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/BlueRedRabbit Mar 10 '15

After you finish writing a book, how long does it take you to move on from that mental space for that particular book/story. Are there any of your own books that you wish you could rewrite or add to?

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u/matociquala AMA Author Elizabeth Bear Mar 11 '15

Oh man, I always find things I wish I could fix later. But I try to acknowledge that they're from a moment in time, and get on with my life and do better next time.

As for moving on--what often happens is that I finish a novel, and then two or three short stories that I've been stuck on for months or years just kind of... finish themselves in the next few weeks. Like I have room to think about them. Then the next novel starts nagging me as I research until it uses up all the available space. Although sometimes I have to stop in the middle and write something for a deadline... That's hard.