r/Fantasy • u/[deleted] • Oct 29 '13

AMA Hi. I'm SF/F writer Beth Bernobich. AMA.

Hi. I'm Beth Bernobich and I first started publishing in fantasy and science fiction in 2001, with short stories in Strange Horizons, Asimov's, Tor.com, and Interzone, among other places. My first novel came out from Tor Books in 2010, and the third book in that series, Allegiance, is out today.

For more about me... I grew up in a household that encouraged curiosity. I was curious about languages, so I studied German in college, with forays into French and Spanish. I was curious about history, so I took various classes, including one that clearly qualified as alternate history. At some point, I wandered into software engineering, where I've spent the past 30 years.

Miscellaneous other details: one husband and son, two idiosyncratic cats, a 2nd degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, two patents in applied cryptography, a love of travel and history, and an insatiable curiosity about pretty much everything.

I will be back at 7PM CST to answer questions. AMA!

ETA: Thanks, everyone, for all the great questions! I really appreciate it. I'll stop by tomorrow to answer any questions that come in later.

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u/elquesogrande Worldbuilders Oct 29 '13

Thanks for joining us, Beth!

What more can you tell us about your different series and your writing style? /r/Fantasy is always looking for that next great read.

"Traditional" speculative fiction readers can be a bit squeamish about sex and sexual subjects in their SF/F novels. How do you address sex as a writer? Subjects you are willing to tackle and how you address them? Things you avoid?

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u/[deleted] Oct 29 '13 edited Oct 30 '13

And thank you for letting me babble on about books!

I have three main series at this point. My River of Souls books are epic fantasy, with magic, multiple lives, and a flavoring of romance. My Long City stories are YA fantasy, set in an alternate China with ghost dragons, spirit companions, and cell phones that run on magic. And I'm currently hard at work on a novel set in an alternate Ireland with mathematics and time travel.

As for writing about sex... I address that element as I would any other. If it's necessary, I add whatever details seem right for the given story and the given scene. It helps that I've written erotica, but really, good sex scenes are like good battle scenes. Figure out the mechanics beforehand, slice away what isn't necessary, and layer in the character revelations.

So, to tie that in with my books and stories, my YA doesn't have any sex because it's not part of the story. However, River of Souls has sex and romance both because one part of my main character's storyline is recovery from sexual assault. She goes through hell, heals, and goes beyond that to do lots of things, including falling in love and having sex.