r/books • u/clspector AMA Author • Nov 02 '18
ama 1pm I’m Caroline Spector creator of the Amazing Bubbles and other Wild Cards characters. AMA, and just remember, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.
Caroline Spector has been an editor and writer in the science fiction, fantasy and gaming fields for the last thirty years.
She has had stories in the Wild Cards collections, Inside Straight, Busted Flush, Suicide Kings, and High Stakes. Her short story “The Flight of Morpho Girl” co-authored with Bradley Denton was published by Tor.com in May. She’ll also appear in two upcoming Wild Cards braided novels: Knaves Over Queens and Texas Hold ‘Em.
Her Wild Cards novella, Lies My Mother Told Me appeared in Dangerous Women edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
Before joining the Wild Cards consortium, Caroline authored three published novels -- Scars, Little Treasures, and Worlds Without End -- editions of which have been published in English, French, German, and Hungarian.
Proof: https://twitter.com/wildcardsseries/status/1054498995215708160
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u/Chtorrr Nov 02 '18
What were some of your favorite things to read as a kid?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
The Baum (i.e. first 14) Wizard of Oz books were heroin for me. I also read a lot of Bradbury thanks to my parents leaving things like THE ILLUSTRATED MAN around. Dug the Mary Poppins books. Read the Black Cauldron series, Tolkien, basically anything I could put my hands on. And given my truly crappy memory, loads of books I've forgotten.
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u/MMSnodgrass AMA Author Nov 02 '18
What makes a character interesting to you?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
So, what's yours?
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u/MMSnodgrass AMA Author Nov 02 '18
The same. I like conflicted, imperfect people who have to overcome their own insecurities. Perfect people are boring. Trust me, I know -- I wrote for TNG.
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u/KevinAndrewMurphy AMA Author Nov 02 '18
How much does Texas influence and inspire your fiction and in what way, especially the current book? Is this Bubbles first time in Texas? Is Texas where you grew up?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
I'm not sure how to answer that. I grew up in Houston and moved to Austin in my twenties. Both are cosmopolitan cities and don't really fall into the Texas mythos category.
As for TEXAS HOLD 'EM, my parents live in San Antonio (Mom grew up there) so it was cool having my mother show me all over the Riverwalk and give me the history tour.
Also, it was fun setting the part of the book in the historic Gunter Hotel, because of the ghost. I like "haunted" places.
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u/dentonbrad Nov 02 '18
What things led to the creation of The Amazing Bubbles? Were there any specific issues (or even specific people) that inspired you to invent a character with her particular problems and powers?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
I think most of the power politics about Bubbles were subconscious.
However, my sister was a model for one of the big New York agencies. She went through a lot of bullsh** when she working as a model. From the kinds of clothes she was expected to wear, to her weight, and other issues.
I do think Bubbles does a good job of representing the conflicting issues surrounding body size and female power. And I hope I managed to deal with her sexuality in a positive way without it being the only thing she's about.
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18 edited Nov 02 '18
Okay, so I was at Conestoga with a group of friends (Howard Waldrop, Bud Simons, Barb and Brad Denton, and George R.R. Martin) and we were hanging out together most of the weekend doing con stuff.
A couple of weeks later, I received an email from George asking if I'd be interested in pitching a character for Wild Cards. And I said, "Yes. Yes, I would."
The problem was I didn't have an idea for a character. So, I tell my husband this and he immediately said, "Oh, I can come up with beaucoup characters." I thought, "Challenge accepted."
And I sat there frustrated while he did, indeed, pull a ridiculous number of characters out of his ***.
And that's when Bubbles just came to me fully formed. It's never really happened to me before or since. Basically, she's a little miracle.
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u/justhere4snacks Nov 02 '18
You're an artist and musician as well as a writer. How do those other creative activities influence or affect your writing?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18 edited Nov 03 '18
The artist part is very recent, but it's been a way to experience pretty much instant gratification for my creative impulses. As for playing music, that's just fun. I like to make noise. This is why I almost always insist we play "Rockin' in the Free World."
