It’s been a busy few months for me, but I’m happy to be back in the interview chair this month with author Stephanie Kato. Stephanie blogs at stephaniekatoauthor.com and you can also find her on Facebook and Twitter of course. Her first novel The Post-Apocalyptic Society is now available on Amazon.
Perkins: Stephanie Kato, thank you for joining us. You recently released your first completed work, and like myself, you went down the lonely road of self-publishing. But all writing is a solo act when you’re alone with the keyboard. What do you find to be the most difficult aspect for you? In terms of the writing?
Kato: Certain parts of the story are tricky to write. I always need to create a cast of villains who have a motive to cause trouble for my protagonists. "Why?" can be a difficult question to answer.
Perkins: That’s true. Drama dictates that they don’t all just sit around enjoying tea. At least not all the time.
Kato: It always starts out as a normal day until something goes horribly wrong. My characters encounter a lot of violence and peril. Somehow, I always have to find an excuse to keep them alive and in post-apocalyptic mayhem.
Perkins: Do you plan all that mayhem, or do you like to free write and improvise?
Kato: I always make a very basic outline for my stories. But my books are only loosely planned, so most of the material is improvised. I just let the story develop in a direction that feels natural. Even when I plan a lot of details, most of it changes by the time I finish.
Perkins: What drives that the most? Are you a story writer or a character writer?
Kato: My books tend to be very character driven. I always have a basic plot that stays consistent within a written work, but my characters influence the direction, action, and outcome. Questions like, "what would this particular character do?" frequently enters my mind when I'm writing.
Perkins: I'm the same way, I think. I like to let my characters loose and see if they do anything interesting. Have you had any unexpected twists and turns in your stories that grew out of a character "just being their self" which you didn't see coming and maybe the reader won’t either?
Kato: My characters will probably surprise the reader at times. Then again, my characters are usually very consistent, even when their behavior seems crazy. Readers will find events and plot turns that will be influenced by my characters. Some of my characters are quite bold and brazen, so their actions can be very unusual. I think readers will find many of the surprises quite funny or entertaining.
Perkins: How do you know when you’ve finally “got it” or when it needs more work?
Kato: For me, a story is done when I feel confident about it. I need to feel really good about the plot, characters, action, steampunk elements, and conflicts. Actually, I have a lot of help with the finished product. I hire a professional line editor who catches grammatical mistakes, continuity errors, elements that don't make sense, and whatnot.
Kato: Certain parts of the story are tricky to write. I always need to create a cast of villains who have a motive to cause trouble for my protagonists. "Why?" can be a difficult question to answer.
Perkins: That’s true. Drama dictates that they don’t all just sit around enjoying tea. At least not all the time.
Kato: It always starts out as a normal day until something goes horribly wrong. My characters encounter a lot of violence and peril. Somehow, I always have to find an excuse to keep them alive and in post-apocalyptic mayhem.
Perkins: Do you plan all that mayhem, or do you like to free write and improvise?
Kato: I always make a very basic outline for my stories. But my books are only loosely planned, so most of the material is improvised. I just let the story develop in a direction that feels natural. Even when I plan a lot of details, most of it changes by the time I finish.
Perkins: What drives that the most? Are you a story writer or a character writer?
Kato: My books tend to be very character driven. I always have a basic plot that stays consistent within a written work, but my characters influence the direction, action, and outcome. Questions like, "what would this particular character do?" frequently enters my mind when I'm writing.
Perkins: I'm the same way, I think. I like to let my characters loose and see if they do anything interesting. Have you had any unexpected twists and turns in your stories that grew out of a character "just being their self" which you didn't see coming and maybe the reader won’t either?
Kato: My characters will probably surprise the reader at times. Then again, my characters are usually very consistent, even when their behavior seems crazy. Readers will find events and plot turns that will be influenced by my characters. Some of my characters are quite bold and brazen, so their actions can be very unusual. I think readers will find many of the surprises quite funny or entertaining.
Perkins: How do you know when you’ve finally “got it” or when it needs more work?
Kato: For me, a story is done when I feel confident about it. I need to feel really good about the plot, characters, action, steampunk elements, and conflicts. Actually, I have a lot of help with the finished product. I hire a professional line editor who catches grammatical mistakes, continuity errors, elements that don't make sense, and whatnot.
Perkins: What was your initial inspiration for The Post-Apocalyptic Society?
