Photo by Douglas Sonders
Matthew FitzSimmons is the author of the new novel Constance. He also has written the Gibson Vaughn series, which includes Origami Man. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Q: What inspired you to write Constance, and how did you create its world?
A: The inspiration came from a simple hypothetical that I posed to myself one night as I was getting ready for bed – wouldn’t it be cool if someone had to solve their own murder and how could that work? I ruled out supernatural solutions and wondered what was left.
As I was drifting off to sleep, I thought to myself “what about a clone?” It was a bit of a eureka moment. I executed a perfect, sit-bolt-upright-in-bed move and spent the rest of the night brainstorming a world that would support the conceit.
So, in a way it was a cart before the horse before the driver situation. The idea came first, then a scenario/world that could justify it, and then finally a protagonist who would be my guide through that world. She turned out to be Constance D’Arcy.
Q: The novel is set in a future version of the Washington, D.C., area. What did you see as the right blend of the city as it is today and your own reimagining of it?
A: Historically, science fiction tends to be overly optimistic about the pace of change. Blade Runner, for example, is set in 2019 and envisions humanity fighting interstellar wars, living in off-world colonies, flying cars, and creating synthetic human beings indistinguishable from people. Not so much…
My approach was much more conservative. Constance is set in 2040, 19 years in the future. I asked myself how had everyday life changed in the last 20 years, between the years 2001 and 2021. The differences were really very slight.
A few technologies (cell phones leap to mind) became integral, others got major upgrades (televisions), but for the most part a photograph of downtown D.C. in 2000 and one taken in 2020 would look much the same (excluding all the masks).
I extrapolated a similar degree of change. I gave cell phones a major upgrade (the LFD or Light Field Device), self-driving and electric cars are the norm not the exception, food printers are as ubiquitous as microwaves are today, and steps to combat climate change are optimistically integrated. Oh, and there are clones…
Q: Did you know how the book would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: I’ve heard writers describe themselves as pantsers who make it up as they go, i.e., by the seat of their pants; I’ve heard others referred to as plotters, i.e., outlining thoroughly before beginning.
I like to think of myself as falling somewhere in between those two poles. Let’s call it road-tripping; I know generally where I’m headed but leave myself room for scenic detours if any intriguing signposts catch my eye. So the answer is both – I always had a strong sense for how the book would end and made many changes along the way.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: It was not originally in the cards, but I’m currently writing a follow-up to Constance. I wouldn’t precisely call it a sequel but rather a companion to the first book.
I do a lot of my best thinking in the shower, and the outline came to me in about 10 minutes one morning after turning in Constance to my publisher. The follow-up is called Chance and takes place in Los Angeles two years after the end of Constance.
Like Constance, Chance Harker is a clone but their experience will be very different, and I saw it as an opportunity to explore the subject matter from a different perspective. There will also be plenty of overlap and several characters from Constance will be making important appearances.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: When I was a high school teacher, this was the place where I’d hide a simple extra credit question on an exam to see if students read every word. But, if you’ve made it this far, you’ve earned your A, so no shenanigans for me. Thank you to Deborah for having me on!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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