Interview
1. What have you got against technology?
In principle, nothing. But you have to wonder where it's taking us. Most of the old socialist philosophies saw technology as an opportunity to ease the burden of labour, freeing us up for more meaningful pursuits, but technology embedded within a capitalist structure does the opposite: rather than liberating us, we are beholden to it, there's no escape. Far from reducing the hours we work or creating a more equal society, technology only accelerates a culture of consumerism and profiteering. And it's crazy because there is so much technology could do in terms of climate change, poverty, health inequality, but it's slow going because governmental and business structures are not designed to solve those issues solely, there is always a self-serving requirement to do so. That's the fun answer anyway.
2. How do you combine humorous and serious elements (such as character development) in your writing?
It's hard. I think if you write comically but want readers to invest at a deeper level, then the humour needs to take on a situational context, or at least be understood as unique to a character's worldview. Narrative sitcoms are great at this, if you think about something like Only Fools and Horses, all the comedic elements of farce and slapstick are there but each character has their own personality, a particular attitude or approach to life which not only adds to the humour but means we appreciate them not as vessels for a writer's jokes but real people.
3. How do you weave your themes about technology into the mix?
It's twofold. In the novel, new technology is long gone, old technology is the latest thing. Young people are uninterested in technology and adults are lost without it. I try to tell the story with reference to this - characters recall how much easier life was in the past, teenagers reflect on early childhood memories - but on the whole I didn't want the technology theme to take over the novel. I'm a big fan of the Victorian utopian novels like Erewhon, Looking Backward and News From Nowhere, but sometimes the ideas consume every aspect of the story and it becomes a kind of fictionalised Phd thesis. I try and avoid that. I think themes can exist in books without writers getting their loudhalers out.
4. Pantser or plotter? What would you like readers to know about your writing process?
Well, if I didn't plan I wouldn't get anywhere. It's only by plotting that I am able to stay on track. However, when I sit down to write I am very much a pantser, I try and just let it all out. So I'm both. I'm a panter. No, that doesn't sound good. I'm a plotser. I think what I'm trying to say is I very much separate plotting from the actual writing. They feel like different disciplines to me. I might plot by walking or drawing in a sketchpad, but then when I sit down to write anything could happen.
5. What is your sense of the audience for humorous speculative fiction?
That there isn't one! It's a tough sell. I worked in bookshops for many years and for a long while I was the buyer. I would sit down with reps and run through catalogues and I have to say humour in any genre is both rare and not a huge seller. It's amazing how many people still read Wodehouse or Three Men in a Boat, and seem surprised that books could be this funny because they're not seeing it in contemporary literature. The audience for high concept speculative thrillers, that's a different story. A less funny but vastly more successful story.
6. Has writing about books for The Guardian taught you anything about writing? Has writing fiction given you insights that have affected your writing for The Guardian?
I think when I first decided to try and write journalism I imagined I would be dazzling editors with my style and creative elan as a positive contrast to the usual boring stuff they publish. Then I got edited and all of my elan vanished, leaving the boring stuff. You quickly realise that the skill is communicating ideas, other people's ideas, in a non-intrusive, calm and super-succinct way. I know there is a long tradition of writers straddling fiction and journalism, and Hemmingway was always banging on about how he wrote with clarity and simplicity because of his journalism, but I like to keep the two apart in my mind. Writing fiction is performance, journalism is set design; each can be as elaborate or restrained as you want them to be, but readers, on the whole, take note of actors more than sets.
BONUS QUESTION: Earth Prime 2-2-3-1-9-7 dash zeta is populated by super-smart evolved felines. What is your favourite movie from that universe (other, of course, than Cats)?
I knew you were going to ask me this. Our cat, Max, is named after the Jessica Alba character in the TV series Dark Angel, but my favourite movie from that well known universe has to be...Predator. It's a cat, right?
Bio
Simon Lowe is the non-nom de plume of the author Simon Lowe. From humble beginnings inside a Melton Mowbray pork pie, Simon spent a summer building insulation for the millennium dome (nobody ever complained about being cold, did they?) before working the day shift as a flair cocktail waiter in a bar next to Leicester train station, impressing commuters with his juggling skills before pouring their coffee and thanking them for their patience.
