Lou Antonelli answers the Usual Questions

I have been interviewed for an Australian ezine in its feature "The Usual Questions". Here is a copy:

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Lou Antonelli is an American science fiction and fantasy writer

Antonelli got a late start in his fiction writing career; his first story was published when he was 46 years old in June 2003.

Has your interaction with fans, for example, at conventions, affected your work?

Yes, it's been a big encouragement to know people read and enjoy my work.

Is there any particular incident (a letter, a meeting, a comment that stands out?

The first s-f con I attended, in 2003 in Dallas. I had always been a reader, but I didn't attend a con until I was 46, and only after a press release crossed my desk at the newspaper where I worked. I attended the convention with a press pass. It was there I made the connection that led to my first submission and publication.

Do you have a favourite author or book (or writer or film or series) that has influenced you or that you return to?

Howard Waldrop. I always liked his sense of wonder and weirdness. I was very honored when he wrote the introduction to my first collection of short stories, Fantastic Texas, in 2009. He is the only author I am compared to in my Encyclopedia of Science Fiction entry.

Who is the person you would most like to be trapped in a lift with? or a spaceship?

Howard Waldrop.

Who is the person you would most DISlike to be trapped in a lift with? Or a spaceship?

N.K. Jemisin

What would you pack for space? (Is there a food, beverage, book, teddy bear, etc that you couldn't do without?)

My family. I am very much a homebody and I'd never leave them -- my wife Patricia and my three kids, who are all canines.

What is the most important thing you would like to get/achieve from your work?

To impart a sense of wonder and infinite possibilities, to make people realize that despite the large number of accidents and assholes fate foists on us, there are still wonderful people and marvelous things out there.

What is the special satisfaction of your work?

When I finish a story and it all comes together and I read it again and have a Tommy Lee Jones moment: "Damn, I'm good!"

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Here is the link the actual page, if you like.