Ask Nicola Archives

Ask Nicola Archives

Miscellaneous Questions

January 4, 1999
From: cliff@watson.ibm.com, Cliff Pickover

Hi Nicola, I loved your web page. I'm a writer too... Congratulations on all your great work! (I think you might get a kick out of my web page which lists some of my recent books.)

Regards,
Cliff

It looks as though you write some interesting stuff. I'm especially intrigued by the book on the eccentricity and/or madness often associated with genius. I have long been suspicious of the word "genius," as it's often been used as an excuse for bad behaviour, but there are times when I believe some creative people are genuinely crazy, and that craziness is part and parcel of their creativeness. I'm glad you included Tesla as one of your subjects; I read a biography of him when I was a teenager; that andhis first name, Nikola, have made me feel vaguely proprietary ever since. Judging by your selections of favourite novels, though, our tastes in fiction are not the same <g>.

January 4, 1999

It's not so much a question as a comment on a question/answer to the question from the writer who was interested in writing fiction about science, because as a scientist and novelist bringing science into the mainstream of literature is one of my pet obsessions. I've got a list of a dozen or so books on women scientists in fiction on my own website http://ume.med.ucalgary.ca/~asinclai/scifembk.html. In the dim and distant past (early 1980s) I can recall reading an article in ?Chemistry in Industry or ?Chemistry in Education on scientists in fiction (a search through the old bound form of Chem Abs would probably turn it up). If your writer is interested in bioscience, I would point her towards the wonderful computer database of literature in medicine http://endeavor.med.nyu.edu/lit-med.

Thanks to your list of women scientists in literature I had a happy time remembering many books I haven't thought of for a long time. The first on the list, Brazzaville Beach , was a major inspiration for Slow River . I read Boyd's book about a year before I began work on my own novel, and when I was in the middle of wrestling with how to structure a big slippery mass of flashback and point-of-view, I remembered how Boyd had used two different tenses, and I knewhow I could make it all worka real Aha! Moment. It's a wonderful novel, as is his Blue Afternoon (and he has a new book out, Armadillo , which I haven't yet had time to tackle). His writing is beautifully clean and simple, yet capable of exploring incredibly complex emotional arcs. I dislike his short work intensely, though: empty, nihilistic, meandering nonsense.I've read many of Sara Maitland's short stories, and a book-length work she wrote with another woman whose name escapes me, but I don't think I've had the pleasure of her solo novel-length work: I hope she's as good at both.Marge Piercy's works are favourites of mine, as are Barbara Kingsolver's, and I'm pretty familiar with the science fiction titles on the list. I'm looking forward to having the time to read your essay on some of these authors--and your novels.

January 4, 1999
Hello, and belated congrats for the Nebula!

I was wondering what your opinion is concerning two movies. I've read your essays and most of your answers in this forum, and I am curious, in light of those, as to how you might perceive them. (If, of course, you have seen them, or ever heard about them.)

The first of the two is the 1996 film Bound that has two lesbian protagonists, but was written by two men. It could be argued to be another 'Big Joan' story, or more than that. Without spoiling the movie, I would say that I lean strongly towards the second possibily, more because of Violet's character than because of Corky's.

The second is A Life Less Ordinary (1997), which is a relatively straight film, also written by a man, that bends and breaks and subverts the romanitc-comedy-by-way-of-Stockolm-Syndrome genre.

Cheers, and Happy Holidays to you and Kelley.

The only thing I know about A Life Less Ordinary is the thirty-second trailer I saw on TV once. I saw Bound a couple of years ago; I don't know what you mean, exactly, by a 'Big Joan' story, but I enjoyed the film. It was a pleasure to see, finally, a film whose main characters just happened to be lesbians, rather than yet another coming out story.It seems to me that this film marked a real turning point in the mainstream film portrayal of dykes: the girl got the girl; they had sex; there was a happy ending. A huge change from things like 'The Killing of Sister George.' Film does seem to be lagging behind literature in this respect.

When The Blue Place was still at the manuscript stage, my literary agent sent it off to the Hollywood agent she works with. We both had high hopes that the book would make a good film. The Hollywood agent, however, said: "Gee, no one's making lesbian movies right now because Bound bombed at the box office." I suspect his definition of bombed is just that it wasn't a blockbusterit's my impression that everyone in Hollywood is always after the big score. So that was that. I stillcast the film in my mind every now and again, of course, though I have a hard time trying to come up with an actor who moves as well as Aud. I'm open to suggestions.

November 21, 1998

I am a poet who is working on getting my material published. I was wondering if you can give me any advice.

If you want advice about the writing of poetry, I'm not qualified to help you because I don't write it (at least not for a long time). If you want to know how to get already written work published, see many of my previous answers on this subject regarding reference works on poets and writers' markets, which can be found at A Book Shop Near You, or via your Friendly Local Librarian.

Hi, I read Slow River a while ago and I'm reading The Blue Place right now. What really interests me about Aud is that she's so physically in control of herself, that she seems to have none of the fears/precautions that we women are taught to exercise: i.e. do not go out alone at night, do not go out to bars alone, etc... As a person who's just started to live by herself for the first time in a strange city (Seattle) I'd like to learn more about self-defense. I really would like to live freely, for example if i want to go running in the middle of the night, i want to do so without being afraid of ending up dead in a ditch. Is there a good self-defense or martial arts course hereabouts that will teach me about protecting myself and also about distinguishing between what is just plain foolhardy to do and what is doable? Or maybe a good book that you can recommend on the subject?

