From: Shereta
The topics you intend to explore for your next story sound very interesting. I would slightly disagree with your description of love causing decision making to become subordinate to hormones, though biologically that may seem accurate. However, holistically it’s more a matter of one type of decision making – one on a higher plane of consciousness taking over. I have read all of your novels (minus the memoir) and have enjoyed them all tremendously. I am very intrigued by the change and growth that occurs with your characters especially in light of your own views on spirituality – I am assuming from various interviews that you are atheist. I wouldn’t describe myself as atheist although I certainly do not subscribe to any established religions. I am a graduate of MIT so I clearly have a high appreciation for science and reason, but I have also (through various life experiences) have come to appreciate more esoteric knowledge. I believe that love is a great paradox and that to know it’s true meaning is to know your true self and to know God (or what’s been labeled as such and mistaken as so many other things). I guess I don’t really have a question per se, I just wanted to share that with you and thank you for your body of work. I also happen to live Atlanta (one of the few actually born and raised here) so your descriptions of the city in The Blue Place were also very enjoyable. It’s always interesting to see familiar things through the eyes of others and discover them all over again.
Happy writing with the new story.
If you’re looking for a label I’m more of an agnostic than an atheist. I’ve never bothered to spend time figuring out exactly what I do and don’t believe–though if I had to pick a religion I’d go for Science. Frankly, I think god is in our biochemistry. Belief in god probably stems from evolving as prey animals.
Love and decision-making. Eh. I think the full, first flush of love drives us insane. (Believe me, I’ve been there. Three times.) In a good way. But a screenplay I want to write will explore what happens if the person in love has the fate of the world resting on their shoulders. Should be fun (twirls evil mustachios…).
I am having fun writing this story. I’m still not sure if it’ll work. So much depends on being able to blend eroticism with tricky POV stuff (without it looking in any way tricky). I think this might be the first time I’ve written a keep-a secret-from-the-protagonist story. It’s cool to still have things to learn.
Nicola Griffith 
I've always– a) been of the opinion that love CAN be disconnected from chemistry– or at least, hormonal chemistry. I think Love & Hate are the only things you CAN do without falling prey to psychology.
b) Said that the best religious movie is 2001.
The first experience we have of love is as little children. That experience is before speech and certainly before reason. It is profound and affects any other love we experience thereafter. Therefore I endorse your view that when we’re first in love, we are insane. It’s just not an organized controlled experience.
I’ve talked about this before on here. We are chemical beings. We cannot escape the fact that love is tied in with our chemical nature. What I’ve been wondering about lately is how this changes for us later in life as our hormonal balance begins to shift (yes that is happening to me). Are we less influenced by the chemical aspects of love, lust/sex? Does love become in some way more pure because of that? Do we experience less of it? At least fewer new instances of love because of fewer hormones?
I wonder if the love we experience as children is the same we experience with people we want to bone. The fact that we use the same word for different experiences doesn’t mean they’re the same experience, or work the same way. And pre-speech, pre-reason do not equal insane.
No, but they do equal the unconscious mind.
People we want to bone… didn’t expect that phrase ;) Anyway, I agree with Pro Reader. Familial love and passionate (want to bone) love are quite different. At least they are for me, I certainly can’t speak for all of humanity on this score. The one has hopefully been in place your whole life and the other is a leap of faith off a cliff of hormones. With luck the object of your affection is a jumper too. I do believe that for most there is a biological imperative to seek a mate that for whatever reasons you feel deeply and enduringly passionate about.
Maybe I misunderstood Barabara’s commment, but she never said that familial and romantic/passionate/lustful love are the same. She said that those very early experiences with love affect later experiences. Seems valid to me.
I think the lack of what might be termed ‘sane’ behavior when ‘falling in love’ has a lot to do with the chemical thing.
Jennifer D, thank you. Exactly. And anyone(male or female) who doesn’t think those early experiences of love don’t affect whom we “bone” is sadly mistaken. It’s just very indirect. That’s the way brain chemicals and the unconscious work.
Barbara, you may very well be right. I just feel less comfortable making sweeping statements about what impacts everyone, no matter what. Especially with the unconscious, and later, the subconscious.
That’s why it’s called the unconscious. I plead guilty to making sweeping statements. It’s just my conversational style.