International Women’s Day 2018

Despite much prejudice over the years, it is undeniable that female authors have been a strong and significant force in Science Fiction and Fantasy since the earliest days. One only has to think of Margaret Cavendish, Mary Shelley, Jane Webb Loudon, Ursula K. Le Guin, Anne McCaffrey, C.J. Cherryh, Julian May, Marion Bradley, Doris Lessing, Margaret Atwood, J.K. Rowling. Even so, it is generally harder for female authors to be published, and many readers still say they are less likely to pick up a book if the author is obviously female.

Elsewhen Press, which was established in 2011, applies no constraints of age, race, gender or sexual orientation, on the authors whose work we consider or publish – our only criterion is quality. We now have a roll-call of female, male and non-binary authors, from various continents, writing in many different sub-genres of speculative fiction. To mark International Women’s Day 2018, we would like to highlight some of the female authors that have enabled Elsewhen Press to live up to its mission of delivering outstanding new talents in speculative fiction. They are all great writers and awesome people; we are honoured to have them as our authors and friends.


Zoë Sumra

Zoë Sumra

Zoë was born in London, but spent her later childhood living in Lancashire, where she started writing novels at the age of twelve due to extreme boredom. After completing the obligatory epic fantasy trilogy in her teens, she spent four years at the University of St Andrews, where she learnt to fence both foil and sabre and cemented her passion for space opera. She now lives in London with her husband, their daughter and a collection of swords. Zoë writes when she’s not fencing, looking after her daughters, or working as a print controller for an advertising company.

The Underside series
(Sailor to a Siren; The Wages of Sin)

The Underside series, space opera with a significant nod to gangland thrillers, introduced us to Zoë Sumra’s universe and established her as a name to watch in epic space opera. The depth of her characters, the breadth of her world-building, the ambition and longevity of her story-arcs spanning multiple generations of families, all made this a first series in what is going to be a fascinating and enthralling universe.


Tanya Reimer

Tanya Reimer

Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Tanya enjoys using the tranquil prairies as a setting to her not-so-peaceful speculative fiction.

She is married with two children which means among her accomplishments are the necessary magical abilities to find a lost tooth in a park of sand and whisper away monsters from under the bed.

As director of a non-profit Francophone community center, Tanya offers programming and services in French for all ages to ensure the lasting imprint and growth of the Francophone community in which she was raised. What she enjoys the most about her job is teaching social media safety for teens and offering one-on-one technology classes for seniors.

Tanya was fifteen when she wrote her first column. She has a diploma in Journalism/Short Story Writing. Today, she actively submits to various newspapers, writes and publishes the local Francophone newsletter for her community, and maintains a blog at Life’s Like That.

Sacred Land Stories
(Legends on the Prairies; Ghosts on the Prairies; Cursed on the Prairies)

The Sacred Land Stories trilogy follows a trans-generational timeline that starts in Legends on the Prairies, continues in Ghosts on the Prairies and culminates in Cursed on the Prairies. Alternate history suspense incorporating the paranormal and magical realism, and infused with romance, these are stories that concern the Sacred Lands of the Ghost tribes in the prairies of Saskatchewan, stretching from 1882 to 1936. But they also touch on the interwoven loves, hopes, dreams and tragedies of lives lived on those prairies by both the tribes and the settlers.


Sanem Ozdural

Sanem Ozdural

Sanem Ozdural was born in Ankara, Turkey in the 70s, and spent her childhood from age seven onwards in England. Happy days at a quintessentially British boarding school in Surrey helped forge her character and tastes, not to mention lasting friendships. Making her way to the U.S. she studied economics at Princeton University. After graduating from Boston University School of Law, she moved to New Orleans where she practiced as a prosecutor and civil litigator, and spent seven wonderful years living in the French Quarter.

In 2004 she migrated from New Orleans via Washington, D.C., reaching New York City in 2006, where she lived and practiced law until 2013. After teaching business law at Koç University in Istanbul for a few semesters, she is now back in New Orleans once again working as a lawyer. Sanem was an avid bridge player until the tenth round of revisions to her debut novel. She is now thoroughly enjoying an indefinite bridge sabbatical, and imagining all sorts of stories that feature absolutely no bridge or chess.

