A. L. Pineson’s short story, Robot Zombie Vampire Goats of Mars! appears as a special Spring 2006 Bonus.

Questions About the Story

Where did the idea come from?
I was sitting around butting heads with my friends and it just came to me.

How did the story change as you developed it?
Developed?

You know the advice “Sometimes you have to kill your darlings.” Was there a scene or line that it really hurt to cut, but cutting it made the story stronger? May we reprint that scene or line?
Yes. I had the following description that I was forced to cut:

Tim Beefman’s eyes blazed like two blazing coals stuck in his eye sockets and trying to light his eyebrows on fire. “Miss Scarlet,” he said in his manly voice that spoke of muscles and manliness. “Miss Scarlet, I really must tell you something.”

“Yes? Yes?” Scarlet breathed, in a hush. She flipped her skirt around and tried not to swoon.

“Miss Scarlet,” Tim Beefman leaned in close and whispered with his manly whisperer while leaning in close, “Ah think them Yankeys are horse eaters.”

Questions About Writing

Who do you write for? Yourself or someone else?
Other people. About the only time I write this stuff is when someone asks.

What writing projects are you presently working on?
Tim Beefman and the Robot Spiders of Doom.

Favorite book read when you were a child?
Three Billy Goats Gruff.

Random Questions

Watch much TV? If so, what shows do you watch?
Animal Planet is a favorite.

Favourite restaurant?
Purina Feed Store

Cat or dog person? (or something else, like birds, iguanas, or even evil robot monkeys?)
Chickens are nice.

If you had a working time machine what advice would you give a younger self?
Don’t buck the system, kid.

Quiz: How many writers does it take to change a lightbulb? Please explain your answer:
None. Writers all use CRTs now.

Aliette de Bodard’s short story, A Warrior’s Death, appears in the Spring 2006 issue of Shimmer. Read her web site or send her e-mail

Questions About the Story

Where did the idea come from?
A writers’ forum I’m a member of, Liberty Hall, ran an end-of-year challenge where the idea was to write a short story based on the trigger word “deicide”. After much thinking, the idea that came to my mind was the Aztec society, where every year they sacrificed incarnations of their gods. And I wondered what would happen if the person that was killed really was the god incarnate.

Since I’m a fantasy writer, I didn’t set it in Aztec times, but in Ahuatl, which was the quintessential Aztec city: a place where the gods were all too real, a city that was the seat of an empire, but also a place on the edge of change.

How did the story change as you developed it?
When I started the story, I did not know the exact ending. I had several handy. In one of them, Chamatl died at the end, executed by the other priests for his sacrilege. What did not change was that the same basic message: Ahuatl had to change because you cannot build a stable empire by subjugating every person you conquer.

There was also a scene with a maiden of the temple who had heard Ralil play the sacrificial tune on the flute, but I decided all it added was extra wordage.

You know the advice “Sometimes you have to kill your darlings.” Was there a scene or line that it really hurt to cut, but cutting it made the story stronger? May we reprint that scene or line?
Well, my darling with the story was the ending. It was one of the reasons why I wrote it in first person: so Uzume could reflect at the end on the choice he had made, and on the consequences of that choice. However, Beth, the wonderful editor of Shimmer, was right when she pointed out that it was too distant from the main storyline, and weakened the impact of the story. So it had to go.

Here’s the original version:

I write this knowing that I am among the last of the warriors. Years ago, I took none of the choices Chamatl offered me. Rather than let Pochtli or him die, I admitted defeat, and went back to my peasant’s hut, once more in disgrace.

They found another slave to received the War-God’s essence, and I was here to see Him rise again. And He saw me. I know that He saw me, and that He mourned the passing of my kind.

I am among the last. Warriors have died on the sacrificial stones, but there are no wars to be fought. I alone remain, watching the sky. Feeling the small changes, year after year: fewer human sacrifices, fewer warriors trained. Cities brought into the empire as equals. The War-God’s word is still law, after all, and from Ralil He has learnt cunning.

