Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have always been interested in exploring other worlds and cultures. In fact, it’s for that reason I became an Anthropologist. But there are so many wonderful ways to explore other worlds and ever since I was 8 years old and read the book ‘The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, I was hooked on both Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Currenty I have a short story called “On Arrival” published in Just A Minor Malfunction Magazine #4 and my first novel called ‘Mimi of the Nowhere’.
However, Mimi of the Nowhere is the first book in a Sci-Fi series. Books 2 and 3 are currently in editing and will be out late Summer and Early Fall of 2018 with the other remaining books coming out late this year or early 2019.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first novel is called Mimi of the Nowhere. It’s about a homeless woman living in a future, after climate change has destroyed the earth and people are forced to live inside shielded giant walking cities.
I guess part of what expired it is my masters research, which was with an organization called the Romero Theater Troupe. They basically use the stage to look at the struggles of people in their every day lives. One of the stories they told while I was doing my research with them was on a Homeless man and his story. They also did another series of stories on Homeless women and how all of them had become homeless. It was amazing to me, how easy it was for these women, some who were living perfectly normal lives, to suddenly find themselves without a home. Thinking on all this stuff, and writing about science fiction, I thought to myself, we so often read about the captains of ships or these people in positions of power, what about a story about a woman who lives on the streets? And what if she had been living on the streets for centuries?
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am almost always working on several books at the same time. I don’t write anything in order and I never plot. I just sit down during my time to write and write. Sometimes a story will catch me for a while and I will focus on it, but then out of the blue I will have to dive in somewhere else. Usually, when a story is making significant progress though, I get excited about it enough to focus. At the time of writing this, I have 7 books with a significant portion written, some are directly related to Mimi of the Nowhere and some are in other series or are Stand Alone.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are just so many amazing authors’s out there. I’d have to say though that some of my major ones are Ursula K LeGuin, Stephen King, and Frank Herbert. They do this particular thing in their writing, they give me words or phrases or images that are just so potent that it’s like eating a fantastic meal and I always feel satisfied after reading their work.
What are you working on now?
Write now I am wrapping up production of Book 2 in the Chronicles of the Great Migration called Upon Stilted Cities. It takes place 40 years after the events of Mimi of the Nowhere. That one is out July of 2018
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I blog weekly on my website. Sometimes it’s updates of my writing or sample chapters and sometimes its poetry and art I create. You can find it at https://loridianslaboratory.com/
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. Ignore those people who tell you its crazy to write or that you are wasting your time. Remember why you write. Remember that it is an act of creation and beauty and that someone somewhere will love your stories. There are so many readers out there, it only takes a tiny percentage of those who love your work to do well.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To persist, to keep trying, to do what brings you joy but to remember that discipline is important. Discipline is how you move forward. Set goals and meet them and find the joy in that.
What are you reading now?
Right now I am reading Rose Madder by Stephen King but I just finished The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons and Watership Down by Richard Adams.
What’s next for you as a writer?
After I finish the Chronicles of The Great Migration, I think I am going to delve into a Fantasy Series. I have a sizable portion written in book 1 and I want to explore the concept but in the end Sci-Fi is always my first love.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
If you can count them as one book, The Dark Tower series by Stephen King would be one. The Tao Te Ching (Ursula K Leguin translation) would be the second and I think the Harry Potter Series would be the third. I’ve read through all those books a number of times now and I still find great joy in all of them.
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Michael Kilman Website
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