Kato: Originally, I wrote contemporary murder mysteries. That's totally different, right? When I finished writing, I hated the outcome. I liked my characters and thematic material, but the rest didn't come together. It seemed like I needed a different setting. I spent time researching various subgenres of science fiction. Post-apocalyptic was really popular at the time, so I used it as one component. I decided to reboot my storyline ten years after an event decimated the United States. That became the premise of my series. I looked at other subgenres too, including steampunk, cyberpunk, superhero fiction, etc. Steampunk gave my characters a chance to have a grand Industrial Revolution that could bring them out of the rubble.
Perkins: What is your favorite post-apocalyptic world? I'm always a sucker for Waterworld myself. Or the future in Terminator.
Kato: Mad Max: Fury Road all the way. I actually prefer the newer film more than the earlier installments. Usually, burned out desert environments aren't my favorite setting, but this one was special. It was really well made. I thought the environment brought out a realistic desperation, cynicism, mental instability, and survival instinct from the characters. Also, the crazy vehicles were super cool. It's not really steampunk, but I'm pretty sure part of the production design had some steampunk influences.
Perkins: Oh, I’m sure of it. So did Mad Max influence your world-building then?
Kato: No, but I assume many people will think it has similarities. I didn't bother seeing Fury Road in theaters until after I drafted my first three books. I decided to go back and watch several post-apocalyptic films. The Hunger Games, The Book of Eli, Snowpiecer, I Am Legend, etc.
Perkins: You picked some real winners. You could’ve ended up with The Postman or something.
Kato: I bought Fury Road on Blu-Ray before I watched it for the first time, and fell in love with every aspect. It was fun to see how many post-apocalyptic and steampunk films are similar or dissimilar to my series. I think it's worth mentioning that my stories are less bleak than Fury Road. My stories tend to be more hopeful with dark comedy elements. You'll also see a variety of terrains in my series.
Perkins: Good to know! Going back in time a little, what is your favorite steampunk “classic”?
Kato: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is one of my favorite books. It's a great morality tale, albeit dark.
Perkins: Actually, that’s one of mine too! I didn’t even know what steampunk was when I read it, but it’s practically a textbook example.
Kato: A lot of modern steampunk books include monsters and mad scientists. I believe novels like Frankenstein were very influential to that trend.
Perkins: It’s hard to get that perfectly gothic aesthetic that Shelley captured out of your head when you sit down to write. You want to let it influence you.
Kato: Concerning my own books, I take a lot of influences from H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, too. I use a lot of retro futuristic technology in the form of metropolises, robots, strange weaponry, genetic-engineering, airships, submarines, body modifications, and a slew of other components. Aside from steampunk, I also love murder mysteries, though. Arthur Conan Doyle and his Sherlock Holmes series are very close to my heart. Doyle brought such an inventive approach to the genre. You can tell Sherlock Holmes influenced all our contemporary detective and forensic shows.
Perkins: Oh definitely. I have a two volume set of Sherlock I found at a Salvation Army that I like to pick through occasionally. It just goes to show how varied the so-called “steampunk” genre can be. Let me ask you this: how would you describe/differentiate your own brand of steampunk?
Kato: As the title suggests, the plot revolves around a post-apocalyptic civilization. Although some of the more recent steampunk authors are also using post-apocalyptic settings, my series is somewhat unique and doesn't take place in the 19th Century or Victorian era. I leave the exact year ambiguous, but much of the story probably spills into the early 22nd Century. You'll actually see steampunk computers, automobiles, and cell phones. It’s a United States with a pseudo-Victorian revival instead of Victorian England. You won't see magic or the supernatural and even if you see monsters or mutants, they'll be creations of science. I'm also not afraid to blend elements from other punk science fiction genres into my series. Down the road, you might see components of dieselpunk, biopunk, or radioactivity.
Perkins: Nukepunk? Nevermind… I thought your choice to bring both the term “Steampunk” and the steampunk culture as a whole directly inside your story world was very unexpected and kind of meta. Is this your way of commenting on the genre and the sub-culture as a whole? Or just a fun homage to the real life fans and cosplayers and LARPers out there?
Kato: In my books, "Steampunks" are a new species of humans who are more evolved than regular humans. You'll see "Steampunks" coexisting and fighting with contemporary humans in my series. I thought it made sense to admit that steampunk and science fiction in general were aesthetics that actually existed in the 21st Century.
