Blog interview no. 37 with multi-genre author / tutor Nancy Dodd

Welcome to the thirty-seventh of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, directors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. Today’s is with multi-genre author Nancy Dodd. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate the author further. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here.

Morgen: Hi, Nancy. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer.

Nancy: As a child, I was always imagining stories. I found that my stories were good entertainment for me, but I didn’t actually start writing them down until junior high or high school.

Morgen: Still about 25 years earlier than me. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Nancy: I write in many forms—plays, screenplays, short stories, novel-length manuscripts and some inspirational. I also write in several genres. My favourites would be action/adventure and some romance, some science fiction, some literary and coming of age.

Morgen: What have you had published to-date? How much of the marketing do you do?

Nancy: Just released is The Writer’s Compass: From Story Map to Finished Draft in 7 Stages. It’s about the creative writing process, using a story map to understand your story and more importantly what’s missing from your story, how to write more efficiently by organizing rewrites into 7 drafts, and how to develop your own “true north” in your writing to write the story you want to tell. It is based on 25 years and thousands of hours of studying writing, including two graduate degrees. I’m spending a significant amount of time marketing The Writer’s Compass to let other writers know about this resource. A couple of friends in the entertainment industry are currently working toward independently producing one of my screenplays about a minister whose son is murdered. And I’m working on a short story collection about the forgotten people that I want to put on eBooks. One of those, “The Bus Boy,” I’ve published as a free read at http://issuu.com/smudgedinkpress/docs. There are several other writing projects waiting for my time and attention.

Morgen: No rest for the very productive. Have you won or been shortlisted in any competitions and do you think they help with a writer’s success?

Nancy: I have received awards and been placed in several competitions. I think they help to give the writer credibility and confidence, but I don’t know if they help to get you published or produced. And entering competitions can become very expensive.

Morgen: Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

Nancy: I do have an agent, but we are only working together on one project. Some of my other projects do not fit what this agent represents. In the recent past an agent was vital, but with the internet and the economics of publishing today, there are so many ways to get your work out to the public that you don’t have to have an agent. I do believe that having an agent and a traditional publisher makes it easier to get your work sold and distributed more widely. You have to be very entrepreneurial to self-publish. But whether you use a traditional publisher or self-publish, you still have to do a lot of marketing and self-promotion.

Morgen: Are your books available as eBooks? If so what was your experience of that process? And do you read eBooks?

Nancy: Writer’s Digest will be publishing The Writer’s Compass in an eBook format. My plans are to put the series of short stories I mentioned earlier on eBooks to test that process in the next few weeks. Although I don’t currently read eBooks, mainly because I already spend so much time on the computer, I prefer to read printed books for leisure, I’m sure I will at some point.

Morgen: I’m heading in that direction. What was your first acceptance and is being accepted still a thrill?

Nancy: Years ago my first short story “Tiny Tears” was accepted by a small literary journal. It was a great thrill. When I was given the opportunity to read some of my short stories on public radio that was also very thrilling. However, I’d already been publishing articles before either of those happened, and I don’t even remember my first acceptance for those. Because I write in so many forms, it has felt like a first acceptance several times. Just getting this book accepted and published so quickly was very exciting. However, I never relax, I’m always looking to get the next project out there.

Morgen: I can tell. Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Nancy: About a trillion. I’ve dealt with them very badly.

Morgen: Oh dear.

Nancy: I got depressed and told myself I’d never write again. Then after a few days I’d realize that writing is a large part of who I am.

Morgen: Me too; about 99%. Fortunately I have a very supportive boss and understanding dog.

Nancy: I’d pray about whether to give it all up or keep going, and the answer always seemed to be to keep going. That’s one of the reasons I wrote this book, for people like me to whom writing and publishing has been a real struggle.

Morgen: What are you working on at the moment / next?

Nancy: Along with the series of short stories, I also have a feature-length screenplay about a minister whose son is murdered that has received several awards, which friends and I want to independently produce. And I have a play about an autistic child whose father keeps him in a cage that I’ve received excellent feedback about that I want to get produced.

Morgen: Yay! Do you manage to write every day? What’s the most you’ve written in a day?

Nancy: I don’t manage to write every day. I have a fulltime job as an academic editor, I teach screenwriting at a university one semester a year, and I have devotionals and my family, and I’m marketing The Writer’s Compass. I think it’s important to write every day, but I believe that is a continuing struggle for many writers. I would say I have easily spent 12 to 14 hours writing in a single stretch a few times, but I don’t often get that luxury. I once committed to spending 15 minutes a day writing and to meet that goal I’d sometimes be writing in my sleep. Some days the time turned into more hours, but at the end of two years, I had a rough draft of a 650-page manuscript. So committing even a small amount of time every day can make a difference in what you accomplish.

Morgen: Absolutely. 100 words a day is a short story a week. What is your opinion of writer’s block? Do you ever suffer from it? If so, how do you ‘cure’ it?

Nancy: My cure is “put your pen to the paper and push” eventually something will come out. My biggest problem is when I’m writing nonfiction, I can’t write creatively during that time and that seems to be true when I’m doing heavy editing on articles for the journal where I’m academic editor. The other problem is not creating a consistency in time and place. There is a whole theory about how long it takes to get into the writing mode and turn on the creativity, so writers have to learn how to make a place and time that gets them through that transition more quickly. It’s sort of like going to a job, you don’t always want to go, but you do so because it is a commitment and you need the income. With writing, because it takes so long sometimes to see the benefit, it is sometimes harder to justify and easier to put off. Deadlines are also a big motivator. My students have to write the first draft of a 90-page screenplay in one semester, which is an amazing amount of work. I teach them the first three stages from my book to give them the tools they need to do that. Sometimes they tell me they have writer’s block and can’t get past it, but as the semester weeks go by and they see that deadline coming, they usually snap out of their writer’s block.

Morgen: Good incentive. A deadline always works for me. Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Nancy: I write in many ways. Sometimes a word or a song or a visual gives me an idea and I start asking myself questions about what that means. While writing The Writer’s Compass, I came up with a great story title, but no story. In that case I started thinking about what that story could be about and so I’m doing more plotting. Basically, the main thing is to capture your ideas in some way until you have enough of them to write a draft. I like to capture them on 5×8 cards and then when I have a hand full of cards I organize them and do a story map. Other times I’ll create a story map as a way to plot the story and see what I already know.

Morgen: My goodness, you’re as organised as me. Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Nancy: I’m sure I do. Some things I’ve written were more personal fantasy or written to solve a personal problem, but not terribly interesting to others. I also have some things that I wrote in one format, but since discovered they might be more commercial or better told in another format. I have a great sitcom idea about a couple reconnecting years after a very bad breakup and what that means to their lives now. I love the series As Time Goes By, I guess this might be an American version.

Morgen: I love it too. I have one of the series on DVD; I love Judy Dench and Geoffrey Palmer (he and Wendy Craig were brilliant in ‘Butterflies’).

Nancy: I’ve always loved stories where people are pulled apart for whatever reason and then years later find each other again. For several reasons I’m not sure I could sell this as a TV series, so I may rewrite it into a novel, I’ve even thought of independently filming it as an internet series.

Morgen: Ooh, that sounds interesting. What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life?

Nancy: That I don’t have enough time to write and the constant guilt. I feel bad when I haven’t found time to write, and I feel bad when I spend blocks of time writing while everything else gets shuffled aside.

Morgen: I so know that feeling. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Nancy: First, write and write and write. Write good stuff and bad stuff and mediocre stuff. Second, never let anyone talk you into cutting anything from your story that you really care about—no matter how bad it is. Sometimes in that bad writing is the heart of the story you are trying to tell, you just haven’t figured out what that is or how to say it yet. If you keep working with it until you do, you may find it becomes the best part of your story.

Morgen: What do you like to read?

Nancy: Everything from the Bible to commercial fiction to history and biographies, with the exception of horror and pornography. Probably my top choices would be action/adventure, political intrigue, and spy thrillers. Because I don’t get a lot of time to read and I spend a lot of time commuting, I listen to audiobooks and get most of my reading done that way. I am reading a particularly bad book right now, but I keep reading it because I’m learning ways to give examples in my workshops of what doesn’t work.

Morgen: I love audiobooks. I’ve just finished Kazuo Ishiguro’s Nocturnes (five stories) and was really disappointed with the ending of the first one… then the second one… and them all. I love stories with strong endings and unfortunately they seem to be a weakness of his, although his novels may be different. Are there any writing-related websites and/or books that you find useful and would recommend?

Nancy: There is a huge list of books that I’ve learned from in the back of my book. There isn’t a particular website, I usually do a search and find various websites on various topics as I need them.

Morgen: In which country are you based and do you find this a help or hindrance with letting people know about your work?

Nancy: I’m in the United States in the Los Angeles, California area. There are lots of opportunities there, but also lots of competition. Because my book is sold around the world, I’m trying now to target some of my marketing on the internet to other geographical areas. The internet has made it a much smaller world.

Morgen: Hasn’t it just. Speaking of which, are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how invaluable do you find them?

Nancy: I think LinkedIn is a very useful professional networking source. I’m also on Facebook, but I consider that more for friends and family. I haven’t used Twitter, yet, although I know people who find it very effective.

Morgen: I do, although it’s very easy to become swamped in the ‘timeline’ tweets if you follow a lot of people. Great for

Nancy: I’m continuing to explore and expand social networking opportunities.

Morgen: Where can we find out about you and your work?

Nancy: I have a blog where I discuss writing and other topics and link to some of my films and stories at http://nancyellendodd.com. My website for The Writer’s Compass is http://thewriterscompass.com.

Morgen: Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

Nancy: I love teaching and The Writer’s Compass is a culmination of what I struggled to learn. It is full of tools to enhance a writer’s arsenal of tools. It can be used at all writing levels. By just reading the book, writers will learn new tools to enhance their writing; by answering some of the questions and doing some of the exercises, writers will find their skills improves; by using the book as a textbook and trying the suggestions, writers will find that they develop to a new level of writing.

Morgen: Thank you Nancy. That was great!

