L.F. Howard, author of “We Will See” in The Future Fire #75, joins us for the first of this issue’s microinterview series, for a chat about aliens, space travel and writing.
 |
| Art © 2026 L.E. Badillo |
L.F. Howard: I wanted to play with the reader’s expectations about gender on multiple levels, and putting an alien and human race together in space is a great vehicle for that. I’m channelling a little of Ursula K. Le Guin’s “Left Hand of Darkness” by asking the reader to consider how much our understanding of ourselves doesn't really work outside of our self-imposed societal rules.
TFF: Would you like to visit another planet?
LFH: I think other planets are better off without humans on them.
TFF: What magical power would you like to possess?
LFH: The ability to clone myself so my clones can help with the endless to-dos.
TFF: What is the most important thing to remember about writing?
LFH: It doesn’t matter if your work is the “best” or “better than” someone else. No one out there is really the best. Classy literary fiction is great, but sometimes I want a story about a chaotic group of immortal women trying to navigate their blood-soaked lives.
TFF: What are you working on next?
LFH: A story about a chaotic group of immortal women trying to navigate their blood-soaked lives.
Extract:
The bar on the ninth level had one of the best views on the station. Most of the rest of them, at least the ones I could afford, were interior-facing with a few liquid crystal displays showing island sunsets or late-night views of Old Earth. But we were a long way from those places, and most of us Humans had never seen them firsthand anyway.
Reminder: You can comment on any of the writing or art in this issue at http://press.futurefire.net/2026/02/new-issue-202675.html.
Issue 2026.75