a meme

I copied this idea from Jeff Vandermeer at Clarkesworld, who did an interview with several emerging writers. I only knew one writer that he interviewed, which made my shoulders sag, but then I thought, HEY! I know lots of OTHER emerging writers. According to Vandermeer's standards, an emerging writer has some short stories published but no novel and not enough for a collection, or one collection, or a novel that has fallen under the radar. According to my standards, it's anyone who writes and reads my blog. :)

Here are your questions. In my next post, I'll answer 'em. I'm also gonna throw something similar up at Electric Spec's blog in the following weeks and make my fellow editors answer them too. Bwahahaha. Maybe I'll even scare up a couple of our writers, too. Now THAT would be fun, getting to harass them. But I digress. Your questions await.

disclaimer: The questions are in the same spirit as Vandermeer's, but not copied, cuz they're his, or, well, Clarkesworld. As they're currently considering one of my stories, I'd hate to piss 'em off by stealing.

What does writing giveth you and what does writing taketh away?

What characteristics do you share with your characters and their lives?

What was your hardest story to write and why? Give us the rundown.

Tell me about your writing community or "tribe."

What sucks worst about the business of writing?

What's the scariest thing you ever wrote, maybe something that nudged you in places best left untouched? What have you realized about yourself through writing?

What is your career going to look like in five years? Ten?

What writers influence you?

What are you working on now?