Paulene Turner's "Suicide Blonde" is just one of the mad mechanical tales featured in Murder and Machinery. Out April the 3rd. Kindle pre-orders available now.
Tell us three interesting facts about yourself.
2. I write and direct short plays for Short and Sweet, Sydney, the biggest little play festival in the world.
3. I’m a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, and have recently become one of the many imitators of Conan Doyle’s work - which is great fun.
What drew you to this particular theme?
My theme is of machines working to agendas of their own. It’s increasingly clear that someone is watching. We google something, and ads appear matching our enquiries in our Facebook. More disturbingly, sometimes I have a conversation with my phone nearby and ads then appear on Facebook. Plus I was reading Yuval Harari’s excellent book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, where he discusses all things AI related (it’s more of a horror book than those on the shelves), and this was an extension of his ideas about the future.
What’s the most frightening machine for you personally?
The phone. The way we’re all hopelessly addicted to it. And how it affects personal relationships.
Which short story authors or authors in the horror genre inspire you?
I’m afraid to read horror. But I read plenty of news, and that’s pretty much a horror story.
Do you have a favourite story about machines, other than The Pit and the Pendulum?
I, Robot is a great story and very relevant to all the issues we’ll have to deal with in the future. But I did like Gridiron by Phillip Kerr, in which a modern, smart building turns against its occupants.
What does your editing process look like?
A mess, generally. 15-20 versions of the same document. Printouts everywhere, with scribbles and crossings out. My husband is a great sub-editor and my daughters are both writers, so we have a lot of versions of each story with (insightful) comments from them to be dealt with. Then, of course, when I finish it, and it’s completely ready, the minute I print it off, I find still more typos.
Do you write everything and then edit or do you meticulously plan before you write?
I’m a pantser. I generally have some idea of the main points, but try to let it flow how it wants as I go. Sometimes works well. Not always though. Ah, this uncertain and fickle hobby of writing! A bit like cooking. No matter how many meals you’ve made, there’s no guarantee the next one will turn out well.
What are you working on now?
I’m writing the fifth book in a time travel series - the last and the hardest, which involves travelling to the past to Edo Japan, then into future Sydney to wrap it up. Plus I’m writing a twisted fairytale for a competition.
Where can we find you online?
Facebook: Paulene Turner Writes
Twitter: @PauleneTurner
Thanks, Paulene!