Nancy Ellen Dodd is a university instructor, and editor. She received her master’s in Professional Writing (MPW) from the University of Southern California with a concentration in dramatic writing/screenwriting and her MFA in playwriting at USC’s School of Theatre. Dodd currently teaches screenwriting at Pepperdine University to undergraduate and graduate students. Dodd has received numerous awards for her writing, which includes screenplays, plays, short stories, short films, and novel-length works, as well as inspirational writing. Some of her short stories have been read on public radio. She also studied writing with several successful, award-winning writers. Currently on faculty at the Graziadio School of Business at Pepperdine University, Dodd serves as academic editor of the Graziadio Business Review. She also produces and edits video and audio interviews for the journal. Dodd’s journalistic career includes publishing more than 130 articles in local and national publications including interviews with celebrities and business leaders.

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the questions. You complete them, I tweak them where appropriate (if necessary to reflect the blog ‘clean and light’ rating) and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.

 

Author interview no.36 with novelist and reviewer Erastes

Welcome to the thirty-sixth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, directors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. Today’s is with male:male historical novelist Erastes. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate the author further. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here.

Morgen: Hello, Erastes. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer.

Erastes: Hi!  Thank you for having me, Morgen.

Morgen: You can come again.

Erastes: I’m Erastes and I’ve been writing professionally since 2003. I discovered fanfiction in that year—believe it or not I had no idea such a thing existed…

Morgen: nor did I… ’til later than that.

Erastes: …and started writing a novel immediately. However, as much fun as I had writing it, I knew that I couldn’t do anything with it, so—although I continued with “fanfiction” for a few years more—I started to write an original novel, and Standish was born.

Morgen: What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Erastes: My main genre and what I’m best known for, is gay historical fiction. All of my longer works at least. I have dabbled with the paranormal, that is one novella of vampire fiction and a few of my short stories are science fiction, but all of my writing so far is about gay men.

Morgen: What have you had published to-date? How much of the marketing do you do?

Erastes: My novels so far are: Standish (Regency), Transgressions (English Civil War), Mere Mortals (Victorian) and novellas: Hard & Fast (Regency), Frost Fair (Regency) Tributary (1930s) and I have three more books coming out over the next year! I do a fair bit of marketing – I try and do as many blog tours as I can…

Morgen: blog tours… ooh, I like the sound of those.

Erastes: …and attend Yahoo Chats but living in the UK we don’t really have the same level of conferences and meetups etc. It’s so bad that we’ve had to start our own, which takes place next month. Plus, as my books are published in the USA, it’s difficult to get bookshops here to host signings, even though they are obtainable here, and are in fact in many bookshops. I don’t know how useful that would be anyway—my market is America, so I try and aim for there.

Morgen: Have you won or been shortlisted in any competitions and do you think they help with a writer’s success?

Erastes: Hmm. Hard to tell, really. I was lucky enough to be shortlisted for a Lambda Literary Award last year (the only one I’d entered) but didn’t win. I don’t think it made any difference to my sales of Transgressions, though. I think if you win the Orange Prize or the Booker it would—but then you’d probably already be successful enough to be entered for either of those!

Morgen: I think the 2010 winner Howard Jacobson was an exception rather than a rule. And the lovely Hilary Mantel before him (who I met on the ‘Beyond Black’ book tour).

Erastes: It’s probably an unpopular opinion, but I think the majority of the awards, particularly the online ones are for the authors rather than for the readers. I’d never bother for example to go and look at the IPPY or the EPIC winners to find my next good read.

Morgen: Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

Erastes: Getting an agent is HARD. It’s harder than getting published, particularly for genre fiction. Any half-decent writer can get published in gay romance, but you have to provide something different for an agent. First of all, the agent has got to think that he’s going to make money—which even for a midlist author’s 10-15% is pushing it. Or you’ve got to have a startling new idea, new approach, or a good take on the same old guff that’s already popular. I do have an agent, but it’s taken me since 2003 to get one. Obviously, having read as much advice and “how to get published” books and websites I thought that getting an agent was the first thing you did. But of course gay romance was pretty much “out there” in 2003—particularly gay historical romance. No one seemed to know what to do with a gay regency!  So, once I realised that I could sell stuff on my own, I decided to just do that, even though I never stopped searching for an agent.  I landed mine (Professor James Schiavone) last year and his criteria for new clients was (apart from him liking your work) that you already had a decent publishing history. I would definitely say: “Don’t stress getting an agent.” Work on your body of published works, or concentrate on getting published—but—in tandem—keep applying for agents as you go because the more of a fanbase you develop and a name you make, the more likely it is that an agent is going to look at your query.  They aren’t essential, particularly for genre fiction BUT they can oil the wheels. They can get access to publishers who won’t even open your query email, they have contacts in the film business and they—if they are any good—know everyone who needs knowing.

Morgen: It’s not what you know… Are your books available as eBooks? If so what was your experience of that process? And do you read eBooks?

Erastes: Most of my books are available as ebooks as well as in print—the technology has been developing since I started writing—when I first started up they were almost unknown: Torquere did their anthologies on CD for example, and my only claim to fame is that I turned down Ellora’s Cave for Standish to be their first gay romance because I didn’t want the book to be ebook only… I have very mixed views on the medium. I embrace it as a necessity but tear my hair out at the pirating. You only have to go to some sites such as demonoid to find absolutely anything you desire, you need never buy a book again, and you can’t tell me that’s a good thing. It’s all right for Jim Butcher to say “I don’t mind the pirates” because he’s earning hundreds of thousands if not more and if he loses say 10,000 copies to pirates, he won’t feel the loss of £10,000. But I look at the downloads of my books and there’s a mortgage payment I could have made, or the shopping for the week. It’s relative. I agree, not every pirated copy would have been a sale, but a fair proportion would have been, and that’s lost money for me and my publisher. As to ebook sales—well, I’ve been disappointed. I know for a fact—whenever I mention this online—that most people’s ebook sales outstrip their paper ones, but it’s very much the reverse for me. I have had two “ebook only” books so far and they’ve sold practically nothing—one book made $60 royalty in three years(!!) and the other hasn’t even repaid its measly advance. HOWEVER- I have another “ebook only” novella coming out with Carina Press next month (Muffled Drum—4^th July) so I hope that I’ll see a marked improvement there. I’ve just sold them a second novella, so I’m crossing my fingers that my ebook curse will be well and truly lifted.

Morgen: Me too!

Erastes: I do, however, buy and read ebooks. Aleksandr Voinov recently treated me to a Kindle (bless him) because of the huge to be read pile I had for Speak Its Name (my gay historical review site) and it’s really been a boon. I’ve only had it a few months but it’s already filling up! The free books at Amazon are great!

Morgen: Presumably no-one bothers pirating those. What was your first acceptance and is being accepted still a thrill?

Erastes: My very first sale was with Torquere Press—and a short story called Bright Souls. I think I got $10 for it. It was a huge, huge thrill. Then I sold it again to a “Best Gay Erotica” anthology and got $40 for it and framed the cheque. Every single sale is a buzz, and I hope to God I never get blasé about it.  I read in a magazine years ago how one author mentioned in the article always celebrated a sale in the same way, so I do too, with nice fizzy Cava (I’m not earning enough for champagne!). I think it helps to keep a sense of celebration to do that.

Morgen: Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Erastes: LOL—that’s part of the business. I used to be hugely sensitive about being rejected, or criticised in any way, but you have to learn to suck it up in publishing. You are going to get rejected and sometimes it will be a positive rejection, such as “beautifully written and of the period but we would find it impossible to place in our catalogue” but sometimes you’ll get form rejection after form rejection where they can’t even be bothered to write your own name—and just call you “Dear Author…” And there are worse rejections than that, believe me. I was lucky that I’ve never had a gay short story rejected and I wrote a ton of those while I was trying to sell Standish. That was rejected about 30 times, if not more. I cope by whining. But always off line and to personal friends. I say “what’s the matter with these people?” and then I put on my Big Girl’s Knickers and get on with it. If there’s critique I’ll either take it on board or think they are bonkers, I’ll rewrite if necessary and then I’ll send it out again. I have dabbled in the mainstream and fantasy short story market, (although I’ve actually never mentioned this to anyone excerpt one good friend) and have been soundly rejected there. It’s a much bigger, much tougher and harder market to crack. My mother wrote a book once, and after one rejection she threw the manuscript into a drawer and vowed never to put herself through that again. I don’t recommend this.

Morgen: Me neither. If you quit too easily then you’re not mean to be a writer. What are you working on at the moment / next?

Erastes: I’m three-quarters through a gay fiction novel set in 1921 England. It’s very very loosely based on Hamlet, that is to say, it’s taken some influences from the play, but not all of them. It’s called “I Knew Him” and I don’t know how I’d categorise it. There’s a love story, definitely, and murders, but it’s not a murder mystery. I’m aiming to get that finished by September which should—hopefully—give me four months to get another novella written. I try and aim for producing two books a year. I’ve written so many bleak books over the last couple of years that I’d like to write something FUN next, a bit of a romp with no bleakness!!

Morgen: I’ve done http://nanowrimo.org (50,000 words every November) three times and certainly for the first two I wanted to do something light and wrote a lad lit 53K in 2008 (which I plan to release as an ebook), a 117K chick lit in 2009 (since down to 105K, for which I’m looking for an agent) but the third was very dark and therapeutic so is probably a WNSLOD (will never see light of day) one. Ooh and they’re doing a Camp NaNoWriMo (http://www.campnanowrimo.org) in July… eek that’s tomorrow – oh well, nothing like a challenge, and I’m on a 2-part writing course this weekend so that’s a good head start. Do you manage to write every day? What’s the most you’ve written in a day?

Erastes: I aim for writing five days a week. I’m lucky enough not to work, as I look after my father, who has Alzheimer’s, five days a week. Sometimes it works and I can reach my 1000 a day target, but sometimes I do other things, like this interview! Or simply goof off on the internet all day.

Morgen: Oh that’s alright, it’s called research.

Erastes: The only good thing about it is that the reception for the internet is patchy at best, so that helps me stop the rabid procrastination. Sometimes though, Dad is time-consuming, which is fine, that’s what I’m there for, and I get nothing done at all. I think, when I was writing Standish was my peak time. That book just poured out of me like a torrent, and I’d write 5-10k in a day without a break. I’ve never had that level of inspiration and productivity since.

Morgen: That’s a shame, you’d have been the perfect NaNo candidate. What is your opinion of writer’s block? Do you ever suffer from it? If so, how do you ‘cure’ it?