First of all, self defence does not have a lot to do with martial arts. Martial arts are just that: art. Self defence is a combination of dirty fighting, self-awareness, and deprogramming. Let me give you examples from each category. Fighting: you should never try kick anyone higher than the kneecap (unless they're lying on the floor, or you're standing on ground substantially higher than theirs) because it makes you too vulnerable; ifyou have to hit someone, then cripple them--no punches to the ribs, take their eye out (squashy eyeballs don't hurt your hands, and they can't run after you if they can't see). Self-awareness: studies done with prison inmates in this country a few years indicate that predators tend to attack those who look like victims--people who don't look around when they walk, who hunch their shoulders up, who look nervous; stay alert, look at your surroundings, pay attention; be aware that walking under a low underpass might not be smart; bear in mind that a wide column or a large tree might have someone behind it, and walk around it wide. Deprogramming: we're taught a lot of nonsense about our vulnerabilities; women and old people, in particular, are told to be afraid of being outside alone, yet the group most likely to be subjected to physical violence outside the home is young men between the ages of 15 and 25; more than three-quarters of attempted rapes are actually foiled by the intended victim (fighting back really does pay); attackers want you to be docile and quiet--being nice and polite will not help.

I could talk for literally hours about self defence, but this isn't really the forum. I just wanted to give you a taste of the difference between SD and martialarts. It's a bit like the difference between playing in a bar band and studying musical composition at school; practice and theory are so far apart that they're more or less separate disciplines. Self defence will give you an idea of what is realistic;martial arts will, by repetition of drills and so on, give you confidence in your physical abilities. Study both if you can. If you time or money constraints mean you can only do one, then I'd recommend self defence.

I taught self defence in England andam completely out of touch with regard to what's going on here in this country. I'd suggest calling a women's shelter; someone there might be able to put you in touch with a good course and teacher. Failing that, start up a group with three or four friends. Get together and What-If situations, brainstorm solutions, talk about real experiences and try to separate reality from myth. Learn not to be afraid of minor pain. Being punched in the stomach, for example, often hurts a lot less than slamming yourhand in the door or whanging your toe hard on a table leg. Pain isn't fun, and should be avoided, but not avoided at all costs. Sometimes you have to sacrifice comfort for survival. We should all take the time to think about these things. Learn to keep thinking even in high stress situations; quick wits are probably more useful than quick fists. For example, if you wear high heels when you're out on your own, and you find yourself in a dangerous situation, kick those heels off and run, or kick them off and use one as a weapon; don't just stand there and think: Shit, shouldn't have worn these shoes tonight.

As I've said, I'm utterly out of touch with what has been going on in the world of self defence teaching the last ten or twelve years. One good book from the eighties is Stand your Ground by Kahlel Quinn but I don't even know if it's still in print. More recently, I heard Gavin De Becker talking on NPRs "Fresh Air" about how to protect yourself from violence. His book is The Gift of Fear. While I haven't read it, and so can't actually recommend it, on the radio he sounded sensible and knowledgeable, so it might be work checking it out. This is another of those times when it's good to know a librarian. S/he would probably be more than happy to help you find some useful books or videos. Hmmmn. Maybe I should write a book....

October 4, 1998

I am almost with your Blue Place book, which I found it terrific. As soon as I am done with it I will try to give you a "better review". Could you tell me something about your martial arts background? Looking at how you talked in your book, you definetely know your stuff.

Thanks and kind regards

I got into martial arts after doing an eight-week women's self-defence course in England. The self-defence course was marvellously practical (there's a great deal more to self-defence than punching and kicking) but I wanted more training. I wanted to know that if I did palm strike some attacker's nose I'd break it, not just make it bleed a little. I wanted to be efficient and deadly. Aud's experience of Shuto Kai karate is pretty much mine, except I stopped before I got a black belt: the dojo moved. (I was also beginning to feel ill now and again, too, but had no idea what it was; all I knew was that you can't do that kind of martial arts work when you're feeling even just a little off-colour; it's too brutal.) I continued with the self-defence, though, and then went on to teach it for a few years.

I studied the tiniest bit of tai chi, and enjoyed it--more as a meditation than a martial art. When I came to this country, Kelley was studying Wing Chun kung fu, so I picked up a lot of the terminology from her, though I never studied it myself. Then when we moved to Seattle I began to study aikido. I'm currently taking a break from that as my health is bad, but hope to get back to it soon.

If I didn't have multiple sclerosis, I would still be what you might call a martial artist but I'm not anymore. I simply don't have the stamina or coordination. I miss the beautiful rush of power, of muscles leaping and nerves singing, of accuracy and grace I used to have. It's been very interesting trying to learn a new martial art, in a new place, with people who have no idea how I used to be. They see a (slightly) over weight woman who appears hesitant and not very well coordinated, who has no strength in her legs. I assume that they assume I've been a couch potato all my life and that with just a little work I'll improve. I explain patiently, over and over, that, no, I *can't* just "step in deeper" because my leg will give way if I try. That I can't "spin fast" because I will fall over, or throw up with dizziness, and so on. I've told them I have multiple sclerosis. They nod, look understanding, and then say, "But if you could just lower your stance a little it would help..." Aaargh!! In some ways, I will improve; in others, I've gone as far as I can go; in yet others, I'll just get worse.

Sometimes it can be rather humbling, but I keep going because it's important to try, because it keeps me in as good shape as can be expected, and because--against all the odds--I still sometimes feel exhilarated when something works even moderately well. It's a trip; there's nothing like using your body, of throwing some hulking person ten inches taller and a hundred pounds heavier to the floor with a smile on your face. Lovely <g>.

I am still deeply interested in self defence, too. Self defence is not just physical stuff, it's psychological and emotional. It's as much about self- assertion and preparedness, about willingness and self-esteem as about the ability to hit things. Perhaps more so. In the upcomoing Aud books, I think we'll more of some of that stuff. Stay tuned.

September 29, 1998

Have you heard of Orlan? She is a French performance artist who has gone to great lengths in body modification. Her aim is not to resemble a Barbie doll, however. She is, to the best of my knowledge, more interested in such things are South American head flattening, and had humps inserted under the skin at the sides of her forehead in order to look like the Mona Lisa. She undergoes the operations fully conscious and has them recorded and played as part of her museum exhibits. She does not believe in the value of suffering: she does take painkillers during surgery.

(Is this the woman you were referring to in answer to a previous question?)

