Kathryn Sullivan is well used to dealing with alien lifeforms, as she's owned by two birds (a cockatoo and a jenday). Her short stories have appeared in Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Dead Men Diaries (published by Big Finish) and print and e-zines such as Twilight Times, Anotherealm, Shadow Keep Zine, Fury, and Minnesota Fantasy Review. The Crystal Throne is her first bookm which has won the 2002 EPPIE award in Fantasy. Kathryn is Distance Learning Librarian at Winona State University in Winona, MN, where the bluffs surrounding the Mississippi River also double as alien landscapes and fantasy forests. Questions and Answers What are you currently working on? The sequel to The Crystal Throne, another young adult book set on a colony world, and a fantasy novel set in the same world as The Crystal Throne but several centuries earlier. Is there a book or story you wish you had written? Oh, the Harry Potter series :), Janet Kagan's Mirabile and her short story "The Nutcracker Coup". Is writing your full time occupation, if not what is? I'm the Distance Learning Librarian at a university library, where I work on the library's webpages to make certain our students have access to the databases and I also work at the Reference Desk helping students find information. What was your first professional sale? How did it feel when you received the acceptance? The first story I sold was in the 80's to a magazine that promptly folded a few months later, so the story was never published until years later by an online zine. I was delighted when I received the acceptance letter, but when the story didn't get published, I fell into the habit of never announcing sales until the story finally appeared in print (or electronic print). Who is your favourite author? I have many favorite authors--all depending on genre. For fantasy: Tolkien, of course, Tamora Pierce, Diana Wynne Jones, Patricia Wrede, just to name a few. For SF: James White, Lois McMaster Bujold, Janet Kagan, Eric Frank Russell, James Schmitz--again, just naming a few. If you could give one piece of advice to a would-be author, what would it be? Never give up. Don't stop writing just because you receive a few rejections, don't stop learning how to improve your skills and don't stop thinking of new ideas. When did you first decide that you wanted to be an author? When I was 14. It was summer, I had read all of my Dad's collection of science fiction and fantasy, and for some reason I decided I could write a story too. I've been writing ever since. When did you first feel that you were an author? When I saw my first story in print. Are you for or against e-books? Definitely for, since The Crystal Throne is an ebook. I've got an ebook reader, and it's so convenient for trips to load several books into that reader. I've found quite a number of great books by writers that the print publishers are overlooking. Are you a music fan? If so, what? New Age SF, Skiffy or Sci-Fi? What is the correct shortening of Science Fiction and does it matter? I've used SF for science fiction and Sci-Fi for media 'science fiction', which seems to be more science fantasy. I've heard Skiffy used, but haven't gotten used to that term. Do you have a favourite place to write? Most of my writing is done in an upstairs room so my birds think I'm out of the house. :) Why do you like SF/F/H? I think with sf and fantasy that there's so many possibilities. What book are you reading at the moment? Tamora Pierce's Street Magic Is there anything else that can be done with Alien Invasion, Time Travel or Robots? Oh yes. Doctor Who has been able to handle all of those themes in several different ways. Hollywood, on the other hand... Do you prefer writing about the near future or the far distant future? Far distant future has a lot more possibilities, but a number of my short stories are set in the near future. As a reader do you prefer Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror? Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Story, Single Novel or Novel Series - which do you think is the best medium for Science Fiction? I've seen science fiction handled well in all of the above. Do you have a scientific background? Anthropology Do you get inspiration from recent scientific discoveries and theories? Definitely. I have a link to the Astronomy Picture of the Day website and another to an Anthropological news website. I've gotten a number of stories spun off of news stories, for one, "The Monster and the Archaeologists" in the short story collection put out by Big Finish, Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Dead Men Diaries. What are your thoughts on writing for shared world series such as Dragonlance and Star Trek? I've written one story (see above) in the Benny series. In some ways it's easier because the characters and worlds are already established, but in other ways it's also harder *because* the characters and worlds are already set up and you have to keep the characters true to themselves. Do you enjoy collaborating? I've collaborated on a few stories and it can be fun. Do You Always know a Story's Ending When You Begin Writing? No. Sometimes the ending surprises me. Why do you think SF gets a bad press? I don't think it's just SF. Genres in general get bad press. I've talked to writers of romances, westerns, mysteries, and they all seem to have similar problems of having their works recognized as 'legitimate'. What's the most memorable thing said in a review of your work? That the reviewer would love "to see this story on the big screen sharing the limelight with Willow and The Dark Crystal." Have you won any awards for your writing? The Crystal Throne won the 2002 EPPIE award for Fantasy. It tied with another wonderful fantasy, 'Winter's Orphans'. Plug away - what do you have coming out? Agents & Adepts will be out later this year from RFI West. It's a collection of fantasy and science fiction short stories. Many Thanks, Kathy! Relevant Links Kathryn Sullivan Main Bibliography Kathryn Sullivan's Website Amber Quill Press