Matthew Kressel Seeds Sci-Fi Optimism in The Rainseekers

In this episode of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory, host Mookie Spitz sits down with the prolific and acclaimed science fiction author Matthew Kressel to dissect his new novella Rainseekers, a deeply human, quietly radical novella about hope, grief, and collective endurance on a terraformed Mars.Matthew talks candidly about writing against the scifi default dystopia. Set centuries in the future, Rainseekers follows forty-six flawed, damaged, searching people trekking across Mars to witness the first rainfall on the planet in millions of years. Their odyssey forgoes triumphalist sci-fi spectacle for a very human and deeply personal mosaic of addiction, faith, regret, resilience, and purpose.The conversation goes far beyond plot as Mookie and Matthew share:Why optimism in science fiction now feels subversiveHow COVID, grief, and isolation reshaped his creative instinctsThe danger of replacing lived experience with mediated “content”Why Mars itself becomes an antagonist—not corporations or villainsHow strong, sassy female protagonists emerge from empathy and Matthew's own family experiencesThe long game of writing: discipline over inspiration, patience over hypeThey also dive into the realities of being a modern working writer: traditional vs. indie publishing and Matthews brilliant and effective hybrid, how to find a terrific agent and steer contracts, participate in writing groups, deal with and embrace rejection, live a life of relentless persistence, and why many people self-sabotage by waiting to feel “ready" while isolating themselves. The GuestMatthew Kressel is an American science fiction and fantasy writer, software developer, and editor. He’s a three-time Nebula Award finalist, a World Fantasy Award finalist, and a Eugie Foster Memorial Award finalist for his fiction and editorial work. His short stories have appeared in major genre venues and been translated into multiple languages, and he’s published over seventy short stories, multiple novels including King of Shards and Space Trucker Jess, plus a short fiction collection.Beyond writing, Kressel created the Moksha submissions system, a platform used by many top speculative fiction publishers, and co-hosts the long-running Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading series in New York City.Matthew's Website & Oeuvrehttps://www.matthewkressel.net/Want to be on the show? Have feedback? Send Mookie a text!Support the show