Featured Interview With Sandra Ulbrich Almazan
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hi, I’m Sandra. I was born in Chicago and currently live in the Chicago suburbs, but in between I’ve also lived in Wisconsin, Ohio (for grad school), and Maryland (during an internship).
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started reading when I was three years old and only stop when things like work or sleep require me to. I wrote a play in middle school and some poems in high school, but I didn’t start writing fiction until my mid-twenties after getting some inspiration from the Beatles. You can see their influence in the characters I write and in the way my characters come in groups of four.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read and write science fiction and fantasy. Some of my favorite authors are Patricia McKillip, Connie Willis, Julie E. Czerneda, and Lindsay Buroker.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Twinned Universes is the (science fiction) story of Paul Harrison, a young actor who learns he’s not just the descendant of a TwenCen rock musician named Sean Lyon, but a clone of Sean himself. When Paul’s mother dies under peculiar circumstances, Paul suspects the death has something to do with his being Sean’s clone–especially when Paul’s great-uncle pressures him to take up music. Paul’s search for answers takes him into an alternate universe where Sean is still alive but fated to be killed soon. Will Paul pursue justice for his mother, or will he risk his own life to save Sean?
Paul’s greatest ambition as an actor is to play Hamlet, and he quotes from the play throughout the book. His best friend, Scott, is a computer whiz who’s as loyal as Horatio, and Scott’s sister, Yvonne, as devout as Ophelia. Yvonne struggles between her attraction to Paul and her religious beliefs that insist clones have no souls. Rounding out the group is Paul’s younger sister Cass, who has no counterpart in Hamlet
Twinned Universes went through so many drafts I’ve lost track of how long it took me to write the book.
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