British author Aliya Whiteley has become a master of body horror novels over the past few years. With many of her books shortlisted for major prizes in the realm of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Whiteley has frankly become one of my favorite authors over the past few years. For readers interested in the natural world around them, but just a touch scared of it as well, Whiteley’s writing embeds itself in your brain like a mushroom colony. Recently, she sat down to answer a few questions from FangirlNation.com.
FGN: You have become a master of literary style body horror. What is your draw to create worlds where people shed skins or men grow pregnant from plants? Do you have any particular inspirations?
AW: Thank you. I’d say the business of being an organic creation, having a body, has been my major inspiration here! Quite a lot of the time we live as if our bodies are constant, as if they aren’t huge collections of other things working together, or failing to do that. I’m interested in how we trust our bodies, or learn to distrust them through experience, and I’ve found that exaggerating or swapping around some aspects of how our bodies behave is a good way of exploring that. I’m not trying to create horror in the sense of finding something that a reader should fear happening to them. Instead I’m looking at the strangest elements of existence that we all share, and pushing at the boundaries of that so we see it more clearly.
FGN: From your writing history, I see that you’ve also written a book on The Secret Life of Fungi. What drew you to an interest in fungi?
AW: My interest in fungi goes back to my childhood, when I used to spend hours walking around in the woods, but it really kicked up a gear when I read a book about past mass extinction events and found out that, for a short time afterwards, fungi became the major life form on this planet, feeding on all that decaying matter, covering the world with its spores and fruiting bodies. I could not forget that fact, and that led to writing The Beauty, my post-apocalyptic novella that features fungi heavily.
I really wasn’t planning to write a non-fiction book on any subject, even one I loved, but Elliott & Thompson (the publisher of The Secret Life of Fungi) approached me after reading The Beauty and asked me if I’d like to give it a go. I thought about it, and felt really scared about that challenge, and decided I had to try. I’m really pleased I did. It’s a look at how fungi are part of everything, including the human body, art and literature, the deserts and oceans and – they are everywhere. Even in space. It’s an amazing subject.
FGN: Did Non-fiction or fiction serve as your first entry into writing? Do you prefer writing one type over the other?
AW: I’m definitely a fiction writer first and foremost. I started writing fiction in my early twenties, and I love creating worlds and people, and surprising myself and readers with what I come up with. I’ve written a lot of non-fiction since then, mainly articles on subjects I love such as films and books and the natural world, but fiction will always be my preference.
FGN: You have mentioned that folktales have inspired you greatly. Do you have a favorite folktale or a favorite culture of folktales (ie, Russian, Celtic, Japanese)?
AW: I do love folktales, and oral traditions of storytelling. I’m also interested in the point where the tale grows, mutates, or even gets sanitized for different audiences. I don’t think they only belong in the past – they’re constantly being re-invented, and you can find many different variations that all come back to one lesson. The one that comes to mind right now is the golden fish that grants wishes to the fisherman who catches it. I think that crops up in many cultures around the world, and is still popular now. That basic lesson of ‘Don’t Get Greedy!’ speaks to so many people, regardless of culture. I think stories are places where we can sometimes find that we all have the same emotions, the same concerns.
FGN: When writing do you have a particular ritual? Like a certain type of music, television in the background, or even silence?
AW: I’m usually a café writer. I like the sound around me, things happening, so I’ve really struggled to get much done over the past year! I’ve fallen back into listening to the radio a lot more, and that’s quite helpful. I dug out an old record player and some vinyl recordings, and that’s great too. Classical or jazz is the best, for me. No words. Beethoven and Oscar Peterson.
FGN: On your website you feature a picture of yourself with your Shirley Jackson Award Pebble. As an author, is there a particular work you’d like to be remembered for? What would your award look like?
AW: I was delighted to get that pebble, being a huge Shirley Jackson fan. This is a great question! The answer is quite boring, though: I don’t mind. I’d be really happy if any of them are remembered, or have an impact on someone.
Although, saying that, maybe an award in my name should look like a mushroom. Maybe the shaggy ink cap, Coprinus comatus. They are gorgeous. Surely everyone would want to win one of those?! And they would be perfect for all us shaggy-haired writers, currently at home, trying to get some work done.
Coprinus comatus, shaggy ink cap
You can follow Aliya:
Blog: https://aliyawhiteley.wordpress.com/