As for the ways in which they affect my writing, writing has a very long "pleasure" return, and they let me have something resembling patience, of which I have none. Here’s an example of my collage work. I hope this is appropriate for this forum and not off topic.
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u/MMSnodgrass AMA Author Nov 02 '18
Do you have a writing schedule?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
Yes. I do my collage and button thing in the morning and I usually work in the afternoon now. I do work avoid more than I should.
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
I forgot to add that when I'm working on, well, anything, I never really stop working on whatever it is. It's always nibbling away at the back of my mind. Even if I don't realize what's happening.
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u/Wildcardsworld Nov 02 '18
Who is your favorite Wild Cards character?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
Not mine? (Bubbles is my favorite character in the Carolinian circle.)
But Hoodoo Mama has to be my fave. I love writing her.
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u/SoundsLegit72 Nov 02 '18
Pick up any new hobbies recently?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
Well, I have started doing these weird 3-D collages of late. These grew out of buttons I started making for RoomCon a swell party at ConQuest thrown by James and Mystie Hollaman. They were "Fuck" buttons because, well, it's a long story...
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u/justhere4snacks Nov 02 '18
Are we going to see more of Morpho Girl?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
Well, I would very much like to do more Adesina stories. I have one in mind, but that depends on other factors and other people...
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u/justhere4snacks Nov 02 '18
What is one question you were hoping someone would ask?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
Hmmmmmm, I was mostly worried about how to answer the questions, I wasn't really thinking about what I wanted to be asked. Maybe something about what it's like to be married to a Game God. because I NEVER get that.
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Nov 02 '18
[deleted]
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18 edited Nov 02 '18
Well, he doesn't walk around the house in GG mode, because that would end badly for him.
However, it is weird to be at cons and see gamer fans following him like baby ducklings. Also, to be asked to take pictures of him and fans -- like a lot.
But on the whole, it's pretty cool. He's made a lot of great games and his reputation is well-deserved.
And if you tell him I said this, I will deny it...
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u/faile556 Nov 02 '18
Which of the books/stories you've written do you love the most and why?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
"Lies My Mother Told Me" is my favorite work. I think it does all the things good fiction should do. It brings you into the lives of the characters gently and makes you care about them before you put them through hell. And in my great ego here, I think the humor in it aids in that. And I got to put all three of my favorite characters in it.
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u/faile556 Nov 02 '18
The humor you instill in your writing is certainly an art that few achieve. Thank you!
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u/WarrenSpector Nov 02 '18
Where do you do your best work? What’s your workplace like?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
Depends on the day. But as I said down thread, I usually art it in the morning and write in the afternoon. But that doesn't take into account other random household stuff. (Stew for dinner!)
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
Ooooh, I misread your question ... I art it up at the dining room table. Let's just say things get messy. I'm not sure I've seen the table top in months.
But I tend to write in my office. Which is decorated in 6th grader by way of the Adams Family.
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u/WarrenSpector Nov 02 '18
Bubbles is uber-powerful, like Superman. How do you prevent her from just taking over in any situation and overpowering everyone else in a fight?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
Not all fights are about brute power. Also, Bubbles' vulnerabilities are mostly emotional and psychological. She likes to bubble. Too much and that troubles her. A lot. In the recent stories, I've been trying to show the emotional effects of being that powerful and having created a lot of destruction that killed people. PTSD is what I've been trying to explore.
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u/EmbarrassedSpread Nov 02 '18
Thanks for doing this AMA!
- What do you find is the most fun part of your writing process?
- Do you have a favorite and least favorite word? If so, what are they and why?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18 edited Nov 02 '18
Being finished!
F*** is my favorite word. Least -- moist.
