I’m so excited to announce that I’m adding a new feature to my blog: author interviews! This is an exciting opportunity to share audiences with authors who write in the genre I love, and I’m hoping you, my readers, will really enjoy hearing about new releases straight from the authors who write them**
So, without further adieu, I’d like to introduce you all to Jacqueline Westwoods, debut author of the newly released Space Opera novella Beats of Love.
Amy: Jacqueline, I’m sure my readers would love to hear more about you. Tell us a little about yourself!
Jacqueline: I’ve travelled and lived in many places around the world since I was a kid. Instead of tying myself to a hometown, I bonded with books and movies, especially science fiction and fantasy. I always wanted to create something different yet connected to those classic and popular science fiction stories, with a romantic twist.
After many years of writing fan fiction in the sci-fi fandom, I started my first original science fiction series, Starlight Sonata, in 2024. This wasn’t the beginning for me but rather a new leap in my own creative universe.
Amy: That’s such a cool insight into your journey, Jacqueline. And, speaking of Starlight Sonata, you and I first connected because the title of your series caught my eye.
Since it includes the word “sonata,” I guessed your series, like my upcoming debut A Symphony of Starlight, might revolve around music. Turns out I was wrong, but there’s an interesting story behind your title. Can you tell us more about why you chose this name for your series?
Jacqueline: The series was named after a musical form, the sonata. This name is derived from a chain of metaphors: string theory, musical instruments with strings, and then a musical form played by these instruments. Although this story is heavily focused on romance, the physics are also an important part of the setting.
Another indirect reason for this naming: one of my favorite physicists, Sir Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel, was born into a musical family but went on to become a great scientist. When I was a child, he influenced me to play piano as well as became a science student in college.
Amy: The first book in your Starlight Sonata series, Beats of Love, debuted this week. Can you tell Science Fiction with Heart readers about this first novella?
Jacqueline: Beats of Love is the prequel novella to this space opera romance series, focusing on the insta-love yet forbidden love story of a young couple central to the main storyline. The great war within this galactic empire began because of them. This 15,000-word story offers a glimpse into the very beginning of both the war and their love story.
Amy: Romances are my absolute favourite! I think one of the reasons romances are so engaging is because they’re intensely character-focused. I often feel when I’m reading or writing a romance that the characters become my new best friends!
I’d love to know, who is your favourite character in Beats of Love?
Jacqueline: Lady Evelina is my favorite character. In fact, she will be at the center of the main trilogy. She is a strong, independent, responsible, and honorable female lead.
In this novella, you can already tell from other characters’ opinions that she is a very famous lady in their universe. I could find no character who dislikes her; if someone claims to hate her, it’s likely due to either love or jealousy.
Amy: Sounds like a character who will have wide appeal. Specifically, who do you think will enjoy reading “Beats of Love,” and why?
Jacqueline: If you want a romantic and noble-bright version of Dune, this novella and series is for you. There will be mysterious psychic powers, immortal and spiritual species, and a galactic empire with court intrigues. Yet, since it is a romance, a happy-for-all (HFA) ending is guaranteed at the end of the series. I hope my characters find true love! The novella is a perfect length for readers to start this voyage.
Amy: I’m sure readers who enjoy Beats of Love are going to be excited to read the rest of the series. What are your plans for releasing the next book?
Jacqueline: The first book in the trilogy is finished and is now undergoing the editing process. It will be released in late October 2024, and I need to confirm the date soon. The remaining books, 2 and 3, have already been planned and outlined. They will be released in 2025.
Amy: Thanks to my readers for “listening in” on my first Author Interview! For those of you on my email list or social media, please let me know your thoughts!
For readers interested in checking out Beats of Love and the Starlight Sonata series, you can find Jacqueline’s books here:
*Perspectives expressed in Author’s Take infographics are the perspective of the author only. I cannot guarantee that I have read the books in Author’s Take graphics, nor that I agree with the perspectives shared.
**Author Interviews have been edited for clarity and flow. Author Interviews do not constitute book recommendations. I cannot guarantee that I have read the books written by the authors who I interview, nor that I agree with the opinions expressed by these authors, however, all authors I interview have confirmed to me that their books do not encourage rape, murder, suicide or discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexuality, or any other reason.
