(2012-12-12)For the uninitiated, give a snapshot of Triumph over Tragedy and how you came to be involved with the anthology.
Triumph Over Tragedy is a collection of short stories by numerous well-known authors. The proceeds go directly to Hurricane Sandy relief. It’s our way to unite people through a love of literature, and help those in need at the same time.
I actually really inserted myself in the project rather than anything else. Ryan asked me to spread the word about Triumph Over Tragedy. I did six months on the Mississippi Gulf Coast doing Katrina relief, so the project tugs at my heartstrings. I asked him if there was anything I could do to help and then basically refused to take no for an answer. The rest is history.
On what other projects are you working/editing?
I’ve always wanted to get experience editing and to be an editor. I’m rather new to this whole thing. Currently I’m helping edit Triumph Over Tragedy and Beyond the Sun, another anthology headed by Bryan Thomas Schmidt which will publish in 2013. I’m also going to be a regular reviewer in Blue Shift, which is a magazine, which launches early in 2013. Other than that, I beta read on occasion and (though this probably doesn’t count) my father is a published author and he always has me beta read and intensely edit all of his books before he sends them to publishers.
I’m trying very hard to get as much experience as I can, and hopefully start a freelance editing career in the process.
What can you tell us about yourself and why you’ve become so enamored of Speculative Fiction?
I have always been a voracious reader but we can all thank two of my brothers and Marion Zimmer Bradley for my obsession with speculative fiction. Bradley’s book, The Mists of Avalon, was the first SF book I ever read and I LOVED it. Two of my brothers basically threw piles of other SF books at me, saying, “If you liked that one, check out THIS series!” I read Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, Lynn Flewelling, Carol Berg and so many more. By the time I got done with all the books they wanted me to read, I was hooked. There was no going back.
What made you decide to start Bookworm Blues?
I really get excited about the books I read. I always have. And I don’t just mean, “wow, that’s a good book” excited. I mean, I want to talk about this book with everyone on the planet earth until I’ve discussed every tiny aspect of it possible, excited. Unfortunately, no one in my daily life reads, or cares about reading.
Bookworm Blues started because I was driving myself crazy. I started the website so it could be my corner of the internet where I could go and get all nerdy fangirl excited about the books I read. I never expected to get any attention, or any devout readers. I just wanted a little spot I could yammer away about the stuff I read, and pretend someone out there was listening. Two and a half years later, here I am.
What is your ultimate goal with Bookworm Blues?
I never know how to answer this question. I started the blog for the reasons above. I’m not incredibly popular in the SF community, but there are people who read my various diatribes and reviews and I appreciate them for it. This year I challenged myself to do author interviews and I’ve done them and learned that I love doing them.
I’m not sure what real goals I have. I don’t really think this stuff out in advance. I enjoy my focus on reviewing and interviewing and will continue with that. I go where the wind blows me. I really enjoyed my Special Needs in Strange Worlds feature, and I’m probably going to do something like that once a year, only with different subjects each time. Someday, I swear I’ll be on a podcast. I really never get to talk to anyone about the genre in real life and I think doing so would be a lot of fun.
As my website grows, I try to adjust and grow with it. I try to feel out what people want from me. Some things work, some don’t. But as for end goals, I don’t really have any. I just want to share my enthusiasm with as many people as possible. It makes me feel a little less alone with my nerdy passion.
End of Part 1
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