Jeff Vandermeer

“My mother is an artist, and I have a strong visual sense. I almost always choose the cover art for my books. I've learned that the more I collaborate, like by having someone do a soundtrack to one of my books, the more I see my own work differently.”

“Film fixes a precise visual image in the viewer's head. In fiction, you just hope you're precise enough to convey the intended effect.”

“There are a lot of human-created systems that we like to tout as being logical that are actually riddled with illogic. And then, on the other hand, we have all these natural systems that are not conscious, but they are logical, and they work really well.”

“'Borne,' in a weird way, even though it's a totally different universe, picks up where the 'Southern Reach Trilogy' leaves off, because it's post-apocalyptic.”

“I always try to be alert to the potential for repetition, for a decaying orbit with regard to my use of technique, etc.”

“History has shown us all too often the consequences of dreaming poorly or not at all.”

“My best time to write is right after coffee and breakfast - four eggs - because, full disclosure, I'm really a komodo dragon - and that's because then I'm energized but not so awake that the critical voice clicks on, the voice that sometimes says, 'Don't write that,' or, 'Man, that sentence is terrible - you should give up and go pet the cats.'”

“The music I listen to while writing is really scene-specific. It's just a great motivator, a way to put myself in the mood.”

“Every day, I get up, and I fill the bird feeders and put out fruit and other food for both the birds and any passing mammals. Is that pointless long-term? I have no idea. All I know is that on this day, in this moment, it makes a difference.”

“I do believe very much in the idea of unexpected or 'convulsive' beauty - beauty in the service of liberty.”

“Cross-pollination and 'contamination' is really important to the health of fiction, and sometimes it's a literal conversation, too, in that writers who might never otherwise meet and talk do so because of our anthologies.”

“There are some beautiful creatures in the ocean that seem very alien at the same time.”

“My mom was a biological illustrator for a time before computers replaced that job.”

“An important reason that we're in the trouble we are in with climate change is that we don't have a handle on our environment. We form public policy based on information that is wrong.”

“I'm fairly skeptical of movements, organizations, and institutions in general.”

“Trump lays bare a lot of things already wrong with our society. But he also accelerates the process of it becoming worse, when it could be getting better.”

“I'm a huge fan of science fiction, horror, and fantasy films.”

“South Florida, Central Florida, and North Florida could never be mistaken for each other. Each has its quirks and attractions.”

“I have always tended toward a lush prose style, but I take care to modulate it from story to story and to strip it down entirely when necessary.”

“I like North Florida because it's much wilder than the rest of the state.”