It might be Orlan, yes. I heard about her from a friend in Atlanta about, oh, five years ago, so the details are a bit hazy. That's certainly where I got the idea of the woman taping her own surgery. I try very hard not to judge this kind of art, because I don't have a lot of experience from which to come to an informed opinion, but I can't help thinking this woman must have a lot of anger inside to do this to her own body.

dear nicola, just met you in the web. do you know what the ammonite project is ? please allow me to introduce myself. www.apropo.de/ammonite talk to you later hendrik

Hendrik, it's beautiful. I have always found ammonites fascinating. It started when I first went to Whitby and held a small, curled stone fossil in my palm. Something about the weight, the intricacy, the spiral; I just liked it. Since then (and especially since writing Ammonite) I have collected a fair number of the small ones. Seeing an ammonite writ large in the middle of the Sahara desert is something else.... I hope you get lots of sponsorship.

I have what the Chinese curse calls an "interesting life"....Not that that means anything to you, but it will be a propos, as you will see.

First of all, loved Ammonite and Slow River - couldn't wait for your next book. When The Blue Place came out, I immediately ran to the nearest bookstore and spent my food budget on it. Did not regret that at all - what I regret is getting so caught up in it that I cried out at the end, burst into tears...and dropped the book into the bath water by mistake. It dried out, but the poor thing will never be the same again! And I did so want to loan it to everyone I know. I have MADE my friends go out and buy the other two (paperbacks are cheaper, as we all know, and while loaning a book has it's merits, it is a bigger support to the author for people to BUY the books). So anyway, I need to go get another copy ASAP. :-(

That said, I obviously was greatly effected by the story and by the characters. I am a fledgling writer and I have found that it's the characters who really make the story. If they are interesting and full of depth and life, then the story is as well. I hate two-dimensional, stereotypical characters and contrived novels. That's why yours are such a breath of fresh air - they really are REAL to me. I get very caught up in the drama and the way the words flow and move like a symphony. I have re-read the first two about three times each (and will re-read The Blue Place when I can get another copy!). The characters are not perfect, they are human. They make mistakes, they feel, they suffer, they live, they die, they exist. The reason I cried at the end of The Blue Place was because of how extraordinary the characters were - so very fleshed out and vibrant, in spite of personal flaws and mistakes. The ending WAS very brave and very real. Aud made many mistakes and paid the price for them, as we all do. The world is neither predictable nor fair. A little fairy tale ending would have been absurd and would have destroyed the credibility of a very believable story. I was recently flamed by a group of friends because of a story I wrote in which an event happens that they were not happy about. But it was NECESSARY. The protagonist would not have become the person she is without that experience and I would have had to write a very different story; one not as real.

Those same friends think I should write an autobiography because I am one of those people everything seems to happen to! I am not conceited enough to do such a thing, but I think every story I write is tied to me by a thin thread anyway. It was interesting to me to read a comment made by another person on this website that basically accused you of writing your own life stories. I like how you told her to re-read the disclaimer in Slow River. I think all writers do put some of themselves into their characters and stories, but to assume that everything written is semi-autobiographical is patently ridiculous, in my opinion. Stories are stories - the job of the author is to ensure that they ring true. That's the gift and it's a true talent who can bring a book to life. (Prime example: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.) To me, you are one of those rare talents who can bring me so deep into a story that I sit in a corner, stunned to find myself in my own apartment after I turn the last page. I read constantly - voraciously, thoroughly and without regard to genre or type. I just read and encourage others to do the same. Because I read so much, I relish those books that take me to another world. I don't understand people who belittle the talents of the authors by implying they are writing non-fiction under a mask of fiction. I nearly came to blows with a co-worker who was convinced J.R.R. Tolkien had BEEN to MiddleEarth and was just recounting stories he had heard there. How utterly unfair to Tolkien to degrade his talent in such a way!

As storytellers, we have a certain obligation to our readers, but frankly, we are also obligated to be true to ourselves and our visions, and most of all, to the individuals we create and breath life into. My characters are all my children in a strange way, and we share a symbiotic relationship as I record their adventures on paper. No one can pretend to understand what you are thinking when you write, but I for one, am glad you DO write and that I have been able to read your novels.

I did have a question - really I did, but I am in a rambling sort of mood today and I went off on a minor tangent (I need caffeine to go on a major ramble fest). Okay, the question is, what advice would you give to someone who really wants to write, but is unable to do so because of obligations to family, friends and a stupid day job? I want to find a grant or funding that would allow me the luxury of taking 6 months to a year to just write, but I have no resume that would convince someone to take the risk. Do such things exist, do you think? Do you think the risk of quitting the stupid, pointless, unfulfulling day job is a good risk to take?

One more questions - Aud started telling the story about her name, but was interrupted - is there a place where the story can be found? And would you reccommend any good books on Norwegian History? I was born on May 17th, Norwegian Independence Day, (something that thrills my Norwegian relatives to no end) and would love to learn more about the history. You have inspired in me a desire to see the fjords, taste cloudberries and climb a glacier!

Thanks so much for your time in reading this - I very much look forward to reading the sequel to Aud's story. And if you are ever in Florida and need anything, let me know. :-)

The only way to be a writer is to write. Do whatever you have to in order to make that happen. On balance, I would say leaving your job (which although you call stupid and pointless must have some bright spots if you work with people who believe Tolkien actually went to Middle Earth to research his fiction <g>) is not the answer: what would you live on? Grants big enough to feed and house someone for a year are few and far between--and, even then, it's not a resume that gets the grant, it's the work itself. You have to do the writing.

It's not always helpful to think in terms of "being a writer." Sometimes it's more productive to simply do the work. Next time you reach for the TV remote, get up instead and sit at your computer (or with your notebook or scrap of paper or whatever you use) and write instead. Next time you're about to go out for dinner with friends, sit down and write instead. Next time you think about taking a long, luxurious bath, sit down and write instead. In other words, do the work, don't dwell on why you can't.