I am waiting, among my stalks of maize. Waiting, once more, for forgiveness. For a sign that I have made the right choice.

Whatever happens, I pray that the gods watch over Ahuatl, and lead it to everlasting glory.

How is this story like your other work? How is it different?
Tough one…I’d say it’s close to my other work, first, by virtue of being set in an non-European world (I’ve done Aztec, Chinese and Hindu, and am looking into Inca civilization next). And second, because it deals with a character who changes, profoundly, as a result of the events he witnessed. Which is why of the reasons I can’t write series, because my poor main characters always end up traumatized by the events of the story (and I feel I ought to leave them alone…)

It’s different because there is a wealth of detail on society and social dynamics, and a reflection on major changes. All of that gives it far more scope than my other work (I tend to focus on more intimate problems). Also, I don’t normally write stories in first person, and even fewer mystery investigations. Although, seeing that I’ve sold the only two first-person mysteries I wrote, maybe I should consider a change of strategy…

Questions About Writing

How did you celebrate your first sale?
I didn’t. I sold my first short story almost on first try: it went to Writers of the Future, placed in quarterfinals, and then I submitted it to an illustrated anthology where it was accepted. Back then, I didn’t know better, and thought it was easy to get published. I soon learnt I’d been sorely mistaken…

I celebrated my second sale by going to the restaurant with my boyfriend, and by treating myself to a book I had long wanted.

Does your work tend to explore any particular themes?
I follow patterns: once I get hold of an idea, I like to explore it fully. Currently, I’m working through the idea of metamorphosis, particularly from animal to human and back again.

But, in general, the common theme running through my work is that of sacrifice. It’s a very old idea: that there is always a price to pay for what you want. It gives my stories a darker edge: for every happy thing happening, my characters have had to abandon some desire or possession. I hate Hollywood stories where people get to live happily ever after with no strings attached.

Here it’s a more literal kind of sacrifice, in a society that obsesses over it. And there’s also a personal sacrifice by Uzume, of course. It’s my trademark (grin).

What people have helped you the most with your writing?
My family: both my sister and my parents, for teaching me to love books, and for supporting me. My boyfriend Matthieu, for being my first reader in the past year, and for bearing with my mood-swings. The fantastic gang from Liberty Hall, a writing forum I’m a member of, and the people over at the Online Writing Workshop, for helping me out with plot problems, critiquing stories, and talking about anything writing-related.

Favorite book you’ve read recently?
I read so fast it’s hard to choose one…It would have to be “Daughter of the Forest”, by Juliet Marillier. It’s a retelling of an old fairytale, and so I knew the ending long before I finished the book, but I didn’t care. I finished it in two days.

Random Questions

If you have a day job, what is it? What do you like about it?
I’ll have one soon, but right now I have to finish my studies. I’m hoping there will be lots of maths in it. I like maths (big geek’s grin).

Favourite food?
Tough one. Depends on my mood. Pho (a Vietnamese beef soup with white noodles) is near the top of my list currently.

What are some of your hobbies?
Aside from writing you mean? It takes up a lot of my spare time. Then there’s reading…

All-time favourite movie?
“An Ideal Husband”, with Rupert Everett, Jeremy Northam, and Cate Blanchett. I love Oscar Wilde’s witty lines, and the whole cast of the movie is stellar.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A writer?

Quiz: How many writers does it take to change a lightbulb? Please explain your answer:

Three: one to actually change the bulb, one to write a moving account of the trauma inherent in changing a bulb. And one to write a whole novel on what would have happened if the person changing the bulb had fallen down and broken their leg.

(note: the above does not apply if the bulb is over the writer’s desk, in which case the bulb gets changed straightaway by the writer).