Perkins: So your characters might also be fans of the same sort of steampunk fiction you and I are into?
Kato: My characters are aware of them. According to my series, when the American civilization fell sometime during the late 21st Century, people needed to rebuild the nation. They wanted it to be very different this time. It was like a blank sheet of paper with a lot of resources. They were also more advanced than us. Why did science fiction have to be limited to movies and novels? They had the resources to turn these genres of fiction into a reality. Evidently, ideals from the 21st Century didn't pan out and people thought it would be a good idea to take influences from the past. A steampunk world could bring back a lot of Victorian values that are totally foreign to our current culture.
Perkins: Do you interact much with the steampunk sub-culture in real life? How did that inform your portrayal of the “Steampunks” in your stories?
Kato: I have a few close acquaintances who are steampunk fans and occasional cosplayers. They helped me find great resources including novels, websites, films, video games, etc. I joined a few online communities, including The Steampunk Empire. It's helpful to see different perspectives. Everyone has their own interpretation and approach. My interaction with fans definitely helped me gather ideas for scenery, clothing, gadgets, and general themes. Steampunk enthusiasts are usually very pleasant and friendly people. It seemed like a decent thing to incorporate for my characters.
Perkins: It sounds like you’re not so much commenting on Steampunk culture as you are using Steampunk culture to comment on our real life society, then?
Kato: In a way, my books are a commentary on the corruption, selfishness, entitlement, weakness, self-pity, and lack of ethics or values that we have in the modern era. People are judgmental and fearful of individuals who are different than themselves. You'll see that theme in my books. The series is also a fun homage to steampunk fans, cosplayers, and LARPers. I take some traditional elements from steampunk and add my own twist. Steampunk fans should remember one thing. The "Steampunks" in my books are the good guys.
Perkins: Do you feel that with all the extremism and frustration visible in politics and social issues, that society is on the brink of something revolutionary or tragic, such as in your novel? Or are you a classic "modernist" believing that society will sort itself out and rise to even higher heights in the long run?
Kato: That's a good question. Civilization might go one way or another. We're definitely seeing a frightening rise in terrorism, crime, domestic violence, and anarchy. The American Dream seems to be dead. Unemployment is high, salaries are low, cost of living is expensive, corruption is rampant, and people are developing more of a nihilistic outlook on life. I doubt a true revolution will happen. That would take careful planning, effort, and strategy, which nobody wants to accomplish. Don't get me wrong. I haven't given up on humanity yet. People have a tendency to learn from their mistakes. I hope society will learn some lessons and find a way to make improvements. Sometimes, it takes a handful of disasters and failures to achieve success.
Perkins: I think that's the fun of Steampunk is that it toes the line perfectly between 1) late 19th Century modernist optimism, 2) post-modern apocalyptic angst, and 3) the stone cold pragmatism that things are just hard and don't always work right and you have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty to keep the world functioning. You mentioned that your stories are more hopeful and I can see that in your answer, even a handful of disasters can still lead to success. Without spoiling any potential happy endings (or tragic losses) in your story, where do you see your series going from here? Sequels? Spinoffs? Something new?
Kato: All of my books are collections with three stories. They contain the same cast of main protagonists. I have three books set, which is a grand total of nine separate stories. My second book should be released in 2017. After I finish the main trilogy, I will think about possibilities. I will probably release a related series of events that takes place between my main stories. My characters live in a post-apocalyptic nation. Mayhem and interesting stories could happen every day. This is entirely speculation at the moment, though. It will take time for me to figure out the future of my franchise.
Perkins: Alright, well I look forward to your next adventure! Let me ask one last question (but not least): Katniss Everdeen from Hunger Games or Tris Prior from Divergent?
Kato: You're killing me. That's a tough question to answer. Katniss and Tris have a lot of similarities. Both of them are rebellious survivalists who are loyal to their loved ones. Personally, I'm going to lean toward Tris Prior. I find Tris more passionate about her cause. She seems to have an easier time harnessing her emotions for strength and motivation. I think Tris has more natural leadership skills. Her story also comes full circle with ultimate sacrifice to end dystopian tyranny. It's quite symbolic. Katniss is pretty good too, but she seems more caught up in the turmoil and it takes a while for her to become a real leader.
Perkins: Ooh, controversial answer, perhaps…? I’ll let the readers decide! Comment below if you disagree, or keep the conversation going with questions of your own! And as always, thanks for stopping by.
