TJ Berry is a writer and podcast co-host, whose short fiction has appeared in Pseudopod and
PodCastle. Now she’s written her first novel, Space Unicorn Blues, which is a hilarious and heart-breaking romp through space with a unique fantasy twist.
Q: I know that variations on “where do you get your ideas from?” are questions all writers hate (as the answers are often nebulous) but was there a kernel of inspiration for Space Unicorn Blues?
The inspiration for Space Unicorn Blues came one rainy Seattle evening when I had just received my 18th rejection for a peculiar little fantasy story about a woman with a portal between her grandmother’s attic and her uterus. My husband, well-meaning fellow that he is, tried to console me by offering advice. “Why don’t you try writing a more normal story.”
Instead of making me feel better, his words galvanised my resolve. In that moment, I decided to write the most bizarre melange of science fiction and fantasy that I could dream of… just to spite him. I started with starships and instead of trying to explain away faster-than-light travel with scientific reasoning, I made my ships powered by unicorn horn. When you start with magic in your science, you can really do anything. The joke was on me when two years later I sold it to Angry Robot Books!
Q. The Bala—the aliens who populate this story and who take the form of mythological creatures—and their culture are a brilliant blending of science-fiction and fantasy tropes. I particularly loved the concept of Unicorn Stoneships essentially being flourishing forests flying through space. Which came first: the characters or the world?
I’m a very character-driven writer, so I always start with strong individuals and then bounce them off one another in interesting ways. I could pluck this crew off the Jaggery and put them on a pirate ship in the Caribbean and be just as excited about the story. For me, the joy of writing is those moments when characters encounter conflict with one another and have to work through it or when they discover they have something in common and find joy in that. Those stories are universal, but space is a fun backdrop that gives this crew lots of challenges to overcome.
Q. How much of the world-building did you do beforehand, or did you build it as you were writing the story?
I confess that I’m terrible at world-building. My editor told me early on that I had to put a lot more exposition into the book. I tend to think in dialogue and stage directions, so adding the world doesn’t come naturally to me. When I did sit down and extrapolate, once I had the importance of unicorns established, the world around them fell into place. In Bala society, unicorns have venerated status as ship builders and explorers. But in the eyes of humans, unicorns are merely a resource to be exploited. I didn’t have to reach very far to get this idea—we have only to look back at all of human history to see us doing this to every native culture that we encounter. Humans aren’t very good at sharing.
Q. What would you say your influences are?
On this particular book, I was definitely influenced by the show Firefly. The camaraderie (and conflicts) that the crew of the Serenity experience are some of the richest science fiction storytelling in recent history. Indeed, a lot of Joss Whedon’s work features an ensemble cast who have varied and complex relationships. Battlestar Galactica is another show that gives us great characters set against the backdrop of space. You could put Bill and Lee Adama into a castle in the English countryside and their story would still be a riveting father-son drama.
Q. I know that, for some writers, this is like asking if you have a favourite child, but do you have a favourite character? If so, who and why? Does it ever change or vary?
I unabashedly love Gary the best. The problem with Gary is that he’s so lawful good and so sure of the right path that he can sometimes be boring to write. Originally, most of Space Unicorn Blues was written in his point-of-view and it didn’t feel right. Giving Jenny half of the book let us see the world through the eyes of someone with a bit more internal conflict, not to mention a penchant for naughty jokes and off-colour language.
Q. Villains often don’t see themselves as villains, but how easy was it to get into the heads of some of the more unsympathetic characters?
There are Reason officers in the book who do despicable things, but to me the real villain of the story is Cowboy Jim. Instead of seeing the error of his ways and attempting to change (as Jenny does) he doubles down on his mistakes. Staying the course because you’re ashamed of admitting that you’re wrong has led a lot of people down the path to despicable actions.
An aside: Ricky was the villain in one of the early drafts of the book. She originally chased the crew through the galaxy to get the Jaggery back, but I liked her so much that she became part of the crew instead.
