The best science fiction combines a fascinating technological basis with excellent characterization. With that sort of example in front of me, I was frankly intimidated to try science fiction. So I began to read it. You describe your novels as character driven, and you are known for your incredibly complex heroes and heroines, full of flaws as well as virtues. I think flaws are what draws us into the characters, and help us relate to them.
Perfection is hard to relate to.
But obviously, everyone has different lines that they draw as to what flaws are acceptable and what are not. Most of us fall madly in love with guys who are far from perfect in real life, and we know it. But there is something about them that attracts us. Probably the book I am most proud of from a technical, writerly standpoint is Flowers , but yes, the one I have the most personal affection for is The Shadow and the Star . Leda s character, and her ladies, represent a feminine culture that has long existed, unrecorded and barely acknowledged in society at large, but one that has had a profound impact on civilization.