22: How did you get started writing?

ERIN SYNDER: Growing up, I had a large interest in fantasy. My father [was] a lifelong Tolkien fan. The idea of creating fantasy stories appealed to me most as a teenager. Before I started seriously writing fiction, I'd already told dozens of stories through D&D and other role-playing games. I love the sense of exploration that comes with putting a new world together, and the satisfaction of mapping out the impossible or absurd.

22: What role does mythology play in your work?

ES: As strange as it might sound, I use mythology to ground my writing. Fantasy without myth drifts into incoherence. I find that mythology gives fiction some resonance, makes it more memorable.

22: Often in your work, humankind is the enemy and humanity the savior. Talk a little about this dynamic.

ES: I think that's a great synopsis of For Love of Children, however, the reverse could be said for Facsimile : the villain is humanity divorced from the human. It is a dynamic I enjoy playing with. Both science fiction and fantasy lend themselves to explore the boundaries of what it means to be human and humane.

22: Who are your favorite literary or comic heroes?

ES: Uh oh, you asked me about heroes. In literature I tend to find villains far more dynamic than the good guys (even when I'm rooting for the heroes). When you dig past the surface, most heroes pretty much fit into one of a few archetypes. I guess I prefer the ones who deviate, for example, Molly Grue, Schmendrick, and Prince Liir from The Last Unicorn. In comics, Barbara Gordon is my favorite superhero. I like supporting characters who are in the shadows of legends more than I like the legends themselves.

22: In your most recent book, Facsimile, there is a push and pull against the boundaries of technology and private life. How have social networking sites like Facebook influenced your work?

ES: Facebook, Google, and Apple all helped inspire the technology in Facsimile. The irony is I actually think very highly of all three companies. Sure, there are privacy concerns around Facebook, but they pale beside the awesome potential it has to connect people. I estimate there are close to fifty people I'm in touch with through Facebook who I'd otherwise have no idea whether or not they were alive. Throw in email, and you can triple that number. The real dangers with technology are much more subtle.
The effect that the Internet is having on journalism, for example, is terrifying: the number of outlets performing actual investigative reporting is dropping quickly.

22: Do you feel your stories are moralistic?

ES: With few exceptions, I don't think my fiction is moralistic, though I try my best not to write immorally. I find morals in fiction to be problematic. Most people who are going to read one of my stories already agree with me on most ethical or political issues. You won't find a lot of conservatives reading fantasy or science fiction, and the ones that do aren't likely to change their ways because of a story.

22: What are you working on now?

ES: I have a third novel completed that I need to edit one of these days. Recently I've been writing more short fiction and I'm planning on putting out some compilations soon.