3 Minutes with Nicole, author of Silenced
From the Afrofuturism Storybundle, we have Nicole Givens Kurtz, author of Silenced on speculative mystery, this particular one, Afrofuturism and more.
What are 3 questions/answers on the FAQ page of Silenced?
What is a private inspector? An inspector in a detective, but in the future, they’re all called inspectors due to a change in governance from the United States to meddling by the British.
Why are the United States divided? The U.S. is divided after a second Civil War. Each territory is governed however they see fit. Some territories have dictators. Others have a socialist system. It depends on the territory. In Cybil Lewis’s The District, the governor acts as the leader of the territory in conjunction with Congress.
What weapons does Cybil use? Cybil has two guns, a lasergun 350 and a pug, which is a short revolver with laserpowered cartridges that must be charged.
What was the most difficult story/part of your novel to write? Why?
The most difficult part of Silenced was the death scene. I won’t give away who dies, but the death hurt my heart. Like Cybil, I wanted that character to live, to fulfill the promise they had, but it didn’t happen that way. I cried after I wrote it and I pushed back from my computer. I had to take a few minutes to collect myself. I skipped that chapter often when I re-read the book. It happens so often in real life, that it hit me hard, square in the feels.
How about small press/indie publishing, what do you find most difficult?
I’m a hybrid author. That means I am both self-published and published by a publishing company. The challenges of both are marketing, finding an audience, and sustainability.
What draws you to speculative mystery?
What draws me to speculative mystery is the thrill of the hunt. The chase to discover who is responsible for the crime. Can our protagonist discover the culprit? How does she/he discover the culprit? I love the introductions into worlds of light and dark.
Do you have any writing tics?
I do have writing tics. I cannot write if my desk is messy. I am frozen with anxiety. I also have a hard time writing if my handwriting is messy or sloppy. I will rip the paper off the legal pad and rewrite it. I do this often as I tend to cross out items as I write longhand!
What direction would you like to see Afrofuturism go in? What would you like to see come of this Afrofuturism moment?
I would like to see Afrofuturism continue to incorporate all areas of media. I would love to see more TV and film media embrace authentic Afrofuturism. Black Panther had the backing of Disney, but many independent filmmakers are producing quality works but cannot get the distribution. How do we harness that hunger to our advantage? How do we connect those people who adored Black Panther to our independent works? I want to see the movement embrace all Afro-centric stories, not just those rooted in Africa, but from the other countries in the diaspora, including the U.S. Most importantly, there is amazing work being created in comics, novels, films, and music, but have not reached the audience necessary to be as big as I think it can be.
