Sociologist Sci-fi/Fantasy: Interview with Alison Tracy
1) What is your Author name; use your Pen name if you have one.
Alison Tracy
2) What is your genre and what drew you to it?
My genre is sci-fi/fantasy broadly. I write dystopia, romantasy, urban fantasy, and more for YA and adult audiences. Some of my stories are fairy tale romances with a feminist twist. Others are dystopias that challenge assumptions about free will and divine forces. In all my stories, I use fiction to reflect new insights about our own world.
I love how fantasy and science fiction can reveal fundamental truths about our social world. In my own writing, I try to use fantastical and mythical stories to reveal the often-hidden cultural ideologies and inequalities that chain us.
3) What inspired you to become a writer?
I’ve been a writer ever since I can remember. It’s as essential to me as breathing. Even if you never publish, you can still be a writer.
4) What is the best time of day for you to write?
Evenings, after my children have gone to bed.
5) Which character of yours is your favorite and why?
Iliya, the protagonist of The Guardian, is my favorite character I’ve written. Before that, I struggled to write a good female protagonist. She would often be a stand-in for myself or the reader—a blank slate without much personality. When I wrote The Guardian, Iliya leapt off the page. She felt truly real, she struggled with her own flaws, and she brought her own unique perspective. I love how she balances strength with weakness; she’s a moral, courageous character, but she also makes mistakes. According to my editor, part of what makes Iliya feel so real is how she remembers all the side characters who helped her along the way, and she really carries them with her on her journey. They impact and change her.
6) Have you ever taken a course on writing or advertising? If so, which one(s) and how would you rate them?
I’ve taken many courses on writing over the years. Starting with the Iowa Young Writers Program, progressing to my undergraduate degree in English at Duke, serving as a writing tutor at both Duke and Stanford where I got my PhD in sociology…They were all fantastic and helped me grow as a writer.
I would also recommend The Writers Ally, which helped me with developmental editing, copyediting, proofreading, formatting, and marketing for The Guardian.
7) Did you ever feel like giving up? If so, how did you overcome that?
Of course! I often felt like giving up. While the actual writing comes as naturally to me as breathing, the other stages of the process—editing, formatting, finances, cover art, and most of all marketing—definitely do not. I often wondered why I was even doing this, what if I get bad reviews or hate mail, is this worth the investment of time and money? When plagued with doubts, I turned to my support network—my husband and friends. They encouraged me to keep going and reminded me why I care.
8) What is the one thing you wish you knew at the beginning of your writing journey?
There is no one right way to be an author. Find the way that works for you. Whether you’re a plotter or pantser (or hybrid), whether you self-publish or traditionally publish (or both), whether you’re on TikTok or Instagram, there is no single formula for success. Always remember why YOU want to write, what YOU want to get out of it, and structure your activities around that.
9) Who did you dedicate your first book to and why?
My family. They are the most central and important people in my life.
10) How many books do you try to read each year?
I don’t have a target number. I read a lot of academic articles for my job, plus I work full-time and I’m a mother of 2 young boys, so I don’t put pressure on myself to read for fun.
11) Which book villain would be the hardest to defeat?
I’ll add a caveat that I don’t tend to read horror books, so there could be truly nasty villains out there that I haven’t encountered. But I’d choose Iago from Othello. He was so good at fooling everyone into trusting him.
12) Name one book that you have reread several times.