Interview with Science Fiction Writer Stacy Overby

My next author interview is with science fiction writer Stacy Overby!

Tell us about yourself! What would you like readers to know about you?

Stacy Overby: Some of the big things - I am a mother to a very busy ADHD 8 year old son who tells awesome stories and is an adorable cuddle monster. I am an alcohol and drug counselor supervisor for a major hospital, so COVID has led to some very interesting challenges at work over this last year. It’s kind of a miracle my husband has put up with me as well as he has over the last year. Well, twenty really since we got married. I write across multiple areas of the speculative fiction arena - mostly sci-fi and fantasy, but dabble in other genres as well. Most of my books are published through Three Furies press, where I also do some graphic design work.

Alexis: Wow! I’m always impressed with the dedication of people who counsel young people, especially people who suffer from addiction. One of the other authors I’ve interviewed, Olga Gibbs, was also a mental health worker.

What book or books have most influenced you as a writer?

Stacy Overby: Some of my absolute favorites are The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Lord of the Rings series, The Black Jewels series, the Wolfwalker series, and the Dragonriders of Pern series. I could add so many more books, but these definitely are high on my list of all time favorites. Oh, and the Iron Druid Chronicles. I love the way each of these approaches the story - a great mix of seriousness and hilarity. Each stays consistent and believable even in the craziest moments. And most of all, each tells a great story that draws you in. That’s ultimately what I’m working to create - stories that are amazing and pull you along for the ride.

Alexis: I’ve also loved The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy! Douglas Adams is a brilliant writer. And I just loved the Dragonriders of Pern as well.

What are some tropes of fiction in your genre that you love/hate? Why?

Stacy Overby: Ugh, I really detest the “damsel in distress” thing where they’re basically useless without someone there to protect them. It’s fine to start there and allow that character to grow beyond this, but leaving them in that position without ever questioning it or change is just old and misogynistic to me.

I tend to gravitate toward a “chosen one” trope, but I also like to try to mix it up a little. Yes, that character may be “chosen” but do they really go to their “destiny” without fighting it or questioning it? Is their “destiny” really what it seems? Things like that.

Alexis: I completely understand disliking the “damsel in distress” trope. I do find the “chosen one” trope a little trying, mostly because it feels as though characters should work or worry more than chosen ones do. No one’s fate should ever be certain, because we can never really know what the future brings.

Who is your favorite character in your book? What do you like about them? (or, which character do you hate most and why)

Stacy Overby: One of my absolute favorite characters in my books is Devin Wade. He’s the leader of Black Ops, a military/police type force in my space opera series. Devin carries the weight of everything on him and struggles to make peace with the price he’s paid for doing what’s right. Devin is, in his way, a very broken man but strong and has a good heart. I see a lot of myself in him, which has made finishing this book quite the challenge. I’ve had to take it in bits and pieces.

Cover of Tattoo, and Black Ops Book by Stacy Overby

What are you doing to de-stress during the pandemic? Is there any coping mechanism you’d recommend (or NOT recommend)?

Stacy Overby: I highly recommend NOT doing what I’ve done, which is go “I’m fine” until it hits a point that I’m not. But that’s also because I’m a supervisor of an addiction medicine clinic in a hospital. We specialize in treating opioid addictions. So yeah, lots of stress and it’s easy for me to ignore taking care of myself.

Things I have started doing to take care of myself include doing some yoga (not as often as I want but getting there), going for walks, talking with some friends, and just being more mindful of my own health in general. These are some of the things I’d suggest others have as well. Especially the friends who’ll kick you when you’re not taking care of yourself, metaphorically speaking of course., and tell you to keep yourself as a priority as well.

What do you like to do other than read or write? Do you have any interesting hobbies?

Stacy Overby: Man, I need to be independently wealthy to continue supporting all the things I love to do and want to learn to do. Currently I quilt, I’m learning art journaling and watercolor painting, and I crochet. I also cross-stitch, camp, hike, kayak, do photography, and am learning graphic design. That’s probably the bulk of it at this point.

Alexis: That’s an impressive list! I tried to get more into sewing early in the pandemic (I made a lot of homemade face masks), but I’m not nearly skilled enough to try quilting! If you ever read Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace, she writes some incredibly beautiful passages about quilting and the symbolism of different types of quilts women made in the 1800s.

Tell us about a mystery/urban legend from your hometown (or another place you’ve lived).

