Emily and Lynne discuss their love for steampunk, the power of storytelling, and the challenges of anthology editing with Stepping Sideways. 

What do you love most about fiction and the steampunk/dystopian genre in particular?

I love that these genres explore some vastly different themes that aren’t necessarily as far away from reality as we might think. Often it’s just the way the themes are delivered that makes us think they’re unlike the world we live in. — LS

I love how fiction can immerse you in other lives, places, experiences, and ways of seeing the world—and offer wonderful reference points. After reading a book, I'll find myself comparing its events and characters to real life, and finding insights that I didn't have before. Steampunk and dystopian narratives are fascinating to me because they offer escapes into worlds that feel 'other', and often showcase rebellion. There are times when standing up for a good cause is so important, and stories in Stepping Sideways definitely reflect this idea. — EL

Do you have a typical process for editing novels? How did editing Stepping Sideways compare?

I don’t find there’s too much difference between editing a full-length novel and editing a short story. They both have to achieve the same things, usually just with a much shorter word count on an individual level. Switching between the different author voices can be tricky, but after I’ve gone through a couple, my brain has adjusted to what I need to do. — LS

I try to look at the big picture first and then focus more on line edits. Every author has their own style, so it's important to try and understand the author's vision when suggesting edits to their work. — EL

As an anthology, Stepping Sideways includes several individual authors. Were there any challenges with editing so many varying voices into a cohesive novel? 

Care definitely needs to be taken with preserving an author’s voice while still suggesting changes, but I’ve edited a lot of works from a lot of different people, so doing an anthology of short stories was more like just several voices in the same amount of time I’d do one novel. A bit more intense but loads of fun! — LS

I loved reading stories from different authors, who all have their own style! To make the anthology cohesive, we chose stories to begin with that suited the themes, word count, and age range that we had in mind for readers. — EL

Stepping Sideways incorporates some heavy themes about corruption and pollution. What was it like to read these stories? 

I find that most of the authors’ stories still tried to find hope amidst the hardship, but it can still be hard sometimes to separate yourself from themes like that, especially since, as I said earlier, they aren’t always as far from our reality as we’d like to think. Watching the characters try and work through all these problems can make me feel for them, even as I watch them struggle on. — LS

I think that the execution of a story makes a huge difference to how its themes are perceived. Most of the stories in Stepping Sideways are infused with hope (and the sadder ones are still inspiring), so it was a pleasure to read and edit the collection. — EL

Do you have any favourites of the stories featured within? 

They were all good, but I liked Jeanette O’Hagan’s ‘In a League of Her Own’ the best. — LS

I really enjoyed all the stories, and the authors should be proud of their work. I'm particularly moved by 'Mechanical Magic' and 'The Spark'. — EL

Emily and Lynne, you are both authors in addition to editors. How does the process of editing compare to writing your own stories? 

Authors always have to do a degree of editing themselves, and I prefer editing to writing. I always enjoy helping to refine a story, whether it’s someone else’s or my own. Writing is fun too, but there’s something about the editing process that makes it so enjoyable for me. I think it’s because I get to read the whole story at once, knowing it’s finished and it’s just some refining that’s left to do. — LS

I love writing and editing. There are different kinds of joy to experience in both processes. Capturing the essence of a story by writing a first draft can feel exciting. Editing is a chance to refine and enhance what's there, without losing its beating heart. — EL

What do you hope readers will take away from Stepping Sideways? 

I hope they’ll be able to see that there can be hope even in times of terrible darkness, and that no depth can overcome someone who’s journeying towards the light. I think this is especially important in the world today. We all need hope that we can make it through. — LS

I hope that readers get swept up in an imaginative experience! — EL

Do you have any other projects in the works? 

I’m working on both a prequel and a sequel to my latest book, Keeper of the Archives. It’s been tricky to find the time to work on them lately, though, as I’m a little busy! — LS

Always! Currently, I'm working on a story about magic. Stay tuned... — EL