Today’s interview is with Mindi Briar, and I’ll be honest, reading some of these answers made me very hyped. The world behind her story, Refuge, is incredibly original and fascinating, and we’re thrilled to have her in the anthology. So thanks for answer the question, Mindi, and onward with them!
1. What inspired your short story? Where did the idea come from?
Prince, the main character in “Refuge,” is one of several POV characters from a novel I’ve been working on. I’d been writing him as a really positive, carefree person, but I realized he hadn’t always been like that. So I started exploring his backstory, and “Refuge” emerged.
2. Had you heard of solarpunk before this call for submission? What do you like about the genre?
I saw some posts about solarpunk on Tumblr earlier this year. It piqued my interest because for awhile now I’ve been gravitating toward writing utopias and hopeful futures. I like the idea that we create the kind of world we imagine for ourselves. So it’s really cool that people are starting to look for optimism and beauty instead of dark dystopias.
3. What genre do you usually write in? Talk about your projects!
My favorite genres to read are fantasy and sci-fi, so that’s what I usually default back to writing. Right now I’m working on a project that I like to refer to as “utopian space fantasy.” I’m having so much fun with it, because I get to put in all my favorite things: magic, dragons, robots, royalty, spaceships… genetically modified cat people… it’s the best.
4. What do you love the most about dragons?
The idea of flying with them! When I was a teenager, I was obsessed with Dragonriders of Pern and Eragon. Like seriously, who doesn’t want to be a dragon rider? It’s the ultimate freedom.
5. What do you do when you’re not writing? Any day jobs or passion?
My day job is teaching – I just finished two years of teaching English in South Korea. I’m currently studying education at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. I’m from Seattle originally, so I guess you could say travel is another hobby!
6. What’s your favorite book or TV show? Why?
My favorite books of all time are the Harry Potter series and Chronicles of Narnia. It’s so difficult to choose favorites, but Hogwarts and Narnia are the worlds I’d most like to step into and live in. As for TV shows… I adore Firefly and Doctor Who.
7. Where can we find more of your work?
So far, this is my first official publication. I’m busy working on the previously mentioned novel, though. Feel free to follow my author page on Facebook for updates!
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Thanks so much for participating in the interviews, Mindi!