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Aurora Interview #4: Julie Czerneda

(Photo credit Roger Czerneda Photography)

My guest today is Julie E. Czerneda, nominated in the Best Long-form (Novel) category for the 2018 Prix Aurora, the fan award for the best in Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy.

For over twenty years, Canadian author/ former biologist Julie E. Czerneda has shared her curiosity about living things through her science fiction, published by DAW Books, NY. Julie’s written fantasy too, the first installments of her Night’s Edge series (DAW) A Turn of Light and A Play of Shadow, winning consecutive Aurora Awards (Canada’s Hugo) for Best English Novel. Julie’s edited/co-edited numerous  award-winning anthologies of SF/F, most recently SFWA’s 2017 Nebula Award Showcase. Out this fall is an all-original anthology written by fans of her Clan Chronicles series: Tales from Plexis. 

(Cover art by Matthew Stawicki.)

 Her finale to that series, To Guard Against the Dark, was released in 2017 (up for Best Novel this year). 

Julie is an internationally renowned panelist and speaker on genre, writing, and scientific literacy. She was Master of Ceremonies for the 2009 Worldcon and has done writers workshops for the New Zealand and Australia National Conventions as well as Ottawa Comic Con and Anime North. She’ll be GOH at ConStellation in 2019. This October, Esen--Julie’s most beloved character--returns in Search Image, Book #1 of her new SF series, The Web Shifter’s Library. Meanwhile, Julie is hard at work on a new fantasy standalone, The Gossamer Mage.

How long have you been writing SFF, and what forms have you explored besides the one you’re nominated for?

 

Forever? My first publication in SFF was in 1997. I’ve written fantasy as well as SF, some horror, short fiction and long. I’ve edited numerous anthologies as well.

What other titles/categories have you been nominated for (past or present)?

My work has been nominated many times, to my delight, if not any of the Clan Chronicles until now. That makes this one very special. I’ve won in all the professional English categories, other than art, for science fiction and fantasy.

Tell me about your process of creating this work: how long did it take to write? Speed bumps along the way?

To Guard Against the Dark is the culmination of a series I began decades ago. I wrote the nine books as three trilogies, leaving the story to tell others periodically. There weren’t speed bumps but I did need to keep careful notes as well as relearn the “voice” for each trilogy. Plus, this final one, Reunification, was going to be darker and quite intense. I elected to write two fantasy novels first.

What’s your favourite thing about this nominated work: a character, a scene, a setting/world?

That it’s the kind of ending I love—the one I wanted for this story and the characters of Sira and Morgan. I hope readers will feel the same. I’ve answered the underlying “What if?” which was vital. At the same time, I’m satisfied there’s a good taste to how it ends, and a sense of wonder too.

Name a couple of authors you find inspiring, and tell me what calls to you about their works.

C.J. Cherryh, because her imagination is only exceeded by the work she puts into every detail. Anne Bishop, another amazing writer with a tremendous work ethic and talent.

Book blurb courtesy of DAW Books

The final book in the hard science fiction Reunification trilogy, the thrilling conclusion to the award-winning Clan Chronicles

Jason Morgan is a troubling mystery to friends and enemies alike: once a starship captain and trader, then Joined to the most powerful member of the Clan, Sira di Sarc, following her and her kind out of known space.

Only to return, alone and silent. 

But he's returned to a Trade Pact under siege and desperate. The Assemblers continue to be a threat. Other species have sensed opportunity and threaten what stability remains, including those who dwell in the M'hir. What Morgan knows could save them all, or doom them. 

For not all of the Clan followed Sira. And peace isn't what they seek.

For more about Julie and her many works of stellar Science Fiction, visit   www.czerneda.com

For the complete ballot (including 'Maddie Hatter and the Gilded Gauge' in the YA section) see the CSFFA Prix Aurora site

Aurora Interview #3: Gerald Brandt

My guest today is Gerald Brandt, nominated in the Best Novel category for the 2018 Prix Aurora Award for Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy published in 2017.

