Have you ever thought about what would be the ideal society? Ever tried to design that, so to speak, in your head? I did, back when I was in college in the late 1980s. And I knew I always wanted to write -- I had been writing various stuff (a lot of poetry, actually, and some short stories) since I was a little girl. So I decided to write something longer. I decided to write a novel.
By that time I had been an affirmed fan of science fiction. I think I have been a sci-fi fan all my life, watching shows like the Saturday-morning "Land of the Lost" in the 1970s without even realizing they were science fiction. When I was a teenager I discovered the original "Star Trek" in reruns and absolutely loved it. Couldn't get enough of it. At the same time I discovered classic "Twilight Zone" airing on one of our independent stations in mid-Michigan. Loved that show even more. And the science fiction I consumed was an inspiration for me as I set out to actually write a book for the first time.
The ideal society I pictured had some many facets. What would the people look like? What would they act like? What would be their values? Their beliefs? Even, what would they wear? What would their vehicles be like? Their sources of entertainment? What would they do all day? Remember, when I wrote this sci-fi novel it was still the 1980s -- it was a different world than we have today. For one thing, that thing called the Internet had not hit yet.
I moved to a different town a little over a year ago, and in the midst of sorting through the zillions of boxes of accumulated stuff, I discovered one with that '80s sci-fi novel in it. Back then, I had taken the time to register it with the Library of Congress, but I had not published it. Just finished it, stored it on floppy disks (yes) and stored the printouts and files. Literally did not give it another thought. For years. Seriously. But discovering that box, I just had to dig out the final printout of the book and read it. I would crawl into bed with it at night and get a tad absorbed. When I finished reading it, I felt like it needed a chance. Like it was different. Maybe a bit crazy. But hey, there's all kinds of crazy stuff out there, right?
After quite a bit of effort I was able to retrieve the text. I couldn't read anything off those old floppy disks, even though I had tracked down a floppy drive at a local library. The disks were dead. So I did an OCR on the final printout. And that was a bit tedious, page by page. Then the text had to be carefully checked, due to occasional character substitution. So I edited. And I smoothed over some rough edges. And I tweaked some stuff. But I decided to leave the action set back in the 1980s. It's quaint, that time, right? It has its own value.
The tone of "Tonda Sky" is a bit formal by design. Perhaps over-explanatory. Polite. Like a conversation on the bridge of the USS Enterprise, it's respectful. Intelligent. Complete sentences here (unlike in this blog post, LOL). No contractions. Like a whole society full of Mr. Spocks. It's meant to reflect that "ideal" society it depicts. But you can be the judge as to how ideal it is. And I decided, with this slightly formal and explanatory tone, along with the family-friendly nature of the book, that I could consider this novel geared more toward the age I was when I wrote it -- college age or late teen. Younger readers. Though I really hope it will be enjoyed by all ages.
So without saying any more ... I give you my very first novel, "Tonda Sky," dredged up from the 1980s to see the light of day. I hope you like it. I really do (and you can feel free to email me your thoughts!). This one is dedicated to my friend Jason -- Jason, I'll get you a print copy!
Print edition first, then Kindle edition coming soon ...
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In her very first novel — written while she was in college and set in the 1980s — longtime author Billie Rae Bates challenges the idea of the perfect society, inspired by her love for science fiction. "Tonda Sky" is family-friendly and appropriate for younger readers, though it carries a message that resonates with all ages.
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