My partner, Kelley, has had a hard, busy, demanding corporate job for years. A few years ago, she despaired: how was she going to be a writer if she had to work all the time, if so much of her brain was taken up with this corporate stuff? After long, personal struggle, she found the way: take joy in the process, in writing for its own sake, and stop looking for the product, the end result. Writing is hard work. There is no magic bullet. You have to do the work, bit by bit, when you can and where you can, and you have to enjoy it for its own sake. If this is something you need to do, then *take* the time. You can't make time, but you can take it from other things. Tell family and friends that for, say, one week a month, or two night a week, or two months a year, or three hours a day (whichever best suits the way you work) you will not answer the phone, be available for socialising with friends, or attend family get-togethers. It's a question of prioritising and organising and being utterly determined. This is hard, especially at the beginning of a career or even at the start of a new piece of work, but I don't know any other way.

Aud will certainly tell the story of her name at some point--it took me too long to ferret out the information to not use it! I don't know enough about Norwegian history to recommend one book over another, but the one I used--which was written in the 1940s but enjoyable, nonetheless--was "A History of Norway" by Karen Larsen (Princeton University Press, 1948).

Hi! Nicola I just discovered this site yesterday and I've been reading everything on it and I thought I might as well ask you some questions.

But first a proper introduction, my name is Robert �berg I'm 23 year old guy from Sweden I've read your book Slow river and was very impressed.

I noticed the book in the catalog of SF-bokhandeln (in english "The SF bookstore"), Swedens largest retailer of sience-fiction and fantasy novels, while I was looking for new books. It had just been awarded with the Nebula award (congratulations from me too) and that was my main reason for buying it (I knew Gibson had won it with "Neuromancer" so your novel could'nt be all wrong).

The original question wich I was going to ask you was if you liked Gibsons and Sterlings work (my two favourite S-f authors. Side note I didn't like their collaborative work, The difference engine) but as I read the Ask Nicola section more questions came to mind.

So here they come!:

Question number one, What do you think of Gibson and Sterlings work (didn't see that one coming did you:)). I allways think it's interesting to hear what your favourites in any of your area of interest think of each other. When it comes to my taste in music I've discovered that allmost all the bands that I like has something to do with each other. Have your say!

Question number two. You've mentioned Neuromancer here on your web-page so I assume you've read it so I thought It would be interesting to hear what you think of the female lead of the book, Molly Millions. I came to think of it when I read what you said about how male and perhaps female writers creates female main characters that are really men in disguise. Is she, Molly, a strong female character or a "fanboy" wet dream?

This one is not really a question it's more like a presentation of a standpoint in a letter on this page happy endings was a topic of a discussion, you had recieved "heat" for the ending of Slow river. I like happy endings I've allways liked happy endings and I will continue to do so. A sad ending to makes me feel cheated it's like "I've read all this and hoped for the wellbeing of the main character and in the end it all goes to hell" that bugs me. A good ending doesnt have to be sugarsweet like the ending of a stereotypical Hollywood movie ending but it has to offer some hope. Therefore I like the ending of the original version of Bladerunner better than the directors cut. I think the ending of Luc Bessons "The big blue" where the main character dies in the end is a "happy ending" allthough he dies, with that I want to say that the happy ending isn't allways crystal clear (I hope I'm making myself and my standpoint understood here). I read an ending of a novel recentely wich i liked very much, the novels name is Palace by Katherine Kerr and Mark Kriegenbaum (I hope I got his name right, if not sue me) the ending feautered at least a dozen of loose threads and the reader was left to wonder about what would happen (recently I've found out that there's going to be a sequel wich I think is quite sad, but you can allways ignore the sequel I sure will).

On a completely unrelated subject I read that you played in a punk band (or was it punk? well nevermind) so what do you think of the Ramones? the originators of punk.

I think I'll be signing of with this I hope my ramblings have made some sense. All misspellings and/or awkward formulations are apologized for. I hope you can find the time to answer these ponderings.

Bye

Ps. I've ordered Ammonite just this week and look forward to reading it.

I have read Neuromancer once, and that was about fifteen years ago, so my impressions of it and any characters in it are hazy at best. What I remember of Molly is that she seemed, ah, unlikely. Those mirrored eyes and razored nails.... Someone you might want to have sex with (if you felt like risking your life) but not make tea and toast for in the morning. (Can you imagine someone like that brushing their teeth? Going shopping? Changing the cat's litter tray? Just doesn't work...) From what I've read of Gibson's work, it seems to be becoming funneled down to one trope: the intersection of reality and virtuality. As for Sterling, I haven't read enough to comment.

The band I played in wasn't punk. I don't know what it was, exactly, but probably not punk--though we did do one punk/thrash song that was actually a parody of punk (about an eighty-four year old dyke out for a pint with her equally ancient girlfriend). We were accused, by various critics, of sounding like: Patty Smith, Jefferson Airplane, Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Au Pairs, the Eurythmics, "a terrible bloody noise," "a load of bloody girls," and "the devil herself." They were all wrong < g >.
Nicola, I am a student at the University of Virginia, and I am taking a women in lit course. We are working on a webpage for the books we have read so far this semester. I am heading up the group doing Slow River and Dawn (by Octavia Butler). You have a great web page, so we will definately be putting a link on for it, but i was wondering if you have anything you would like to see go on the page for your book. (maybe a quote that you like; some insight to the book; your favorite webpage, icecream, literary work) if you have any photos not already on your page that maybe we could use, that would be great. anything you could manage, because i know you are short on time. thank you so much!

Feel free to use the following from my webpage:

Any of the photo images (but please remember to credit the photographers; the colour picture is by Mark W. Tiedemann, the black and whites by Kelley Eskridge)
The article "Nicola Griffith talks about writing Slow River"
Any of the reviewers' quotes (though I'm particulary fond of the quotes from Locus F&SF and the Seattle Times)

Good luck with the webpage. Will you send the URL when it's up?

