MenuAs we close in on February 19th, the first day of Boskone, we bring you another mini interview packed with fun answers by three exciting authors. Help us welcome Jeanne Cavelos, John Langan, and Melanie Meadors.
Jeanne Cavelos
Jeanne Cavelos began her professional life as an astrophysicist working at NASA. After earning her MFA in creative writing, she moved into a career in publishing, becoming a senior editor at Bantam Doubleday Dell, where she edited award-winning science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels and won the World Fantasy Award. Jeanne left New York to pursue her own writing career and find a more in-depth way of working with writers. She is the author of two science books, The Science of the X-Files and The Science of Star Wars, and four novels, including the best-selling The Passing of the Techno-Mages trilogy. Her writing has twice been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. Jeanne is currently working on a near-future science thriller, Fatal Spiral. Jeanne founded and serves as director of the Odyssey Writing Workshops Charitable Trust, a 501(C)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping writers of fantasy, SF, and horror improve their work (odysseyworkshop.org). Odyssey holds an annual six-week summer workshop in New Hampshire. Guest lecturers include some of the top writers in the field. Odyssey also offers online classes, critiques, and numerous free resources for writers. She has been nominated for a World Fantasy Award for her work at Odyssey. Check out her website or find her on Facebook.
What are you looking forward to at Boskone?
It’s wonderful to spend time with friends, many of whom I only get the chance to see once a year, at Boskone. I’m looking forward to the crazy fun that spontaneously erupts when I’m with so many creative people who love the same things I love. I’m hoping for some of the great insights I’ve had listening to panelists at previous Boskones.
What are you working on now? What excites or challenges you about this project?
I’m currently writing a science thriller set in the near future called Fatal Spiral. It’s about cloning and genetic modification, but mainly about how our genes influence our personalities, emotions, and behaviors. Many things excite me about the novel, but I suppose I’m most excited by the chance to explore how much we can transcend nature and nurture–genes and environment–through will, and if will is truly something separate from genes and environment, where does this “will” come from?
As for challenges, never write a novel set in the near future—especially if you’re a slow writer. Technology has changed so much in the time I’ve been writing this book, I’ve had to upgrade my technology three times. The cool things I invent keep getting stolen from my head and produced by various companies. I’ve now taken the precaution of writing with a foil hat to protect my thoughts.
How would you describe your work to people who might be unfamiliar with you?
I tend to create characters who are very screwed up and struggling with a bad situation. They often suffer, and often die. At the same time, I try to build suspenseful plots that take some unexpected turns and keep readers worrying and guessing until the end. Hopefully there’s some intense emotion and some cool science, too.
What is your favorite Star Wars memory, scene, or line? What is it that that memory, scene or line that continues to stick with you today?
The moment that is burned permanently in my memory is of sitting in a theater at age 17 when the original movie came out and seeing that opening shot, of Princess Leia’s small ship being pursued by a Star Destroyer. At that time, no movie spaceship had ever looked as large as that Star Destroyer, and as it passed before the camera, gradually revealing its huge dimensions, I was so struck by awe and wonder that I couldn’t breathe. I wrote about this major moment in my life in the introduction to my book, The Science of Star Wars. Writing that book was a wonderful way to combine my love for science with my love for science fiction, and to explore areas like planets, aliens, robots, spaceships, weapons, and the Force, and see how those things we love in Star Wars might someday be reality.
John Langan
John Langan is the author of three collections: Sefira and Other Betrayals (Hippocampus 2016), The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies (Hippocampus 2013), and Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters (Prime 2008). He has written a novel, House of Windows (Night Shade 2009). With Paul Tremblay, he co-edited Creatures: Thirty Years of Monsters (Prime 2011). One of the founders of the Shirley Jackson Award, he lives in upstate New York with his wife and younger son. Check out his website or find him on Twitter or Facebook.
What are you looking forward to at Boskone?
As ever, I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and to making new ones. This year, I’m also looking forward to the debut of Erin Underwood’s The Grimm Future anthology, in which I have a new story.
What event or experience stands out as one of those ‘defining moments’ that shaped who you are today?
