Author Spotlight no.36 – Deborah Swift

Complementing my daily blog interviews, today’s Author Spotlight, the thirty-sixth, is of Deborah Swift.

Deborah Swift is a historical novelist and poet who spent many years travelling the UK working as a set and costume designer for the theatre and then at BBC television before settling in a small village on the edge of the English Lake District. She has many active hobbies including taiko drumming, tai chi, and tango dancing, all great antidotes to the sedentary writing life. (And yes, she has noticed her hobbies all seem to begin with a ’T')

She enjoys teaching creative writing and mentoring other novelists, and has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University. She is a member of The Historical Writers Association, the Historical Novel Society and the Romantic Novelists Association.

And now from the author herself:

I started life as a poet and only came to writing historical fiction in the last few years. I wrote a short piece of experimental prose about the lady’s slipper orchid, and the critique group I was working with liked it so much they suggested I should extend it. This initial impulse became chapter one of a novel (now published by Macmillan and St Martin’s Press) and since then I have had to catch up quickly with the genre of historical fiction.

I had never particularly been a historical fiction fan, and read mostly contemporary literary fiction, but I thought I had better start somewhere. I picked Philippa Gregory to begin with and was amazed at how much history seemed to be packed between the pages. I had to learn quickly how to maximise my research time by taking copious notes, by always making time for photographs and by having a handbag big enough to fit the many brochures and photocopies I collected.

The research aspect and the fact that historical fiction is often lengthier than other genres means each book takes me about eighteen months to write. I have found it impossible to carry all the information I need in my head and I carry a lot of notebooks. My system of research is to do a “general recce” of the particular time and settings, followed by a much more in depth research period after writing the first draft. What I love about historical fiction is that the characters’ tensions can often be externalised more in times when a dispute means reaching for a sword. I have a lifelong love of the theatre and film, and this gives potential for a very visible drama. Of course the joy of any novel, and something I love about literary fiction, is the chance to encounter the inner tensions of the characters too, so I hope I have managed to balance the internal and external dilemmas in a way the reader finds engaging.

My next novel The Gilded Lily will be published in 2012, and the third in 2013.

What I am reading now: The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, The Courtesan’s Lover by Gabrielle Kimm and The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.

You can find more about Deborah and her work via… www.deborahswift.blogspot.com, www.deborahswift.co.uk and www.royaltyfreefictionary.blogspot.com. You can buy ‘The Lady’s Slipper’ from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. Reviews for Deborah’s novel have included… ‘Top Pick!’ RT Book Reviews – ‘Brilliant saga’ Romance Reviews Today – ‘Riveting narrative’ For the Love of Books – ‘Rich and haunting’ Reading the Past

Morgen: History was my worst subject at school so it was lovely to read about how you fell in love with it, thank you Deborah… and I love your cover.

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with non-fiction author Berney K. Dorton – the one hundred and fourth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me. You can read / download my eBooks from Smashwords (Amazon to follow).

 

Blog interview no.203 with crime novelist Wayne Zurl

Welcome to the two hundred and third of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with crime novelist Wayne Zurl. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.

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

Wayne: Shortly after World War Two, I was born in Brooklyn, New York. Although I never wanted to leave a community with such an efficient streetcar system, I had little to say in my parents’ decision to pick up and move to Long Island where I grew up. Like most American males of the baby-boomer generation, I spent my adolescence wanting to be a cowboy, soldier, or policeman. All that was, of course, based on movies and later television. The Vietnam War accounted for my time as a soldier. After returning to the US and separating from active duty, the New York State Employment Service told me I possessed no marketable civilian skills. So, I became a cop. That was as close to military life as I could find. Now that I’m retired from the police service, I still like the cowboy idea, but have interrupted that aspiration with an attempt at being a mystery writer. Years ago I left New York, land of the Big Apple, to live in the picturesque foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of east Tennessee with my wife, Barbara.

Morgen: And you can certainly write about what you know. So you generally write mysteries, have you considered other genres? Perhaps a western?

Wayne: I wrote one quasi sci-fi short story about time travel for a contest I never entered because I drastically exceeded the word limit. Other than that, I exclusively write police mysteries. But I think I could pull off a western.

Morgen: Ah yay. Or should I say “yee har”. OK, maybe not. What have you had published to-date? If applicable, can you remember where you saw your first books on the shelves?

