Jody Lynn Nye at the keyboard.

Jody Lynn Nye: I certainly hope so!

Crescent Blues: Was Dr. Shona based on someone real?

Jody Lynn Nye: No. She was a character that I made up. I like her. She's very real, marvelously human, funny, sad, vulnerable, kind. Oddly, at the World Science Fiction Convention in Winnipeg, I met a lady who looked exactly like the person I had pictured, so much so that I kept looking down the table thinking, "I know her. But from where?"

Crescent Blues: The Ship Errant continues the adventures of the brainship Carialle and her brawn, Keff. What was it like writing in one of Anne McCaffrey's worlds without the original creator by your side?

Jody Lynn Nye: She was always the good conscience on my shoulder. That story was astonishingly easy to produce. I let the plot arise from the complications that we had left unresolved in The Ship Who Won -- Carialle's problem, her ongoing war with the Inspector-General, and the Cridi's difficult homecoming -- and then let rip. The story was lots of fun to write. Anne didn't want to see it until it was finished, so I'm glad she liked it.

Crescent Blues: A lot of your books take place in universities, or deal with the ins and outs of higher education -- School of Light, Mythology 101, Mythology Abroad, Higher Mythology. Is there a reason for your fondness for an academic background for your protagonists?

Jody Lynn Nye: In addition to the reasons I mentioned before, the educational environment is one that everyone has in common.

Crescent Blues: In your Mythology series both your main protagonists are male (Keith and Holl). Again in Waking in Dreamland, your main protagonist (Roan) is of the opposite sex. What kind of research do you do to create a believable male point of view? Is it harder or easier to write from a male perspective?

Jody Lynn Nye: I find men as easy to write about as women. There are characters who "click" immediately, and ones who don't. My main character's perspective has to be neutral for all readers to identify with her/him, but the use of the gender pronoun does change the reader's unconscious perspective (ever read that Ursula K. LeGuin story?), so it is a choice that I make deliberately. I have in the past changed a character's gender to better suit a story I was writing.

Crescent Blues: You've written short stories for anthologies (Mob Magic, Chicks in Chainmail, Did You Say Chicks?) and even edited an anthology of your own (Don't Forget Your Spacesuit, Dear). Do you find short stories are harder or easier to write than a novel?

Jody Lynn Nye: I find them faster to write. I love writing short stories, particularly for anthologies. I welcome the "I dare you to write one that can fit in" character of an anthology. Short stories are more of a challenge. You can babble on for weeks in a novel, but must go straight to the point in a story. It's good training for a writer.

Crescent Blues: You're married to an author. What are the advantages and drawbacks of sharing house and computer space with a fellow writer?

Jody Lynn Nye: Obvious advantages: automatic reader and critic. Supporter through edits and bad reviews, fellow celebrator during releases and good reviews. Personal gadfly, hand-holder, bringer of treats and comfort during stressful times. I massage [Bill’s] neck and back and make him blueberry muffins when he's stressed out. He brings me cups of tea and bouquets of flowers.

Drawbacks: when [Bill's] not on a deadline, he often forgets that I am. Much of his business is conducted over the phone. Loudly. All over the house. I can't work with distractions. I don't have a radio in my office. My computer doesn't even have speakers. He will appear in my office to tell me something that the snarl in my voice should have informed him was trivial.

And by the way, I do have my own office, and so does Bill. They are as far apart physically as possible. We have our own computers, of equal quality.

Crescent Blues: You've written a fair mix of science fiction and fantasy. Do you prefer one genre over the other?

Jody Lynn Nye: I like them both. It's easier to write fantasy. I should be writing more SF. I will be in future.

Crescent Blues: Have you ever considered writing in another genre -- like mystery or romance?

Jody Lynn Nye: Mysteries. I've had plots of several running around in my head for years. One series is historical with fantasy elements. One is contemporary with a hint of magic. One is straight contemporary. All of them have elements of humor.

Crescent Blues: Many established authors are turning to electronic publishing on the Web to reissue out of print books or to publish new works. What are your opinions regarding the new kid on the publishing block?

Jody Lynn Nye: Mostly positive, though I'm concerned about the security issues.

