Reporting for duty today is Huskyteer, lover of all things spies and subterfuge – and of course, furry fiction! With nearly 10 years of publication history behind her, Huskyteer has plenty to say about furry fiction before embarking on her next mission.
Tell us a little bit about your most recent project (written or published). Was there a particular inspiration for it?
I’m currently working on a collection of spy and action stories, some based on certain movie and TV franchises, some original. Basically, I’m writing what I like to read, and hoping other people like it too.
What is your favourite thing about the furry fandom? Why write furry fiction?
Finding other people like me, who’d spent their childhood pretending to be an animal and never quite let that go. I’d love to live in a world filled with cute, huggable anthros – and writing about that world is the next best thing.
What is your writing process like? Do you outline and plot, or are you a “pantser”?
Hahahahaha, ‘plot’. Pants all the way!
I usually start with an idea for a scene, a character or a snippet of dialogue, and build from there. Often I have a beginning and an end in mind but no clear idea of what goes in the middle. I’ve heard it called the ‘headlights’ method of writing: when you’re driving at night you can only see a little of the road ahead, but keep going and eventually you complete your journey.
What do you consider your biggest strength as a writer?
Humour. (It’s always risky to declare yourself a wit, because other people may not agree, but never mind.) There are lighter moments in even my more serious stories. I think fiction, and the world, needs more funny bits.
What is your favourite kind of story to write? Does it align well with what you like to read?
My favourite furry stories to read and write are slice of life, with furries in a realistic, contemporary setting, and historical, similarly realistic but set in the past. I’m fonder of character-driven pieces than of complex world-building, though I admire people who can do that!
Which character of yours do you most identify with, and why?
The title character of ‘Gerbil 07’ (ROAR #6). A cute, ridiculous little animal who thinks she’s James Bond.
Which authors or specific books have most influenced your work?
A lot of my notions about how humour works come from P.G. Wodehouse and Douglas Adams. I’d give anything to have a writing style as unique and outstanding as Tom Wolfe’s, or Ray Bradbury’s gift for description.
What is the last book you read that you really love?
I’ve just finished the four books in Dave Hutchinson’s ‘Fractured Europe’ series of near-future espionage/sci-fi novels, set in a world where Europe has split into countless tiny nations. The feel of a Cold War thriller, brought up to date.
Besides writing, how do you like to spend your free time?
Well, this implies I enjoy writing, when a lot of the time I’m tearing my fur out over it…
I’m a motorcyclist – I love travelling and exploring by bike. I also do karate, which is hard work as I’m not particularly coordinated. Or fit. Or aggressive.
Over the last year, when my usual hobbies couldn’t happen, I’ve got very into open water swimming (you can do a lot of thinking about writing while you swim) and making model aeroplanes.
Do you have any advice to give other writers?
Read books, watch films and TV shows and cartoons, visit places if you’re able. You don’t write in a vacuum; let the things and people you love inspire you.
If you get stuck, talk to someone about your story. They don’t have to be a writer. Sometimes they’ll come up with a brilliant solution for you, and sometimes you’ll work it out for yourself as you talk.
Is there anything you would like to see more of within furry fiction?
Huskies, obviously ^.^
Where can readers find your work?
You can find a list of published stories on my website [huskyteer.co.uk/bibliography.php]. I’ve been bad about maintaining my SoFurry [https://huskyteer.sofurry.com] and Weasyl [https://www.weasyl.com/~huskyteer] accounts lately, but check them out anyway! The best place to come and have a chat and see what I’m up to is my Twitter, @Huskyteer.
Tomorrow we speak to a former publisher who has moved onto a new project with a distinctive Voice in the furry writing scene. We hope you’ll come back then to hear what this Dog has to say!
Furry Writers’ Guild 
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