#BlogTour: Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Café by Richard Dee // #Interview

Hello and welcome to my blog tour post for

ANDORRA PETT AND THE OORT CLOUD CAFE by Richard Dee!

I have an interview with the author for you so be sure to check that out below. But first, let's learn more about the book!

ANDORRA PETT AND THE OORT CLOUD CAFE

Author: Richard Dee
Series: Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Cafe #1
Publisher: 4Star Scifi
Publication Date: June 15, 2017

Summary:
Meet Andorra Pett; with her trusty sidekick, she’s taken over a derelict café. On a mining station. It just happens to be orbiting Saturn!
She’s hoping for a fresh start, away from all the drama of her old life. It’s a chance to relax and start again in a place where nobody knows anything about her or her past.



But the café holds a secret, and secrets have a habit of coming out; whether you want them to or not. And being accident prone doesn’t help. The more you try to pretend that you know what’s going on, the worse it gets.
Andorra’s plans for peace and quiet get lost amid the revelations and skulduggery and she soon realises that the fate of the whole station lies in her hapless hands.
In space, you can still trip over your feet; the question is, will you land upright?

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Describe the book in 10 words or less.

Richard Dee: Agatha Raisin meets Miss Marple, in Space!

What was the most difficult part of writing a Science Fiction Cozy Mystery novel?

Richard Dee: Setting the scene, I wanted to create the ultimate escape from it all for Andorra Pett. Starting off, I had the idea of a person who wants to get away from it all. Then I gave them the ultimate destination at the edge of civilisation. I wanted to make it all seem realistic, based on what we know now, modified into what might be. Fortunately, you can assume that human emotion and vice will remain the same, which took care of the plot. Which only left me with the science behind the space station (and everything on it), to develop. Once I thought about what humanity would need to survive out there, I had to make it sound real and incorporate it into the narrative.

What do you like about writing Science Fiction?

Richard Dee: I love taking what we have now and working out how to make it into something more. Creating a whole universe for my characters to play in and making it seem as real to the reader as it is to them. I never thought that I’d have to do so much research; I thought I could just invent what I wanted. Well, I soon found that it’s not that simple, and from that revelation, I’ve discovered a love of obscure fact and serendipity. Not only that, it’s very satisfying to create a logical future that works.

What books inspired you to write this one?

Richard Dee: The original idea came from a comment, a suggestion that I try to write a story about a person running away from it all, only with a sci-fi twist. I decided, as it was so different to what I had written before, that I might as well go all the way outside my comfort zone. So I chose a female protagonist, running away to a space station at the edge of civilisation to start a new life. Then I wondered what sort of adventures she could have. As a fish out of water, everything would be new and slightly baffling to her, which I could use to my advantage, putting her in situations where she had no idea what was going on and seeing how she coped.

What can we expect from you next?

Richard Dee: The sequel, Andorra Pett on Mars, is written and will be published in April this year. Book three, Andorra Pett and her Sister is half written and the fourth, Andorra Pett takes a Break is more than an idea. There may be more, I’m sure she can find more awkward situations to blunder into.

A native of Brixham in Devon, Richard Dee's family left Devon when he was in his teens and settled in Kent. Leaving school at 16 he briefly worked in a supermarket, then went to sea and travelled the world in the Merchant Navy, qualifying as a Master Mariner in 1986. Coming ashore to be with his growing family, he used his sea-going knowledge in several jobs, including Marine Insurance Surveyor and Dockmaster at Tilbury, before becoming a Port Control Officer in Sheerness and then at the Thames Barrier in Woolwich. In 1994 he was head-hunted and offered a job as a Thames Estuary Pilot. In 1999 he transferred to the Thames River Pilots, where he regularly took vessels of all sizes through the Thames Barrier and upriver as far as H.M.S. Belfast and through Tower Bridge. In all, he piloted over 3,500 vessels in a 22-year career with the Port of London Authority. Richard was offered part time working in 2010, which allowed him to return to live in Brixham, where he took up writing and blogging. He retired in 2015, when he set up and ran a successful Organic bakery, supplying local shops and cafés. The urge to write eventually overtook the urge to bake but Richard still makes bread for friends and family. Richard is married with three adult children and two grandchildren. 

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