What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
I'm Madeline Ashby. I was born in Los Angeles, then lived outside of Seattle for most of my life before immigrating to Canada in 2006. I live in Toronto, which is the fourth-largest city in North America.
Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
I basically always wanted to be a writer. When I was in elementary and junior high school, I did a lot of community theatre and I sort of wanted to be an actress, but deep down I knew it wouldn't work. I didn't have the kind of talent (or looks) that agents were looking for. And mostly, I just wanted a way to be special. And after I started writing down the stories I'd always made up, I had a way to do that.
Do you work another job as well as your writing work?
Yes! I work for a small marketing firm here in Toronto, writing copy and doing strategy. I'm also a strategic foresight consultant, which means I write science fiction stories for big companies and non-profits about technologies that they have in development. That way their clients and engineers can get a better sense of how those technologies will be used in the future.
What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?
Javier is a self-replicating humanoid. He's always loved humans, until he meets Pastor Mitch Powell. Now he's on a journey to find that bastard and end him. But how can you get revenge, when you can't even hurt human beings?
Do you basic plot/plan for your book, before you actually begin writing it out? Or do you let the writing flow and see where it takes the story?
I always have a basic thumbnail sketch of what I'd like to do. Usually I see the end and the beginning, and then I fill in the middle. Inevitably, I change my mind about that middle, or I move things around or try to make things happen a little faster, but the final elements are usually in place once I start.
If you could invite three favourite writers to dinner, who would you invite and enjoy chatting with?
Well, I live with another writer, David Nickle, and we're both big fans of Stephen King and the entire King family. So I think we'd enjoy having dinner with the whole King gang.
Where can readers follow you?
I'm on Twitter @madelineashby, and my blog is at http://madelineashby.com. I'm also on Goodreads, and at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madeline.ashby
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