LiGa series
(LiGa™; the Dark shall do what Light cannot)

The LiGa series is a thought-provoking series of books in an essentially contemporary setting, with elements of both science fiction and fantasy. The LiGa of the series title is a contraction of Life Game, a game in which contestants are gambling with their lives to win what is essentially indefinite life expectancy. In the first book we meet the players of a LiGa™ Bridge tournament who are competing against each other to join the ranks of the ‘Immortal’ members of LiGa. In the second book, we find out more about the secretive organisation behind the game as we travel with some of them to a fantastic place beyond the Light Veil.


Rebecca Hall

Rebecca Hall

Rebecca started writing when she was supposed to be studying for her exams at Otago University but somehow passed anyway, eventually graduating with a decorative piece of paper. She moved to the UK to pursue a career in publishing and after a couple of mishaps ended up in Edinburgh and sold Instrument of Peace to Elsewhen Press, which is not quite the career she had in mind. The career she did have in mind was along more editorial lines which is why she is now a volunteer at Inspired Quill and a freelance copy-editor for everyone else. She also has a blog which she infrequently remembers to update, where those mysterious things known as short stories can be found.

Even after three years in the UK, she is baffled by the fact that the British use miles, pints and 1p coins but things like pineapple lumps, black forest chocolate and L&P have not caught on. Rebecca would like to make it very clear that she is a Kiwi and absolutely NOT an Australian (or South African) and she will do almost anything for chocolate.

Symphony of the Cursed trilogy
(Instrument of Peace; Instrument of War; Instrument of Chaos)

The Symphony of the Cursed trilogy, is a YA fantasy that begins with Instrument of Peace, which Rebecca describes as a magic school setting combined with the reality of the mundane world and horror of the Dresden Files, without any characters named Harry. Her trilogy sees the main protagonist, Mitch, move from high school to university while he strives to break The Twisted Curse that threatens those around him.

The location for the story may be surprising to some readers, especially those in the Northern hemisphere. The Academy, where Mitch is being educated in magic, is in a semi-mythical land populated by magical beings and legendary creatures, not to mention awe-inspiring natural features such as volcanoes, that has in recent years been discovered to be the location for Middle Earth. We know it, of course, as New Zealand.


Katrina Mountfort

Katrina Mountfort

Katrina was born in Leeds. After a degree in Biochemistry and a PhD in Food Science, she started work as a scientist. Since then, she’s had a varied career. Her philosophy of life is that we only regret the things we don’t try, and she’s been a homeopath, performed forensic science research and currently works as a freelance medical writer. She now lives in Saffron Walden with her husband and two dogs. When she hit forty, she decided it was time to fulfil her childhood dream of writing a novel. Future Perfect was her debut novel and the first book in the Blueprint trilogy. Forbidden Alliance and Freedom’s Prisoners completed the trilogy. Her latest novel is The Ghost in You.

Blueprint trilogy
(Future Perfect; Forbidden Alliance; Freedom’s Prisoners)

The Blueprint trilogy takes us to a future in which men and women are almost identical, and personal relationships are forbidden. Following a bio-terrorist attack, the population now lives within comfortable Citidomes. MindValues advocate acceptance and non-attachment. The BodyPerfect cult encourages a tall thin androgynous appearance, and looks are everything.

A dark undercurrent runs through the trilogy: the enforcement of conformity through fear, the fostering of distorted and damaging attitudes towards forbidden love, manipulation of appearance and even the definition of beauty. Despite seeming to be set in a distant and dystopian future, it is clear that many of the disturbing aspects of Katrina’s future world can be seen here and now; this should be a warning to us all. The books appeal to both an adult and young adult audience.


J.A. Christy aka Jacqueline Ward

J A Christy

J.A. Christy’s writing career began in infant school at the age of seven when she won best poetry prize with her poem ‘Winter’. Since then she has been writing short stories and has had several published in magazines and anthologies.

She holds a PhD in which she explores the stories we use in everyday life to construct our identities. Working in high hazard safety, she is a Chartered Psychologist and Scientist and writes to apply her knowledge to cross the boundaries between science and art, in particular in the crime, speculative and science-fiction genres.

