We have talked to Brenda Cooper about her new book, Edge of Dark.
First of all can you tell us a bit about your new book, Edge of Dark?
Edge of Dark tells a story of the collision between man/machine hybrids who had to claw their way to viability after being exiled so far from the sunlight that they were expected to die, and about the humans who sent them away.
I explore two important questions: What does it mean to be human? As we move toward what many have described as a post-singularity society, we’re going to need to refine what it means to be us, and to decide whether or not beings that are mostly machines have souls. The second question is “What happens when societies of very different technical capabilities clash? Can they even understand what matters to each of them? This plays out here in small ways as first world societies meet the “uncontacted” in the Amazon basin, but what if the gap was even larger?
Can you give us some insight into your main characters?
Charlie cares deeply about the one wild place left in the solar solar system. Nona wants to protect the complex society inhabiting a glittering series of space stations splashed throughout the goldilocks zone. Chrystal merely wants her family and the life that she knew, but something unimaginable has happened to her. People often say that my work is character driven, and I try very hard to create believable characters that readers will care about.
What is it with the Science Fiction genre you find fascinating?
Science fiction is both the best way to explore the possible, and the best way to illuminate the present. There is no more interesting genre either to read or to write.
What inspired you to write this story?
The second book in my previous duology (Ruby’s Song: The Creative Fire and The Diamond Deep) ended in the planetary system I use as the setting for these two books. I loved the world so much that I wanted to explore it further. Edge of Dark doesn’t require familiarity with the other two books, although the four books would real well together. There is very little character overlap between the two sets of books. A subplot appeared in book two that screamed at me for expansion, and so I picked up its themes and conflicts here.
How did you start writing? Was there a particular book or moment in your life that spurned you on?
I don’t ever remember not writing.
What sort of challenges, as a writer, might you have faced over the years? Any insights you would be able to share for those aspiring writers seeking advice?
My daily challenge is finding time to write. My advice for aspiring writers is that writers write. It takes practice to become published, and after that, it takes practice to remain fresh and to continue to get better. Writers write. Secondarily, writers read. I believe that it’s critical to read widely as a writer. Other than that, it’s all about working hard and believing in yourself. Which sounds easy until you get your twentieth of fiftieth rejection. Every writer I’ve known who did that – who wrote, who read, who believed in themselves, and who worked hard has been published. No exceptions. Sometimes it takes a long time, and some writers have more successful careers than others, but hard work and patience pay off in this field. On some level, this advice is don’t give up.
Have you ever struggled between what you would like to happen to a character and what you considered more sensible to occur? Can you tell us when and what did you do at last?
There are times I made the mistake of having a character take an action that makes no sense in context to who they are in order to further a plot. That’s a beginner’s mistake. While I won’t say I never do that now (I’m always finding new ways to learn!), when I see it I make it go away, no matter how much re-writing it takes. Readers know when the author is manipulating the story in a way that makes no sense. You can get away with a suspension of disbelief moment once or twice in every story or novel, but that’s best used on a technology and a not a person. Readers don’t forgive easily if you create nonsensical characters.
What are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?
All reviews represent attention, and attention is critical for the success of a creative work. I tend to draw both good and bad reviews. I’ve had books that Publisher’s Weekly panned, and then Kirkus and the ALA both recommended highly. I suspect that my writing style works really well for some readers and not as well for others. I really think that the best thing a reader can do for a writer when they like a book is give it an honest review – anything in the three to five star range helps more than it hurts. For example, a few of the teenagers in my family won’t bother to even try books that don’t have well over fifty reviews. Attention matters, and reviews are attention.
How do you define success as an author?
There are three things that matter to me. Did I write the story or novel that I wanted to write? Do readers enjoy my work? Is my readership growing?
For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?
Ebooks usually. They are more portable, and I tend to finish more of them, which suggests that the format matters. I am still old-fashioned enough to lust after beautifully designed books though, and I’ve been known to choose the hardbacks because of the cover and the book design. I’m really pleased to be with Pyr right now because they do such a lovely job of design. It’s also easier to read anything with pictures and figures in a physical form today, although I expect that to change. I have been known to buy a physical copy, an ebook, AND an audio book for the same work and switch between them. For example, I would never have finished Neal Stephenson’s Anathem (which I loved) in one format. I NEVER by mass market any more – the format itself is physically hard to read once you’re out of your twenties. And, for a last thought, the narrator matters. I always buy Neil Gaiman in hardback to collect and in audio to listen to because he reads his own work so beautifully that I have been known to walk the dogs for hours or pick the whole garden clean of weeds just to keep listening.
What kind of books do you read, any favourite authors?
I read widely! At least a third of my reading is non-fiction. That’s an important underpinning for science fiction. It’s also always been a passion of mine to understand how the world works, and non-fiction helps with that. The best book I read last year was The Sixth Extinction, by Elizabeth Colbert. My favorite science fiction authors include Neal Stephenson, Vernor Vinge, Greg Bear, Nancy Kress, David Brin, Aliette de Bodard, and so many more I can’t name them all. My favorite fantasy authors are Patty Briggs, Mercedes Lackey (I often get to write stories in her world, Valdemar), Seanan McGuire (the Toby Daye books), and Charles deLint. But I could name a lot more of those, too. And I just loved Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. I also read YA, some mystery, and some “fiction.” Poetry creeps in from time to time.
What do you do when you’re not writing, any hobbies?
I ride bikes – as in reasonably long distances. The longest ride I did last year was 180 miles in two days. I also love to travel. There isn’t much time that isn’t my day job (I work in technology) or one of my second vocations (writing and being a futurist). I spend time with my family and dogs. We have excellent season seats at the Fifth Avenue Theater in Seattle, and attend musical productions there.
What’s next, what are you working on now?
I’m working on book two in The Glittering duology, SPEAR OF LIGHT. I’m also putting out a self-published ebook-only collection called BEYOND THE WATERFALL DOOR which is linked fantasy stories and I have a science fiction story collection coming out this summer from Fairwood Press called CRACKING THE SKY. I’ve frankly piled too many deadlines on at once, and after this I might just collapse for a few weeks and read and walk the dogs. That is, if the deadlines don’t kill me first!
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Interview by Dag Rambraut – SFFWorld.com © 2015
