Author Interview: Natasha O’Connor
Tell me a bit about yourself. Who are you and what do you write?
Hey, I’m Natasha but my mates know me as Tash. I’m a neurodivergent Aussie author of most stripes of speculative fiction (why stop at one genre) with a deep abiding love of all things Discworld. When I’m not writing, you can often find me hanging out with my kiddo and husband watching a show or sports (I’m a sports tragic) or curled up with a book.
What’s your favourite genre? Is it the same as the one you write in?
I’ve read pretty broadly in the past, but my absolute fave genre is fantasy with sci-fi following hot on its heels—no dragons/magic or spaceships, no dice these days—and I tend to write in those genres too. Although I did write a flash piece about a sandwich comp once, that was fun.
What do you do for inspiration?
My imagination is pretty active so I often get ideas from out of nowhere although if I’m really stuck I turn to three word prompts for inspiration. That said, story ideas really can come from anywhere—like the time I ended up with a story about a colour-changing unicorn just from one of those sequined colour-changing pencil cases a restaurant had.
How do you approach building your worlds?
I’m a pantser through and through so my world building gets thrown together haphazardly at first and then gets filled in and fixed up through editing. I’m also a chronic underwriter, so I tend to leave a lot of detail out at first, which confuses my beta readers no end.
What comes first? Characters or plot?
Oh, definitely characters. I usually have a fairly decent idea of who they are before I start. I tried to plot out one of my books once and gave up after two weeks of banging my head against a wall.
What was the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
Ooof, now you’re testing me. Editing one of my short stories that got published was a challenge to find the missing piece that made the whole story work. Otherwise, I think in terms of novels, there’s a climate change story I wrote that felt like I was dragging it out of me word by word and took me forever to finish. If I ever get around to editing it, it’s going to need so much work.
What’s your favourite/least favourite thing about the writing process?
I love when the ideas flow and you know you’ve got a good story on your hands, but also when you’re editing and every little change makes the story so much better—it’s magic. As for least favourite, that’s hands down when you get stuck and can’t find a solution to a plot point or character decision. That’s enough to cause sleepless nights.
Are you able to share any short snippets from the cutting room floor?
I don’t really keep what I delete out but thanks to the wonders of Google Docs changes history, I can share this from The Reckoning that got cut:
Red hot anger flared, pushed at her muscles, at her skin, as if she might combust. “I understand your bitterness over what they did to your daughter, but how do I know that’s not colouring everything you do?”
A slight pause before the leaves spoke again. “A fair question. Because you know in your heart of hearts, the king would sacrifice his entire kingdom to save his own. You know this to be true.”
The kingdom’s cry echoed in Isria’s mind. ‘For the glory of the kingdom, the safety of the royal family, your life for their victory.’ She scowled. The royals sat safe in their palace while ordinary citizens died to protect them and further their cause.
What is your absolute favourite piece of your own writing? Could be a short scene, a bit of dialogue, a character or even the tiniest piece of worldbuilding.
Look, I’m neurodivergent and making decisions is hard but I’m pretty proud of this:
“Look, I know you think we abandoned and excluded you, but I promise we had a good reason. Mama wanted to protect you, let you live a normal life, insisted Aurelia and I go along with it. And you know you don’t say no to her.”
All the breath left Dahlia’s lungs. This revelation was a sucker punch to the gut.
“Protect me from what?” Dahlia croaked.
“Our life is dangerous, and you were…” Linara looked away.
“I was what? What was I, Linara?” But the clamp around Dahlia’s chest gave her the worst feeling she knew the answer.
Linara swallowed. “Fragile, you were fragile. You were like a frightened horse with bright lights and loud sounds or do you not remember how you made Mama get blackout curtains so your room would be pitch black?” And there it was.
What are you promoting at the moment?
There’s a couple of books I’m promoting: Into The Forest, and The Reckoning, both out now. They’re both fantasy stories with a bit of a twist. I’m super proud of them and hope people enjoy them.
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