HERE'S MY LATEST INTERVIEW, WHICH YOU CAN ALSO VISIT BY CLICKING ON THE SITE BOOKS CHARMING. Aakanksha Jain asks me questions I've never been asked before, and I respond with some strange answers. If you want to learn something that no one knows about me, just read on.
John B. Rosenman was an
English professor at Norfolk State University where he designed and taught a
course in how to write Science fiction and Fantasy. He is a former Chairman of
the Board of the Horror Writers Association and has published 250 stories in
places such as Weird Tales, Whitley Strieber’s Aliens, Fangoria,
Galaxy, Endless Apocalypse, The Age of Wonders, and the Hot
Blood erotic horror series. John has published two dozen books, including
SF action-adventure novels such as Beyond Those Distant Stars, Speaker
of the Shakk, A Senseless Act of Beauty, Alien
Dreams, and the Inspector of the Cross series (Crossroad
Press). He has also published a four-book box set, The Amazing Worlds
of John B. Rosenman (MuseItUp Publishing). In addition, he has
published two mainstream novels, The Best Laugh Last (McPherson
& Company) and the Young Adult The Merry-Go-Round Man (Crossroad
Press). Recently, he completed the first two novels of a new Dreamfarer series.
Two
of John’s major themes are the endless, mind-stretching wonders of the universe
and the limitless possibilities of transformation—sexual, cosmic, and
otherwise.
Q.1 Tell us a something about
yourself not many people know?
A. I’m neurotic and often insecure
around others. Worry and fret a lot. Yesterday I had my second Covid shot and I
worried about finding and getting to the place on time even though I had
already been there. In many ways, I feel different from others. Part of this is
related to my writing, and part of it is just me. I also have a low-grade
psychic ability. For example, when I watch Jeopardy, I always know a split
second in advance when the Daily Double is going to come on. I wish I had such
an ability when it came to the stock market!
Q.2 Are we going to read more from you in the near future? Any new project you’re working on?
A. I recently finished Dreamfarer,
which was inspired by one word I made up: Dreamfarer. Also, I finished a sequel to that novel. Its
title is Go East, Young Man. Both will be published by Crossroad Press.
Dreamfarer is a novel of the future when 70 percent of humanity are serviced by
dream machines after exercising their “option” at the age of thirty-two. These
CIUs (Cerebral Interface Units) provide adventurous and romantic fantasies that
are far more exciting and fulfilling than ordinary life in a post-nuclear-war
America, now ravaged and divided into seven autonomous districts. The year is
2170, ninety years after World War III, and America, Russia, China, and the
Caliphate are struggling for supremacy. Nuclear war on Earth is now banned, but
the superpowers have exported their hostilities and suspicions to Mars and
other planets, where they compete to control the solar system.
What happens to a “Dreamfarer” when he wakes after seven years in a
dream machine to find that he has become a Waker, one of the three percent of
humanity who are immune to further dream stimulation and must face a dull and
tedious existence? This is the case with Sam Adams, whose salvation lies in
joining a movement to subvert and destroy the very technology that has robbed
humanity of their identity and purpose. In the process, he becomes romantically
involved with two radically different women, Trina and Diana, and through
unexpected acts of heroism, finds he has become a national hero as well as a
double agent like Seth Lance, a hero in one of his dream series.
Other than the Dreamfarer series, I’m waiting for the next short story idea to surface. I will have two short stories coming in Dark Owl Press’s odd & weird Western collection Something Wicked this Way Rides and one in A Celebration of Storytelling. An H.P. Lovecraft horror tale will appear in Lovecraftian. Other than that, I’m waiting for my next short story idea to strike.
Q.3 What inspired you to write Inspector of the Cross series?
A. Well, I’d read a lot of Golden Age
and later science fiction and grew up in the fifties watching science fiction /
horror movies like Them!, The Thing, and so on. Plus, I read Joe
Haldeman’s award-winning sci-fi novel The Forever War about a soldier
who was a thousand years old thanks to relativistic space travel and decided to
up the ante and make my hero four times as old because he traveled between the
stars in suspended animation.
Q.4 What is the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
A. Wow, I like to say that people are
people regardless of gender and to an extent that’s true. I recently wrote Skyburst
about a teenage girl, and I want to believe I got it right. I know that my wife
thinks differently than I do about some things. For example, when we’re
watching a TV show, she usually notices people’s hair, makeup, what they’re wearing
and comments on their color, design, and suitability. I seldom pick up on such
stuff, so I’d say that details such as clothes, cooking, and the like often
skim right past me. Since I write often about futuristic societies, such
matters are important.
Q.5 How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
A. When it comes to developing plots
and characters—Nope. I’m a pantser, not a plotter, and I usually make it up on
the fly from the merest wisp of an idea. At the same time, I do have set
formulas. In my novels, I like to write
about Christlike heroes who have fabulous, mind-stretching adventures in the
far future. This is the case with Turtan in my Inspector of the Cross
series. Imagine meeting your great-great-great grandchild when he’s an old, old
man.
