Kate Orman

answers the Usual Questions

Photograph; Kate Ormon; courtesy Ms Ormon; 220x331

Kate Orman

Has your interaction with fans, for example, at conventions, affected your work?

It would've been impossible without it! I started by writing "Doctor Who" fanfic, and then had the terrific good luck to sell a book to Virgin Publishing, who had an open slush pile for their "Doctor Who - the New Adventures" series.

Is there any particular incident (a letter, a meeting, a comment that stands out?

One chap got a bit overwrought in his arguments that the Doctor shouldn't have a romance in the Who books.

That led directly to the Doctor's ambiguous relationship with Karl in "The Year of Intelligent Tigers" - partly because, for me, a fan saying "It can't be done" is like a red rag to a bull, but also because he and others had brought up some genuine problems with the idea, and I wanted to see if I could solve them. I seem to have gotten away with it.

Do you have a favourite author or book (or writer or film or series) that has influenced you or that you return to?

As a teen, I was a huge fan of Larry Niven's "Known Space" stuff, although I haven't really kept up with his recent work. I recently re-read a bunch of the stories and enjoyed them heaps. I think my aliens are influenced by Niven's, especially some of their goofier lines - I always think of the Puppeteer, Nessus, turning his one-eyed heads to look at each other, and saying things like "No known sentient species copulates as often as you." A riot!

Who is the person you would most like to be trapped in a lift with? or a spaceship?

My husband Jon.

Who is the person you would most DISlike to be trapped in a lift with? Or a spaceship?

What would you pack for space? (Is there a food, beverage, book, teddy bear, etc that you couldn't do without?)

"Yessongs". And a portable CD player. And plenty of batteries.

What is the most important thing you would like to get/achieve from your work?

An enormous truck filled with money and a Hugo. However, I am prepared to settle for a small truck filled with money and a Tiptree.

What is the special satisfaction of your work?

Hearing from someone who read something I scribbled, especially if they were moved by it in some way. That just absolutely makes my day.

submitted by Kate Orman

Jun 2010

For other answers to The Usual Questions Click here

Just the facts:
Born: Sixty-eight.
Resides: Sunny Sydney. (Australia)
Bibliography/Awards:Doctor Who novels: The Left-Handed Hummingbird, Set Piece, SLEEPY, Return of the Living Dad, The Room With No Doors, Blue Box, The Year of Intelligent Tigers, So Vile a Sin (with Ben Aaronovitch); with Jon Blum, Vampire Science, Seeing I, Unnatural History, Fallen Gods (Telos; 2003 Aurealis for best novel); plus spin-off Bernice Summerfield novel, Walking to Babylon.
Short work published in Realms of Fantasy, Doctor Who Magazine, Torchwood Magazine, Washington Post; SF anthologies Agog! Fantastic Fiction, Agog! Terrific Tales, and Passing Strange; numerous Doctor Who and Bernice Summerfield anthologies; and recent non-fiction collections Time, Unincorporated and Chicks Dig Time Lords.
Blimey! When you add it all up... that's a heck of a lot of typing! :)

Web site: My current blog is: dreamer-easy.livejournal.com

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