Stacy Overby: Did you know MN has a serpent just like Nessie over in Loch Ness? We do! We have the Lake Pepin serpent. Pepie is a friendly serpent that can sometimes be spotted swimming about in Lake Pepin. There’s even festivals and celebrations for Pepie!

Alexis: I did not know about Pepie! What an amazing legend!

What TV shows/Movies do you like to watch or stream?

Stacy Overby: We tend to watch a lot of documentary type things around my house. My 8 year old son LOVES them. I know, he’s a bit odd that way, but hey, I’m not going to argue. We learn all sorts of things about engineering, biology, astronomy, and more. I’m also currently going back to rewatch the Stargate series. I watched a bunch of it but missed the last couple seasons before it went off the air.

Alexis: We also like to watch documentaries, especially nature ones. We loved My Octopus Teacher, which just came out on Netflix.

What’s your favorite animal?

Stacy Overby: Tough call, I love lots and lots of animals. I’d adopt most of them if I could. If I have to go with just one, I’d have to stick with my dolphins. They’re just such incredible creatures.

Do you like playing video games? What’s your favorite game right now? Has a video game ever influenced you as a writer?

Stacy Overby: I do play some video games, though not a ton. I am so in love with Zelda Breath of the Wild right now. Amazing graphics and beautiful game play. I can’t say for sure a specific video game has influenced my writing in a certain way, but I’m sure some of the stories and things filter through. After all, I tend to play the sci-fi/fantasy type games and that’s what I also write.

Alexis: Breath of the Wild is one of my favorite games!

Do you like playing board games or role playing games like D&D? If so, which games do you like best?

Stacy Overby: Hmmm, I’d love to get back into D&D, but that’s hard when my son isn’t quite ready to do something like that yet. So, we stick with board games right now. The latest couple we’ve found that are a lot of fun are Apollo and The Battle for Hogwarts. Apollo is based off the NASA Apollo and Gemini missions and you don’t need me to explain the other one. I like them because they’re cooperative games racing against time/against an “automated” bad guy to beat.

Do you have pet(s)? If so, share a picture of your pet!

Stacy Overby: I do! I have a small menagerie around my house. My son would love to add to it and it breaks my heart to tell him no. Currently we have a Russian tortoise, a rabbit, and 3 fish. Rabbit and tortoise are pictured here. The fish don’t hold still long enough.

Alexis: They’re so cute!

Tortoise!

Stacy Overby’s pet Russian tortoise!

What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing?

Stacy Overby: Stop getting hung up on the “do and don’t”s of writing. Yes, there are good things to keep in mind, but there are also exceptions to most every rule. Read a lot. I mean a real lot. That’ll give you an idea of what it takes to get to something that should be printed and how to tell when it might not be ready for print yet. Then start putting words on the page. You can’t edit a blank page, so get those words down. Then worry about what to do next with it.

How do you choose what books you want to read?

Stacy Overby: Depends on my mood. Sometimes I’m up for something heady and intellectual feeling. Other times I just want something fun to read. Since the pandemic hit, I’m also careful at times to look for things that can take my mind off work and such. But basically, I’ll read most things at some point or other.

Do you like Greek/Roman/Norse/Asian/African mythology or folklore? What’s your favorite myth?

Stacy Overby: Oh wow, I love mythology and folklore! First off, there’s so much psychology underlying them that is fascinating. Plus there are some awesome stories out there. And the fact that such diverse cultures have very similar myths is so interesting. For example, most cultures around the world have some kind of great flood myth--how did that work out that way? Anyway, one of my favorite myths comes from Celtic mythology. It’s how banshee are created. That, to me, is the ultimate gothic dark fantasy type myth.

If you write sci-fi, what technology or innovations or scientific discoveries have inspired your work?

Stacy Overby: I do write sci-fi and love looking at things around me then asking that “what if”. Like, for example, we have iPads and Android tablets now. What will those look like in the future? What about bluetooth headsets? What if those evolve into the entire phone and headset being one small device attached near your ear? And what if we could go inside someone’s psyche, kind of like an x-ray or CAT scan, or even like a version of a holodeck? What would we find? I’m not super great on all of the technical ins and outs of the technology, which is why I tend to stick more to soft sci-fi/space opera type stuff, but I still love looking at what exists now, which feels in some ways very futuristic already (while I’m not *that* old, I do remember life before cell phones and much of any internet), and imagine what else it will evolve into over time.