poetry

Leon Stevens Interviews Leon Stevens, Sci-Fi Author and Poet

Leon Stevens interviews Leon Stevens for Lunarian Press!

Hello. I’m Leon Stevens, and I’m here with the author Leon Stevens. 

  - So, we are doing this again?

Do you have somewhere to be?

  - No, not really, unless you forgot something. Who is this for this time?

Lunarian Press.

  - Ahh, yes. Fine folks. OK, go ahead.

What would you like readers to know about you?

 - That I’m out there, not philosophically, but I am a writer. One of the hardest things about being a new indie author is getting the word out. 

Do you want to let them know what books you have written?

 - My first book, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures, is a collection of—

Poems, Prose, and Pictures?

 - Exactly. My second book is a book of classical guitar music called Journeys, and my latest book, The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories, has both science fiction and post-apocalyptic stories, along with a few poems.

Cover of The Knot at the End of the Rope by Leon Stevens!

Cover of The Knot at the End of the Rope by Leon Stevens!

I’ve asked this before—

 - And you’ll ask it again?


[silence]

Can I finish?

 - Go ahead.

As I was saying, you write in many different styles. Do you think that limits your appeal by segmenting your readership?

 - I’ve thought about that. But if I am inspired to write something, I don’t want to limit myself. I still write poetry. It took me four years to publish my first book of poetry—I’m not going to be able to put out another right away. I hope my readership will embrace my eclectic writing.  It is about entertaining and keeping readers engaged. Writing poetry served its purpose. It was therapy for me. Once I discovered my enjoyment of writing, I turned to science fiction because that was my first love.

Cover of Lines by Leon, a collection of poems, pose, and pictures by Leon Stevens

Cover of Lines by Leon, a collection of poems, pose, and pictures by Leon Stevens





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

 - My father, who wasn’t a writer, would make up space stories at bedtime, so I credit him for introducing me to that genre. I like to think that Kurt Vonnegut had a role in how I write. His writing is part science fiction—without the hard science—mixed with humor, satire, and cynicism. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury turned me on to short stories.


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

 - I don’t think there are any I wouldn’t touch or dislike reading. They are used for a reason—because they work. I wouldn’t say there are bad ones, just ones that are used badly. 


Used badly…Is that proper grammar?

 - Excuse me, did I put the adverb in the wrong place?



I’m not sure. It just sounds…odd? I see that you are redesigning your science fiction book cover. Why?

 - It was my initial design—and I liked it—however, it seemed to not have the appeal that I hoped for. After a few self-publishing courses, I decided it was a good change to make. 


I like #5, by the way.

  - That seems to be the consensus.


Feel like doing the lightning round?

 - Sure, Why not!

Favorite—

 - Chocolate!

I wasn’t done.

 - Sorry

Favorite T.V. show

 - Star Trek

What’s your favorite animal?

It’s not the same as yours? Let’s say it at the same time. One…two…three.

Platypus/Armadillo

Really? Huh. Go figure.

When was the last time you played a video game?

 - Wow. That’s a while ago. I think it was Fallout—the third one.

So, not a fan?

 - Apparently not.

Do you remember when we used to play D & D in university? 

 - We played more games than we studied, didn’t we. How about Shadowrun?

Wow, I haven’t thought of that one for a while.

 - And lots of board games.

Risk

 - Stratego

Supremacy

 - Axis and Allies

Good times.

- Indeed!


Let’s end off with a final writing question. What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing?

 - Write about what you love. I would say—others may not—that you should write for yourself first, then as you hone your craft, you can decide if you want to write what people are buying. 


Well then, I think that’s about it. Anything else to add?

 - Just this column of expenditures. Tax time, remember?



[silence]



Find Out More About Leon Stevens!


Leon’s Social Media and Website: Website  / Goodreads / Twitter  / Instagram

Book Links: The Knot at the End of the Rope    Lines by Leon   Journeys


Interview with Horror Writer and Poet A.P. Duvall

I’ve been reaching out to other writers much more lately, and I’m hoping to start doing some more author interviews! So check out my latest interview, with poet and horror writer A.P. Duvall, the author of Ichor!


