An Interview with Teresa Tennyson

Teresa Tennyson explores modern issues through the lens of speculative fiction. A former soldier and diplomat, she is a lifelong writer who believes storytelling has the power to build empathy, bridge cultural chasms, and mobilize collective action toward a better future for all.

The dystopian tale Five Years is her first novel and the beginning of The Middlewich Chronicles. She has also published a novelette and stories related to the series. Her other short fiction has been published in Sundial Magazine, Writer’s Digest, and several anthologies.

When she isn’t writing, she tends to her forested property in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, USA.

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Five Years: Grand Prize Winner of the North Street Book Prize 2025

Read more about the award-winning work here!

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Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

There’s this quote flying around out there, attributed to Einstein, about how if bees disappeared from the face of the earth, human beings would disappear within four years. Whether he said that is debatable, since the quote didn’t appear until the 1990s, but the point remains: bees are an important part of the ecosystem due to their role in crop pollination. Bees are also declining globally, which doesn’t bode well for our future food supply. And bees are an excellent metaphor for both fragility and resilience in the face of ecological catastrophe, which are themes in the story that I wanted to capture.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

As a lifelong reader and writer of stories, I was still wholly unprepared for the thrill of holding the physical copy of my book in my hands for the first time. I would compare it to cuddling my newborn baby for the first time, but I’ve never had children. I can say that seeing and holding the finished product was the most exciting thing that ever happened to me.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to write. The pathway to becoming a full-time fiction author wasn’t always clear, but it was always the one thing I wanted for my life more than anything else. Reading the wonderful books by excellent authors made me want to be a writer. There are too many of these to list, but some of my enduring favorites are Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro, Max Allen Collins, George Elliot, George Orwell, Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, Octavia Butler, Donna Tartt, and many, many more.

I also had various mentors and friends along the way who taught me about writing and who encouraged me to write. Most recently, I enrolled in the Creative Writing MFA program at Southern New Hampshire University. My book Five Years was my graduate thesis from that program. I never saw myself as someone who would independently publish my book, but that program pushed me through the paces of both traditional and self-publishing. I learned a ton, received a lot of support, and owe everything to the SNHU program.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but I have had many careers along the way, which is great because diverse experiences have bettered my writing. At different points in my life, I have been a soldier, a diplomat, and a journalist. I have worked on the line in a car factory, as a night auditor in a haunted hotel, in one gas station, and in restaurants. One thing readers probably don’t know about me? I studied Arabic and can speak, read, and write it.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

It was my lifelong dream for me to publish a book. Now I want to publish many, many more. Connecting with my audience has been the most meaningful part of the experience. I have been lucky to have the opportunity to sell my book at many in-person events, including farmers’ markets. So I have my little booth at a couple of local farmers’ markets, and people will buy my book one week and come back and tell me what they think the next week. This kind of repeat, in-person engagement has been really helpful in developing my writing and understanding my audience. My readers also engage me via email to give me their perspectives and even offer ideas for sequels to my books. When books remain unpublished and in drawers, that’s one thing writers can’t get: that valuable feedback and audience connection. If I have any regrets, it’s only that I didn’t publish sooner. I plan to spend the rest of my life writing and publishing books.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Music is really (forgive me) instrumental in my creative process, so my would-be soundtrack is something I’ve actually thought about. I have the whole thing picked out. Many have postapocalyptic or dystopian themes. Others embody hope because we can’t galvanize positive change without it. Five Years is full of those contrasting themes.

“Five Years” by David Bowie

“It’s the End of the World as We Know It” R.E.M

“The Man Comes Around” Johnny Cash

“Guns in the Sky” INXS

“Walcott” Vampire Weekend

“Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” Arcade Fire

“Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) Marvin Gaye

“Johnny Appleseed” Joe Strummer

“Big Yellow Taxi” Joni Mitchell

“Begin the Begin” R.E.M.

“Don’t Stop Believin’” Journey

“Three Little Birds” Bob Marley

“Bury a Friend” Billie Eilish

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

I have been blessed to have had readers who see things in Five Years that I don’t. Everyone seems to take away their own things from the book, but the one thing I want everyone to take away is that all is NOT lost, that we, the people, have the agency to change the world for the better. And that is why we need to stay hopeful, energized, and informed.

What creative projects are you currently working on?

I am working on the follow-up to Five Years, which is called The Survivors, Book 2 of The Middlewich Chronicles. I also write two blogs, Writer in the Woods and How Dystopian!, on my website and Substack. The first is a how-to self-publishing blog, and the second contains observations of various aspects of dystopian books and culture.

What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

To other writers who want to publish: you won’t regret it. Your writing career only gets easier from there. There are so many opportunities for success. And you get to decide what it means to be successful.

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