Featured Interview With Bruce Deitrick Price
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Virginia Beach, went to great schools, and was mainly interested in the arts. But I always had a love of science, 40 years ago I saw an ad in a small magazine for a robot that could supposedly talk to customers at trade shows. I was fascinated by the claims. I got an assignment and took a bus to Newark. I went to a large warehouse and was greeted by a somewhat ominous machine.
Thus began a long relationship with robots. Four years ago I dreamed about a woman walking on the other side of a highway. There was something odd about her. I guessed: is this a robot? I loved the ambiguity. I woke up with a decision that I would write a novel about this woman. Frankie.
This is not about a machine that kills people. It’s about a machine that generates a confusing mix of reactions. Some see an invasive species. Some see a superior being.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I began at 15 and knew at 17 that I would go to New York to be a novelist. I had a lot of miscellaneous talent and creativity, but was never very professional about my profession. I went in one direction, and then another, depending on what caught my attention. I’ve done a lot of experimental writing and painting. This is where you introduce chance and confusion into the creative process, in the hope you can reach a new level of creativity. I’ve also written the carefully plotted and planned novel. Much safer.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I am a Gemini and like a great diversity of art. I create a great diversity of art.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
OK, I’ll brag. Some people who know me found out I wrote a book about a robot and immediately assumed the lowest common denominator. That’s annoying so I will mention that it’s the least common denominator. Simon meets Frankie and immediately falls in love. He thinks that she is spiritually advanced. This is on the jacket copy. I wanted people to think away from clichés. My book is about the eventualities that nobody thought about.
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