Cairn Rodrigues and The Last Prospector

Cairn Rodrigues

Cairn's excellent book

Today, I'd like you to meet my cyberfriend and fantasy writer Cairn Rodrigues as we chat about her new novel, The Last Prospector. In its compelling opening, a runaway slave dies while giving birth in a desert on the planet Solstice. Despite the bleak setting, there is beauty in the planet's light stealers.

Me: 
If Earth had light stealers, how would it be a better place? And could we keep our incandescent light bulbs?

Cairn:
If Earth had light stealers it would be a better place for many reasons.  1)  They beautify  2)  They generate their own light, and the power saved from the decrease in street lamps would be phenomenal  3)  They make people feel safe  4)  They're pretty.

You are allowed to keep your bulbs, but a few strategically placed 'stealers around the homestead will add a romantic glow to the property.

Me: 

Okay, Cairn, The Last Prospector is being made into a movie, and you are writer, director, and casting director. What lucky actors get which parts, and why? And of course you are casting yourself. What character do you play, and why?

Cairn:

Wow, I'm such a control freak.  You know me far too well!  I would cast Henry Ian Cusick as Prospector, Monica Belluci as Holema Gialle, Jeffery Dean Morgan as Awnyx and Joseph Gordon Levitt as Skawt.  I've been trying to cast the part of Tonyo in my mind for 2 years with no luck.  So there will be a world wide casting call for him.

As for myself, Cairn will play Endra the Dreamer.

This was a lot harder than I anticipated!

A Last Prospector Lunch Box prototype

Me: 

(To myself: Who the hell are these actors? Mustn't let on that I don't know.)
That sounds perfect! And where will you be filming?

Cairn:

Primarily in front of a green screen, I imagine.

Me: 

Really? No location shots in the Kalahari Desert?  How about merchandising? Can you see plastic light stealers in kids' McMeals? And what's the significance of the eye on your cover? Of course, if that would be a plot spoiler, maybe you can tell us a few things it doesn't mean.

Cairn:

The meaning of the eye on the cover is revealed towards the end of the book, so I wouldn't want to spoil that for you!  My desert scenes would probably be shot in the Mojave or Sonoran deserts because those are the landscapes I saw in my mind's eye when writing.  I'm sure you can understand that my heart lives in the western Americas.  As for merchandising, I totally want a Last Prospector lunch box, Prospector is a man who respects the sanctity of a good meal.

Me:
You have a character called The Boss. By any chance is he from New Jersey?

Cairn:
According to Bruce Springsteen, New Jersey is called the Garden State because that's where the Garden of Eden was located.  The Boss is named for the Boss, one of many homages to Springsteen and the E Street Band.  For instance, the cat's nickname of Mighty Maks is Mighty Max Weinberg, the drummer, and Jyanni from the south side is Southside Johnny.  I'm guessing those are two people you never heard of before :)

Me:

Bingo.

And finally, a serious question. You clearly have put your heart and soul into this novel. In what way was writing The Last Prospector a journey for you?

Cairn:
It's an ongoing journey, that's for sure.  Conceiving and writing the series was a lesson in thinking big, going big and rolling my eyes at the naysayers who don't understand that some of us aren't content to live inside a snug box.  Publishing is one of the hardest things I've ever done, but the lessons learned along the way are invaluable.  Since most of my professional life was centered around food and cooking, writing was a giant leap into the unknown.  It's a journey of living with fear, angst, apathy and a whole bunch of optimism.

Me:
So what's everyone waiting for? Pick up or download a copy of The Last Prospector!