Gerald Brandt is an International Bestselling Author of Science Fiction and Fantasy. He is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. His current novel is The Rebel – A San Angeles Novel, published by DAW Books. His first novel, The Courier, also in the San Angeles series was listed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as one of the 10 Canadian science fiction books you need to read and was a finalist for the prestigious  Aurora Award. Both The Courier and its sequel, The Operative, appeared on the Locus Bestsellers List. By day, Gerald is an IT professional. In his limited spare time, he enjoys riding his motorcycle, rock climbing, camping, and spending time with his family. He lives in Winnipeg with his wife Marnie, and their two sons Jared and Ryan.

How long have you been writing SFF, and what forms have you explored besides the one you’re nominated for?

Like most writers, I started when I was young by copying what I was reading. I still have a notebook somewhere with a carefully drawn map and pages of awful prose. Unfortunately, I stopped writing in high school and concentrated on a career in computers.

Besides my novels, I have a couple of short stories out there. My first sale was in the Aurora Award winning anthology Blood & Water from Bundoran Press. It was quite a few years after that before I sold my first novel.

Is this your first nomination? If not, what other title/category have you been nominated for (past or present)?

The Courier, the first book in the San Angeles series was released in 2016 by DAW Books, and was up for best novel last year. The second book in that series also made the long list, but not the final ballot.

Tell me about your process of creating this work: how long did it take to write? Speed bumps along the way?

I made a few mistakes writing the second novel in the series, The Operative – all of them my fault – which ended in a brutally short timeline of four months to write it. That resulted in burnout, and I had to push back the release date of The Rebel twice. DAW was very accommodating, and the novel was released six months late, one year after The Operative.

The process I used has been the same for most of my books, starting with colour coded post-it notes (one color per point of view character), and a large 4x8 foot whiteboard. Each post-it gets a one line description of a scene. I rearrange the post-its until I’m happy with what I have, and then I move the information to a spreadsheet, also colour coded, and add detail. Then I write the novel sequentially. Once I hit the halfway point, I usually go back and redo the outline for the final half of the novel. Things always change when drafting, and those changes need to be reflected in the spreadsheet.

I also tend to write fairly short. First drafts can be anywhere between 70,000 to 80,000 thousand words, and the final novel over 100,000. My main goal is to get the novel finished, and flesh it out later.

What’s your favourite thing about this nominated work: a character, a scene, a setting/world?

Besides finishing the series and closing all the various plot threads in an almost neat fashion?

Honestly, it’s a difficult question. It’s like asking which of your children is your favourite. Let’s call it an impossible question. Even though I finished writing the novel in 2016, I still feel too close to work to stand back and look at it that way.

I guess… without giving away too much of the plot… I’m really happy that I was able to bring back some people from Kris’ (my main character) past and create sense of family at the end of the novel. It’s an important step for Kris, and completes her journey.

That, and I really like blowing things up in space!

Name a couple of authors you find inspiring, and tell me what calls to you about their works.

Another tough question! There are so many authors I enjoy reading across multiple genres, that it’s tough to pick just a couple. I’ll give it a try though.

I have to start with Neal Stephenson. Snow Crash is a phenomenal read, and I’ve been told you can see echos of it through my San Angeles series. That book came out when personal computers were still new(ish), and the sky was the limit, and that really grabbed at me – not only back when it was released, but now as well.

The next one is more difficult, do I choose David Eddings, Jaqueline Carey, Lee Child… The list goes on and on. If I think about it, I think it’s their ability to just suck me into their worlds and their stories and their characters lives that makes reading them so enjoyable. As a writer, it’s difficult to turn off my internal editor when reading, and when an author can make me do that, I’m hooked.

