Tobias S. Buckell is a Caribbean-born speculative fiction writer who grew up in Grenada, the British Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He now lives in Ohio. He has published stories in various magazines and anthologies. He is a Clarion graduate, Writers of The Future winner, and Campbell Award for Best New SF Writer Finalist. His work has received Honorable Mentions in the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror and Year's Best Science Fiction. Questions and Answers Who is Daniel Abraham, really? A simple man in complex times. It says so right on the blog. Why write? Videogames and TV are much more fun, aren't they? No, not really. I've spent whole evenings writing and I've spent whole evenings playing Tomb Raider. When I'm done writing, I feel sharper and happier and more alive, and even if I'm exhausted, I have trouble getting to sleep. When I'm done playing video games, I feel sapped and vaguely depressed. I write because it's more fun than almost anything I can do that isn't writing. Why genre? No, not really. I've spent whole evenings writing and I've spent whole evenings playing Tomb Raider. When I'm done writing, I feel sharper and happier and more alive, and even if I'm exhausted, I have trouble getting to sleep. When I'm done playing video games, I feel sapped and vaguely depressed. I write because it's more fun than almost anything I can do that isn't writing. So many pigeon holes. So little time. . . If you had to do it all over again, what would you do? Not date a couple of folks I dated this time out. Take anatomy & physiology when I was still an undergrad. Um. . . yeah, that's all. What warps your writing the most? The fear that I've already used this sentence earlier in the story. Do you have a favorite place to write? The red couch in the living room. What's the most challenging aspect of writing? The certain knowledge that I can never know whether my work is any good. See: http://www.livejournal.com/users/bram452/5334.html What's the most whacked-out thing said in a review of your work? Hrm. Dunno. I'll tell you the best critique I ever got, though. It was for a story called As Sweet. In the first draft some of the emotional resonances of the main character (a woman who was contemplating an affair) weren't quite working. I was in a workshop at the time with Sean Stewart. Sean read the story, and in critique explained what the problem was with the story, what psychological hangup it reflected in me, how to get my head right, and how that would fix the story. He was dead right too. Okay, you're going to get marooned on an island by a bunch of angry editors, what one book do you take and why? The Plague, by Camus. It's my comfort reading, and will serve to remind me of the advantages of living on a desert island. Is there a book or story you wish you could go back in time and kill the author of so you could submit their manuscript as your own? Everything Ted Chiang ever wrote. Possibly including the C# manuals. When I interview you again in 10 years, what will you hope to be talking to us about? How difficult it is to balance writing and an intellectually stimulating day job. What are your current plans for literary world domination? Diversification. I have a fantasy series I'm working on, a couple mystery/thriller ideas, and I have this instinct about humor. . . Last, but not least, if zombies were spreading throughout the land by infectious bite what would be your 5 point response? 1 — Shit 2 — Oh holy shit. 3 — And yet, also nifty. 4 — Leave town for a small roadsde shack in northern New Mexico with as much food water and shotgun ammunition as the wife & I could fit in the car. And a copy of Camus' The Plague 5 — Coordinating other survivors in the mass production of Listerine. If it's an infectious agent, a good antiseptic seems a fine place to start. Failing that, autoclaves disguised as pubs. Many Thanks, Allan! Relevant Links Daniel Abraham Website Tobias S. Buckell's Main Listing Tobias S. Buckell Website