Interview - Julie E. Czereneda

October was the tenth anniversary of my coming to work at McNally Robinson, and the 23rd anniversary of my becoming a bookseller at Saskatoon Bookstore in 1985. In celebration, I've been doing a number of interviews this year, culminating with an interview with Julie E. Czerneda.

Julie first came to my attention when Publishers' Weekly ran a story 7 years ago about Julie being one of the first authors to use Palm's new [then] software that allowed authors to sign their e-books. When I discovered that she was Canadian, I began to stalk her online, regailing her (and the hundred or so other active members of her newsgroup) with an assortment of bad witicisms and worse haiku.

Apparently, stalking pays off, since Julie (while wearing her other hat as Editor-of-Anthologies later purchased my first professional sale Uncle Ernie was a Goat, for her Fantastic Companions anthology. While I have, to date, failed to turn that and the subsequent short story sale into the lucrative-career-to-rival-that-of-Stephen-King to which I aspire, it has never-the-less provided me with much consolation during my onging mid-life crisis.

The following interview is set to appear on mcnallyrobinson.com around November 16-20. for those who don't want to wait any longer, here it is:

---

It's difficult to discuss Canadian science fiction these days without referencing Julie E. Czereneda. From her home in Orillia, Ontario, Julie has turned out success after success, first in nonfiction, where she has an amazing string of science related texts, and more recently, in science fiction, where her carefully researched and lovingly detailed aliens, and alien worlds, has earned her a solid place in the hearts of traditional science fiction fans world wide. Julie's first novel appeared a little over ten years ago, when A Thousand Words for Stranger marked the beginning of the Trade Pact Universe. September of 2008 featured the publication of a new book in the same universe, Riders of the Storm, the second in a new trilogy which reveals some of the history of the alien clan, first met in the Trade pact stories, ten years ago. I'm pleased that Julie made time in her busy writing schedule to answer a few questions for us.

KP: Julie, thanks for agreeing to chat with me. I wonder if you could start by sharing a few of the high points in your life that you feel have helped make you who you are, both personally and professionally?

JEC: Hi Kent. My pleasure.

Interesting question. I have to pick?

Personally ... those would have to be cumulative small things. I can't isolate this or that moment. We moved frequently when I was a child and our summer holidays were always a car trip from Nova Scotia to Winnipeg, via Niagara Falls, to visit family. Maybe that's why I'm restless. I'm curious about living things. My parents indulged my desire to "bring it home" as long as I can remember. I love reading and words. I was indulged there too. I believe the best in others. There was never a locked door or anyone turned away from our home. Okay, maybe I could list the incredible highs of marrying my best friend, Roger, and our raising two wonderful children together. But I was who I am by the time I was ten. The rest is all living that way.

Professionally ... I've been a voracious learner all my life, so I was one of those people who loved school of any kind. I'd be there now if I had time. I leap into new things, sometimes without looking too closely, but everything I do teaches me. I suppose a high point was when I wrote a sample for a textbook publisher and was invited the next day to write several chapters, though I had no idea then what it would entail. I worked my way through all the various levels of publishing, from warehouse stocking to art direction. I was curious and they indulged me. Another high point -- definitely when I discovered conventions and kindred spirits. Okay, and the best, when Sheila Gilbert [kp: Senior editor at DAW books] called me to buy A Thousand Words for Stranger. That was incredible. And the day someone had me sign their copy, though it had fallen in the bathtub. I was in a bathtub! That's book love.

KP: Do you recall what got you interested in sf and fantasy?

JEC: The "N" shelf of Owenwood Public School's library. It was the highest I could reach, and I was reading everything on it in order. I came to Star Rangers by Andre Norton. (It was reprinted later as The Last Planet.) Wow. I hadn't noticed there was "science fiction" as a kind of story until that moment. It was everything I'd been missing. Other kinds of stories left me restless, you see. And curious. I hold the record at the local town library for the number of times I reread everything in their SF/F section. That was back when you wrote your name on the card, so the proof's still there someplace.

KP: I believe you did a significant volume of non-fiction writing before you turned to science fiction. Was it always in the back of your mind to write nonfiction, or was it a bit of a surprise to you when you started?

