Andy Siege is an author, filmmaker, and screenwriter born in 1985 in Nairobi, Kenya, to German aid workers. His multicultural background, growing up between Africa and Europe, has infused his work with richness and authenticity. Siege is openly bisexual and lives with paranoid schizophrenia, drawing inspiration from his personal struggles to create imaginative and powerful works of fiction.
Siege’s literary career includes publishing 11 novels/novellas, with his Divergency series garnering acclaim for its vivid world-building, complex characters, and unapologetic exploration of LGBTQ+ themes. His previous work as a film director, including the award-winning “Beti and Amare,” has honed his storytelling skills. Siege holds a Master’s degree in Contemporary European Politics from the University of Bath and has studied Creative Writing and Film in Canada. His unique perspective and masterful command of the written word have positioned him as a revolutionary new voice in literature.
You can find Andy on Facebook and Instagram.
The Hewmen tribe is steeped in tradition and rigid gender roles. Among them is Aristotle, a brilliant young thinker whose intellect and curiosity set him apart. But Aristotle harbors a profound secret: he feels like a woman in his heart, yearning to break the chains of societal expectations and embrace his true identity.
The fragile equilibrium of the world is shattered when a meteor explodes in the sky, leaving a rift in the clouds and unleashing a devastating cascade of climate chaos. Temperatures plummet, ecosystems falter, and the once-thriving landscapes of the Hewmen’s territory begin to wither. With nature in disarray and the tribe’s survival at risk, Aristotle finds herself faced with an immense challenge.
As the world spirals into an environmental crisis, Aristotle realizes that the key to restoring balance lies not only in the science of ecology but also in her own journey of self-discovery. She embarks on a quest to create a new biological harmony that can withstand the world’s chaotic shifts. She navigates the treacherous wastelands confronting hostile creatures and her own deep-seated beliefs.
Biopunk: Aristotle will be available on January 18!
When did you realize you wanted to be an author? I knew I wanted to be an author ever since I was a small child. When I was four years old, whenever someone asked I would say “Author, Director, and Cowboy.” Well so far I’ve been a director and an author, but have yet to fulfil my dream of becoming a cowboy.
Do you have a set writing schedule? I usually write 500 words in the morning, and 500 words in the afternoon. This depends on the specific book I’m working on though. Sometimes I write faster, and sometimes slower.
Where do your story ideas come from? I definitely credit my schizophrenia for my creativity. You see, instead of focusing on my paranoid delusions, writing allows me to focus that same energy on my stories.
What else do you enjoy besides writing? I enjoy going to café’s with friends, having coffee and talking. That’s my favorite pastime besides writing.
Do you have a favorite book/story that you’ve written? I love most of my books, but my very first one called “Love People” has a special place in my heart. I wrote it while I was in the psych ward, and it’s as crazy as stories get.
If you weren’t an author, what other career would you want? If I weren’t an author I’d want to be a cowboy.
What comes first: plot or character? It really depends on what kind of story I’m writing. Plotting comes quite naturally to me, but I love love love getting deep into a character’s perspective. Yeah, it depends.
How do you feel when you finish a story? At first I feel elated for a couple of days, but then I fall into a kind of depression which I can only get out of by starting a new book.
How much worldbuilding do you do? When I’m writing hard scifi like the Biopunk trilogy, I do a lot of worldbuilding. I always make sure to keep it relevant for the lived experience of my audience though.
Do you write with music or background noise? I write with classical piano music in the background. I particularly like Chopin because his pieces are relaxing. I can’t listen to anything with lyrics or lots of excitement, because that takes me out of what I’m working on.
Do you have a favorite genre for reading and writing? I write Queer Scifi almost exclusively. I have been reading a lot of Horror recently though, and am thinking of writing Queer Horror next.
Where can your readers find you online? Facebook and Instagram
What do you have in the works now? I’m working on a Queer Scifi Horror called “Ruan’s Ink” at the moment and I’m really happy with the progress.
EXCERPT:
I’m hiding behind a redrock, stalking a male greendeer. The majestic animal is eating fruit from the lowest branches of a rainbowtree. The buck has large antlers, which means that I’m allowed to kill it. Fawns and females are taboo. They are not to be hunted, because we need them to keep the balance. The balance is what my tribe calls our functioning ekosystem. To keep the ekosystem functioning, there are certain rules. For example, you may never cut down a rainbowtree, and you should never eat a leppert.
I’m not a very decent hunter. I just can’t bring myself to kill a living thing. The elders say that greendeer have no souls like people do, but I’m not sure. I think I recognize a luster in the buck’s big eyes, an enjoyment as it chews the rainbowfruit. I figure that if a creature can enjoy things, then it can also suffer, and I don’t want to cause suffering. But hunting is my only chance to prove my manliness to the village. So, what should I do? If a man doesn’t hunt, then is he even a man?
I tighten my grip on the spear and imagine throwing it. In my mind’s eye I see the projectile flying towards the buck, then slamming into the poor creature’s flank. I imagine the animal collapsing, green blood flowing from its mouth. In theory, killing a greendeer is easy. The species isn’t built very complexly. Like most animals in the blueforest, greendeer have only a heart, a stomach, and gears instead of bones. The spear doesn’t even have to hit the animal’s heart. If you smash one gear anywhere, the others stop rotating, so the deer freezes up.
I can’t bring myself to kill the gorgeous animal though. So, I sigh, not caring if the buck hears me. The creature senses my presence, swivels its emerald crown in my direction, sniffs the air, then hops off. I watch the green creature escape through the blue undergrowth for as long as I can, until it is swallowed up by the blueness.
I assume you’ve never seen a blueforest, so I’ll tell you what it’s like. The leaves, branches and tree trunks are a million, billion shades of blue. There is bluemoss growing on the southside of every tree. Blueferns and blueroses make up the undergrowth. Rainbowtrees are also mostly blue, except for the fruits, which are all the colors and flavors you can think of. The yellowfruit is sour, the red one is sweet, the green one is spicy. Rainbowfruit is plump with ridges on the sides, made to fit perfectly into an adult Hewmen hand.
The elders say that the ekosystem was engineered by our fourfathers. They say that it was constructed with technology that no longer exists. Apparently, the blueforest was made specifically so that Hewmen could survive in it. That’s why the ekosystem is so perfect, so balanced. Everything has its place, except for me. I feel like some sort of biological anomaly. I don’t want to talk about what I mean by that yet. Maybe I’ll get back to it and tell you later. I’m embarrassed of the truth. Anyway, all you have to know for now is that I’m different from other people.