She lives in Oldham with her partner and their dog. J.A. Christy also writes under the name Jacqueline Ward.

SmartYellow™

SmartYellow™ explores themes of social inequity and scientific responsibility. J.A. Christy’s first speculative fiction novel leads her heroine Katrina to understand how probability, hope and empathy play a huge part in the flow of life and are absent in the stagnation of mere survival. As readers we also start to question how we would know if the power of the State to support and care for the weak had become corrupted into the oppression of all those who do not fit society’s norms.

SmartYellow™ offers a worryingly plausible and chilling glimpse into an alternate Britain. For the sake of order and for the benefit of more fortunate members of society, those seen as socially undesirable are marked with SmartYellow™, making it easier for them to be controlled and maintained in a state of fruitless inactivity. Writer, J.A. Christy, turns an understanding and honest eye not only onto the weak, who have failed to cope with life, but also onto those who ruthlessly exploit them for their own ends. At times tense and threatening, at times tender and insightful, SmartYellow™ is a rewarding and thought-provoking read.


Alison Buck

Alison Buck

Like all of us, Alison Buck has led many lives.

One as a sensible, hard-working type, employed in financial systems, graphic design and web site development.  Another as a writer, scribbling away, committing her stories to disc and eventually publishing several to reasonable acclaim.  Throughout all of them, the mother of two and wife of one.

Skilled at exploring the psychology and interior lives of her characters, Alison delivers stories that range from chilling tales of horror through insightful contemporary drama to thought-provoking science fiction.  Her empathy with her protagonists, her rich descriptive prose and her use of gentle humour serve to ensure that, whatever the setting, her stories are always a rewarding read.

Abiding Evil

Abiding Evil, Alison’s second published novel, was a bestselling psychological horror story. A sleeping menace is roused deep in the darkness of a forest. For decades it grows, biding its time, reaching out to tug at the ordinary lives of those living beyond the shadow of the trees. Their children begin to disappear.

Unaware and unsuspecting of the danger, a group of families, friends for many years, journey to a newly re-opened hotel. It stands alone in a clearing a mile or more within the forest boundary. For some this will be their last reunion.

The long-awaited sequel will be published this year by Elsewhen Press.

Alison is also a talented artist who has designed many of the covers for our books. She is one of the co-founders of Elsewhen Press.


Freely downloadable booklet Extracts from the Book of Shadow to celebrate the release of the Dark shall do what Light cannot paperback edition

Today sees the release of the paperback edition of the Dark shall do what Light cannot by Sanem Ozdural. In that book we are taken to Pera, meet Shadow its soul, and discover the Book of Shadow which is fundamental to the life of every Peran.

Artwork: Alison Buck
Artwork: Alison Buck

To the non-Pera born Shadow may be elusive and the Book of Shadow too big to comprehend. With the help of two of their Immortals, LiGa have produced an initiation of sorts into the mind and soul of Pera. Orion (Imm.) provides an introduction to Shadow, while Roland Griffith S.J. (Imm.) offers us a personal selection from the Book of Shadow. Thanks to the generosity of LiGa, we are delighted to be able to make this LiGa pamphlet, Extracts for the Book of Shadow available for free download.

Shadow is one of the most enthralling beings ever created in modern speculative fiction

Seregil of Rhiminee, Risingshadow

Extracts from The Book of Shadow, is now available for free download, click here for details and download links.

 

the Dark shall do what Light cannot released in paperback today

the Dark shall do what Light cannot, the second novel in the LiGa series by Sanem Ozdural is available from today in a paperback edition.

Artwork: Alison Buck
Artwork: Alison Buck

Following on from the critically acclaimed LiGa™, this new novel reveals more about the secretive organisation behind the life-extending technology of LiGa. Along with LiGa’s newest recruits, we are transported from New York on an eventful voyage across the high seas and beyond the Light Veil to the colourful and wonderful world of Pera, an almost-mythical place on the other side of reality. On the way we meet the pirate Patron and her ship the Flying Fish, the only one that can sail through the Light Veil; Orion (Imm.), the Hunter, respected by some and feared by others; and Shadow, the formidable soul of Pera.