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

 A.P. Duvall: I’m a debut author who has recently self-published. I grew up and spent most of my life in Florida, I’ve been married for nearly four years and we are servants to a dog and two cats. I’m a movie fanatic, I’ll read just about anything, and my favorite music genres are the blues, folk, and rock and roll. 

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

 A.P. Duvall: As a writer, I’m mostly influenced by horror writers, so I bow at the altar of Stephen King. IT, Misery, The Tommyknockers are a few of my favorites. My novel, Ichor, was also influenced by the John Dies at the End series by Jason Pargin, and Vonnegut’s treatment of characters in stories like Slaughterhouse V and Timequake were real eye-openers for me.  

Alexis: I’m also a fan of Kurt Vonnegut, and I agree that Stephen King is definitely the horror master!

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

 A. P. Duvall: It’s hard for me to become invested in monsters that just tick the box of the conventions. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, etc, there needs to be some sort of original twist on them, if you’re just ripping off Bram Stroker or George Romero, I don’t really find it all that interesting. But I do love an original concept, a new threat, a unique motive, a fear that’s been unexplored, horror novels can really be about the darkest subject matter and be absolutely enthralling.  

Alexis: It’s interesting how so many monsters get used over and over, ad nauseum. I do wish that people would branch out more—there’s so much rich monster stories and folklore out there!

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

 A.P. Duvall: Each character has a little bit of me in them, so it’s hard to pick and choose favorites because it’s like choosing the favorite part of your psyche. Having said that, the character that was the biggest hurdle for me to overcome was a character named Hugh Gleason. He’s talked about so much before the audience gets to be in his point of view, and I knew he had such a rich story to tell, and honestly, it scared me. Once I dove in, he actually came surprisingly easy. He was so melancholic, so weary, so bruised and battered by the circumstance that he’s in, that my heart went out to him, even while I was completely responsible for his misfortunes.  

A.P Duvall’s adorable kitties!

A.P Duvall’s adorable kitties!

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

A.P. Duvall: I love films from directors like Kubrick, Scorsese, Fincher, Kurosawa, Ridley Scott, I’ve been slowly making my way through ‘best-of’ lists, watch more foreign films and trying to be a more well-rounded film nerd.

When I need to binge a TV show I’ll go for Arrested Development, Law and Order: SVU, or anything with Gordon Ramsey, that’s not including all the prestige shows from HBO and the like.

Alexis: Arrested Development is a great show, and I also enjoyed watching Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares!

What’s your favorite animal? 

A.P. Duvall: I’m always torn with this question. The octopus is so alien, intelligent, lives underwater but has a beak, they can camouflage, shoot ink and they just look terrifying, but also kind of cute, like if you could have an octopus for a friend, I think that’d be pretty cool. On the other hand, I also love crows and ravens. They’re also extremely intelligent, can use and even make tools, they engage in play, bartering, and again, can look scary at first. Something about really smart non-primate animals are really interesting to me.   

Alexis: There are flocks of crows in my town right now (I think they’re migrating), and every time I see them I sort of wish I could convince one of them to be my backyard crow friend. They’re great birds to watch, because they always seem to be having conversations with each other. I do think it' would be incredible to talk to a octopus, or learn to understand how such a different creature thinks.

Ichor, by A.P. Duvall, with a beautiful cover design by Duvall’s wife

Ichor, by A.P. Duvall, with a beautiful cover design by Duvall’s wife

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

 A.P. Duvall: Just write what you know and to know yourself. If trying to figure out a character’s motives feels like pushing a boulder up a mountain, maybe you need to bring your characters closer to yourself. I’m not saying everything has to be autobiographical, but writing is a form of self-expression, that means you’re expressing your self, your truth, your ideas – just write what means something to you and you should be fine.  

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

A.P. Duvall: I incorporated a bit of Greek mythology in my novel, even the title Ichor, comes from Greek mythology , it was what they called the blood of the Gods, golden in color and toxic to mortals, and when I came across it in my research big chunks of the narrative fell into place. I’m trying to learn more about Norse, and African mythologies, all cultures have incredibly interesting and revealing stories that go back thousands of years and are very indicative of our shared history and humanity.            