Wayne: My first full-length novel, A NEW PROSPECT, debuted in print January 20, 2011. I also have ten other Sam Jenkins mystery novelettes available in audio book and eBook formats.  I first saw A NEW PROSPECT in a local Hastings Entertainment bookshop in the “books of local interest” section. I had mixed emotions. Should I be shelved in the mystery section along with the big guys or in with local interest because the story takes place in the Smoky Mountains? I guess the book manager knew his business. I’ve sold quite a few books there.

Morgen: I’d have said in the mystery but I guess he knew what he was doing. Our local bookshops (a Waterstone’s) has very little in the local section, fiction certainly, so I write about this area in the hope… actually I write about it because I know it but I do have that at the back of my mind. How much of the marketing do you do for your published works or indeed for yourself as a ‘brand’?

Wayne: The first time someone asked me, what’s my brand, I thought about cattle.

Morgen: Yes, I’d say you could write a western.

Wayne: I’m sadly lacking in modern electronic media marketing lingo. I push my stories as the Sam Jenkins Smoky Mountain mysteries. That names my protagonist and anchors him in a very beautiful and popular locale. I spend hours each day devoted to marketing.

Morgen: That’s a lot but I guess it’s becoming a way of life these days, and I have to say it’s great chatting to readers and writers online. Well, I don’t have to but it is. Have you won or been shortlisted in any competitions and do you think they help with a writer’s success?

Wayne: A NEW PROSPECT was named Best Mystery at the 2011 Indie Book Awards by the Independent Publishing Professionals Group. Three of my novelettes have made it to the publisher’s bestseller list.

Morgen: Well done. Do you write under a pseudonym? If so why and do you think it makes a difference?

Wayne: Pseudonym? Would anyone choose Wayne Zurl as a name if they had another option?

Morgen: It’s very memorable.

Wayne: I suppose there’s a valid marketing reason for some people to alter their names. They write in two genres, perhaps. And for sexist reasons, I know two female authors who use a unisex approach suggested by the publishers—first and middle initials only. One writes naval thrillers and the other blood and guts sci-fi. The PR people think the genres would sell better if readers didn’t initially know they were females. I don’t think that’s right, but they seem to be able to live with it and this isn’t a perfect world.

Morgen: Morgen’s useful because I can write light and dark – I have been called ‘Mr’ before despite my caricature being plastered everywhere. Mostly I get called Morgan (with an ‘a’) because it’s the more usual spelling. Are your books available as eBooks? If so what was your experience of that process?

Wayne: All my books are available in various eBook formats. They account for a fair amount of sales and the royalties are higher. I’ve read that more than 30% of Amazon’s book sales are Kindle books. The times, they are a-changin’.

Morgen: As Bob once said. Yes, you definitely need to write a western. Apparently eBooks have taken over hardbacks which I guess is not surprising given the cost of hardbacks and that they’re heavy to carry around (heavier than an eReader in most cases). Do you read eBooks?

Wayne: I still like a traditional book, but someday may buy an eReader.

Morgen: I have one but it gathers dust. I read paperbacks at home and have the eReader for travelling but I rarely go anywhere and if I do, I tend to take my laptop (which isn’t much heavier) but it’s there and I think I’ll make more use of it. What was your first acceptance and is being accepted still a thrill?

Wayne: While I was in the process of flogging A NEW PROSPECT, I sold a novelette called A LABOR DAY MURDER to the publisher who handles all my audio books. I was thrilled then and still get excited when something I created is validated by someone else. Making money for my efforts is okay, too.

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

Wayne: When I began the publishing process, I queried over 100 agents—a dozen or so per mailing. No one was interested, and more than 90% of them rejected me without reading one page of my book. And I had enlisted professional help to construct a good query letter. Those rejections had me wondering and caused me to start using extra deodorant. After that, I wrote to any publisher willing to accept submissions directly from a writer. I received more rejections, but eventually found a contract in the mail. No one likes rejection, and I’m no exception. I could easily harbour homicidal urges.

Morgen: But I guess after so many rejections it made the acceptance even more rewarding. What are you working on at the moment / next?

Wayne: I’ve just sold two novelettes (numbers 9 and 10 in the Sam Jenkins series—THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN BANK JOB and FATE OF A FLOOZY) that are going to be produced as audio books and simultaneously published as eBooks. These projects are moving along nicely. My second full-length novel, A LEPRECHAUN’S LAMENT has just passed the second round edits with flying colours and is ready for formatting. The cover art is finished and the promotional video is being worked on as I’m writing this. The target release date is early 2012. For obvious reasons, I’d like to see St. Patrick’s Day as the debut. I just signed contracts to create two hard copy anthologies from ten novelettes. SMOKY MOUNTAIN MYSTERIES is slated for 2012 and MORE SMOKY MOUNTAIN MYSTERIES for 2013. And I’m almost finished with my final edits for another Sam Jenkins novel, HEROES & LOVERS, and will be able to send it to the publisher when he’s ready.

