THE ARDEN - L.S. POPOVICH
In future San Francisco, Kaneda has been a homeless hacker for years. But his blog following has never been better.
Dodging flying cars and jam sessions with ragtag rockers keep him in shape. By the time they get a new condo he's almost forgotten the concrete jungle.
One day, while tinkering with the television, a portal appears on the screen. Stepping inside, Kaneda and his two bandmates discover trees as far as the eye can see. Soon enough they're lost. And a lot more bored than they'd planned. That is, until they begin to hear the whispers.
Before long they bump into post-technological humans in thrall to arboreal Sirens. Staying means freedom from his checkered past. But, unwilling to sell his soul to tree-huggers, Kaneda ventures deep into the forest in search of the fabled technology to trigger a homeward portal.
This week we’re talking to husband and wife writing team, L.S. Popovich! Welcome to Martin Matthews Writes!
Thanks Martin, I am grateful for the opportunity to talk about my book.
That’s why I do this, to showcase the talent! Tell us a little about yourselves!
My penname is L. S. Popovich. We are a husband and wife writing team. We've completed several novels, two of which are available through the usual booksellers. We live in Denver, love to travel, read, game, and discuss books.
Tell us a little about your book upcoming book.
THE ARDEN is a science fiction, horror-comedy. It has been compared to Vandermeer's Annihilation.
The award-winning author, David David Katzman said of it: "This dark, environmental fable is a thought-provoking strange trip I didn't want to end."
Here's an elevator pitch: When layabout Kaneda visits the future, he must discover how an ecological disaster turned Earth into a man-eating forest to prevent the apocalypse—even if it requires effort.
Introduce us to some of your characters.
Told from the first person perspective, Kaneda, the main character, is a homeless computer hacker who uses humor and sarcasm as a defense mechanism to interpret his disturbing surroundings.
He embarks on an unexpected journey with his two bandmates and derelict companions Gray and Gypsy. Gray is a struggling artist with severe social anxiety, and Gypsy is a shopaholic with major impulse control issues. Together, they make up a resourceful ragtag team to face off against threats from another realm and ensure their own survival.
Where did the idea for this book come from?
It started as a short book about college-age kids struggling to get by in a futuristic setting. It evolved into a adventure when their entrance into adulthood took on nefarious metaphorical associations in my mind. Essentially, we equated growing up to entering a forest, fraught with danger. The forest and the world at large are ecosystems, and trying to navigate that ecosystem also entails reaching one's true potential.
Is there a message behind your book? What is it?
A few of our readers have noticed environmentalism and anti-environmentalism in the book. Our intent was not to sway the reader one way or another. Kaneda becomes an anti-environmentalist due to his personal circumstances. His friends and family end up having conflicting views. The underlying message of the conflict could be simplified as - both sides might have some validity, but that doesn't change the fact that we still need to act like decent human beings.
Nice! I like that. Who or what are some of your biggest influences?
We are influenced by Bradbury, Chandler, and Gene Wolfe. I like to think there is a little influence from Philip K. Dick and H. P. Lovecraft in this one.
I get a little bit of Neal Stephenson, too! Speaking of authors, what are you currently reading?
Currently reading Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun series. It is truly inspiring for anyone who creates fantasy worlds.
Cool. Are you working on another novel? Can you tell us anything about it?
We are currently working on three novels. One is a lighthearted fantastical comedy, similar in tone to our first novel, UNDERTONES. Another is a rewrite of our never-published traditional fantasy. Lastly, we've embarked on an epic fantasy inspired by non-Western canon mythologies and the wuxia genre.
What makes your work unique?
I would like to say the world building, but there are a lot of excellent world builders out there, especially in the science fiction community. I would still call it a strong suit of our writing. But characters are also the main focus of our writing. Our readers always comment on the characters. We strive to make them memorable and never generic. When you enter one of our fictional worlds, you will always get well-rounded characters.
What does your collaborative writing process look like?
Every writer needs a second pair of eyes. We are lucky enough to share our writing career as husband and wife. Typically we come up with an outline first, pass it back and forth, discuss the additions we each make, and decide on the characters. Then we take turns writing chapters. The first draft takes several months, but the final draft usually bears no resemblance to it. Rewriting is the most important part of the process in the modern publishing world. We examine and re-examine every sentence, and we get feedback from beta readers. Some of our early work suffered from not doing so.
That’s such a unique way to work, I love it! Well, we’re just about out of time. Thanks for stopping by and chatting with me today!
I truly appreciate your time. Contact me if you want to know more about my work. I'm on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19563977.L_S_Popovich
I'm constantly reviewing the books that inspire me and always enjoy networking with other authors.
L.S. Popovich
L. S. Popovich is the author of UNDERTONES and THE ARDEN. They have always been a cat person (a person who like cats, not a cat human hybrid).
They have always believed that at least one room of the house should be completely crammed with books. (Other rooms should contain scattered piles.)
Their short stories and poems have appeared in Chrome Baby, Havok, Aphelion, Bull & Cross, Red Fez, Bewildering Stories, The Ansible, 365Tomorrows, Commuter Lit, Farther Stars than These and other secluded places on the Internet.