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

 A.P. Duvall: Theories of multi-verses and time travel are incredible to me. I’ve been trying to learn more about AI and how we may be incorporating it into our lives and even ourselves in the future is incredibly interesting. It’ll be a whole new world soon if we can make it that far. We have these issues with privacy now, what will it be like when our bodies and computers are one and the same? What will humanity mean when we can create thinking machines that are capable of making choices and have autonomy. These aren’t new ideas, but they are endlessly fascinating. 

What feels different to you about writing poetry versus working on a novel? Do you feel that these are very different kinds of writing, or do they feel more connected to you? 

 A.P. Duvall: The main difference is speed. I took a long time on my novel, but poetry comes very quickly, but I do feel that they are connected in a lot of ways. Fiction writing should have moments of poetic beauty and poetry should tell a story. The first poems we read are probably Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, or nursery rhymes, and they all tell stories that stay with us for a long time, and when you read a great book it’s the beautiful and simple phrases that stand out above just the plot or characterizations.  

Alexis: I like the idea of poetry telling a story, because so many of the best poems do tell a story, even if it’s just capturing a single moment in time.

A. P. Duvall, Poet and Horror Writer, Author of Ichor

A. P. Duvall, Poet and Horror Writer, Author of Ichor

More about A.P Duvall 

My debut novel, Ichor is available exclusively on Amazon on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited or in paperback. I recommend the paperback to really appreciate the beautiful cover my wife designed, but I’m biased.  

My website is notesfromthehole.com, where I post poetry, drawings, and will soon upload some short stories soon. I can be found on Twitter @ap_duvall.

A.P. Duvall’s fluffy doggie!

A.P. Duvall’s fluffy doggie!

Interview with Science Fiction Writer and Poet Shaine Greenwood

My next author interview is with writer and poet Shaine Greenwood, author of Faces & Other Poems.

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

Shaine Greenwood: There are milestones in my life that have shaped me: I have been homeless more than once. I have lived a vagabond life—which isn’t as romantic as Kerouac made it out to be. Before that, I was an academic with a Linguistics (Near East studies) and English double-major. I’ve wandered and now I’m settled. I embrace both lifestyles. I think that shows up in my work.

Alexis: I was never quite a vagabond, but I was a starving artist (or in my case, a starving musician), and that was also not nearly as romantic as people make it out to be.

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

Shaine Greenwood: Big Kurt Vonnegut fan, love Slaughter-House Five and Breakfast of Champions. Song of Solomon (Toni Morrison) has been extremely influential to me. That book showed me how powerful fiction can be. How fiction can cut through reality like a knife and reveal truths. Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace) showed me how wild and expansive one can take writing as not just a discipline, but a philosophy. The Namesake (Jhumpra Lahiri) was the first book that demonstrated to me the power of exposition. How a writer can pick at the reader until they’re forced to feel something in the spaces between dialogue. 

Alexis: I also love Kurt Vonnegut, though I’ve never read Breakfast of Champions. Mother Night haunts me to this day, though, and I love Slaughter-House Five. I also loved Song of Solomon and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. I never read David Foster Wallace or Jhumpra Lahiri, but I hope to get around to them someday.

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

Shaine Greenwood: The biggest trope in fiction, one that I hate, is the perpetual sex, gender identity, and racial disparagement we see. A lot of literature is whitewashed. Popular fiction is mostly written for white people, by white people. I’m not saying that white people need to go out and put a non-white MC in every one of their stories, but we as writers need to reflect deeply about why most of the faces in our stories are white—then make a change!

A general trope that I support is romance in non-romantic fiction. When done well, it’s a great way to humanize people. We all seek varying kinds of connection and most of us desire intimate bonds with other people. (It’s OK if people don’t want intimate relationships as well, and we should think about writing people like that into our stories.) Some people are against romance in non-romantic stories, and I think that’s because it typically builds on the stale tactics of the hero always winning the heart of the person who was out of everyone else’s league, so to speak. Love is such a varied and nuanced concept, that when we rely on the old trope, we fail to do what we as writers wanted to do in the first place: make our character seem more real.

Alexis: I definitely agree that too much literature is whitewashed. It’s racist, and it’s also dishonest and unrealistic. Look at the world around you! Especially in science fiction, why would you imagine a world where people of color don’t exist?