Kato: Originally, I wrote contemporary murder mysteries. That's totally different, right? When I finished writing, I hated the outcome. I liked my characters and thematic material, but the rest didn't come together. It seemed like I needed a different setting. I spent time researching various subgenres of science fiction. Post-apocalyptic was really popular at the time, so I used it as one component. I decided to reboot my storyline ten years after an event decimated the United States. That became the premise of my series. I looked at other subgenres too, including steampunk, cyberpunk, superhero fiction, etc. Steampunk gave my characters a chance to have a grand Industrial Revolution that could bring them out of the rubble.
Perkins: What is your favorite post-apocalyptic world? I'm always a sucker for Waterworld myself. Or the future in Terminator.
Kato: Mad Max: Fury Road all the way. I actually prefer the newer film more than the earlier installments. Usually, burned out desert environments aren't my favorite setting, but this one was special. It was really well made. I thought the environment brought out a realistic desperation, cynicism, mental instability, and survival instinct from the characters. Also, the crazy vehicles were super cool. It's not really steampunk, but I'm pretty sure part of the production design had some steampunk influences.
Perkins: Oh, I’m sure of it. So did Mad Max influence your world-building then?
Kato: No, but I assume many people will think it has similarities. I didn't bother seeing Fury Road in theaters until after I drafted my first three books. I decided to go back and watch several post-apocalyptic films. The Hunger Games, The Book of Eli, Snowpiecer, I Am Legend, etc.
Perkins: You picked some real winners. You could’ve ended up with The Postman or something.
Kato: I bought Fury Road on Blu-Ray before I watched it for the first time, and fell in love with every aspect. It was fun to see how many post-apocalyptic and steampunk films are similar or dissimilar to my series. I think it's worth mentioning that my stories are less bleak than Fury Road. My stories tend to be more hopeful with dark comedy elements. You'll also see a variety of terrains in my series.
Perkins: Good to know! Going back in time a little, what is your favorite steampunk “classic”?
Kato: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is one of my favorite books. It's a great morality tale, albeit dark.
Perkins: Actually, that’s one of mine too! I didn’t even know what steampunk was when I read it, but it’s practically a textbook example.
Kato: A lot of modern steampunk books include monsters and mad scientists. I believe novels like Frankenstein were very influential to that trend.
Perkins: It’s hard to get that perfectly gothic aesthetic that Shelley captured out of your head when you sit down to write. You want to let it influence you.
Kato: Concerning my own books, I take a lot of influences from H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, too. I use a lot of retro futuristic technology in the form of metropolises, robots, strange weaponry, genetic-engineering, airships, submarines, body modifications, and a slew of other components. Aside from steampunk, I also love murder mysteries, though. Arthur Conan Doyle and his Sherlock Holmes series are very close to my heart. Doyle brought such an inventive approach to the genre. You can tell Sherlock Holmes influenced all our contemporary detective and forensic shows.
Perkins: Oh definitely. I have a two volume set of Sherlock I found at a Salvation Army that I like to pick through occasionally. It just goes to show how varied the so-called “steampunk” genre can be. Let me ask you this: how would you describe/differentiate your own brand of steampunk?
Kato: As the title suggests, the plot revolves around a post-apocalyptic civilization. Although some of the more recent steampunk authors are also using post-apocalyptic settings, my series is somewhat unique and doesn't take place in the 19th Century or Victorian era. I leave the exact year ambiguous, but much of the story probably spills into the early 22nd Century. You'll actually see steampunk computers, automobiles, and cell phones. It’s a United States with a pseudo-Victorian revival instead of Victorian England. You won't see magic or the supernatural and even if you see monsters or mutants, they'll be creations of science. I'm also not afraid to blend elements from other punk science fiction genres into my series. Down the road, you might see components of dieselpunk, biopunk, or radioactivity.
Perkins: Nukepunk? Nevermind… I thought your choice to bring both the term “Steampunk” and the steampunk culture as a whole directly inside your story world was very unexpected and kind of meta. Is this your way of commenting on the genre and the sub-culture as a whole? Or just a fun homage to the real life fans and cosplayers and LARPers out there?
Kato: In my books, "Steampunks" are a new species of humans who are more evolved than regular humans. You'll see "Steampunks" coexisting and fighting with contemporary humans in my series. I thought it made sense to admit that steampunk and science fiction in general were aesthetics that actually existed in the 21st Century.
