When I was a kid, I thought writers all lived in far-off places like New York or Miami or San Francisco. They didn't live on farms in rural Michigan. Only later did I learn that lots of authors grew up where I did, and many of them still live there! In fact, we Midwestern authors are quietly taking over. In an effort to showcase more Midwestern talent, I'm bringing a series of interviews, starting with this one. Enjoy!
Pearl North (Anne Harris) lives in southeast Michigan, where she combines grand adventure, enormous ideas, and compelling prose in her work. Her YA SF book
THE LIBYRINTH (Tor) has just hit the shelves, and she's here to talk about it. You can find her web page at
http://pearlnorth.comTell us a little about LIBYRINTH. 
On a world far from Earth, thousands of years from now, Haly lives in the Libyrinth, a library so vast people sometimes get lost in it and never come out again. A clerk to the Libyrarian Selene, she and all the Libyrinth’s residents are dedicated to protecting the books, for within them rests the sum of all human knowledge brought from Earth in the distant past. But Haly is different. She, unlike all the others, hears the books. When she is near one, it literally speaks to her, and only to her. This is her deepest secret, a source of comfort and of shame. Only her two closest friends -- Clauda, a kitchen servant, and Nod, one of the Libyrinth’s diminutive imps -- know the truth about her.
When Haly discovers a plot by the book-hating Eradicants to destroy the Libyrinth completely, she, Nod, and Clauda go with Selene to the Queen of Ilysies for help in preventing the Eradicants’ plot. But before they can reach Ilysies, they are attacked by Eradicants. Haly is captured, while Clauda and Selene escape.
Thus begins a journey Haly could never have imagined. For she discovers that the Eradicants, while they hate and fear books, love the wisdom within them and as Singers, cherish knowledge as much as any Libyrarian. But more important, she discovers her true destiny, a strange and wonderful fate that will change the future of life for the entire world.
How did you get into writing?
I had a boyfriend who I was convinced should be a writer. I put all kinds of energy into fostering his talent. I took him to see Kurt Vonnegut speak at my college and the whole time I kept thinking, oh, this is so good for Michael to hear. What useful advice! It's lucky Michael is here to listen to this. Finally, by the end of the talk, I began to wonder if maybe I was the one who wanted to hear this stuff, but I still couldn't really admit it to myself. Michael, no fool, said to me not long afterwards, "Maybe you should write." It was as if I'd been walking along the edge of a cliff for years, afraid to jump, and he simply reached out and pushed me off it.
How disciplined a writer are you?
These days I'm pretty disciplined. Being under contract and on deadline, you have to be. I spend several hours writing every day (though I still take weekends off when possible). I've gotten to the point now where I really miss writing if I skip a few days. I just don't feel right, and then I know, I've got to get back to work!
Many (all?) of your books have at least one same-sex relationship in them. What's up with that?
Well, although I'm happily married to a man, I am not a particularly heteronormative person, and I've never been comfortable with mainstream gender roles or the power dynamics of heteronormative relationships. In order to write a heterosexual relationship that works for me, I have to establish all the minutae of who makes the first move, who is the high strung one, who is protective of who and when, etc. -- all those little micro-negotiations that take place in a relationshp between equals.
When writing a heterosexual relationship it is demanded that all of these be covered specifically, because there are pre-existing expectations which, if not countered, will be assigned by default. This gets exhausting after a while. Writing same-sex relationships, on the other hand, is a wonderful shortcut out of all of those expectations. Nothing is assumed and so, there's a lot less work involved in establishing the specific dynamic I'm looking for.
What's the difference between writing YA and adult fiction?
Most YA has teen-aged protagonists. Other than that, I don't see much of any difference. There's nothing, in terms of content, that you're forbidden from, and I don't see any indication that the style of writing or the language is dumbed down in any way. That is something I would never want to do, is talk down to any reader, of any age.
What else have you got coming out--or already out--that we should know about?
LIBYRINTH is the first book in a trilogy. The second novel, tentatively titled THE BOY FROM ILYSIES, is scheduled to come out at this time next year. Currently, I'm working on the third and final LIBYRINTH book.
Who is the biggest NON-writer influence on your work?
What an interesting question!
Really, it's not just one person. So many friends and family members supported and/or inspired my writing. My mother's whimsical imagination and her defense of my daydreaming to my elementary school teacher had a big impact on me. My sister read to me every night when I was little, my brother and my father were science fiction enthusiasts and that rubbed off on me.
My first husband and dear friend, Michael Harris, was the one who actually got me off my duff and writing in the first place. The Untitled Writer's Group was instrumental in developing my skills as an author. And without the constant affection, tolerance, love and friendship of my husband Steve Ainsworth, I don't know where I'd be. I owe everyone in my life a big thank you. Writing is a group project!
Thank you, Pearl North.
Here we present an excerpt from THE LIBYRINTH.
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