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

Shaine Greenwood: No novel, but I’ve got some short stories that I’ve published online and some that I’m currently working on. Here’s a beautiful bullet-pointed list:

Currently Published Online

  • The Manufactured: I love the printed person in this. I layered a lot of subliminal concepts into this (not giving people names until the end, as one example), but putting that all aside...the struggle and discovery that the printed person goes through was uplifting and cathartic for me.

  • Coffee, Robots, and Walt Whitman: This was a story I wrote when I was 14, that I edited it in my late twenties. It’s dear to me in a unique half-nostalgic, half-self-deprecating way. I love the “mechanic” in that story. I put “mechanic” in quotes because they’re more than they seem. *Queue spooky music.*

Works in Progress

  • Atmosphere: I love both Simone and Citlali in this. Without spoiling too much, Citlali illegally charters a ship to a dangerous, quarantined planet to save her wife Simone, who with her crew became MIA for months.

  • Untitled “trapped in apartment” story: This is about someone who is trapped in their apartment due to a countrywide chemical gas accident. I actually started writing this short story before the pandemic but I put it down because it was bumming me out due to our actual pandemic. I was to a part where the main character gets a cat shipped to them unexpectedly, and well, I really love that cat.

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

Shaine Greenwood: I’m introverted, but still want to maintain connections with the few people (by choice) that are dear to me. I’m also catching up on a lot of reading and writing projects. Most importantly, I’m taking time to rest when I don’t feel motivated. I would not recommend excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages at this time. I’m trying to fight the one drink a day or so that I might have into several drinks to “destress.”

Alexis: I’ve also been glad to have the chance to do more reading.

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

Shaine Greenwood: I paint. I painted the book cover for Faces and Other Poems. I’m trying to practice my painting techniques for more realistic concept art so that I can paint all of my covers. I’m also practicing French and soon I’m going to try and learn German.

Alexis: I’m always impressed with people who paint and do other artwork. My mother is an artist, and she does painting quite a bit. I also think it’s great to learn new languages. I studied Latin and French in school, but I haven’t kept them up very well. I’ve also learned a smattering of Spanish, but I really want to learn more.

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

Shaine Greenwood: I live in Seattle. Our big urban legend and unofficial Seattle mascot is the Sasquatch, or Bigfoot. An ape-like creature that frequents the forests of Washington. It’s likely that people are misidentifying bears and bear paw prints as Sasquatch tracks. Loggers have claimed to bear witness (pun intended) to Sasquatch for many years, but no substantial evidence can be found on their existence.

How do you choose what books you want to read?

Shaine Greenwood: Mood. Sometimes I want to explore futurist ideas in scifi, sometimes I want to be informed and wowed by reality in nonfiction, sometimes I crave the humanity and call to think deeply about myself and the world around me, so I’ll read poetry or some of the great 18th and 19th century literature out there. It all depends on my mood at the time.

Alexis: That’s interesting. I also like reading widely, including nonfiction and poetry. I especially love Ancient Greek and Roman poets.

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

Shaine Greenwood: I majored in linguistics in college, which means a lot of history for my specific field of study. I have a deep fascination with Mesopotamian stories, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh. These are the first stories written by human beings, not passed through word of mouth alone, and they’re filled with such spirit and creativity, such wonder and at the same time they capture the bonds of friendship and the despair of death.

Alexis: I’m also fascinated with the Epic of Gilgamesh. I’ve tried to write a novel set in that world, but it never quite took off. I do have one short story that was inspired by it, though, and maybe someday I’ll find a way to finish or re-write the novel.

If you write Scifi, what technology or innovations or scientific discoveries have inspired your work?

Shaine Greenwood: I think the idea of interplanetary travel (with what Space X is doing) is my inspiration to write Atmosphere, my scifi short story (work in progress).

My muse for writing The Manufactured is the research into printing 3D organs for transplants, and—of course—Frankenstein. My original story actually involved a brain transplant and the printed person’s moral dilemma with someone else being murdered to give them life, but I couldn’t really fit all of that into the story without it being extremely long...so I cut it.

Learn More About Shaine Greenwood

Book: Faces and Other Poems

Medium: https://medium.com/@neutrinoburrito

Twitter: https://twitter.com/neutrinoburrito

Interview with Author and Poet Wendy Van Camp

I’m continuing my series of author interviews with writer and poet Wendy Van Camp whose newest book is a collection of science fiction poetry!