JEC: My reaction at the time was "you mean real people write that stuff?" A friend and classmate of ours had become a teacher. He was approached by a textbook publisher looking for writers and gave them my name -- I wrote stories, didn't I? Not expecting much but being between jobs while I looked after the babies, I wrote a sample. The next day, they contracted me to write as many chapters as I wanted. A job I could do at home that used my brain? It was terrific. I kept doing that from 1985 through to 1999, some two hundred books or so. There was a bonus -- our kids grew up knowing textbooks were written by real people. They even used mine.

KP: Your books are solidly filled with your background in science. Do you still do a lot of research for your writing, or is it more of an internal process now?

JEC: Thanks! I do try. It's both, in fact. Everything I've learned finds its way in, of course, and I'm constantly learning. I keep aware in a general sense, but happily dive into more detailed research if something twigs my fancy. Plus there's always something to look up even after the writing starts. For REAP and RIDERS, I researched Romanian rural gardens, decay at high altitudes, multi-dimensional physics, bridge construction, social insects (always fun), language and literacy, dyes from plant sources, and will likely need some time on bug sex.

KP: What are you reading now, for research and/or for fun?

JEC: One and the same! But I know what you mean. Hmm. While I'm writing, I don't read as much. But I just finished a couple. The Future of Life by E. O. Wilson. A book about Darwin's life (fascinating and very much like that of a writer today). I recently read Lois Bujold's Sharing Knife books (enjoyed) and Hidden Steel by Doranna Durgin (wonderful fun). I've the latest McKillip on my reward shelf, along with Adrienne Kress's first novel, Alex and the Ironic Gentleman. I did reread Riders of the Storm and quite enjoyed it. That's a rare thing -- taking time to reread my own stuff in print.

KP: Are there any new authors that you have found particularly interesting?

JEC: I'm eagerly anticipating Lesley Livingstone's first novel. Like you ::watches Kent blush:: I had the pleasure of buying her first short story for my anthology Misspelled. I've read other of her works and she's amazing. Otherwise, I haven't been reading— the aforementioned writing takes its toll.

KP: Do you care to comment at all about the process of setting up Star Ink Books?

JEC: Sure. That would be one of those moments when I leapt without perhaps looking as closely as I should have. Sharon Fitzhenry was extraordinarily kind to offer me an imprint of my own, like the one run by Robert J. Sawyer, with her company, Fitzhenry & Whiteside. FW makes wonderful books and I'd worked with them for a while on the Tales from the Wonder Zone and Realms of Wonder anthologies. The problem was timing. Aware of that, I worked out a schedule and began projects that would let me publish the required titles for the first year, while staying sane enough to complete my own work. The first was the anthology Polaris: A Celebration of Polar Science, which won the Science Writer's Association of Canada's award for Science in Society writing (Youth). Next up was a reprint of superb quality of one of my favourite books, Dun Lady's Jess by Doranna Durgin. Those came out very well. However the amount of time they required from me was far more than I had to spare and, as it turned out, F/W didn't want the other projects I had lined up that year, putting me in the position of hunting manuscripts. Under other circumstances, that would be no hardship at all, but I was fully committed to contracted novels for DAW and realized I couldn't possibly give the imprint the time it deserved. Once Jess was printed, I ended my arrangement with Sharon most amicably. My family really enjoyed seeing the name in the books, though. Starink was my maiden name.

JEC: I think many of your readers would like to know a bit more about the writing process, and how it works for you. Has writing always been fairly smooth for you, or are there particular aspects of the process that you find more difficult than others? Has that changed over time?

KP: Fairly smooth, but there's the Plod and the EEK! to overcome. "Plod" is, for me, the first 35 000 words of a novel. Sometimes less, but it's gone for sure after I hit that point. It's like a critical mass of story I need to get behind me before I'm fully in charge and roaring along. You know, the part where I need to explain what happened previously (for a sequel), introduce characters, describe things, basically get everything in place before the fun starts. Make up names. Work out technology. I'm getting better at it. One trick I learned with Reap was to collect names beforehand. That way, when my character walked into a roomful of people, I had names ready to use. It was very helpful. And not a bad way to use up spam.

