Colleen Anderson
CA - Well, in fact, I have two written manuscripts. If the first
one isn’t picked up soon (a cross-genre SF-fantasy feypunk tale), I’m going to
self-publish. The second, that I call Game of Thrones light (who has time to
write a thousand story arcs with a day job), is being shopped around. I am
working on a mosaic novel, which is a collection of stories Shahrazad-style,
where they inform a particular world and there is an overarching tale that
weaves them together. It’s actually SF, so it’s making me work a little harder
since I don’t do SF that often.
As well, I’m working on an alternate history vampire novel. I
had shelved it because even alternate history requires so much research, and I
was stuck on one of my character’s story arcs. I attended Stokercon this year
and they have several master class workshops. I took John Skipp’s plotting your
novel class and it helped sort things out and inspired me so I’m hoping to get
back to that soon.
I should also mention I’m putting together a couple of books of
poetry and will be looking for publishers very soon.
NK - I know you've traveled a lot. What is a place or an
experience in a place that has made its way directly into your writing?
CA - Sometimes there are elements of geography, or people or an
actual town. When I was in India it was such a life-changing experience that it
was the direct cause of a vampire story “Hold Back the Night.” India is
massive, so many people, so much poverty, a different way of viewing life. This
was a long time ago and maybe with all the tech industry there it’s raising the
standard of living but there are a billion people. Even if their poverty rate
was only 5%, imagine how many people that is. At the time, even though sati
(the act of a widow immolating herself, or in many cases being set on fire) was
banned in the 20s, someone told me there were still many cases of “kitchen
fires.” This was done when the husband didn’t want to be married to his wife
anymore and wanted a new dowry or bride price, which often came with the bride.
A terrible thing and one of many ways in which women are not treated the same
as men. I guess you could say that this tale captures that abuse, and I use a
secret cult of Kali in the story. Goats are still sacrificed to Kali.
“Sins of the Father” is probably the first Vancouver story that
draws on mold, rain and the Vancouver Downtown East Side. I live in the city.
It was first published by OnSpec and is
out now in Canadian Dreadful. A couple of years ago I was in the Czech
Republic and I loved the Baroque apothecary, the White Unicorn in Klatovy. I
haven’t written a story about this yet but one is percolating.
A few of my other stories have been inspired by places I’ve
been. And I have written many poems from my various travels.
NK - What's your dream project?
CA - My dream is probably more to have the time to write than
any particular project. But I would have to say that it is the alternate
history vampire novel that I’m now inspired to get back to. As well, I do like
editing anthologies so I want to edit a dark fiction anthology. I have a few
ideas out there, so we’ll see if any of them take. In a year from now, possibly
my dream project will change. I’d like to think it will.
I think some collaboration would be fun, but it can be hard to
find the right fit in style with other writers. You have to get the story idea,
work out a schedule and see what happens. But it could be fun to do some
free-form stuff with another writer and see what happens. If it works, great. If
not, then it was a good experiment.
Other dream projects…while I’m putting together a collection (or
two) of poetry, I’d also like to do a themed collection but I haven’t even
figured out on what yet.
NK - Which of your books would you like people to look for?
Bio
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