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This was a mini-interview conducted by E-mail on May 8, 2001 by Gary W. Conner. My short story "Fallen Angel" had just been named a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award -- my first nomination for this prestigious award!

Gary W. Conner: A Stoker nomination. What's that feel like and how does it honor your work?

Robert J. Sawyer: I feel absolutely thrilled! Although I'm usually thought of as a hard science-fiction writer, I've been writing horror for years, but never often enough to show up on most people's dark-fantasy radar. I've had stories I'm very proud of in the anthologies Be Afraid!, Dante's Disciples, Dark Destiny III: Children of Dracula, Northern Horror, and Urban Nightmares, but this one, for Strange Attraction, is the best of the lot, and I'm delighted that it has garnered some attention.

Gary W. Conner: How does "Fallen Angel" fit into the body of work that says: "This was clearly written by Robert J. Sawyer"?

Robert J. Sawyer: Interesting question! In my science fiction, I always try to combine a cosmic element and a very human story; in "Fallen Angel," I've tried to mix the supernatural and the very human. In that sense, it's an RJS story.

Gary W. Conner: And if you were choosing, what would consider your best work to date and why?

Robert J. Sawyer: My best horror story? The one I'm nominated for, "Fallen Angel." My best story, period? "The Shoulders of Giants," from the DAW anthology Star Colonies. My best novel? Calculating God, which is a current Hugo Award finalist.

Gary W. Conner: What's next on Robert Sawyer's plate that you're excited about?

Robert J. Sawyer: I'm doing a trilogy about modern-day Neanderthals for Tor. I'm having an absolute blast writing that.

Gary W. Conner: So where will the little brown house go if it comes home with you?

Robert J. Sawyer: Well, I guess right next to my Nebula Award -- but that wouldn't be in the living room; that's a bit ostentatious. I keep the Nebula on a bookshelf in my office. Those two trophies -- the Nebula and the Bram Stoker really are the two best-looking writing awards I've ever seen.

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