Author Interview: Writing Speculative Fiction and Its Ripple Effect

Story excerpt, "Smokin With Death," from Born of Dirt & Dust, an award-winning collection of flash and short fiction by Renee Coloman.

According to ChatGPT, Author interviews are crucial for promoting books, building personal connections with readers, and establishing author authority. They offer deeper insights into the creative process, humanize the writer, and serve as valuable marketing tools to boost visibility and drive sales. Interviews also allow authors to discuss themes and share their personal journeys.

For marketing reasons, perhaps author interviews are a top-notch idea.

From my perspective, the interviews enable writers to discuss their work and their personal journey about their work.

Recently, I was asked the following question from editors at Literary Titan:

Born of Dirt & Dust is a collection of short fiction stories ranging from social horror to feral love and tales of survival in a broken world. What draws you to write speculative flash fiction?

My immediate answer hovered around the idea of uncloaking fringe characters---removing their invisibility in our culture, our world, and shining a spotlight on their uniqueness. Their situation and characteristics that drive them to engage in choices that accepted society would label as unacceptable.

I refined my answer into a storytelling response. This is the version I shared with Literary Titan:

Writing speculative flash fiction ignited for me when I sat inside a tattoo studio in Lahaina, along the west coast of Maui, in May 2023, a few months before the horrific wildfire scarred the land and the many, many families affected by the tragedy. At the time of having a beautiful sea turtle tatted on my arm, I learned about the artist working on me. A young woman, approximately in her late twenties, who came to Maui to escape years of marriage with an abusive husband. I could see in her shadowed eyes, her flinching body language, the deep bruised color of her dyed hair, and the violent tattoos inked on her body, the degradation she felt. I could see her need for a portal, an escape, to a very different existence—a world beyond the pain and suffering inflicted upon her. She found that temporary reprieve in the warmth, beauty, and embracing culture of Lahaina. Yet, after only a few months, Hell broke loose, and she lost herself again. This time, in the fire that raged upon her world. It was that moment, seeing the devastation broadcast on the news, feeling the heartache, thinking about her, that I knew I had to write about bending space and time, about churning our world differently in order to find a place where we belonged, where we could—and would—survive, no matter how broken we felt inside. No matter how threatening or violent our environment. In writing speculative fiction, I wanted to capture the worst of what we faced, illustrate the blood we shed, and explore the rising of our spirit to become more than the shrinking ways our world defines us. I wanted to prove that human kindness and resilience win in the end.

I named my tattoo artist, Katelyn. She is the main character in my flash-fiction story, "Smokin' With Death."

Shortly after completing this story, I submitted my work to two literary publications whose editors felt the piece wasn't the right fit. Something they weren't looking for at the time. The third publication accepted my work within days of submission. The editor commented, "Congratulations! Your story has been accepted ... thanks for sending us a great piece."

No matter the challenges you face, don't give up. There's an oyster with a pearl waiting for you.