Hailing from Russia, Ekaterina Sedia is an urban fantasy writer who first appeared on this site as editor of the recent anthology PAPER CITIES. But she’s an author in her own right, of such acclaimed novels as last year’s THE SECRET HISTORY OF MOSCOW and the new THE ALCHEMY OF STONE. BOOKGASM talked to her about how her writing benefits from her upbringing and relationship with an indie publisher.
BOOKGASM: What draws you to write urban fantasy?
SEDIA: A combination of real concerns of real people and crazy and fantastical stuff. I like the juxtaposition of the real and the myth, the mixing of the two. Urban fantasy is almost forced to be relevant — that is, it takes modern-day people and makes them interact with their cultural baggage, be it mythological or paranormal. As a result, I think it is important for urban fantasy to stick to the specific rather than generic, since myth and culture are so place-dependent.
BOOKGASM: As technology gets more and more sophisticated, do you think that harms or improves the relevance of the fantasy genre?
SEDIA: I do not think there’s much of a relationship between the two. Human condition can be affected by technology in real life, but in fiction, this effect can be easily modeled with magic or even crazier technology. All in all, I suspect that relevance of fantasy lies in how well it addresses human questions, regardless of anything else.
Personally, I read fantasy not because I’m particularly irrational or trying to avoid the soul-crushing technology in my real life, but because it, like any good book, can offer me some insight into how people work — and this is the sort of relevance that does not change with technology. Then again, one needs to consider purposes of the reading: escapism, for example.
BOOKGASM: How does your upbringing in Moscow inform your fiction (if at all)?
SEDIA: Well, apart from the obvious — when I am writing about Moscow, for example — I think it is helpful to have exposure to multiple cultures. One becomes more inclined to notice similarities rather than emphasize otherness and exoticise it; also I think it encourages portrayal of individuals rather than broad-stroke cultural types.
At the same time, I think there is also a degree of political awareness and concerns that is somewhat different from most American writers — and as such, I might start out with different defaults. I’m not too keen on books that focus on restoring the status quo, for example.
BOOKGASM: What advantages do you find to having your novels housed at a smaller publisher rather than one of the big few?
SEDIA: I really like working with Prime Books because they have been extermely responsive to my concerns and very hands-on with all aspects of book making and marketing. I was encouraged to give input on all stages — interior layout, cover design, what text should go on the cover, etc. etc. It is also very nice that both the publisher/editor, Sean Wallace, and the designer, Stephen Segal, are just an AIM ping away, and are very helpful and patient. And Stephen is just such an amazing designer — I love both of the book covers he has done.
BOOKGASM: What’s the most egregious misspelling of your name you’ve come across thus far?
SEDIA: Actually, there haven’t been anything particularly bad. Either it doesn’t show on ego-Googling, or people just copy and paste my name rather than attempt typing it. But Erina Seda might’ve been it. —Rod Lott
OTHER RECENT BOOKGASM AUTHOR INTERVIEWS:
• Q&A with SCARFACE’s Joshua Jabcuga
• Q&A with SKINTASTIC VIDEO GUIDE’s Mr. Skin
• Q&A with STEAMPUNK’s Ann and Jeff VanderMeer
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• PAPER CITIES: AN ANTHOLOGY OF URBAN FANTASY edited by Ekaterina Sedia
