I think I discovered it probably around 1983, I think … no, it was 1980 when Empire Strikes Back came out. And that really made me want to continue to see conventions.Īlso, the friendship and the people I met working on the student convention, AggieCon, were hugely important to me.

This was back when it was teeny tiny-the dealer’s room was basically the size of a hotel room. I somehow convinced my parents to take me and a friend down there to go to this convention-ArmadilloCon-on Saturday. I’d actually been to ArmadilloCon in Austin when I was in high school. I’m not sure I knew at that point that they also ran conventions. Martha Wells: A huge, huge role, because the reason I picked Texas A&M University was they had a student science fiction and fantasy group. Galaxy’s Edge: You just mentioned conventions, which is a great lead into my next question: What role did fandom and fan fiction play in your journey to publication? That’s not something I figured out until I went to Texas A&M and took a writing workshop with Steven Gould and started going to conventions and learning about how you actually do become a fiction writer. I didn’t know how you went about being a fiction writer. At the time, I think I wanted to major in journalism when I went to the university, because that was the only way I could conceive of being a writer at that point. I remember telling my parents when I was in high school that I wanted to be a writer and them not having much reaction to it. When did you realize you wanted to become a writer? Galaxy’s Edge: You said that you were always a reader. If you’d like to read this interview in print, check Issue 56 of Galaxy’s Edge Magazine. Jean Marie Ward sat down with Martha Wells to talk about her writing process, fandom, and much more! Books in the Murderbot Diaries have won Hugo, Locus, and Nebula awards! She’s won multiple awards for her work, particularly the Murderbot Diaries. Her books have explored fantastical worlds and the far-flung futures of our own world. Martha Wells has become a household name, especially among the science fiction and fantasy community.

Witch King by Martha Wells