There are light trees in Pera that eat sunlight and bear fruit which, in turn, lights up and energises (literally) the whole community. There are light birds that glitter in the night because they have eaten the seed of the lightberry. The House of Light and Dark, which is the domain of the Sun and her brother, Twilight, welcomes all creatures living in Pera. But in the midst of all the glitter, laughter and the songs, it must be remembered that the lightberry is poisonous to the non-Pera born, and the Land is afraid when the Sun retreats, for it is then that Twilight walks the streets…

the Dark shall do what Light cannot has been available in popular eBook formats since the 10th April.

 

“an exceptionally good science-fantasy story” – review of the Dark shall do what Light cannot on Risingshadow

On the Risingshadow.net website, Seregil of Rhiminee has written a review of Sanem Ozdural’s new novel the Dark shall do what Light cannot, the sequel to her debut novel LiGa™. The frequency with which Seregil reads new books and writes detailed and thoughtful reviews is quite astounding, and the sheer number of such reviews he has written makes his comments on Sanem’s new book all the more meaningful.

Artwork: Alison Buck
Artwork: Alison Buck

Seregil starts by recalling LiGa™, Sanem’s debut novel, which he says was “an interesting reading experience for me, because the author did something that I didn’t expect to be possible” which he explains was that “she made bridge look sexy and fashionable by transforming it into science fiction”. Although the Dark shall do what Light cannot is a sequel to LiGa™, and includes some of the same main characters, Seregil notes that it is perfectly possible to read it as a standalone novel. Having been “thrilled” by LiGa™, Seregil was “amazed” again by this sequel which is “an exceptionally good science-fantasy story” which “outshines LiGa™ in every possible way”. He says that in this new book Sanem demonstrates “her writing skills and storytelling abilities, because she transports her readers into a fascinating world of light and darkness. She weaves a web of magic with a good dash of originality around her readers.” He enjoyed reading the book very much because “it felt fresh and exciting”.

Seregil then discusses some of the characters and how well their characterisation works, as well as the story’s plot and the “impressive worldbuilding” of the setting of Pera where much of the action takes place. It pleased him that Sanem “takes her time to introduce the characters and the world of Pera with its different areas and traditions” and “doesn’t rush with the story. She smoothly combines different elements and gradually deepens the story by revealing more wonders and terrors about the world of Pera and delivers an excellent story.” He goes on to add that he was impressed by the effortless and skillful way she manages different threads and elements and brings them all together.

He especially found reading about Shadow fascinating. Shadow is the soul of Pera and has the body of an enormous crocodile (as featured on the cover of the book!). He says that “Shadow is one of the most enthralling beings ever created in modern speculative fiction novels”. Praise indeed!

As well as Shadow, Seregil is impressed by how Sanem “infuses her story with intriguing mythic, paranormal and religious elements that blend seamlessly into one another”. He also enjoyed her fresh approach to pirates in Pera where they pay taxes and give merchants receipts when they rob them.

Seregil says that “what makes this novel stand out is its complexity and philosophical elements. It was nice that the author didn’t underestimate her readers”. This also includes the excerpts from the Book of Shadow which are “wonderfully creative, poetic and mythic”.

Finally Seregil says that this novel was “an enjoyable reading experience, because it isn’t often that one has an opportunity to read this kind of science-fantasy. The Dark shall do what Light cannot is a skillfully written novel that differs quite a lot from other new and contemporary science fiction novels. It’s a fascinating combination of science fiction, fantasy, paranormal elements, mystery elements, traditions, religion and mythic elements.”

In conclusion he says that it is “Good, imaginative and thought-provoking science-fantasy for adults”.

This was just an extract, you should read Seregil’s whole review here.

 

Sanem Ozdural celebrates launch of new novel with visit to the Flying Fish

While celebrating the launch of her new novel the Dark shall do what Light cannot, which was published in a digital edition today, Sanem Ozdural visited the Flying Fish. As readers of her new book will soon discover, the Flying Fish is the incredible ship belonging to Patron, a ‘pirate’ from Pera. It is the one ship able to cross the Light Veil, and hence the only route by which anyone can travel to or from Pera. Powered by lightfuel it also has some other unique properties… but we won’t mention them now so as not to spoil the book for you 😉

Sanem Ozdural and the Flying Fish

Lawyer’s new novel examines rights, responsibilities and justice in a place beyond the Light Veil

As in fellow lawyer Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, Sanem Ozdural combines elements of science fiction and fantasy to provide a setting in which to consider the limitations of the power of the state, in her new novel, the Dark shall do what Light cannot.

