M.K. Weaving Dreams in Sci-Fi and Wakes Up Writing It

The CHOW Interview: From misty Finnish forests to Florida beaches, Weaving spins dream-fueled tales of space, resilience, and characters who fight back when the universe pushes hard.

Welcome to the CHOW, where one Clueless Hack on Writing talks to a Creative Hero on Writing about inspiration, process, and the prospects of indie writing

M.K. Weaving was born and raised in the misty forests of Finland, in a small village with no streetlights. She now lives in Florida with her husband and their goldendoodle. She collects seashells and takes photos of the tropical beaches. M.K. loves sci-fi and classic films and has always been passionate about writing and all things creative. Many of her story ideas originate from dreams.

Minna, welcome to the CHOW.

[MW] Thank you! Glad to be here!

[VW] Your bio provides a very intriguing origin story. How does your background in Finland lead you to writing? Were you always a writer, or did it come to you later?

[MW] Growing up in Finland in a very small village, close to nature and fields and forests where we children could roam – all this shaped me into who I am as a writer today.

One of my fondest memories from very early childhood was listening to my grandmother, Gunhild, read out loud to me and my sisters.

My parents took us kids to the library, and I dragged home bags of books and read and read. I read Stephen King way too early, perhaps in fifth grade or so, and remember that I would take a break from reading when it got too scary and go to the kitchen for air! My first published writing was a book review of Stephen King’s book “Thinner”. That was in 8th grade, and my review was published in the regional newspaper.

I grew up in a time when people would write letters on paper to one another and mail them off in envelopes. I grew so fond of writing letters and receiving letters that I must’ve had close to 20 pen pals at any given time! I wrote long letters. Pages and pages of handwritten text about daily life. In school, I loved writing essays. One time in 5th grade, I wrote what might’ve been my first sci-fi story. It was inspired by the movie “The Planet of the Apes”, which I saw on TV around that time! The teacher loved it, haha!

[VW] You also shared that you loved attics and old photo albums. What do you see in these spaces? Is it the wonder and curiosity of the past? A jumping point for your creativity?

[MW] My grandmother’s house was an old traditional farmhouse painted in red with white window frames. Up in the attic were rooms filled with old clothes, old books, and things from the past. I loved roaming there for hours, discovering fascinating objects. The house stood on a hill, and you could look out over the valley below from a sort of lookout space. It was my great-grandfather’s workshop. I’ve written about my grandmother Gunhild and my years in Finland quite a lot on my Substack.

I spent a lot of time walking and exploring nature around my uncle’s farm near where I grew up. I came to know most of the more interesting-looking trees and rocks and ponds, and I knew all the wild strawberry spots in summertime. Nature was at my doorstep.

Creativity has always come to me. It’s with me, always. I was lucky enough to learn all kinds of crafts when I was young; knitting, sewing, baking, the basics of woodworking, a bit of farming, a bit about plants and animals. How things are done with our hands, and how we can make and fix things. I’m by no means an expert, but it’s helped me in life. To know a few things about how the world works, and how to contribute to it. It’s helped me develop and understand the characters in my stories.

[VW] You lived in California for a bit. I’m in Sacramento, but I’ve lived in many parts of the Golden State, including Bakersfield, Los Angeles, the SF Bay Area, and the High Desert. Perhaps we crossed paths without knowing it.

[MW] I love California! Haha, yes, I bet we’ve driven in the same city sometime.

My husband and I started out in Santa Monica and L.A. We had many fun adventures there on the outskirts and sometimes inside the Hollywood sphere. Fun times! I know the Westside so well that I can pretty much recognize photos that are taken of L.A. streets without any other hints. We were there when the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica still had some independent stores, and when Damiano’s Pizza still existed on Fairfax. We always popped by there for a late-night pizza after a night out in Hollywood. And El Coyote was another favorite hangout.

We also lived up in Bel Air for a few years, and that was a trip! My commute went along Sunset Boulevard, through Beverly Hills, and into Hollywood. Absurd to think about it, since I grew up in a tiny farming village on the other side of the world.

Another job I had was up in the Malibu hills, so I drove up PCH every day from Santa Monica and up to Topanga Canyon, the old hippie community up there in the mountains. It was a fun period in my life.

And, we spent several years in Marin County and loved driving around the Bay Area. I still say that my soul lives on the Mendocino coast. That whole area from San Francisco north is like one big fairytale world in terms of natural beauty. Those rolling hills of oak trees and magnificent redwood forests are just breathtaking.

We drove many times through the desert from L.A. to Phoenix and back, and that’s where I got used to navigating amidst the aggressive truck drivers!

I’m so grateful I got to spend many years in California. I love the nature there. I have such vivid memories of scents from there. The sweet caramel scent of pine trees in Yosemite. The sagebrush up in the Santa Monica Mountains on a misty morning. Dusty hiking trails in Malibu and near Mt. Tam in Marin County. Scents that should be made into perfumes!

[VW] I read that you are a lover of old movies, but that you are a fan of sci-fi. Terminator changed your life, and Sarah Connor and Ripley (from Alien) are your heroines. First, what about these stories spoke to you?

[MW] Yes, the sci-fi movies came before the classic movies. It took a long time for me to learn to watch the classics. But I distinctly remember watching the original Battlestar Galactica and loving it! It was the first sci-fi TV series I saw, and I was hooked. After that, I became obsessed with Knight Rider and MacGyver. Then, as a teenager, I saw Terminator and Alien, and it must’ve been the perfect timing because I still love both movies and have rewatched them many times since.

The enticing thing about Terminator are the concepts of time travel and impending doom. And specifically, that it affects this seemingly normal and average woman, who now becomes the center of the whole story. So crazy, cool, and riveting! Sarah Connor has to change, and quickly, to adapt to her new circumstances. That’s what I like about her character. Put a character in a challenging circumstance and see what they’ll do. That makes it interesting.

My husband says that I enjoy any movie that has space, blinking lights, and beeping sounds! That’s pretty much true! And it’s difficult to come by actual “space movies” nowadays. Good space movies. Alien is like a movie version of a classical music masterpiece. It’s aesthetically lovely to watch, mysterious, and of course scary. The Ripley character already has a bit of an attitude. She can think on her feet, and she is resourceful. She doesn’t give up. I like that. I like it when characters are resilient and realistically human.

[VW] Where does canon end for you on both of these franchises? I think there is only Terminator and Judgment Day. And Alien is only real if Sigourney Weaver is in it. Agree?

[MW] I pretty much agree with you. I did watch The Sarah Connor Chronicles and enjoyed it to some degree, but the Alien franchises have sadly been pretty blah. I watch them, but they don’t have that special sauce the originals had. But I’m a sucker for the blinky lights and space action, so I watch them, haha! But the weakness in these new franchises is that they lack depth. We don’t get to know the characters, and that’s a shame. Just when we see a glimpse of something potentially deeper, it sort of skids off and vanishes off a cliff. A shame because the movies look cool!

By the way, I am a huge Christopher Nolan fan and will watch anything he churns out. He’s a genius.

[VW] But what’s essential about these movies and characters in your timeline is that they were an inspiration for your first novel, Aubade. How did those movies draw this story from your head?

[MW] Put a character in an impossible situation and see what happens. Then raise the stakes, again and again. I’ve always been fascinated by the underdog and the comeback story. People who have been dealt a bad card, sometimes for seemingly no reason, and now have to climb the proverbial El Capitan. That’s why I still love Terminator and Alien.

[VW] What is Aubade about?

[MW] It’s about a woman, Sara, who wakes up and finds herself onboard the spaceship Aubade escaping Earth. Forever. She realizes she’s lost everyone and everything she’s ever loved back on Earth. As she begins to adapt to her new life as the Historian on board the Aubade, she’s determined to find out who put her on this spaceship.

Once the crew of Aubade lands on a foreign planet, tensions rise and suspicions grow between the defense team and the engineering team. Commander Stapleton recruits her to unravel a crucial situation within the defense database, and despite her lack of expertise, Sara reluctantly agrees to help. Relationships develop, and Sara finds out more and more about this mission. She must confront her fears and navigate the complexities of her new life. She has to adapt and grow.

Basically a space opera, a sort of dystopian sci-fi adventure distilled through a strangely romantic and pulpy lens. I wanted it to be like that TV series you binge. A combo of all the sci-fi movies you’ve seen, mixed with romance and futuristic technology we barely understand, and characters you end up rooting for!

[VW] You started Aubade as a serial on Substack. Could you tell me your process? I’ve had a few limited serials, and I had to write the whole thing, then parse it out month to month. I can’t imagine writing it as I go on Substack.

[MW] I had the vast majority of the story written before I began to parse it out. It’s been with me for years, and it just sat there in a folder doing nothing. So once I’d been on Substack for a while, I thought, what the heck, I’ll push out this story as a serial and see if anyone wants to read it. It’s sort of a dear child of mine. The woman stuck in space scenario is like my Kryptonite. Give me a story or movie like that and I am glued to it, haha! So I edited each chapter before I released it on Substack, and it helped me polish the story.

Now, the amusing thing with serials on Substack is that there are always two camps. The one that thinks it’s all a waste of time, and then the other camp that thinks serials can be a success. Discussions like these flare up about once every three or four months, and usually with strong opinions on both sides. Then things calm down again, only to get reawakened half a year later.

I released a short serial, Green Velvet, in 2021. That was my first experimentation with a serial, and I didn’t have that many followers then, so I suspect I was too early.

[VW] What was that decision like to take Aubade from Substack and then push it into a novel form? What went into those choices?

[MW] Once I had published my two anthologies, No End Code and Errante, I thought, what the heck, let’s see if this baby floats. So I put together Aubade over a vacation and published it. I got into these creative spurts during my vacations, and the dam, so to speak, broke with No End Code and Errante. Once I knew how to do this thing called publishing and releasing my stories into the wild, I became bolder and dared to press publish even as I was wincing! It’s a nice feeling to wince and just work yourself through that awful sense of shame and self-doubt, haha!

[VW] What’s the reaction so far?

[MW] Happy to say, really positive! I’m filled with gratitude to each and every person who’s bought and read one of my books! I feel very fortunate and thrilled.

A cool thing that’s happened with Aubade is that some readers, who say they rarely pick up a science fiction novel, have told me that they loved my book because it didn’t feel like sci-fi. That’s such a neat thing to hear! I love breaking the sound barrier of literary genres, and hope it will entice more readers to give Aubade a chance. That’s why I sort of modeled it after those ‘80s and ‘90s movies and TV shows. They were experts at reeling you in!

Full disclosure, I’m a one-woman show. It’s a challenge to get readers to leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. And thank you to all who have written reviews for my books! It means so much, especially to those of us who self-publish.

I have a self-imposed rule that I will not spend more on this project than I make, and I don’t take myself too seriously. I did pay someone to make a radio commercial for my book in a very cool action movie voice. It didn’t bring in any sales, but for a moment it felt like a very Hollywood thing to do!

I belong to a group of writers and artists called The Soaring Twenties Social Club on Substack, run by Thomas Bevan, and they have been immensely supportive throughout all my experimental stages of publishing! Join us if you’re looking for a group of creatives who are supportive and fun!

[VW] You also have a couple of collections of short stories. What is the difference between writing short stories and a novel?

[MW] Planning and time. Short stories are, to me, mostly writing exercises. Things I write to experiment with and try out different narrative voices and styles. Novels are large beasts that require hundreds of strong soldiers with ropes pulling and tugging the beast along until it finally moves, slowly, across the plain. Short stories are like little Icelandic ponies that trot merrily along the road!