Book blurb

Kris Merrill has lost everything. Her family when she was thirteen, her identity when she joined the anti-corporate movement, and now the man she loved. Living in a small room the resistance gave her, she feels alone. Abandoned.

A year ago, Kris’s life was torn apart when a delivery went wrong. The last year spent training with the anti-corporate movement had been the closest she’d ever gotten to normal.

Now, war has broken out between the corporations, and the lower levels of San Angeles are paying the price. Water and food are rationed. People are being ripped from their families in massive sweeps, drafted to fight. Those remaining live in a wasteland. The insurgents are trying to help, but Kris is being left out, given menial tasks instead of doing what she was trained for.

She is torn between working with the insurgents as they become more like the corporations they are fighting, and helping the people of the lower levels.

Caught in one of SoCal’s draft sweeps and being hunted by an enemy who will stop at nothing to have revenge are just the tip of the iceberg. Kris is pregnant, and she might have to choose between bringing down the corporations that destroyed her family or saving the life of her unborn son.

  

http://geraldbrandt.com

Facebook: Gerald Brandt – Author

Twitter: @geraldbrandt

 For the complete ballot (including 'Maddie Hatter and the Gilded Gauge' in the YA section) see the CSFFA Prix Aurora site

Aurora Interview #2: Elizabeth Whitton

 My guest today is Elizabeth Whitton, nominated in the YA Fiction category for the 2018 Prix Aurora,the fan award for the best in Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Elizabeth Whitton writes YA, SF, fantasy and horror. Her YA novel HOUSES OF THE OLD BLOOD published by Kettlescon Press, and her short story THE CALLING, written under Elizabeth Grotkowski, and published by Analemma Books in the Enigma Front: The Monster Within” anthology; are finalists for the 2018 Prix Aurora awards. Three of her short stories have appeared in the Enigma Front anthologies. She lives with her husband and daughter in Calgary, Alberta, an hour’s drive away from the magnificent Canadian Rockies.

 How long have you been writing SFF, and what forms have you explored besides the one you’re nominated for?

I’ve been writing SFF since I read my father’s book “ISLANDS IN THE SKY” by Arthur C Clarke when I stayed home from school one day with a bad cold. My first published SFF story, THE DEMON OF P-CITY, appeared in The Enigma Front: Burnt anthology in 2016.

Other forms I’ve explored include flash fiction, which is a blast to pump out, poetry which I compose very badly, and the odd haiku which has taught me to “cut out the crap”!

But it is story telling that is the foundation of all my writing forms.  Every night for years when I was young, washing dishes with my little sister, I’d tell her stories to pass the time.  I’ve told them to my parents, teachers, schoolmates, friends, nieces and nephews, my own children—pretty much anyone who’d listen to me.

 Now I write them.

Is this your first nomination? If not, what other title/category have you been nominated for (past or present)?

This is the first time I’ve been nominated for a Prix Aurora Award. In fact, I’m thrilled to be nominated for two this year.  One for HOUSES OF THE OLD BLOOD,  the best YA Fiction category and the other for my short story,“THE CALLING,” written under my married name, Elizabeth Grotkowski, in the Short Fiction category.

Tell me about your process of creating this work: how long did it take to write? Speed bumps along the way?

HOUSES OF THE OLD BLOOD took about two years to write.  I wrote the book when I was housebound because of a car accident injury. I’d written for personal pleasure all my life, but this story obsessed me like no other, and I spent every waking moment pounding on my keyboard until I finished the bloated 135 K first draft.  I spent the next two years honing it and I’m glad I did, because I’m very happy with the final result. 

What’s your favourite thing about this nominated work: a character, a scene, a setting/world?