Several people have sent me email via this page hoping for help in areas far outside my areas of expertise. I can't advise those who have particular legal and/or social welfare questions. I can only remind you that resources are available, nationally and locally. This is particularly true for women's and lesbian/gay issues. Organizations exist solely to help those in need. Contact information will be in the phone book, available via directory information, or through a web search. Locally,such places include your local Women's Centre or Lesbian Resource Centre, local Law Centres (e.g. here in Seattle there is the Northwest Women's Law Center, tel. 206/621-7691) and Battered Women's Shelters. National organizations include the National Organization of Women (1000 16th St.N.W., Suite 700, Washington DC 20036), the Domestic Violence Commission, and the Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund (666 Broadway, 12th fl., NewYork NY 10012).

Anyone reading this who has specific (and maybe more up-to-date) information, or suggestions for other organizations, please let me know and I'll update this periodically.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233, is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The hotline staffers will connect callers to local shelters, crisis clinics, and women's rights centres. They will also make referrals to local programmes dealing with housing, legal, immigration, and substance abuse issues.

I've been home in the states for nearly two weeks after spending the past 9 months in Manchester, England. (Perhaps you remember my questions to you in September about life in England) I was able to go to the UK through an exchange program between my university in Ohio and a university near Manchester. I completed my third year of studies in physics there and had an excellent time. I made some great friends and really loved the city. The gay village there is excellent - especially in comparison to the nightlife and gay scene in the mid-sized city I'm from in Ohio.

What do you miss most in being away from Britain? I miss the relaxed lifestyle the brits seem to have, chatting with friends while enjoying a few pints at a pub, the ease of travel - in the city and on longer journeys, and good chocolate and beer. I could go on... What did you find to be your biggest adjustments when you moved to the states? After being away for 9 months I noticed such a difference in the look and feel of America in comparison to England. Anyway, I've just been missing everything and everyone from my past year in Britain and wondered what your experiences were like.

I miss the pubs, too. There's nothing quite like it here. In this country, I find that meals are the most sociable time: people invite each other to their houses to eat, or to a restaurant...virtually never to a bar. And yet the ease of conversation in a pub is unique: no stopping to think about what to choose from the menu, no pauses while servers put things down or clear things away, no worries about how to divide the check. You go to the bar, get a pint, sit down, talk for an hour (or ten minutes, or half an hour, depending on the rate at which you drink), get up get another drink, talk, etc. etc. I have had some most marvellous discussions in the pub. It's remembering them afterwards that's the tricky part .
Seattle is an excellent place to live for a displaced Yorkshire lass. Good beer, good chocolate, good public transport; fish and chips; decent sidewalks; they even know how to make tea. The body language is similar, too: a certain reservation, no false friendliness. That last was the hardest thing to get used to about this country when I first came to live here. Atlanta is full of people with flashing white smiles and empty hearts; who want to hug you before they know your name, who when you ask for tea give you a huge, frosty glass of brown stuff clinking with ice and ask if you want sugar in it. The light switches are upside down, too. And just things like walking into into a shop: everything is based on right-hand traffic. I would constantly turn to the wrong side. I'm right handed, but I imagine the lateral displacement thing is a little like being left-handed in a right-handed world. You have to think twice as hard and twice as fast to keep up.

There are of course compensations: it's lovely to be the exotic flower in the meadow, simply by virtue of opening my mouth. I've noticed in recent years that when I meet another Brit, we both look at each other warily, searching for the accomodations--the unBritness--we each have, inevitably, made to survive in a foreign country. Do you miss being special in that particular way? And do you think you will go back--will the people you came to know become fast friends, permanent friends...or will they fade into My Time Abroad?

I devoured Slow River and now find myself savoring Ammonite. Your novels are wonderful examples of graceful prose and I am eagerly awaiting your next book. I had previously felt that SF was a "guilty pleasure" of mine, that because of the subject material (fantastic worlds, magic, space travel etc.) the work was less valid than contempory or classical fiction. But now I see that (to paraphrase a quote from the 1992 Presidential campaign) "it's the writing, stupid". My question is this: Do you admit to any "guilty pleasures"? You have no idea how intimidating it is to compose even a fan letter to someone who writes for a living. Especially one who writes as well as you do.

Guilty pleasures? Oho! Yes indeed! My current and most secret (until now of course) is reading Xena: Warrior Princess erotic fan fiction, where the warrior and the bard finally hump. Fabulous stuff. Varies from sweet and erotic to down and dirty. The best place to get this stuff, in my opinion, is Jadzia's Obsession page. This page is positively *stuffed* with things Xenial, including a host of other fascinating links. (I send postcards all the time from the Potadeia Post Office....) I keep toying with the idea of writing a Xena book but even if I did, it would never get published. The company that owns the licence probably would hate the end product--it would end up not resembling the TV show at all, even though I'd try my best. Xena would end up talking about the sky and water all the time, and Gabrielle would probably be unfaithful < g >. After all, that Callisto is a pretty good-looking woman.

So, there, I've admitted it. I love watching (and reading about) Xena and Gabrielle. Kelley and I watch the show faithfully at 5:00pm every Saturday afternoon, cheering and hooting as Xena wins, yet again, and the bard declares her love, yet again. This is the most radical show on television: women always win, they're always smarter and faster, they put each other first. There has never been anything like it. Yes, some of the shows are really cheesy, some aren't. If I had a daughter, she'd grow up on this stuff. One of these fine days I'll probably write an essay about the whole things...but until then, it will remain my guilty pleasure.

Just a note to thank-you for the hours of entertainment. I appreciate your work. I am looking forward to your next novel. I hope Atlanta treats you well.

I hope I make you think as well as entertain you--but as the main point of reading novels is entertainment, I'm very pleased that my work does that for you.

I haven't lived in Atlanta for nearly two years. Sometimes I miss it. It's not much of a city, in the sense that there's no There there: the city centre is like a concrete doughnut, a meeting of interstates with nothing in the middle. There are offices in some downtown areas, but after six in the evening, the place is a ghost town. Having said all that, of course, there's much about the place and people I miss. I miss the restaurants; there's nothing like the South for good service. I miss the thunderstorms, and the soft, jasmine and honeysuckle scented nights. I miss the Lake Claire neighbourhood where Kelley and I used to live. I miss all our friends. But I don't miss the heat. I don't miss the fact that most restaurants don't know how to make decent tea; that crackheads used to come looking for handouts, banging on the door to our house; I don't miss the heat.

