The first thing you have to know is that I am comprised of 50% bullsh*t, 25% snappy patter, 10% coffee and an additional 15% pop culture. In fact, take everything in this list with a grain of salt, it’s just safer that way.
Kimberly Unger, The Extractionist
The second thing is that I’m not a purist. I find a way to enjoy adaptations, reboots, new imaginings, cross media translations… When I was younger I looked at the world through a different lens. I was very prescriptive about things “not being like the book”. Over time, I found it closed the door on my favorite things, relegated them to something that was doomed to fade and die. Over time, it’s become fascinating to me to watch how each new version of a thing teases out downplayed elements from the original and recasts them for a newer audience.
The third is that I try not to do self inserts in my work. Every time a blonde character pops up in my fiction, or my game designs, somebody asks, “is this you?” but that’s never the case. There might be a piece of me here or there so that I can add authenticity by referencing the crunch of a Palmier or the temperature in the server room, but that’s world texture. Better to look at it that way, I don’t plug myself in as a character, but the most authentic bits of the worldbuilding are usually where “me” pops up.
The fourth would be that I consume a lot of media. I have an input/output ratio that has to be maintained if I’m going to create things. This means I am a huge fan of comic books, movies, other authors novels, television shows, streaming service binge watching, etc. And it’s only very loosely tied to any specific genre. I’ve spent a year consuming nothing but detective fiction and another where high fantasy was the only thing that made my brain happy. And then there was that deep dive into theatrical showtunes that still seems to come back around every few years. A wander through my media library would probably give the average person whiplash.
Five is that I really enjoy public speaking. I know it directly clashes with my introvert self, but I’m a huge fan of being on panels and giving lectures and sharing the weird details that I know. It’s probably partly in hopes that I will find more broad-scope nerds like myself.
Six always seems to weird other writers out. My first draft is usually written in 15 minute increments. It’s not that precise, it’s not like I set a timer. But I have a fairly full life, so my writing almost always happens in those carveouts when I am waiting to pick somebody up from sports practice or standing in line at the DMV or some other lull in the forward flow of my day-to-day tasks.
Seventh… last but not least, I am a solar powered being. I am happiest when the temperature is above 80° and in fact my fastest, most effective writing happens in those warmer months. I save winter for editing and introspection.
About the book
In her breakout technothriller, virtual reality expert Kimberly Unger has created the iconic, badass, cyberpunk heroine that we need: Eliza McKay. McKay is a disgraced underground hacker who is just trying to take back her career one dangerous job at a time. But when her latest contract throws her into the middle of a corporate power struggle, she finds herself fighting for her life in both the real and digital worlds.
