Meet Naomi Lane

Please tell us about your current line of work and how you got started in it.

I’m a retired French and special education teacher who has already self-published six books. I’m currently writing  the third book of my sci-if / romance trilogy called 1984: The Climate Chronicles. Book One came out this past summer and is called Deep Dive. It is about a young woman called Misha who is an engineer and scuba diver. She falls in love with a fellow engineer called Zane and together they make a discovery with carbon capture potential. Book Two is called Concrete Solutions, and it released on Nov 28th. https://a.co/d/ikQfJTj Book Three should be ready in spring of next year.

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Do you have any mentors or sources of inspiration?

I am inspired by the climate change crisis and how human ingenuity can use science as a way to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. I follow a website called Positive News. It details all kinds of new scientific discoveries that are improving the planet. I try to avoid the toxic news cycle, as it’s too depressing right now. It’s healthier for me to focus on what we can accomplish, rather than living in a state of despair. There are amazing things being done to counter our destructive impact on the planet. We just don’t hear about them in the mainstream news.

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What parts of your work do you enjoy most? Why?

I love starting a new book; that initial rush I get when the ideas start flowing. (I also like semi-colons, unlike most writers.) I tend to be a “pantster”, not a “plotter”, so I let the story take me where it wants to go and then revise when I’m done. My new trilogy is my first foray into science fiction. I started reading some of the heavy hitters of sci-fi about a year ago and have been really enjoying how they open up your mind to new possibilities. The world I am creating now is in the near future, only sixty years ahead, so it’s not too hard to imagine.

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I also like touching on current geo-political issues for my setting, such as the war in Ukraine. I enjoy stopping to do research as I write because I love learning new things. When you include science in your stories, you have to know what you’re talking about to make it ring true.

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What are your favorite things to do when you have free time?

I love nature walks, yoga, singing in a four-part harmony-choir, and painting with acrylics.

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I recently moved to Vancouver Island, where I had to make a new group of friends, so I joined several local groups for pickleball, book club, painting, mental health awareness, etc. 

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I believe if you want to be active and engage with others, you have to make an effort to sign up for things that are slightly outside your comfort zone. This year I have taken up golf with my husband, and it is kicking my ass! This is the hardest sport I’ve ever tried, but I’m determined to master it enough to play on a real course.

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Are there any dream projects you'd like to pursue?

My dream project would be to collaborate on a crime drama with my husband, who also likes to write. This is our favourite genre of television, and we especially love the Scandinavian crime dramas, which are super dark. Something about the harsh climate of the North and the literal darkness of winter must bring this out. I would love to put up a giant cork board and plot out the crime, suspects, intervening drama, and resolution. This would be so much fun!

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How can we learn more about you?

My handle on X, Insta, Bluesky, and Threads is @namaferd. I also have a bi-weekly blog called the Friday Blog. My website is naomiplane.com and a Facebook page called The Friday Blog by Naomi P Lane.