JEC: The EEK! is what every writer lives with. There's the fear of sounding like an idiot. There's the fear of losing the next few months of life to a novel. There's fear of Plod and computer crashes and Real Life intrusion. Some is useful stimulation; some is not. I deal with EEK! in various ways, to varied success. I ignore it. I pat myself on the back for trying. I check my shelf to see that yes, I did it once before. Sometimes, I just walk away and do something else for a while, ideally with sweat involved. Experience (and being a mom) has taught me a certain patience with myself. Things do look better after a good night's sleep. Then the phone rings. EEK!

KP: Do you write to any sort of time or word-count schedule?

JEC: No. I make tight deadlines for myself so I pretty well write as much as possible every day I can till it's done. It works better for me to be immersed. (With reasonable EEK!) In terms of proofing, revising, etc., the novel-closest-to-print takes priority and I do those tasks as promptly as I can. In between I laze around.

KP: Do you ever experience "writers' block" and if so do you have any favourite technique for getting past it?

JEC: No. I have tricks to be more efficient, to start faster and work longer. I exercise before I write. That's vital. I do my utmost to forget the rest of the world, to become thoroughly self-centered and calm. That occasionally requires percussion and the subwoofer. But if I've a chance to be writing, I'm writing.

KP: Many genre writers feel restricted by the categorizations. Have you found the SF label restrictive, and are there specific actions you have taken to get around such restrictions?

JEC: No. (Egad, you must think me negative by this point. I'm really not. Oops.) I love the SF label. It's the least restrictive thing imaginable. I'm madly proud of it. Look! ME!!! I write this glorious STUFF! Plus, that way I know I've readers who will get what I'm doing. SF READERS ROCK! We will, I'm quite sure, save the world.

KP: You do a great deal of traveling to promote your work. Do you generally find that invigorating, or is it a tiring process?

JEC: I love it. I love new places, I love meeting people, and I come back so refreshed and stimulated I usually jump back into writing on the way home. I'm thoroughly grateful to all the conventions and other organizations who pay my way and try to deserve their kindness.

KP: Do you feel that being Canadian has contributed anything specific to your writing?

JEC: A preponderance of 'u's'? Just kidding. I take those out before sending it to my publisher in New York.

Everything about a writer contributes to their work. Being Canadian is integral to mine. Check out the winter storms in Riders! The hockey. The names. (I have our astronauts.) The complications and compromises. The bizarre interplay of manners that allow cultures to explore one another without eating one another. I'm proud of us and I'm certain that shows. Don't get me started on the landscapes and living things here ... I had such pleasure extolling those in Survival, Migration, and Regeneration.

KP: You've been incredibly encouraging of genre writers toward other would-be authors, from editing a number of anthologies yourself, to an amazing online presence in your active newsgroup at sff.net. Is that gregariousness simply a part of who you are, or does it require an effort to carry on such a large number of relatively close relationships?

JEC: Thank you. It's who I am, I suspect. Nothing makes me happier than seeing people sparkle. Doesn't matter why or how. Imagine my joy when they let me volunteer throughout the years our kids were in school! What could be better than introducing children to fungi? They're still running the natural history walks I started for them. When I entered the publishing world, that didn't change. (The fungi, though less frequent, made their appearance. Chapter 3.) It's all about creative people, working to crazed schedules, trying to make something new. You have to depend on one another and help wherever you can. I remember making changes to film at midnight, with the publisher and senior editors. There may have been wine.

Genre writers as a whole have this wonderful pay-it-forward ethic. When I entered the fray of the hopeful, there were hands held out to me immediately and I remain utterly grateful. There was never a question in my mind that I should do the same.

But it's not, to me, just about paying back those who helped me. It's about sparkle. Seeing a new writer catch fire, seeing people believe in their passions.

Nothing makes me happier.

KP: If I have it correctly, you were pretty solidly and successfully established in the academic science field when you sold your first novel. Does that remain the case, or do you find that the bulk of your activities are now connected to your fiction?

JEC: I was. In fact, to switch full time to fiction meant quitting my job as senior science editor for a major publisher, with an instant 80% plunge in income. The family agreed to trim back but we all knew it was a risk. I had to write enough -- and write well enough -- to make fiction pay. Not to mention love it once I was writing that much. Modesty aside, I'm an excellent non-fiction writer, but it was always work. Writing stories -- isn't work at all.