Paul Abbamondi’s short story, The Dealer’s Hands, appears in the Spring 2006 issue of Shimmer. Read his blog or send him e-mail

Questions About the Story

Where did the idea come from?
It all started with the character of the Dealer. This eerie image of him standing next to some rickety barn popped into my head, and from there on I had to figure out why he existed. Once I knew why that was, the rest just sort of fell into place.

How did the story change as you developed it?
The story went through three different endings, each one completely unlike the other. Spencer’s outcome was the same, but how he met his fate happened in different ways. In the original ending the Dealer had used the pinch marks on his stomach to “tag” him for death. The remainder of the story remained unchanged.

You know the advice “Sometimes you have to kill your darlings.” Was there a scene or line that it really hurt to cut, but cutting it made the story stronger?
No, anything that was cut only made the story stronger. Killing my darlings allowed “The Dealer’s Hands” to be much more alive.

How is this story like your other work? How is it different?
I write more fantasy (urban, high, and sword & sorcery) than I do horror, so it’s pretty drastic in the amount of gore and creepiness that I produce. I generally have a couple stock characters in my stories, such as the obvious bad guy.

Questions About Writing

How did you celebrate your first sale?
I had trouble sleeping that night from all the excitement if you want to call that celebrating. I went out later for dinner and allowed myself to have a fancy drink. I kept it pretty low-key.

Does your work tend to explore any particular themes?
Not that I know yet. Some might say death, but to me, it’s only a part of my stories and not the central theme.

What people have helped you the most with your writing?
I’m part of Critters and have a couple of first readers that offer wonderful comments on what gets an approving thumb and what doesn’t. But other than that, I’m writing solo. “The Dealer’s Hands” was seen by no one before I submitted it.

Favorite book you’ve read recently?
I recently, as in a few months ago, read The Scar by China Mieville and was completely blown away by it. Simply amazing, and it goes beyond the borders of creativity. I’ve bought his other two books based in the same world, but haven’t had any time to start them yet.

Random Questions

If you have a day job, what is it? What do you like about it?
I’m an assistant editor for a market and research firm in chilly New Jersey. It’s nice because it allows me to write at night and on the weekends, and I’m actually interested in editing copy. It’s fun finding mistakes, circling them, and having them fixed! It’s kind of like doing a word search for misspelled words from eight to five.

Favourite food?
I’m a sushi fanatic. California rolls, shrimp tempura, any kind of nigiri or maki. I love it all. If a reality show was ever created on the basis of eating sushi, I’d either be on it or religiously attached to its airings.

What are some of your hobbies?
I enjoy reading lots of science fiction and fantasy novels. I also play guitar in my free time and attempt to record music in my apartment. I watch a decent amount of movies, but generally never get to see the new ones in theaters. Just don’t have the time to see them all.

All-time favourite movie?
I will forever be a fan of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, and of all three of them, Return of the King is the one I can watch over and over. Extended edition, of course.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A bestselling author with Tor or DAW. That, or an editor for a publishing house. As long as I’m still involved with the publishing industry I’ll be happy.

Quiz: How many writers does it take to change a light bulb? Please explain your answer:
Two: one to write how it is done, and the other to critique his work.

Darby Harn’s short story, Paper Man, appears in the Spring 2006 issue of Shimmer. You can read his blog or e-mail him.

Questions About the Story

Where did the idea come from?
I was filling in for a paper route one Sunday morning last summer, and not knowing the houses or where exactly the papers were meant to go, I was just sort of dropping them on the front porches. One I dropped with a little bit too much enthusiasm, and it hit the front door. As soon as it did, the door opened, and out came this young woman who was blind. I apologized for waking her, but she had obviously been waiting for it. She seemed lonely. I wondered why she got the paper? Did someone read it to her? Why was she waiting up for it at 3 in the morning? The story grew out of my wondering about those things.

How did the story change as you developed it?
The story was originally much longer, and yet much more vague in regards to what Millie was actually doing in her father’s old bedroom. There was a lot more dialogue between Millie and Mike, which is common to almost all of my first drafts. I love dialogue, sometimes too much.

