Author
interview with Una McCormack
Author Bio:
Una teaches writing at undergraduate and graduate level. Her
background is in sociology, and she has taught organisational behaviour
at Judge Business School, Cambridge, and Cambridge University
Engineering Department.Una is the author of several science fiction novels (including a New York Times Bestseller!), and numerous short stories in that genre. She is also a prolific fanfiction writer, setting up and organising a number of online writing groups and resources for fanfiction writers.
She lives in Cambridge with her partner, Matthew, her daughter, Verity, several daleks and no cats.
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BP: First off
could you give us a short introduction as to who Una McCormack is? What are you
hobbies, likes and dislikes?
UMc: I have a young daughter, so I don’t get much time for hobbies at
the moment in between work, writing, and being with her. But I do find time to
read. I like reading novels – and I’m happy to read in any genre.
BP: You have been involved in writing books
for Doctor Who and Star Trek, what gave you the idea for Weird Space Baba Yaga?
UMc: I
was invited to write in the Weird Space universe by the creator, SF writer Eric
Brown. I’m a great admirer of Eric’s writing – he has such a natural, unforced
style, and a great ability to tell an engrossing story – so I was very
flattered to be asked, and keen to work with Eric on the book.
BP: Was writing Baba Yaga different that
writing a tie-in book for Doctor Who or Star Trek? What kind of possibilities
and limitations do you encounter in writing either a tie-in or a more
standalone book?
UMc:
There were similarities in that you have to make the books consistent with what
we already know about the shared world. Eric Brown went out of his way to be
encouraging about every idea that I had, even if the ideas were different from
his original concept. He’d invariably respond, “I like your idea and I think
you should run with it!” The main difference was that this is a comparatively
new shared world: the Star Trek
universe, in particular, is very well drawn these days. So I was much freer in
that respect.
BP: Baba Yaga was released last June, if you
would have to sell it with a single sentence how would it go?
UMc: A
space opera with weird and fabulous aliens, exciting adventures, and people’s
mums.
BP: What has been the biggest challenge you
have faced when during the writing of the Baba Yaga?
UMc: As
with all my writing, not having quite as much time as I would like! I was also
very anxious to do Eric’s universe justice.
BP: Did you encounter any specific problems
during your writing?
UMc:
Trying to find time in the day! My little girl was just over a year old when I
started writing, so the minute she was napping, I was head down writing! I am
incredibly well supported by my partner, who took over every night so that I
could write in the evenings.
BP: Besides the problems and difficulties,
which chapter, scene or character did you enjoy writing about the most?
UMc: I
became very fond of the Vetch child, Failt, who did that thing that authors
love most – present himself as a fully formed character who practically wrote
himself. I also enjoyed writing the scene in Fredricks’ office, when I tried to
build up the hideous tastelessness of the space without describing it.
BP: Now that Baba Yaga is published, do you
have any other projects that you wish to pursue in the near future?
UMc: I
have another Doctor Who novel – a
Twelfth Doctor adventure called Royal
Blood – due out in September.
BP: Everyone enjoys science fiction in his or
her own way. What do you like most about reading and writing science fiction?
UMc: I
like the opportunities science fiction gives for writers to think about the
different ways in which we can organize societies. I like books about utopias,
dystopias, and all the possibilities in between. I also like how contemporary
SF has become increasingly ambitious in terms of literary ambition. I think
books like Emily St John Mandel’s Station
Eleven and Nina Allen’s The Race
are wonderfully written.
BP: If you would have to give your top 5
favourite books, which would they be?
UMc:
Difficult to choose five and I think that the list would change if you asked me
again tomorrow! But today my library would not be complete without:The Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien
Powers, by Ursula Le Guin
Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson
Finn Family Moomintroll, by Tove Jansson
The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold
BP: And just lastly, can you tell us a bit
more of what might be in store for the readers of Baba Yaga?
UMc: I
don’t want to give too much away, but anyone reading to the end of the book
might have an idea about which character I’d like to explore next!
BP: Thank you for your time Una and good luck
with your future writing!
UMc:
Thank you for the invitation to answer questions at the Book Plank!
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