In Conversation with M.K. Weaving: Revisited
I started interviewing authors three years ago and I thought it was time to contact them and invite them to revisit our conversation. Two interviews for the price of one? Can’t beat that!
Here is the sixth in the series.
In Conversation With (Revisited): M. K. Weaving
[Leon: Can you believe it’s been over two years since we did the first interview?]
[Minna: I definitely would have guessed it was only a year ago!]
[Leon: I heard you have a new book out. I’m sure we’ll get a chance to talk about it. I also realized that last time I didn’t offer you something to drink. That was rude of me. What will you have?][Minna: Thanks, I would be happy to talk about my new book. And, thank you, I’ll have a cup of java please.]
[Leon: Let’s see what was going on 2 years ago.]
Today I have the pleasure of sitting down with author M. K. Weaving. Thanks for dropping by.
[Leon: Glad to have you back.]
[Minna: Thank you, Leon! Glad to be here again!]
I try to do some research on my guests, but you have a very limited online footprint. Is this on purpose?
Yes. I do spend a lot of time online and I guess that’s why I want to limit my footprint. I was there when the internet was a baby and quickly realised that everything online is forever, but I’ve always loved technology, and I had the great fortune of being there when the Internet became a thing!
[Leon: Still no website. Your IG is full of doodles—labradoodles that is—but I see you still have a Substack newsletter.]
[Minna: My Substack, Cabinet of Curiosities, really is where all my current writing takes place. That’s also where my deepest online footprint is located. I write a lot of sci-fi short stories, but also essays on various human related topics. I belong to a group of creatives and writers called, The Soaring Twenties Social Club, and we publish a monthly Symposium on Substack. ]
Seeing that I can only base my questions on rumors and hearsay, let’s begin.
Fun!
What was the first book you remember reading on your own?
Nils Karlsson Pyssling by Astrid Lindgren (who also wrote the Pippi Longstocking books). I grew up speaking Swedish, so all my childhood books were in Swedish. This book is about a boy who discovers a tiny boy under his bed. This tiny boy lives in the wall of the house and through a magical word he helps the larger boy become small so they can play together. There is a wonderful scene where they share a gigantic meat ball! I loved the feeling of magic mixed with reality, and the fact that the little boy still was a human being. Just smaller, but still human.
The only thing I remember about the Pippi Longstocking books was that her pigtails stuck straight out.
I always wondered how the pigtails were able to stay that way!
What got you into science fiction?
The original TV series Battlestar Galactica! I was still too young to understand English, but loved watching Apollo and Starbuck fight the Cylons. I loved the spaceships! I also have an extremely vivid memory of seeing “The Planet of the Apes” on TV at an early age, and was blown away by the ending! I still love the movie and watch it every time it is on TV. Strange coincidence, but I got married on the cliffs above the exact location of that last famous scene which was filmed on Point Dume in Malibu, California!
Hmm. So it wasn’t New York after all … Damn them all to hell.
Maybe some serious plate tectonic movements occurred!
What authors influenced you?
Enid Blyton, Tove Jansson, Stephen King, Arthur C Clarke, Jack Vance, Isaac Asimov, Dan Simmons, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens.
[Leon: Any new influences?]
[Minna: Yes, Frank Kidd over at Pulp West and Pulp, Pipe & Poetry on Substack. Great writer. I fully expect his stories to make it on the big screen one day. ]
That’s a good list. Do you have a favorite book?
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. And – if I may break the rule, one more, The Compleat Dying Earth by Jack Vance.
[Leon: Any new favorites?]
[Minna: I’ve been a slow reader recently due to my own writing projects but I have two books I keep chipping away at: The Peregrine by J. A. Baker and Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe. ]
I was going to say you can’t but, you snuck it in, so … Anyway, one fact I do know is, according to Goodreads, that you were born in Finland. What made you move to Florida— Wait. Because of the cold, right? It’s got to be because of the cold.
I grew up in Finland. Yes, it was very cold there in the winters! I once got stuck in a snowstorm on a bridge and we had to dig ourselves out until finally a truck driver pulled us out of the snow! I first moved from Finland to California, where I lived several years before moving to Florida. My husband and I drove across the entire United States in the middle of the pandemic from California to Florida!
[Leon: Still in Florida?]
[Minna: Yes! Still in Florida, living my best life. Publix has amazing key lime pies!]
[Leon: Not going to get into politics. Wait. Yes I am. Care to sum up your feelings in one word?]
[Minna: Homeostasis!]
I always like to talk about music. Are there any famous Finnish bands?
Yes! I love music and there are indeed famous Finnish bands. Let’s see…
Eppu Normaali (great Finnish vibes!)Ismo Alanko (legend as far as I’m concerned)Nightwish (I don’t listen to them. Can’t handle metal but lots of people swear by them!)Darude (played in every American sports stadium every single game)[Leon: I don’t know if I discovered them before or after this interview, but I kinda like Steve ‘n’ Seagulls.]
[Minna: They’re fantastic, aren’t they! And I actually have a new band for you to check out, KAJ! They’re representing Sweden (!) in this year’s EuroVision Song Contest in Basel. KAJ is a band from a tiny village in Finland, and they sing in a very unique Swedish dialect. This dialect resembles my own Swedish dialect that I grew up speaking! Finland has a small population of Swedish speaking Finns. I belong to that minority group, as do KAJ! Check out their EuroVision song Bara Bada Bastu and Nissan Bromsa!]
