Walter Jon Williams Interview
Walter Jon Williams Interview
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JMW: Hello, this is Jean Marie Ward, from BuzzyMag.com With me
today, is Walter Jon Williams, award-winning science fiction, fantasy and
historical author, and the toast master of this year’s Nebula Awards
weekend. Welcome, Walter.
Walter Jon Williams: Glad to be here.
JMW: Your most recent series of novels featuring augmented reality
games and Dagmar Shaw, were supposed to be near-future science fiction; but
the future you projected turned out to be incredibly close to current
events, especially in Deep State, the second novel featuring Dagmar Shaw.
It was practically a playbook for Arab Spring.
Walter Jon Williams: Yes.
JMW: How does it feel to be a prophet?
Walter Jon Williams: Well, a little startling, actually, because I knew that something
like this was going to happen. I had seen the various precursors of the
Arab Spring happening, and the way that you can eventually crowd source
revolt. But I didn’t think anything on that scale would happen for another
6 to 8 years and, instead, it happened the very week that the book came
out.
JMW: Yes. I know. I thought that was amazing.
Walter Jon Williams: I started getting phone calls from government agencies, actually,
that week.
JMW: I bet that was so scary.
Walter Jon Williams: Wants to know how I do it. I was happy to tell them.
JMW: I bet that was the scariest part of the whole thing.
Walter Jon Williams: It was certainly one of the more interesting parts of the whole
thing, yes.
JMW: I’m surprised that more wasn’t made of it in the media; that,
once again, novels have predicted the present.
Walter Jon Williams: Well, I think nobody cares what science fiction writers think. Kind
of my impression.
JMW: That’s scary. Of course, we always have the last laugh, almost
like Cassandra, which is an even scarier part. Speaking of futures and what
your creating. Would you consider yourself an optimist or pessimist,
regarding what the future technology is creating for us?
Walter Jon Williams: I’m an optimist where technology is concerned. I am a pessimist on
certain other political issues and environmental issues. I think our only
hope of negotiating the future is through improved technologies.
Rest OF Interview On Video
Jean Marie Ward writes fiction, nonfiction and everything in between, including art books, novels (2008 Indie Book double-finalist With Nine You Get Vanyr), and short stories such as WSFA Small Press Award finalist “Lord Bai’s Discovery” and “Personal Demons” in the award-winning anthology Hellebore and Rue. Her videos include author interviews and tutorials.
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