You know the advice “Sometimes you have to kill your darlings.” Was there a scene or line that it really hurt to cut, but cutting it made the story stronger?
There’s always something that hurts to have cut, but in this story, I can’t think of anything that really should have been in there. There were lots of sound descriptions I made up to sort of fill out how Millie saw the world that I ended up not using, but nothing major.

How is this story like your other work? How is it different?
”Paper Man” is similar to a lot of my other fiction in that it takes place in small town Iowa where the fantastic intrudes. A lot of my work straddles this line. Sometimes I cross it into more realistic territory, and sometimes I cross into the more unrealistic, but mostly I like to stay in the middle.

Questions About Writing

Who do you write for? Yourself or someone else?
I write stories that appeal to my taste, and hopefully, that of others. So, definitely both.

What writing projects are you presently working on?
I’m always working on something. Right now I’m in the midst of writing a novel that walks that fine line I mentioned before, but has nothing to do with Iowa. Or Earth.

What time of day do you prefer to do your writing?
I’m a night owl. No doubt about it. I typically write from about 10 at night until about 2 or 3, depending. I try to write everyday. Sometimes 250 words, sometimes it’s 2500. Depends.

Favorite book read when you were a child?
Definitely A Wrinkle In Time.

Random Questions

If you could trade places with anyone, who would it be? And Why?
I’d like to be Bono for a day. He’s a big hero of mine. He’s been an inspiration artistically since I was a teenager, and now he’s become this self-made, self-taught advocate of the poor, and he’s really worked very hard to bring people to his cause. He doesn’t ridicule or toot his own horn, he gets people together and working and I admire that a great deal.

Watch much TV? If so, what shows do you watch? Which shows are guilty pleasures?
I don’t watch a whole lot. I watch the HBO stuff when it’s on. Deadwood, The Wire, Sopranos, etc. Lost, West Wing, Battlestar Galactica. My biggest guilty pleasure is Project Runway.

Favourite restaurant?
Pizzeria Uno’s in downtown Chicago.

Cat or dog person? (or something else, like birds, iguanas, or even evil robot monkeys?)
Cats and dogs.

If you had a working time machine what advice would you give a younger self?
It all happens for a reason.

Quiz: How many writers does it take to change a light bulb? Please explain your answer:
Umm… two. One to do it, and one to revise. “Does the light bulb feel true?”

Bruce K. Derksen’s short story, Rubber Boots, Mr. President, appears in the Spring 2006 issue of Shimmer. Contact Bruce at dbksen39@lycos.com

Questions About the Story

Where did the idea come from?
I heard the phrase, (Robots in Rubber Boots) somewhere- I don’t know where but I wrote it in my Idea File and ran with it from there.

Do you work with a critique or writers group?
Yes, I am a member of our local city’s writer’s group. It’s really encouraging to receive feedback on my stories. I think it’s important to help other writers as well, especially those just getting started.

How did the story change as you developed it?
It didn’t change too much. It was a story I sat down and wrote from beginning to end in one evening. I spent some time after that editing and tweaking it a little bit but it came out pretty close to finished on the rough draft. I like stories like that. Sometimes it’s a struggle to get a story to come together at all, never mind in one sitting.

You know the advice “Sometimes you have to kill your darlings.” Was there a scene or line that it really hurt to cut, but cutting it made the story stronger?
No, I don’t think I made any painful cuts on this story. I think the biggest improvement to it was made from the suggestions of the editors at Shimmer.

Questions About Writing

Who do you write for? Yourself or someone else?
I’d have to say both myself and others. It’s very rewarding to put together a good story and be involved in its growth from rough draft to finished manuscript. I’m proud of them when I see them at that stage (especially when they get published). Also, I do write for other people. It’s nice to be able to give some enjoyment and entertainment to others.

How long had you been submitting before you made your first sale?
13 months. On my 28th submission.

How did you celebrate your first sale?
Well, after I read the acceptance letter I paced around the living room where the computer was and wondered if there could be some mix-up or mistake. Then I told my wife and kids and later the writer’s group I go to. Everyone was very excited for me. Later, I framed the cheque and hung it on the wall as a little reminder of how this crazy stuff all began.

What writing projects are you presently working on?
Mostly just more stories and some non-fiction articles on agricultural topics. (I used to work in that business). I’d like to start a novel sometime soon.

What time of day do you prefer to do your writing?
Mornings, or very late at night(when I don’t have to work the next day).

Favorite short story read this year?
Lemmings in the Third Year, by Jerome Stueart. It’s in the Tesseracts Nine Anthology put out by Edge Books.

Favorite book read when you were a child?
I had lots of books I enjoyed as a kid but I guess what stands out are the Black Stallion books by Walter Farley.

Random Stories

Do you believe in ghosts or the supernatural?
No, not really, but I do write about those types of things sometimes, and I wouldn’t be completely shocked if I was ever proved wrong in my opinion.

Fast food: Yea or Nay?
Yea, most definitely.

Favourite food?
Where to begin? How ‘bout roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, and some chocolate pie with whip cream for dessert?

Favourite restaurant?
A small restaurant named George’s in our local city. Big menu and great food.

What are some of your hobbies?
Reading, writing, carpentry, collecting paintings, religously following the Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL football team).

Is there anything that you would “sell your soul” for?
My family.

All-time favourite movie?
Tough one. I’m usually disappointed in movies but I’d say maybe the Grumpy Old Men movies with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. I’ll watch anything with Gene Hackman too.

If you had a working time machine what advice would you give a younger self?
Don’t be so afraid to step out and take chances. Do what you really want to do. Go to college and develop skills to work in something you enjoy.

Quiz: How many writers does it take to change a lightbulb? Please explain
your answer:
I’d say about 12 or 15. However many attend our writer’s group on any given night. First we’d have to critique the correct strategy, character (or lack thereof) of those prepared to be involved in the task, the different pov’s from which to approach said light bulb, if it might be better to scrap the light bulb altogether (probably because it doesn’t add anything). Then we’d likely discuss if the bulb should have been changed in the past or the present tense. (Possibly the future or maybe even in a flashback, perish the thought). By the time we’d be ready to do the job, our time would be up and we’d have to adjourn until next week, when we’d be sorely tempted to begin the entire process again.

Clifford Royal Johns’s short story, Dog Thinks Ahead, appears in the Spring 2006 issue of Shimmer. Contact Clifford at royal@sff.net

Questions About the Story

Where did the idea come from?
The story derived from a first sentence, which popped into my head one day when I was drinking a Mountain Dew. That first sentence defined who the character was and what his trouble was.

Editorial Note: Unfortunately, we had to change the first line! It really was terrific, but as the story developed, it didn’t quite work.

You know the advice “Sometimes you have to kill your darlings.” Was there a scene or line that it really hurt to cut, but cutting it made the story stronger?
Yes, the first sentence. I’d rather you didn’t print that first sentence, because I might be able to get four or five more stories out of it before it makes it into print. Once a darling, always a darling. It’s a pretty good sentence.

How is this story like your other work? How is it different?
Several of my stories are about slackers and often from a first person point of view. I’m not a slacker myself. Really, I’m not. Not most of the time anyway. But the personality type intrigues me. I am not a slacker. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Questions About Writing

How did you celebrate your first sale?
My first sale was to Fine Woodworking. I celebrated by saying, “Well I’ll be darned. They bought it.”

Favorite book you’ve read recently?
Bingo Night at the Fire Hall by Barbara Holland

Random Questions

If you have a day job, what is it? What do you like about it?
Integrated circuit design, and writing computer aided design software for doing this. It’s actually my ideal job. I like building things, and I like solving puzzles, and I get to work with a great bunch of people. They even pay me to do it. How cool is that?