The heat and humidity in Georgia is terrible. At this time of year, you step out of the house and the air is so thick it's like being folded up in clingwrap. Ugh. But the heat is also what makes the place magical; it's what makes possible all those creaking, scratching choruses of bullfrog, treefrog and grasshopper; it's what causes the incredible thunderstorms every evening, when the lightning lights the sky to the colour of Florida grapefruits, when wind whips the leaves off oak trees and rain comes down so hard it froths on the pavement like milk. Most of all, I miss the wildlife. We lived on Marlbrook Drive, which dead-ends in parks at both ends, and which backs onto the forty acres of woodland that forms part of the Cator-Woolford Gardens. I could go out in the back yard, and ten minutes after keeping still there would be chipmunks and shrews running past me; cardinals and woodpeckers calling to each other; hawks spiralling on their lazy thermals. In the evening, a barred owl used to glide into the tree in our front garden, and watch for the shrews.

I miss it all so much, actually, that I've set my third novel there. I think of Penny In My Mouth as an ice sandwich: it starts in Atlanta, moves on to the glaciers of Norway, then returns to the heat and humidity of the South. Now that I've lived in Seattle for nearly two years, I'm beginning to appreciate the wild things that live here. Maybe I'll set something here one of these fine days.

Hai! this is my first surf on the net, so i'm a greenie. I wonder if you can give me some dutch authors to read. Do you know any and do you have some favourites? we are just a small language, so i think there are not many.

I am utterly ignorant of Dutch authors. Sorry. I don't read Dutch and, as far as I know, no Dutch SF authors have been translated into English (if someone out there knows differently, please let me know). However, someone who *will* know is Ruud van de Kruisweg, who works for a publication called Holland SF, a great magazine published in the Netherlands. He interviewed me two or three years ago for the magazine. (That interview can be found in the essays and interviews section of this page.) I'm sure he would be delighted to offer recommendations. His email address is kruisweg@flatearth.xs4all.nl. Good luck.

Did the printer leave some pages out of Bending The Landscape by mistake? A couple of the stories don't seem to end properly, like there's some pages missing or something. I mean, not everything gets finished at the end of "Magicked Tricks." Do they find out who killed him, or what? And "In the House of the Man in the Moon" just stops, which made me feel weird.

None of the pages are missing. All the stories ended according to the authors' intent. K.L. Berac's story, "Magicked Tricks," resolves nicely, I think, but she does not make the mistake of trying to tie everything up with a ribbon at the end. The reader is left wondering how the characters will proceed with their self-appointed task. *That* was the story: that they do appoint themselves the task (or at least the narrator does). They do not shirk their responsibility. The author and the editors did not feel that anything else was necessary; I'm sorry you feel differently. As for Rick Bowes' terrifying "In the House of the Man in the Moon," feeling weird was the point. It's a scary story. The ending is more of a question than an answer: How do we comfort children in terrible homes? I wish I knew the answer.

why do you have my name , a guys name. You are distroying my family nameing tredition. why?
Well, I suppose I could say 'Why do you have *my* name?' but then it would be a question of birth certificates at dawn to see who had it first.

In England, where I was born and named, Nicola is a perfectly normal woman's name. Some US citizens, it's true, seem to have a problem with it. They want to call me Nicole. When I point out that my name does in fact end with an 'a', they then mispronounce it, calling me Ni-CO-la. The correct pronunciation, as I'm sure you know, is NICK-uh-la. Then there are those who call me Nikki, a name I refuse to answer to. ('If you're worried about pronouncing it right, call me Nic,' I tell them. Nine times out of ten I don't bother with the explanation about names ending in 'i' or 'ie' or 'y' being diminutives and therefore suitable only for little boys and little girls under the age of ten.) Then there are the good old boys in the south, who call me Nicholas, because they just can't cope with the fact that I'm a woman who lives with another woman.

I like my name. It seems you are fond of yours. I don't see why that's a problem. It's a name that's big and strong enough to share.
Not a question. Just to say that I really liked Ammonite and loved SR. It is wonderful to read a novel with dyke characters where everything is taken for granted. I get bored of "discovery" novels.

For the woman heading to Manchester University. Manchester is currently one of the best places for gay life. The Gay village is vibrant and the police better than they have been in a long time. Its not yet San Francisco, but it is the best place in the UK outside of London.

Yeah, all that discovery is fine for baby dykes, or straights who "want to know more," but for women who've been doing it for twenty years, it gets old.

So Manchester is a gay hotspot these days? Wow, how times change. If and when you visit the page again, I'd love to hear what there is out there in terms of book shops, bars, clubs, cafes, sex shops, theatre, etc. etc. You never know when I might be moved to visit...

Are you from the UK? I'm not sure if the book I'm editing, Bending The Landscape, will be available there this spring. If you live across the pond, I thought perhaps I could recruit you as a book spy to check on distribution. It wouldn't take much--just go into the nearest speciality book shops (queer/feminist, and science fiction) and see if the book is on the shelf. Anyway, I am of course tickled that you liked Ammonite and Slow River.

Thanks for your wonderful stories! You are one of my favorite authors and I enjoy your characters very much. I look forward to your next book with anticipation.

I will be attending a university in Manchester, England this coming school year. I am from the states and would be interested to know what England is like, what the climate is towards lesbians, and any advice you might offer.

