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Aug. 16th, 2023 10:42 am
New Story, and Interview
My story "In the Fox's House" comes out in the September/October issue of Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, and they interviewed me about it and other things. I'll post it in parts here, or you could read the whole interview here.
How did this story germinate? Was there a spark of inspiration, or did it come to you slowly?
The story started when a friend of mine told me about videos online that showed foxes jumping on trampolines in people’s backyards. Foxes can be tricky or untrustworthy in the old tales, so I wondered what those foxes were up to.
What is your history with Asimov’s?
I’ve sold stories to Asimov’s nearly from the beginning, to Shawna McCarthy, Gardner Dozois, and now to Sheila Williams. All of them knew a lot about editing and gave me great feedback. If any of them rejected a story I was pretty sure there was something wrong with it, and I’d continue working on it or, sometimes, put it away to look at later.
Are there any themes that you find yourself returning to throughout your writing? If yes, what and why?
I like to write stories about magic in the real world, where there’s a possibility of something astonishing or mysterious just around the corner, in a place you’ve passed a hundred times before. And I like showing what happens when the borders between the two worlds become blurred, and what that does to the main character, if it frightens them or changes them or makes them understand something important.
How do you deal with writers’ block?
Not easily. I once read a piece of advice to writers that helps every so often: Pretend you are writing a letter to an author you admire, explaining your problem and asking for solutions. Of course you will never send this letter; instead it’s a way of putting yourself into the mindset of someone who has solved the kind of difficulty you find yourself in. Once I was having trouble with the plot of a novel and I addressed a letter to Nancy Kress, someone who I think is brilliant at plotting. A long time later I told her what I’d done and she said, “Well, you owe me a letter now!” The letter was long gone, though, and it was so filled with despairing cries for help that I could never show it to anyone.
To be continued...
How did this story germinate? Was there a spark of inspiration, or did it come to you slowly?
The story started when a friend of mine told me about videos online that showed foxes jumping on trampolines in people’s backyards. Foxes can be tricky or untrustworthy in the old tales, so I wondered what those foxes were up to.
What is your history with Asimov’s?
I’ve sold stories to Asimov’s nearly from the beginning, to Shawna McCarthy, Gardner Dozois, and now to Sheila Williams. All of them knew a lot about editing and gave me great feedback. If any of them rejected a story I was pretty sure there was something wrong with it, and I’d continue working on it or, sometimes, put it away to look at later.
Are there any themes that you find yourself returning to throughout your writing? If yes, what and why?
I like to write stories about magic in the real world, where there’s a possibility of something astonishing or mysterious just around the corner, in a place you’ve passed a hundred times before. And I like showing what happens when the borders between the two worlds become blurred, and what that does to the main character, if it frightens them or changes them or makes them understand something important.
How do you deal with writers’ block?
Not easily. I once read a piece of advice to writers that helps every so often: Pretend you are writing a letter to an author you admire, explaining your problem and asking for solutions. Of course you will never send this letter; instead it’s a way of putting yourself into the mindset of someone who has solved the kind of difficulty you find yourself in. Once I was having trouble with the plot of a novel and I addressed a letter to Nancy Kress, someone who I think is brilliant at plotting. A long time later I told her what I’d done and she said, “Well, you owe me a letter now!” The letter was long gone, though, and it was so filled with despairing cries for help that I could never show it to anyone.
To be continued...