Morgen: My goodness, you don’t hang around. It sounds like you manage to write every day? What’s the most you’ve written in a day?

Wayne: The post-publication promotions take up a lot of my time, so I don’t get to write as much as I’d like, certainly not every day. In a word count, I can’t say what’s the biggest day I’ve ever had, but once the ideas just kept coming and I didn’t stop for nine hours. Well, after six or so, I did stop to mix a drink, but at my age if I don’t get my thoughts down on paper quickly, I might forget what I wanted to say.

Morgen: At any age Wayne, I have notepads all over the place. I’ve lost some brilliant ideas in the past; of course I can’t prove they’re brilliant because I can’t remember what they were. A question some authors dread, where do you get your inspiration from?

Wayne: Most often, inspiration comes out of the blue. I might be doing 70 on an interstate highway or wake up at 3 a.m. with an idea. Almost all my stories are based on real incidents that I worked on, supervised, or just knew a lot about. I freely admit to a better memory than imagination. But I fictionalize and embellish everything and transplant these stories from their origins in New York to Tennessee where my protagonist picks up the ball. I’d need a direct line to Dial-A-Shrink to learn what triggers certain memories.

Morgen: I think we’d all need to. It’s the joy of being a writer. Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Wayne: Making outlines is too much like work. I get an idea, fetch a pen and pad, and go with it.

Morgen: Most of my interviewees do (it’s my favourite aspect). Do you have a method for creating your characters, their names and what do you think makes them believable?

Wayne: I personally know each of my characters. They’re probably not the person named in the book, but rather people cast as the fictional character. Knowing how people act and speak helps me write dialogue and give everyone a unique voice. I use a highly scientific method of choosing names. I look in a phone book and make two columns. I write down all the interesting first and family names separately and then mix and match by sound and mate them to the character’s personalities. I do something sort of controversial. I write dialogue with dialect. An east Tennessee accent is unique. For me it’s not good enough to say the character speaks with a southern accent. There are too many of them, and that would be telling rather than showing the reader. One of my books is a primer in how a native of the Smokies speaks.

Morgen: What we do without phone and baby name books? Who do you first show your work to?

Wayne: My wife is my first proof-reader. She’s also a great source of pep talks and a consultant when I feel the dreaded writer’s block.

Morgen: Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?

Wayne: I get a rough draft on paper and then edit for content. The third job is to put it on a Word document. Then I post chapters to an on-line writer’s workshop and get opinions from other authors. After that, I incorporate all the good ideas I’ve heard and really spruce it up. Lastly, I submit to one of my publishers.

Morgen: Plenty of opinions, which is good. What point of view do you find most to your liking?

Wayne: So far everything I’ve done is 1st person past tense. Sam Jenkins is the narrator. I like the idea of an old cop telling the reader his “war stories.” I tried 3rd person once and ended up rewriting the entire novelette. I’m terrible at keeping track of POVs in 3rd person.

Morgen: What do you like to read?

Wayne: I find myself reading a lot of crime fiction now. I like it and it’s a good way to study different styles. I read people like Robert B. Parker, James Lee Burke, Nelson DeMille, Loren D, Estleman, Robert Crais, and a few others. For historical fiction, I like Bernard Cornwell. He does action scenes better than most. After one of his battles, I need a drink.

Morgen: That’s funny. One of my bosses is reading him at the moment (and Simon Scarrow) and really enjoy him (them both). Is there a word, phrase or quote you like?

Wayne: Edward Gibbon said: “I make it a point never to argue with people whose opinions I do not respect.”

Morgen: I like that. What do you do when you’re not writing? Any hobbies or party tricks?

Wayne: My wife and I like to travel. We’ve been to the UK thirteen times. I know the roads in Scotland better than in Tennessee.

Morgen: And better than me, I’ve only been once. Us Brits aren’t the best at travelling although I plan to (finally) get to the Edinburgh Book Festival next August.

Wayne: Party tricks? You mean like amazing people by making single-malt whisky disappear?

Morgen: And of course you need to practice in between. Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how invaluable do you find them?

