Interview MM Francis

by

Anne Carter

Author/Interviewer Anne Carter: Like any interviewer worth her salt, I took a moment to look at MM Francis' website:

http://home.att.net/~night-ops/mmfrancis002.htm. WOW!

AC: Your new release, A KART FOR LINDY, is a young adult book featuring a female protagonist. Do many girls actually race go-karts? Explain the term "gamma girl" with regard to Lindy.

Author/Interviewee MM Francis: Yes, girls do race karts, and they're utterly ruthless! I know that from my own racing experience where some of my toughest opponents were of the opposite sex. Race drivers are definitely athletes, but I think there's a premium not on brute force, but on stamina. The ladies excel here--look at Sarah Fisher, who races 900hp Indy cars, or Shirley Muldowney who ran 3000hp Top Fuel dragsters.

The June 3, 2002 issue of Newsweek ran an article called "In Defense of Teen Girls" that ended up being part of the motivation for "A Kart for Lindy." In a nutshell, Alpha Girls date the student body president; Beta Girls date the captain of the football team; Gamma Girls date the class smartass. Gamma Girls are "emotionally healthy, secure, independent-minded and just plain nice." Moreover, "they're not mean. They like their parents. They're smart, confident and think popularity is overrated."

AC: Is Lindy a real person, or modeled after someone you know?

MMF: I've enjoyed life as a male, and wouldn't want it any other way. But if... IF... I'd been born female, I think Lindy is the distaff teenager I would have wanted to be. There's so much stuff out now about dysfunctional kids that I had to write a story about a well-adjusted, basically-happy teenager who's served up a bunch of challenges and attacks 'em head-on.

AC: Do you plan additional Y/A titles? A sequel?

MMF: I think I'd like to continue with Lindy O'Brian, maybe following her through high school as she grows, and then on to college. I'm crunching the possibilities right now.

AC: Do you have any specific promotional plans for this book? I.e., strategic placement in locales where kids buy/build/race go-karts? Schools?

MMF: I'm sorta new to the promotional deal. But I really believe in this book, and I think kids will really enjoy it--that's what it's all about. So I'll explore the promotion angle more vigorously.

AC: I noticed you did your own cover art for A KART FOR LINDY. Is this another hobby, and how was is created?

MMF: My film camera has been collecting serious dust for several years after I started using an electronic camera. I burn a CD every year full of pix I've taken of events my ham radio friends and I have attended and then send copies to them. So the cover art was sort of a natural offshoot. BTW, that's yers truly in a twin-engined kart I built myself. I had a neighbor take a few shots, and applied some serious noise!

AC: Why is there a need for this kind of book in today's Y/A marketplace?

MMF: I really do think there's been too much focus on the dark side of being a kid. It's almost as if no one thinks you can grow up happy any more. That's hooey of course, because *I* did. And I know plenty of others who did, too. We need some stories that celebrate that.

AC: You admit to being an "unrepentant gearhead" and a computer specialist. Racing karts seems almost archaic in today's world of Game Cubes (r), X-Boxes (r), MTV (r) and go-peds. Is there a happy medium for today's kids, or is commercial technology absorbing today's youth? Is it feasible to think we can get their hands off the keyboard/controller and back onto book covers(and steering wheels)?

MMF: I could write a book on *just* the answer to this one question. Karting is one of those activities that has it all--mental challenge, because you're always looking for that edge, the tech advantage that will overcome your competitor; constant social interaction with the other drivers, meeting new people; and lots of aerobic physical exercise. Maybe this is the best way to look at it: I'm writing for the kids who are fed up with all things trivial and want something different, something with some zip. A different view on life... you might even call it growing up.

AC: I know you write "hard" science fiction and have a strong opinion about science fiction vs. science fantasy. Are there any other genres at which you'd like to try your hand? Do you have a WIP you'd like to mention?

MMF: There's no telling. Writing a novel for young adults was the furthest thing from my mind until I saw some of the, er... stuff in the bookstores. Turned out writing one was an absolute blast. I'm currently working on a non-fiction book about military surplus radio collecting.

AC: Mark, this has been a fun interview. I wish you tremendous success with A KART FOR LINDY and look forward to hearing more from Lindy O'Brian in the near future.