Reading Stephen King’s Christine during my freshman year of high school was one of the pivotal experiences in my life. Before that book, I had been thinking I wanted to go into comics; after it, I knew this was what I wanted to do.
What are you working on now? What excites or challenges you about this project?
I’m completing stories for a variety of anthologies devoted to some truly strange subjects. There’s also a novel I’m supposed to get back to. The challenge and excitement lies in writing something that doesn’t repeat what I’ve done before, in continuing to move in new directions.
From a fan perspective, what new book, film, TV show, or comic are you most looking forward to seeing/reading?
I’m looking forward to all kinds of things. The tops are probably Laird Barron’s next collection, Paul Tremblay’s new novel, and Livia Llewellyn’s next collection.
How would you describe your work to people who might be unfamiliar with you?
I continue to derive a lot of inspiration from King and Peter Straub’s fiction, so I’m happy to describe myself as working in that tradition. I love monsters.
What is your favorite Star Wars memory, scene, or line? What is it about that memory, scene or line that continues to stick with you today?
Han Solo steering the Millennium Falcon directly into the asteroid field in The Empire Strikes Back. Nothing encapsulates the sheer bravado of the character for me like that gesture.
Melanie Meadors
A writer of speculative fiction and lover of geeky things, Melanie R. Meadors lives in a one hundred-year-old New England house full of quirks and surprises. She’s been known to befriend wandering garden gnomes, do battle with metal-eating squirrels, and has been called a superhero on on more than one occasion. Melanie is the Publicity Coordinator at Ragnarok Publications and also a core contributor to the GeekMom website. Her story, “A Whole-Hearted Halfling” will be included in the upcoming Champions of Aetaltis anthology, early 2016. Find her on Twitter or Facebook.
What is it that you enjoy most about Boskone?
I love attending Boskone because it’s the perfect size. It’s large enough to feature excellent programming from some of the top people in the speculative fiction industry. There are panels at Boskone that aren’t available elsewhere, but there are also those that stay on top of what’s hot in the genre. There are panels that are fun, and then those that make attendees think. There is truly something for everyone. At the same time, Boskone is small enough to maintain a more intimate atmosphere. If you come in order to meet someone, you’ll have no problem seeking them out. Everyone seems to be relaxed and approachable, instead of always running around through crowds, late. There are also plenty of opportunities for people to get together built right into the programming.
What are you working on now? What excites or challenges you about this project?
Right now I’m finishing up a young adult novel that has been haunting my brain for a couple years now. For me, the challenge I always face with a writing project is not allowing my day job as an author publicist/marketing guru influence my creativity. It’s very easy for me to let marketing thoughts invade my creative space. “That will never sell!” “How would that be categorized?” I’ve had to learn to silence that part of my mind while I write, because otherwise self-doubt becomes crippling. My new novel is basically something I would have wanted to read when I was a teen, science fiction with a fantasy aspect to it, and I hope readers enjoy it!
What event or experience stands out as one of those ‘defining moments’ that shaped who you are today?
This sounds a bit odd, and I swear I wasn’t on drugs, but in college, I had a double major in physics and astronomy. One night in Flagstaff, AZ, I was walking from one side of the NAU campus to the other, and was admiring the stars as I usually did. Since Flagstaff is an astronomy city, with Lowell Observatory there as well as the campus observatory, the street lights etc are designed to keep light pollution at a minimum, so the stars are quite amazing there (for being in a city). Suddenly I had this weird moment where I could feel just how big things were, and how very small the section I could see (which is huge relative to a single person!) was. Everything I had learned in advanced physics came together, and the numbers I had been staring at for so long suddenly represented something real rather than being abstract, and I can’t ever remember feeling such awe (and a little fear) at how much we don’t know about the world we live in, at how much we will NEVER know. But it’s not just scary how little we know or how small we are. After my moment of strange panic, I actually felt comforted. How small my problems were compared to how big the universe is! Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I try to bring my mind back to that moment. Why am I worried about such trivial things? The world will still be here long after I am gone. This influences my writing as well. The interesting thing about fantasy, to me, is making it plausible. Making it all make sense, because in our universe, there are infinite possibilities. Perhaps somewhere, on some other planet in some other galaxy, a place like Middle Earth actually exists. Maybe there are dragons. We are only limited by our imaginations, yet how much reality is out there that goes beyond our imaginations? The world is a strange and amazing place.
