Prolific middle-grade author and Nebula finalist Leah Cypess tells us how her love of historical fiction helped inspire “A Tide of Paper,” her latest novelette, which you can find in our [Sept/Oct issue, on sale now!]
Asimov’s Editor: What is the story behind this piece?
Leah Cypess: This story started as a tie-in story for a book that has (so far) not been published.
Even though I mostly write science fiction and fantasy, I also have another beloved genre, which is historical fiction. Back in 2018, I finished a young adult historical fiction novel about crypto-Jews in Renaissance Venice. That book got me my current agent, but did not, sadly, sell to a publisher.
While researching Renaissance Venice, I bumped into a lot of information about (1) the Jewish printing presses in Renaissance Venice, and (2) the ghost stories that people in Renaissance Venice believed. I wrote several versions of this story, all with Samuel—who is based on a real historical figure—as the main character. Those versions all revolved around his romance with the main character in that YA book. In my final rewriting, I took all of those links out and focused just on Samuel’s personal arc (which also made it a stronger story), and then I sent it to Asimov’s. 😊
AE: How did the title for this piece come to you?
LC: The title, “A Tide of Paper,” is a direct quote from some of the complaints people in the Renaissance made about printing presses. (Fun fact, I actually had two titles in mind for this story, both real quotes from people unhappy with the results of this new technology: A Tide of Paper and An Overabundance of Books. Readers can let me know if they think I chose the right one!)
AE: What other projects are you currently working on?
LC: I’m currently publishing an early chapter book series, Miriam’s Magical Creature Files, with Amulet Books/Abrams. This series is so much fun—I love writing humor, and it is an amazing experience to see a fantastic illustrator bring a book to life! I’m also working on the sequel to my children’s science fiction book, Future Me Saves the World (and Ruins My Life), which was published by Aladdin/Simon & Schuster in June.
AE: What are you reading right now?
LC: I am someone who reads lots of books at once, so this is going to be a long answer! In historical fiction, I’m in middle of The Master Jeweler by Weina Dai Randel, and I also sneaked in the first few chapters of The Boy with the Star Tattoo by Talia Carner. In SFF, I just started an advance copy of The Philosophy of Thieves by Fran Wilde. I also read middle grade—partly because I write middle grade, partly because I just like it!—and so I also just started The Secrets of Lovelace Academy by Marie Benedict and Courtney Sheinmel.
And in non-fiction . . . no, just kidding, I think that’s enough.
AE: How can our readers follow you and your writing? (IE: Social media handles, website URL . . .)
LC: My website, which I update frequently (and where you can sign up for a new releases only newsletter), is www.leahcypess.com. Currently I post about books, scenery, and sometimes food on Instagram and Facebook, in both places as Leah Cypess.
From Earth to the Stars 