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

Wendy Van Camp: I am Wendy Van Camp, an author, poet, and a blogger.  My writing platform is called No Wasted Ink.  My blog features classic scifi and fantasy book reviews, author interviews of up and coming in genre authors, a top-ten writing craft article list, my own articles and illustrated science fiction themed poetry.  Everything is free to read on No Wasted Ink.

I write science fiction and fantasy stories.  The stories can be found in many magazines, on Medium, and at Curious Fictions. My Austen Regency book is on all online outlets including Amazon as are several anthologies that have published my science fiction short stories.  I have several science fiction novel series in the pipeline.

I am known for my scifaiku and astropoetry.  Scifaiku is science fiction themed haiku.  Astropoetry is any poetry that features the science of the cosmos.  I illustrate my scifaiku and sell them as art prints at science fiction convention art shows.  My first poetry book is “The Planets: a scifaiku poetry collection” and it features 108 poems about the planets of our solar system.  The book is nominated for an Elgin Award.

Alexis: Interesting! I’ve also had good luck selling books at Cons, and they’re really fun to attend. I’ll admit, I haven’t read much science fiction poetry, but I have noticed that magazines like Fantasy & Science Fiction or Asimov’s often include scifi poetry. I think it’s a really fascinating and emergent genre.

Wendy Van Camp’s book, The Planets: a scifaiku poetry collection.

Wendy Van Camp’s book, The Planets: a scifaiku poetry collection.

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

Wendy Van Camp: I first started reading science fiction as a pre-teen.  The first book I read in genre is “A Princess of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs.  I loved the Thark woman Sola and Dejah Thoris as much as the hero, John Carter.  Next were the juvenile novels of Robert A Heinlein.  The science detail of the stories entralled  me. The stories were geared for young people and were mainly science fiction coming of age tales. They are somewhat dated today, but still entertaining.  Other authors that I loved were Andre Norton, Anne McCaffery, Vonda N. McIntyre, and Ursula LeGuin.  

I found books that highlighted the relationships of the characters and showed a more overview of their world more appealed to me rather than ones that strictly spoke about the science and little else.  These are two different styles in science fiction.  Both appeal to audiences, but for me the character driven stories connected better.  As a writer, I find that my stories are also more character driven and I like to pull in a sense of reality to my world-building, even if the location is far from Earth or far in the future.

Alexis: That’s interesting! I actually really liked Anne McCaffery when I was younger, and I still love Ursula LeGuin. I’m reading a collection of stories by Octavia Butler now, with are incredible—fascinating and dark in the best possible way.

Who is your favorite character in your book? What do you like about them?

Wendy Van Camp: I do not have characters in “The Planets: a scifaiku poetry collection”.  Instead, each chapter of the book focuses on a different planet of our solar system.  I’m a bit old-fashioned in my including Pluto as a planet, but I still think of our home system as having nine planets with additional dwarf worlds.  Using the scientific data as inspiration for my poems, I also included historical connections and science fiction concepts to flavor the science fiction themed haiku.

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

Wendy Van Camp: At first, I spent much time worrying that my family would not have enough food to eat.  Facing those empty store shelves in March was frightening. The stress of watching all my speaking events and conventions close down one by one was difficult.  I focused on learning how to keep my family safe from the virus and to cope with my husband working from home. I was not productive during this time and read plenty of books or watched old movies.  I tried to limit my news watching so that it did not overwhelm me.

In April, I began to reconnect with friends and venues via Zoom and Skype.  I was invited to be a co-panelist on a science fiction podcast as a semi-regular.  I discovered that there was a range of new events where I could read my writing and poetry to new audiences.  Then some of the conventions that I would normally attend in person went virtual and I found that I loved having additional access to these events in this way.

From that point on, I have found that my creativity and productivity have returned.  I am busy writing new stories and poems, keeping up with my blog, and implementing new methods to generate sales online.  I still miss selling at a table or going to an event to do programming as an author and poet, but in some ways this new “normal” has been good for me. As long as both my husband and I keep our health, I am content.

Alexis: I also found it was hard to be productive in the beginning of the pandemic. I think the stress and the daily grind, as well as working from home while wrangling a toddler, was just overwhelming. I’m glad that I’m finally starting to feel productive and inspired again.

