We ask two authors who are showcasing their work on Authors Avenue at Gen Con this year, Mary Fan and Intisar Kahnani.
Authors Avenue is a dedicated section of the Exhibit Hall for independent authors and small press publishers of fiction who work in the fantasy, sci-fi, horror, or anime genres.
We interviewed Mary Fan and Intisar Khanani about their journey to becoming published writers, what makes a great story, and what they love about Authors Avenue at Gen Con. Mary (part of The SciFi Gals) can be found at Table W, and Intisar Khanani can be found at Table AM.
Mary Fan
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always loved books (my parents tell me I could recite my favorite picture book and flip the pages at the right times when I was 18 months old, startling everyone into thinking I was a baby genius, haha), and for almost as long, I’ve loved making up stories. I started making little books out of construction paper and such when I was in elementary school, and I remember having a Word document full of book ideas.
I finally wrote one of these ideas, my first book-length novel, when I was 12. It was maybe 95,000 words of what was, in hindsight, Star Trek fan fiction. Even though I hadn’t really watched much Trek at the time, the tropes were so pervasive by 2000 that I thought that was just how sci-fi was done. I’ve been pretty hooked on writing ever since.
Which author(s) inspire you?
So, so many that I’d feel bad listing them because I know I’d leave some out! But one I will call out is Victor Hugo because I read Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables around the same time I was writing my first manuscript, and even though the genres are totally different, the way he described the humanity of his characters really got to me and was something I wanted to emulate.
What makes a great story?
Characters you believe in that come to life. They don’t have to be likable — in fact, they’re often more interesting when they’re not — but as long as they feel real to you, you’ll follow them through whatever story they’re living, whether it’s a realistic slice-of-life tale or a high-flying fantasy adventure.
Even if the plot goes awry, you’ll still enjoy the read if you love the characters. Oh, and satisfying endings. Not necessarily happy endings but satisfying ones that make the long journey of reading a book feel worthwhile. One can forgive a lot if a book ends on a high note.
Brave New Girls and Ire of Inferno will be debuting at Gen Con 2024.
What is your favorite part of being on Authors Avenue?
Meeting readers and fellow writers! My Brave New Girls co-editor, Paige Daniels, and I have been coming to Authors Avenue since 2015, and we’ve met so many great people along the way.
You can follow Mary Fan on Instagram and Facebook. Learn more about Sci-Fi Girls and their upcoming releases here.
Intisar Khanani
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’m one of those kids who grew up with stories in their heads—stapled by the first book at age four and never really stopped. However, I didn’t decide to take writing seriously until my senior year of university. I was working a half-time job and taking an overload of classes, and I decided if I wanted to be a writer, it was time to do that.
I wrote my first novel—a retelling of the Grimms’ fairytale “The Goose Girl” that I titled Thorn—over the course of that year. Admittedly, it took another ten years of revision (while also taking breaks to work on other manuscripts!) to publish!
Which author(s) inspire you?
As a young duckling, I imprinted on Robin McKinley and Tamora Pierce’s early books. Strong girls having adventures? Sign me up! I credit these authors with inspiring my own journey as an author. Nowadays, I take inspiration from authors like S. A. Chakraborty and Nnedi Okorafor.
What makes a great story?
Trick question! Very seriously, there is such a vast variety of books and storylines that are deeply different yet still great that it’s almost impossible to answer this question.
I love books that offer a bit of adventure or escape while still touching on real and deep themes and building out a diverse world that reflects just how awesome our own world is—and that’s most of what I aspire to write. But I can equally imagine a story that does none of these things and is still great in its own right.
What is your favorite part of being on Authors Avenue?
Of course, I love meeting new readers, but I also absolutely love catching up with author friends whom I haven’t seen in the last year and sending potential readers their way when conversation reveals the perfect match!
You can follow Intisar Khanani on Instagram and Facebook. Learn more and check out all of Intisar’s books here.
Gen Con 2024 will be held in Indianapolis, IN, from August 1-4. Stop by Authors Avenue in the Exhibit Hall to meet Mary, Intisar, and many other incredible authors.