With short stories, I’m more flexible
and there’s a greater range of plots and characters, more variety. Some of my
stories are comic and satirical in nature, and others horrific and erotic. It’s
safe to say that I’ve tried my hand at a lot of things.
Q.6 How do you see the future of science fiction literature? Will sci-fi maintain its independence or intertwine with other literary genres?
A. Gosh, I wish I had a crystal ball.
As technology develops and humanity spreads out among the stars, I think that
sci-fi will play a greater role and will become more intertwined with other
genres. I once published an article called “Literary Racism,” whose premise was
that genres like science fiction, fantasy, and horror (romance too) were looked
down upon as being non-literary and not deserving of respect. With regard to
science fiction and speculative fiction in particular, I think there will be
more of a merging, though how much I can’t say.
Q.7 How do you see the relationship between science fiction and culture? How about the boundaries between science fiction and reality?
A. Science fiction continues to play
a growing role in shaping culture, which is becoming more and more fluid and
virtual. Look at gamers who live in an online reality for several hours each
day. Or those addicted to their favorite TV series or shows. It’s not just
science fiction; it’s also fantasy and other genres, all brought to you via
Netflix and other outlets. More and more, reality will be an online phenomenon,
either on a computer platform or in a virtual reality matrix. Speaking
personally, most of my socializing now occurs online. This was all predicted nearly
a hundred years ago by E.M. Forster in his novelette “The Machine Stops”. Talk
about predicting the future!
Q.8 To what extent can science fiction affect or improve the developments in science and technology in human life? Is it right to say that science fiction can change what human life looks like in the future?
A. Let’s hope that climate change
doesn’t destroy us first. Even if it doesn’t, human life may be reduced to a
worldwide, desperate struggle to survive if we don’t heed the signs of global
warming fast. With our current day science and technology, we have the
ability to vastly improve human existence. Perhaps we can eradicate most
diseases and deformities and expand the average lifespan to 120. The choice is
up to us.
Q.9 Is classic science fiction literature different from modern science fiction literature? Have the key aims of the genre changed considerably or not?
A. Well, the science in modern
science fiction is usually more accurate because it reflects the progress in
scientific knowledge. In the case of “hard” science fiction, the science and
the scientific method are especially rigorous. Also, there are some discoveries
that are missing in classic sci-fi—black holes, anti-matter, DNA profiling, etc.
However, I don’t think the key aims have changed that much. The writers of
science fiction today are still trying to understand nature on Earth and the
nature of the universe as well as its possibilities. I think that there is more
emphasis on craftsmanship, editing, and literary quality, partly because of the
growth in readership. Also, writers address more often the central issue of our
time: the threat of global warming to our species here on Earth.
Q.10 What do you think are the main reasons of the popularity of science fiction? To what extent has the film industry helped in popularizing the genre?
A. I think one reason is suggested by
Jack Williamson’s Hugo Award Winning autobiography, Wonder’s Child: My Life
in Science Fiction. From the beginning a sense of wonder at exploring the
unknown has been one of the fascinations of science fiction. And today, that
sense of wonder contributes to the popularity of science fiction more than ever
before. Certainly, movies and TV programs have contributed to the genre’s
growth in popularity, but don’t forget online games, especially of the
role-playing variety. These days, an individual can become his—or her—own
avatar and be an active participant in worlds of make-believe. You know, at one
time, science fiction was essentially a hobby of white guys. Now everyone takes
part in its celebration, regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation.
Q.11 Ray Bradbury considers sci-fi as “the important literature in the history of the world, because it’s the history of ideas, and the history of our civilization birthing itself”. Do you agree with him, as many sci-fi stories do, indeed, depict disaster?
A. I think that Ray is right on target. Science fiction contains the history of ideas and speculates about what is to come. It cautions us about future disasters, man-made or otherwise. I recently had a short story called “Free Air” published in an anthology titled A Dying Planet. In my story, the air we breathe is in very short supply indeed. But beyond such concerns, science fiction embraces and contains all other literature. It is the largest genre of all. You can have romances and detective stories, westerns, thrillers, alternate histories, etc. that incorporate science-fiction elements. On top of that, you can have soft and hard science fiction on a sliding continuum. You can have just a dab of science or a whole lot.
Q.12 Science fiction has a long history. Which era do you consider the most effective period in the whole history of the genre?
A. That’s hard to say. The science
fiction of the forties and fifties gave us so many of the themes and tropes we
continue to harvest today. So from that point of view, it was extremely effective.
However, the present period of science fiction is the most effective of all because
it benefits from the most recent and advanced scientific discoveries, and
because the writing is often so much more sophisticated and polished than it
was in the past.
Q.13 In many science fiction stories, the existence of God is denied. Could we call science fiction as an atheist literary genre?