Who do you like to listen to?
I’ve been on a Belle & Sebastian and Tame Impala binge. I also love Elton John, the ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ soundtrack, and Jungle. Oh, and DJEdit! There’s no rhyme or reason to my music taste. I love Bing Crosby, Fever Ray, and Fleetwood Mac.
[Leon: Any new favorites?]
[Minna: I listen to very little new music, but I love Yebba’s The Age of Worry and Diane Birch’s Fools.]
Are you ready for the lightning round? Wait. I guess we should talk about your book, Aubade .
Yes!
[Leon: Actually, we won’t. Let’s talk about your latest book, Aubade.]
[Minna: Yes! ]
[Leon: Wait. Did you know that your book starts the same way my book, Euphrates Vanished, does?]
[Minna: No way!?]
[Leon: My book description is:
“This is not a drill!”
He wakes up to the sound of his alarm and the announcement blaring. Looking around the room, he realizes he is a member of a starship crew. There’s only one he doesn’t remember who he is or how he got there. With no time to think, he finds his way to the bridge, while being careful not to call attention to his predicament.
That’s all I’m going to say about that…]
[Minna: Haha! This is so cool – maybe we both have tapped into the same sci-fi vibe. Maybe they’re on separate spaceships in the same story!]
[Leon: Now let’s talk about your latest book, Aubade.]
[Minna: Aubade sat in a folder for years. Literally. I have versions of Aubade from 2006. So it’s been with me for a looong time. It became a pet project that I would return to every now and then. When I began writing on Substack I decided to experiment with publishing Aubade as a serial. There was a lot of discussion on Notes about the good and bad of running serials on Substack (this topic pops up every two months roughly). Everyone was excited and hopeful and thought it would bring in lots of readers.
I was more skeptical and also early on Substack. But I have fewer readers. Since I’ve always had a soft spot for this space story, I kept going. I edited each original chapter and published a total of 20 updated chapters here. They’re now behind a paywall for subscribers. The most frequent feedback I got for my serial was: “Publish Aubade as a novel and I’ll buy it!”
This is what I originally wrote about Aubade when I first began publishing it as a serial on Substack:
Aubade is the story I can’t let go of. Every now and then I return to it, read through the whole thing, make a few changes, and then put it back in stasis. The reason I keep returning to this story is because I adore space adventures with strong female leads. I’ve had fun building a complex adventure. A story I personally would love to read or watch on the big screen. Do you know what I mean? Do you have one of these stasis stories too? Today I’m sharing with you the opening of Aubade. Let’s give it some air and see what you think. Would you like to read the rest of this story as a serial? After all, what good does a story do in stasis?]
[Leon: Plagiarism aside it sounds like an interesting book.]
[Minna: Haha, great minds and all that!]
[Leon: Let’s get back to our previous conversation.]
So. In 10 words or less, what’s No End Code about?
It’s about us humans in the near future…
OK. You can have a few more
… and where the human ends and the machine begins.
How did your book ‘No End Code’ come to be? Where did you get the ideas for your stories?
Many details in the stories are directly generated through dreams I’ve had. I’ve always found dreams incredibly helpful in my creative life. Moods, details, and scenarios unlike anything I could generate by daydreaming. No End Code came about as I was going through my collected writings and noticed that four of them belong together. An anthology format seemed suitable as I remember absolutely loving sci-fi anthologies, and still do. I subscribed to The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction for many years. There’s something uniquely satisfying in reading sci-fi short stories. I hope you’ll get a kick out of reading my sci-fi collection.
[Leon: Are you happy with the sales and reviews of your first book? ]
[Minna: I still operate with close to zero budget, so it’s an uphill battle to sell a lot of copies. Aubade was published on April 15th, so it hasn’t had much time out there yet. I’m excited to see how it will do, because it’s my first full length novel.]
Now are you ready for the lightning round?
I’m in that starting position 100 meter sprinters take before they run!
Last binged TV show?
Oak Island. I’ve followed the Lagina brothers and their treasure hunt since the beginning!
Oh, we could have a whole other conversation about that show, but let’s continue.
[Leon: Are you still watching? Honestly, I’m getting annoyed with the constant recaps and the lack of treasure. And the haphazard digging. And the fact that they never tried to block the flood tunnels…which would be the first thing I would have done.]
[Minna: Yes, I still watch! Haha, I know! All the wood beams they keep digging up. Poor Billy, the excavator guy. But now it’s almost too late to jump ship, so I keep watching!]
Weirdest food you’ve eaten?
A Finnish Easter delicacy called ‘mämmi’ – a molasses and rye flour dessert which has the unfortunate look of… well, poop.
Time travel. Possible?
I say yes. I really really want it to be possible, at least on some level. I love time travel stories and movies!
Favorite city?
L.A.
Analog or Digital?
Analog
What does M.K stand for?
Minna and K is a secret!
Scariest animal you have encountered?
Rattlesnake.
[Leon: Is it still a rattlesnake?]
[Minna: Yes, with a dash of black widow spider!]
This has been a pleasure. Thanks for chatting.
[Leon: Well that was fun. I always enjoy revisiting old interviews.]
[Minna: Thanks so much! My pleasure as well! Love chatting with a fellow sci-fi writer! And I still think it’s too funny that we both have a story that begins in such a similar way. Our characters must be relatives or something!]
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
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