Erastes: No, I’m very rarely blocked. Not if you define it as not being able to write anything, and you stare at a sheet of blank paper in desperation.  But I do get periods of feeling completely averse to wanting to write anything—usually if I’m in a patch of a book where I don’t want to deal with something. “I Knew Him” is a good example, I started it in June last year, didn’t get it finished by the end of the year, and knew I had to do several complicated things with the plot. So I put it aside. Then I had two months of massive edits for two books that came out this year, so I used that as an excuse not to write them, then I just didn’t write anything for another two months. I get around it by setting myself small writing targets. Write a short story for an anthology, write targets of 300 words a day, then 500 and so on, and eventually the plot will start coming back. And TALKING to people about it really helps, brainstorming. If I mull it over in my own head I get nowhere, but if I talk out loud about it—to my Dad who can’t remember the beginning of the conversation when you get to the end—the solution can suddenly come to me.

Morgen: Ahhh… Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Erastes: I’m a dreadful pantser and make most of it up as I go along. I start with a general idea—the theme, or a character or “set in the English Civil War”.  I have a general idea how to start, e.g. with Standish I knew I wanted to do a sort of homage to the regency romance, so I knew I wanted a blond rather delicate hero who would be repulsed by the uber-alpha hero but of course falls in love with him. I knew I wanted a cinematic beginning, pulling in to the blond hero sitting at a desk, but further than that, I had no idea. Once I set the scene, I let the characters and the conversation lead the way.

Morgen: As they do.

Erastes: Actually, the ends of my books are the hardest to write, because by then I know what’s going to happen, and once I know, I find it difficult to write down and wish someone else would do it.

Morgen: I’ll have a go. Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Erastes: Not original, no. I have just sold the last malingering novel that I thought would never sell, as it’s a tragedy. I was trying to get the agent to sell it to a major publisher but although they uniformly liked it, no-one was prepared to take on such a bleak subject. But happily he’s now found a home for it, and I don’t have anything in “stock” as it were.

Morgen: You’re lucky I have over 100 short stories that are ‘in progress’ (so old they’re positively cryptic).

Erastes: I would love to publish a fanfic I wrote called “Shoulders of Giants” because I think it’s one of the better things I wrote back then, but the work involved in converting it to original fiction would be more than I could bear to do, as it would entail creating a whole new universe for it so it wouldn’t be recognisable as fanfic.

Morgen: Would that be a bad thing? What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life?

Erastes: My favourite two things are 1. Finishing something. I get a “mad-dog-super-waggy-tail” feeling and want to rush round in circles. This lasts usually one—two days and then I get THE GLOOM of “God I have to start something else.”

Morgen:

Erastes: My other favourite thing is something happening you were completely not expecting, such as in Standish where a character had only been introduced to die a few chapters later in mistaken identity circumstances, promptly refused to be killed and took over the whole last half of the book!

Morgen: Apparently that’s what happened with JK Rowling and The Deathly Hallows.

Erastes: Least favourite. Being uncomfortable with sitting. I have swollen legs and it can be very painful to sit for long periods.

Morgen: Presumably you’ve tried the putting your feet up thing. If anything, what has been your biggest surprise about writing?

Erastes: Fanmail! If you had told me, in 2003 that people would be finding my email address and emailing me and telling me how much they liked my work I’d have laughed at you. Reader’s letters are the Best Thing Ever. It has spurred me into always writing to authors, no matter how mighty they are, because I’m sure they still must get a kick out of it.

Morgen: Not thought of that, although it does make sense. It’s like learner drivers, we all started somewhere. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Erastes: Be professional. It might not seem important, especially now as you are just starting out but it’s never too early to be professional. Get a website. Not a weebly or a freeserve thing—it doesn’t cost much to get that domain registered and pay yearly for space. Keep it updated and include your blog on it. It’s never too early to start building “platform” even if you haven’t sold anything yet. Don’t bitch about people, or rejections, or publishers on a public forum (and this includes so called private yahoo groups, because people will always share bad behaviour). Don’t insult other professionals on Facebook or Twitter, because you’ll be the one who looks like a twit.

Morgen: I like that.

Erastes: Nowadays the first place a publisher or an agent will go is online to find out about you after he gets a query he’s interested in. If he reads nothing but bile and bitchery—however amusing that might be to the people you blog to, or how much notoriety you might be enjoying because of it—he might think twice about working with you. (Unless of course, you intend to publish a Louella Parsons style of caustic humour!)

Morgen: Er… ah, American gossip columnist of the 1940s / 1950s – thanks Wikipedia.

Erastes: Always reply to readers and others such as publishers, even if they are being critical, with a calm “thank you for reading” and never bang on about how they are too dense to understand your genius. Don’t argue with reviewers, or post rants about them in public. Sit on your hands before firing off comments on some controversial subject—believe me, it’ll be better in the long run!

Morgen: What do you like to read?

Erastes: Oh, anything! I’ll read the instructions on bleach if I’m stuck in the loo for any length of time.

Morgen: I keep pens/paper and usually a dip-into book; currently a ‘Quick Read’ about true work experiences edited by Val McDermid.

Erastes: I read huge amounts of gay historical fiction for reviewing, but I’m partial to a bit of well-written fantasy for my comfort reads. Things like Tolkein and George RR Martin, Jim Butcher, Robin Hobb. I never throw a book away (apart from the Wraethlu which I sent packing via Bookcrossing.com) and I re-read all the time. I love classic children’s books like Ballet Shoes, and The Treasure Seekers and the Borrowers and the Narnia books. But I also love good sci-fi that’s not too sci-focussed, like Heinlein. And Agatha Christie. I own everything she ever wrote. So, yeah. I can be found with almost anything in my hand.

Morgen: Are there any writing-related websites and/or books that you find useful and would recommend?

Erastes: Well, as a historical writer research is foremost in my mind when I’m working, so I always have etymology online open in my tabs. Similarly the Oxford English Dictionary which UK library cardholders can access free (probably in other countries too?) which I’ll double check the etymology online reference, but the latter is more accessible, to be honest. As for books, I can’t really say I’ve read any “how to” ones, as I get just about everything online!  But here are a few very useful ones: (not strictly writing-related, but very useful)

• Debretts – forms of address
• wages and money
• Measuring Worth – Measures of worth, inflation rates, saving calculator, relative value, worth of a dollar, worth of a pound, purchasing power, gold prices, GDP, history of wages, average wage
• And because everyone deserves a game to procrastinate with and solitare is so last century, here’s my current favourite waste of time.  Miami Shark

Morgen: Mine’s ‘Drop Words’, one of the few games on my mobile. Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how invaluable do you find them?

Erastes: LOL- I’m on everything, I think, although I don’t use half of them. I find Twitter very handy, after months of saying “I don’t get it.”

Morgen: You’re not alone. I’ve grown very fond of it after a few months of not really doing much with it.

Erastes: Now I do, because I use Tweetdeck and each message is updated as it comes in, you don’t have to use the website. It’s invaluable for getting your news out fast, although you may have to repeat it every couple of hours—but it’s also fantastic for a quick research resource: “hey does anyone know a drug that would make someone hallucinate?” or “What’s the German for unnatural?” and questions like that.

Morgen: Unmoeglich is the first thing that springs to mind but my brother (who lives in Zurich) and German friend (and Google) would probably correct me. Ah, of course, it’s unnatuerlich (doh, natural = natuerlich). I’m so rusty. Where can we find out about you and your work?

Erastes: Everything you need to know is on my website at www.erastes.com. Some of the graphics might be invisible with some browsers, I’m in the process of having a new one made. (I do have a Wiki page, too, but I don’t know who created that, so I don’t know how up to date that is)

Morgen: Ooh, I’d love one of those but then I need to have done something. What do you think the future holds for a writer?

Erastes: Oh, the future’s pretty bright. People will always want to read, however the medium to do that changes, and with independent publishers springing up all the time, and with self-publishing now cheap and easy, it’s very easy to get into print. It all depends on how much you want from it, and how hard you are prepared to work.

Morgen: Yes, you definitely get more out the more you put in. Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

Erastes: 1. Find good Beta readers. 2. Read read read – especially in the genre you want to write in. 3. And write write write, even if it’s not great yet. You’ll only get better by practice. Don’t go saying “one day I’ll write that book.” Start it today, it won’t get published in your head. 4. Expect everything to take TIME, publishing isn’t a quick business. I’ll shut up now.

Morgen: Please don’t, it’s been fun. Thank you.

Erastes is the penname of a female author who lives on the Norfolk Broads in England. She writes gay historical fiction and reviews it on Speak Its Name. She used to work in the legal profession but found that it gave Wolfram & Hart and bad name. She likes cheese and cats but only one of those is any good with toast.

MB: If you pick off the hairs.

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the questions. You complete them, I tweak them where appropriate (if necessary to reflect the blog ‘clean and light’ rating) and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.

 

Author interview no.35 with urban fantasy / paranormal writer Mary Ann Loesch

Welcome to the thirty-fifth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, directors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. Today’s is with urban fantasy / paranormal writer Mary Ann Loesch. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate the author further. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here.

Morgen: Hello, Mary Ann. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer.

Mary Ann: Like many writers, I’ve been writing from a young age. I dabbled in it through out high school and college, but it wasn’t until seven years ago that I really got serious about it. That’s right about the time my daughter was born, and I experienced a crazy burst in creative energy. Must have been all the hormones!

Morgen: Not having children, I don’t think I can attribute mine to my dog. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Mary Ann: I consider myself an urban fantasy writer who also dabbles in stories with paranormal elements. Occasionally, I will write other things, but I can always feel the creepy spirit or fantastical witch calling me back to them.

Morgen: I like my dark side too. What have you had published to-date? How much of the marketing do you do?

Mary Ann: I’ve published several short stories and my novel, Nephilim, will be coming out on July 18 through Lyrical Press Inc.  I’m also involved with two anthologies that will be available later this year, which I’m really excited about. One is called Red Reader #1 and features a funny, non-fantasy story called Stealing Jesus. The other is called All Things Dark and Dastardly and contains several of my darker short stories. Marketing is such a tricky thing! I find myself spending a lot of time on it. Unfortunately, I’m one of those people who loves to write, but has a tough time taking the first step to connect with others. I always have the feeling that there isn’t much interesting about me so why would anyone want to know the facts and details of my life? However, as a writer, you have to let go of those fears and insecurities and learn to promote yourself.