Q. Do you have a favourite scene or set-piece from the book?
I love the Jaggery. I want to live in space, but without the sterile, modern look that most starships have. Not all space exploration has to have a militaristic feel. Ships—especially generation ships – should be homes. They can be lush, warm, and full of flora and fauna with a magical pond in the center.
Q. There are rather obvious parallels to humanity’s colonial atrocities in their treatment of the Bala, and the Reason’s “Manifest Destiny” ideology, and our environmental degradation, in how Earth is barely habitable for those left on it, how the Bala are harvested for parts and their ships are complex biomes that human crews don’t seem to understand. Were these themes a conscious inclusion from the outset?
Yes and no. I knew that humans would treat Gary badly for his precious horn, but originally that behavior was just isolated to the crew of the Jaggery. It wasn’t until I’d done about three drafts of the story that I noticed the anti-colonialist themes poking out here and there. On the subsequent passes, I emphasized them. For example, in the language that Reason officers use for Bala. There’s also a bit of foreshadowing of the book’s ending when Jenny mentions that Māori land is so damaged that a group of them left for a new planet. Sometimes, you just have to scrap everything and start over.
Q. Your love for the genre is obvious. How long have you been a fan? What got you started?
The first speculative fiction I remember was Star Wars when I was six. My grandmother took me to the theater and I was blown away by the farm boy who wanted to go to space. I also wanted to go to space! A few years later, my father introduced me to Star Trek and I was again entranced. I started reading Star Trek novelizations, which were a gateway to Asimov and other science fiction authors. There was one summer when I went from reading Babysitter’s Club to devouring the entire Mission Earth series. My local librarian was confounded.
Q. You also host a sci-fi podcast with your husband, what franchises or individual titles (book and/or film & TV or games) do you love?
I love what N.K. Jemisin has created in her Broken Earth trilogy. The story is relationship driven and the fantasy elements feel fresh and vibrant. Her prose is so immersive—I just lose myself in it.
I’m also a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Iron Man in particular. He’s such a complex and nuanced character. I’ve gone back and read nearly all of the Iron Man comics going back decades to see how the character has evolved over the years through the lenses of different writers. It’s a fun study in how different writers approach the same story.
(Warp Drives with TJ & Dave is available to download from iTunes and Soundcloud).
Q. Have you always wanted to tell stories?
The first story I ever wrote was basically Enid Blyton fan fiction. I was living in Hong Kong at the time and the Famous Five books were quite popular among my classmates. I wrote my own adventure for the Five – which, of course, featured one of those amazing caravans they used to camp in. I remember reading the story to my family and needing to explain what “plaits” were to my very American mother.
Q. Do you have a writing routine?
I am all about discipline and routine. I write every weekday from 10am until 4pm. I treat it like a job and fie upon person who interrupts my writing time. I’m in the habit of putting words on the page at the same time every day, so no matter how bad the prose starts, it eventually gets better. Sometimes, if I’m lucky, inspiration strikes and I reach a zone where the story just flows. I set myself up to capture that fleeing moment by being disciplined about being in the chair when the muse visits.
Q. Can you possibly give any hints as to what we can expect in the next book?
[Spoilers] Sadly, things are going to get worse for the crew of the Jaggery before they get better. Gary, Jenny, and Ricky are separated from each other, and this creates a lot of problems. The Reason is in chaos. There’s rioting in the streets. FTL travel is impossible, so everyone is stranded where they were at the end of book one. And that’s just the first chapter. Expect more barely-escaped adventures and a few revelations about characters we thought we knew.
Q. Do you think humanity and the Bala can ever learn to live together?
Even though Space Unicorn Blues has a lot of pessimistic authoritarian elements, I truly do have hope for humanity. It might take some big event for us to change our ways, but I think we can eventually learn how to share the Universe with any unicorns that we happen to share it with.
A huge thank you to TJ for taking the time to speak with us! Space Unicorn Blues will be published in July by Angry Robot, and will be available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers. Stay tuned for our review of Space Unicorn Blues!
I just read it and loved it. The magical universe is so unique, and the characters are so compelling. It’s amazing.