Wayne: The on-line writer’s workshop I mentioned is www.thenextbigwriter.com. I think it’s an extremely helpful. In writing, two heads (or more) aren’t just better than one, they’re essential. But a warning: Have a thick skin before you get there. Some of those who critique your work may offer sound ideas, but lack the rudimentary skills of a country doctor’s bedside manner.

Morgen: I’m sure editors will be worse (harder). Where can we find out about you and your work?

Wayne: Here are a few links to get you a good picture of the books and the sellers: my website, Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble and audiobook publisher: http://www.mindwingsaudio.com.

Morgen: Wow. Well, thank you so much Wayne.

Wayne: Thank you, Morgen, for allowing me to chat with your fans.

Morgen: ‘Fans’, I like that… although I did have an email from a soon-to-be-interviewee entitled ‘Hi from a fan’. She definitely knew how to win me over (it isn’t difficult). I know you’re part-way through your book’s blog tour so I hope it goes (is going) well, and thanks again.

I then invited Wayne to include an extract of his writing and he tells me this is the prelude to the soon-to-be published A LEPRECHAUN’S LAMENT:

I think about the little guy often. Murray McGuire looked like a leprechaun. He played darts like a pub champion and drank stout like a soccer star. If you worked for the city of Prospect and found problems with a piece of office equipment, Murray would work tirelessly to remedy your troubles.

But after I interviewed him for thirty minutes, I could have cheerfully strangled the little bastard.

Thanks to Murray, I’ll always look over my shoulder with a modicum of trepidation. I have dreams about a beautiful redhead I could do without. And I remember an incident best forgotten every time I see a turkey buzzard.

For days, I thought of Murray as the man who didn’t exist.

Wayne Zurl grew up on Long Island and retired after twenty years with the Suffolk County Police Department, one of the largest municipal law enforcement agencies in New York and the nation. For thirteen years he served as a section commander supervising investigators. He is a graduate of SUNY, Empire State College and served on active duty in the US Army during the Vietnam War and later in the reserves. Wayne left New York to live in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with his wife, Barbara.

Ten of his Sam Jenkins mysteries have been produced as audio books and simultaneously published as eBooks. His first full-length novel, A NEW PROSPECT, was named best mystery at the 2011 Indie Book Awards. A new novel, A LEPRECHAUN’S LAMENT, is on the coming soon list at Iconic Publishing and will be available in print for early 2012.

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.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but 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.

 

Guest post: ‘Moonscape to Paradise and back?’ from Lou Allin

I’m delighted to bring you this guest blog post, today on the topic of mystery settings, by mystery author Lou Allin.

Moonscape to Paradise and back?

Canada is known for its sea-to-sea-to-sea pristine, jaw-dropping scenery, but one place has been a national joke since World War One: the moonscape around Sudbury, the Nickel Capital. At the opposite end of the country, both geographically and environmentally, is Paradise, aka Vancouver Island. They’re more alike than you’d think.

I knew nothing about Sudbury in 1977 when I jumped at a job offer at the college. Surveying the core mining operations in Coniston and Copper Cliff, I saw the blackrock as vast as Manhattan which had earned it world-class shame for hosting the training astronauts on its barren hills. Lumbering, act one, had started in the 1880s. Discovery of nickel meant that the next decades brought open-pit roasting and then fifty years of acid rain. With no trees or ground cover, soil melted off the bare land, and the rocks darkened. Clear blue lakes became too acid to sustain life. Then in 1972, the Superstack (1247 feet high) was built to scrub the air pollution. Taking their cue, the entire community, business, students, government and private citizens began a monumental re-greening extending into the twenty-first century. Thanks to a cocktail of “rye (grass) on the rocks” and twenty million hardy pine seedlings, when I left in 2006, that moonscape was green again. For its unprecedented comeback, the city received an award from the Earthsummit in Rio.

As a mystery author emissary, I did my part in the Belle Palmer series to convey the chronicle, warts and all. Every book traced the long and worthy journey, Northern Winters are Murder, Blackflies are Murder, Bush Poodles are Murder, Murder, Eh? even to the last, Memories are Murder, which involved the relocation of elk after an absence of eighty years. That Superstack was always puffing in the distance as my character drove from meteor-crater Lake Wanapitei into town. I mentioned the honeycomb of tunnels in that fortunate metal package delivered into the Cambrian Shield, tunnels which put together would make a path to Vancouver in distance. Little by little the Copper Cliff area returned to green, though it would never support trees taller than a hundred feet. Fish swam in the buffered lakes. I knew I had succeeded when readers from across Canada told me that they wanted to visit. “You make it sound so beautiful!” they said. My books even filled the shelves at the log cabin Visitor Centre.

