An Interview with Salem Lynn
I am a thirty-two-year-old transmasc queer from Reno, NV. I am a single parent, and live with chronic illness and disability. I try to stay positive and I always follow the speed limit…you know, mostly. I’ve been writing my entire life and used to dream about seeing my books on the shelves. Now I live it, and I couldn’t ask for more than that.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
Kimber’s story was actually the first original thing I ever wrote, and the story has evolved with me for the last twenty-five years. The story as it is now reflects a lot of our world, mixed with the fantastical elements of hers. The issues I present here matter a lot to me, and I saw this as a way to start a conversation about those things. Things like how we relate to each other, the way we commodify cultures, and the way ideals can outlive people. Generational trauma and legacies, as well as the strong bonds of chosen family, also run through the series as a whole.
Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
Endlings and Beginnings was not an easy title to find. It went through a hundred changes over the years, but I have to credit my first editor, Samantha Dunn, with helping me find the words. She brought me the word ‘endling’ and it shaped so much of the world afterwards, as well as the title.
Describe your dream book cover.
The cover I have is my dream cover! I work hard on all my covers, so I always get it exactly as I want. I’m sure that in another year or two I will have learned a lot more and could make something better, but right now, I am enamored with what I was able to create.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
David Bowie’s Major Tom, for sure. A little bit of Ghost (Mary on a Cross, Cenotaph and Stay), Sleep Token (Blood Sport), Paper Foxes (Crystal Ball, Pray), Red Leather (SINS), TALK (Run Away To Mars, Set On Me), and, of course, November Ultra (Silencio, Come Into My Arms).
What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?
Old favorites dominate, but I read a lot of my friends’ books. I got to beta-read a book from my mentor, Kim Harnes, that really lit a fire under me. I’m very lucky to be surrounded by immense talent, so I never really run out of books to read.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
I have done so much, I’m kind of a jack of all trades. I have done childcare, hospitality, senior care, and commission retail. One of my favorite jobs was as a rideshare driver. I think only a handful of people know that I actually took ASL and theater in college, though I almost changed my degree to anthropology before I dropped out.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
My mother has a photo of me, barely old enough to sit upright, holding a marker in my hand and trying to scribble. So I literally have been writing my entire life! I got my start in fanfiction, like so many of us do, and I was always encouraged to keep writing. Anne Rice was a huge inspiration to me, as well as a local author whose book I found at the library. Both of them were also the only ones who ever wrote back to me as a kid, and both told me to never give up. So I credit them both with a lot of my formative years, on a professional and personal level.
Where is your favorite place to write?
Bookstores. A lot of the writing for Endlings and Beginnings was done at Thistle and Nightshade in Reno!
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
To learn as much as I could, and to never give it up. I spent a few years not writing because of a bad situation, and I really wish I hadn’t. I would tell myself to prioritize writing over all else.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
There is a line in my book that sums it up perfectly. This is the message. This is what I want people to take away:
“The universe will catch fire, but the things we love will create barriers to the flames. Some days we will get burned, but not all of them. Many things will be lost, the battles will be hard fought, and we won’t all make it…but those of us who are left can make the stars a place where we need more artists than soldiers. We may not know peace, but someone will, and that has to be enough.” It has to be enough.
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