Interview with Author Alex Zalben

1. Can you tell us a little what your story, "And Yet They Move," is about?

   A lonely astronaut travels to an impossible planet, where she's determined to just let her life fade away. But the planet may have other plans...

2. How did you come up with the idea?

   The original germ of the idea started with thinking about Galileo being thrown under house arrest by the Inquisition, and slowly spiraled out from there. But the theme is more about how we deal with isolation, whether it's on an alien planet or in a workplace filled with our peers. Even when you've achieved a certain level of fame, or security in your position... There are always those doubts and fears that nag at us. There's more than one way out of that feeling, though; and the positive way often takes a little nudging.

3. What is your inspiration for writing as a whole?

   Inspiration can come from a lot of places. but lately I find it's a three step process. Step one: what's an image, or idea that seems unique (or at least, sort of different)? Step two, is there an emotional core that ties into that image or idea? And step three, what's the first sentence? I find that as my brain works through those, the plot starts to fill itself out a bit, and changes dramatically every time. By the time I get to step three, the idea has usually changed, and the emotional core has changed. And then I go back and change the first sentence!

4. Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

   I grew up on Long Island in New York, went to school in upstate New York, and then moved to New York City. So... I like this state, I guess? My background is mostly in comedy and theater, before I fell into entertainment journalism. And for writing, it's mostly been comic book writing up until this point! I've got two kids who are ridiculous goofballs, and I like cheese a lot.

5. Where can listeners find more of your work?

   I'm pretty active on twitter (twitter.com/azalben), and I do a live, weekly talk show about comic books at comicbookclublive.com. You can also check out my personal website at alexzalben.com

6. Any new work we should keep an eye out for?

   I've got that live show every week, and my entertainment journalism pops up on my regular day gig at Decider.com. Otherwise I'm just writing right now! I have a few short stories in the works, and am about two thirds of the way through the first draft of a fantasy novel, which means I'm probably about one thousandth of the way done.

7. What are you reading now?

   I just finished Fred Van Lente's fun new mystery novel, The Con Artist, and am in the middle of Chuck Wendig's Blackbirds. I've also got Joe Hill's Strange Weather staring at me from the top of an increasingly large "to read" pile.

Copyright 2021, Third Flatiron Publishing

Please support our creators!

.