Perkins: So your characters might also be fans of the same sort of steampunk fiction you and I are into?
Kato: My characters are aware of them. According to my series, when the American civilization fell sometime during the late 21st Century, people needed to rebuild the nation. They wanted it to be very different this time. It was like a blank sheet of paper with a lot of resources. They were also more advanced than us. Why did science fiction have to be limited to movies and novels? They had the resources to turn these genres of fiction into a reality. Evidently, ideals from the 21st Century didn't pan out and people thought it would be a good idea to take influences from the past. A steampunk world could bring back a lot of Victorian values that are totally foreign to our current culture.
Perkins: Do you interact much with the steampunk sub-culture in real life? How did that inform your portrayal of the “Steampunks” in your stories?
Kato: I have a few close acquaintances who are steampunk fans and occasional cosplayers. They helped me find great resources including novels, websites, films, video games, etc. I joined a few online communities, including The Steampunk Empire. It's helpful to see different perspectives. Everyone has their own interpretation and approach. My interaction with fans definitely helped me gather ideas for scenery, clothing, gadgets, and general themes. Steampunk enthusiasts are usually very pleasant and friendly people. It seemed like a decent thing to incorporate for my characters.
Perkins: It sounds like you’re not so much commenting on Steampunk culture as you are using Steampunk culture to comment on our real life society, then?
Kato: In a way, my books are a commentary on the corruption, selfishness, entitlement, weakness, self-pity, and lack of ethics or values that we have in the modern era. People are judgmental and fearful of individuals who are different than themselves. You'll see that theme in my books. The series is also a fun homage to steampunk fans, cosplayers, and LARPers. I take some traditional elements from steampunk and add my own twist. Steampunk fans should remember one thing. The "Steampunks" in my books are the good guys.
Perkins: Do you feel that with all the extremism and frustration visible in politics and social issues, that society is on the brink of something revolutionary or tragic, such as in your novel? Or are you a classic "modernist" believing that society will sort itself out and rise to even higher heights in the long run?
Kato: That's a good question. Civilization might go one way or another. We're definitely seeing a frightening rise in terrorism, crime, domestic violence, and anarchy. The American Dream seems to be dead. Unemployment is high, salaries are low, cost of living is expensive, corruption is rampant, and people are developing more of a nihilistic outlook on life. I doubt a true revolution will happen. That would take careful planning, effort, and strategy, which nobody wants to accomplish. Don't get me wrong. I haven't given up on humanity yet. People have a tendency to learn from their mistakes. I hope society will learn some lessons and find a way to make improvements. Sometimes, it takes a handful of disasters and failures to achieve success.
Perkins: I think that's the fun of Steampunk is that it toes the line perfectly between 1) late 19th Century modernist optimism, 2) post-modern apocalyptic angst, and 3) the stone cold pragmatism that things are just hard and don't always work right and you have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty to keep the world functioning. You mentioned that your stories are more hopeful and I can see that in your answer, even a handful of disasters can still lead to success. Without spoiling any potential happy endings (or tragic losses) in your story, where do you see your series going from here? Sequels? Spinoffs? Something new?
Kato: All of my books are collections with three stories. They contain the same cast of main protagonists. I have three books set, which is a grand total of nine separate stories. My second book should be released in 2017. After I finish the main trilogy, I will think about possibilities. I will probably release a related series of events that takes place between my main stories. My characters live in a post-apocalyptic nation. Mayhem and interesting stories could happen every day. This is entirely speculation at the moment, though. It will take time for me to figure out the future of my franchise.
Perkins: Alright, well I look forward to your next adventure! Let me ask one last question (but not least): Katniss Everdeen from Hunger Games or Tris Prior from Divergent?
Kato: You're killing me. That's a tough question to answer. Katniss and Tris have a lot of similarities. Both of them are rebellious survivalists who are loyal to their loved ones. Personally, I'm going to lean toward Tris Prior. I find Tris more passionate about her cause. She seems to have an easier time harnessing her emotions for strength and motivation. I think Tris has more natural leadership skills. Her story also comes full circle with ultimate sacrifice to end dystopian tyranny. It's quite symbolic. Katniss is pretty good too, but she seems more caught up in the turmoil and it takes a while for her to become a real leader.
Perkins: Ooh, controversial answer, perhaps…? I’ll let the readers decide! Comment below if you disagree, or keep the conversation going with questions of your own! And as always, thanks for stopping by.