How did “My Future Self, Refused” originate?

Alas, this story originated with life and death. You can see that I am the viewpoint character, and that the drama taking place in the foreground is the events concurrent with the sudden illness and untimely death of my wife Judi. I wish the story hadn’t originated, but we can’t always get what we want. It is the second, and I hope, final story specifically driven by this loss (the other being “Judi”— bit.ly/JudiStory—also on Lightspeed), but I suspect that this life input will be showing up in stories for some time.

What is your writing process like? Did this story fit the pattern?

Usually I write between a thousand and two thousand words per day. With this story it was 4500 words a day. It was autobiography with a science fictional twist, and it was therapy, and it came out in a kind of explosion. It needed to exist.

Is there anything you want to make sure readers noticed?

Because this story references other Judi-inspired stories that have appeared in Lightspeed, its publication here comes complete with links to those stories.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Don’t be comfortable. If what you write strikes you as routine, it will feel routine. Dig deep.

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

This summer you will find new stories in Pulphouse and in the anthology, Three Time Travelers Walk Into . . .; I have a new collection, The Author’s Wife vs The Giant Robot And Other Stories.