Morgen: And you’ve let go here. Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

Mary Ann: I currently do not have an agent. This is such a big question right now in the business. Just how important is that agent? Well, I just saw a whole series of Tweets on it that were from an agent stating exactly all the million things they do for writers. Ultimately, I think it depends on what you want as a writer. If you are looking to have the next best seller on the NY Times list, then yes, get an agent. They have connections to publishing houses that will assist you. They can negotiate contracts, edits, and publicity—all the things many writers don’t want to deal with. I do think the role of the agent is going to change in the next few years because so much is happening in the publishing industry right now. If you aren’t as concerned about the bestseller thing, many small presses will publish quality work without the author having an agent. And of course, there is the self-publishing route. No need for an agent at all in that scenario, though I feel it’s vital to have a professional editor look over your work before you self publish.

Morgen: I couldn’t have put it better myself. Are your books available as eBooks? If so what was your experience of that process? And do you read eBooks?

Mary Ann: Nephilim will be available as an eBook. It’s a new process for me so I’m not sure what to make of it yet. I have read a few eBooks and believe this is an exciting new avenue for publishing.

Morgen: Absolutely. It’s a hot topic at the moment (especially in the forums, on Twitter etc). Speaking of hot, how yummy is your cover? OK, back to business. Serious face, wipe the drool… What was your first acceptance and is being accepted still a thrill?

Mary Ann: My first acceptance was for a short story I wrote a million years ago when I was in college. I still get that same thrill of excitement when a story gets accepted.

Morgen: Half a million in my case. Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Mary Ann: I’m pretty sure my middle name is rejection.

Morgen: A lot of writers clearly have cruel parents.

Mary Ann: At first, it was hard to take, but receive enough of them, and they suddenly stop being so personal. The ones I value are the rare letters that explain why they passed on a story or what didn’t connect with them. Those are the rejections you can learn from. I’m a big believer in constructive criticism.

Morgen: Me too. What are you working on at the moment / next?

Mary Ann: Currently, I’m working on a young adult novel set in the bayou of Louisiana. I have an editor who is slashing away at it right now with red ink.

Morgen: Me too, too. Do you manage to write every day? What’s the most you’ve written in a day?

Mary Ann: Writing every day is a huge task. I try to do it, but sometimes life gets in the way. I do have a day job that keeps me busy so I write in the wee hours of morning when my family is still sleeping.

Morgen: I’m a morning person (Morgen means morning in German). What is your opinion of writer’s block? Do you ever suffer from it? If so, how do you ‘cure’ it?

Mary Ann: Writer’s block stinks! Oh how I wish I didn’t suffer from it, but from time to time, I do. It doesn’t last very long normally. Sometimes a good night’s sleep or just taking a break from the work helps. I’m so jealous of people who never face this particular stumbling block.

Morgen: Other interviewees recommending mixing writing topics. Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Mary Ann: I use to never plot out my stories. I liked the idea of just writing and writing until it was done which could take a really long time. As I’ve progressed as a writer though, I’ve found that I work best with a short synopsis at my side. So I’ll write that out—it’s usually pretty rough—and then start working from there. When writing a novel, I write the first draft fast and furious.

Morgen: Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Mary Ann: Of course! I have pieces of work that should never see the light of day because they are so bad!

Morgen: I have a few of those although I’m hoping that with experience there’s some mileage in them. What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life?

Mary Ann: Time. There is just never enough of it.

Morgen: Oh yes, I know that feeling. Are there any writing-related websites and/or books that you find useful and would recommend?

Mary Ann: I have to shamelessly plug my writing group’s blog All Things Writing. We cover a variety of topics designed to help writers. You can visit us at http://www.allthingswriting.blogspot.com.

Morgen: Shameless writing-related plugs always welcome. In which country are you based and do you find this a help or hindrance with letting people know about your work?

Mary Ann: I am based in the USA, specifically Texas. Nope. I do not wear a cowboy hat or boots. Or eat my young. Unless they are really bad…

Morgen: That’s funny. Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how invaluable do you find them?

Mary Ann: I am on Twitter and Facebook. At first, I wasn’t sure how useful they were going to be, but as I got better at using them, I found them to be a great way to meet other people and exchange ideas. I think social networking is a must for writers. It’s a simple way to build up your courage and get the word out about your projects.

Morgen: Absolutely. If you don’t talk to anyone how will they know that you have something they may be interested in (but a mix of chat and plug is important, too much plug and you’ll lose their interest; I’m letting everyone off lightly so far as my books aren’t available yet) . Where can we find out about you and your work?

Mary Ann: You can find me at www.maryannloesch.com or follow me at Twitter (@maryannloesch) or Facebook me.

Morgen: You have a lovely-looking site. Thanks so much Mary Ann.

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the questions. You complete them, I tweak them where appropriate (if necessary to reflect the blog ‘clean and light’ rating) and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.

 

Author interview no.34 with historical novelist and poet Terry L White

Welcome to the thirty-fourth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, directors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. Today’s is with historical novelist / poet Terry L White. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate the author further. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here.

Morgen: Hi Terry. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer.

Terry: I always loved reading, especially stories where women triumph in other times. Some of those early reads helped me to understand that I too had stories to tell and gave me the incentive to go ahead and try. Here I am 18 books later with three more in production. Who could ask for anything more?

Morgen: Absolutely. Most advice I’ve had within these blog interviews is to read (especially Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’). What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Terry: I have written mostly historical novels, with one how-to and a couple of volumes of poetry and short story collections. There was one suspense/mystery novel that I wrote on a dare. I hear it was pretty good, but I didn’t feel called to work in that direction. I love to read horror such as the books Robert McCammon and Stephen King write, and have written some short stories in that vein, but I am not sure I could sustain the genre for an entire book.

Morgen: What have you had published to-date? How much of the marketing do you do?

Terry: Wow. I have published a lot: A three-volume (The Last Priestess, Nazca Star,  Bride of the Condor) story about a priestess who serves in the temple of the Moon Goddess in pre-Colombian Peru; two volumes of short stories (Crazy Quilt and Random Apples), a couple of books of poetry (Runaway Hearts, Myth to Me), a novel of reincarnation (Ancient Memories), a five-soon-to-be-six volume set of novels based on the history of the Eastern Shore of Maryland that follows the stories of a family of women who live on the same plantation at some point during their lives… a how-to for event planning. There is a contemporary novel called Drama Queen Rules that makes me feel very hopeful about the future. I could go on….

Morgen: Please do. Have you won or been shortlisted in any competitions and do you think they help with a writer’s success?

Terry: The Bride of the Condor series was nominated for an Eppie under the name of The Last Priestess and a couple of my short stories received editor’s choice awards. Did they help? They helped keep me on task and taught me not to doubt my powers and call to be a writer.

Morgen: Absolutely. There’s nothing quite like an ‘expert’ confirming your ability to spur you on. Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

Terry: I have had agents without success. I think the right agent at the right time might be helpful, but publishing has changed so much and there are so many writers out there, a genie might be more useful!

Morgen: I’m hearing this a lot although no-one’s mentioned a genie before. Are your books available as eBooks? If so what was your experience of that process? And do you read eBooks?

Terry: Yes, my books are also e-books. My publisher posts e-book files when she lists print copies on Amazon and other sites, so I don’t find it significantly alters the experience of being published. I spend so much time at the computer, I really prefer reading a real book. Don’t have a Kindle yet – still a starving artist!

Morgen: Starving after 18 books… oh dear. What was your first acceptance and is being accepted still a thrill?

Terry: Gosh. The first story? That was Harvest Dance published in American Squaredance, a publication that did not print fiction, but they must have felt the story was pretty authentic! (I had worked in a square dance band as a bass player for years.) They paid me $125 for that story back in early 80s! That was a fortune back then. Connie Foster was the first publisher to “buy” a book. She was a pioneer in the e-book field with www.ebooksonthe.net and she accepted several of my books right off the bat. I didn’t know what to think. No one had heard of e-books at that time. She published nine of my books that first year! Connie sold her company to Arline Chase of during her final illness. (Mrs. Chase publishes pretty much anything I send her way – which doesn’t say I don’t try to make each story better than the last!) I am most thrilled when I hold a new volume in my hands, sit down, turn the pages and read. Then I sometimes wonder where the story came from.

Morgen: That’s the mystical side of writing that thrills me. Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Terry: Oh Boy! I received and burned a three-inch stack of rejection letters when a friend had a summer bonfire a few years back. I believe that NO does not mean that my work is bad – it just doesn’t fit someone’s list for one reason or another.

Morgen: Absolutely I’ve heard a top short story writer has destroyed hers but I prefer to see how far I’ve come. What are you working on at the moment / next?

Terry: Whew. I am working on the sixth in my Chesapeake Heritage Series. I pretty much followed a timeline with this series: Chesapeake Harvest is the story of Mary Charles, who comes to the colony as an indentured servant. Chesapeake Legacy is the story of Heron, a half-breed woman who is driven from the settlement when it became illegal for native persons to live in Eastern Shore towns. Chesapeake Destiny is Jane’s story. Set in the Revolutionary War period, it spotlights domestic abuse and the area’s history as the breadbasket of the war. Chesapeake Visions tells the story of Jewel, a blind woman who must learn to live without slaves after the Civil War. Vienna Pride tells the tale of Mary, a cannery girl who finds herself in a stalker’s scope during the troubling times of WW1. First Waltz is the story of Susie, who meets an Army private from upstate New York who is guarding German prisoners of war during WW2. I am also working on a pictorial history of the area with a well-known local historian and my third volume of poetry.

Morgen: I think I need a lie down. Do you manage to write every day? What’s the most you’ve written in a day?

Terry: I try, however the best laid plans oft gang awry… But it doesn’t matter how much one writes in a day. It could be just one sentence, if it is the right sentence. (I think Hemmingway or maybe Faulkner said that…)

Morgen: I’m not sure. Probably Hemingway but I’ve had a quick look online and couldn’t find anything. What is your opinion of writer’s block? Do you ever suffer from it? If so, how do you ‘cure’ it?

