Random Interview Question: Kim Lakin-Smith

After writing several short stories that I enjoyed, Kim Lakin-Smith's novel Cyber Circus was recently published by NewCon Press.

Q. If you ran away to the circus, what act would you join?

A. If I could be any act in the circus, I would be an animal tamer. Wielding everyday household objects like a wooden chair or a bullwhip, I would commune with Vermicious Knids, take my vorpal sword in hand against the Jabberwocky, and set monsters off on a wild rumpus. The top hat is rather dapper too.

Random Interview Question: Adam Roberts

Adam Roberts has produced several entertaining and varied novels, including the Gulliver's Travels fantasy sequel Swiftly.

Q. Would you rather move to Lilliput or Brobdingnag?

A. I'm a shade below 6'2". My wife is 5'0", my 10-year old daughter approaching that height, my son 4 years old. I'm already living Gulliver's life in Lilliput. So the answer to your question is: I suppose I should probably give Brobdingnag a go, just to see what that's like. And, actually, if you've read Swift's novel you'll know that the Brobdingnagians are a much more civilised, reasonable bunch of people than the petty, belligerent Liliputians.

Random Interview Question: Gareth L Powell

I've been following Gareth L Powell's writing for a few years now, since we appeared in the same TOC in Aphelion magazine. Gareth's enjoyable space opera novel The Recollection was published last year. This question may not make much sense if you haven't read the book, but I don't want to spoil anything by explaining.

Q. If you were swallowed up by The Recollection, who (from anywhere or anywhen) would you hang out with?

A. If I were swallowed up by The Recollection, I’d get Jack Kerouac, Philip K Dick, Walt Whitman and Hunter S Thompson together for a night of wild talk; I’d argue about science fiction with JG Ballard, Douglas Coupland, Cordwainer Smith and Samuel Delany; and I’d get Stephen Hawking, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Marguerite Hay Drummond-Hay, and Brian Cox around a table and hang on their every word.

Random Interview Question: Aliette De Bodard

Aliette De Bodard has written numerous short stories that I've enjoyed, several of which have been nomianted for or won awards or been included in Year's Best anthologies. Her Aztec fantasy trilogy Obsidian and Blood concludes with Master of the House of Darts.

Q. If you didn't like darts, what House would you be Master of?

A. House of Flames, definitely! I like setting random things on fire on the internet, and reducing people's preconceptions to ashes (aka write rants on genre on my blog and monitor healthy discussion. I swear; I'm just keeping the flamethrower handy in case something breaks down :) ). Plus, I don't like cold climates, so having flames in the chimney is a nice bonus...

Random Interview Question: Stephen Hunt

Sephen Hunt's Jackelian series of futuristic steampunk tales includes The Court of the Air and The Kingdom Beyond the Waves. He also founded SF Crowsnest where over 100 of my book reviews have appeared.


Q. Would you like to live in a court in the air or in a kingdom beneath the waves?

A. Well, my answer to that one has to be 'The Court of the Air' - especially if I was running the joint, as I could sit up high watching everyone and ordering the arrest without trial or murder of anyone who did bad stuff down in the world... and it doesn't get any better than that.

Random Interview Question: Michael Cobley

Michael Cobley is the author of the Humanity's Fire sequence among others. The first of those, which I particularly enjoyed because of the diverse cultures and accents used, was Seeds of Earth.

Q. What kind of planet would you grow if you had the right seeds?

A. If we were talking about a planetary biosphere, I would definitely try to grow one with a species of plant with a complex crystaline network within its trunk, branches and leaves, which converts sunlight into electricity, perhaps linked to large underground organic batteries/heating web - perhaps this plant came about as a result of evolutionary symbiosis with some burrowing creature/insect which benefits from warm ground and which somehow protects the sparky lightning plant. Anyway, some subtle genetic engineering could result in a cheap, easily grown, easily maintained form of organic power generator which would make life in sunny climates rather different from how they are on our world.


If we're talking about the socio-political world, well, we really need an international social democratic movement ready to curtail the power of international finance, and we need a United Nations that is able to defend weak nations and promote democracy, and which provides worldwide forums for debate, and which provides means whereby joint action can be taken against climate change and other international crises. I know, dream on, eh?

Random Interview Question: Jack McDevitt

Jack McDevitt is the author of over  dozen novels, including the Alex Benedit series I've been enjoying for the past couple of years. The first of theose was A Talent for War and inspires the first question in my RIQ feature.

Q. What would you like to have a talent for?

A. I guess I’d settle for the ability to be objective. If I could learn to look at issues based on the facts rather than on my preconceptions (my ‘gut’?), I’d get a lot closer to the truth than I’m currently able to--

Random Interview Questions

Inspired by the random thoughts that some book titles evoke, I decided to come up with some random questions based on various author's titles. I've been sending the questions out and the answers have started coming back.

Begining later this week I'll be posting the answers here in a new feature called Random Interview Question (RIQ).

Get in touch if you're an author who'd like a question, or you'd like to suggest an author or question for me to include.