In the News: Dr. Jean Lorrah
This article originally appeared in "The Murray State News", Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky. It is being reprinted in its original form without any changes. Jean says that somebody changed the article after she saw it, and it wasn't the writer. SHE never called Jacqueline "Jackie"!
NOVEL(TY)
English professor will publish science fiction love stories in '80
By DAVID JENNINGS
Staff Writer
After 12 years as a professional nonfiction writer, Dr. Jean Lorrah, associate professor of English, will gain recognition as a fiction writer with two science fiction novels to be published in 1980.
One of the books, "First Channel," was written with author Jacqueline Lichtenberg and is due to be published by Doubleday in January, according to Lorrah.
The other book, "Savage Empire," has been bought by Playboy Press and should appear later next year.
Both novels contain love stories, Lorrah said. "First Channel", according to Lorrah, is about a couple who only want to grow up, get married and live happily ever after.
"The trouble is that in their society, there is an unpredictable mutation that takes place at puberty," she said.
"Ramon (sic) becomes a Sime, a mutant form that must kill the other mutant form, Gens for survival. His lover, Kadi, becomes a Gen.
"So Ramon (sic) escorts Kadi to the Gen border and almost kills her -- but they find a way," she said, adding that the rest of the book deals with Ramon (sic) and Kadi's search for a society that will accept them.
The idea for "Savage Empire" came during her promotion of "First Channel" at science fiction conventions, Lorrah said.
"Jackie (Lichtenberg) (sic) and I had just finished "First Channel" and she had been telling me for a year that I ought to write a book on my own.
"Savage Empire" is a deliberately sensational title, Lorrah said, designed to help sales.
"The name is a contradiction--you can't have an empire of savages," she said. The book is about savages battling an empire.
Lenardo, from the empire, has the ability to read people's minds, while Aradia, the savage, has the ability to move things with her mind, Lorrah explained.
"The novel goes into the kind of love-hate relationship they have," Lorrah said.
Even through "Savage Empire" is mainly an adventure story, it also has a message to it. "It's about a teacher's responsibilities concerning what he teaches his students," Lorrah says. She goes on to say that the teacher feels guilty when one of his students uses what he has been taught against the empire.
"I think it'll be the kind of novel that people might read at 12 and get nothing but the adventure, and then re-read it at 20 and say, "Hey, wait a minute! There's something else here!" Lorrah says.