Today, the Speculative Fiction Showcase takes great pleasure in interviewing Ellen Clary, whose debut novel, Pursuits Unknown, we featured on July 9.
I like to create the characters and then watch how they interact in their world. In this book, I started with my villain. Without revealing too much, I can say that chapter 35 is one of the first ones I wrote. I created a world that was overpopulated and gave it a villain who wanted to remake their world more to his liking. I studied religion secularly some in college, so I find how people use religious power to be fascinating. Then the challenge became finding problems the dogs and their humans could solve.
I think it’s safe to say from your bio that you are fond of dogs. How did that begin, and how important are dogs in your writing?
I've always been an animal person and keeping horses is not that practical these days (I grew up with them), so I say that I have "downsized" to dogs. I've been waiting years for someone to write fiction that uses dogs and humans working together in a way that's not cute or full of wisdom. When that never happened, I started writing my own.
You mention that you wanted to feature a bisexual and a transgender character in the novel. Can you tell us more about that and why it was important to you?
I don't remember specifically mentioning that (though I am bisexual myself), but I wanted to see what it was like to create a world where sexuality wasn't the pivotal issue that it is in our own world. I don't force things on my characters, so what has resulted is that of the four main characters, one is hetero, one lesbian, one bisexual, and one decline-to-state (I don't think he's asexual, but he essentially is in the first book). There is a trans character who does appear in one chapter.
Your protagonist Amy and her partner Lars are detectives with a telepathic bond - and Lars is a kelpie-shepherd mix. This sounds like a wonderful starting point for a story. But there are also some serious themes - very serious - in the book, such as racism, the misuse of science, and overpopulation. How do you weave those themes into the plot of a thriller?
I created the main characters then I started to build the world and the environment (which is still evolving). I really dislike things that are just cute for cuteness sake. After I created my villain, let him follow his goals, then I had instant conflict and then the basis of a story. If you let it go where it leads, it can be some pretty dark places. The hard part was that the villain had to be buried much deeper into the story and he had to be this invisible opponent that the main characters could not clearly see at first.
I think some thrillers in the past were quite reactionary. They often related to incursions by foreign powers, or terrorist groups. What are the challenges of writing a progressive thriller?
You know I've never quite thought of it that way. Though my main characters do not like the villain and what he stands for, they're not xenophobic which might make a difference, but there is no shortage of name-calling either.
You were a writer of humorous fiction to begin with. How do you find writing in a different genre, and does humour still creep in?
My characters devolve into silliness pretty easily. I can't help but let humor creep in. I had one editor quibble with me about my characters bantering in a stressful moment much later in the book. I mentioned that in a writing group and one person sent me a YouTube video of British troops laughing and taking photos of each other while they are being actively shelled. Needless to say I ignored those editorial comments. Dark humor is still funny.
Is it safe to say that progressive and transformative writing is flowering as never before?
I think so, but you really should be talking with Brooke Warner of She Writes Press about it. There are just more places where people's voices can be heard.
What books do you read for pleasure, and have you got any current favourites?
I really like urban fantasy, I dearly love Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series. (Talk about great humor). And I have a long-standing crush on anything that Neil Gaiman comes up with. I've been a fan of his since Sandman. He's a genius at creating characters and Death is one of the best characters I've ever read, especially when she's telling her brother Dream to lighten up.
I read thrillers, and mysteries when there is a compelling character or environment. I like Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon, Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone (and Santa Barbara), and Tony Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn (and the Navajo Nation). And of course Diana Gabaldon's Outlander which is in a class by itself.
Can you tell your readers about your dog sports habit?
My first love is dog agility, which means running around like a fool trying to keep up with your dog and shout out relevant directions at the right time with highly varying degrees of success.
Out of necessity, I train in obedience, and learned herding skills to keep one of my herding dogs sane. It was a weird experience being in a pasture wondering how I got there. I've done enough scent work, so I can use a non-realistic, fictionalized version of it in my writing.
Are there any particular problems with writing a character who is also an animal?
On the telepathy I deliberately set up pretty strict parameters. I decided to stick with the current thinking that bright dogs are the equivalent of a two or three-year-old human. This sets up all sorts of interesting challenges for the main human characters. The dogs communicate in a very limited fashion. No standing up on some mountain reciting poetry. No complete sentences. They use short phrases and now the humans get to try to come up with a limited language that they both can use. This is something that will run through the series. (Yes, it is one.)
The thing you have to keep in mind when using an animal as a character, is that they are still an animal with their own priorities. Your horse is going to be tempted by that grass way over there. Your horse may find a tumbling paper bag to be a threat. Your horse may decide that there is no way that crossing that mud puddle is at all safe. (Been there.)
How important is it to you to research animal behaviour and get details right?
That is the one thing that I strive to get right. Everything else I feel free to embellish, but the dog behavior part is important to me and one of my advance readers is a dog behaviorist. I had a pain-in-the-rear reactive dog and I did a ton of research and training seminars trying to help him, so as a result I have a pretty solid base in that regard.
Are you watching any series on Netflix or Prime, and what sort of thing do you prefer?
GOOD OMENS! (I love Crowley and Aziraphale and their love for each other, despite the biggest obstacles that anyone has ever encountered.)
Outlander (On Starz, but I just rent the DVDs. I love how Claire is so in-your-face.)
Grace and Frankie (The comic genius of Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. How to do physical comedy with 80-year-olds? Put them on the floor and have them "race" for the phone.)
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Westworld
The Umbrella Academy
Dr. Who
Lost (a while back, but I did the whole thing.)
And I have a Grey's Anatomy thing, and I watch The Amazing Race whenever it's on.
Have you got a WIP at the moment, and will there be a sequel to Pursuits Unknown?
Amy and Lars is a series and book two is in pieces all over the floor right now.
Have you got any tips for aspiring writers?
While I've always been a writer I didn't get serious about writing novels until I realized that no one else what going to write what I really wanted to read. I love other people's work, but it wasn't going to be my work. If you have a vision stick with it.
This book was a 2012 National Novel Writing Month dare from a friend who is in the acknowledgements. After the first few days, I realized that there was no way I was going to be able to keep up with the frenetic pace that's required (and 50,000 words is not long
enough to be a novel anyway), but I could write 500 words a day and if you do that for 200 days, you have a novel. Just start writing. Even if you think it's terrible, as Diana Gabaldon says, over time you will improve.
About Ellen Clary:
Ellen Clary is a dog-owning computer professional who has both literary and technical college degrees. She has a love of dog behavior and training, as well as a dog sports habit. Formerly a humor writer, she now wants to write dog-related novels that she, and others, would like to read. A California native, she now lives in a Victorian house in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wife and dogs.
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