My Guest: Laurel Kriegler

My journey into the literary world has offered me many opportunities to stumble across things.  One of them is the diminutive, but near-culty favourite Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday (SFFSat) blog event -- where we unsung writers string together ten sentences of our works, and hope to capture the world with our snappy words and literary style.  By signing up, I have come across a collection of new writers in speculative fiction, as well as made new writer friends.  One of them is Laurel Kriegler, who is also the founder for SFFSat.

Laurel and I decided to give ourselves a boost and have a little interview.  You can check out my interview over at her blogsite, The Quarzite Columns.  So, here we go with a few intrusive questions I had for her...

So, Laurel, tell us a little about yourself – who you are, what you write, and why you write:

Well, I’m a South African gal who now lives in the UK, having moved here just over three years ago for the second time. I grew up reading any and every book that caught my fancy, though fantasy and science fiction were the top attractions. It was my escape from loneliness. I currently work as a receptionist at a local college, and spend my spare time chatting to friends, reading, writing or generally being online.

I write Science Fiction as a rule, although I’ve been known to write a poem or two when the mood strikes, and there’s even a fantasy story lurking around in there.

I write because there are stories in my head waiting to be told. Now if only I could be disciplined enough to polish them up so that others can read them...

Having sampled some of your work, I'd say, yes! What's taking so long! I want more.

Right, back to the questions.  Would you ever write in another genre?

Never say never, right? I doubt I’d stray too far from scifi and fantasy, as they are the genres that I know best. But who knows.

Do you have a recent release, or, what you’re currently working on?

I haven’t released anything yet, but I am hoping to release a short story, currently tagged ‘Am I Dreaming?’ sometime in the next couple of weeks. Another shortish story, ‘Rebirth’, is also begging for release, but I need to work on a couple of sections of it before I can do so.

What inspired you to start writing?

I had an idea for a story about a young lady who is cryogenically frozen, and then woken up in the future. She does not know who she is. The story tells of her encounter with the dystopic society of the time, and the megalomaniac ruler of the planet, Maltheus, who she eventually befriends. Their relationship later enables her to topple him from power, restoring equality and hope. For a long time I didn’t write anything, until I was challenged by a friend to just ‘start’. Fatal attraction comes to mind! If only I could just get the words down fast enough to keep up with the Muse...

Sounds very interesting! Can't wait to read it.  So, if you weren’t writing, what would you be doing?

Reading, without a doubt.

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

Start! And don’t stop. But only if you can handle the crazy.

Do you have any favourite authors who have inspired you?

Isaac Asimov, David Eddings and Anne McCaffrey were my main reads when I was growing up, so I guess they would be my ultimate inspirations.

Very cool.  So, what are you reading now?

Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest, and Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I never had a clue. I’ve never been driven by ambition. Maybe being a character in one of the books I was reading?

Now for some even nosier questions.  Are you a morning person or an evening person?

I wouldn’t say that I was either particularly, but I’m definitely not NOT one of them. That said, I don’t need anything for get-up-and-go in the mornings.

Where's your favourite place in the world?

Somewhere next to a mountain stream – and mountains round about are necessary to the image.

Who is your favourite character in your books?

The Helpie from The Contract. Con/Ner are meddlesome brats who sticks their tentacles where they don’t belong. I’ve always loved their scene. (And if you’re wondering about my use of multiples, you’ll understand when you read about Con/Ner.)

Who is your favourite character in other people’s books?

Man oh man, are you asking me a tough question. Pulling a name out of a hat ... I love Belgarion of The Belgariad and The Mallorean series’s, by David Eddings. He’s just awesome, and has a great cast of supporting characters who teach him all sorts about life in general. But scratch a bit more, and you’ll find that there’s a load of characters hot on Belgarion’s heels.

What’s your favourite food?

Pasta – so long as what’s with it is vegetarian.

What group did you hang out with in school?

I didn’t. If any, it was the people in the books I read.

What your favourite quote or saying?

Don’t worry.

If your life had a theme song, what would it be?

That just has to be my all-time favourite song – Amazing Grace.

And finally, and most importantly, where can we find you online?

Facebook - Laurel C Kriegler

Twitter - laurelckriegler

Blog - The Quarzite Columns

I'd like to thank Laurel for stopping by today and putting up with my nosy questions.  Feel free to click over to her site so you can see how she puts my under the grill.

Cheers!