Boskone is only a couple of weeks away, which gives you just enough time to check out the newly posted 
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Walter H. Hunt is a science fiction and historical fiction writer. His first four military sf books, originally published by Tor and now in the Baen e-library, were set in the “Dark Wing” universe; his 2008 novel, A Song In Stone, concerns the mysteries of the Templars and Rosslyn Chapel; his 2014 novel, Elements of Mind, (edited by Guest of Awesome Vikki Ciaffone) is about mesmerism in the Victorian era; and his first novel in the world of 1632, 1636: The Cardinal Virtues, has just been published by Baen. He is an active Freemason and baseball fan, and lives in Massachusetts with his wife and daughter. Check out his 
How would you describe your work to people who might be unfamiliar with you?
Sarah Smith’s first YA, The Other Side of Dark (ghosts, interracial romance, and a secret from slavery times) won the Agatha for best YA mystery and the Massachusetts Book Award. She has also written Chasing Shakespeares, The Vanished Child and The Knowledge of Water (both New York Times Notable Books), A Citizen of the Country, and horror, SF, and hypertext short stories. “A Dog in the Weather” appears in the NESFA Press book Conspiracies (ed. Tom Easton and Judith K. Dial). Chasing Shakespeares has been made into a play, and The Vanished Child is being made into a musical. She finally finished the Titanic book and all the Reisden/Perdita books are now going to be published as eBooks as well. What has she learned in the last year? Doing eBooks takes longer than you think. Especially the cover. Check out her 
I saw A New Hope first, when it was the only Star Wars, so I’m all about the Mos Eisley Cantina. But I have a special feeling about the first scenes of Luke Skywalker, where he’s still at his aunt and uncle’s moisture farm. He’s just a farmhand, but he has a cool flying car, and he finds droids and fights Tusken Raiders and meets a Jedi Knight and and—The film starts at such a high pitch, you know it’s only going to get better from there. And it does.
Right now the big project I am working on is the new Honorverse companion book, House of Lies, which is being authored by David Weber and BuNine, David’s analytic visualization team. This is the second book in the series, following House of Steel: The Honorverse Companion in 2013. This book will be an in-depth background look at the (People’s) Republic of Haven and the Andermani Empire, with a few short stories from David to boot. It’s a great opportunity for me and my BuNine colleagues to help define and expand the Honorverse.
Boskone 53, February 19-21, 2016, held at Boston’s Westin Waterfront Hotel, is the longest running science fiction convention in New England. Featured guests are Guest of Honor, author Garth Nix, Official Artist, Richard Anderston, Special Guests Arnie and Cathy Fenner, and NESFA Press Guest Bob Eggleton.
Our exhibit features 70 pieces that have appeared in Spectrum from the beginning through the last issue the Fenners edited. The exhibit is sourced from both artists and collectors, who have enthusiastically contributed both paintings and 3D pieces.
In addition, we expect a number of artists represented in the exhibit to be in attendance at Boskone, including Rick Berry, Kristina Carroll, Scott Grimando, Stephen Hickman, Ingrid Kallick, Tom Kidd, Gary Lippincott, Omar Rayyan, Ruth Sanderson, David Seeley, and of course Boskone Official Artist Richard Anderson and NESFA Press Guest Bob Eggleton,.
