Avery Parks makes her Analog debut in our [Sept/Oct issue, on sale now!] with “A Shot in the Dark” a short story inspired by the 1925 serum run to Nome, Alaska, where a 600-mile dog sled relay in blizzard conditions helped save dozens of lives. Learn more about Avery, from her love of rescue animals to how she overcomes writer’s block, in this informative Q&A
Analog Editor: What is the story behind this piece?
Avery Parks: This story was inspired by the 1925 serum run to Nome, Alaska, also known as the Great Race of Mercy. It’s a piece of history I love, but I’ll try to give the quickest explanation I can:
In 1925, a highly fatal diphtheria outbreak struck the isolated town of Nome, Alaska, in the coldest winter of 20 years. The town’s only doctor quickly discovered that their supply of antitoxin had expired; he immediately instituted a quarantine, and requested urgent help from the US Public Health Service. Unfortunately, there was no easy way to deliver the desperately needed antitoxin—the closest rail station was over 600 miles away, and the winter temperatures were too cold for planes of that time to operate. The only option was a dog sled relay. But conditions were far from ideal. The wind chill dropped as low as -85 degrees F, there were hurricane force winds, and a blizzard to boot; but, twenty dog sled teams were able to successfully transport the antitoxin serum to Nome in record time, saving the town.
It was truly a heroic effort. Many mushers suffered from frostbite and hypothermia, and many of the dogs sadly died. A single musher—Leonhard Seppala, after whom I named the doctor in my story—covered the longest and most dangerous stretch of the relay. From Nome himself, his only daughter was at risk of dying from the outbreak. With his dog Togo in the lead, Seppala and his team braved the treacherous sea ice of Norton Sound and climbed over 5,000 feet of elevation in a blizzard before passing the serum to the final team, who carried it to Nome.
AE: How did this story germinate? Was there a spark of inspiration, or did it come to you slowly?
AP: My daughter likes to suggest story ideas to me, which I definitely appreciate—I think she can be far more creative than me! She threw out the idea of a race, which made me think of a relay race, which reminded me of the serum run to Nome . . . and there it was. The story was originally going to have multiple people relaying the medicine to the station, but I decided to instead focus more tightly on a single character, as I was concerned that switching POVs multiple times in a short story would be jarring to the reader. In honor of the serum run, I named the doctor after Leonhard Seppala, and the ship after the run itself—the Great Race of Mercy.
AE: How much or little do current events impact your writing?
AP: Times are hard right now, to say the least. And everyone responds to that in different ways; I love seeing the range of artistic response, from biting satire to uncloaked rage and everything in between. Personally, I’m doing my best to focus on hope—to buoy up myself (and hopefully my readers) with stories that are more positive, and try to bring some comfort and hope that there’s still the possibility for better days ahead, even when things feel impossibly bleak.
My daughter likes to suggest story ideas to me, which I definitely appreciate—I think she can be far more creative than me! She threw out the idea of a race, which made me think of a relay race, which reminded me of the serum run to Nome . . . and there it was
AE: How do you deal with writers’ block?
AP: I’ve struggled with writers’ block, to some extent or another, since I started writing. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say that there’s always an ebb and flow, and that I’ve yet to find the balance of a sustainable writing habit. It can be so hard to prioritize writing at times, but something that’s helped me is recognizing that it really comes down to a choice—I have to choose to write, instead of letting it drift to the bottom of the list. And that it’s alright to start small—if I haven’t been writing at all, then setting a timer for even ten minutes is a step in the right direction.
Writing is a solitary endeavor, which can be challenging for me, but there are ways around that. Writing in a coffee shop, using Focusmate for virtual body doubling, even promising my writing group that I’ll have a submission for our next critique session all help break me out of the misery of staring at a blank page, or worse, not getting on the computer at all.
AE: What other projects are you currently working on?
AP: I’m currently editing my novel The Persephone Cycle, a story spanning the centuries following the destruction of the Earth, where humanity is terraforming new worlds and spreading out into the cosmos. One world, Persephone, is far stranger than anyone could have expected, raising the question of whether humanity is changing the planet to suit us, or the other way around. It’s a novel about exploration, building community, and the ethics and nature of life; but also about spaceships and giant fungal trees and skipping through time. It’s been a blast to write and a bear to edit, so I’m hoping to wrap up this draft soon and finally get it out to my beta readers.
AE: If you could choose one SFnal universe to live in, what universe would it be, and why?
AP: It might be cliche but I have to say Star Trek. It’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, from watching TNG reruns with my dad growing up, to binging Discovery last year, and it’s something I always find myself coming back to—for comfort, but also inspiration. It isn’t perfect, because nothing is, but it’s always been aspirational in a way I admire.
And what’s not to love—it’s a post-scarcity utopia. With spaceships! Sign me up, please.
AE: What are you reading right now?
AP: I tend to jump around a lot, between fiction and nonfiction, SF and fantasy, classics and newer works. Currently, I’m reading A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay. He has the kind of prose that so many writers aspire to, including myself, and it’s such a joy to immerse myself in.
AE: Do you have any advice for up-and-coming writers?
AP: It’s too simple, really, but just . . . write! Experiment with different story lengths, different genres, and find what resonates. There are so many approaches you can take to improve your writing, from classes and workshops, to reading books on craft, to finding a writing group, either locally or online. You can attend cons, take notes at panels, find your community. Just remember that there isn’t one perfect way to do this. Nothing is truly required—not an MFA, not attending a specific workshop, not even publication. If you write, you’re a writer.
If you struggle with perfectionism (like me), try to squash that urge under layers of words—the roughest of drafts!—because it really is true, you can’t edit an empty page. And always, always read. We can always learn from each other, and there are so many exciting voices in our genre.
AE: What is something we should know about you that we haven’t thought to ask?
AP: I have a critical weakness for rescue animals, with a current total of four cats, a dog, and two fish under a fairly small roof. Luckily, everyone gets along pretty well, and they’re all terribly adorable (proof available on my Bluesky account).
AE: Many of our Analog authors are interested in science. Do you have any scientific background, and does it impact your fiction?
AP: I do! One of my degrees is in biology, with a focus on ecology—I love systems and learning about all the ways they interconnect. It feels very similar to writing; character affects plot, which ties in conflict and stakes, which is all rooted in worldbuilding. The ecosystem of a story.
Does it impact my fiction? Absolutely, but not necessarily in the way you would think. Most of my hard SF isn’t biology based. But my background has given me the ability to think scientifically, and the confidence to research and continue educating myself—to read scientific papers, to think critically, and to reach out to the real experts when necessary.
AE: How can our readers follow you and your writing?
AP: The best place to find me is my website, averyparkswrites.com. I’m also (very irregularly) on Bluesky, @averyparks.bsky.social.
The Astounding Analog Companion 