Ann Halam, who also writes as Gwyneth Jones is the author of more than twenty novels. Her story in The Starry Rift is “Cheats”.

1. When did you start reading science fiction? How old were you, and can you remember the first book or story that really excited you as a reader?

The first science fiction that excited me was, no contest, the Buster Crabbe Flash Gordon serials, that were televised when I was six or seven years old. An enduring influence. And there was “Quatermass and the Pit”, about the haunted Tube station: a big sensation in the UK at the time. We children weren’t allowed to stay up for it, we used to sneak down the stairs and peek through the living room door, terrified. I don’t remember when I started reading sf, but I remember being very taken with a story about a lone pilot-explorer, set in the jungles of Venus. Sorry, no idea what the book was called, or who wrote it.

2. What do you think science fiction has something to offer young readers today?

Adventure, excitement, and the thrill of new knowledge.

3. Tell us about your story for The Starry Rift.

The adventure with the kayaks in the reedbeds is based on a real experience. My brother and I did that: got lost, enjoyed getting lost and were amazed (and ungrateful) when they set the Air and Sea Rescue on us. . . The idea that information can “travel” instantaneously across huge, interstellar distances has fascinated me for a long time. We are information. It’s what our minds are made of, and our bodies too, in the final analysis. Who knows? One thing we can guess about the future (by looking at the past) is that impossible things can become possible.

4. Did you find there was a real difference between writing for younger readers, or was your approach basically the same as when you’re writing for any other audience?

I’m often asked this question. I think the difference is character driven. I write, try to write, in character. If the people in my story are thirteen, fourteen, then I’m writing from that viewpoint. Otherwise, my approach is entirely the same.

5. What are you writing now? Is there something you’d recommend to readers who enjoyed your story in The Starry Rift?

I’ve just finished a space opera called (working title) The Princess Of Bois Dormant. It’ll be published as a “Gwyneth Jones” book, but it’s not something only adults could enjoy. I hope the readers of The Starry Rift will look out for it, if they enjoy my story.

Ann Halam was born in Manchester, England, went to convent schools and then took an undergraduate degree in the History of Ideas at the University of Sussex, specializing in 17th century Europe; a distant academic background that still resonates in her work. She first realised she wanted to be a writer when she was fourteen when she won a local newspaper’s story competition. She has written more than twenty novels for teenagers, starting with Ally Ally Aster and including Taylor Five, Dr. Franklins’ Island, and most recently Siberia. She has also written a number of highly regarded SF novels for adults as Gwyneth Jones, notably White Queen, North Wind, and Phoenix Cafe, and the near future fantasy ‘Bold As Love’ series. Her collection Seven Tales and a Fable won two World Fantasy Awards, and her critical writings and essays have appeared in Nature, New Scientist, Foundation, NYRSF, and several online venues. She has been writing full time since the early ‘80s, occasionally teaching creative writing. Honors include the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Bold as Love and the Philip K. Dick Award for Life. She lives in Brighton, with her husband, son and two cats called Frank and Ginger; likes cooking, gardening, watching old movies and playing with her websites.