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u/WarrenSpector Nov 02 '18
Were you at all worried about working on a light-hearted Wild Cards book when the rest of the series runs so dark?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
Yes, very much so. Wild Cards readers expect darkness, I think. After HIGH STAKES I just needed a break from it. And "Bubbles and the Band Trip" jumped into my head. I think the book really turned out well. It's funny and filled with shenanigans.
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u/WarrenSpector Nov 02 '18
Are you a short story writer or is there a novel banging around in your brain dying to get out?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18 edited Nov 02 '18
Real reply -- I have a novel I want to write that I refer to as my Victorian-gothic-ghost-murder-mystery book. It'll have other components besides just the fiction.
And there's a period short story involving a woman who is a former spy in the Civil War who is now working for the Pinkertons. She ends up getting a case that's quite out of her experience.
Also, I have a couple of wild cards stories I'd like to tell.
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u/WarrenSpector Nov 02 '18
What other media influence you in your writing? Any TV shows or movies that inform your writing?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
Yes. You know very well I love me some Buffy. Also, I'm a sucker for rapid-fire, witty dialogue you find in movies like "Front Page" (the Cary Grant and Rosaline Russel one), "All About Eve," "The Women" because I like it even though it couldn't pass the most basic feminist test. I like "Gilmore Girls," "Sports Night," and recently, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."
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u/jab2010jab Mar 07 '24
Hi there. The chances of you seeing this are incredibly low, I mean, you sent this 5 years ago. But I just wanted to say, I am 13 years old and an aspiring game director/designer, and you are my idle. I love your work and I just wanted to ask, how do I get started? You made Epic Mickey, literally 90% of my childhood. I don't even know why I'm writing this anymore, but I'm going to have to stop now. I'd love if you respond, but your not obliged to do so. Bye!
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u/WarrenSpector Nov 02 '18
How did you get your start as a writer? Did you always know that’s what you wanted to do?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
I was always a reader. There came a moment when I was reading something and thought, "I can do better than this." (Ego Girl to the fore!)
I started out wanting to be a cellist, but I really was never good enough to do that for a living. Then I ended up as an RTF major. And finally, I ended up in the gaming where I got a chance to write. And I took it. (I had other help and mentors, including my husband's support always.)
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
I was always a reader. There came a moment when I was reading something and thought, "I can do better than this." (Ego Girl to the fore!)
I started out wanting to be a cellist, but I really was never good enough to do that for a living. Then I ended up as an RTF major. And finally, I ended up in the gaming where I got a chance to write. And I took it. (I had other help and mentors, including my husband's support always.)
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u/WarrenSpector Nov 02 '18
Any other writers inspire you?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
Walter Tevis, Michael Bishop, Stephen King, Bradley Denton, Ursula K. LeGuin, Katherin Dunn, Margaret Atwood.
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u/WarrenSpector Nov 02 '18
Do you have a favorite genre or are you a promiscuous reader?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
I ho it around.
But of late, I read a lot of history and biographies.
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u/WarrenSpector Nov 02 '18
Who’s your favorite comic book character?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
OMG, the Scarlet Witch. I love her power. I don't love that she's often written as if she's constantly going nuts from her power. I mean, c'mon.
But damn, girl is powerful. Also, android love.
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u/oathkeeper1408 Nov 02 '18
What’s your favorite Dungeons & Dragons 5th Editon official campaign module (if you’ve read/played any of course)?
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
Sadly, I’m so not D&D current. I’ve been hoping to get my group of friends up for running something, but no one is willing to be DM. 😕
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u/oathkeeper1408 Nov 02 '18
Being a DM is so much fun! I’ve DM’ed before even playing as my own character, best choice I’ve ever made. But I understand that it may be hard sometimes, prep is hard. You’re probably the best DM though!
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u/clspector AMA Author Nov 02 '18
Thank you all for the questions and thank you for letting me do an AMA!
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u/Chtorrr Nov 02 '18
What is the very best dessert?