Interview with Laura About Virch
Available for pre-order here (June 4, 2024 release)!
You’ve written ten books so far, and none of them have been in the sci-fi genre. What inspired you to write your first sci-fi book?
Sci-fi and speculative fiction are my first loves, as far as genre. Books like A Wrinkle in Time sparked my dream to become a writer from the time I was a kid. This might be surprising to readers of the books I’ve written so far, which mostly fall into the category of “contemporary” and “realistic” with touches of magic. My dad’s a scientist, so science has always been fundamental to my perspective on the world. I’ve always loved it when scientific discoveries and mysteries and theories spark my imagination.
Many years ago, I read a philosophy article by Nick Bostrom called “Are We Living in a Computer Simulation?” It blew my mind—I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I started jotting down story ideas in my notebooks, made a file folder for the potential novel, and touched base with it every now and then to keep fleshing out ideas. About a decade ago, I committed to actually writing and finishing it, then revising it with my writing group, family, friends, agent, and editors. Since I was juggling other projects, it was a long road, but I enjoyed the ride and I’m thrilled with how the book manifested.
What was most rewarding and most challenging about writing your first sci-fi novel?
I loved writing a book that asks the huge, timeless, existential questions about reality that philosophers have been examining for millennia. These are the kinds of questions that have fascinated me since I was a child. It felt exciting to use a framework of ancient wisdom for a futuristic sci-fi story that lets the characters explore these timeless themes. It was also fun to write a book that mostly takes place in just a few days, allowing a really breakneck pace. This story has a big twist in it that completely thrills me, and I love seeing readers’ reactions to the revelation—it bends their minds and makes them see existence in a whole new way.
As far as challenges, in early drafts, I wasn’t sure how much time and space to devote to world-building. For example, I was uncertain about how much detail I should go into with new technology or how much futuristic slang to include. Some of my sci-fi expert friends like Todd Mitchell and Parker Peevyhouse gave me great advice on how to navigate these issues.
I also had trouble keeping the length down. In earlier drafts, I lingered in scenes to develop character, setting, and themes, but the pace suffered. I realized that to pull off the thriller elements, I really needed to keep things moving along swiftly and let the plot take the lead. There are still meaningful character transformations, relationships, themes, and settings, but there’s a strong momentum now, and it’s much more of a page-turner.
What are some of your favorite sci-fi books?
As far as books for kids and teens, as I mentioned, A Wrinkle in Time was a favorite of mine (and of many kids/YA authors of my generation!) It really expanded my concept of existence and time and space and possibility, which is what I hope Virch will do with readers.
The Girl with the Silver Eyes was another novel that I read over and over as a kid. It’s about a girl who has mental telepathy (with a scientific explanation). For me, as a scientist’s daughter, this meeting of science and special powers made a big impression. William Sleator’s House of Stairs was another novel that affected me in an existential way. It’s a thought-provoking story about a group of teens who find themselves in a structure of endless stairs that they’re trying to escape. I also enjoy exciting, futuristic sci-fi books by contemporary YA authors like Veronica Rossi and Amy Kathleen Ryan. Parker Peevyhouse is fantastic at writing mind-bendy books that really make you think. M.T. Anderson’s classic, Feed, makes you ask ethical and social questions about where our technology is leading us.
As far as books for adult readers, I’m a big fan of Blake Crouch’s mind-trippy Dark Matter and Recursion. I love sci-fi novels inspired by phenomena in physics, neuroscience, computer science, and the like—while still having well-developed characters and relationships. And I’ve always gravitated toward non-fiction about theoretical physics, from classics by Steven Hawking to more accessible, contemporary books by Michio Kaku. I stumbled across The Simulation Hypothesis by Rizwan Virk after I’d finished my manuscript— it’s a great non-fiction read for anyone who wants to further explore these mind-bending possibilities.
Can you tell us more about Virch?
My aim was to offer mind-bending, fast-paced YA sci-fi with heart. Here’s a short summary:
In the year 2154, virtual reality is an enticing escape… but just for the privileged. For others, like sixteen-year-old Liv, reality means living by a contaminated bay that’s sickened her little sister to the brink of death.
Liv is determined to find a cure. She ventures to a mysterious tropical island to infiltrate a tech empire owned by the world’s most powerful man. When she encounters his son, Wolf, she’s shocked. He isn’t the shallow celebrity portrayed in the virtual world—he’s an idealist with heart, committed to righting his father’s wrongs. And when Wolf promises to help save her sister, he might just capture Liv’s heart, too.
But as Liv and Wolf confront a danger beyond anything they could have imagined, they must unravel the deadly scheme at the core of the tech empire. And their world starts to crumble . . . just as they’re falling in love.
Rooted in futuristic science and ancient wisdom, Virch explores truth and illusion, human and environmental rights, and the forces of love behind it all.
Virch will be released on June 4, 2024, with Owl Hollow Press, and available through your favorite bookseller. I hope you love it!
xo,
Laura