I haven't lived in the UK for nearly seven years, and things change, but let's see what I can tell you. I've never lived in Manchester, but I've visited a couple of times. It's the biggest city in the north of England, one of the biggest in the UK, so it has all the big-city things like great public transport, bars and clubs, cosmopolitan attitude, airport, restaurants etc. But big-city institutions in the UK and big-city institutions in the US are different. Actually, culture in the US and UK is quite different.
Take service for instance. If you go to a pub or bar in the UK, you don't get waited on. You have to go up to the bar. If it's a busy place, you will have to fight to be recognized. Regulars get served first; as do big-spenders; as do men--because they are perceived to spend more than women. My advice if you're going to frequent a particular pub or bar is to wave a large-denomination note at the bartender (twenty pounds should do it) which will make him or her pay attention and serve you fairly quickly, and give her/him a tip, which in the UK you do by saying, when handing over the money, "And have one for yourself." Do that the next time you go up to the bar, too, and they'll remember your face and, hey presto!, you'll be a regular. Restaurant service varies depending on how much you intend to spend. One thing you'll notice right away is that they often don't have those little stands where the maitre d' hovers and asks how many for dinner. The rules in each place are different. Sometimes they let you suffer for a while before they let you know what you're supposed to do. If it's an upscale place, just sit down on the nearest comfortable chair and look bored. They'll bring you a menu, and something to drink while you choose, and when your food is ready they'll usher you to the table with suitable pomp and ceremony.
Some places in the UK love Americans. Some hate them. I honestly have no idea where Manchester would fit in that continuum. You may or may not be aware that the stereotype of the typical US citizen abroad is that of the Ugly American, who talks in a loud voice about how everything is bigger and better in the US (especially service), and who expects to be served before everyone else, to be able to use American currency, and who thinks everyone talks funny. I'm sure you' d never act this way, but just be aware that some people will expect you to, and will treat you as though you already have.
The northern Brit sense of humour can be a bit pointed. You might find yourself the butt of a few jokes which will sound cruel to your unfamiliar ears (and some of them might actually be so) but generally, if someone you think if a friend makes a joke about you in your presence when you're doing something together like having a drink, seeing a film ("movie" is definitely American, and they will poke fun at you for it) or whatever, it implies a certain acceptance of you.
As for the climate for dykes, it will vary enormously from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. As I've said, I don't really know Manchester very well, but I'd be willing to bet it's pretty much okay to be a dyke in the University district, but less safe to be so in other places. If you happen to be out and about at night on your own in the city centre just after hours (i.e. when pubs are closing and gangs of drunken young men begin to roam the streets) be very careful. I don't know what part of the US you come from, so I can't say "It will be better" or "It will be worse." Let me put it like this: Manchester will be better than, say, North Georgia. It will be worse than Seattle or Atlanta or Manhattan.
I think things have changed substantially in the last twelve or fifteen years, vis-a-vis the political climate. I lived in Hull, which was a backward and horribly economically depressed city on the Yorkshire coast, for ten years. During that time men tried to break into my house to "rape the fucking lesbians." Someone tried to set fire to my house. I was constantly gay-baited. I was harassed by the police. And once I was beaten up and put in hospital. Those who dressed "less obviously" than I did (hair like a skin head, army trousers, big boots, leather jacket) and didn't walk everywhere in the city without due regard for caution, didn't carry themselves arrogantly--like a challenge to all those nineteen yr. old boys who felt they had something to prove--did not always have as much trouble. Some, of course, had it worse because bullies love to attack people who look like victims. Anyway, I'd do it again because I it was my life, and I've always refused to hide. I don't regret a thing. Besides, from what I can gather, attitudes are much, much more cosmoplitan and urbane these days. Having said that, institutionally the UK lags far behind the US. There are no anti-discrimination laws on the books for any cities or universities (that I know of--I'd love be wrong about this) so you can be kicked out of your house, off your course, whatever, if they want to do that. They more than likely wouldn't, but they could.
I suppose the only real advice I can offer is to not make assumptions. Keep your eyes and ears open and be prepared for everything--social intercourse, education, service, the arts, beer, food, even body language--to be different. The US and UK really are two countries separated by a common language. "Jumper" and "pavement" and "biscuit" and "quite good" mean different things on different sides of the Atlantic. Stay alert. Have a great time. What will you be studying?

