What kind of research did you have to do for the story?

I did a lot of digging into the idea of “closure” and how looking for closure can become detrimental. It doesn’t matter how smart or well-adjusted you are. Like a dog chasing a bird, you can chase closure right over the edge of a cliff.

The narrator of “The Last Lucid Day” is someone who has done the homework: He’s likely been in years of therapy; he knows the language of complex trauma, parental neglect, attachment styles, and so on. He has already processed and grieved this relationship (or at least, he thinks he has)—but he’s still stuck, holding out for closure from someone who cannot acknowledge having hurt him.

As for his father’s inability to acknowledge the pain he’s caused: I highly recommend “The Missing Missing Reasons,” a blog post on estranged parents’ failure to understand why their adult children have cut ties with them.

Is there anything you want to make sure readers noticed?

Yes! This was a tough story to write in second person. I tried to thread the needle between describing specific experiences and their impact, while also leaving room for the reader to step into the character. The city the story is set in is unnamed, as are the narrator and his father. The narrator’s gender only comes up in passing.

What are you reading lately? What writers inspire you?

I love nonfiction: Seeing how other authors describe real, difficult things helps me figure out how to make fictional, difficult things feel real. Some recent favorites are They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib, Off the Edge by Kelly Weill, and The Noble Hustle by Colson Whitehead.

What trends in speculative fiction would you like to see gain popularity in the next few years?

I will likely keep clamoring for unlikable, unreliable, Black, queer protagonists for as long as I’m alive. Let my people be messy! I want epic, despicable antiheroes—and I don’t want the story to end with comeuppance or someone getting taken down a peg.

I also want more trans shapeshifting stories that fall outside of the well-trodden werewolf mythos, such as Lee Mandelo’s The Woods All Black.

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

My novella Redundancies and Potentials is forthcoming as part of Neon Hemlock’s 2024 Novella Series. It’s about time travel, cloning, and sisterhood. The cover, designed by Jordan Shively, is absolutely gorgeous.

I have a novelette about faith, fate, and stargazing forthcoming in Lightspeed, so keep an eye out for that as well! I’m working on a sci-fi noir novel that I hope to find a home for. And you can keep up with the rest of my work at dominiquedickey.com.

Links Referenced

• “The Missing Missing Reasons” blog post: https://www.issendai.com/psychology/estrangement/missing-missing-reasons.html
• Redundancies and Potentials cover: https://stone-soup.ghost.io/guest-host-dominique-dickey