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08-20-07: MilSciFi.com interviews author Lawrence M. Schoen, contributor to the upcoming military science fiction
anthology "Breach the Hull".
MilSciFi: “Welcome. What was your inspiration for
your story?”
Schoen: “My story, "Thresher,"
actually began as an entry in a Halloween competition among the authors in the
online writers' community of Codex (http://www.codexwriters.com). I started with the
traditional Scottish prayer:
From ghoulies and ghosties/ And
long-leggedy beasties/ And things that go bump in the night,/ Good
Lord, deliver us!
The night is of course space, the ghosties became the short-lived
avatars that exist inside the ship's computers, and the low-gravity adapted
Marzians are certainly long-legged.”
MilSciFi: “Do you have any future plans for
stories set in the same universe?”
Schoen: “After I finished the story and sent it
in, I realized that it's actually the last chapter of a novel. I've since
written the preceding 60,000 words to create the first draft of a short book.
Now I'm polishing that up.”
MilSciFi: “What would your ideal project be if you
could plan your own anthology?”
Schoen: “That's an ongoing question, and one I
hope to have much fun with, as I've started my own small press, Paper Golem (http://www.papergolem.com),
which has put out one anthology already (featuring stories form the
aforementioned online community, Codex), and may soon be releasing the first in
what I hope will be a series of anthology-like books.”
MilSciFi: “What other upcoming works are on the
horizon for you?”
Schoen: “I have four novels in various stages
(two finished, two needing some work) that need to find homes. Then there are
many many short stories that I want to write, including several more in the
Amazing Conroy series.”
MilSciFi: “If you had a chance to write one story
just because you wanted to, and didn't have to worry about if it would sell or
not, what would it be about?”
Schoen: “I always write this way. And sooner or
later, all the stories sell. Maybe not as quickly as I might like, or for as
much money, but at least I get to always write what I want to write. :)”
MilSciFi: “What is your favorite story you have
ever written and why?”
Schoen: “I'm very fond of a story titled
"Sweet Potato Pie" which appeared in the Australian ANDROMEDA
SPACEWAYS INFLIGHT MAGAZINE, and is still available via Fictionwise. It's
probably the closest I'll ever come to magic realism, but humorous at the same
time. I'm also very proud of the first Amazing Conroy story, "Buffalo
Dogs," which has been translated into more than a dozen languages.”
MilSciFi: “What are you working on next?”
Schoen: “I'm deep in the throes of editing
revisions on the first Amazing Conroy novel (tentatively titled BUFFALITO
DESTINY) and the THRESHER novel.”
MilSciFi: “Give us the details on your upcoming
author appearances.”
Schoen: “I'll be in Yokohama, Japan for the Worldcon (and to see if I win or
lose the Campbell Award for best new writer). After that, I'll finish off 2007
with appearances at Capclave, World Fantasy, and Philcon. I'll also be spending
a week in Aruba in December (I know, my life is hard).”
MilSciFi: “Who is your single-most influence in
science fiction and what impact have they had on our own work?”
Schoen: “I can't pick one. As a young reader, I
devoured the action novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Reading Heinlein probably
started me thinking about writing. And the work of Roger Zelazny made me
realize that I could decided what kind of writer I wanted to be.”
MilSciFi: “Do you have any awards you would like
to share with us?”
Schoen: “No, I keep all my awards for myself. Go
get your own."
MilSciFi: “Do you have a website where our readers
can go to fine more information about your work?”
Schoen: “Why yes, as a matter of fact, I do. It
even contains the opening paragraphs of every story I've sold.
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