JEC: The presentations and workshops I do on scientific literacy and science fiction satisfy my itch to do non-fiction nicely. Every so often I'm asked to do a little something for a book. If it looks fun, I say yes. Most recently I did features on SF film and biotechnology for a college text, and cute little interest boxes for an intro to science book.

KP: Do you intend to keep doing more academic titles, like the "No Limits/ Packing Fractions" resource?

JEC: For years, I've wanted -- badly -- to do an updated version of No Limits. I've been collecting all the materials I've produced while consulting for Science News for Kids, as well as my workshops. We'll see. No Limits is still in print and I'm proud of it. There's a need for the approach and resources. Maybe one day.

KP: Now I'd like to move on to your recent and future work. Your latest novel, Riders of the Storm arrived in September. This is the second in the precursor works about the early clans from the Trade Pact stories. Have you found revisiting the history of something already published to be difficult?

JEC: Yes. (Aha!)

It was difficult in several ways, one of which I hadn't expected. There was the responsibility I felt to the readers who loved the existing books. Nothing I wrote should diminish that pleasure. I hate it when that happens as I read something new about characters I enjoy. There was my own love to consider. I wanted to do justice to the characters for myself too. Then, there was the research -- I had to know everything I'd already written, to be sure it all flowed seamlessly from prequel to finale.

What I hadn't expected was how difficult it would be to write in the same voice as Thousand. That was a long time ago in a galaxy ... well, you can imagine. Part of me resisted mightily. After all, wasn't I a better writer ... hadn't I improved? Part of me wondered if I could find that flavour again, because I liked the flow and lightness of it. It took about four months of hard work to finally be confident I had the voice. I'm still working on the seamless flow part. Will readers like what I've done with *their* story and characters? I hope so.

KP: Have you learned things about the universe that make you wish you could revisit the original books?

JEC: No. (You knew that was coming.) I'm very much a "that's done, move on" writer. Probably all that time writing/editing non-fiction. Plus one of the challenges of writing new material to fit was dealing with all the funky stuff I'd tossed in -- mostly in Thousand since by To Trade the Stars I knew I was going to do the prequels etc. Things like having Sira and her sister refer to "Ossirus" are inconvenient in that I have to figure out why/how that would come about -- but when I do (yes, still working on that one) I know I'll be ridiculously satisfied.

KP: When can your readers look forward to the Reunification Clan finale?

JEC: 2010? What I can tell you is that I'll write all three in sequence, as I have "Stratification" so there won't be unnecessary delay between them. Otherwise ... I've been waiting to write my first fantasy novel for a very long time, so that comes first. Of course, Rift in the Sky, the final book of "Stratification," will be out in the meantime. July 09, in fact.

KP: When can readers expect to see your fantasy novel?

JEC: [Waves her hands nebulously about her] In the future. First I have to write it, and 2009 is my big year for travel so that will delay things. Second, DAW will need longer than usual to produce it. Why? No one knows me as a fantasy author. They'll want more time with the finished book in hand to solicit reviews, pitch to other and larger markets, all that good stuff. No guarantees, of course. It's a risk for them. My part is to do my best and have a good time, and I will. Everything else will depend on what others think of it. It's scary being new again, in a nice way.

KP: Is there anything else you'd like to share with the readers?

JEC: My appreciation. My bookmarks (we've made a nice one for Riders of the Storm and I'd be happy to autograph and mail one to whomever asks).

And my joy. This is a wonderful time to be a writer. There are great stories being told -- and still to tell. There are fabulous new voices arriving every day. As a profession, we are a model for mutual support -- in practical ways, too, for what writer isn't a reader? More than this, though. Story is how we communicate fundamental ideas to one another. In a world increasingly complex and challenging, our kind of stories have a vital role to play. Having fun too is definitely a bonus.

My thanks, Kent, to you and McNally-Robinson for this chance to talk to you and to readers. I'd better get back to writing now. Time flies!

---

Julie E. Czereneda maintains a strong online presence where she encourages writers and would-be-writers. You can find out more about her through her website, (where you can find out about the latest in her writing or life and email her to request a bookmark), and through her active newsgroup/forum at sff.net.