Terry: A writer’s block means something else is going wrong in my life and when I figure that out, the block usually goes away.  I spent several years as a newspaper reporter (and photographer!) at a small town daily and I figured out pretty quickly that if deadline is 9 a.m. you better be at your desk at 6 a.m. if you want to tell the stories that need to be told that day because if you don’t, the afternoon paper from the town down the road will scoop the news and your editor will have a fit. If you can write for a deadline, how can you give much credence to a writer’s block?

Morgen: There is that. Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Terry: For me, a story ready to be told takes on a life of its own. I just sit down and take dictation.

Morgen: Me too, although I can’t remember the last time I used my dictation machine. Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Terry: For sure. Some of them were lost on the journey. Others have been re-written. Some hit the circular file.

Morgen: We call it the ‘round file’ in the UK. What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life?

Terry: Marketing is hard for me. I wish I were better at it. It doesn’t seem to be the task I was called to do.

Morgen: Me neither but I think writers these days need to be resigned to marketing being part of their life. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Terry: First, there are no free rides. If you want to write, learn the rules and use them well – unless breaking them will make the story better. Buy a good grammar guide and commit it to memory. Write every day. Produce clean manuscripts. Your publisher is not going to fix anything, so your mistakes remain your mistakes. Don’t quit your day job.

Morgen: Does that mean that you haven’t? Wow. And what do you like to read?

Terry: I love Stephen King, John Saul, Robert McCammon, Ken Follett, Rutherford: people who write really quirky or deeply historical stuff.  I try not to read the same sort of book I am writing so I don’t accidently pick up anything that doesn’t belong to me! I read Gone With The Wind over and over, and all the novels my folks brought into the house during the 50s and 60s.

Morgen: I’ve not even yet watched the film. It’s being shown at my local pub soon but it’s on a Monday when I have my writing group. Are there any writing-related websites and/or books that you find useful and would recommend?

Terry: I found the most encouragement at the International Women’s Writing Guild conferences. You can learn more about this fantastic organization and all it offers at: http://www.iwwg.org/get-involved.

Morgen: Ooh that’s new to me, thanks. Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how invaluable do you find them?

Terry: I am on Facebook and it picks up my blogs. Most comments come from people I already know, but my books are online via a number of vendors so I don’t always know if someone has purchased them.

Morgen: Where can we find out about you and your work?

Terry: There are many editions on my blog at: www.terrylwhitesblog.blogspot.com. I also have a presence at Amazon.com, etc. I try to post wherever there is an opportunity. Look for my work at www.ebooksonthe.net, Cambridge Books, Barnes and Noble, www.ereader.com, www.writewordsinc.com, Mobipocket, www.filedby.com, http://www.ask.com/web?q=Terry+L%2e+White&o=15116&l=dis&qsrc=2871,  http://www.midshorelife.com/article/meet-local-author-terry-l-white , http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?id=119738

Morgen: My goodness, I feel tired just looking at all your achievements. This is probably a silly question on reflection but how do you feel about being a writer?

Terry: I always wanted to write and spent years learning the craft. When I started, a lot of people thought I was crazy, and perhaps I was, but I loved writing and deep in my heart I knew it was what I was supposed to do with my life – no matter who said I was going to starve to death. More than 40 years later, I am still at it, and can’t imagine life without my work. I would encourage others to find their calling, it will make the world a happier place.

Morgen: Absolutely. I used to temp and would work with staff who used to complain about their jobs but do nothing about it but I’ve been in that position since then it’s easier said than done. Thank you so much Terry.

Author Terry L. White, was raised in the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania. The eldest of eight children, she dreamed of being a writer and made up stories to amuse herself and her siblings. Of European and Native American descent, she grew up with the family legends of being Abraham Lincoln’s relative; of ancestors arriving in the New World as indentured servants, and of abandoned coal mines that burned forever underground on the mountain overlooking her childhood home. Terry’s fascination with history, folk art and ways, and New Age philosophy provide her with much of the material she incorporates in her work. She has published hundreds of short stories, articles, poems and songs and more than a dozen novels.

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the questions. You complete them, I tweak them where appropriate (if necessary to reflect the blog ‘clean and light’ rating) and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.

 

Author interview no.33 with memoirist and short story writer Boyd Lemon

Welcome to the thirty-third of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, directors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. Today’s is with memoirist / non-fiction and short story author Boyd Lemon. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate the author further. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here.

Morgen: Hello, Boyd. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer.

Boyd: After a 40-year career as a nationally recognized attorney in my field (legal ethics and malpractice) and writing a book on my specialty, I was encouraged by a mentor to write fiction.  I wrote more than a dozen short stories and recognized a deep calling to re-invent myself as an artist as I neared retirement from the law. Following my heart led me to face a painful past, which became the subject of my memoir. The journey as an artist began in the idyllic coastal town of Ventura, California, then on to the venerable literary, music and art scenes of Boston, and finally to living the dream life of many an artist, a Bohemian year on the Left Bank in Paris, with a final few months in the hills of Tuscany before returning to California.  Once I started writing, my passion, combined with years of discipline as a professional, gained the notice of world-renowned writer and teacher, Natalie Goldberg, who invited me to her prestigious year-long workshop for writers in Taos. In a way, my life began at 67.

Morgen: I like that. Mine began then in my late 30s. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Boyd: So far I have written short fiction, personal essays, a little poetry and a memoir.  I am currently working on another memoir.  I long to write a novel, and I wouldn’t rule out any genre.

Morgen: Me neither, although I’m not sure I could do sci-fi/fantasy justice. What have you had published to-date? How much of the marketing do you do?

Boyd: My memoir, Digging Deep: A Writer Uncovers His Marriages (2011); a collection of short stories, Unexpected Love and Other Stories (2011); four short stories in print (2007-2010) and several more on line (2009 and 2010); two personal essays on line (2010); a poem that appears on a calendar (2008); and the book on legal malpractice, Evaluating A Malpractice Case Against A Lawyer (2006).  I did no marketing until I finished my memoir.  Since then I have done virtually all of it.

Morgen: I’m guessing that the answer to my next question will be “no”, but do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

Boyd: No, I don’t, and I don’t think they are vital to an author’s success, but they are helpful to authors who are well-known or who can garner an agent’s interest in his or her work.

Morgen: Are your books available as eBooks? If so what was your experience of that process? And do you read eBooks?

Boyd: I think eBooks are the greatest thing that has ever happened to the unknown writer because it is a medium in which work can be published at no or little cost without need for an agent or a publisher.  All three of my books are available as eBooks.  I can sell them inexpensively that way and still make a small profit.  I haven’t had a long enough experience yet to know how it will work out.  I read eBooks on my computer for the first time when I lived in Europe in 2010 because it was awkward to carry a bunch of books around on my travels, and I read a lot.  I finally bought a Kindle about a month ago.  I still enjoy print books, but I also like reading books on my Kindle, especially when I travel.

Morgen: A ‘win win’ situation. What was your first acceptance and is being accepted still a thrill?

Boyd: A short story that was accepted for publication in a relatively obscure literary magazine was the first.  After dozens of rejections, it was a tremendous thrill.  And yes, it is still a thrill.  Getting these works ready for possible publication seems analogous to giving birth to a baby (though, of course, I haven’t had that experience).  The pain is of a different sort, but pain there is; and it seems like a miracle to see it in print.

Morgen: I haven’t had that experience either but I know which I’d rather go through (my dog is sprawled on my lap, like a baby, as I type this). Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Boyd: Many, and I learned early on, thankfully even before I received the first, that it is just part of the process.  My first one was disappointing, but now I can’t even feel disappointment.  The thrill of acceptance is still there though.

Morgen: Very wise. I was a bit like that; disappointment with the first couple but after that I was just pleased that someone was reading my work and if it wasn’t for them, that was fine. What are you working on at the moment / next?

Boyd: Another memoir, this one on something to do with my retirement, but I haven’t settled on a theme.  I’m just writing whatever comes into my head right now.

Morgen: Sounds like a good plan to me. Do you manage to write every day? What’s the most you’ve written in a day?

Boyd: I write almost every day.  I wrote about 6,000 words one day (and night), but that has only happened once.  A few hundred words is typical.  Much of it never sees the light of day, however.

Morgen: Even if that’s the case (which would perhaps be a shame), it’s all good practice; honing your craft. What is your opinion of writer’s block? Do you ever suffer from it? If so, how do you ‘cure’ it?

Boyd: I have never suffered from writer’s block.  I make sure I write something every day, no matter what.  I often write whatever comes into my head, sometimes just looking around the room I am in, or wherever I am, and describing what I see.  Usually, when I do that, something more active comes to mind, but not always.

Morgen: And do you plot your stories, Boyd, or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Boyd: I usually have a general idea of a plot, but then I run with it, and it almost always changes as I write, especially with the second draft.

Morgen: I think most people would agree with that (and no doubt later drafts). Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Boyd: Many!

Morgen: Ah yes, you did say earlier. What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life?

Boyd: Proofreading is my least favourite; the first draft, the really creative part, is my favorite.

Morgen: Again, I think that would be the general consensus. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Boyd: Oh, there is so much.  I’ll select two points.  Write something every day no matter what, and finish what you start, no matter what.  I have observed that the majority of people who start to write something, especially a book length work, never finish it.  Maybe it is better to start with shorter works.  That is what I did, and it served me well.  Writing my memoir as my first work would have been too overwhelming for me.

Morgen: Shorter works (fiction) are my first love. What do you like to read?

Boyd: Memoir, novels, history, personal essays, biography and short stories.  I think though that I’m going to expand my horizons into fantasy and horror—just for fun.

Morgen: Some reading this may not class ‘horror’ fun but I’m a former Stephen King (still respect, but don’t read, him) fan so I’m with you. Are there any writing-related websites and/or books that you find useful and would recommend?

Boyd: http://www.writersdigest.com.  Poets and Writers Magazine.  For books, any book on writing by Natalie Goldberg, and On Writing by Stephen King.

Morgen: If I had a pound (or dollar, I’m not fussy) for every time someone mentioned ‘On writing’… In which country are you based and do you find this a help or hindrance with letting people know about your work?

Boyd: The United States for now, and since that is my native country, I think it helps.  I can only write in English.  Also, memoir is more popular in the United States than in any other English-speaking country, and that is what I am writing now.