DARTFORD, KENT – 10 April 2015 – Elsewhen Press, an independent UK publisher specialising in Speculative Fiction, is delighted to announce the publication of a new novel, the Dark shall do what Light cannot, by author and international lawyer Sanem Ozdural. Following the success of LiGa™, her critically acclaimed debut, the latest novel reveals more about the secretive organisation behind the life-extending technology of LiGa. Along with LiGa’s newest recruits, we are transported from New York on an eventful voyage across the high seas and beyond the Light Veil to the colourful and wonderful world of Pera, an almost-mythical place on the other side of reality. On the way we meet the pirate Patron and her ship the Flying Fish, the only one that can sail through the Light Veil; Orion (Imm.), the Hunter, respected by some and feared by others; and Shadow, the formidable soul of Pera.

Artwork: Alison Buck
Artwork: Alison Buck

There are light trees in Pera that eat sunlight and bear fruit which, in turn, lights up and energises (literally) the whole community. There are light birds that glitter in the night because they have eaten the seed of the lightberry. The House of Light and Dark, which is the domain of the Sun and her brother, Twilight, welcomes all creatures living in Pera. But in the midst of all the glitter, laughter and the songs, it must be remembered that the lightberry is poisonous to the non-Pera born, and the Land is afraid when the Sun retreats, for it is then that Twilight walks the streets…

As a prosecutor, Sanem has confronted some of the worst aspects of humanity. As a novelist she enables us to consider questions that we might otherwise choose to avoid. We live in a world of Light and Dark, Day and Night, Good and Evil. How do we deal with evil? Despite its power and resources, the state with all its laws and police is neither omnipotent nor omnipresent. It is not always enough.

In Pera, as in our world, there is deceit and cruelty. There are people who would harm defenceless children, and those who would jeopardise the health and wealth of their communities for personal gain. What happens, though, when the Sun is not able to shine her light into the repulsive crevices of humanity? When, with all the goodwill in the world, we cannot keep the children safe, or the forests intact. What happens when the rivers are polluted irreversibly, and we can hear the land groan: barren and toxic? And the people have lost their savings, their homes and their communities… Then… the Dark shall do what Light cannot.

Pera is fictional, a place where we can see the effect of novel attempts to deal with rights and responsibilities. But Pera is also real; it is the old name of historic Istanbul and means ‘the other side’.

the Dark shall do what Light cannot is published today by Elsewhen Press in a digital edition in all popular eBook formats. It will be published in a paperback edition in the summer.

Notes for Editors

About Sanem Ozdural

Sanem OzduralSanem Ozdural was born in Ankara, Turkey in the 70s, and spent her childhood from age seven onwards in England. Happy days at a quintessentially British boarding school in Surrey helped forge her character and tastes, not to mention lasting friendships. Making her way to the U.S. she studied economics at Princeton University. After graduating from Boston University School of Law, she moved to New Orleans where she practiced as a prosecutor and civil litigator, and spent seven wonderful years living in the French Quarter.

In 2004 she migrated from New Orleans via Washington, D.C., reaching New York City in 2006, where she lived and practiced law until 2013. She is now teaching business law at Koç University in Istanbul. Sanem was an avid bridge player until the tenth round of revisions to her debut novel, LiGa™ which was published by Elsewhen Press in 2012. She is now thoroughly enjoying an indefinite bridge sabbatical, and has been imagining all sorts of stories that feature absolutely no bridge or chess.

