Dora Machado is the author of the Stonewiser fantasy series which premiered in 2008. The Heart of the Stone won the 2009 Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Debut Novel  and was a finalist for the Foreword Magazine Book of the Year 2009 in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category. The second book, The Call of the Stone, was released in June, 2009. You can find Dora online at  doramachado.com and FaceBook.

Please share your perceptions of Fantasy/SciFi from when you first entered the publishing industry vs. the present state of things. If you haven't noticed any major changes since your first work was published, could you touch on whether or not your perceptions of the genre(s) changed once you went from a genre fan to a contributor?

The first part of your question is hard to answer because my first novel, Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone, was just published last year and my second novel, Stonewiser: The Call of the Stone, was just released in June 2009.  I don't think that my perception of the genre as such changed when I went from genre fan to contributor. But I do think that I began to learn a lot more about the business part of being a writer, about the publishing business in general and about how things work once a novel goes into print.

I think one aspect of the business of writing that is always hard to accept is how difficult it can be for new authors to find publishers willing to take risks by publishing unknown writers and exposing the readership to new ideas and fresh and diverse themes. We still have a small group of independent publishers out there who make sure that new names can make it to the shelves and that new stories can be told. To me, these independent publishers are the lifeline of the F/SF world.

Who or what is missing, saturated, or underrepresented in F/SF today?

Minorities, women in particular, are currently underrepresented in F/SF today. It's better than it used to be, but I think that both readers and writers could benefit from the diverse perspectives that a multicultural, female point of view can bring to the genre. I also think that it goes both ways. In a time when the global community is thinking about and challenging the old assumptions that have dominated our collective thought patterns for generations, the genre itself is particularly well suited to offer lots of opportunity for expression and exploration.

What are your favorite F/SF resources (books, websites, people)?
Resource Books
My all-time sentimental favorite F/SF writing resource book is How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card. When I first started writing fantasy, there were very few books that addressed writing F/SF specifically. I relied on books about writing in general, and they mostly talked about what not to do. I remember thinking that in most cases, these so called help books were limiting and downright discouraging, especially for a newbie. To this day, I find Card's book simple, straightforward and honest. It's also comforting and inspiring.  He talks about being patient, about avoiding shortcuts and enjoying your writer's life. He talks about the dangers of competing and comparing yourself to writers other than yourself, about the need for self-discipline and the importance of a wide perspective. He addresses not just the mechanics of writing, but the needs of a writer's soul. That's rare. That's rich.

Resource Websites
I could name hundreds of websites I use on a daily basis for reference and research. But in terms of the genre itself, I really enjoy SFFmedia.com and SFFworld.com. I find them comprehensive and entertaining. They help me keep current with all aspects of the genre.

Resource People
My TED editor, Peter Gelfan, who has vast stores of knowledge about the craft of telling F/SF stories and is never shy to point out when something has been overdone, done poorly, or simply shouldn't be done at all.

There are many sub-genres in Fantasy - where do you feel the Stonewiser series falls within the genre?

I think of The Stonewiser Series as an epic fantasy adventure. Beyond that, there's a rebellious streak in me that refuses to stick the novels into this very precise, neat and exclusive box that is a sub-genre. I understand that sub-genres can be helpful to publishers in terms of focusing on a particular market, but I don't think they're particularly helpful to the writer.

Is The Heart of the Stone the kind of book that would be familiar to seasoned fantasy readers, or does it break new ground in the genre?

The Stonewiser series breaks ground in the genre in two ways. First, by introducing a brand new concept into the world of fantasy, something different from the usual, the idea that stones can store the stories that comprise a world's history, its collective truth, its sense of self and that only a born and trained stonewiser has access to the wisdom—and in some cases the folly—stored in the stones.
Second, the Stonewiser series breaks new ground in the genre by bringing a new point of view, a new perspective. Sariah, Stonewiser's protagonist, is not your average heroine. She's no fair and virtuous princess. On the contrary. In many ways, Sariah is the anti-heroine, a flawed woman with a troublesome past who struggles with herself as often and as hard as she has to fight her foes.  Her view of the world changes as her own awareness of injustice rises. It is in that shifting sense of justice that Stonewiser brings a new perspective.

Has the mainstreaming of the internet changed your approach to promoting your work and connecting with fans?

For me, the internet has been there from day one, so it's difficult to imagine a world in which I have to promote my work and connect with fans without the internet. Think about it. I communicate with editors, publishers, proof readers, agents, publicists, artists, peers, fans, interviewers, reviewers, everybody through e-mail every day. Websites provide vital information for people who want to learn about you, connecting them directly with your work, your bio, your thoughts, giving them direct access to your radio and TV interviews. From there, they can click on one link and buy your book. You can do podcasts and even blog tours, which are a viable alternative to the old-fashion, time consuming book tours.
But the best part about the internet mainstream is how easily you can hear from your readers. I've said this many times before: For me, as a writer, there is no greater privilege than to connect with a reader wishing to share in my mind's adventures. The internet is perfect for that. Readers can visit your website, or drop you an e-mail, or comment about your book on one of their favorite F/SF web sites, or contact you through one or several of the many available social networking sites, or post a review on the on-line bookstores, or talk about you on their fan sites, or tweet about your book, or... the possibilities are endless. 

What changes, if any, have you seen in the publishing industry due to widespread internet usage?

I think that the extensive use of the internet and all of its resources has sped up the industry. I hear stories about the snail mail days and I cringe. These days, when things happen, they happen fast. Whether you are working on a new concept, editing a book, taking a last look at a press release or answering questions, the internet makes it all happen in the now. Turnaround time is brief because changes can be e-mailed back and forth. Team work is easier because several people can be working on the same issues at the same time.
The internet has dramatically changed the way that books are marketed, promoted and sold. Gone are the days of print and radio, substituted by blogs and websites that represent a better return for investment and can reach specific markets. Publicists rely heavily on internet contacts to promote their clients. You can browse through a virtual bookstore, read reviews, preview the work and buy the book—new or used—in the click of a mouse.
I think that there's great benefit to the increase efficiencies that the internet facilitates. But there can also be a frantic sense to the whole thing, a frazzling disruptive effect that needs to be identified and managed in order to preserve the integrity of the writer's creative process. Because at the end of the day, quality writing is not so much about speed and efficiencies as it is about depth.

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