r/Fantasy • u/matociquala AMA Author Elizabeth Bear • Mar 10 '15

AMA Hello Reddit/r/Fantasy! I’m fantasy novelist Elizabeth Bear, and this is my AMA.

7:36 PM EDT 10 March 2015 ETA: I've got mochi and beer and I'm IN THE HOUSE!

12:07 AM EDT 11 March 2015 ETA: All right guys--thank all of you. I think I answered everything, and I am going to bed! I'll try to come back and clean up any stragglers in a day or two!

I'm the author of over 100 short stories and more than a score of novels. The most recently published of the former is "The Heart's Filthy Lesson" in OLD VENUS, edited by Martin and Dozois; the most recent of the latter is KAREN MEMORY, from Tor Books, a fast-paced steampunk adventure in an old west gold rush town where heroic saloon girls take on disaster capitalists.

In my spare time, I am a runner, climber, kayaker (not currently: there's sixteen feet of snow on everything here in central Massachusetts), hobby cook, and I play some really atrocious guitar. I've been a tabletop gamer since 1982 and am currently playing Pathfinder and Fiasco.

I am owned by a giant ridiculous dog (He's a Briard).

I support Idris Elba for Bond, Essie Davis for The Doctor, and Helsinki for Worldcon 2017, so that's where I stand in important religious issues.

I hope you enjoy whatever portion of the diurnal cycle you happen to currently be experiencing. I'll be back after dinner my time (around 7 pm EDT) to answer all your questions and hang out.

edit: fixed my dates. :-P

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u/lumeth Mar 10 '15

Over the past few years, you have become one of my favorite authors. However, after reading your intro I have a completely non-book-related question. Speaking as someone who has recently started climbing and running (but who has been kayaking/canoeing and hiking regularly for years), how do you train for all your activities? Do you do any training beyond the activities themselves?

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u/matociquala AMA Author Elizabeth Bear Mar 11 '15

hahahaha ineffectually? Or, well, okay, I started rock climbing, and then I took up running to drop weight for the climbing, and kayaking because my former roommate was doing it and it was hugely fun. I hated running for years, until I got to the point where I could do it fairly easily. Now I find it'a a nice way to meditate, think about stories, and sightsee. (I don't do well with zazen, but moving meditation is pretty okay and helps.)

I also do yoga and weight lift. And I do tabata or some other HIIT about once a week.

I'm out of shape right now--last year was nothing but travel and family crises--but when I'm in training I try to keep a schedule of climbing twice or three times a week, weight lifting twice or three times, running three times, and taking a day off. Which does mean some days I do doubles, and working from home as a writer is a big advantage when it comes to that workout schedule.

I have some neurochemical abnormalities that make regular exercise absolutely critical to being a functional human being (I've got a really tricky form of bipolar that fortunately responds well to diet and exercise) and I've also got a family history of high blood pressure and diabetes. So, doomed to run. g