Conversation with A J Dalton

A J Dalton (ajdalton.eu) is a UK-based writer. He’s published the Empire of the Saviours trilogy with Gollancz Orion, The Satanic in Science Fiction and Fantasy with Luna Press, the Dark Woods Rising and Digital Desires poetry collections, and other bits and bobs. He lives with his monstrously oppressive cat named Cleopatra.

A J is the author of “Review of the Pre-Anthropocene Museum” from Issue 9.

Q: Did inspiration for “Review of the Pre-Anthropocene Museum” come from a specific museum visit you had?

Not specifically. But I have pondered the likes of the National History Museum in London being visited by aliens who gaze upon the skeleton of a human (rather than a dinosaur) and wonder what that now-extinct species was once like.

Q: Your doctorate research centered on sub-genres of British fantasy—what unexpected discoveries did you find? And which have you carried with you?

Well, you can read chapter and verse in my book titled The Satanic in Science Fiction and Fantasy. In summary, though, the book discusses how particular archetypal characters (e.g. the Chosen One, the Dark Lord) and fundamental plot-shapes (e.g. the Monomyth aka the Hero’s Journey) are all but inescapable (due to the human condition that we all experience) . . . except via transhumanism, which will essentially rewrite the nature of our species and its drives.

Q: What does metaphysical fantasy offer as a genre that makes it unique and important to you?

Metaphysical fantasy emerged during the Credit Crunch in the late 90s and early 2000s. I coined the term back then, and it’s now a recognized subgenre of fantasy on Amazon and other booksellers. Other writers of the subgenre include R. Scott Bakker, Alan Campbell (author of Scar Night), and J. V. Jones. As per its socio-historic moment, the subgenre explores what happens to the world and reality when its kings and queens are corrupt rather than noble. The ‘epic fantasy’ that dominated the 80s and 90s tended to have virtuous kings and queens, you see, as per Raymond E. Feist’s work.

‘Metaphysical fantasy’ reacted against epic fantasy, during a time when we discovered that the people at the top of our own society weren’t there based on any sort of merit: instead, those people had got there through bullying and connivance. The ‘grimdark fantasy’ (e.g. George RR Martin) that came after ‘metaphysical fantasy’ inherited a great deal from ‘metaphysical fantasy’. Grimdark fantasy, of course, is even darker than metaphysical fantasy, while metaphysical fantasy is more philosophical and pyric. I’ll stop there, ‘cause I could bang on for days, otherwise. One of the best ways to get a handle on metaphysical fantasy, though, would be to read my Empire of the Saviours novel.

Q: Can you share the inspiration behind your most recent poetry collection, Dark Woods Rising, and what themes guided you while writing it?

I take climate change seriously. As an SFF writer, I therefore began to pursue the ‘cli-fi’ (climate fiction) subgenre of science fiction. In the process, I discovered the ecogothic and ecohorror subgenres. They wowed me, inspired me. I started writing poems that were cli-fi, ecogothic and ecohorror (all ‘speculative poetry’ subgenres). I started getting poems accepted in a lot of places (e.g. check out the Gothic Nature Journal website)—because the themes speak to people across all cultures, I believe. In their wisdom, Starship Sloane Publishing then offered me a deal to put out the Dark Woods Rising collection (available on Amazon now). Hurrah! I did my best, and my mum’s proud. LOL.

Q: You’ve taught English all over the world—have your travel experiences informed your speculative writing?

I suspect so, although sometimes through osmosis. That said, I’m fascinated by myths and legends, and sometimes you need to go to a place to really find out the local belief systems and where they may have originated (historically, in the landscape, and so on).

Think of it like the French concept of ‘terroir’ when it comes to wine—basically, the character of the countryside (its nature, the air, the earth, the minerals and even the health of its people) can actually be tasted in the wine. The wine is like a liquid book of myths and legends. Am I making sense? I suspect I’ve mixed my metaphors somewhere.

Anyway, put it this way: the year I spent working in the UK province of Cornwall (south-west England) immersed me in their unique myths and legends (they had the only real witches in UK history), and that enabled me to write the very successful Book of Witches—and the local Witchcraft Museum (in the town of Boscastle) really helped too— and the natural twisty geography of the place can only be genuinely appreciated via a visit.

Training to be an English language teacher certainly opened my eyes to the difference(s) between Latinate and Anglo-Saxon-based language, which is essential if you want to become a top-notch writer. Where can you find out more on that? On my website—lesson no.2 under ‘Mini-lessons’.

Q: You only started writing speculative poetry back in 2023, yet you’ve published fairly prolifically. What, specifically, about the genre got you hooked?

