In December 2019, Deadset Press published fifteen short stories in their Journeys anthology. Taine Andrews wrote “Karere”—a story which oozes classic science fiction with an awesome dose of suspense. Here, Taine was kind enough to answer questions about his story and his writing life.
Tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from/where are you based?
I currently live in Brisbane, but lived in Rockhampton for a bit (where I worked part-time and spent the rest of the time writing as much as possible). Originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, but moved to Queensland a couple of decades ago and fell in love with the place.
What drew you to writing speculative fiction?
Loved reading it. Never found anything else that fascinated me enough to give it a go. Just the endless possibilities that can be based in as much fact or fiction and as you want.
What other stories have you published? What projects are you working on?
Had a few stories and a standalone novella published by the independent publisher Specul8 (whose editor and founder, TC Phillips, also happens to have a story in Journeys). Currently working on a young adult novella called The Colourless Man which will be the start of a series of novellas featuring its main character, Zali Williams, a teenage fighter of all things evil.
What genres/topics do you like to write about, and why?
I like character driven stuff. Why is that character doing that? What’s gone wrong to make them behave that way? What will happen to them? How will they react? Will they survive?
Are you a plotter, a pantser, or something in between?
Mostly a panster (had to look up what that meant. Ha!). Sometimes you’ve just got to start and see where ideas and problem solving takes you, otherwise you could be staring at a blank page forever and not create anything. The thing I love about writing is that it lets you go back and revise as much as you need to in order to fix up the inevitable continuity errors and plot holes that crop up telling your story that way.
What authors or stories would you say have influenced or inspired your writing?
David Eddings and Orson Scott Card. They both created characters that you couldn’t help falling in love with and kept you reading just to see what happened to them all.
Tell me about your writing space. Do you have a routine to your writing sessions?
A good laptop with a nice keyboard so I can move around a lot. Mostly I spread out on my bed to get comfortable. Also, nothing like sitting on a park bench in the sun typing away. And I always have headphones and music blasting away so I’m in my own self-contained little world.
What are your likes and dislikes regarding writing?
Like? Creating something that has never existed before. Seeing words on a page that have a beautiful flow and cadence when you read them back. Dislike? I wish I could spit out 100,000 words a month instead of the slow build I manage.
What moved you to write for the Journeys anthology?
To prove to myself I was a good enough writer to find an outlet for my stories! I believe in them, and it’s nice to see someone else agree!
How did you think up your story for Journeys?
A little bit of inspiration from having just read Hyperion by Dan Simmons (there is a character in the book who is only ever referred to by his title). And … I just started. Half a page sat there for a few days, then the rest worked its way out after I decided on the direction I wanted to take.
What is/are your favourite story/stories in the anthology?
Would you believe I’m not much of a short story reader? I get bogged down in reading novels and run out of time for anything else.
Where can readers find you and follow you?
- On my website, taineandrews.wordpress.com
- On Facebook
“Karere”, by Taine Andrews, can be read along with fourteen other great stories in Journeys: Aussie Speculative Fiction: Volume 2, edited by Alanah Andrews, Austin P. Sheehan, and Jocelyn Spark, published by Deadset Press.
Buy your copy here:
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