In Which I Wear My Editor Hat In An Interview...

[deborahjross]

Over at Book View Cafe's blog, I answer questions about how I became an editor, how I approach a shared world anthology, my thoughts on how each anthology takes shape, and a bunch of other cool stuff. In part, the interview is to celebrate tomorrow's release of Mad Science Cafe, a delicious and more than slightly wacky, grim, inventive concoction of well, mad scientist tales that I had the joy of editing.

Q.) How did you decide what you wanted for Mad Science Café?

A.) I tried to approach the process with an open mind. The writers at Book View Café are all seasoned professionals with individual creative styles. Suggest a theme and no two will come up with the same interpretation. Even within as narrow a topic as “mad scientists,” I found a rich variety in approach, in setting, in character–some hilarious, others grim; some closer to the tone of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, others wildly different. Much to my delight, I received a healthy mix of original stories and reprints, some of which have been unavailable for some time. As I read through the submissions, I realized that “mad scientist” is a jumping-off point and that I could open the scope from the original image of the wild-eyed genius in a white lab coat with great results.