Kristine Kathryn Rusch turned an idle thought about the prospect of controlling the weather into the novella Weather Duty, available to read in our [March/April issue, on sale now!]
Asimov’s Editor: How did this story germinate? Was there a spark of inspiration, or did it come to you slowly?
Kristine Kathryn Rusch: I started this story before the pandemic, shortly after I moved to Las Vegas from Oregon. I was afraid of the heat then, and wondered what would happen if people really could control the weather. Then, I was scanning story starts in early 2024, and found it, and realized that if someone did figure out how to control the weather, there would probably be a committee. Then I realized, no, the government would have to be involved.
I live a few blocks from the courthouse and from city hall, which is in this story. Somehow the location made it morph into “weather duty” as in “jury duty.” If you’ve ever done jury duty, you know how hard it is for anyone to agree on anything. And that gave me the story.
AE: Is this story part of a larger universe, or is it stand-alone?
KKR: Standalone.
AE: What made you think of Asimov’s for this story?
KKR: I always send Asimov’s my sci-fi stories first. I love hearing what Sheila has to say about them.
AE: How much or little do current events impact your writing?
KKR: Waaaay too much. Even when I don’t realize it as I’m writing. I guess that’s an occupational hazard. I was a broadcast journalist before I became a fiction writer. Plus my training as a historian also makes me inclined to look at the events around me to create stories.
AE: How do you deal with writers’ block?
KKR: There is no such thing. There’s project block, which means that a project gets stalled, personal beliefs that get in the way, and life events that may make it impossible to write for a time, but writer’s block itself is a myth.
That said, my company, WMG Publishing, has an online course to help writers who feel blocked. https://wmgwriterstore.com/collections/writers-block-freedom
AE: What other projects are you currently working on?
KKR: I just finished a surprise fantasy novel (I thought it was a short story. Whoops!) that doesn’t have a title yet. I am finishing a side saga in my Fey universe. I’m in the middle of the fifth novel there. I’ve also approached the next novel in my Diving universe a few times in the past few months, but haven’t figured out how to open it yet. (See project block, above.) And then there’s the short fiction; I’m working on a story a month right now.
AE: What are you reading right now?
KKR: I’m discouraged about the state of the world right now, and when that happens, I find myself unable to read the usual relaxing things. So I read thrillers and crime fiction. I just finished Robert Crais’s latest, The Big Empty, and followed it with The Best American Mystery Stories 2024. I have one more best-of to read before I get back to novels.
Write your stories and believe in yourself. Write a lot. Don’t rewrite. If you have to fix something major, redraft. Your story is in your head. The manuscript is the tool to communicate the story. If the tool is flawed, grab a new tool.
AE: Do you have any advice for up-and-coming writers?
KKR: Stay away from peer writing workshops. Beginners don’t know nothing. So, a bunch of beginners going on about your writing is as valuable as asking for advice from your cat. Write your stories and believe in yourself. Write a lot. Don’t rewrite. If you have to fix something major, redraft. Your story is in your head. The manuscript is the tool to communicate the story. If the tool is flawed, grab a new tool.
AE: What other careers have you had, and how have they affected your writing?
KKR: Oh, dear. Careers as opposed to jobs. Hmmm. Journalism taught me to hit deadlines. If I don’t have ideas, too bad. Something is due, and that means I need to write. I brought that directly into my fiction writing. I meet my deadlines if I have a story assignment or need to turn in a novel.
I was and still am an editor. I know that some stories may be wonderful, but they aren’t to a particular editor’s taste. It means I don’t take rejection personally. That’s a very valuable attitude to have.
AE: How can our readers follow you and your writing?
KKR: Currently, I’m on Bluesky, Facebook, and Patreon. Then there’s my website. So here goes:
Bluesky: @kristinerusch.bsky.social
Facebook: my page is kristinerusch/writer, but I’ve been on Facebook so long that my personal profile page is where I post most of the time. (That started back when pages were considered fan pages)
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/kristinekathrynrusch. I use this for nonfiction mostly, although I’ve been goofing around with video as well.
And my website is kriswrites.com.
From Earth to the Stars 