There's a perception that everything on the Web should be free. I don't disagree with that in theory. In fact, I get frustrated too when a source wants me to pay, usually 'way too much, for something. (Three dollars? For one crummy little article!?!) But the problem is the same: how can I get paid for what I write for sale (I differentiate between that and something I might post for fun) while at the same time allowing the web to run free -- until the government figures out how to regulate (and tax) it. I don't want anyone rummaging through my hard drive or running amok with my credit card numbers, or plaguing me with spam, but I'm fascinated by the good things going on.

It's a rare opportunity to see just what kind of community we create on-line. In fact, I think it's exactly like a flesh-and-blood-and-infrastructure community. There are places you shouldn't go, people and sources you shouldn't trust, wide open spaces of experimentation, tons of info, more entertainment than you have time in your life to enjoy, and people from all over the world talking to one another and getting to know one another. There are predators. We just don't know what the dark alleys look like yet. There are thousands of friends you haven't met yet.

As for e-publishing, small entrepreneurs are kicking the bugs out of it at this moment. Alexandria is vending classic o/p SF/fantasy short stories over the ‘Net for very reasonable rates along with their custom-fit fiction service ("If you loved that, you'll love this, too."). Dreams Unlimited has published several books available only on CD you can order on-line. Speculation Press sells real paper books over the net. That's three new kinds of opportunity that did not exist before.

Crescent Blues: Have you ever considered using electronic publishing?

Jody Lynn Nye: Already in it. Dreams Unlimited has published an anthology on CD-ROM called Star Dates: Infinite Celebrations , featuring a story by me.

Crescent Blues: Conventions seem to have become a necessary part of an author's life nowadays. What do you like and dislike most about attending conventions?

Jody Lynn Nye: Conventions are a nice break for someone who works alone as I do. I like getting out among similarly minded people. I enjoy the bazaar atmosphere of the dealers' room, the range of talents in the art shows and masquerades, the fun of panels. As someone who came up out of role-play gaming I think Live Action Role Playing Games (LARPs) are good, though I don't play them. Great eclectic mix of program participants, and the chance to have some deep discussions about interesting things.

What I don't like is the office politics, people who see the only way to make themselves feel important is by stepping on the heads of others. I don't like to go to a convention as a program participant and be ignored by the con committee. If I'm there, part of the program and part of the ambience, I want to feel appreciated. If I find myself thinking I would really have been better off staying home writing, that's a hint that something is going wrong.

I don't like having nothing to do, or, contrary-wise, so many program obligations that I never get a break. I never go just to see the city the convention's being held in, because I never get to.

Crescent Blues: If you could change anything about the conventions you attend, what would it be?

Jody Lynn Nye: Have more people come to see me. [Grins.] In a way that's true. I wish that conventions would be more scrupulous about publicizing the names of professionals who are attending. One of the reasons writers come is to meet their readers, and vice versa. I can't tell you how many times I've had someone tell me, "Oh, I wish I had known you were coming!" It's not supposed to be a secret.

The writers muse.

Crescent Blues: You feature cats quite prominently on your home page. Have you ever thought of writing a book with a cat as a protagonist?

Jody Lynn Nye: Not yet. It's just about inevitable, isn't it? [Grins again.]

Crescent Blues: Is there anything else you'd like to talk about? This is the time to pull up your soapbox and let Crescent Blues readers know what your pet peeves and projects are.

Jody Lynn Nye: I have got so many projects that I'm working on. I want to keep going on with humor, because I love it, and because readers have told me that they enjoy reading my work because it cheers them up. That makes me happy, because that's what I want to do.

I'd like to ask your readers that if they like a writer's work, please let him or her know. If you have something you like, review their works on-line, especially Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. (No flamers, please. We have enough to deal with just getting the books into print!) Having someone say in print that they liked your book is extremely satisfying for an author.

Write to authors and tell them what it was you enjoyed about their work. We get precious little feedback, and I can live on a good compliment for weeks. Tell the publisher you want more. (Or, let him know you're having trouble getting certain books -- flat sales aren't always the mark of a bad book -- availability is a bugbear, too!)

Thanks to all the Crescent Blues readers for giving me the chance to speak with you. Keep reading, and keep in touch.

Teri Dohmen

Click here to learn more about Jody Lynn Nye.