TOBIAS BUCKELL ON TRANSFORMING SLEEPING-PILL PLOTS INTO UNPUTDOWNABLE PAGE-TURNERS (MF GALAXY 098)

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TURNING A READING DISABILITY INTO A WRITING SUPERPOWER, GROWING UP ON A BOAT, THE BIGGEST SIN OF LIT ACADEMICS

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Called “Violent, poetic and  compulsively readable” by Maclean’s, science fiction author Tobias S.  Buckell is a New York Times Bestselling writer born in the Caribbean. He  grew up in Grenada and spent time in the British and US Virgin Islands,  and the islands he lived on influence much of his work.

His  Xenowealth series begins with Crystal Rain. Along with other  stand-alone novels and his over 50 stories, his works have been  translated into 18 different languages. He has been nominated for awards  like the Hugo, Nebula, Prometheus, and the John W. Campbell Award for  Best New Science Fiction Author. His latest novel is Hurricane Fever, a  follow up to the successful Arctic Rising that NPR says will ‘give you  the shivers.’

He currently lives in Bluffton, Ohio with his wife, twin daughters, and a pair of dogs. He can be found online at www.TobiasBuckell.com

Buckell spoke with me about:

Growing up on a boat with TV but with a literal boatload of books
  • The impact of Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov on his young imagination
  • The significance of foundational adventure novelist African writer Alexandre Dumas
  • Using a 23+Me genetic test to uncover stunning revelations about his family
  • How he turned his reading disability into an authorial superpower
  • How to supercharge a sleeping-pill plot into an electrifying page-turner
  • How not to end a chapter
  • Reasons for academic bias against discussing the craft of entertainment
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