Ask the Author: Elizabeth Bear

“Ask me a question.” Elizabeth Bear

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Any advice you'd give to writers with queer characters as well as characters which defy labeling seeking publication with the Big Five?

Elizabeth Bear Currently, I don't think inclusivity for queer characters in a work is much of a barrier to publication.

Publishing itself is in general more queer than the mainstream, as it happens, and there's a big market right now for queer fantasy and SF--especially queer speculative romance.

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Do you remember your first acceptance letter from a publisher? Did you collect any rejections before you got it?

Elizabeth Bear I have hundreds of rejections! I still get rejections! Rejections are baked into the DNA of publishing.

My first professional short fiction sale was "And the Deep Blue Sea" to Ellen Datlow, who was editing for Syfy at the time. I definitely remember how excited I was.

News of my first novel sale came as a phone call from my agent. I think that's still pretty common. Phone calls from your agent when a book is on sub are almost always good news.

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How long does a story take to marinate in your imagination before you're ready to release it out into the wild, err, publish it? :)

Elizabeth Bear It can be anywhere from a few days to... well, the longest one so far was 30 years, 1989-2019. That was "On Safari in R'Lyeh and Carcosa with Gun and Camera."

But even the ones that seem to happen fast are based in years of research and sort of meandering while letting my brain work on them.

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Are you ever going to be able to publish Hell & Earth as Kindle?

Elizabeth Bear I actually have plans to get the whole Promethean Age series out in the US in indie editions--it's just a matter of having the time and energy to get it together!

If I can find it, there is a scene that was cut from The Stratford Man for length that I would love to put back in.

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I just wanted to say I really enjoyed Boojum and the Wreck of the Charles Dexter Ward. I love the premise of humanity using Lovecraftian technologies and creatures together into space instead of Einsteinian physics. I hope there is more in store, but mostly just to say thanks. Since this is supposed to be a question ... which one of your work would you most like to see adapted as a graphic novel?

Elizabeth Bear Thank you! I would love for there to be more, but both Sarah and I are encountering challenges currently. Hopefully someday!

Blood & Iron actually started life as a graphic novel script when I was in High School... and then I discovered Matt Wagner's MAGE and realized somebody had beaten me to the punch!

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Anything going with Sub-Inspector Ferron mysteries? And will we get a kindle version of Unicorn?

Elizabeth Bear Thank you!

I have every intention of getting a Kindle version of it out there, in my copious spare time, which is at a premium right now, alas. And I would love to write another one, but work is going only very slowly right now, unfortunately.

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I am a huge James White fan, and I absolutely loved "Machine: A White Space Novel." I was wondering if there is a chance to hear more about the adventures of Doctor Jens?

Elizabeth Bear Maybe! Not right this second, though--the White Space novel I am working on now does not feature her!

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In my review, I wrote that Temur's struggle with the Nameless Cult is similar to Hulagu's struggle with the Ismaili Order. Is this okay, or should I edit my review?

Elizabeth Bear Reviews are for readers, and while I am unfamiliar with the history you mention, parallels you identify are valid to your experience!

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Thank you! I have one more question. Edene's abduction reminded me of Borte's. But it is even more similar to Lyudmila's abduction in the poem Ruslan and Lyudmila. Edene's escape from Al Sepehr's stronghold is also somewhat similar to Lyudmila's failed escape from Chernomor's castle. I'm curious if you were inspired by this old poem, too?

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

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It's obvious that many of the characters in Eternal Sky are based on historical prototypes. But which of Genghis Khan's grandchildren is Temur, who seems to be the main protagonist, based on? Perhaps Temur is based on one of Jochi's sons? After all, Jochi died six months before Genghis Khan (some historians even believe he was murdered) and Otgonbayar died much earlier than his brothers, too.

Elizabeth Bear Hi!

The Eternal Sky books draw some inspiration from history for sure, but they're definitely not historical fiction so there is no direct historical parallel to Temur. His name is definitely a nod to both Timur (Tamerlane) and Chinggis Khan however.

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Who do you read to research neuroscience?

Elizabeth Bear These days, mostly Scientific American Magazine!

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What has tapped with Garrett Investigates? It's listed as only a Kindle version, but Amazon has no clue it existed?

Elizabeth Bear It is, unfortunately, out of print. I have ambitions to get it out in a self-published edition one day but no firm plans in that direction!

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Excited to see _The Folded Sky_ coming this June, and wondering if there's any likelihood of a hardcover release? It's going on my TBR pile either way, but in the long wrong, I definitely prefer non-paperbacks. Much thanks! :)

Elizabeth Bear Thanks for your question!

Unfortunately no hardcover release scheduled currently due to the financial realities of midlist publishing. I'm very sorry about that!

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Delighted to hear that more White Space books are on the way, even if we don't get them until 2025. Are The Folded Sky and Shipwreck Star continuing with the same characters, or books with new characters set in the same bookverse?

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

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Any more plans for White Space and Karen Memory series?

Elizabeth Bear I'm working on White Space IV right now, in fact, and there should be some big announcements about book III soon! (Book III is called THE FOLDED SKY). As for Karen, I will be self-publishing the second book, ANGEL MAKER, this fall!

Thanks so much for asking!

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Any plans for further Boojumverse?? Awesome

Elizabeth Bear I hope so! Sarah and I have an idea we've been poking at, but it's hard finding time and energy to work on it with all the other demands on us!

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Why is 'A Blessing of Unicorns' only an audiobook?

Elizabeth Bear It was an Audible Original, so written specifically for them.

There is a print version available in the September/October 2021 issue of Asimov's; I just haven't gotten around to making an ebook yet! Which I should probably do, in my copious spare time!

Thank you for asking!

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Have you ever gotten the rights back to a book, only to have the publisher continue to release it without your permission (and not paying you a portion of any sales it's getting)? If so, what did you do?

Elizabeth Bear I have not, and if it did happen I imagine my agent's legal department would get involved.

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Where does the phrase in Ancestral Night, “Thank Albert” come from? Is it a reference to Victoria’s consort in the 19th century England? Or something else?

Elizabeth Bear I was thinking of the very famous 20th century physicist. :D

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I am remembering another SF book where the female protagonist was on an ambulance ship associated with Core Central. All I remember now is that at the end of the book the main hospital of Core Central was doing illegal medicine in a hidden ward on the hospital. I am now reading Machine and having deja vu feelings about this other Core Central story. What is the other book I am remembering?

Elizabeth Bear Hmm. I don't know. There is a James White Sector General novel called Ambulance Ship that I took some inspiration from but the plot is very different.

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