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

Wendy Van Camp: My little co-worker is a cat named Biscuit.  My husband saw her at the local animal shelter when we went looking for a new kitten.  He refused to leave the shelter without her. She was a little tawny lump, afraid and alone. She wrapped her paw around his heart at first sight.  Biscuit is now an adult and quite mischievous.  She hangs out with me when I write and loves to steal my fountain pens or play with the elastic of my traveler’s notebook. Pouncing feet is her specialty.

Alexis: Biscuit is a adorable name for a kitty! My husband always tries to act like he’s too tough to love our cats, but then he’s totally thrilled when one of them sleeps on his lap all day now that he’s working from home. Honestly, my cats have loved us staying home during the pandemic.

Author Wendy Van Camp’s adorable kitty Biscuit! Photo by Wendy Van Camp, Interview by Alexis Lantgen on Lunarianpress.com

Author Wendy Van Camp’s adorable kitty Biscuit! Photo by Wendy Van Camp, Interview by Alexis Lantgen on Lunarianpress.com

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

Wendy Van Camp: I am a certified gemologist and enjoy the study of gemstones.  I did the training to aid me as a buyer in my former jewelry business.  I learned a great deal about precious stones and diamonds and pearls.  I felt my years of buying semi-precious stones at gemfairs made me a little better at identification than my instructors, but their knowledge of the stones and their properties/hardness was of aid to me as a jewelry designer.  While I no longer consider myself to be a full-time artisan jeweler, I still enjoy creating the odd piece of jewelry for myself or friends.

Alexis: Gemologist! That’s fascinating! I used to love doing “rock projects” when I was teaching science, and I have a rock collection. Being a gemologist sounds amazing and so creative.

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

Wendy Van Camp: I know that most people will tell you to “just write”.  There is some truth to this.  You can’t be a writer if you are not putting words on the page.  I also like to tell new writers to find their community.  Knowing other writers, peers who are going through the same learning curve and experiences you are, is extremely helpful.  Our family and non-writer friends mean well and want to be supportive, but sometimes unknowingly they set up roadblocks to the creative process.  Writing peers can give you advice about software and hardware choices, methods of scheduling, be co-workers at sprints and serve as sounding boards.  There are many ways to connect these days.  Online writing communities on the internet, Facebook Groups, local writing associations are all there to help you during those crucial early years.  It doesn’t matter if you are a novelist, a short story author, or a poet.  Finding your people should be a priority.

How do you choose what books you want to read?

Wendy Van Camp: I’m old-fashioned in that I generally find them via word of mouth.  Many of my friends are writers and talking about a good book we’ve just discovered always comes up.  Sometimes they are craft books, but other times they are books we’ve enjoyed.  Another method is by going to conventions and hearing authors read their work.  Many times I have listened to a reading and have ended the venue with an autographed book to take home.

If you write scifi, what technology or innovations or scientific discoveries have inspired your work?

Wendy Van Camp: As a science fiction author and poet, I find that keeping a “commonplace book” of science discoveries, announcements, or facts about other worlds is invaluable to me as a tool.  For “The Planets”, I used science journal articles about our solar system as the inspiration for my poetry.  I would read about the atmosphere, the ground, the composition of the air and I would use this as a starting point for my poems.  Now that my poetry book is done, I am using the same science research as the foundation of a new series of novels and short stories that take place in the solar system.  They are in the pipeline and I hope to debut the first of them by the end of 2020.

Alexis: That’s awesome! I found that learning more about science, especially other planets and moons in our solar system and current theories about AI, helped inspire my book, Sapience, as well. I think keeping a books of science discoveries is a great idea for science fiction writers.

Wendy Van Camp, author of The Planets: a scifaiku poetry collection, interviewed by Alexis Lantgen of Lunarianpress.com

Wendy Van Camp, author of The Planets: a scifaiku poetry collection, interviewed by Alexis Lantgen of Lunarianpress.com

Find out more about Wendy Van Camp!

Books: The Planets: a scifaiku poetry collection and The Curates’s Brother

Website: https://nowastedink.com

Medium: https://medium.com/@wvancamp

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wvancamp

Thank you fro reading! I hope to post more author interviews soon!