An Interview With Ian Benke
A good sense of humor and the absurd. Like the masters Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and Robert Sheckley who use humor and satire to make their novels both compelling and entertaining.
Science Fiction and Fantasy are hugely popular genres. What does it take for a writer today, to write compelling and successful Science Fiction and Fantasy stories? Authority Magazine started a new series called “How To Write Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories”. In this series we are talking to anyone who is a Science Fiction or Fantasy author, or an authority or expert on how to write compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy.
As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Asya Semenovich.
Asya Semenovich was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 1967 and came to the USA in 1992 for graduate studies. After obtaining her Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1996, she pursued a career in financial technology, working as a senior executive on Wall Street for many years. Following her life-long passion for literature, she decided to leave her full-time position in the industry to work on her writing. In January 2022, her first book Fire of The Dark Triad was nominated for the prestigious BSFA (the British Science Fiction Association) award for best novel of 2021. Asya lives in New York City with her husband, daughter, and Niko, her standard poodle.
Asya’s website is https://darktriadbooks.com
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share a story about what first drew you to writing over other forms of storytelling?
My choice of writing as a form of storytelling is a reflection of my passion for freedom, and, in particular, freedom of self-expression. As a writer you are free in the truest sense of the word, free inside your head to write whatever you want. All you need is a pen, a piece of paper and imagination.
As a high school student that was inspired by the works of Coppola, Tarkovsky, Ridley Scott and other brilliant directors, I fantasized about becoming a movie maker. But when I started looking into the logistics of this form of storytelling, I realized that being a movie or a theater director makes you deal with a lot of constraints in order to tell your story: the need to secure a budget, the necessity to go with a studio program, the reliance on actors. You need a box office success to continue creating your art. You are limited by the available technology.
When you are writing a book there are no limitations. If you have the courage to follow your heart, your imagination can run completely free.
The lust for freedom is one of the most prominent themes in my writing. It propels the stories and drives the actions of my characters, who go to great lengths to achieve it.
You are a successful author. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
The trait that helped me the most was my obsession with the writing process. When I was working on my first novel, I had a full-time job in an investment bank. I used to get up at 4am every morning and rush to my computer to put in 3–4 hours of writing before the day started. My hands shook in anticipation as I typed and became immersed in the alternative reality of my story. I eventually had to quit my full-time job because it was slowing me down too much, and stole precious hours that I could spend writing.
The hours that I spend writing are the only hours of the day that really matter to me. Unless I’m sick, I never take a day off.
The second trait that plays a major role is my life strategy, to live in the present with optimism, and to concentrate on only thing at time. Thinking too far ahead can often force one to focus on obstacles, not solutions. It can mentally paralyze you and stop you in your tracks. When I started writing Fire of the Dark Triad, I had no clue what I would do with a novel once it was finished. I didn’t think about the publication. All I knew was that I had to complete the work. I told myself that I would start thinking about the next steps after I was done. It helped tremendously.
The third critically important trait for me and I think for any writer is curiosity. A writer has to be open to all aspects of life that might serve to inspire their writing. Once I learned about the Dark Triad — a psychological condition, that comprises the personality traits of narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy — I became fascinated by the idea. I started pouring over academic books and scientific articles to find out more. And the curiosity paid off. The deep knowledge of this condition helped me to create my Dark Triad characters and the plot in which they take part.
Can you tell us a bit about the interesting or exciting projects you are working on or wish to create? What are your goals for these projects?
Currently, I’m working on an audio version of the novel and the sequel which will follow many of the original characters on a new adventure.
Originally, I didn’t plan on either of the projects. It was only when I discovered the huge popularity of audiobooks that I felt my novel would benefit from it. And regarding the sequel, I thought that I said everything I had to say in my first novel and didn’t need to continue the story. But many of my readers said that they wanted to know what happened to Nick and the other characters in their world. I realized that there were many more ideas, more thoughts that I could share with my readers.
The main theme of the sequel is the nature of manipulation: by governments, by the media, even by other people. As I thought about it, I found that the scariest part of this issue is just how easily people tend to embrace being manipulated. Perhaps it is because they feel more comfortable abandoning their free will and following someone else’s agenda. I wanted to make people think about it and search for the reason why it happens. Since the principal goal of Dark Triads is to manipulate others to do their bidding, it seemed the perfect way to continue the story.
I also continue to deepen our understanding of the relationship between creativity and the Dark Triad syndrome. The article in Harvard Business review states: “… the very thinking patterns that define the creative process and help lead to original thinking can have a maladaptive side. For example, creativity requires the inability to suppress irrelevant thoughts and inappropriate ideas.” In the sequel, I portray this connection from many different angles and the complex ethical problems they can cause.
Wonderful. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Let’s begin with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. How do you define sci-fi or fantasy? How is it different from speculative fiction?
Speculative fiction is broad term which includes all genres of non-realistic work. As Ursula K Le Guin said in particular: “Science fiction is speculative fiction when what is written about could really happen, whereas narratives that cannot, under any circumstances, happen in our world (i.e. Earthsea) classify separately as fantasy.” Fire of the Dark Triad was categorized as speculative fiction, psycho-thriller meets space opera, cyber punk and bio punk by different readers and reviewers, which makes me think that in reality the boundaries between genres are rather vague.
It seems that despite countless changes in media and communication technologies, novels and written fiction always survive, and as the rate of change increases with technology, written sci-fi becomes more popular. Why do you think that is?
My theory is that technology has always fascinated science fiction authors. Early visionaries like Jules
Verne and H.G. Wells were inspired by 19th and early 20th century technological advances. Modern writers incorporated AI and genetic engineering into their stories of the future of mankind. Science fiction is the one genre that has been called prophetic. The more complex technology becomes and the more reliant humans become on it, science fiction will continue flourish in powerful, unexpected ways across all media: books, films, and art.
