Featured Interview With Jen Finelli, MD
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
In my mind, I was raised on Corouscant under the tutelage of a princess in white robes, but when I’m not bat-shyte insane I’ll admit I lived kind of all over the place, from Germany to Virginia to time with family in Japan, Canada, Denmark, and Paraguay. I’m a mixed race child of immigrants, so I’ve got kind of an “other”-ness about me that definitely informs my science fiction “aliens.”
I’m now stationed somewhere in the US with the military, with three emotional support animals actually prescribed by a licensed professional after some of what I’ve seen taking care of sexual assault patients and the dead. My “pets” are all birds: a conure, a lovebird, and a cockatiel. Because they comprehend language better than dogs do, but require a heavy level of gentleness because of their size, they’re perfect for emotional skills.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been reading since I was three with such fervor that my mom had to hide books from me. I originally hated writing as a kiddo; I wrote my first story about a salmon because my mom made me and I was interested in ichthyology. Yes, you may laugh.
The first time I tried to write a “book” on my own, I was nine. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the book “The Indian in the Cupboard” by Lynn Reid Banks? It uses a lot of language and cultural stereotypes that I think we’ve all learned to move beyond, but as a feature of its time it was a sweet story about a young boy’s friendship with a fictional First Nations person who travels through time in his cupboard. Banks’ idea of fiction reaching into the real world permanently marked me, and I can trace a direct line from that cupboard, to my first story about a magic Easter egg, all the way to my most recent indie book about a comic book character who shoots his author (BECOMING HERO).
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’m an SFF person when I’m not studying real-world science and neat ways to “become a superhero” in real life–I read lots and lots of unusual nonfiction, partly because of my job as a physician.
The author who’s had the most direct influence on improving my writing is James Beamon, my mentor, editor for the professional publication ESCAPE POD, and former director of the SFWA. I hold that he is one of the best science fiction short story writers of our time, and I’m deeply honored to have him in my corner. I’ve read more of his stuff than anyone else’s lately just because of time pressures.
The author who’s had the most influence on my life, and philosophy of both writing and spirit, is C.S. Lewis. Kind of a cliche answer, but hey, sue me.
(Please don’t sue me. I can’t afford legal defense. Also, that would be a stupid reason to sue someone.)
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Ooh, NEODYMIUM EXODUS is literally my actual life’s work and purpose. Not even joking. Here’s the sitch:
Lem’s a mace-wielding teen space-ninja in a universe of sentient insectoids, purple jungles, and insane electromagnetic fields. She solves most problems by hitting harder, and never plays by her enemy’s rules – until Jared Diebol captures her.
Diebol’s the rising leader of an army uniting the galaxy by force. He believes the violent energy being Njande has “contaminated” Lem and her friends from another dimension, infiltrating their EEG signals to conquer the matter-based universe. The army usually kills contaminated people – but Diebol vows to cure Lem. When Diebol kidnaps Lem’s family, he forces her to choose between the matter beings she loves and the energy person she adores. If Lem rejects Diebol’s cure, her family dies – but if Lem cuts out Njande’s energy, she opens our universe to a much darker thermodynamic attack.
A blend of hard biomedical science fiction with multicultural fantasy, Neodymium Exodus combines the introspection of classics like Perelandra with the vibrant boldness of modern best-sellers like This Alien Shore and Space Opera. Took me over ten years to write, and it’s…hella weird and full of my actual scientific or military musings behind a heavy layer of angst and fun. You should totally read it if you like big worlds and crazy, sweeping, out-there ideas. You can get some free short stories in the world I think by preordering through the publisher’s website at Wordfire Press–you’d have to ask them.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles