Issue 043 Author Interview: Amy Porter and “Giant Beach”
Tuesday again? No problem, especially when there’s a new Issue 043 author interview! Today we talk with Amy Porter about her otherworldly story “Giant Beach“.
LSQ: Your character, who has ALS, feels a strange connection to a giant’s eyeball. How much of his obsession came from the psychological aspects of his progressing disease?
Amy: I would say a good deal of it. There is a sort of connection between his breaking body and the shattered fragments that litter the shore. He sympathizes with the thought of the giant species’ slow decline into extinction, as that is what he is currently experiencing in his own life. The eye, on the other hand, is unbroken, and soulful. I think he might be obsessed with it because, to him, it’s a sign that something remains after life is gone.
LSQ: The landscape of your story is so unique. Washed up on the shore of Iceland: giant toes, pieces of brain, and yes, a giant eyeball. Is any of this inspired by mythology, or just your vivid imagination?
Amy: I read a lot of mythology growing up, so while I can’t say that it directly inspired the way this story unfolded, it certainly shaped how I view story and the way I tell things to myself.
Amy: I really like to write whatever occurs to me in the moment. However, if I was forced to pick, my favorite genre would be science fiction. I feel that its rules are the most flexible, and leave the most room to play, besides which every other genre can fit inside it. From fantasy adventure, to historical drama, to romance, everything can be written through a science fiction lens, which I find incredibly exciting.