I've got a special treat for you this month and next month. I'm going to devote Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays to writers from eSpecs Books. They're a great bunch of folks whom you need to get to know.
Next up, Mary Fan!
Tell us a bit about your latest work.
Recently I turned in a novella for Systema Paradoxa, an imprint of eSpec Books that publishes cryptid fiction for Cryptid Crate, a cryptid subscription box. Because of exclusivity around the crate, I can't talk publicly about which cryptid is being featured, but what I can tell you is that it's a sci-fi thriller set in Princeton, New Jersey in the early 2000s about two teenagers who go into the woods to film a student movie and capture something... unexpected... on camera. When no one believes them, they decide to take matters into their own hands to uncover the truth. Why early 2000s Princeton? Well, let's just say that's a significant time and place for the lore around this particular cryptid. I'll admit, part of the reason I picked this cryptid is that I went to Princeton High School in the early 2000s and thought it would be fun to set a story during my teen years (as a YA author, I don't ever get to do that, since the 2000s now count as historical fiction!)
What happened in your life that prompted you to become a writer?
I used to write up a storm as a kid, but dropped it around junior year of high school. Then, after I graduated college and started my first job (in China, where I knew no one, no less), I suddenly found myself with more time on my hands than I knew what to do with. So I decided to revive my writing habit pretty much out of boredom... and soon found it so engrossing that it took over my life.
What inspires you to write?
Everything! Anything! I never know what's going to trigger a story idea. In the case of this latest novella, I was reading the lore on this cryptid, found it interesting that early 2000s New Jersey was central to it, and had a flashback to when I took a filmmaking class in high school... how I went into the woods late at night once to get a shot for my movie. I remembered how creeped-out I was by the oppressive blackness, and how even a forest in a densely populated state could feel like the middle of nowhere when you're a lone teenager. The convergence of these thoughts led to the novella idea.
What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?
Strong leading ladies are a big one. And not necessarily physically strong - though I have a few of those as well. There are many ways for a gal to show strength, whether it's through actions, resilience, kindness, intelligence, or a whole host of other traits. One can be the quietest, meekest person in the room but still the strongest in ways that aren't always obvious. Another thing I tend to revisit a lot is the abstract antagonist - a faceless villain whose power is felt but who isn't physically present, or an antagonizing force that can't be pinned to an individual, or an unknown evil that must be unmasked and defeated. I think the reason I tend to do this is tied to the explorations of strength; by keeping the antagonist in the shadows, the focus is more firmly on the heroine and how she handles the obstacles thrown at her.
What would be your dream project?
I'd love to write tie-in fiction for an on-screen franchise someday, just because I think it would be a lot of fun.
What writers have influenced your style and technique?
I'm terrible at naming names, and so I won't. I will say that reading a lot of genre fiction helped me get a feel for the contemporary storytelling style.
If you have any former project to do over to make it better, which one would it be, and what would you do?
I'd go back and give my debut novel, Artificial Absolutes, a bit of a line edit. Looking back, it's obvious I was still feeling my way around novel writing, and some of my sentences feel awkward now. Then again, that book was the only time I got a starred review from a significant review publication (Publishers Weekly) so maybe it's just in my head, and the fact is I'm a different writer now than when I was 23.
Where would you rank writing on the "Is it an art or it is a science continuum?" Why?
Honestly, I've never seen art and science as being very different, so I have no idea how to answer this question. In art there are structures and patterns that emerge to guide one's expressiveness - not always taught, often subconsciously absorbed, but ever-present. Meanwhile, science without inspiration and improvisation wouldn't get very far.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
Writing the first draft is the hardest for me. Blank pages terrify me. I like brainstorming, and I like revising after I have something to work with, but to create something out of nothing? Yikes!
How do your writer friends help you become a better writer? Or do they not?
Writer friends are absolutely vital to becoming a better writer, in my opinion. Talking to them about a shiny new idea or complaining to them about a thorny plot problem is the best way to get the ideas flowing. The act of writing is by definition lonely, and it's always nice having someone to work through the ideas with you. Not to mention someone to be there for you when the horrible hellpit we call the publishing industry inevitably crushes your soul.
What does literary success look like to you?
Once, I would have said something related to money, but now, I just want to write what I want, when I want, how I want. That freedom is worth more than any contract.
Any other upcoming projects you would like to plug?
I'm contributing a story to Sing, Goddess!, an anthology of YA Greek myth retellings edited by Jane Watson, which is coming out this August! I did a dark academia retelling of the Arachne myth, where Minerva is Min Wong, a high-achieving student at an elite prep school who will do anything to stay on top, and Arachne is Ara, Min's artistic classmate whose recent suicide haunts Min.
For more information, visit:
Website: www.MaryFan.com
Twitter: @astralcolt
Instagram: @astralcolt
Facebook: facebook.com/mfanwriter
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