“It’s been wonderfully affirming to meet other writers in various stages of our journeys to publication.”
-Stacey Berg
A member of the Writers’ League of Texas for five years, Stacey Berg lives in Houston.
Scribe: In what genre(s) do you write?
Stacey Berg: I write speculative fiction — science fiction and fantasy for adults and teens. My first novel, Dissension, was published by Harper Voyager Impulse in 2016.
Scribe: What author would you most like to have a drink with, and what’s the first question you would ask them?
SB: William Gibson, the author of seminal speculative fiction like Neuromancer and The Peripheral (and inventor of the word “cyberspace”). I’d ask him how he comes up with his astounding metaphors; for example, the description in his essay “Since 1948” of punk as “the detonation of some slow-fused projectile buried deep in society’s flank.”
Scribe: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what book would you want to have with you to keep you sane?
SB: The complete Shakespeare would be my one indispensable book. There are dozens of worlds to explore in there, and hundreds of people to keep you company. The Riverside version is the one I grew up with, but maybe I’d pick the Norton so I’d have a new (to me) edition for the desert island.
Scribe: What have you learned from your association with the Writers’ League?
SB: It’s been wonderfully affirming to meet other writers in various stages of our journeys to publication. The Writers’ League’s Agents & Editors Conferences definitely helped me take the crucial step from writing secretly in my study to submitting my work to agents and ultimately publishers.
Scribe: Where do you see your writing taking you (or you taking it) in the future?
SB: My first two novels have been set in the moderately distant future; I’m looking forward to stepping sideways into whole other worlds.
Scribe: Here are the Writers’ League, we love sharing book recommendations. What’s one Texas-related book that has come out within the past year that you couldn’t put down?
SB: I’m so far behind in my “to-be-read” pile that I’m not sure I read anything that technically qualifies. But I’m counting Maria Dahvana Headley’s Magonia, since she was at this year’s Texas Book Festival.
Scribe: Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with the world? An opportunity for blatant self-promotion!
SB: Regeneration, the sequel to Dissension, is out now from Harper Voyagers Impulse. You can buy it here.
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Thanks, Stacey!
If you’re a Writers’ League member and you’d be interested in being interviewed for our Meet the Members feature, email us at member@writersleague.org for more information. It’s a great way for other members to get to know you and for you to share a bit about what you’re working on!
