There aren't many genre writers in Ohio. For some odd reason it seems to be a place people come from but not a place where creative people end up. Yet there are a small contingent of really great science fiction writers in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus, and Paul is one of the Columbus crew. Paul's website is at http://www.sff.net/people/melko/ and he's had stories in Asimov's, Realms of Fantasy, Strange Horizons, as well as in the Year's Best SF. 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 Paul Melko, really? My dad. I'm the second in a long line of Paul J. Melkos. I grew up known as Peej. So who is Peej, really? I am a husband, father, writer, and engineer, in that order. And I do worry about the order. I recently moved writer ahead of engineer, because I felt I had reached a milestone in my writing career. I could take pride finally in calling myself a writer. Before then, I might mumble something about writing, almost as if it was an embarrassment. Oh, and sometimes I'm a gardener. Why write? Videogames and TV are much more fun, aren't they? I write when my fingers have cramped up from too much Rocket Mania and TV is showing nothing but Law & Order reruns. Oh. You want a serious answer. Well, writing is an act of creation, the solidification of imagination into a concrete article of entertainment. Frankly, there's no better kick than that. I haven't tried drugs, so it may not be better than heroin. But at least writing is legal, usually. Why genre? I'm devoted to this genre because it was so important to me as a teen. I wouldn't have become a writer without first being a devoted reader of the SF genre. Nor would I have become an engineer if it wasn't for SF. It's made me what I am today, for better or for worse. If you had to do it all over again, what would you do? The time stream is too fickle to be messing with. The one time I tried it, I ended up dating my grandmother in Poland in 1910, and frankly, I needed some severe therapy after that. What warps your writing the most? My own feelings of alienation as a child, my desire to build a logical, moral universe, and my need to resonate with a hero of my own creation. Do you have a favorite place to write? My mind, in the shower. The second most likely place is while driving or walking. I'm not just spacing out, I explain often to my wife; I'm working. I travel a lot, so the actual physical location doesn't matter too much to me. What's the most challenging aspect of writing? Patience. The only instant gratification in writing is the burst of joy from the act of creation. After that, it's all about waiting: waiting for editors, waiting for the contract, waiting for publication, waiting for reviews, waiting for emails from readers, waiting for the next contract, waiting for lunch. The waiting never ends, and, frankly, I don't like it one bit. What's the most whacked-out thing said in a review of your work? I don't clip reviews. I love to do ego searches (and who doesn't?), but none of that stays with me beyond the momentary reaction of joy, sadness, or neutrality. I'm interested in what other people say about me, but it has no lasting impact on what I'm writing. Okay, you're going to get marooned on an island by a bunch of angry editors, what one book do you take and why? I don't venerate any one book, though you wouldn't be able to tell that by the shelves of them in my basement. So it would be the Complete Book of Outdoor Lore and Woodcraft so that I could survive. Starship Troopers isn't going to tell you how to tan leather with urine, now is it? 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? I find the idea abhorrent. I'm too prideful in my own work to want to claim anyone else's as my own. When I interview you again in 10 years, what will you hope to be talking to us about? My daughter will be 17, my son will be 15. Undoubtedly I will be talking about them, since that's what I usually talk about now. I'm rather proud of them, have I mentioned that yet? What are your current plans for literary world domination? It's a three-pronged approach. Adult SF and fantasy novels, combined with a children's series about a fastidious dragon, and a middle- grade, near future series focusing on nano-tech and ocean-living. That way I have every age group covered when the mind control devices in the spines start broadcasting. Last, but not least, if zombies were spreading throughout the land by infectious bite what would be your 5 point response? I think a few reported incidents of brain-sucking and limb-rending have been distorted by the press. Zombies can make great neighbors, not that you should go over for a cookout or anything, but a wave on the way home from work is fine. Even if the cookout is vegetarian, because you never know if they are serving non-meat food or actual vegetarians. So it's best just to keep your distance, not that I'm prejudiced or anything. Some of my, well, one of my friends is a zombie. Really he's just a co-worker, and I only see him at the annual picnic. And when I say my daughter can't marry one, I'm really just saying that because of the kids. I mean half-breed zombies have no chance in this world; the cards are stacked against them. So I don't have a problem with zombies. My five point response to zombies is Understanding, Acceptance, Vaccination, Communication, Love, and Distance. All right, that's a six point plan. But with zombies you need six points. For vampires, I have a four point plan, and one of those points is a stake through the heart. Just like my plan for bunnies. But then we would all get along fine if they would just stay out of my garden. Relevant Links Paul Melko Website Tobias S. Buckell's Main Listing Tobias S. Buckell Website