Morgen: It is popular here too (especially misery memoirs) although a lot of ‘celebrities’ have jumped on that bandwagon. Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how valuable do you find them?

Boyd: I am, and I think they are invaluable for promoting writing, if used properly, but very time consuming.  They are also wonderful for receiving support from other writers.

Morgen: Where can we find out about you and your work?

Boyd: The best place is my website, where my books are described and excerpted.  Two chapters and an excerpt of another chapter of my memoir, Digging Deep: A Writer Uncovers His Marriages, about my journey to understand my role in the destruction of my three marriages, are on my website. http://www.BoydLemon-Writer.com.  I also write three blogs, one on travel, http://www.boomertravelblog.com; one on divorce recovery, http://www.DivorceRecoveryResources.com; and one on lawyer’s malpractice, http://www.legalmalpracticeadvice.com.  Finally, I write a weekly column for an online magazine, titled Amigos 805, http://www.amigos805.com.

Morgen: And you have time to write? Finally, what has been your biggest surprise about the writing life?

Boyd: How helpful and supportive other writers are and how necessary it is to reach out to other writers and feel that support.

Morgen: Hear, hear. Thank you so much Boyd. All the best with everything from here on.

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the questions. You complete them, I tweak them where appropriate (if necessary to reflect the blog ‘clean and light’ rating) and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.

 

Author interview no.32 with suspense author Peter Pollak

Welcome to the thirty-second of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, directors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. Today’s is with suspense author Peter Pollak. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate the author further. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here.

Morgen: Hello Peter. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer.

Peter: I first wanted to become a writer about the time I stopped wanting to be a professional baseball player.  I wasn’t ready, however, to produce anything worthwhile. I had to learn how to write, which I did initially for academic and for newspaper audiences.  Writing non-fiction carries over I believe to writing fiction because you learn how to present information concisely, how to make a convincing argument, how to structure your presentation and how to use vocabulary properly.  When I retired a few years ago I decided to take my desire to write fiction seriously.

Morgen: I think any kind of writing helps another. The more you write, the tighter you get (certainly in my case anyway). What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Peter: My debut novel, The Expendable Man, is a suspense story.  I’m working on a mystery and have started more than one fantasy novel.  As you can see my problem is not a lack of ideas, but the need to make choices and stay focused.

Morgen: Some of the authors I’ve interviewed to-date have said they switch projects when they get stuck (mostly in answer to the writer’s block question) but it doesn’t work with everyone. What have you had published to-date? How much of the marketing do you do?

Peter: The Expendable Man was published earlier this year (2011).  Since it is self-published, I’m doing all the marketing myself. I’ve put out press releases, contacted independent bookstores, started a blog about writing (which is hooked into Twitter) and I’m working on public appearances – book signings and talks to book clubs and other organizations.

Morgen: I’d be interested in knowing where you sent the press releases (overseas? online?). I really like your book cover, by the way. Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

Peter: I don’t have an agent.  If I were much younger, I might have gone that route, but I’m not as much interested in earning a living with my writing as gaining satisfaction by producing quality stories which people enjoy reading.

Morgen: Are your books available as eBooks? If so what was your experience of that process? And do you read eBooks?

Peter: Before it came out in print my book became available in e-book form with the help of Smashwords. Contrary to what others report, I’m selling more print than digital copies.  That may be a function of how I’m marketing the book.  I’m not certain.  I have the Kindle software on my Mac, but I have such a large (and growing) pile of books printed on paper to read that it may be years before I buy an Ipad or a Kindle.

Morgen: Ah, a fellow Mac fan. What are you working on at the moment / next?

Peter: I started two mysteries some years ago and have picked one to finish.  I call it “In the Game”. I’m finding that writing a mystery is harder than writing suspense.  I’ve gained a tremendous appreciation for good mystery writing.  My deadline for finishing the book is the end of the summer.

Morgen: Do you manage to write every day? What’s the most you’ve written in a day?

Peter: I have an established work pattern.  I start each work session by editing what I wrote the previous session and then add on to it. I try to write every day, but I don’t beat myself up if I miss a day or two.

Morgen: As long as it stays at two? What is your opinion of writer’s block? Do you ever suffer from it? If so, how do you ‘cure’ it?

Peter: IMHO writers block is what happens when you put undue pressure on yourself.  I did a lot of sales in my business career. I learned that I did a poor job of selling when I focused on why I needed to make the sale instead of whether I could meet the needs of each customer. The same holds true for writing.  When I focus on what the reader needs to know in order to enjoy reading the story, I have no problems “producing”.

Morgen: IMHO? Ah yes, in your humble opinion. No, I agree. Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Peter: When I started trying to write, I would get an idea and run with it.  Every time I would come to a dead end.  Ideas are not stories.  Unless I know where my story is going and how I’m going to get there, I’m lost.

Morgen: Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Peter: Many.  I’ve gone back to some earlier attempts and tried to make them work.  Most of them have no future because they were just an image or an idea.  Ideas are cheap.  Don’t fall in love with a character or idea. Try to be objective. If something is not working, ask yourself why.  Read Michael Chabon’s essay “Wrecked” or Lynn Freed’s “On False Starts” in Writers Workshop in a Book if you suspect you’ve spent too much time on trying to make a story work.

Morgen: Yes, I have a few of those. What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life Peter?

Peter: I love the satisfaction of hearing from people who like what I’ve written.  Next to that I love the satisfaction of having moved a story closer to the goal posts.  I wish I didn’t have to spend so much time learning how to market my self-published works, but I know that’s unrealistic and probably wrong-headed.

Morgen: What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Peter: Find three or four other writers to critique your work in exchange for agreeing to comment on theirs.  When you agree to critique someone else’s work, you see things you overlook when you read for pleasure.  That will help you with your own writing.  Also, tell those who read your work they can’t use the work “like” when they report back to you.  In other words, ask for concrete comments, such as “I didn’t understand George’s motivation when he dumped Mary” or “Why do I need to know so much about the house Jeanne and her friends are living in?”

Morgen: What do you like to read?

Peter: Fiction – speculative fiction, fantasy and mysteries.  I don’t read a lot of contemporary “literary fiction,” although I have read some recently that I thought were excellent, including David Mitchell’s The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet and Abraham Verghese’s Cutting for Stone.

Morgen: David Mitchell’s book was one of Jane Davis’ favourites too (Bailey’s Writing Tips podcast special episodes 24-26). Are there any writing-related websites and/or books that you find useful and would recommend?

Peter: I have mentioned in my blog (http://expendableman.wordpress.com) some books by writers on writing that are like receiving on your birthday the gift you hoped your parents would buy you.  I learned the most from those by Ursula LeGuin, Michael Chabon and Stephen King. Both Eats, Shoots and Leaves (by Lynn Truss) and How to Write Killer Fiction (by Carolyn Wheat) offer excellent advice.

Morgen: Ah, Stephen King again, he’s popular with my interviewees (especially his ‘On Writing’ book). In which country are you based and do you find this a help or hindrance with letting people know about your work?

Peter: I’m in the USA, but I have no thoughts about whether that helps or hinders my opportunities to gain an audience.  Typical American, I suppose.

Morgen: Not necessarily, typical human perhaps? Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how invaluable do you find them?

Peter: My favourites are Goodreads’ Author’s Feedback Group and the Fiction Writers Guild on LinkedIn.  The discussions are on point.

Morgen: Where can we find out about you and your work?

Peter: www.petergpollak.com

Morgen: Thank you Peter for adding me to your ‘Literary Links’ page. Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

Peter: We are in the beginning stages of a revolution in the world of publishing, one impact of which is that people who want to write have more opportunity today to find readers than ever before.  I believe this period will produce great writing, which people will still be reading 100 years from now.  We should all feel very excited and get to work.

Morgen: Absolutely, I am / I will. Thanks again Peter.

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the questions. You complete them, I tweak them where appropriate (if necessary to reflect the blog ‘clean and light’ rating) and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.

 

Author interview no.31 with humour writer Matt Goldberg

Welcome to the thirty-first of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, directors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. Today’s is with humour writer Matt Goldberg. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate the author further. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here.

Morgen: Hello, Matt. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer.

Matt: My inclination is to say something quasi-cheesy such as “Writers are born, not made,” and there’s a kernel of truth to that. Writer has always been my favorite identity, as I don’t have enough game to be a professional athlete. I’ve been writing in some fashion since childhood, but have only written for publication in my own name since 2004. Me? I am a very serious person who is blessed and cursed with a hyperactive, often irreverent, sense of humor. I enjoy exploring these dualities, or more often, just letting them flow.

Morgen: Humour definitely helps with the pitfalls of the writing industry that we come in contact from time to time. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Matt: Humor, if that’s a genre.

Morgen: It is but not a recognised enough one. I went to Oxford Lit Fest recently and Michael Rosen was saying that they’d created the Roald Dahl (whose writing I love and have especially fond memories as my dad had met him a few times… I’m good at going off at tangents) Funny Prize, although it’s aimed at children. There was some controversy at Howard Jacobsen’s The Howard Finkler Question winning The Booker Prize because it was humorous (bah humbug).

Matt: Tangents make life interesting…as do all these Howards and Finklers…where were we? As a speaker and as a writer, that’s my gift, if sometimes a crutch. I employ that gift / crutch in books about word play, humorous essays, eclectic sports writing, poetry, and more.

Morgen: What have you had published to-date? How much of the marketing do you do?

Matt: I have published four books, which are—starting with the most recent: All That Twitters is Not Goldberg: Truthful Humor from a Vindicated Columnist – iUniverse, 2011, Wordapodia, Volume One: an Encyclopedia of Real Fake Words – iUniverse, 2010, Mixed Emotions; Poetry for the Open-Minded – Infinity, 2005 and So So Wisdom: The Misplaced Teachings of So So Gai – Infinity, 2004.

Morgen: Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

Matt: No, I do not. I can’t answer the latter question, but do suspect that the right agent may be vital to one’s success—even my success. But, I’ve been lazy, and also fearful of going through the process of interviewing agents. Maybe, this interview can serve as a shortcut. If there are any (reputable, connected) agents who get what I do and want to represent me with great vigor and talent, please let me know.

Morgen: Are your books available as eBooks? If so what was your experience of that process? And do you read eBooks?