In your opinion, what are the benefits to reading sci-fi, and how do they compare to watching sci-fi on film and television?
Books allow the reader to interpret the author’s words using the power of their own individual imagination. Film adaptations of books capture a director’s vision of the story. Starship Troopers is a military science fiction by Robert A. Heinlein, and the film by Paul Verhoeven is a caustic satire and bitter social commentary. Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune are breathtakingly beautiful but are their own personal takes on the classic novels. Andrey Tarkovsky gave Stanislaw Lem’s Solaris his signature spiritual and metaphysical style. I don’t think that reading sci fi and watching sci fi are competing activities. Each in its own way deepens our appreciation for the story and its characters.
What authors and artists, dead or alive, inspired you to write?
A huge influence on me was Michael Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita. I used a passage from it as an epigraph to Fire of the Dark Triad. Bulgakov’s antagonist Voland asks: “What would your good be doing if there were no evil, and what would the earth look like if shadows disappeared from it?” It encapsulates one of the major themes of my novel: the conflicted value of the Dark Triad in our society. Stanislaw Lem’s novel Solaris is another example of a book that influenced my writing. Julio Cortázar’s novel The Pursuer has been my artist manifesto since I read it as a college student. William Gibson’s Neuromancer and Jeff Vandermeer’s Veniss Underground are two current works which I admire as well.
If you could ask your favourite Science Fiction and Fantasy author a question, what would it be?
How do you manage to paint a believable vision of the future but avoid specifics that can quickly became obsolete in a cringe, cartoonish, retro futuristic way?
We’d like to learn more about your writing. How would you describe yourself as an author? Can you please share a specific passage that you think exemplifies your style?
I don’t control my characters or their stories. As the plot progresses, I often find myself up against a crossroad or dead end. As a writer, I am a problem solver. When this happens, I find a way to resolve the issue that is consistent with my characters and that moves the plot forward. For instance, if Nick were caught between a rock and hard place, I would ask myself “What would be his next step? How would he get out of the situation? And, he led me to find a solution. The whole book is built upon this process.
He made a step out of pedestrian traffic, and stopped. At first, his thoughts were surprisingly detached. Apparently, immigration laws were brutally unforgiving, and the authorities didn’t hesitate to send a ship across the Universe to avoid a precedent. He heard an annoyed exclamation, raised his eyes and saw that he was still a nuisance on a busy pathway. He muttered an apology, cut across the sidewalk and sat down on a bench inside a small green area. The last Beta Blue memories flashed through his mind — Lita, wiping the blood from her face next to overturned combine; the bitter smell of burning forest; two motionless bodies on the meadow grass.
He imagined how Lita would wake up in that place, and her last memories would be of Nick jumping up and grabbing some- thing invisible in the air, Remir running towards her, and then the explosion. She would be disoriented, but not immediately scared. That would come later, when she realized that she had nowhere to go. The government would be excited to see her again.
The scene with the Beta Blue officer pushing Lita against the wall in the media control room unfolded in Nick’s head, and his mind went haywire. He got up and started walking in a random direction, blindly staring at the ground.
In a brief moment of relative coherence, he told himself that there was nothing personal in his situation, and that the laws were designed to be fair to all of the ordinary people dying in military coups, wars and epidemics across the quarantined Mirror Worlds. It just so happened that they were going to kill Lita right after she survived.
The control room sequence flashed through his mind again. She would die on Beta Blue, but she wouldn’t die quickly. By trying to save her, he had made it much worse. She would have been better
off if he had left her bleeding to death on that meadow. This last thought was unbearable. He was not going to let that happen.
“Kir, I need a flyer,” he said walking towards the holographic wall that shielded the pedestrian zone from the traffic zone. A generic city transporter pulled over to the boarding strip almost immediately. “To the Trauma Center,” said Nick as he stepped inside. He had to see Lita even if her face still looked dead. He couldn’t afford to give up hope, not as long as she was still alive.
Based on your own experience and success, what are the “Five Things You Need To Write Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories?” If you can, please share a story or example for each.
1) Imagination without limits. Don’t hold it back, don’t be afraid. You are the creator of your universe. It’s yours –you can do anything here as long as you can imagine it.
2) Having something burning to say. The theme(s) of your novel imbue every aspect of the story.
3) A good sense of humor and the absurd. Like the masters Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and Robert Sheckley who use humor and satire to make their novels both compelling and entertaining.
4) Value the power of language. As Baudelaire famously said: “Be a poet, even in prose.”
5) Great cover. I feel that the cover work enhances the overall emotional impact and amplifies the message to the reader.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Entertainment, Business, VC funding, and Sports read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them 🙂
I would love to meet Alexander Skarsgard: I had his picture (as Eric from the series True Blood) on my wall during the time when I was writing Fire of the Dark Triad. He was an inspiration for my main character Nick — funny, sarcastic, intense and fantastically good looking just like genetically improved people from the Earth’s future.
I would spend our lunch trying to convince Mr. Skarsgard to read Fire of the Dark Triad and let me know if he indeed relates to Nick. Maybe the stars will align in some fantastic way and he will play Nick one day?
How can our readers further follow your work online?
My website darktriadbooks.com is dedicated to Fire of the Dark Triad, the soon to be published audio version, and its sequel. It has a page where I share reviews, updates on the progress of my projects, an option to subscribe to a newsletter to get news via email automatically.
Photo by Michel Nafziger https://www.michelnafziger.com
Thank you for these excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent. We wish you continued success.
Author Asya Semenovich On How To Create Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.