Lauren Beukes interview on Zarnia Geek & Geekery

Throw-back to this super fun interview with Jon Keevy on Zarnia’s Speak to the Geek. Jon has some questions about Afterland, being a writer and The Shining Girls adaptation. I talk in depth about Afterland and how I broke the mould with my characters, and about research trips to America, where Afterland is set in a post-pandemic.

“[…] What I’m interested in is telling a personal story. It’s about the mother-son relationship, how far you’d be willing to go for your kid and also parenting as the worst game of improv ever.”

We also talk about my writing process, how I develop my high concept ideas. And I get to compare my writing style to D&D archetypes!

The theory is that writers are either plotters or pantsers, where they fly by the seat of their pants, and I’m somewhere in between. In D&D terms actually my friend Dale was saying that […] I’m a Barbarian; that I just kind of go running in bludgeoning things. But I think I’m more of a Ranger I know where I’m going, then I’ve got to find my way through the woods to get there and maybe I’ll stop and talk to some magical animals along the way.

A really great talk with Jon Keevy at Zarnia Games & Geekery for their Speak to the Geek bit! Thank you for having me!