 

The Darkened Sky

With the arrival of the Winter Solstice, it seems appropriate to share this poem from Sanem Ozdural. It is taken from the Book of Shadow, a collection of stories, poems, songs, sayings that are attributed to Shadow. Who is Shadow? Shadow is the soul of Pera. Where is Pera? It is the most beautiful, vibrant, free place you could ever know. But it is completely hidden behind the Light Veil. No one from this world can see beyond the Veil, nor can they cross it. No one, that is, apart from the occupants of a very special ship called the Flying Fish captained by the formidable Patron. To find out more about Patron, the Flying Fish, Pera and especially Shadow you’ll need to read Sanem Ozdural’s new book the Dark shall do what Light cannot, the second book in the LiGa series, which will be published by Elsewhen Press next Spring. In the meantime just enjoy The Darkened Sky:

Continue reading “The Darkened Sky”

The making of… the Dark shall do what Light cannot by Sanem Ozdural

Artwork: Alison Buck
Artwork: Alison Buck

Over on the Upcoming4.me website, Sanem Ozdural has written a powerful article for their Story behind the Story feature about her next book the Dark shall do what Light cannot. From the start of her career as a trial attorney the need for this story was becoming clear to her. In the colourful and wonderful setting of Pera, a place behind the Light Veil, we (along with some of the characters from Sanem’s debut novel LiGa™) discover Sun and Twilight, Light and Dark and what happens when the Dark shall do what Light cannot.

You can read Sanem’s article here.

 

Sanem Ozdural interviewed in Kule Magazine

Sanem OzduralSanem Ozdural, author of the thought-provoking novel LiGa™, is currently teaching at Koç University in Istanbul. She was recently interviewed for the university’s Kule Magazine, Spring 2014 (issue 37). Accompanying the interview was a poem by Sanem called Gelecek Bir Seçimdir (The Future is Choice). You can view the magazine and read the interview in Turkish here. For those of you who don’t read Turkish, Sanem has kindly provided us with an English translation of the interview (below) and her poem (which is in our milliFiction thread here).


A novel that takes place in the future: LiGa

LiGa™ coverWe spoke to Sanem Özdural, who joined the Law Faculty this year, and who is also a writer, about her novel LiGa, which was published in 2012.

Upon reading Sanem Özdural’s novel LiGa, which was written in English and published by Elsewhen Press in the U.K., we decided at once to interview her. The fact that the novel takes place in the “future” makes it particularly appropriate for Kule’s current issue. This novel, inspired by the Life-Gambling axis, offers both a warning and a promise for the future. We wish you an enjoyable read…

Shall we start our discussion with the title? Why did you choose this name and this topic?

LiGa is an abbreviation of LifeGame. The following is a short summary of the story:

In the near future, an organization called LiGa has discovered a technology that can transfer a person’s regenerative quotient to another. LiGa restricts the use of the technology through an invitation-only tournament. At the end of each game the four players with the highest points take one third of the regenerative quotient of the losing four players. The tournament ends when the regenerative quotient of one or more players reaches 100%, that is to say when they reach a form of immortality.

I had wanted to write a story about the connection between life and gambling for a long time, and the result was LiGa. People actually gamble with their lives on a daily basis, don’t they? Even gambling with money affects the person’s life, doesn’t it? The more money one loses, the harder one’s life gets. But as with so many ideas, although LiGa had its beginning in the life/gambling connection, its path took many different turns…

This tournament is set in the future, but you must have been inspired by something in the present day. Does this mean that what we think of as life is really a game? And even though you don’t say so outright in the novel, do you think we are players in an equally harsh and ruthless game?

Life and games. Where do they part ways? After all, isn’t the main purpose of games to prepare one for life? Calling LiGa ‘harsh and ruthless’ is inaccurate and misleading, because the only part of the game that might be considered ‘ruthless’ is the fact that the winning players take life from the losing players. But remember: each player entered the game willingly, and perhaps even more importantly, they are free to leave whenever they want. There are no tricks; no secrets. There is equal opportunity in the quest for immortality. Under these circumstances, how can LiGa’s central philosophy of personal responsibility be considered ruthless? All laws are built around this principle: you have to pay the price of the wrong you commit, the damage you inflict – be it in the form of money or prison. That’s the central tenet of life and this game. For instance, can we expect a boxer to avoid punching his opponent for fear of hurting or injuring him?

Besides, the sea and all of nature around us can be considered ruthless, but I can think of several other adjectives to describe both nature and LiGa: completely honest, egalitarian and life giving. After all LiGa means Life Game, not Death Game.

Why bridge and not another game?