Registration Rates (good through January 19th):
Dana Cameron’s fiction is inspired by her career as an archaeologist. In addition to the six Emma Fielding mystery novels and her “Fangborn” urban fantasy novels, Dana’s short fiction covers the spectrum, including mystery, historical, noir, thriller, SF/F, Sherlockian pastiche, and horror. The latest novel in the Fangborn series, HELLBENDER (47North, 2015), combines archaeology with werewolves, vampires, and oracles. Her work has won multiple Anthony, Agatha, and Macavity Awards, and has been nominated for the prestigious Edgar Award. Dana lives in Beverly, Massachusetts. Check out her 
I’m working on a whole flock of things! My second Sherlockian pastiche will be published next year in 
Brendan DuBois of New Hampshire is the award-winning author of eighteen novels and more than 150 short stories. His first true science fiction novel, “Dark Victory,” was published in January 2016 by Baen Books, and he’s currently working on its sequel. His short fiction has appeared in Playboy, Analog, Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and numerous anthologies including “The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century,” published in 2000, as well as the “The Best American Noir of the Century,” published in 2010. Two of his short stories have appeared in Gardner Dozois’ “The Year’s Best Science Fiction” anthologies. His novel, “Resurrection Day,” won the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History Novel of the Year. His stories have twice won him the Shamus Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and have also earned him three Edgar Allan Poe Award nominations from the Mystery Writers of America. He is also a “Jeopardy!” gameshow champion. Visit his 
What are you working on now? What excites or challenges you about this project?
Right now, I’m working on the fourth book in the Caine Riordan/Terran Republic series, Caine’s Mutiny. I am excited by this project because it is actually a much more focused story-line than the first three in the series. I enjoyed the sweep of the earlier books, particularly Trial By Fire (#2) and Raising Caine (#3), but right now I’m ready for something a little different. The largest challenge is to keep the Big Idea hard SF mood of the third book fresh and strong in the dramatic pith of this new novel. Big Idea SF usually flies best on a big canvas. This is going to have a lot less room to turn, so to speak—but I am actually looking forward to working with that.
Boskone is once again holding a book party on Saturday night during the convention to give our authors and publishers the opportunity to show off their newly released titles.
E.J. Stevens is the author of fourteen works of speculative fiction, including the Spirit Guide young adult paranormal romance series, the Hunters’ Guild urban fantasy series, and the award-winning Ivy Granger urban fantasy series. She is known for filling pages with quirky characters, bloodsucking vampires, psychotic faeries, and snarky, kick-butt heroines. Visit her on her 
I’m currently working on Hound’s Bite, the fifth full-length novel in the award-winning Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective urban fantasy series.
My favorite Star Wars scene is when Han is about to be frozen in carbonite. Leia blurts out, “I love you” and Han replies, “I know.”
Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Errick A. Nunnally served one tour in the Marine Corps before deciding art school would be a safer—and more natural—pursuit. He strives to develop his strengths in storytelling and remains permanently distracted by art, comics, science fiction, history, and horror. Trained as a graphic designer, he has earned a black belt in Krav Maga with Muay Thai kickboxing after dark. Errick’s successes include: the novel, Blood For The Sun; a comic strip collection, Lost in Transition; and first prize in one hamburger contest. The following are short stories and their respective anthologies: Lycanthrobastards (Wicked Seasons); Harold At The Halfcourt (Inner Demons Out); Legion (Doorways to Extra Time); The Last Apology (A Dark World of Spirits and The Fey); You Call This An Apocalypse? (After The Fall); Recovery (Winter Animals: stories to benefit PROTECT.ORG); PROTECTORS 2 (stories to benefit PROTECT.ORG) and The Elevation of Oliver Black (Distant Dying Ember). He also has two lovely children and one beautiful wife. Visit him on his 
What are you looking forward to at Boskone?
In the intervening years, I became a Star Wars “truther.” Han Solo shot first and Lucas’ tinkering with the character’s continuity and other aspects of Star Wars was an atrocity!
N.A. Ratnayake is a former NASA engineer turned science teacher and science fiction writer. His short story “Remembering Turinam” received an honorable mention in Gardner Dozois’s The Year’s Best Science Fiction, Thirty First Edition. His new novel, Red Soil Through Our Fingers, explores human rights in a future of corporate expansion and colonization of space.
My new novel, Red Soil Through Our Fingers, was recently released in January. The book is the first in a series, so I’m now working on laying out the two books that will follow it.
When we were little, my brother and I used to enjoy impersonating all of the characters and improvising our own new (hilarious) plot lines, in the vein of what Robot Chicken has done now. So I have lots of good brotherly memories of the two of us being silly.
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