[VW] Obviously, you love writing. I always ask guests what their ‘Why’ is when it comes to writing. Why do you put yourself through this solitary struggle?

[MW] I must write or I am not. It’s one of the few habits and processes in life I truly love. In many ways, I’m much better at expressing myself in writing than speaking. English happens to be my third language (Swedish is my mother tongue, and then Finnish), and I have loved English since I was a little child and pretended to know English! I would literally pretend to speak English before I learned English!

Writing is never a struggle for me. It doesn’t mean I have nonstop fabulous ideas streaming from the ether or that I can write exactly what I wish each time I sit down to write. But the act of writing is never a negative experience for me. The more you write, the easier it is to reach for the next word. Writing is a little like playing, even when writing non-fiction.

I do go through productive spurts, when I write very intensively. Other times, my life outside of writing demands my attention, and I prefer to write when I have a decent amount of time, like on a vacation. I don’t often write in those 15 minute chunks that some like to do. I sit for hours and get completely lost in it. I am all in or all out. Almost!

[VW] What is next? Working on anything new? Where can people find you on Substack or any other websites?

My next writing project is a novel that’s been percolating for years. The working title is “An Observer of Nature” and I want it to feel a bit like a great classic movie from 1939. It’s based on a short story I wrote on my Substack, and it’s one of my husband’s favorite stories.

Now, Aubade really is meant to be the first in a trilogy. The outline exists, and I just need to let Aubade breathe a little before I go back into space.

Then there’s the Pig Book, as I call it. The real title is “Sniffy and Piggy”, and it’s actually a middle-grade book. Shopped it around to droves of publishers and agents and – crickets. I suspect I’m writing against the tide and times, but I adore these little pigs and hope they will one day make it out into our world to meet readers. So I’m contemplating self-publishing it.

My Substack is called The Cabinet of Curiosities. Come and join me!

Here are my three books: Aubade, Errante, and No End Code.

Here’s my Instagram. My Goldendoodle, Gwinny, also has an Instagram account! Follow Gwinny!

[VW] This has been a joy. Congrats on Aubade and future success.

[MW] Thanks again for the chat!

Side of Mustard

It’s October, which means the baseball postseason. I’ve been blessed that my favorite team from my childhood is still in it. Yes, the Dodgers are a financial powerhouse today, but they weren’t always. When I had the opportunity to be a lowly intern, they had a mid-level payroll and were still a family-owned team (Love the O’Malleys).

I also like the final four field. In the National League, the Dodgers face the Milwaukee Brewers, who have muddled around for so long, I’d be happy for them after I got past my selfish disappointment. I hate to admit, but it was only a year ago that I realized their mitt logo was an “M” and a “b.” Take my fan card away now.

On the other side, there’s the Toronto Blue Jays vs. the Seattle Mariners. The Blue Jays haven’t won the World Series since Joe Carter won it with a home run in 1993 and I was in college. The Mariners haven’t even been to the World Series. If you want to know where I may be during down time during the next couple of weeks. I’ll be in front of the TV, watching baseball.

Speaking of which…

If you’re looking for a great baseball novel to read in October, might I recommend LOSE YOURSELF?

One Baseball Game to Find Their Moment.

It’s The Final Game of the Season...

All Star Brett Austen has a chance to secure the first .400 batting average for a season in more than 80 years. But increasing pressure and his own hubris threaten the apex of his career.

Meanwhile...

• A sideline reporter wrestles with a choice between career and her mom in crisis.

• A retiring usher takes in his final game before moving in with his son’s family.

• A lanky 15 year old can’t understand his future stepdad while pining for a girl from school.

• A lemonade vendor agonizes over a big score to settle gambling debts and fulfill his daughter’s dreams.

• An adult daughter navigates uncomfortable family dynamics at home while her father lies in hospice.

Will Their Choices Meet the Moment?

Available on Bookshop.org, Amazon, Apple Books, and more.