PAC Interview: Wendy Metcalfe
ThePortsmouth Authors Collective includes authors from all genres of fiction and non-fiction
books, including a number of Science Fiction/Fantasy authors. This week, I am
pleased to be interviewing the first of these SSF authors, Wendy Metcalfe, a
prolific short story writer, and the author of the novels Panthera: Death Song and Panthera: Death Spiral.
Author’s
Bio: Wendy Metcalfe is a science fiction and fantasy writer. She has an MA in
Creative Writing from the University of Portsmouth, and is Chairwoman of Havant
and District Writers' Circle. She regularly performs her work with spoken word
group T'Articulation, and is a regular panellist at science fiction
conventions.
~
I’m
interested in how people first came to writing, and I believe you used to
practice Law—is that right? Did you always write on the side, or did the
writing come later?
Wendy: I qualified as a Solicitor back in
1980, and worked in the profession for a dozen years. I became what Julia
Cameron in her book The Artist's Way calls a shadow artist. I chose a
profession which used words, but I always wanted to be a writer. I always took
my lunch break to sneak off and write somewhere, and often I'd arrive at work
very early and write in an early-opening café before going in to work. Writing
kept me sane through a series of jobs I didn't enjoy.
Loree: Science Fiction has been a major
cultural influence for the past couple of hundred years. What first attracted
you to the genre?
Wendy: I
was introduced to science fiction by my ex-husband back in the late 1970s. I
have Lambeth Library in London to thank for discovering that women write
science fiction too. When I worked for the Greater London Council I would get
six books a week out of that library to read on my commute. It was discovering
authors like Anne McCaffrey, C.J. Cherryh, and Ursula le Guin there which told
me that women did have a place in the genre. Today most of my favourite authors
are female. Their works cover feminist issues, gay and minority rights, and
environmental issues. Those authors have told me I do have a place in the
genre.
Loree: Yes, it’s odd that Science Fiction
has this reputation for being a sort of boys’ club, but it’s good to see the
diversity there, too. What have your favourite authors taught you about world
building and story-telling?
Wendy: Where to start? I don't generally
like military science fiction, but Elizabeth Moon's Serrano Legacy
and Vatta's War and Vatta's Peace I love because
they show how the military serves civilians. C.J. Cherryh blew me away
with her Chanur books. The first book, published back in 1981,
has the most details descriptions of how to operate an interstellar starship
I've ever read. And the stories are told from an alien viewpoint.
One recent
favourite is Becky Chambers. Her characters are the most gloriously
multi-cultural misfit starship crews you'll ever find. Arkady Martine's
books about the sprawling Teixcalaani Empire I also love. I'm not usually a fan
of empires, but these stories are told from the viewpoint of an outsider
diplomat and are rich in detail.
Nnedi Okorafor is an
author of Nigerian heritage, and her books draw on her Himba heritage to
provide a rich cultural backdrop for her stories.
Gareth L Powell's Embers
of War trilogy had me falling in love with a smart and sassy sentient
starship, and Martha Wells' Murderbot diaries, the
first-person stories of a half-human half-robot construct, are the most human
portrait of a person you will ever meet.
Loree: Science Fiction and Fantasy have
become tied together in recent years, but aren’t they two different genres? Any
thoughts on that, from an insider’s point of view?
Wendy: There are still purists who like to
keep science fiction and fantasy separate, but these days all sorts of mash-ups
can be found under the title of speculative fiction. I've just written a story
about a dragon starship navigator for an anthology which wanted dragons in
unusual settings. A second story I wrote was about a strange throne. Does it
have magical powers, or is it an alien artefact? My characters can't decide. That's
how the lines get blurred these days.
Loree: You’ve published two books—Panthera:
Death Spiral and Panthera: Death Song. Can you give us a
glimpse into the Panthera world?
Wendy: The Panthera books combine two of my
big loves—big cats and sentient artificial intelligences.
