books are science fiction/fantasy related I want to populate them with believable environments. This involves a mass of reading on assorted topics that would be involved in the story.

If it’s hard science fiction, I research current and advancing technology and tweak that technology to work with my story. I often take a piece current technology and extrapolate where it might end up in a hundred years into the future. In this way the reading feels more grounded.

If it’s fantasy, I look to history and environmental sources to make the unbelievable easier to grasp. I design the land to have relatable aspects so that the reader can have something to grab onto when the magic whirls about them. And historical events are always valuable resources to understand how primitive life was in the past. My search for genuine historical detail has even led me to things like a trip to Great Britain to take a course at Oxford University on Neolithic standing stones. As a writer, rich environments like these leave me even more anxious to put my proverbial pen to paper and continue to create.

I just want to finish off by saying thank you for allowing me to express myself in this forum. Writing can be a very solitary art and it’s nice to share some of what goes into writing to others. 

THE VOID REVEALED

 

A Deeply Symbolic and Riveting New Fantasy World.

The Void Revealed begins an incredible new adventure of epic proportions with a strong female lead.

Elise, the intended ruler of Windhold, is thrust into peril when she is forced to enter the spellbinding and magical world of the Void, a place of myths and legends, but also home to the dreaded Red Death. She must quickly learn the rules of this hidden world or her life will be soon forfeit.

 

High above the Void lies the fortress of Windhold, perched on a monolith of natural rock called the Spire. Intended to be the savior of the people, the fortress now holds one of the last vestiges of humankind and is controlled by the ruthless leader of the Brotherhood.

 

The situation is precarious when the Fury, whose devastation formed the Void seven hundred years ago, is showing signs of return. It will be up to Elise’s tenacity and her unique group of steadfast companions and intelligent creatures that join her quest, to find a way out of the Void, stop the corruption of a would-be dictator, and save everyone from the oncoming Fury. Will there be enough time?

 

However, there is even a more dangerous threat that looms on the horizon, one whose very existence has been lost for thousands of years. Could this foe be the source of the supernatural Fury and, if so, what is its motivation? The epic fantasy series, Origo Essentia, will reveal all the answers to the mystery.

 

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Void-Revealed-Origo-Essentia-Book-ebook/dp/B07Z2866GP/

 

RELIC

Extra sensory perception, a xenophobic culture, and a forgotten relic beyond known space.

Cal Spicer, captain of the independent starship the Far Sea, has a reputation for his keen intuition and his ability to find what others cannot. He has made a career of it, while deftly keeping the real source of his talent hidden. Now, when the three ‘person’ crew of the Far Sea make the joint decision to commit to a job ferrying one of the intolerant Ascetic’s of the feared Almd-Tg-Cee, they are understandably wary.

 

But nothing could have prepared them for what happens on the barren world of 294M-001. And the events that transpire there are only the beginning of what becomes a wild and dangerous ride. After the assignment goes in an unexpected direction, the crew of the Far Sea are pitted against the resources of the xenophobic Ascetics in a race to reach another massive relic beyond known space. To their benefit, Miranda Lankier, an expert xenoarchaeologist, joins them and together Cal, Mir, and the lethal Tyra, a techno-biologically enhanced Cogen, take off on the race to find the relic. Rounding out Cal’s crew, to his distinct advantage, is the technical savant, Soont, a versatile invertebrate Urtkian. Together, the divergent band take on the Ascetics in a mission to save a long dead alien culture that may have been instrumental in the birth of life on innumerable worlds.

Join the crew of the Far Sea on a new Finder’s Quest adventure.

 

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Relic-Finders-Adventure-Stephen-Ethier-ebook/dp/B09HN1CGPH/