How did “In the Nest Beneath the Mountain-Tree, Your Sisters Dance” originate? What inspirations did you draw on?

I first learned about braconid wasps in a zoology course, where we had a weekly assignment to research an animal in the taxonomical class we were studying. I was already researching bees at the time for my thesis, so when we got to insects, I decided to look into some wasp species for some variety. Braconid wasps immediately caught my attention because some species in this family have viral DNA incorporated in their genome (yes, this is real! I didn’t make this part up!) When these wasps lay their eggs in a host, they also synthesize viral components that suppress the host’s immune system, allowing the eggs to survive unharmed until they hatch and kill the host.

Of course, I knew I had to include these guys in one of my stories, but it took a while for me to become comfortable enough in science fiction to attempt it. Luckily braconid wasps are so cool that they were still floating in my brain juices years after I originally took that class.

Where are you in this story?

If you couldn’t tell, I love bugs. The first species I really fell in love with were European honeybees, but after staring at bees for hours and hours every day to collect data, I realized most bugs aren’t so bad (see, I used to be afraid of them). Wasps are particularly unfairly maligned. They are often pollinators or otherwise contribute to their native ecosystems in meaningful ways! In fact, unlike European honeybees—who have an incredible PR team—yellowjackets are actually a native species in the US. I’ve even shared a Jack and Coke with a wasp during a concert (she was very polite). This is all to say that when I conceptualized the wasp aliens for this story, I knew they had to be friends.

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

For me, writing is about character, character, character. I usually come up with the characters first, with some vague premise about the magic system and setting. As I outline, I can make up the speculative elements as I go to better suit the piece. Once I start writing, I focus heavily on dialogue, then exposition, and then I make multiple passes over each scene to build up more description and par down the info dumps.

“In the Nest” differs from my normal writing process in that I spent way longer on the worldbuilding than I normally would. Before I even outlined the short story, I had written a ten-page document about my wasp aliens and the setting. A lot of this information never even made it into the story, but knowing all of the details helped inform the text in a way that makes the other worldbuilding aspects feel more justified.

Other than writing, do you have any other creative pursuits? What do you do to relax?

I am also an artist. My background is primarily in traditional art, but I did end up transitioning to digital art once I went back to school, because it takes far less time and physical space. Ultimately, I find the process of creating visual artwork, in whatever medium, to be meditative.

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

I have a lot of half-started, half-outlined story ideas floating around lately and barely any time to write them. One is a fantasy/horror novella about a general who starts to see prophetic visions after becoming infected with brain worms. Another is a short story about a scientist who harvests unicorns to create a serum of eternal youth for the ruling class. This year, I’m attending the Clarion West workshop, so hopefully I will actually have the time and space to work on my short story concepts.

Anyone interested in reading more of my work can visit my website (lowrypoletti.wordpress.com). My other recent publications are in Fantasy Magazine, Dark Matter Magazine, and Flash Fiction Online.