He would eventually find his feet in the big smoke as a bookseller. For ten years, he passed sharpies to famous authors with an envious, often murderous smile. He later went on to take charge of a primary school library, issuing fines to four year-olds with indiscriminate glee. Fearing burn out from the heady world of books, he chose to settle down in Hertford, of all places.
As it stands, Simon has one partner, one son and one cat. Alongside writing fiction, he is a stay-at-home dad with ambitious plans to leave the house one day. His short stories have popped up in journals and magazines on three continents including Visible Ink, Storgy, Firewords, AMP, Chaleur Magazine, Ponder Review, Adelaide Literary Journal, The Write launch, and elsewhere. He has also written about books for the Guardian newspaper. The World is at War, Again is both a novel and a rumination on how very bad and very good the world would be without technology.
Blurb
The World is at War. Again.
New technology has been abandoned, a period of Great Regression is under way. In suburbia, low level Agent Assassins Maria and Marco Fandanelli are given a surprise promotion as “Things Aren’t Going Too Well With The War.” Leaving their son Peter behind, they set sail on the luxury cruise-liner Water Lily City, hoping an important mission might save their careers and their marriage.
Dilapidated and derelict, Panbury Hall is not what Peter expected from boarding school. Together, with his celebrity dorm buddy, he adjusts to a new life that involves double dates, ginger vodka, Fine Art face painting and kidnapping, as they attempt to uncover the mystery of Panbury Hall.
Despite being a member of the Misorov Agent Assassin dynasty, Chewti is a reluctant AA. She only joined the Family Business to track down her cousin Nadia, the rogue AA who killed her mother. Really, she wanted to be a school teacher. So when Nadia is spotted loitering in the grounds of Panbury Hall, the opportunity to avenge her mother’s death and have her dream job is too tempting to turn down.
The World is at War, again, blends genre and expectation as characters take on an extravagant, often comic search for identity and meaning in unusual times.
Excerpt
Three days ago, as Peter was pacing the thin slice of carpet between his bed and wardrobe, thinking of ways to impress Elise Hodgson, he heard loud shouting coming from the bottom of the stairs, directed his way. It was Marco and Maria requesting a Special Dinner. Usually, Special Dinners are only requested when there is a family announcement to be made. There is no skirting a Special Dinner, attendance is compulsory and you have to be vocal and involved; you can’t, for example, nod your head and think about Elise Hodgson the whole time. You will be caught out. It’s how Maria and Marco like to communicate and they take it seriously. So instead of the usual dispersements, Maria, Marco and Peter sat together at the foldout table to eat boil-in-the-bag fish and savoury rice. A Special Dinner. Maria and Marco were hesitant and nervous; poking rice, turning fish with their forks to glance new angles of grey white flesh. To begin with, Peter thought he knew why. Some of his friends’ parents had separated or divorced and from what he understood, they hadn’t argued half as much as Maria and Marco prior to the break up. Peter was convinced it was an inevitability. He sensed time had almost run out. But, he was wrong, this wasn’t the reason for the Special Dinner. As Maria and Marco explained.
“Things aren’t going too well with the War. Volunteers are being asked to contribute more of their time to the War effort. As committed members of the Volunteer War Over Seas Aid Squad we have chosen to join a special emergency scheme that will provide aid over seas for the duration of the War. It goes without saying, you will not be able to join us Peter, it is far too dangerous. Likewise, you can’t stay at home by yourself, the house is being sold to finance our volunteering costs. Instead, the Co-Op government, recognising the important work of the VWOSAS, has kindly offered to enrol you in a country boarding school, free of charge. We have, of course, accepted their kind offer on your behalf. Panbury Hall is going to provide you with an excellent opportunity for success; much more so than the concrete school you currently attend. You have every right to be grateful. As much as anything, it’s going to make for a nice change! We are sorry for the short notice. Three days isn’t a long time for all the packing and goodbyes, but we’re sure you’ll make the most if it.”
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