Today the Speculative Fiction Showcase is delighted to interview Sarah Lahey, author of The Heartless Series, whose first book was our featured new release on June 3rd.
Your first novel, Gravity is Heartless, Book 1 of The Heartless Series, debuted in June. First, can you tell us a little about the novel and what inspired you to write it?
I was interested in how the world would look for the next generation. I have three adult children and I was thinking about what the lives of their children, my potential grandchildren would be like. What technologies would they be using? How will they survive the oncoming effects of climate change, where sea levels have risen, and the planet is heating up? The novel is set a world where automated cities, vehicles, and homes are now standard, and artificial intelligence (AI), CRISPR gene editing, and quantum computing are a reality. I wanted to explore these ideas in the framework of an adventure, romance novel with a strong female protagonist.
Gravity is Heartless is described as a Science Fiction novel set in the near future, in 2050. It deals with many issues that are already urgent and controversial in our time, such as climate change. Your protagonist, Quinn Buyers, is a climate scientist. Can you tell is a little about her and her story arc?
Quinn Buyers is fanatical about science, so much so, it’s almost like a religion to her. Yet despite her intelligence (she has a PhD in climate science, and a renowned mathematician mother) she doesn’t know much about herself, or the world around her. She invented a breakthrough predictive weather system, but she was two decades too late—in 2050 climate change is in full swing, and the people of Earth don’t need to be told it’s hot and dry, because it’s hot and dry all the time.
When we first meet Quinn, she has repurposed her weather system to monitor solar flares, and when a climate catastrophe strikes it kills her research team, and her mother disappears, she embarks on a quest for answers that takes her across the globe. She meets an array of new people, and travels to foreign places, which force her to confront who she is, and what’s missing in her life. Under complicated circumstances she also falls in love, but she’s not sure if it’s the type of relationship she wants.
Your background is as a senior lecturer teaching classes on Design, Technology, Sustainability and Creative Thinking at a design college in Sydney, Australia. How does the subject of your work feed into the creative writing process, if at all?
My work and research are crucial to my writing process. The subjects I teach have a strong bearing on the Heartless Novels—students aren’t the only ones learning in a class environment. I’m so lucky to be surrounded by a group of young adults who love design, art and technology, and who are passionate about contributing to the way we live in the 21st century.
I’ve also been teaching sustainable design for a decade now. I’m a climate change advocate, but I was often surrounded by sceptics. So, I thought if people read my novel, they might understand more fully what life would be like in a world affected by massive consumption and the impact of burning fossil fuels for energy. But I also wanted the novel to be accessible to the youth culture of today, so it needed to be fun, an adventure, and above all optimistic.
We live in perilous times when the present seems quite threatening. What does a new Science Fiction novel bring to such circumstances?
I think times have always been perilous. There aren’t many moments in history when the world has sat still, where people all over the globe were able to say life was bliss and they felt 100 percent safe. The world is a scary place, but it’s always been a scary place.
Science Fiction is the perfect way to explore our fears about this scary place, both in the present and the future. It poses questions about technology and progress; is technology good for us? Is it bad? The genre invites us to consider our options, and our choices in ‘what if’ scenarios. It asks, what will the world of the future be like if we do this thing right now? What will happen if we adopt this technology and make it mainstream?
Many people are concerned about the future, about technology and its effect on humanity and the way we live. They are worried that technological progress is not necessarily good for the individual or the environment, and I think that’s a very justified concern; commercial opportunities compromise moral and ethical issues. I think this is one of the reasons the genre is so important right now—we’ve been through a technological evolution in recent times, and with Science Fiction we get to play out some future scenarios.
Why do you think Dystopian Science Fiction has been such an important strand since the time of George Orwell and H.G. Wells?
Yuval Noah Harari, author of the best-selling books Sapiens and Homo Deus, says that Science Fiction is the most important of all artistic genres, because it shapes and prepares us for all the daunting and alarming ideas and new technologies—biotechnology, CRISPR gene editing, extended reality, AI in our homes and work places—that are coming our way.
Dystopian Science Fiction novels are often full of future predictions that sometimes come true. George Orwell published 1984 in 1949, and some of his ideas have come true. In the novel there are telescreens, which monitor you and can see into your home. There’s a technology called Speakwrite that converts your speech to text. The Versifictor is an AI algorithm that generates music and literature; this year the first AI Eurovision Song contest was held. And of course, there’s the overarching premise of Big Brother and mass surveillance, that’s played out in many modern cities around the world with the large number of CCTV cameras and face recognition devices.
Also, Dystopic Fiction isn’t necessarily depressing. These novels are often full of wonderful ideas and employ terrific plots. The protagonist will surely go on a journey of some sort, and have an adventure, which is far removed from everyday life. The narrative will transport the reader to a new world, and this is often an emotional and psychological journey, as well as a nail-biting, page turning quest. These books can be exciting, they can be romantic adventures, they can be the perfect form of escapism.
Tell us about your blog, The Automatic Pencil…
The Automatic Pencil is a design project that responds to the world of the 21st century. This is a world adjusting to its ideas on how humanity engages with nature, a world grappling with the rise of Artificial Intelligence, quantum computing, driverless vehicles, smart cities, digital currencies, automated homes and appliances, and climate change. What will the world be like in thirty years’ time? Who will you be in 2050 and how will you live? These are the questions my blog intends to address.
Please can you tell us about your book cover and its design.
