- Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
I grew up in a
vast agricultural region and began writing punny science fiction stories with
green aliens in them around age seven. Some childhood faves were the Nancy Drew
mysteries, C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy, and L’Engle’s Time Trilogy, though I
read pretty much everything I could get my hands on, and I made up songs and
stories whenever my nose wasn’t stuck in a book. In my twenties, I wrote mostly
speculative fiction that explored gender roles and women’s lives--stuff I
thought nobody would publish because I had read so few speculative stories with
women as the main characters, so I shied away from submitting my work to publishers.
I wrote songs too, which I recorded and performed all over--probably in a
coffeehouse or at a festival near you!
The first major milestone in my
writing career occurred almost 15 years ago, when a friend convinced me to
enter the Writers of the Future international speculative fiction contest for
emerging writers. My novelette, The
Assignment of Runner ETI, won Third Place. That recognition boosted my
confidence enough that I then sent out my first novella, The Last Letter, to Aqueduct Press. They published it, and with two
pro sales under my belt, there was no stopping me! I set out to write a
novel--and another novella--both of which got published in the past year. The
novel, Transformation Junkies, is a
speculative, feminist adventure tale of two women on a quest for satisfaction
in their lives. The story also features a loser vampire, ancient gods,
precocious herding dogs, a touch of romance, and humour.
The novella, Lift-Off, is an inspiring and heart-warming pre-space adventure
novel with a bit of romance. It’s a fun ride--a lot like a rom-com--but in book
form, and it is set in the near future, so there are some quirky, futuristic
surprises for the reader. Also, the story is set in the three days leading up
to New Year’s Eve, so it’s a great winter holiday read, too.
Like most artists, I’ve had a lot of
day jobs over the years--teaching high school, at-risk teens, and ESL, editing
for magazines, editing audio for film and television, waitressing, and doing
admin in countless offices. Unfortunately, I was exposed to chemicals at one
such office almost ten years ago, and my life changed drastically. I got
chemical sensitivities and M.E., which--nutshell--means I have severe chronic
pain, cognitive issues, and energy limitations. In a matter of weeks I went
from being able to hike, workout, run long distance, sing and perform, to being
bed-ridden for months. So, that was a sea change, to say the least, and it has
taken me several years to learn to manage symptoms and adapt to a very
different life with M.E.
These days, I live a rather isolated
hermit-like existence due to my health issues, and I write very little now and
very slowly, but I still love writing and do it whenever I can. People still
dig my stories, too, and I’m really grateful about that.
What else can I tell you? I love to
laugh, I live in British Columbia, and I serve a Feline in perpetuity. Thanks
for joining me here--nice to meet you!
**Special Sale! Get Lift-Off for 35% off Dec 1st - 31st at DevineDestinies !!**
Thank you for hosting me as part of the blog tour for my novella Lift-Off! Best--Fiona Lehn
ReplyDelete