Please introduce yourself and tell us about your background as a writer.
Hi, I'm Rose Strickman! I've written speculative fiction since the age of seven and published short stories and novellas since 2015. I love steampunk, anthropological sci-fi, horror and non-Western-based settings.

What are the most prominent influences on your writing? How do you incorporate those influences without being derivative?
Some of the most prominent influences on my writing are authors such as Marie Brennan, Diana Wynne Jones and Ursula K. Le Guin. I love how they mix speculation and realism into a harmonious whole. I try not to be derivative by applying these principles to my own speculative worlds and ideas. What are the logical consequences of this one thing being different? I also greatly enjoy mythology and folklore of all kinds, and love to apply it to my own writing.

With self-publishing easier than ever, there are tons of books being released every day. What makes your work stand out from the crowd? What can readers get out of your work that they can’t from anyone else?
One thing readers can get from my work is the application of logic to extraordinary settings or circumstances. For example, in my Drowned World novellas available on Amazon, I posit climate change completely altering the world and destroying the old civilization, and the rise of a new species of human, the Sea People. How do they survive in this post-apocalyptic world? How do they order their society? What religious beliefs do they hold? What does the family look like? I've tried to answer these questions as realistically and logically as possible while still being compassionate to my readers and characters (and yes, you as a writer can be compassionate or cruel to both your readers and your characters!).

Many authors say marketing is one of their biggest challenges. What tactics have you found to be most effective for getting your name out there?
(Cough, cough.) I'm not great at (cough) marketing myself! One strategy I've found useful is taking every opportunity the editor or publisher provides to give interviews or answer questions. I've also run Amazon ad campaigns and hired third parties to get the word out. Posting on social media never hurts either!

How much do your audience’s expectations factor in to what you write? Does this ever cause you to hold back from experimenting?
Hmm, interesting question! I suppose I write both with and against readers' expectations. Some of my stories adhere to established and traditional plotlines--the hero's journey, the fairy tale--while in others I try to challenge expectations. People reading my Drowned World novellas might expect a dystopia, but I made the conscious decision that, while the setting is post-apocalyptic, the plot is not dystopian. I wanted to explore how my characters might live and even thrive in such a setting, their joys as well as their miseries, without romanticizing their struggles. I also try to explore unusual settings whenever possible, especially non-Western-based ones. I strongly feel there is not enough diversity in fantasy, and while that is changing, we still have a long way to go.

Have you had any new stories published recently? Are you currently working on any?
I've had a few short stories published recently, most notably “Snow Fox and Ice Witch” in the anthology Die By the Sword and “The Rite of Spring” in the anthology Still of Winter. I'm also currently working on a short story based on the life of Enheduana, the world's first known named author. Also, I'm working on a novella based on The Iliad, set in a world where members of the sapient race are immortal...unless they are killed. And everyone is, eventually. I'm having fun exploring their society!

Name one newer and one older book you have read and enjoyed recently. (“Newer” meaning from the past year or so, and “older” meaning written before 1980.)
Of all really older books, I love The Hobbit the best. I still think it's one of Tolkien's greatest works. One newer book I've enjoyed recently is My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron. It's a marvelously eerie remix of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that addresses some very valid social issues about race and sexual orientation, both in the Victorian period and today.

Any final words?
The most important part of writing is to have fun. Commercial success is wonderful, but if you're not having fun, then there's no point to writing. Always follow your heart when writing--and reading too!