On November 26 & 27 we’re hosting our second-ever AugurCon, our virtual celebration of speculative literatures! We’re joined by over 45 amazing guests, including authors, poets, editors, and publishing professionals, to explore the intersections of the world we know—and the ones we dare to imagine.

We connected with Rati Mehrotra, author of the science fantasy novels Markswoman and Mahimata (and more!) , who is a panelist at this year’s AugurCon.

Get your ticket to attend her panel:

The Young and the Restless: YA Heroes and Anti-Heroes in SFF
Sunday, November 27 at 12–1 PM EST / 9–10 AM PST

To see the full weekend program schedule, visit our website.

Both your novels and short stories unwaveringly grab my attention. What’s your secret to writing stories in which every moment is engaging?

Thank you for the kind words! My main ‘secret’ to writing engaging stories is extensive revision. Sure, some stories write themselves, but that’s still just a first draft. I never submit a first draft, no matter how much it excites me. In fact, I don’t have a single piece of work out there that hasn’t been rewritten and edited multiple times. Edits help me remove the stuff that doesn’t need to be on the page and add the stuff that does. I revise until I am satisfied or sick of it, whichever comes first. My other ‘secret’ is that I focus on character and emotion. I feel deeply for my characters, and that possibly comes through on the page. I hope so, anyway!

If you had to read one #CanSpec creator from now until forever, who would it be? The field is constantly evolving—who’s a #Canspec author, editor, or organizer you’d love to see EXPLODE, and why?

Kari Maaren immediately springs to mind. Kari is a Canadian writer, cartoonist, and musician, and the author of the twisty time travel adventure Weave a Circle Round published by TOR in 2017. She is also the creator of the Aurora award-winning web comics It Never Rains and the brilliant West of Bathurst. I’d love to read more books by her! She writes in a space between MG and YA that I feel is terribly under-served by the market.

You’re on The Young and the Restless: Heroes and Antiheroes in SFF panel, which is gearing up to be something special. Speaking of antiheroes, is there one that you’re especially taken to?

My absolute favorite anti hero is not from a book but from a show: Lucifer Morningstar from the TV series Lucifer based on the DC Comics character first introduced in The Sandman. It is a ridiculous, entertaining, and surprisingly emotional drama. The premise: imagine the Biblical Heaven and Hell are real, and the devil, bored and rebellious, has abandoned his post as Lord of Hell and decamped to Earth – Los Angeles to be precise – to become a sleazy nightclub owner. Lucifer’s arc through the six seasons of the show is fantastic. I love how he grows from a narcissistic, bitter, self-loathing, unreliable jerk to someone who is quite the opposite. If the devil can be redeemed, what does that say about the rest of us?

When you think about your career so far, what’s one of the moments that keeps you going? A career highlight, or a beautiful moment, an inspiring mentor, or something you’re just incredibly proud of? How has that impacted your journey?

The journey to publishing is full of ups and downs. The loneliness of writing itself, the joy of selling your first story, the pain of having to shelve a beloved manuscript, the excitement and anxiety that accompanies a launch, the doubt in your own capacity to complete a book. There have been many beautiful moments in my journey so far, thanks to the lovely writing friends I’vemade. But the one that stands out, the one that makes me happy whenever I think of it, happened a short while after I published my first book. A reader emailed me, saying that my book had brought them back to reading. It was the first book they’d read in seven years. They loved it and wanted to let me know they’d added reading to their list of escapes. I was so moved when I read that email, and so proud of my book. It made all the hard work and turmoil
worthwhile. To be able to impact a reader like that, to bring someone back to reading – what more can a
writer ask for? When I feel dissatisfied with my work or just plain tired, wondering if it is worthwhile to continue, I
remember that email. Somewhere out there are readers who need my stories.

Hear more from Rati: Get your ticket to AugurCon 2022

Born and raised in India, Rati Mehrotra now lives and writes in Toronto, Canada. She is the author of the science fantasy novels Markswoman (2018) and Mahimata (2019) published by Harper Voyager and the YA fantasy novel Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove (2022) published by Wednesday Books. Her short fiction has been shortlisted for The Sunburst Award, nominated for The Aurora Award, and has appeared in multiple venues including The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Lightspeed Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, Apex Magazine, Podcastle, and Cast of Wonders.

Join Rati at AugurCon! Our panel on The Young and the Restless: YA Heroes and Anti-Heroes in SFF takes place on Sunday, November 27. Get your ticket to AugurCon 2022 now!