Well, I’d been trying to get a sci-fi novel published, but couldn’t get anyone to take it on, because SF novels don’t sell in large numbers in the UK these days. The World Sci-fi Convention was coming to the UK, so I researched where the real action was when it came to writing . . . and found out that most SF films are based on short stories rather than novels. (Isaac Asimov made his name through his short stories, of course—see the amazing episode of Mythic Quest in season 2.) So, I wrote a few SF short stories and looked into commercial magazines that were welcoming submissions . . . and then discovered they were publishing something called ‘speculative poetry’.

Do you know, I hadn’t heard of speculative poetry until that point—and I discovered there was this entire, very healthy subculture! I started reading some of the work in the SFPA’s Star*Line Journal (you can access some poems for free on their site) and then decided to write some.

I love the form. In our time-poor world, you can get an entire plot with rich characters in just 100 words! It’s an amazing and, if you ask me, superior form of writing! And you get a real emotional charge when you finish writing a poem that you simply know is great. And you can churn them out and be constantly high on it. It’s addictive. And the magazines pay you up to $50 for 100 words. That’s 10 beers for 100 words! That’s 1 beer for just 10 words! What’s not to like??? And it pays way better than damned novels, which are a right pain to produce too.

Q: Which of your poems or books feels most representative of your mission and ethos as a writer?

Hmm. Ooo. Well, that’s like asking a writer to choose their favorite child, no? But I shouldn’t duck the question just because it’s tough. Do you know, I think my first novel, the second-world zombie novel Necromancer’s Gambit, was pretty seminal (and it was the UK’s first new-wave zombie novel back in 2008). It’s where I began to discover my voice and shtick. The novel is terrible in many ways (A J laughs)—with typos, shifting narrative perspective, intrusive author voice, and so on . . . but there’s something about it that still works—and I got some really obsessive fans. I was embarrassed by the book for a good while, but a friend reminded me that I wouldn’t have got anywhere without that first stepping-stone. And once I’d cracked that first one, writing became easier (and I got a good bit better) . . . meaning that today my writing, mission, and ethos are now far better articulated . . . so Dark Woods Rising (my latest book) is probably the most representative.

Logically, you probably want me to state what my mission and ethos are, yes? Well, I want to shock, thrill, provoke and entertain . . . but most of all, I want to change my readers for the better . . . and that way I might save this world (which humanity is otherwise making into a bit of disaster). Yes, fantasy and sci-fi can save the world—we can imagine ourselves differently with the help of fantasy and sci-fi, meaning we might just be able to change ourselves for the better. Amen.

Q: Your website is full of advice on writing and the creative process—what is the single most impactful piece of writing advice you teach others?

On my website (www.ajdalton.eu), there are nine pages listed under ‘Advice’, covering a whole range of areas from how to generate ideas to how to get published.

Aspiring writers can choose to read up where they have a weakness . . . except many aspiring writers don’t actually know what their weaknesses are . . . which is the place to start really—finding out! How can you find out? Well, there’s a fun diagnostic quiz on my website – it’s lesson no.19 under ‘Mini-lessons’. No need to thank me.

Q: Which of your twenty website ‘mini-lessons’ do you recommend authors start with and why?

Ironically, I suggest starting with the last lesson titled ‘Embrace the Fear’! It is The Fear that means so many people start writing a novel and then give up, never to finish it. A lot of aspiring writers simply don’t finish what they start, meaning they don’t even submit their work. It’s important to learn by doing, which means starting AND finishing. It’s hard to write through an impasse in your storyline/plot, though . . . so check out the advice in the lesson!

Q: From your brief stint creating and running writing competitions, do you now have a greater appreciation or disdain for them?

Running them is so tough! Handling all the entries responsibly, marshalling your attention to read everything properly, trying to choose between one excellent entry and another . . . the whole thing’s a headache.

I absolutely have greater appreciation for those who run them. Also, some famous writers got their break from competitions, so they’re a good thing in that respect. More than that, a competition can allow aspiring writers to focus on a theme and deadline—it gives them a drive and a certain discipline. I love the ‘honeymoon’ period when you’ve submitted something and you’re waiting to hear back—it’s an exciting ‘what if?’ time when you can dream a little! Submitting to magazines and journals when they have a ‘window’ is a similar thing. LOL.

I submitted to Radon nine times before I finally had a poem accepted—see? Practice makes perfect!

Q: What is your working relationship with Gollancz, your book publisher, like?

Hmm. How honest do you want me to be? It’s a relationship, but I’m not sure it’s ‘working’. I get on far better with my poetry publisher Starship Sloane (US) and my UK indie publisher, Luna Press Publishing. The latter two genuinely care—they’re fabulous, and I recommend them to you! Hurrah!

Also, you could really support Starship Sloane by buying a copy of Dark Woods Rising. Come on! Look, if you don’t like it, I’ll buy it back off you. Support the arts! Buy a copy for your bookshelf and to impress visitors. You do get visitors, right? What do you mean you haven’t got a bookshelf?!!