Interview with Genevieve Hilton - Co-Author of "Fairhaven - A novel of climate optimism".

The novel "Fairhaven", co-authored by Steve Willis and Genevieve Hilton touches upon the very important theme of climate change and our planet's future and the solutions required to make a positive impact. The book's story follows the trials and tribulations of a group of individuals including Grace Chan from Penang in Malaysia as they navigate the challenge of climate change. The Future Proof Hub are delighted to welcome its co-author Genevieve Hilton to discuss this book.

What has inspired you to write on the theme of "climate fiction"?

Although I principally have been a science fiction writer, I am familiar with climate science because of my work in corporate sustainability, and climate projects are Steve's daily work. Given our current situation, it is impossible to write about the near future without incorporating the impact of climate change. At the same time, it's important to appreciate the impact that popular film and fiction can have on popular attitudes - books, TV shows, and movies have changed history many times in the past. Our fiction is part of a newly-emerging genre, climate fiction ("cli fi") that aims to raise awareness and create a call to action on climate through the medium of storytelling.

Why is the book co-author written by "Jan Lee"?

I started using a pen name for my fiction writing when I started publishing in the 2010s, in order to keep it separate from my professional life. I use the name Jan Lee because it's ambiguous (male or female? English or Chinese or ...?) and thus resists preconceptions about the author.

What was the inspiration behind the main character? Did personal experience affect or influence the storyline of the book?

Grace Chan is a kind of "everywoman", because we want readers to see themselves in her. Many of the professional aspects are based on Steve's own experience. The personal aspects of Grace's life are invented, although we hope they ring true.

The book presents a number of solutions - what was your process in researching these and including them in a way that makes it interesting for people to read?

These are all real solutions, but not currently being deployed at the scale portrayed in the book. For example, there are now four teams in the Arctic working on re-freezing projects, but much smaller than the one Kenji is working on. Steve was able to provide extensive technical detail through his professional background, while we worked on the storylines together.

Co-authoring a book must be challenging. How were you both able to work together remotely to produce this? How long from start to finish did this project take to fruition?

We first connected in April 2023 via LinkedIn. We wrote a short story together first, which formed the basis for some chapters of Fairhaven. Using this, along with some material that Steve produced during the pandemic, we put together the completed book in time to present a preview at COP28 in November and then launched it properly in March 2024 at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival. Because we both spent many years working at multinational companies, we're very accustomed to working with remote teams on collaborative projects. We meet (roughly) weekly via Google Meet, and we have two very long WhatsApp chats.

If there is one main takeaway or key message from the book, what would that be and why?

There is a role for everyone in addressing climate change - and we aim to showcase a vision of a future where we have been successful in doing so.

If there is one thing you could change about this book (if you were writing it now with hindsight), what would that be?

In the first edition of the book, we did a lot of skipping around in time, which was confusing to early readers. We changed that for the second and later editions. 

If you were asked how young people today can best educate themselves, or "future proof" their knowledge on climate change, solutions, and actions that can be taken both as an individual or as an organisation, how would you respond?

First: Be intentional about your sources of information, both in terms of what you consume and what you share. If you see a piece of information cited online, click through to find the primary source. Second: Look at your own role, as a student, as a consumer, as a family member, as a voter, as a worker, etc. Where is your sphere of influence? Are there actions in your household, your school, or workplace that you can take?

Any recommended resources/books/websites that you would recommend young people to read about or follow to learn more about this very important topic?

The online magazines Grist.org and Earth.org are good sources of regular environmental news. Bloomberg Green and Eco-Business provide environmental and business news. A practical source for looking at individual action (somewhat UK focused) is the book The Joyful Environmentalist. 

What can we expect from the new book "Defying Futility - The Fairhaven Stories"?

Defying Futility is a standalone book consisting of 16 short stories about real historical disasters, showing how they might have gone differently. They are explicitly linked to the biggest looming disaster of our time, climate change, and they show how actions we take now can change history. You can read more here.