How did “Islands of Stability” originate? What inspirations did you draw on?

I’ve been blessed with lots of elders in my life, and as a result I tend to overestimate how long people in general tend to live. But there are weird actuarial patterns—if you can make it to certain ages, you’re likely to make it farther—and that fascinated me, especially as I look at my loved ones with hope and trepidation.

What is your writing process like? Did “Islands of Stability” fit the pattern?

Sometimes a story comes out all at once. More often I’ll jot down a paragraph or two, maybe a title, and let it percolate for months before writing the rest. This was one of those. It was also, unfortunately, a little bit of wishful thinking: my dear aunt Judy had just died, and I was doing some whistling in the dark about keeping the rest of my elders for as long as possible. I wasn’t able to attend her memorial, and I finished this story in a fit of determination instead.

What is your writing space like? What do you like to have around for optimal creativity?

As of last October we’ve lived in our current place for twenty years, which is enough time to get my workspace the way I like it, with the cobalt blue walls and the footrest just so and the wall of history books to my left. Usually, I jam a postcard or two from a friend in the giant map I have hanging above my desk. I try not to get too precious about this, though, and I can and do write stories in random locations on retreats or errands, including the waiting room at the auto body shop.

What are you reading lately? What writers inspire you?

I just finished reading the eARC of John Wiswell’s upcoming debut novel, Someone You Can Build a Nest In, which is so great—John is a dear friend but also always an inspiration. I read an earlier draft as well and have spent the entire time since impatient to be able to talk to the rest of you about it. I loved Ariel Kaplan’s The Pomegranate Gate—that got given to a lot of people last Christmas—and Paz Pardo’s The Shamshine Blind had texture and depth I wish more alternate history had. That’s from the last few weeks alone.

I also continue to assert that we’re in a golden age of short stories in this field. My colleagues are such an inspiration, and I do quarterly blog posts about the work I’ve loved. It’s so great that there are always new names on those lists. Amazing times, even with all the ways in which they’re tough—people are just dragging such wonderful short gems out of the muck we’re in right now.

What are you working on lately? Where else can fans look for your work?

To throw in a Ted Lasso reference before they recede too far into our past, I try to be the Roy Kent of the SFF world. I’ll have a poem in Analog and a story in Beneath Ceaseless Skies in the days to come. My agent has a couple of very different longer works on her desk right now. We’ll be talking through that pretty soon, and we’ll see what comes of it. Meanwhile, I’m eyeing another stack of half-finished projects wondering which one will be the one to be actually ready to write next.