Sarah Zettel began her writing career with a handful of science fiction short stories in Analog in the early 1990s, before branching into other subgenres and other magazines. Her first novel, Reclamation, was published in 1996. She followed it up with Fool's War in 1997 and three more novels. She then turned to fantasy novels (with attempts at writing even farther afield, including romance, manga, and mainstream historicals, though she says she doesn't have a lot to show for it right now). As we mentioned in this article, Sarah Zettel is returning to science fiction writing after a hiatus. Her comeback novel, Bitter Angels, will be published by Bantam under her pseudonym, C.L. Anderson. We asked Zettel about her absence, her return, and more. Here are the results of that interview:
SFScope: First, of course, welcome back to science fiction. We missed you. Where'd you go, and why? And what were you doing (writing in another field? not writing at all?)?
Sarah Zettel: Thanks. It's great to be back.
I didn't really go that far. I wrote two fantasy series: the Isavalta series for Tor (A Sorcerer's Treason, The Usurper's Crown, The Firebird's Vengeance, and Sword of the Deceiver) and the Paths to Camelot series for Luna/HarperCollins UK (In Camelot's Shadow, For Camelot's Honor, Under Camelot's Banner, and Camelot's Blood).
SFScope: Then why did you decide to come back to science fiction?
Sarah Zettel: I never stopped loving SF. I had done five SF books in quick order, though, and I felt a break might be a good idea to get some fresh ideas and perspective. It turned out to be a slightly longer break than I expected, which is always a danger on a new writing path.
SFScope: Does anything about the field look different to you, since you have been away (it's sometimes easier to see changes when you're not living with them every day).
Sarah Zettel: I think there's some very exciting new possibilities out there. I think SF writers of my generation are grappling a bit with some fundamental changes, including the fact that there are so many more kinds of SF available out there, in movies, TV, anime and manga that we've got a lot of competition and have to work hard to make our stuff intriguing. Also, I think there have been massive technological changes in the world at large the implications of which are only just beginning to be explored in the field of SF proper, starting with the serious and multiple implications of what is being done in the fields of biomedicine and genetics. Purpose-tailored human beings are something we may see in our lifetimes. Then, of course, there's the news of water and organic compounds being found in a geyser on one of Saturn's moons. It's starting to look like we might have neighbors, and this changes everything.
SFScope: So, your new novel, tell us more about Bitter Angels, which you described as "a far-future spy thriller that is a combination of space opera and John Le Carre." Space opera and Le Carre aren't often thought of together, so tell us why you did (or is the combination simply the result, rather than conscious thought before writing)?
Sarah Zettel: Well, I've never been accused of thinking small (at least, not where I've heard about it). What I wanted to do was tackle one of the big themes of SF, which is war itself, or rather, the elimination of war. A lot of the SF books I've come across where war is a thing of the past seem to depend on either a change in the nature of humanity, either through evolution or alien intervention, or the nature of the future peace is so awful that no thinking person would want to live in that future. Then there is the problem that people say you can't have a peaceful future in a story, it'd be boring.
So, taking all this into account, I started trying to come up with a scenario where war has been eliminated within the solar system, but the results are neither draconian, boring, nor requring alterations to our DNA. It's a human peace, based on human laws, that must be maintained as vigorously and constantly as we maintain a defensive war posture. The main character, Terese Drajeske, is a "guardian," of the Pax Solaris, and she and her team must go into a disintigrating colony and discover the threat they pose to the century's old peace, and disarm it, preferably without getting caught as the spies they are. The threat they find is real, but it is very, very different from what they expected.
SFScope: Since you've told us your pseudonym, I think we can safely assume it's simply because Bantam wants a new name for marketing, but does the pseudonym itself have any special meaning for you?
Sarah Zettel: Yes, it's a marketing decision. That's okay. SF has a long tradition of pseudononymous writing. Back in the day, C.L. Moore and Henry Kuttner would write for Astounding Science Fiction under a whole host of different pseudonyms, which was how they got around the editor, John Campbell's restrictions of not having more than one story by a single author in an issue.
So, I'm taking the "C.L." from C.L. Moore, who was one of my early influences, and the Anderson from Poul Anderson, who was not only a friend of my family's, but was the first professional author who took me seriously.
SFScope: What other fascinating answers do you have that I forgot to ask questions for?
Sarah Zettel: Let's see… Bitter Angels is tentatively scheduled for release in Summer 2009. My website is www.sarahzettel.com. I'm on Live Journal as sazettel. My favorite color is still red, and if I was a tree I'd be a larch.
SFScope: Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions.
Sarah Zettel: No problem. Thank you for the opportunity.
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