I felt that bridge provided the best vehicle to explain the aspects of life that I wanted to explore in this story. Bridge is a complex game that requires detailed planning, but in which luck also plays a role. In addition, the concept of ‘trust’ is centrally important because it is a partnership game.

In the LiGa tournament the players change partners after four hands, so that by the end of the game they have all been both partners and opponents. Just like life: we don’t know when an ally or partner may turn into a rival or an enemy.

Do the readers need to know bridge to understand the book?

No, I tried very hard to make sure the story was intelligible to players and non players alike!

How should we evaluate the characters’ quest for immortality? What does immortality mean for them?

Immortality means something different for each player. In other words, they want a longer life for different reasons. For instance, an aging judge wants a longer life in order to create a particular rose, others perhaps because they are afraid to grow old and die. I don’t think the Formula 1 driver is afraid of death, but perhaps he views this tournament as the last, most dangerous race of his life.

Is this tournament a warning for the future, or perhaps a promise to us from the future? How should we understand it?

The central question LiGa poses is this: what are the human characteristics, the principles that we want to be immortal? The players solve this question among themselves during a tournament in which they each have an equal chance at success, but in which personal ability is more important than luck. It is not a difficult question. We all know the answer. And the players find out that there are three fundamental elements to succeed in the tournament: to be honest, to perform the task at hand in the best way possible, and to be resilient when faced with obstacles. I see LiGa as a promise, because a world in which these values are predominant will lead to a safer, more comfortable life for all. At the same time I consider it a warning, because to act outside these basic principles can only be advantageous or profitable for a short time. Those who are honest, capable and resilient will always prevail in the end.

The book allows the reader to experience the excitement at each stage of the game, but at the same time it asks a host of important questions relating to life, death, fate, and ethical responsibilities, such as ‘do we have a right to gamble with our lives without permission from our loved ones?’ What are your thoughts on these concepts?

Do we have a right to gamble with our lives? Do we live for someone else? What is more important: the individual, the family or the community? The answer changes depending on the point of view, on culture. Or, for instance, what does free will mean? Does the priest enter the tournament of his free will? True, he will not be punished if he refuses to enter, but can we consider his sense of responsibility and duty an impediment to the concept of free will? On the other hand, isn’t a decision based on a feeling of responsibility just another exercise of free will? Perhaps there is no clear-cut answer to these questions, and that is just as well.

Authors often complain of the difficulties of finding names for their characters. Did you have trouble in this area? Do your characters’ names have particular meaning?

I did not think of the meaning behind each of their names, but the names of some characters are important. For instance, Bruce Saber. A sabre is a cavalry sword. You see, I was on the fencing team in university, and I’ve always equated a trial attorney’s work with a fencing bout. The Formula 1 driver is called Storm. It suits him!

Your characters all have different occupations. You must have done a lot of research to write about a priest and a racecar driver, and you must be knowledgeable about bridge. What kind of preparation did it take to write this book?

I can safely say that the research took at least as long as the actual writing. I spent almost two years just learning bridge and playing in tournaments. During the same time I was also researching Formula 1: watching all the races on television and reading books and anything in the news about the drivers. The hardest character to write about was the priest. I spent a few years researching his character, too.

 

Kule Magazine (Spring 2014) trans. Sanem Ozdural

“intimate, sometimes intense but thought-provoking” – review of LiGa™ on British Fantasy Society website

LiGa™ coverOn the British Fantasy Society website, there is a review of Sanem Ozdural’s debut novel LiGa™. After a brief description of the setting of the story, the reviewer, Richard Webb, explains how the LifeGame of the story (for which LiGa™ is a branded abbreviation) is bridge and goes on to say that bridge “is a social game, built on double-guessing your partner’s hand as much as your opponent’s and what Ozdural does well is to expose the brutality under the veneer of the somewhat genteel pastime.”

Richard describes the diversity of the players who are competing as a cornerstone of the book, with “none of the group clearly the one to root for. This makes for intrigue and nuance in their interactions, layered with complexity as at different times they are paired with, or against, one another, all with their eyes on the ultimate prize.” The review goes on to consider the philosophical questions at the core of the story, and why anyone would participate in such a game: “Understanding the reasons why each participant was willing to take this risk what it would mean to them was one of the slow-burning joys the story yielded.”

You can read the full review here