For the cover design I worked with Julie Metz, from She Writes Press. She asked me to sketch what I imagined the futuristic climate city, called Harmonia, to look like. My idea was that the main character and her AI meerkat offsider would grace the cover, but in hindsight, this was far too complicated. Julie’s advice was great, and I sent her my rudimentary sketches with some notes, and the fabulous Ben Perini did the rest.
The futuristic climate city that adorns the cover is a cool haven that’s only available to the mega wealthy. In 2050 the global economic divide includes access to cool air, and while most of the world’s population lives in sweltering metropolises, which accommodate over a 100 million, a few elite citizens inhabit the first fully chilled climate cities.
I love Ben’s design and I think it’s perfect for the book. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with for Book 2!
Gravity is Heartless is the first book in a trilogy. How do you see the story arc developing?
The first book sets up a few major concerns that the main character, Quinn, needs to resolve in Book 2. First is the disappearance of her famous scientist mother, who mysteriously vanishes after a climate catastrophe. The cause of this catastrophe and whereabouts of her mother become the story arc for Book 2, Nostalgia Is Heartless. The second issue is Quinn’s relationship with her partner, who she thinks she’s probably in love with, but still needs to commit to the relationship. These concerns are resolved in Book 2.
Book 3—without giving away too many details—introduces Alan Turning 1936 model of computation; the self-referential halting problem where the machine is programmed, switched on, given data, and is now up and running but it never stops. Never is a very long time, and with humanity essentially destroying the Earth, a race of Super AI species might be the only way to save the planet.
What are you reading now?
My TBR pile includes A Long Petal of the Sea, by Isabel Allende, Uncanny Valley, by Anna Wiener, and Stephen King’s new book If It Bleeds.
I’ve also recently finished a few best sellers; Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Normal People by Sally Rooney, Boy Swallows Universe by fellow Aussie Trent Dalton, and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.
Do you have any thoughts about the future of books? The death of the novel has been announced many times, but it seems to keep coming back. The oldest cave paintings are at least 40,000 years old.
Humans are emotional creatures and we are programmed to respond to stories, and therefore books in all forms and genres. This is not something that will slip away easily, it’s been part of our DNA for tens of thousands of years. The tradition of oral story telling is a huge part of our ancestral past. Homer’s Iliad is said to date back 13 centuries. There’s an ancient Aboriginal tale told by the Gunditjmara people from south-eastern Australia, which describes how the volcano called Budj Bim was formed; this story might be 37,000 years old. One of the oldest stories ever written is The Epic of Gilgamesh; this text is a running theme through the Heartless series.
We also engage with the world using our senses. When we walk into a book shop and pick up a book, we use four of our five sense—sight, touch, sound, smell—and books unleash powerful emotions within us. They are a way of teaching and remembering. They allow us to explore controversial or uncomfortable topics. They help us find order in a chaotic world.
Are there any Science Fiction books or writers that you enjoy?
I like dark books and confronting tales that leave you slightly disturbed and wondering about the darker side of humanity. Ian McEwan’s work fits that description. I’m thinking of novels like The Cement Garden and his early series of short stories, First Love, Last Rites. I’m also a fan of William Gibson and loved Neuromancer and Burning Chrome. I’m looking forward to Agency, released this year, the 'sequel and a prequel' to his novel The Peripheral.
Science Fiction and Fantasy have become powerful genres in recent years. But genre itself is changing all the time. What are your thoughts about this?
Perhaps the changing nature of Science Fiction represents the changing nature of the 21st century. We have been through a massive technological revolution and enormous cultural and social upheaval in the last few decades. The world has not seen digital, biological and physical innovations like the ones we are now surrounded by. Smart materials are redefining the building industry. Automation, 3D, and now 4D printing will change the way we produce and distribute goods. Blockchain technologies have altered the way we do business. We are living with robots. We can even edit the building blocks of life. The Science Fiction and Fantasy genre reflects these changes, but they are also able to offer more ideas and show us the outcomes.
How do you see the readers of your book and what would you like them to take away from a reading?
The novel was written as a fast-paced, high stakes adventure. The ultimate holiday or airport read. Living in Australia, it takes us a long time to travel across the globe. New York is 21 hours away, it’s 14 hours to LA, and London is 24 hours. So, I wanted to write a page turner; one based in hard, realistic science, wrapped around an adventure and romance plot.
The book is designed to make you think about the future, what makes us human, climate change and how we interact with technologies. The novel also includes a diverse range of characters. The LGBQT community is represented, and a nonbinary pronoun is used for one character, so I wanted it to be inclusive.
Why do you think people seem suspicious of Modernism and modern architecture and design?
When Modernism first came about in the mid-twentieth century, it permeated art, architecture, design, and literature because it offered a new way of viewing the world, a challenge to the status-quo and a call for new ways of seeing. Change is always scary, I guess. Personally, I think post-modernism is more of a concern!
What will you do next?
So many projects and so little time. After The Heartless Series, I’d like to write a novel about my dog Desmo; she is a working dog, and she takes up a bit of my time. After that, there’s another Sci Fi series, which loosely links to The Heartless Series. I’m also keen to master the perfect scone mix.
About Sarah Lahey:
Sarah Lahey is a designer, educator, and writer. She holds bachelor’s degrees in interior design, communication, and visual culture, and works as a senior lecturer teaching classes on design, technology, sustainability and creative thinking. She has three children and lives on the Northern Beaches in Sydney, Australia.
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