Samak Press published its first science fiction anthology, Ripples in Space, in September. Through the end of the year, I’m spotlighting contributing authors to the anthology in exclusive one-on-one interviews.
Next up in this interview series is K.L. Mill. Her contribution to Ripples in Space is the eerie tale Not James, where a young girl’s life is upended after witnessing her brother’s abduction by an unseen alien entity.
K.L. Mill’s midwestern roots are so strong, she lives in the house she grew up in that her father designed. She will read anything speculative but prefers to write fiction that’s short and a little strange. Like herself. Most recently her work has been published by Small Wonders, Cursed Morsels and Crepuscular Magazine; she also has stories included in the anthologies Greater Than His Nature (Atomic Carnival) and Once Upon a Future Time, Vol 4 (Brothers Uber).
K. L. is a voice actor in her other life and is super jazzed to have had the opportunity to record some of her work — you can hear her read some spooky flash fiction for both the Mythos Minute and Creepy Corner podcasts. She also has an ekphrastic poem about Vikings included in Metphrastics, an online poetry journal inspired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Tell us about your story in Ripples in Space. What stands out about this story among the ones you’ve written and published?
K.L.: Not James is the first SF story I’ve written involving life outside Earth, and I think I just sort of dipped my big toe into the subject of aliens and other worlds with it. I’m drawn to writing quieter stories, rather than epics set on other worlds, so the story of how alien life manifests on a small farm was right up my alley.
Where do you draw inspiration for your stories? What goes into bringing them to life?
K.L.: This one actually came from a visual prompt: it showed a boy, blindingly backlit standing in a doorway, and my mind immediately went to the scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I put together the scene where James returns, and everything kind of came together from that. I like to work from prompts or simple ideas, letting my thoughts percolate until I have a story.
What are your main dreams or goals as an author?
K.L.: I may be one of the few authors who doesn’t have the goal of publishing a novel — I don’t even know if I have a book in me. I much prefer writing short fiction, and I’m especially drawn to flash — honing the ability to distill a story down to its most immediate essence is what makes compelling flash (to me), and that’s what I always strive for. As for dreams: there are some top-tier S/F/F/H magazines that I’d love to crack. And being invited to contribute to an anthology would be pretty cool, too.
What influenced you into becoming an author?
K.L.: I actually did a lot of creative writing in high school, took a poetry course in college … then fell away from it for many years. I found some old scribblings when I was cleaning out a closet a few years ago, and that just got me curious — can I still write stories? I joined a writing community after that, and here we are.
What’s an unusual fact people might not know about you?
K.L.: My spine is about 10% titanium. I’m assuming eventually I’ll be part android, or at least able to get local stations without cable …
Outside of writing stories, what’s a passion or hobby you enjoy pursuing?
K.L.: I’m a voice actor in my ‘real life,’ but I started out as a stage actor, and that remains my first love. It’s more difficult to find roles the older one gets, but I’m always supremely grateful any time I get to tread the boards …
What adventure or activity tops your bucket list?
K.L.: Hang-gliding. I’ve always dreamed of flying, and this seems about as close as you can get.
You make first contact with aliens. What do you do next?
K.L.: Aliens like ET, or aliens like the Predator? Big difference. I suppose exercising caution would be best, but it would be difficult for me to not be over-enthusiastically attempting to communicate with them.
Thank you K.L. for taking some time to answer a few questions and giving readers of this newsletter a chance to get to know you better.
Check back for future installments of this interview series throughout December. And go check out these other stories from K.L. she has written and/or narrated.
Awesome interview, KL!