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| Book Cover |
Second Life holds value to all of its residents in various ways. To many
it is not a game; it is an extension of real life. Take a moment to think about the very first
time you rezzed into this extraordinary virtual world. Did you have a plan or
did you discover a hidden talent that has lead you on your current path?
The SL Enquirer sat down with GoSPeed Rasere to learn more about what
brought him to Second Life and what inspired the science fiction novel that is
about to launch on February 3rd.
Interview with Gospeed Rasere
Hi GoSpeed, before we get into the novel I wanted to take a moment to
give our readers a behind the scenes look at the person behind the novel. How did you discovery
Second Life and what was your initial thought? Did you have a plan once you
settled in?
I came across a mention of Second Life on a Google Earth blog in 2006
and decided to investigate it further. As far as a plan, not really. I went
with the flow and wound up being a member of several communities.
How would you describe Second Life now compared to your noob days?
Second Life has matured greatly over the past 11 years I have been a
citizen. The grid is more stable, The objects you can buy are of much higher
quality, and the communities are more cohesive.
Prior to Second Life do you have writing and or publishing experience?
Apart from school assignments, I had no real writing experience, but
family and coworkers always came to me to read their resumes and school papers
asking me of they were worded right.
.
What was your inspiration for writing Racere’s War?
A few things inspired me to write my first, full length novel. The driving force was the concern over the continued existence of Second Life as a
virtual world. I had worried that one day, SL would disappear along with my
avatars and the communities they belonged to. I have poured so much time into
them that they feel like individuals. I then reasoned that they can live on in
images, machinima, and in writing. I was familiar with Role Play in SL and was
impressed by the ability of others who could create whole stories on the fly
when they interacted with other role players. I gave it a try and I liked how I
was able to express my ideas in text. Finally, I am a big fan of the Sci-Fi
author Scott Sigler. A few years ago he had a few episodes where he talked
about writing novels and I then vowed I'd write my own stories and publish
them.
Can you share some teasers about the series?
Rasere's War is the first novel in a planned trilogy called
"Rasere's Awakening". The first novel is about GoSpeed Rasere
realizing she is more than a simple NPC in a virtual world. She comes alive
emotionally and even sexually for the first time in her 40 year existence. The
second novel focuses on her continued growth as an individual morphing from a
follower to a doer. The third novel is her becoming a leader and learning how
to accept the consequences of her past actions.
You have another novel coming out in the Spring called “We Built this
City”. Can you tell us a little about that one?
This novel follows three people, GoSpeed, Marty (GoSpeed's love interest
from the first novel), and a man who's brain was frozen in the 2020s and then
had his mind uploaded to the virtual world of the novels. The three characters
eventually meet up in a recreation of Bay City (inspired by the Bay City of
Second Life.)
The novels you write feature several SL residents as main characters
living in a futuristic virtual reality simulation. How did you choose your
characters? Is it all fiction or did you draw inspiration from their
personalities and SL experiences?
These were avatars I've known over the years either in world via their
social media (primarily Flickr).
The character's personality is based mostly on my observations of them
and then modified to fit their new environment. It's similar to how the creator
of this futuristic virtual world recreated them some 500 years in the future.
He analyzed their social media data and and formulated an approximate
personality.
Will you be hosting a Novel launch event in Second Life where our
readers can actually meet the characters in your series?
I
will most likely have one on the 27th of January at a place and time to be
determined. I'll keep you apprised of where it will be and will also post it
to my author website.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers about
Racere’s War and any future projects you may have in the works?
The third novel in the series, The Bounding Main, should be released
before the end of the year. I plan to write a series based on the same
characters in later time periods and locations. As a digital person their life
spans are unlimited!
I also encourage people to sign up for my Newsletter. I will inform
subscribers of my publishing plans and produce bonus content such as excerpts
and deleted scenes. A link to the newsletter can be found on my homepage.
When will this book be available?
Please share a link.
The ebook will be released on 3 February 2018 on a few sites. You can
preorder it now and it will download to your device on the 3rd.
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| GoSpeed Rasere |
Thank you for taking the time to share your story and projects with The
SL Enquirer, we wish you the very best in Second Life and in real life.
Additional Information
Preferred contact: In world, GoSpeed Rasere.
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