Valeriya Salt is a multi-genre author from the United Kingdom. She studied history and earned her master’s degree in Art Expertise at St. Petersburg University of Culture and Arts.
Born in Belarus, she lived for many years in different corners of Eastern Europe before settling down in the north of England.
Her short stories, essays, and reviews have appeared in anthologies and magazines, including The Chamber Magazine, Bewildering Stories, Strange Fiction ‘Zine SF&F, The Pine Cone Review, The Worlds Within, and won an Honourable Mention in The Writers of The Future Contest.
Her sci-fi thriller novel Dive Beyond Eternity will be published in 2023 by Northodox Press (UK).
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I started to write relatively early, in my early teens, but I’d never seen it as a serious career. In fact, I never really wanted to be a writer. I guess I’ve just gradually gotten into it. The more I wrote, the more I liked it.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
First of all, my passion for history in general and World War II history in particular. I’m also a big fan of sci-fi set on Earth. I love to mix and blend genres. My interest in submarines and U-boats played a huge role in plotting this book too. Reading a lot about this topic, I realised that there’re not many books, featuring female protagonists.
So Dive Beyond Eternity is a dark nautical sci-fi/thriller with a female protagonist—a rare occasion in books dedicated to U-boats and submarines.
Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
Originally, my book was called The U-nseen, but later on, I found it too cryptic. I believe Dive Beyond Eternity reflects its plot and genre better.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
I’ve worked (and still working) in HR, recruitment, and general office administration. I don’t hide from my readers that I have a day job that is not very creative.
What books did you read (for research or comfort) throughout your writing process?
I read a lot of non-fiction books about World War II U-boats and submarines (for example U-Boat Manual: An insight into owning, operating and maintaining a World War II German Type VIIC U-boat, and Iron Coffins by Herbert Werner), some historical fiction (for example, an all-times classics Das Boot by Lothar-Günther Buchheim), and of course, sci-fi by one of my favourite sci-fi authors, Philip K Dick (The Man in the High Castle, Ubik, etc).