Q & A with author David Brin and Susan J. Farese of SJF Communications

SJF:  In a nutshell, tell us about your book or written piece.
DB: This is the official writeup of my latest work: Partnering with UCSD’s Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, noted author and futurist David Brin and UCSD scholar Stephen W. Potts have compiled essays and short stories from writers such as Robert J. Sawyer, James Morrow, William Gibson, Damon Knight, Jack McDevitt, and many others to examine the benefits and pitfalls of technological transparency in our near future. Has Orwell’s Big Brother finally come to pass? Or have we become a global society of thousands of Little Brothers — watching, judging, and reporting on one another?

SJF: What has your experience been as a writer in San Diego?
DB: My first novel, Sundiver, appeared in 1980, when I was a grad student at UCSD. Lots of books later, I still think about that first phone call.

SJF: How has storytelling influenced your life?
DB: I come from generations of blarney spinners. It’s nice to live in an era when it’s called a legit way to earn a living.

SJF: If you had a magic wand, what kind of opportunities would be available to writers in San Diego?
DB: Easy access to workshops. We had one in the 1980s that included Pat Murphy, Richard Kadrey, Greg Bear, Kim Stanley Robinson . . . great stuff! But you need a thick skin.

SJF: What are you excited about when it comes to participating in the inaugural San Diego Writers Festival?
DB: Paying forward.

SJF: What advice would you give to a new writer in San Diego?
DB: Oh, so many things. My best advice is distilled here at http://www.davidbrin.com/advice.html, and I can also offer a general site containing advice bits from other top writers: (http://www.scoop.it/t/advice-for-writers)

SJF: Many thanks, David!

Learn More about David Brin
Visit his blog, on twitter, or his Novum podcast 

Learn More about Susan J. Farese of SJF Communications