Deborah Jackson redefines science fiction in the age of rage

So this review of my works plus an interview was released last week from a writer (Adam Shein) at Apt613, an Ottawa Arts and Culture ezine.

I have permission to reproduce, so I'll just add a little of the beginning, jump to the end and perhaps add a few points.

Deborah Jackson is an Ottawa writer who transports readers off-planet. Enthralling page-turners, her multiple novels combine geology, biology and genetic engineering into a matrix worth exploring. A significant turn-of-the-millennium theme runs through her literary creations, which fall within the science fiction genre but, more specifically, within near-future speculation. Her literature conveys an evolving landscape for the reader to explore. To read Jackson is both a departure to outer space and a passage to our inner world.

I spoke with the writer about her most recent books, The Furies’ Bog and For the Love of Mars. We also discussed the transformative influences that empower Jackson’s novels.

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Given that science fiction is a massive genre, please describe your niche within the genre. Would you say that you focus on a particular theme?

The first two themes would be hard science and near-future speculation. I start with a concept that has the potential to evolve, like bioengineering in Sinkhole or genetic engineering in The Furies’ Bog and For the Love of Mars. Most of my novels involve pre-apocalyptic or apocalyptic themes. Science is evolving very rapidly, and we’re not considering the potential consequences.

I will add this: As I began my writing career, disaster movies were at their peak. I still watch Dantes Peak, and The Day After Tomorrow with my (grown) children. And Armageddon and Deep Impact. You might say they had a deep impact on me. Notwithstanding we’re in the middle of a global climate disaster and heading toward worsening conditions. And the political situation is also at a boiling point. So I would say that the theme is extremely relevant.

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Out of all the books you have written, what is your magnum opus or greatest accomplishment, and why?

I’m not really sure I would consider my science fiction books the same as a great composition, but as far as my greatest accomplishment, I think it would be The Silent Gene series because I went back to school. I took a course at MIT on genetics to learn more background about genetic engineering. I went through textbooks on molecular biology and numerous studies and usually, it takes me a year or two to write a book. This one took five years and the next book took six. I was just beginning my writing career when 9/11 occurred and then the invasion of Iraq. I wanted to convey the anger and bewilderment of that time. I wanted to emphasize and explore this turn-of-the-millennium theme. I don’t think we’ve ever recovered, either. We’ve basically entered the age of rage.

I believe this interview will lead to a better understanding my books and my thoughts on our current age. If you would like to read more, follow the link.