INTERVIEW

The Farthest Frontiers: An Interview with Two Writers of Marginalized Speculative Fiction

Written by Carole McDonnell
Published September 22, 2007
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CW: That's probably why those are the good stories. Cannibalism and murder also disturb people. And let's not forget about sex. Shall we stop writing about things that humans are prone to do? If we do, we'll bore our readers.

FC: I'm hoping my novels will cross over to seekers, but the Underground series is doomed to sit on religious fiction shelves, away from the eyes of sci-fi readers. I pray the end-times sci-fi concept captures interest and catches on. At book signings with other authors, I will take any opportunity to cruise the sci-fi shelves and talk to readers about Christian spec-fiction — most are very surprised that it exists and many immediately want to know more about it.

Do you consider your enterprises successful? Relatively speaking, that is. Do you have many readers?

CW: I have few readers. I want more. I'd like to be able to make a fortune from my enterprise. But, despite the few readers I go on because I know there is at least one magazine, mine, that is about black people in sci-fi/horror/fantasy settings.

FC: I founded the Lost Genre Guild to promote Biblical speculative fiction (most people don’t know what that is, so please check Wikipedia — a guild member wrote the definition), and I cannot believe the number of lives that have been touched. If the Boss strikes me down tomorrow, I've already lived dream one.

I just checked out the Wikipedia article. That’s a very good historical recap of Biblical speculative fiction.

FC: My own short fiction has only been published in two anthologies — I’m nobody. I work in a factory. My first novel Flashpoint: Book One of the Underground, will be released on September 30, by The Writer's Café Press. Most of my readers have been reviewers for Flashpoint’s advanced review copy. I leaned on my publisher to make Christian-pirate novelist ML Tyndall (Legacy of the King’s Pirates series) my front cover blurb. My three favorite novelists are George Orwell, CS Lewis, and ML Tyndall — so having my only living favorite novelist on my front cover is dream two.

On September 30, my third dream will be realized. I was eight years old when I knew I wanted to write storybooks — dream three took 33 years.

Will you be content with a certain kind of niche audience for your works? Or are you aiming for fame in the larger marketplace?

CW: Again, I'd like to be able to make a fortune from my enterprise. I'm sure that people who are classified as black are not the only people who support black products. Do only Chinese people each Chinese food? Do only white people listen to Mozart? Do only black people listen to James Brown?

FC:
I hope sci-fi readers find me, but they don't look for their favorite fiction on religious shelves. I’ll be content with whatever he gives me: Christian science fiction is nonexistent as a subgenre, so if I'm ever able to pay the mortgage with fiction it will be a miracle.

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Carole McDonnell's short stories and essays appear online and in print, in speculative fiction, ethnic, and Christian publications. She lives in New York with her husband, two sons, and their pets. Wind Follower, published by Juno Books in June 2007, is her first novel.
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The Farthest Frontiers: An Interview with Two Writers of Marginalized Speculative Fiction
Published: September 22, 2007
Type: Interview
Section: Books
Filed Under: Interviews, Books: The Writing Life, Books: SF, Books: Religion, Books: Fantasy, Books: Adventure
Writer: Carole McDonnell
Carole McDonnell's BC Writer page
Carole McDonnell's personal site
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Comments

#1 — September 22, 2007 @ 21:51PM — Constance

Good article. I may have to put aside my own stigma over Christian spec fiction and check out Frank's new book.

#2 — September 23, 2007 @ 20:36PM — Frank Creed [URL]

Carole--
Thanks for a great interview. Looking forward to working with both you and Cecil in the future.

Constance--
I do hope you read and enjoy.

Faith,
f

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