Aug 17, 2020
Today, the conclusion of our interview with Sarah Kuhn, author of the Star Wars: Doctor Aphra audiobook exclusive. As a refresher, these are the questions I'd had prepped for her:
1. You’ve written novels from a character’s first-person
perspective before. Knowing that Doctor Aphra would be specifically
produced as an audio drama, did that affect the way you approached
Aphra’s narration of the story (and if so, how)?
2. It’s often said that Star Wars stories succeed in part because
they doesn’t just reference themselves; they draw inspiration from
other genres and sources. What non-Star-Wars sources inspired you
for this story?
3. What are some of the perks, and some of the challenges, of
writing for an unreliable narrator like Aphra?
4. In your previous works, you invented everything from scratch,
but here you were adapting and building on an existing story. How
did that change your writing process, or the way you create your
characters?
5. It seems like Aphra is breaking the fourth wall in her
narration, until we get deeper into the audio drama. What inspired
you to take the angle of Aphra recording herself telling this
story?
6. In the comics from which this is adapted, readers only get one
brief hint at the previous romantic relationship between Aphra and
Sana Starros. But your story makes it clear that the relationship
was deeply formative for both of them. And as a result, it feels
like their story is crucial to the overall story being told, when
that wasn’t necessarily the case in the source material. Discuss!
:-)
7. Although Aphra is the star of the show, Triple Zero has proven
himself to be a scene stealer. What are some of the joys and perils
of writing for Triple Zero?
8. Were there any characters who surprised you, as you wrote for
them and developed them? If so, who and how?
9. Would you talk to us a bit about your reactions to hearing Emily
Woo Zeller’s performance as Aphra?
And here's her bio...
Sarah Kuhn is the author of the popular Heroine Complex novels—a series starring Asian American superheroines. The first two books were 2016 and 2017 RT Reviewers’ Choice Award nominees for Best Urban Fantasy. Additionally, the first book is a Locus bestseller and one of the Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog’s Best Books of 2016. Other projects include the Japan-set YA romantic comedy I Love You So Mochi and a Batgirl/Cassandra Cain graphic novel for DC Comics. Additionally, Sarah was a finalist for the Astounding Award for Best New Writer and the CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) New Writers Award. She has also written assorted short fiction, non-fiction, and comics about geeks, aliens, romance, and Barbie. Yes, that Barbie. You can visit her online at heroinecomplex.com or on Twitter: @sarahkuhn.
So, then, today: the exciting conclusion to the conversation. Punch it!
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