The prolific James C. Glass returns to Analog with “Humility” [in the July/August issue, on sale now]! James took the time to give us insight into his relationships with science, writing, and Analog specifically. Read on!
Analog Editor: What is the story behind this piece?
JCG: I keep up on science news and came across a new theory about the evolution of planetary magnetic fields. I used it in my story “Humility,” in the July/August issue. World-building took a couple of days of thought.
AE: What is your history with Analog?
JCG: Analog is the one remaining magazine that still insists on science in its science fiction. How sad. So much fiction published as SF these days is really disguised mainstream. I’ve had over a dozen stories with Analog over the years, going back to around 2005. I had the cover last March, which was a thrill.
AE: How much or little do current events impact your writing?
JCG: All current events in science influence and inspire my work. I keep files on new discoveries that I use in my fiction and in science panels I participate in at conventions (What’s new in science, etc.).
AE: How do you deal with writers’ block?
JCG: I’ve discovered that if I know my ending, I don’t have a problem with writers’ block.
I’ve discovered that if I know my ending, I don’t have a problem with writers’ block.
AE: How did you break into writing?
JCG: I started writing in high school, received a handwritten reject from F&SF when I was a senior. Then came grad school, and an academic career with 100 scientific papers, and then the bug bit hard around 1985. I won the Golden Pen Award of Writers of the Future in 1991, and that really started things rolling. My first story was published in a literary journal, my first SF story appearing in Aboriginal. The rest is history. I’ve always been a part-time writer.
AE: What are you reading right now?
JCG: Now reading The Book of Koli, winner of the P.K. Dick award. I read science, SF, some fantasy, some intrigue, some mystery, around 75 books a year.
AE: Many of our Analog authors are interested in science. Do you have any scientific background, and does it impact your fiction?
JCG: My whole life has been science. B.A., Ms., Ph.D in physics, worked at Rocketdyne on ion propulsion and arc jets before grad school, published in the fields of nuclear, solid state and biomolecular physics. Retired as a dean in 1999, now working on a new novel, and another one awaiting attention.
AE: How can our readers follow you and your writing?
JCG: My web page is at www.author-jamesglass.com and I also have a book store there and a forum. Drop me a line, please. Wife and I also attend around four cons a year, when we don’t have a plague going. I’m also on Twitter and Facebook. Look for James Glass or James C. Glass. Also a member of the Analog site on Facebook.
The Astounding Analog Companion 