Across the Void
As promised, more Choices books are here! The first two chapters of Across the Void launched today in Choices, marking the beginning of our first space opera book! You'll explore the galaxy, save the day, and maybe even find love in this interstellar adventure. For more on Across the Void from the writing team, keep reading:
Greetings! Take me to your leader... and give me the lowdown on Across the Void.
Ariel: In Across the Void, you get to play as the main character, as well as your siblings Eos and Pax. These three siblings are all part of an alien race called the Cyber, the most technologically advanced race in the galaxy, whose genetically designed bodies have been fused with biotechnology. Players will get to captain their own luxury transport ship, defend the galaxy as a keeper of the peace, and act as a spy in the civil war.
The people want to know: Can we date an alien? And is it true that everyone's an alien?
Ariel: Yes. It's all true. :D
Coral: Across the Void is a human-free universe! You can date aliens from all over our galaxy, from royalty with flowers growing through their hair to admirals with stars on their skin. You’ll have to play to date ‘em all!
Across the Void is like nothing we've done before in Choices. What was the worldbuilding for this book like? And what are you excited for readers to encounter?
Ariel: There are over a dozen different alien races readers will encounter in Across the Void! Each has a different look, style, and comprehensive history of their planet and society. The amazing art team working on Across the Void designed every alien, planet, and spaceship with breathtaking detail. They really made everything in our galaxy come to life!
There's a lot going on in Across the Void (in the best possible way!) -- family drama, a galactic war, and so much more. Can you talk a little bit about that? What were some of the challenges and highlights of writing Across the Void?
Ariel: Along with playing your main character and their siblings (who each have their own set of love interests!), you'll get to choose who you side with in the galactic war. As the story continues, players will gain allegiance points for either side when making key decisions.
Coral: I think my favorite part of working on this project was collaborating with the music team to come up with Across the Void’s unique sound. We had a lot of different themes to hit—the war, the sense of discovery, and moments of lighthearted fun. For example, it was difficult to pin down a somber song to fit the range of all our somber scenes. One of the highlights was getting to work in a completely new universe, unlike anywhere we’ve ever visited in Choices before. I got to really exercise my creative muscles to stay true to all the unique rules in this galaxy.
Finally, what's your favorite work of science fiction?
Ariel: Science fiction is my absolute favorite genre! I'm a MASSIVE Star Wars fan with an ever-growing collection of memorabilia from the franchise. Scifi is amazing in any medium, from books like Primary Inversion by Catherine Asaro, Putting Up Roots by Charles Sheffield, Lost Stars by Claudia Gray, Rogue Planet by Greg Bear, Being by Kevin Brooks, and Red Handed by Gena Showalter to television shows like Firefly, Kyle XY, Travelers, The Orville, Almost Human, and Stargate SG-1 to movies like Upside Down, Annihilation, District 9, and Sunshine.
Taage: Philip K. Dick really knew how to create evocative dystopian futures where every facet of society was fully realized and placed a different pressure on the protagonist. I grew up watching the movie Bladerunner regularly (a family fave) which was based on one of his stories, so he's an inspiration for sure!
Coral: I know we have a lot of Mass Effect fans out there, and I’m no exception! I grew up watching plenty of sci-fi, but never really connected with it until I played through the trilogy. Shepard’s journey to save humanity--and the galaxy--from destruction really stuck with me, and I loved getting to know all the characters, from the wisecracking pilot, Joker, to the emotionally compromised sniper, Garrus.
To everyone reading along, hope you've embarked on your space adventure! Also, in case you missed it, Perfect Match: Book 2 launches this September! It Lives, High School Story, and The Senior will be returning in the fall as well, along with Big Sky Country. We've come a long way since Choices launched 2 years ago, and we hope you'll stay tuned for what we have planned next!
-Jessica