MenuThe Boskone Mini Interviews are part of a new series that features our guests and program participants as they share fun, interesting, and amusing thoughts with Boskone’s fans. Our inaugural Mini Interviews feature Steven Brust, this year’s Guest of Honor, and YA author Peadar Ó Guilín. This is your chance to meet them before the convention begins. Enjoy the interviews, and get the pre-con conversation started by leaving comments and sharing your thoughts!
Steven Brust, Guest of Honor
Bio: Steven is the author of twenty-six novels and one solo record. He’s an enthusiastic amateur drummer, guitarist, banjo player, and poker player. For more info, visit Steven’s website and find him on Twitter @stevenbrust.
What are you looking forward to at Boskone?
Steven Brust (SB): Simply being there. Let me explain. I’ve been in fandom since the mid 70’s, and so I remember clearly the old-style fannish conventions. By all reports, Boskone is one of those–there is a comfort, a relaxation, a
sense of being surrounded by family, that comes from that kind of
convention. I plan to dive in when I get there and not emerge until the
dog has died.
What event or experience stands out as one of those ‘defining moments’ that shaped who you are today?
(SB): I’ll just answer a couple of pieces of that: As a writer, it was in high
school, when I read Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. As a fan, it was my
first Minicon.
What are you working on now? What excites or challenges you about this project?
(SB): I’m working on Vallista, the latest in an ongoing series. The real joy of
this series is finding the relationship between the simple story, what the
story is *about*, and how to best tell the story. That always changes,
and the process of discovering it with each book is different and
exciting.
From a fan perspective, what new book, film, TV show, or comic are you most looking forward to seeing/reading?
(SB): I had the pleasure of reading Jo Walton’s The Just City. It is an
absolutely amazing accomplishment–you follow characters you deeply care
about in their struggles, and at the same time you find yourself in a
dialog with Plato. How can this not be fun? I’m told there is a sequel
coming, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Peadar Ó Guilín
Bio: In September 2007, Peadar Ó Guilín published his first novel, The Inferior, which the Times Educational Supplement called “a stark, dark tale, written with great energy and confidence and some arresting reflections on human nature.” Foreign editors liked it too, and over the years, translation rights have been sold to publishers as far afield as Germany, Korea, Japan and Turkey. His second novel, The Deserter is a direct sequel to The Inferior and received its first outing on 5th May 2011 in the UK and Ireland. It was published in North America in March 2012. Peadar’s fantasy and SF short stories have appeared in numerous venues, including Black Gate magazine and an anthology celebrating the best of the iconic Weird Tales.
For more info, visit Peadar’s website, friend him on Facebook, and find him on Twitter @theinferior.
What are you looking forward to at Boskone?
Peadar Ó Guilín (POG): Steven Brust is the short answer! I read his work for the first time 20 years ago or so, and I still remember the important points of “selling onions”. I can’t wait to see what he’s like in real life.
How would you describe your work to people who might be unfamiliar with you?
(POG): My novels aspire to be high speed adventures in bizarre but comprehensible worlds, with lots of mystery, sadness and sometimes, triumph. My short stories are all of the above, but slower, and with more sadness than triumph. I like to think that a higher proportion of my readers retire to monasteries in despair than those of any other author. But I might be wrong.
From a fan perspective, what new book, film, TV show, or comic are you most looking forward to seeing/reading?
(POG): There are always dozens of books on my wish list — George R. R. Martin’s The Winds of Winter is an obvious example. But to be honest, the best book of the year is always the one I’m not expecting. Previous novels that came out of left-field to totally blow my mind include, Ancillary Justice, City of Stairs, Faith, Blindsight, Dark Eden and The Fade. I have no way of predicting what the next one will be.
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