I interview Bev Prescott
Hey all, my friend and colleague Bev Prescott has stopped by today to chat about her new release, 2° , which I really loved. I got a chance to read an early draft of the rip-roaring, action-adventure romance about a year ago when Bev first submitted it to Bywater for publication, and I’ve been kind of obsessed with the story ever since. It’s got a kick-ass heroine, a super villain, an undying love, and too many cool gadgets, tools, and toys to even count. Needless to say, I’m thrilled I finally got to ask Bev a few questions, and I can’t wait to share her answers below, but first I have to do my due diligence and let you all know that if you want to be entered for a chance to win your own copy 2°, just comment below and we’ll pick a winner next week. And if you want learn more about 2°, you can get the full story on the Bywater Books website.
Tell me about the story behind your latest book, 2°. W here did it come from?
I’m drawn as an author and reader to books about current events that impact all of us,
regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. From there, I create lesbian characters who get to be the heroines in the story. I’d been thinking for a long time about writing about the world impacted by climate change. I think the warming of the planet is the single greatest threat to the survival of life on Earth. The spark that got the fire started for my journey to write 2 Degrees was on a trip to Antarctica. I could not have imagined just how incredibly beautiful and humbling it would be to visit the Great White Continent. It was painful to think of such a lovely place melting away. From there, writing 2 Degrees was all I could think about. I wanted to create a story in which Earth was a main character. As the story developed, I realized it was also about people, and how we survive difficult times.
Bywater has tagged this books, “Bev Prescott like you’ve never read her before.” What’s different about this book?
I’m not entirely sure why Bywater says that, because I didn’t ask. But, if I had to guess, it’s a couple of things. First, I worked with Elizabeth Sims as my writing coach. I learned a tremendous amount from her about things from sentence structure to character development. I think the quality of my writing dramatically improved from previous books. Second, I let my main characters show their gritty imperfect sides. Let’s face it, if we’re reduced to having to survive each day by clawing and scratching our way to getting food and water, we’re not always going to show our better angels. I let my characters be real. And being real means not being perfect.
This book was a long time coming, I assume part of that came from the research you had to do. How did you tackle all this?
I did loads of research for this book. The good news is that I’m really interested in the subjects of climate and its impact on ecosystems. Reading scientific articles and books never felt like work. But it did keep me up at night because it was interesting and scary. Not only did I read books about the science of climate change, but also books about the impacts on our political systems. For example, “This Changes Everything, Capitalism vs the Climate” by Naomi Klein was excellent. What I learned is that there are some good assumptions we can make about what will happen if the planet warms greater than 2 Degrees, and lots we don’t know. I did the bulk of the research for 2 Degrees before I started to write the story. Once I had a good handle on, generally, what the predictions are for North America, I wrote the outline. From there, I did research as necessary to fill in the blanks.
You’re dealing with some heavy stuff in 2°
, but this story is ultimately about the power of love and the human spirit to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. How do you manage to thread that throughout without giving in to the chaos?
Great question. The answer is in letting the characters be real. Even in the worst of times, humans are funny, kind and ironic. Little moments of levity within difficult times, or noticing something beautiful in a scary place helped take the edge of the grittier parts of the story. For example, the scene when Sharon notices the flower in the desert, or when her cockroach bot gets some unwanted advances from a real cockroach are those little moments.
There’s a ton of super-cool scientific gadgets and vehicles in this book with an almost bond-esque quality to some of them. How did you come up with all of those, and which one would you most like to own?
Phew! This was the most fun part of the book to write. The thing about us humans is that we are always thinking up cool stuff. The world could be coming apart at the seams, but we still make progress. I think looking at the history of human invention is like looking at the history of the stock market. Even when particular moments look awful, in the grand scheme of things, we are always making progress. So, even in the face of grand disaster like climate change, I imagine that there will be humans who keep creating things in order to survive. I saw a great TED talk about looking for answers to our greatest problems by looking at nature. The TED Talks has a subset of talks called Technology Designed by Nature. Here’s the link. https://www.ted.com/playlists/403/technology_designed_by_nature
I absolutely believe that if humans want to know how to do anything, all we have to do is look to nature. If we want to know how to design a plane that flies in crazy wind, look at the albatross. If you want a vessel that can walk on water, look at the water-bug. That’s what I did when thinking about creating the cool ships and flying devices in 2 Degrees. It was a blast. I’d definitely want an Icarus Vest!
What’s on tap for you? Are you writing? What about events on the horizon?
Yes, I am writing. But, I’m still in the research and outlining phase. My next story will tackle the subject of fresh water, and the coming lack thereof with climate change. Yes, my next book will still be within the eco-fiction and climate fiction realms. It’s where my head and heart exist at the moment. But like you, love and friendship will always be the underpinnings of any story I write. Love, in particular, will save us from ourselves. As for appearances, I’m excited to be joining you and the other Bywater Books authors during Women’s Week in P-Town next week. Here’s the list of events.