Matt: My latter two books—Wordapodia, Volume One and All That Twitters is Not Goldberg— are. I’m ashamed to say that I don’t own a Kindle or a Nook, or…Doesn’t Kindle-Nook sound Yiddish? I’m sure my e-book reading days are coming soon, though, if only for the vain exercise of reading my books on some kind of pad.

Morgen: That’s alright, you’re allowed not to have one. I bought the cheapest generic in case it ended up in a drawer and guess where it’s ended. What was your first acceptance and is being accepted still a thrill?

Matt: Human beings crave acceptance, and perhaps human writers especially do. Yes, that even applies to the iconoclasts and contrarians among us. Certainly, acceptance from the right sources still feels good.  Our whole society now seems to be running off this concept with this strange, new world of likes, followers, fans…and maybe even disciples. Not sure if this is reassuring or rather pathetic, actually.

Morgen: Maybe a bit of both? Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Matt: I deal rather poorly with them, but am learning to get better about trying things and not being dissuaded by a possible, lurking rejection. I probably know all the clichés about how to deal with rejection, but it’s been hard to re-wire my brain enough to embrace them. By the way, you will accept these answers, won’t you?

Morgen: Of course, you can say whatever you like, although I may refer to your earlier ‘Human beings crave acceptance’. What are you working on at the moment / next?

Matt: Lately, and extremely late-ly, I’ve been immersed in the more mundane marketing aspects of my writing career, including: polishing my website, adding blog posts, and also creating a newsletter. I continue to write my monthly Tip of the Goldberg anything-goes column for The Infinite Writer e-zine, and my weekly satiric (okay, fake) sports interview for philly2philly.com.  I write sports articles for another publication as I wish, and am also planning a Volume Two of Wordapodia.

Morgen: Would that be http://www.philly2philly.com/sports/philly2phillycoms_phantasy_interviews by any chance?

Matt: Thanks for posting those links, Morgen.

Morgen: You’re very welcome.

Matt: Perhaps, I can also satirize the British soccer team’s exploits (lots of material there) one day.

Morgen: I don’t follow the sport (‘football’ over here) so feel free. Do you manage to write every day? What’s the most you’ve written in a day?

Matt: These days, I end up writing something almost every day, but I’m not all that regimented. As an insomniac without a true schedule, there’s not much of a difference between 3 AM and 3 PM. It’s hard to quantify what the most I’ve ever written in a day is, but I am a streak hitter, and can create a lot in a very short amount of time.

Morgen: I can when the email’s off. What is your opinion of writer’s block? Do you ever suffer from it? If so, how do you ‘cure’ it?

Matt: I don’t have any proven cures, but I am now better able to find the balance between taking it seriously (even, and especially, the humor) but not being crippled by perfectionism. Over the years, because I really do take this too seriously, I have been blocked in a million different ways. If I had any advice for people suffering from the same types of blocks, I would encourage each one not to take yourself too seriously, and to accord yourself the right to make mistakes…and some of those apparent mistakes may actually take you where you need to go.

Morgen: Not so thinly disguised as first drafts. Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Matt: Yes, and I believe that we should be allowed first drafts, and revisions, in our actions as well as our writing—provided what we say and do is not criminal or (irreversibly) hurtful in nature. As far as plotting is concerned, I’m not much of a plotter, or a plodder for that matter. I enjoy going with the flow, with an invisible hand guiding me. I also love when “happy accidents” (as I call them) come out of writing in real time.

Morgen: Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Matt: Other than my sculpted abs? I started a play/screenplay about 15 years ago that parodied my favorite movie. I wrote a few of the scenes in a day or so, and loved it, but something happened. Not sure it will be resurrected, which kind of saddens me, actually. Thanks for asking; I just may get to it now.

Morgen: Unseen sculpted abs, now that would be a waste. What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life?

Matt: My favorite is the promise of making a living off my ideas, interests and skills. I am excited about all of the connections I have made already in what still is the infancy of my career —if not my life. Like many, I’m not in love with the uncertainty that it brings financially and otherwise. But that is the (small?) price to pay for the great freedom it affords.

Morgen: Absolutely. Although it would be lovely to have a second house in Brighton (or third in Cyprus), ticking over nicely in Northampton minus the day job (however much I like it) would be lovely. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Matt: Be true to your own vision, and enjoy the journey and if you can, even the struggles. At the same time, be mindful of the business side of all this.

Morgen: Fantasy and reality (or historical/reality, humour/reality… you get the idea). What do you like to read?

Matt: I don’t read enough, quite frankly. I enjoy historical romances set in the Mesozoic Era. Not a well-known genre.

Morgen: Er…

Matt: Okay, this is a new genre I may have just created in deference to my three year-old boy’s love of dinosaurs.

Morgen: Sounds like a good plan to me.

Matt: Other than these Mesozoic period pieces, I read novels, essays and the occasional bio. Sometimes, I try to take inspiration from inspirational books; sometimes, it even works.

Morgen: In which country are you based and do you find this a help or hindrance with letting people know about your work?

Matt: I’m in the U.S.  I can call this a hindrance (well, it may be a hindrance to truly original, thought at times) but I shouldn’t complain about that.

Morgen: Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how invaluable do you find them?

Matt: I’m on Twitter (http://twitter.com/tipofgoldberg) just starting to get into social networking, and am happy that we connected thru LinkedIn. Thank you for that.

Morgen: You’re very welcome. (Apart from the odd hiccup), it’s a great site.

Matt: I find this whole world a little strange, but it’s starting to make some sense. There are some incredible tools out there at our disposal now. I’ve even started to tweet a little, and am exploring Facebook, cautiously for now. This all runs against the grain of a person who wrote (in truth) All That Twitters is Not Goldberg, yet I’m starting to see that I almost have to network in these fashions if I don’t want to be a world-class talent that nobody even reads.

Morgen: Unless a writer writes for pleasure, I think that’s what we’re all after. For me certainly, I’d rather someone pay 99p for something and enjoy it than £6.99 and feel it wasn’t value for money (which of course I’m hoping wouldn’t be the case). Where can we find out about you and your work?

Matt: Please visit www.tipofthegoldberg.com for most of the answers. You’ll find a little of everything about my books (they make terrific gifts, by the way), speaking engagements, sports writing, custom writing and blogs.

Morgen: Is there anything else you’d like to mention or another question that you would have liked to be asked?

Matt: Yes. How’s your tennis game doing? Thanks for asking. I’m getting a higher percentage of my first serves in this year, but my net game has been quite erratic. On the other hand, my backhand—actually, it’s on the same hand, just the other side of it…er, Thank You, Morgen!

Morgen: My pleasure (yes, really!). My tennis, by the way, is like my bowling and pool – I start off well and go downhill or vice versa. Thanks again, it’s been fun.

Matthew J. (Matt) Goldberg, an author and speaker from Cherry Hill, NJ, loves to entertain people through his writing and public speaking. Laughs, Smiles and just enough Wisdom reach his audience through the magic of his written and spoken words. (His unwritten and unspoken words never did much for anyone.) Author of four books, including Wordapodia, Volume One: An Encyclopedia of Real Fake Words, Matt is a thinking man’s (and woman’s) humorist who offers a unique blend of stand-up comedy and inspiration. He is left-of-center, eclectic and a die-hard sports fan, and truly has a heart of Gold-berg, and loves to bring smiles to the world. Along with writing, Matt’s greatest joy is reading and goofing around with his (almost) three-year-old son, Benny.  For more information, please write to matt@tipofthegoldberg.com.

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the questions. You complete them, I tweak them where appropriate (if necessary to reflect the blog ‘clean and light’ rating) and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.

 

Today’s sentence starts

Here are today’s beginnings to do with as you wish:

1527. It seems to me as if… (first person)

1528. You know you’ll be banned… (second person)

1529. Eric had got away with it so far… (third person)

1530. Typing carefully on the keyboard… (you can use any pov)

1531. It drives me mad when… (first person)

1532. You tug and tug…  (second person)

1533. OK, so Geoff had lied on CV…  (third person)

1534. The light flicked on, then off… (you can use any pov)

1535. I flick through the paper… (first person)

1536. You smile as the icon appears… (second person)

1537. Lindsey hoped he was a ‘lights off’ man… (third person)

1538. The material was frayed at the edges… (you can use any pov)

Each set contains for different points of view so if you are weaker at one than the others, you may like to try these first. One of my favourites is the second-person point of view which is rarely used and not particularly commercially welcomed. It’s where the narrator is talking to the reader (you) rather than talking about him / herself and I’d recommend anyone who’s not tried it before to do so. It may take a bit of getting used to but hopefully it’ll grow on you as much as it did me.  You can read more starts here.

 

Latest Bailey’s Writing Tips podcast episode: no.34 (inc sci-fi/fantasy/horror)

Episode 34 (length 17m 06s) is now available (via iTunes, Google’s Feedburner, Podbean (when it catches up), Podcasters (which takes even longer!) or Podcast Alley (which doesn’t list the episodes but will let you subscribe)).

I started the podcast by detailing some more sci-fi / fantasy / horror websites and info. (listed on this blog at http://wp.me/p18Ztn-jx, where you can also see some related publications/websites at http://wp.me/p18Ztn-ji and competitions and submission opportunities http://wp.me/p18Ztn-jq.

I then provided a couple of writing suggestions before list seven sentence starts picked from my http://twitter.com/sentencestarts page; each one, if you’d like to use them, for a daily writing project: rewrite a historical story (or other genre) that you’ve written or that you know well (or perhaps a film you’ve seen) as a sci-fi, horror or fantasy story; and/or try really limiting yourself and write a self-contained 60- or 100- word sci-fi, horror or fantasy story and then turn it into another genre and/or beefing (not padding) it up into a longer piece. I then gave some genre-related quotes, ‘On this day in history’, ‘news and feedback’ (my blog interviews – see http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/blog-interviews).

The last item of each weekly podcast is a piece of fiction – either flash or poetry and this episode’s was a piece of flash fiction I wrote as a 10-minute exercise some months back using the one-word prompt of ‘hedge’. It’s more of a children’s story but fits with this episode’s genre. I look forward to bringing you the next episode, which will be my interview with British crime novelist Adrian Magson (http://adrianmagson.com) – which will be released as special episode 28.