Panthera is
a sentient artificial intelligence in cat form, and he's on the run, avoiding
the fate of being turned into a military weapon. The other main character is
Ren, a wildlife conservationist. In a way she's on the run too, relocating a
litter of endangered kingcat cubs across the galaxy to keep them safe.
The books
gave me a chance to talk about issues relating to the destruction of the
natural world and the exploitation of other creatures for human greed.
Loree: I find that I frequently return to
the same themes in my writing, not always by intention. Are there particular
themes or ideas that haunt your writing?
Wendy: I keep coming back to writing
characters who are defending isolated unspoiled worlds. The current novel I'm
editing is about wildlife vets in space who relocate and heal endangered
animals. Themes of habitat destruction and human overpopulation feature in most
of my work.
More
recently I've started to out my characters as childfree by choice aromantic
asexuals. They'd always been that way, but now I'm using their identities to
explore those issues, too.
Loree: I know you sometimes write in
cafes—something I find hard to do. Is that your preferred writing space? How do
you cope with the distractions?
Wendy: Cafes are one of my preferred writing
spaces. I write the first drafts of everything longhand, so writing with a
cappuccino to hand is part of my daily routine. My favourite café has wing
chairs in a large window, and I'll sit there and write all morning if the ideas
are flowing.
I can cope
with the normal level of background conversation just fine, but very loud
people or screaming children have me heading swiftly for the door.
Loree: You’re the chairperson of the Havantand District Writers’ Circle. How does belonging to a writing group help with
your own projects?
Wendy: I've been part of Havant Writers on
and off for over thirty years now. I was a member for many years as a youngish
but clueless writer. Over the years I've been Secretary, Treasurer, and now I'm
Chairwoman of the group.
I've been in
many writing groups over the years, and Havant Writers stand out as a special
group. Writer Charlie Cochrane described the group as 'scarily good'. We have
regular manuscript evenings where I get honest and detailed feedback on my work
from people whose opinions I trust. If they're telling me that something is
confusing, then I need to fix it.
Loree: What’s your writing process like? Do
you write every day? Do you have multiple projects on the go at the same time?
Wendy: I don’t have a day job, and I write
on every normal day. During lockdown I reorganised my workroom and cleared off
a desk just for writing. I wake early so I'm often at my desk at 5.30 a.m. with
a cup of Earl Grey tea. If I'm working on a new project I'll write for a couple
of hours, then go out to a coffee shop and write for another hour or so.
I put the
chapters I'm working on into a plastic wallet with my notebook. I also always
have another wallet which contains my character table, copies of any maps I've
made, starship plans, and any other details I need. I've just finished writing
a fantasy novella for which I needed to have the times of watches aboard square
riggers with me.
After lunch
I'll fire up the laptop and type up my handwritten drafts, which functions as
the first edit. I may do more writing in the afternoon, or not, depending on my
diary.
I'm often
editing one piece and writing a new manuscript at the same time. They're
different disciplines, and I find it helps my concentration to switch from one
to the other.
Loree: What’s been the most challenging part of the writing journey for you? Have you had any particular surprises along the way?
Wendy: The most challenging part of the
journey has been around trying to get published. Trying to persuade someone to
buy my work is a hell which regularly challenges my self-esteem and triggers
Imposter Syndrome.
The biggest
surprise has been how welcoming the community of science fiction and fantasy
writers has been. I've made several Twitter friendships which have led to
in-person meetings later at a convention.
Loree: Can tell us about any of your
current projects?
Wendy: I've just finished writing a fantasy
novella featuring sailing dwarves. That's about to go off to a beta reader. I'm
now plotting out a second series of novellas, and I have the first draft of the
new novel I wrote last year to edit.
Loree: It’s been a really fascinating talk,
Wendy. Thank you so much for joining me.
Find Out More About Wendy
Loree Westron is the author of Missing Words. She has an MA and a PhD in Creative Writing, and is the founder of the Portsmouth Authors Collective.
Comments