Favorite food?
Fried Spam and cheese on toast. OK, actually I prefer oatmeal with broccoli florets. Well really, it’s Mountain Dew and Cheetos.

What are some of your hobbies?
Woodworking, volleyball, dog rescue, tractors, blues harmonica and studying the peculiar.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A gentleman farmer, or at least a farmer.

Quiz: How many writers does it take to change a light bulb? Please explain your answer:
All depends on your point of view.

Angela Slatter’s short story, The Little Match Girl, appears in the Spring 2006 issue of Shimmer.

Questions About the Story

Where did the idea come from?
I had signed up for my Masters in Creative Writing, looking at rewritten/recycled/reclaimed fairytales and was wondering where to start. I was sitting on the bus one day, thinking “Which fairy tale from childhood affected me most?” and remembered that my Mum had read The Little Match Girl to me when I was about 9 and it devastated me! She died!!!! That’s not a story for a kid! So, I started to think about TLMG and who she might have been (rather than a defenseless child), and that’s how my girl became someone who stands outside of society and refuses to bend to what others think she should do. I started scribbling it on a piece of paper on the bus, then had to decipher my handwriting at home later.

How did the story change as you developed it?
The main change came when I decided to use the matches to segment the different stories of her life – they provide the threshold moments for her. Things flowed much better from that point on… It was mainly a structural thing because the story itself came pretty much full-blown to my mind.

You know the advice “Sometimes you have to kill your darlings.” Was there a scene or line that it really hurt to cut, but cutting it made the story stronger?

Mmmmm, I think the only thing I refused to cut was the last line! My supervisor felt it did not work but I was determined it should stay because it summed my character up perfectly in her refusal to obey – she chose her own fate and I was very determined that the last line should stay. Funnily enough, that is the thing most readers comment on, how much they love that line and how powerful they think it is. Yay!

How is this story like your other work? How is it different?
It’s like my other work in the genre and the strong female character. It’s unlike my other pieces in that the main character is stripped of all her ‘helpers’, and her solution to her situation is definitely the most extreme.

Questions About Writing

Who do you write for? Yourself or someone else?
Me. Me, me, me! It’s the one area that I’m totally selfish in (I hope).

What writing projects are you presently working on?
I have 2 chick-lit novels half finished; and have a novel about suicide in families started (I’m taking that with me to the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop this year in the US). I also have started a book of re-written fairy tales for kids.

What time of day do you prefer to do your writing?
I’m a night person. On weekends I get up at the crack of midday, wander around for a while and start writing about 2 in the afternoon at the earliest…then I may write until the early hours of the morning. I try to write 500 words a day on weekdays, just to maintain the discipline – even if I throw out those 500 words, I’ve at least made myself do what I’m supposed to do. On weekends I write more. I heard yesterday from a friend that another mutual acquaintance had written his latest novel in 18 days – 4000 words a day for 18 consecutive days…I was filled with equal parts admiration and professional hatred!

Favorite book read when you were a child?
Ahhhhhh…? Too many. I loved Enid Blyton books when I was little and fairy tale collections; then as I grew older I read a lot of Nancy Drew mysteries; then ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, ‘Tangara’, and ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ in my teens…

Random Questions

If you could trade places with anyone, who would it be? And Why?
I just kinda like being me. Everyone has their problems, so if you swap lives you just swap your set of problems for someone else’s – so better the devil you know. If I could time-travel? I’d be a muse in a salon in eighteenth century France (great dresses).

Watch much TV? If so, what shows do you watch? Which shows are guilty pleasures?
TV is the thing to do at the end of a bad day; turn it on, stare at the pretty colours, and just zone out. There’ s a lot of crap on TV at the moment, nothing I rush home to watch. Am waiting for the return of Oz (fifth season about to run in Australia), I miss Sex and the City desperately, hate Desperate Housewives, I know NCIS is bad but I just can’t help watching it (think I may be mesmerized by Mark Harmon’s eyebrows). Any British cop drama is worth watching – especially the Val McDermid ‘Wire in the Blood’ series.