 

Author interview no.30 with author Jodine Turner

Welcome to the thirtieth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, directors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. Today’s is with YA / adult fantasy / paranormal romance author Jodine Turner. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate the author further. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here.

Morgen: Hello, Jodine. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer.

Jodine: I’ve been writing since I was in elementary school and encouraged to do so by my teachers. Throughout my life I’ve trained in a number of areas in the health care field (Ph.D. nurse, therapist, health educator), but writing has always been my passion. When I became ill in the mid-1990s I took the opportunity to begin writing my novels. I moved to Glastonbury, England, for a year. It’s one of my favorite spots on the planet, a place I became fascinated with after reading Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon. I wanted to immerse myself in the energy there, and do research, because many of my novels are set in Glastonbury. My very first novel was published by Glastonbury Press.

Morgen: What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Jodine: I write Young Adult and Adult fantasy, magical realism, and visionary fiction. With paranormal romance sub-genre. I have not considered other genres to be truthful. I love these genres, this is where I fit. I did so much non-fiction writing for my dissertation that I am happy now to be in a differently creative world, inspired in a totally different way. There could be another genre eventually because I never say never!

Morgen: What have you had published to-date? How much of the marketing do you do?

Jodine: The Awakening: Rebirth of Atlantis and The Keys to Remember. While these are the first and second novels in my Goddess of the Stars and the Sea trilogy, I wrote them to be stand-alone novels. The trilogy is an edgy saga of a young priestess who’s reborn during three different critical junctions in history in order to help humankind move through fearful and bleak times – the demise of Atlantis, the Dark Age’s suppression of the feminine, and today’s turbulent world. The novels are an adventure filled initiatory journey into the Mysteries of the Goddess and carry keys to embodying the ultimate magic – love, both human and divine.

Morgen: Are your books available as eBooks? If so what was your experience of that process? And do you read eBooks?

Jodine: Yes, they are available as e-Books, and I do read e-Books. My publishers submitted my books for eBook format, thank goodness, so I didn’t have to worry about the technicalities, the formatting, etc. But I understand it is much easier now to do on your own.

Morgen: You produce mp3 meditation CDs which you sell on your website, does that have any cross-over with your writing?

Jodine: Oh, yes! The theme of my novels is embodied love, both human and divine, as that is the ultimate magic and most powerful force there is. Given that, the mp3 meditations I made (some are free downloads), are practical tools meant to be stepping stones to help engender that embodied love within us. The Goddess of the Stars and the Sea from my novels is the divine feminine force of evolution. She inspires humanity during the turbulent times that precede radical change. The evolution She assists with is that of embodied love. We are called to participate in this change today, for the sake of our present day as well as our future. This evolution is about love changing how we respond to our world; love emanating from inside us out, into our behaviors, into our interactions with others. It is about balancing love that is deeply received and generously given; love that can actually change the very cells of our body. Embodied love is an evolution of both men and women, an evolution of the whole of humankind.

Morgen: You offer a meditational and spiritual teleconference service, have you ever been approached by any authors, perhaps with writer’s block?

Jodine: Most of the people interested in the teleconference classes want to learn how to balance the giving and receiving of love, and how that can help them in their lives, their relationships, their happiness. They want practical tools. This can apply in all sorts of situations, even writer’s block!

Morgen: Do you meditate before you write?

Jodine: I usually tune in. I try to get into my body, and out of my head. This helps my inspiration and creative flow. Sometimes I light a candle to focus my intention in the writing. I’ve been known to have a special rock, or seashell, or some such treasured object close by. A sort of good luck charm!

Morgen: Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Jodine: This quote says it – “There’s nothing to writing.  All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” (sports writer “Red” Smith). 
My gosh yes, I’ve had my fair share (I shamelessly admit!). It’s part of the process. Sometimes they hurt, sometimes I feel misunderstood…but I always know I am being given feedback that is important to look at to help my writing craft. I’ve developed a thick skin. It’s necessary in this business. That doesn’t mean rejections don’t affect me. But this is such a highly subjective business, and knowing that helps. When I found my niche, my readers, my publishers – those people who love and appreciate my work – well, then that just fills my heart with happiness and makes all the tears and upset worthwhile.

Morgen: What are you working on at the moment / next?

Jodine: I’m working on bringing out my next novel, Carry on the Flame: (Part One) Destiny’s Call. It releases August 1^st. Carry on the Flame: (Part Two) Ultimate Magic, releases shortly thereafter, on October 31^st, 2011. And the seeds of a new novel are beginning to emerge. Another magical realism novel that takes place…, you guessed it, in Glastonbury. I received glimpses of it when I sat in the Abbey ruins when I visited in January 2010.

Morgen: What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Jodine: As Joseph Campbell said, “Follow your bliss.” Keep true to your heart and your personal truth. And always polish your writing craft. Writers’ groups are so important. Don’t write without feedback. Your writing may be beautiful and make sense in your mind, but feedback is crucial. Readers are the important people here. And then once given feedback, filter it through your heart.

Morgen: Running two writing groups and belonging to two others, I couldn’t agree more. You’re based in Oregon, USA; do you find this a help or hindrance with letting people know about your work?

Jodine: “Aw, shucks and golly-gee…” We do have electricity and cable and internet here! I live near a city, but a sane distance away! In today’s world with the technology available to us, it really doesn’t matter where one lives.

Morgen: Absolutely, I’m so grateful to be a writer in this era. You married an Englishman, have you found any literary culture clashes?

Jodine: I met and married Chris in Glastonbury. He’s English and Welsh. There have been no literary clashes with us. Other types of clashes maybe! As Winston Churchill said, “We are two nations divided by a common language.” In so many instances, Chris and I had different cultural meanings for the same word. It was really funny. And it took some getting used to in the beginning of our relationship as we often had to explain what we were saying even though we both spoke English. But with his accent, I always listen even if I misunderstand!

Morgen: Yes, we do like each other’s accents, don’t we? Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how valuable do you find them?

Jodine: Yes. Connection with other authors, and readers especially, is important. This is how I found you, Morgen!

Morgen: Indeed. Where can we find out about you and your work?

Jodine: My website is: http://www.jodineturner.com, my blog: http://.www.visionaryfiction.blogspot.com, Facebook author page: http://www.facebook.com/JodineTurner.Author, On Goodreads: http://bit.ly/k1PPbJ, Jacketflap: http://www.jacketflap.com/drjodine / http://bit.ly/l1lVVs, Amazon’s author page: http://amzn.to/kzfNA7 and Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JodineTurner

Morgen: Is there anything else you’d like to mention or another question that you would have liked to be asked (if so what would you have replied)?

Jodine: Yes, thank you. Here is a brief synopsis of my trilogy and its first two novels. The Goddess of the Stars and the Sea trilogy: The trilogy is an edgy saga of a young priestess who’s reborn during three different critical junctions in history in order to help humankind move through fearful and bleak times – the demise of Atlantis, the Dark Age’s suppression of the feminine, and today’s turbulent world. The novels are an adventure filled initiatory journey into the Mysteries of the Goddess and carry keys to embodying the ultimate magic – divine love.

Each novel in the trilogy can stand on its own. First in the trilogy is the highly acclaimed The Awakening: Rebirth of Atlantis. The second novel is the award winning The Keys to Remember. The third novel in the trilogy, Carry on the Flame: Part One Destiny’s Call, is already award winning and will be released August 1, 2011. Carry on the Flame: Part Two Ultimate Magic will be released October 31, 2011

The Awakening: Rebirth of Atlantis: It is human legacy to evolve spiritually. It is the role of the Goddess of the Stars and the Sea to assist in the transition. One such turning of the ages occurred in Atlantis… The final days of Atlantis are marked by deceit, lust, and greed. The once vibrant culture, blessed with advanced knowledge bestowed upon it by a race of star beings, now suffers with a corrupt governing body and a degenerate priesthood. The Awakening is the story of Geodran, a strong-willed priestess with ancestry from the stars who lives on the continent of Atlantis during the time leading to its destruction. The Goddess of the Stars and the Sea is awakened from Her dreamtime with the knowing that a change for humankind approaches. The Goddess intervenes to assist humanity, and calls upon the young priestess, Geodran, to be Her helper. Geodran struggles to fulfill a destiny larger than and in conflict with her own personal desires, a destiny bestowed upon her by her mother, the High Priestess Jaquine. In a moment of maternal desperation, Jaquine had promised her unborn child, Geodran, to the Goddess, in return for the baby’s safe birth, thus sealing her daughter’s fate. Geodran’s journey is a heroic quest to bring forth the next era of human civilization.

The Keys to Remember: 
In this award-winning continuation of the ‘Goddess of the Stars and the Sea’ trilogy, humankind is once again on the threshold of a spiritual evolution. In fourth century Glastonbury, England, six year old Rhianna is kidnapped from her home and raised in a Christian Abbey but has never forgotten her grandmother’s prophecy –“Your destiny lies with the Goddess of the Stars and the Sea.” Rhianna alone must mid-wife the next stage of spiritual evolution, as dark times approach for humanity. Powerful forces within both the Abbey and the priestess community of Avalon conspire to keep Rhianna from her rightful destiny and her true love. The price of her heroic quest is far higher than she expects.

Morgen: Thank you Jodine. This has been really… would it be too corny to say “enlightening”. I wish you all the success with your forthcoming projects.

Jodine returns on Monday 15th August for part 2.

Jodine Turner is an author of YA/Adult fantasy, magical realism, and visionary fiction. She is also a therapist, a consecrated priestess, and a deacon in the Gnostic Church of Mary Magdalene. While living in Glastonbury, England, the ancient Isle of Avalon, Jodine began writing the Goddess of the Stars and the Sea trilogy. The novels are an adventure filled initiation into the Mysteries of the Goddess, the divine feminine, divine masculine, and sacred union. First in the trilogy is the highly acclaimed The Awakening: Rebirth of Atlantis. The second novel is the award winning The Keys to Remember. The third novel in the trilogy, Carry on the Flame: Part One Destiny’s Call, is already award winning and will be released August 1, 2011. Carry on the Flame: Part Two Ultimate Magic will be released October 31, 2011

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the questions. You complete them, I tweak them where appropriate (if necessary to reflect the blog ‘clean and light’ rating) and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.