Nerd Culture
At no point did either of us imagine that this book would
speak to all people who identify as nerds or geeks. It was never intended that
way, as that’s just as simplistic as labeling someone those things in derision.
However, we did want to embrace the things we love – and we know many others
do.
Pete: I don’t label myself as a nerd or geek. I just like the
things I like and many of those things are considered nerdy or geeky. As a
general rule, labeling is pretty stupid. Isn’t it ironic that I just labeled
the label? Anyway. I’ve gotten a great deal of feedback for this book.
A lot of
people have said they love the references and that we are connected to nerd
culture, which is great. Some people say the characters are fake, posers,
stereotypes, etc. Also that there is no mention of Doctor Who. By default, these comments reflect on us as the
authors. So I would say it’s difficult for me to be a poser when I don’t know
what I am supposed to be posing as. What I wanted to do was write a fun and
entertaining book that included the things I love and a number of “Easter eggs”
for fans of similar things, because I love finding those myself when I’m
reading. I love feeling like, “Ah ha – I get that and I bet other people
won’t.” As far as the lack of Doctor Who,
I just started watching it six months ago, so I would have actually been a
poser had I included it in the book. Since I was not yet watching it. However,
having now watched the first six seasons, I’m quite a fan and will be cramming Doctor Who into something with much
glee.
Sarah: Personally, that’s what annoys me most when someone says
that it’s indicative of all geeks or fake geeks. In my experience, being a nerd
was never cool. It was not something you could embrace when I was a kid and in
school. I used to have to turn over my papers and tests and pretend I failed if
I didn’t want to be harassed by other kids. I was embarrassed that my parents
were at every event and that my teachers all liked me. I had no friends.
But I
had games and books and movies. I never knew how to be normal or to fit in
because I wasn’t welcome and that led me to being a lot like Katie. I couldn’t
identify with others, so I was able to embrace what I loved honestly. Now,
being nerdy is cool. That’s both good and bad, I guess. It’s nice being able to
find more people who love what you do, but it’s also resulted in this kind of
hipster, “I was a nerd first” philosophy. That’s dumb. Having been the loser, I
don’t know why I would ostracize anyone who likes what I like. Yay. That’s just
someone else I can talk to about Firefly.
Pete: I think it’s strange this “I’m cooler than you because
I’m nerdier than you” idea that crops up, as it is contrast to, well, history.
It also reminds me of a similar situation to my college experience. You were
only cool if you could name thirty bands no one else had ever heard of and
that’s kind of like the fandom fights. If I can’t speak Dothraki, I’m a loser.
This never made sense to me. If you know of something that’s really awesome,
and I haven’t heard of it, instead of looking down on me for not knowing about
it, how about you tell me about it – and we can enjoy it together?
Sarah: Exactly. Nothing makes me happier than finding out
someone has read a book I love that is maybe not popular or has seen a movie or
something I watch on repeat. I’m one of those people who feels like I want to
spread the love of something, not limit it to only select people. There are so
many great lessons in Harry Potter and
Doctor Who and Star Wars and Final Fantasy and
all these things – why would I feel entitled to keep them locked away from
people?
Backward Compatible
Sarah Daltry and Pete Clark
Genre: Geek Romance
Book Description:
Not too long ago,
in a town that,
depending on your current location,
is either not super far
or actually quite close…
It is a time of chaotic hormones.
Two nerdy gents
home for winter break
have discovered a female gamer
at a midnight release.
During the break,
the gamer trio manages
to reveal the game’s secret boss,
a hidden enemy
with enough power to destroy
anything in its path.
Pursued by other gamers
who want to be the first
to beat this boss,
George and Katie race to level up,
and, in so doing, restore decency
and sexual activity to their personal galaxy…
About the Authors:
Sarah Daltry:
Sarah Daltry writes about the regular people who populate our lives. She's written works in various genres - romance, erotica, fantasy, horror. Genre isn't as important as telling a story about people and how their lives unfold. Sarah tends to focus on YA/NA characters but she's been known to shake it up. Most of her stories are about relationships - romantic, familial, friendly - because love and empathy are the foundation of life. It doesn't matter if the story is set in contemporary NY, historical Britain, or a fantasy world in the future - human beings are most interesting in the ways they interact with others. This is the principle behind all of Sarah's stories.
Sarah has spent most of her life in school, from her BA and MA in English and writing to teaching both at the high school and college level. She also loves studying art history and really anything because learning is fun.
When Sarah isn't writing, she tends to waste a lot of time checking Facebook for pictures of cats, shooting virtual zombies, and simply staring out the window.
She has written several books, most notably Bitter Fruits, an urban fantasy in the Eden’s Fall series, and the six-part New Adult contemporary Flowering series. Her most recent release is Primordial Dust, a YA fantasy.
Pete Clark:
Pete Clark likes writing, animals, potato chips, and cheese. Midnight Riders was his first published novel, although he can also proudly say he finally finished Helix Crashing, the fantasy novel he has been working on for over a decade. In addition, he has written Across the Barren Landscape, a collection of linked Western short stories, and Tales from Midnight’s Graveyard, a collection of non-linked horror, science fiction, and fantasy stories. He also writes plays, both dramatic and comedic.
When he is not writing, Pete tends to ignore everyone around him and obsess over sports.
Sarah’s Website: http://sarahdaltry.com
Pete’s Website: http://punchmyselfintheface.wordpress.com
Sarah’s Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorSarahDaltry
Pete’s Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PeteClarkAuthor
Sarah’s Twitter: http://twitter.com/SarahDaltry
Pete’s Twitter: http://twitter.com/PeteClarkBooks
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