Oh my goodness, that’s an impossible question to answer because I could list so many! One favorite thing is my main character Addie. I love her journey from a reluctant, shy girl to ass kicking heroine, as she does what it takes to protect her human family, no matter what it costs her. Another thing I love is the juxtaposition between two very different societies, hidden within the broader human civilization.  One is a paramilitary meritocracy where Addie thrives, and the other is a powerful, ruthless hierarchy based on the dictates of a blood purity caste system. I love the message of empowerment that I’ve threaded throughout the novel as strong female role models abound everywhere. They show Addie how to stand up for herself, fight for what she believes, and realize the power of women united in a common cause. And, of course, there is Eris, the boy she loves, who will do the right thing by Addie no matter how much it hurts either of them.

Name a couple of authors you find inspiring, and tell me what calls to you about their works.

Countless writers inspire me—they are my mentors, instructors, and, at times, my accusers.  More than once, I’ve read a book, then buried my head in my hands and wondered how I can possibly delude myself into thinking I can write? One such novel is the NIGHT CIRCUS, by Erin Morgenstern.  Her prose is breathtaking; every paragraph, every sentence, every phrase a delectable treasure the reader can ponder and savor. Erin Morgenstern definitely challenged me to step up my writing game. 

I also adore Holly Black, the contemporary fantasy writer of THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLD TOWN and THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST.  Her settings of fantastical worlds that reside right beside ours are places I love to linger. She has inspired me to emulate them in my own writing.  And Maggie Stiefvater, who wrote the Raven cycle series and THE SCORPIO RACES, is the mistress of character development and luscious exposition.  Reading her work prods me to delve more deeply into my characters.

 Book blurb 

Sixteen-year-old Addie Stevens is a dedicated underachiever with a serious allergy to attention. When an enigmatic boy with piercing gold eyes stalks her, she can’t shake him. And when she’s attacked by other-worldly hunters called the Denagali, it’s her stalker, Eris, who saves her.

But the Denagali smell blood in the water. Addie’s blood. They’re hunting her, and the one person who knows why is golden-eyed Eris. He can’t stop talking about secret bloodlines, old blood dynasties, and the Kharis, a hidden race of powerful beings. Addie doesn’t want to believe him, but she doesn’t have a choice. Every passing moment she stays with her family thrusts them deeper into Denagali danger.

To save them, Addie escapes with Eris to the sanctuary Kettlescon. Once there, Addie is far from safe. Secrets swirl around her like Kharis battle blades, rumors whisper of a dark transformation, while Addie’s unique “talents” suggest that her blood might be the oldest of them all…

  

www.elizabethwhitton.com

Facebook.com/EAGWhitton

Instagram/elizabeth_whitton

@EAGWhitton

For the complete ballot (including 'Maddie Hatter and the Gilded Gauge' in the YA section) see the CSFFA Prix Aurora site

Aurora Interview #1: Brent Nichols

My guest today is Brent Nichols, nominated in the Novel category for the 2018 Prix Aurora, the fan award for the best in Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Brent is a full-time novelist, writing self-published military science fiction under the pen name Jake Elwood. He lives in Calgary. He has two novels with Bundoran Press, published under his own name, Stars Like Cold Fire and the sequel, Light of a Distant Sun.

How long have you been writing SFF, and what forms have you explored besides the one you’re nominated for?

I wrote my first novel, a high fantasy epic, in 1989. I was 19 years old and certain I was brilliant. It turns out I was mistaken.

Since then I’ve written a bunch of novels, novellas, and short stories. Mostly I alternate between fantasy and science fiction. I’ve also written some steampunk, horror, crime fiction, and some hard-to-classify miscellaneous.

A few years ago I wrote a comedic horror play about zombies, a one-woman show that my sister performed in the Vancouver Fringe.

 
Is this your first nomination? If not, what other title/category have you been nominated for (past or present)?

Last year, Stars Like Cold Fire earned me my first Aurora nomination. Now, the sequel has been nominated again.

Tell me about your process of creating this work: how long did it take to write? Speed bumps along the way?

It took me two months to write Light of a Distant Sun. I had a deadline, and I worked on the manuscript right up until the final hour. Some amusing typos survived this process, like NAME appearing as a placeholder for someone’s name. Still, the manuscript was in pretty decent shape.

