{"id":23216,"date":"2012-03-30T13:46:51","date_gmt":"2012-03-30T02:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.booktopia.com.au\/?p=23216"},"modified":"2016-03-01T09:48:39","modified_gmt":"2016-02-29T23:48:39","slug":"michael-pryor-author-of-10-futures-the-laws-of-magic-series-and-the-chronicles-of-krangor-series-answers-six-sharp-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/2012\/03\/30\/michael-pryor-author-of-10-futures-the-laws-of-magic-series-and-the-chronicles-of-krangor-series-answers-six-sharp-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Pryor, author of 10 Futures, The Laws of Magic Series, and the Chronicles Of Krangor series, answers Six Sharp Questions:"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Booktopia Book Guru asks<\/strong><\/p>\n

Michael Pryor<\/h1>\n

author of 10 Futures<\/em><\/a>, The Laws of Magic<\/em> Series<\/a>, and The Chronicles Of Krangor<\/em><\/a> series
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Six Sharp Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

——————————-<\/p>\n

1. Congratulations, you have a new book, 10 Futures<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/strong>. What is it about and what does it mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

10 Futures<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0is a series of linked stories looking at ten different, possible futures for humanity over the next hundred years. The stories are linked by the presence of two friends who have to cope with a world often dramatically different to our own.<\/p>\n

10 Futures<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0is a return for me to what might be called science fiction. The stories deal with major challenges to our species: climate change, overpopulation, the impact of medical miracles and the biological revolution. We know these things are going to happen, but what is the impact going to be? The best way to prepare for the future is to imagine it.<\/p>\n

Click here to buy 10 Futures<\/em> from Booktopia,
\nAustralia’s No.1 Online Book Shop<\/a><\/p>\n

[youtube=http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NuEGayRwoIc&rel=0]<\/p>\n

<\/strong>2. Time passes<\/strong>. Things change. What are the best and worst moments that you have experienced in the past year or so?<\/strong>\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

I spent a month in London last year, which was an extraordinarily magical time. The worst time I had last year was missing out on the Booker Prize \u2013 AGAIN!<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/strong>3. Do you have a favourite quote or passage you would be happy to share with us? It doesn\u2019t need to be deep but it would be great if it meant something to you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018The sky above the port was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel.\u2019 It\u2019s the opening line of William Gibson<\/a>\u2019s Neuromancer<\/em><\/a>, and it\u2019s one of the great opening lines. It\u2019s evocative, mysterious, moody and a warning to the reader: you\u2019re stepping into a strange, strange world here.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/strong>\"\"<\/a><\/strong>4. Writers have often been described as being difficult to live with. Do you conform to the stereotype or defy it? Please tell us a little about the day to day of your writing life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a pleasure to live with. In fact, if I had to live with someone, I\u2019d choose me. I cook, I wash, I clean. I walk the dog. I garden, producing fresh vegetables for the table. I play music that is soothing and perfect for any occasion. I entertain in a way that people talk about for days. I return books that are lent to me. I banish mould from the bathroom. I change fuses before they burn out. I keep the carpets clean.<\/p>\n

And I daydream a lot.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>5. Some writers claim not to be influenced by the needs of the marketplace, while others seem obsessed by it. Would you please describe how the marketplace affects your writing (come on, tell the truth!).<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m aware of the market, naturally, but I\u2019ve learned a long time ago that you can go crazy trying to pick the next trend. I understand the need for a writer to promote themselves, judiciously, so I do what I can, especially in the world of the web. I\u2019m more conscious of what my fans are interested in than in what the market is interested in. There is a difference.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>6. Unlikely Scenario: You\u2019ve been charged with civilising twenty ill-educated adolescents but you may take only five books with you. What do you take and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Very Hungry Caterpillar<\/a> <\/em>(Eric Carle<\/a>). Because it\u2019s just about perfect in the way it tells a story in so few words.<\/p>\n

Where the Wild Things Are<\/em><\/a> (Maurice Sendak<\/a>). Because it\u2019s subversive and shows the power of the imagination.<\/p>\n

The Collected Works of Shakespeare<\/a>.<\/em> Because we could put on plays, and that\u2019s fun. Also, these plays are about what it means to be human, and civilised, and aware.<\/p>\n

Flowers for Algernon<\/em><\/a> (Daniel Keyes<\/a>). Because it never fails to move adolescents. And grown up.<\/p>\n

Batman: The Killing Joke<\/em><\/a> (Moore<\/a>\/Bolland<\/a>). Because it\u2019s shocking, graphic, complex, multi-layered and it\u2019s a comic. Pow!<\/p>\n

Michael, thank you for playing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Click here to buy 10 Futures<\/em> from Booktopia,
\nAustralia’s No.1 Online Book Shop<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Booktopia Book Guru asks Michael Pryor author of 10 Futures, The Laws of Magic Series, and The Chronicles Of Krangor series Six Sharp Questions ——————————- 1. Congratulations, you have a new book, 10 Futures. What is it about and what does it mean to you? 10 Futures\u00a0is a series of linked stories looking at ten different, possible futures for humanity over the next hundred years. The stories are linked by the presence of two friends who have to cope with a world often dramatically different to our own. 10 Futures\u00a0is a return for me to what might be called science fiction. The stories deal with major challenges to our species: climate change, overpopulation, the impact of medical miracles and the biological revolution. We know these things are going to happen, but what is the impact going to be? The best way to prepare for the future is to imagine it. Click here to buy 10 Futures from Booktopia, Australia’s No.1 Online Book Shop [youtube=http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NuEGayRwoIc&rel=0] 2. Time passes. Things change. What are the best and worst moments that you have experienced in the past year or so? I spent a month in London last year, which was an extraordinarily magical…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[4,85],"tags":[129,3693,4899],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23216"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23216"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57338,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23216\/revisions\/57338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}