A. No, we couldn’t. Oh, there is some
atheistic science fiction, and I suppose there is a tendency for scientists to
value facts and reality over spirituality. However, there is much science
fiction that speculates about God and supernatural subjects. Checking my home
library, I see New Altars, a collection of “Science Fiction &
Fantasy Stories about Spirituality and Religion”. And in my Inspector of the
Cross series, God is a female presence that pervades the multiverse and
adores the hero. In another of my novels, Dax Rigby, War Correspondent,
I feature a new religion, the All-Faith and describe God as the “mother
universe”. Sometimes science fiction opens up the subject of divinity and
explores whole new vistas.
Q.14 How many books have you written? Which one is your favorite?
A. I have about twenty novels and
twenty short stories available on Amazon. In addition, I’ve published over 250
short stories. It’s hard to say which book is my favorite. One that often comes
to mind is A Senseless Act of Beauty because it’s my most ambitious and
experimental. At 115,000 words, it’s my longest novel and contains stories I’ve
published separately. A Senseless Act of Beauty is my only framework
novel, containing short stories that interact symbolically and otherwise with
the larger story. I really took chances here in writing about Aaron Okonkwo, a
Nigerian scientist in the far future who visits a distant planet where he has
to recover and rediscover his ancient warrior heritage.
Q.15 Do you have any unique and quirky writing habits?
A. I’m a pantser, so I tend to write
without a net or outline and make things up on the fly. I used to go to a local
Barnes & Noble for inspiration. I’d simply walk around, and chance things
I’d see would ignite ideas and story plots. Once I invented a new word,
“Dreamfarer” and began a whole series as a result. In general, I don’t write
according to a schedule but when the spirit and convenience allow.
Q.16 How do you select the names of your characters?
A. They tend to be symbolic. Stella
McMasters in Beyond Those Distant Stars travels to distant stars, so of
course her first name is Stella or Star. And she becomes a dominant force so
her name has to be something like McMasters. The name Turtan in my Inspector
of the Cross series stems from Turtanazalene, a made-up coolant that
malfunctioned and killed the hero. So when God resurrects him, it seems
appropriate that the first six letters be used for his name, since they suggest
that he conquered death itself. Incidentally, Turtan’s real (secret) name is
one of the most ordinary and undignified I could think of. One of my friends
disliked it, but I felt it was appropriate. Don’t our most glorious, legendary
heroes sometimes come from the humblest of origins? Sometimes I’ll pick a name
just because I like it, even though others do not. This is the case with Dax
Rigby, for example. I just love the sound.
Q.17 Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with good or bad ones?
A. I read them now and then. I want
all of my readers to love what I write, and when they criticize my books, I try
to learn from their comments. Sometimes they hurt. For example, I just read a
review on Amazon of Starfighter Chronicles, which contains the first
three novels of my Inspector of the Cross series. Do you know, she only
gave it 4 out of 5 stars? The nerve! Well, I read what she wrote, digested it,
and before I left, I reminded myself that it was just a personal opinion. Yes,
sometimes a review will sting, but you have to learn from it, then brush it off
and move on.
Q.18 Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
A. I wish I had met John Keats, the
great English poet who died at twenty-six and whose grave bears the epitaph, “Here
lies one whose name was writ in water.” He died of consumption, i.e.,
tuberculosis, and for the last two years of his life, he was too sick to write.
He sensed early on he was going to die and prayed for ten more years which he
would devote to poetry. He didn’t even get five. Yet at the time of his death,
his literary achievement surpassed that of Shakespeare, Milton, and others at
the same age. It would be nice to know how far he would have gone if he had
been given the chance. Perhaps he would have been the greatest literary genius
of them all. I would like to be a time traveler so I could go back with a
doctor and cure him. Then he could have both his poetry and his beloved Fanny
Brawne.
Q.19 What is your favorite book from
other authors and why?
A. Boy, this is tough. Let me mention
three.
1. George R. R. Martin’s The Game
of Thrones series, especially the first three books. I was overwhelmed by
the rich, complex world creation of seven different kingdoms and the characters
contained therein. Brienne of Tarth, Tyrion Lannister, Arya Stark, Daenerys
Targaryen and so on.
2. Mike Resnick’s Kirinyaga.
Partly because I spent my professional life teaching at black colleges, this
novel continues to resonate with me. Imagine putting an African country or
tribe in an orbiting space station and trying to preserve it against the threat
of neocolonialism.
3. Dan Simmons’ epic, mind-blowing Hyperion
Cantos. I’ll never forget the Time Tombs or the seven pilgrims who visit
Hyperion to confront the fearful Shrike, the Lord of Pain.
Q.20 Share the experience of your journey so far?
A. Rocky, challenging, rocky, with
periods of inspiration and fulfillment divided by vast desserts of despair.
Okay, I exaggerate a bit, but whoever said writing would be easy? If I sell a
book, it makes my day, and if someone writes me and tells me how much they
enjoyed one of my stories, I feel like dancing. Suddenly, it all seems
worthwhile.
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