12 or 20 (second series) questions with Christy Climenhage
Christy Climenhage is the authorof The Midnight Project (Poplar Press (Wolsak & Wynn), 2025). A fullmember of SFWA and CSFFA, she holds a collection of graduate degrees (PhD and 2Masters) in International Political Economy, European Administration and SocialSciences from a past life and alternate existence as a social scientist,academic and diplomat. When she’s not writing you can find her in a forest inQuebec walking her dogs.
1 - Howdid your first book change your life? How does your most recent work compare toyour previous? How does it feel different?
TheMidnight Project, which comes out in May 2025, is my first novel. I can’t really understatehow life changing I feel this is. Its publication represents crossing the Rubiconand shifting from an unpublished writer trying to sell a book I wrote in thedark to an author with a publisher and an agent. This transition into thebusiness of writing and publishing feels very transformative. Of course, nothing has practically changed forme at this moment, except I’m a person who writes and publishes thingsnow.
2- How did you come to fiction first, as opposed to, say, poetry or non-fiction?
Ifirst came to fiction as a child when I started reading. I read early and oftenand devoured chapter books from a young age: Stuart Little and Charlotte’sWeb were the earliest books I remember. Then, ravenously, I read just aboutanything. I would imagine characters and dialogue. I’ve always been a reader.
Howdid I come to writing fiction? I always wrote a bit, had a story going. I wrotepoetry too but it didn’t grab me the same way. I went to university and thengrad school, and I pivoted to academic writing and non-fiction. Non-fictionfelt grown-up and serious. I dabbled infiction when inspiration struck (which is to say, hardly at all) but didn’t tryto publish, or indeed, finish anything.
Theway I came to writing fiction, in the end, was by force of will—by a singulardecision to undertake and finish projects and try to share them.
3- How long does it take to start any particular writing project? Does yourwriting initially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appearlooking close to their final shape, or does your work come out of copiousnotes?
Theidea needs to germinate first. It usually begins with a phrase or a sentence.The phrase can come to me in front of my computer but more often when I’mwalking the dogs or driving the car. But then it niggles until the storyunfolds. I have ideas from years back just waiting for the spark to turn itinto a project but this part of the process can’t be forced. Short stories area much easier, much more linear process than novels. It’s so simple to write ashort story, be dissatisfied and put it aside, then come back to it, than witha novel.
Bythe time I am committed to sitting down and writing a novel, the words of thefirst draft come fairly quickly, but the first draft is quite different fromthe finished work, which takes a few more re-writes to polish into shape. I trynot to get bogged down with research while I’m writing a first draft. Though Ido a lot of reverse outlining and research for draft 2.
4 - Wheredoes a work of fiction usually begin for you? Are you an author of short piecesthat end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a"book" from the very beginning?
Myprojects are stories and I usually know when I start whether they are “little”stories or “big” stories, but I can always be surprised. In general, my novelsare novels from page one, and I approach them in a fairly linear way, but I’mat the beginning of my career as a novelist so this may change.
5 - Arepublic readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sortof writer who enjoys doing readings?
Theyaren’t currently part of my creative process because I haven’t done any. So I guess we’ll see.
6- Do you have any theoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds ofquestions are you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think thecurrent questions are?
Thesame things that interest me about the world show up in my fiction. I’mfascinated by political movements, economic systems and how human relationshipsare the bedrock of society. Some themes, like the role of late-stage capitalismand science in shaping society are embedded in my novel The Midnight Project,as well as how people react to crisis, especially ecological crisis. Thosethemes as well as colonialism are figuring heavily in my current work inprogress.
Thecurrent questions for me are: how do we live well (and ethically) in a world indecline? How can we connect better with each other? How can we resist thestorm?
7 –What do you see the current role of the writer being in larger culture? Do theyeven have one? What do you think the role of the writer should be?
Writershave a central role in shaping culture but it isn’t usually intentional. Thewondrous thing about writers is there are so many roles they can take on, andtheir works can play, out in the world. Writers can entertain, inform, provoke,bolster or assuage. They can educate; they can inspire. Different writers cantake on different roles too. Not every work has to save the universe–sometimesit’s okay to just provide a little humour or comfort. Our culture can beprofound and thoughtful while also being goofy or funny. Writers are criticalto creating culture but I think this is an organic rather than architecturaleffort.
8 - Doyou find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential(or both)?
Workingwith an editor has been both challenging and incredibly rewarding. That extraset of professional eyes on your work trying to bring out the best in it issuch a privilege to have. But the self-reflection required when you have tolook at parts of your work that may not be working for your reader takes alot. You need to (a) re-write itaccording to the advice you’ve been given; (b) cut it out completely; or (c)defend it with your whole heart; it’s really difficult to work through what todo. You have to be fair and thoughtful and open but also know where you can’tcompromise. It’s a conversation and you have to hold up your end.
9 - Whatis the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to youdirectly)?
Writingadvice and publishing advice are two different things.
10 -What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? Howdoes a typical day (for you) begin?
Ihave a lot of life that infringes on my writing so I either schedule time earlyin the morning or I write on the margins of other things. So a typically goodwriting day would start early with coffee and CBC News, then write for an hour,then do all the other things.
11 - Whenyour writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of abetter word) inspiration?
Thebest action to take when I’m stalled is to sit down and write anything. Badprose can always be turned into better prose through re-writing but waiting forinspiration to strike can mean you lose weeks getting the story down.
WhenI get stalled, I also do a quick check on whether I am writing the thing in myhead. When inspiration is flowing, my characters will lurk in the corners andrandom ideas and dialogue will come to me at all hours. If that dries up, Ineed to ask – am I writing the right thing? How can I get the words down?
Regardinginspiration, that can come from anywhere at anytime – during a walk in thewoods, a random conversation, a private reflection on the world or society.
12 - Whatfragrance reminds you of home?
Sunscreen,pine needles and wet dog.
13 - DavidW. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there any other formsthat influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visual art?
Scienceand music. I always have a playlist for a work in progress. The natural world andadvances in science tend to be an influence.
14 - Whatother writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your lifeoutside of your work?
I takea lot of inspiration and enjoyment in the Canadian speculative fictioncommunity. We have so many award-winning and best-selling science fiction andfantasy authors. And when I’ve met them in person they tend to be really nice!
Ialso have a kickass writing circle of amazing authors. We critique each other’swork, as well as support each other through the querying and submissionprocesses. Their feral enthusiasm has really made the publishing journey fun. Beingable to connect with other writers helps to lessen the feelings of writing intoa void.
15 - Whatwould you like to do that you haven't yet done?
I’dlike to collaborate more with other writers. And write more books, of course. Ihave a lot more books in me to write.
16 - Ifyou could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or,alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been awriter?
Forme, being a novelist is the fantasy occupation. In my professional life I’vebeen a student, an academic, a teacher and a diplomat. All these things havecontributed to who I am and has percolated into the kind of writer I am today.But for me, the dream is to be a full-time author.
17 -What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?
Therealization that only I could write the story in my head. And if I didn’t, itwouldn’t get written.
18 -What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?
Sohard to pick just one, and I don’t really have favourites…
Film:Mary Shelley. A really interesting biopic about the life of the author ofFrankenstein.
Book:Countess by Suzan Palumbo. Anti-colonialist, sapphic space opera novella.I’m really looking forward to what she writes next in this universe.
19- Whatare you currently working on?
I’mworking on two things – a novel set in the same time period and world as TheMidnight Project. I’ll get back to it when my brain organizes and separatesreal-life and fictional dystopias.
Andthen I have a fun project about middle-aged feminist rage that makes me smilewhenever I take it up.