Favourite restaurant?
A place in Sydney called ‘Vamps’…superb food but the problem is that I’m now living in Brisbane! So, in Brisbane: CruBar or Luna Lounge or Ouzeri.

Cat or dog person? (or something else, like birds, iguanas, or even evil robot monkeys?)
Cats are cool coz they are dignified; dogs are great when you want unconditional love. I like them both…but don’t have any pets at the moment apart from the traditional Brisbane geckos.

If you had a working time machine what advice would you give a younger self?
It will all be okay – relax more, stress less. And don’t dye your hair blonde EVER.

Quiz: How many writers does it take to change a lightbulb? Please explain your answer:
None – you can always write by the light of the laptop…

Marina T. Stern’s short story, Drevka’s Rain, appears in the Spring 2006 issue of Shimmer.

Questions About the Story

Where did the idea come from?
I was getting over a failed friendship, trying to convince myself not to try to regain what had been lost.

How did the story change as you developed it?
It didn’t. The first draft differed from the finished story only in details of prose style.

You know the advice “Sometimes you have to kill your darlings.” Was there a scene or line that it really hurt to cut, but cutting it made the story stronger?
I’ve done that in longer works, but not in this one. When I wrote my first published book, I had to throw out 2/3 of the finished manuscript, and start over. That was the last time I wrote something long, without an outline.

How is this story like your other work? How is it different?
Nonfiction is easier to write. When writing nonfiction, I write out a detailed outline, look up the information, and fill in the blanks. In fiction, I have to make everything up.

I didn’t notice until after I had played out this vein, that I had written several variations on the same theme. Settings varied, from contemporary to medieval to alien, but they all involved women who were in love with men who came and went, and had multiple other lovers. I hate to think what that says about my own life!

Another theme that recurs in my fiction is the relationship between an older woman and a little girl.

Questions About Writing:

How long had you been submitting before you made your first sale?
I sold my first nonfiction book to the first publisher I submitted it to.

Fiction is a different story. “Drevka’s Rain” is my first fiction sale, six years after I started submitting.

Do you work with a critique or writers group?
No. I have trust issues.

What authors, if any, have had the most influence on your work?
Nonfiction inspires my fiction. When I read science, I write science fiction. When I read folklore, I write fantasy.

I read fiction in binges, locking myself in a room and reading a particular writer’s entire oeuvre over a few weeks. This technique works best with authors who were not very prolific. A few years ago I binged on the oeuvre of an acquaintance who had written or co-written over 60 books. I’m only beginning to recover, now.

Random Questions

Do you believe in ghosts or the supernatural? Why?
I don’t consider that I have enough evidence to either believe or disbelieve.

Fast food: Yea or Nay?
Everything in moderation. I know a taqueria in San Luis Obispo that makes dynamite burritos.

Name one place in your hometown that you love to go to and would recommend to others to visit.
None of the places I love are in my hometown. If I can stretch the idea of hometown by 150 miles or so, I’d recommend the little natural history museum in Santa Barbara, behind the mission. I have happy childhood memories of the giant squid hanging from the ceiling, and a glass wall full of butterflies.

Is there anything that you would “sell your soul” for?
Nah. Who’s buying, anyway?

Do you have a secret skill that you never get to show off? (i.e. ambidextrous writing, blood-curdling screams, double-jointed, badminton champion…)

I used to belly dance.

Quiz: How many writers does it take to change a lightbulb? Please explain your answer:
None. I have my husband do it.

Shimmer is starting to work its way into bookstores and libraries. Don’t see your favorite store or library on this list yet? Ask them if they’ll carry Shimmer! Show them your copy, and pass their contact information on to us so we can follow up. Thanks!

Borderlands Books
688 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415)824-8203
(888)893-4008