I knew well in advance that I’d be writing a second book in the series, so some ideas rolled around in my head in the preceding months. But actual writing didn’t start until two months before my deadline. In retrospect I would have liked more time, but it would have brought me a reduction in stress, not an increase in quality. By the time I sent the manuscript off it was as good as I could make it, name placeholders notwithstanding.

What’s your favourite thing about this nominated work: a character, a scene, a setting/world?

The book has a gut-punch climax where my protagonist has to make a brutally difficult decision. I give him no easy options and no way to evade responsibility. When I think of the book, that scene is always what comes to my mind first. I feel a bit bad for Jeff Yi, who doesn’t deserve this sort of shabby treatment from me. But I’m proud of how the scene turned out.

Name a couple of authors you find inspiring, and tell me what calls to you about their works.

Melissa Scott and Jo Graham write a series called the Order of the Air. It’s sort of urban fantasy set in the world of aviation in the 1930s, and it’s beautiful and haunting and tragic and utterly riveting. I don’t think the books are particularly successful, but they deserve to be, because they’re wonderful. There’s a subtlety of characterization, a richness of setting, that I find completely irresistible. There’s also no shortage of fun genre elements as a group of magician pilots protect the world from supernatural threats.

Book blurb: 

Barely recovered from his injuries and still in the sights of the fascist traitors in the Wukan navy, Jeff Yi is again placed in command of his own ship and sent on a dangerous mission deep within enemy territory.

Haunted by memories of those who died under his command, Yi struggles to come to grips with the reality of war and the possibility of betrayal from within his own ranks. If he fails to uncover the Ryland plot, more than his life may be at stake.

Light of a Distant Sun is the exciting sequel to Stars LikeCold Fire.

For the complete ballot (including 'Maddie Hatter and the Gilded Gauge' in the YA section) see the CSFFA Prix Aurora site

Interviewing the Auroras

A heads-up for SFF readers:

In the next few weeks I'll be running a series of short interviews with pals of mine who are also on the Prix Aurora Awards ballot for the best in Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy.

This isn't an exhaustive list by any stretch as 

a) I don't personally know all the authors on the ballot (but since last weekend at When Words Collide - Calgary's most vibrant multi-genre lit-fest - I can also count Fonda Lee among my personal acquaintances), and

b) an exhaustive list would have required me to start interviewing the day the ballot was announced, at which time I was otherwise occupied with attending the Saskatchewan Festival of Words - my first time back to Moose Jaw in 18 years - and launching the first in my contemporary crime novels 

(When the Flood Falls, by J.E. Barnard, released by Dundurn Press in July 2018)

So, watch this space and give thought to which stellar works of Canadian SFF you'll vote for on September 8th. 

Or, if you haven't already done so, buy your CSFFA membership ($10) and get yourself registered ASAP. There's still time to read the entries for some categories - or maybe you've read some of the nominated works already - and make your informed choices on some or all of the ballot categories.

Award Season is upon us!

Some news from Award Season!

First there's this:

Maddie is back on the BPAA Shortlist for her New York City Adventure! You'll find in Gilded Gauge oodles of parasol dueling, spies, intrigue, bumbling detectives, and of course Tweetle-D up to his usual antics while dodging the big-city predatory birds who want to find out if he's edible.

(For more on the Books Publishing in Alberta Awards, check out their online home)

 And then there's THIS! A second nomination for the Prix Aurora!

Claps for fellow writers Gerald Brandt, Julie Czerneda, Fonda Lee, and Elizabeth Whitton, most of whom I know from that lively summer lit-fest, When Words Collide, held each August in Calgary (and usually sold out by June).

(It's not too late to join the CSFFA and vote for your favourite authors and artists in all categories. For the full shortlist go to https://prixaurorawards.ca/home/nominee-list-page/ )