I just finished reading Slow River and Ammonite (recommended to me by a straight male friend, in fact), and would like to thank you for the quality and care of your writing. Both novels were gripping -- I found myself having trouble putting them down while simultaneously pacing myself, rationing your words so that I could save some for later. I can't wait for your next novel.
Reflecting on both Ammonite and Slow River, I guess what strikes me the most is not that they are lesbian science fiction (though since I read a lot of both lesbian fiction and science fiction, it's wonderful to have the combination), but that both Lore and Marghe are so matter-of- fact about their sexual orientation. Books have always been influential in helping me see and understand things about myself, and at first I identified strongly with the more typical fictional lesbian characters who always seem to be second-guessing, debating, and agonizing over their desires to be with other women. However, as I've moved into a more accepting stage myself, these fictional characters haven't.
I guess I didn't realize how much these fictional lesbian characters always second-guessing themselves bothered me until I read your novels, and realized that there was no reason for them to, that they didn't have to. And I'd like to thank you for that, for portraying a remarkably reasonable not-so-distant future world (in Slow River) where gender and sexual orientation are just not issues.
Reading Ammonite was also an enlightening experience. Initially, I found myself making assumptions that various captains, commanders, etc. were male, and having to change my mental view when I realized they were female. I hadn't realized how ingrained the authority figure = male assumption was in my subconscious until I was confronted with a situation where all the characters, major and minor, were female. I found this quite interesting -- why should my default gender be male? I guess I should start assuming everyone's a lesbian, and go from there. :)
I guess this is more of a thank-you fan letter than it is a question. :) I just stumbled across this page, and it seemed a convenient way to let you know how much I enjoyed your books. I'm recommending them to many of my friends, and eagerly await your next works!
Thanks for taking the time and trouble to send me your thoughts. I'm currently about a third of the way through my next book, and I'm a bit stuck. Since reading how much you're looking forward to it, though, I have been immensely cheered. In fact, I've been smiling all day.
I know what you mean about all those lesbian and gay characters who agonize about their sexuality. I subscribe to the Nike school of philosophy: Just Do It. If you sit around and fret about it, you're not getting on with your life. Which sounds rather simplistic, but I don't think it is. Plan, yes; think, yes; what-if to a certain extent; but then there is only one more thing to do, and that's to Just Do It. There's no other way. And who wants to *read* about that stuff, anyway?
Every now and again, someone will ask me the secret of being a writer, and I say: write. People look for the magic bullet (a no-diet, no-exercise way to lose weight; a no-study way to get a degree; a no-sweat way to become a black belt) but there isn't one. If you're a lesbian, go fall in love (or just have sex with, depending on your personality) a woman, and get on with enjoying your life. If you want to write a novel, start writing one. Today. If it's awful, write another. You can go to workshops, too, if you like, but if you don't write, you don't ever produce a novel.
It's interesting, what you said about default gender. I talked to a man at a party once who got really angry and told me he bought Ammonite and read it and felt that the publisher had ripped him off. "Why?" I asked. "Because they lied on the back cover! They deceived me. They didn't say there weren't any men in it!" So I pointed out that *he* was the one who had deceived himself. He had read the back cover blurb, which talked about 'the natives' and 'the Company' and 'them' and so on, and just *assumed* they were all men. He blinked at me, confused. So I asked, "Did you enjoy it?" and he said, "Well, yes. But that's not the point!" I, on the other hand, think it's the main point.
Okay. I'd like to ask a rather blunt question. Are you a lesbian? If so, is that why you write lesbian-themes stories & novels? If not, do you talk to lesbians to get things right?
Yes. I'm a lesbian, a dyke, a tribadist; I rub tummies with other girls, kiss them in dark corners and bright glades... Well, let me amend that. These days I only kiss one girl: Kelley. But, hey, I wasn't always so well behaved.
When I was four years old I was playing doctor with the girls next door. When I was five I declared I would never get married. (But then when I was thirty-two I did marry. I married another woman, Kelley, so I hope my five year-old self will forgive me.) If you really want to know, I've had sex with two men. It was okay, but nothing to write home about.
Why do I write "lesbian-themed stories and novels"? Well, I don't think I do. The protagonists are dykes, yes, but the themes are not lesbian. The themes (and perhaps I'm flattering myself--feel free to disagree) are universal. I'm trying to talk about what makes a person who they are; what it means to be alone; what it means to change utterly; how it might feel to discover you aren't who you thought you were. And so on. Yes, dykes go throught this, but so does everyone else. I don't make being a dyke an issue in my work: Lore and Marghe are dykes--but it's about as important to them as their hair colour in terms of the story line.
As for "getting it right" there are so many different kinds of dykes (as many different kinds as there are straights) that I don't think it's possible to "get it right." Someone will always stand up and say: Well I don't do that, therefore you're wrong! Tuh.
My turn to ask a question (and this may sound facetious but it's genuine; I really want to know): Would you ask, say, Lois McMaster Bujold if she was straight and, if not, whether she talked to straights to "get it right?"

I picked up the book Ammonite at the Readercon you attended in Massachusetts a few years back. I enjoyed it very much. In your bio at the back of the book it mentions you were a singer in a band called Janes Plane. My question is did you release any tapes or cd's and where can I find one. Have you sung at any recent SF conventions and do you still do any singing work in between writing your stories? I haven't read Slow River yet but will let you know what I think after I finish it. Thanks
The band never released any tapes or cd's (we had no money) but we did record one demo tape (which we never did anything with, because we had no money). And just as we started to get some notice--got invited to do a TV gig etc. etc.--our drummer left to work on a kid's television programme. We couldn't find another woman drummer. The band broke up. Then me and the guitarist wrote a bunch of songs and did a lot of acoustic stuff but I was horribly over-committed and something had to give. I'm ashamed to say it was the music. I look back now and I'm really not sure why it happened that way. I love to sing, I just...don't do it anymore. One of the reasons is that I don't have the stamina to perform at the moment. Performance is like sex: a whole body thing; all or nothing. And I need to Perform as opposed to just sing along with other people, or sing something at a party. I think this is because it *matters* so much to me that I can't bear to do it at less than one hundred percent. And, odd as it might sound, I'm shy. On stage is one thing; in front of just a few people is another. But I miss it. Sometimes I miss it quite a lot. Every now and again I wonder if I'll ever take it up again. Probably not.
I'll look forward to hearing what you think of Slow River when you're done.

Do you miss England?
Ah, yes. Often. I miss the beer and the chocolate and the television programmes. I miss my family and some old friends. I'll be going back there later this summer for three or four weeks to stay with my family in Leeds, Yorkshire. Kelley will join me after about ten days and we'll have a little holiday somewhere, go visit castles and abbeys, coasts and moors, pubs and twisty little streets.

Which writers are you nuts for? Not who influenced you, but whose new books do you get excited about when they come out?
I would go hungry for a day in order to afford in hardcover the next Aubrey/Maturin novel from Patrick O'Brian, if and when it ever comes out. I'd miss dinner for William Boyd, and one for Joanna Russ. I'd do without lunch for Barbara Kingsolver and Dick Francis and Pat Califia's essays. I'd give up an evening in the pub to read a new novel by Elizabeth Lynn if and when that ever happens, and if Theodore Sturgeon and Mary Renault were still alive, I'd happily do without a seven-course banquet just to read whatever they'd write down.
And food is very important to me.

Where can I find Kelley's books? I've looked everywhere.
She hasn't written a novel. Yet. Her short work can be found in CENTURY #1 ("Alien Jane," which was short-listed for a Nebula Award this year), PULPHOUSE--both the magazine ("Diamondback Road") and the hardcover anthology ("The Hum of Human Cities"), LITTLE DEATHS, ed. Ellen Datlow, ("And Salome Danced"), F&SF ("Strings"), and THE YEAR'S BEST LESBIAN EROTICA ("Salome" again). I know I'm biased, but her short work really is very, very good and worth seeking out. "And Salome Dance" was a runner up for the Tiptree Award, and Kelley won an Astrea award based partly on "Alien Jane".