I moved to the other end of the country to Vancouver Island. “Welcome to Paradise,” everyone said. Expecting to marvel at the temperate-rainforest wilderness, I found a country under siege.

Those who keep to the streets of Victoria and ferry across the picturesque straits don’t realize the dirty secret that is clear-cutting. Not that the island hasn’t been logged several times in most areas over the last hundred and fifty years. Now the timber companies now have found ways to transmute that scarred land to pure gold. In a recent backroom deal, they convinced the government to let them turn their cutting leases into real estate at a million an acre.

By the time islanders woke up, considerable damage was done. A few places were saved, such as the Potholes area in Sooke. However, the surfing territory around Jordan River and back into the hills may be dotted with hundreds of vacation cabins. The government squirms in the ironic position of having to buy back land from the timber companies who were to have served as stewards, not self-servers. Clayaquot Sound, once a clarion call for activism, is one again threatened with mining as well as logging. Where I live west of Victoria, hundreds of logging trucks speed by weekly, loaded with timber barely twenty years old as well as spindly pulpwood. Raw logs sail to China, hardly a value-added proposition.

Douglas firs and the holy mother cedar are among the largest trees on the planet. Blessed by rainfall, they have found the optimal growing conditions. Why can’t a tree over five feet in diameter, around when Columbus sailed, be left in threatened Avatar Grove for future generations who don’t want to visit a tree museum? Imported tourists could be a far more lucrative and moral way to conserve our precious resources. Trees have become our ivory and chainsaws our poachers.

Sadly, most people never see this destruction unless they travel inland or fly over. The entire island is a poisonous patchwork quilt. My Holly Martin mysteries, And on the Surface Die and She Felt No Pain, rely heavily on setting and reveal the devastation a few metres beyond the narrowing margins. Is squandering a heritage a lesser crime than murder?

As century farms become condos, one giant housing development threatens, from Tofino to Port Hardy to Campbell River. Where the magical island once was self-sufficient, now it’s on life support. Stop the ferries for one week, and we all would subsist on blackberries, eggs, and apples. The island used to provide 95% of its food. Now ships arrive in flotillas from South America with tasteless grapes and unripe avocados, burning diesel to pollute the air.

The island has lost its vision, or perhaps a hundred years ago it didn’t need one. Groups such as The Land Conservancy and Dogwood Initiative are trying to stem the tide and marshal public opinion. Will this evil path be reversed in time or will Vancouver Island become another moonscape, paradise lost because of those who loved it to death?

Food for thought, pardon the pun. Thank you Lou!

Born in Toronto, Lou Allin grew up in Cleveland. She received a PhD in English Renaissance Literature and spent three decades in Northern Ontario as a professor of English. With a cottage on a frozen lake as her inspiration, she started her Belle Palmer series, featuring a realtor and her German shepherd, beginning with Northern Winters Are Murder. Lou has moved to Canada’s Caribbean, Vancouver Island, with Friday the mini-poodle and Zodie and Zia the border collies, overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Her island series stars RCMP corporal Holly Martin: And on the Surface Die, She Felt No Pain and the upcoming Twilight is Not Good for Maidens. Lou’s standalones are A Little Learning is a Murderous Thing (set in Michigan) and Man Corn Murders (Utah). That Dog Won’t Hunt is designed to appeal to reluctant adult readers. Watch for Contingency Plan in the same series.

Lou’s website is www.louallin.com and email louallin@shaw.ca, and she welcomes your correspondence.

You can also read my interview with Lou, released on 25th November.

If you would like to write a writing-related guest post for my blog then feel free to email me with an outline of what you would like to write about. If it’s writing-related then it’s highly likely I’d email back and say “yes please” (while quietly bouncing up and down in my seat with joy!).

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with crime novelist Wayne Zurl – the two hundred and third of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (my guests love to hear from you too!) and / or email me. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords (Amazon to follow).

 

Blog interview no.202 with author Pete Morin

Welcome to the two hundred and second of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, biographers, agents, publishes and more. Today’s is with political / crime novelist and short story author Pete Morin. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.

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

Pete: I became attracted to creative writing in college, in the last century. After several creative writing courses taught by very talented published authors, I won two short story competitions sponsored by the University newspaper. After college, I left writing for 35 years, and returned to it in 2007 when an energy healer told me there were things missing from my Q’I, did I know what they were? I did know what they were. I began my first novel in February of 2008.

Morgen: I love that. I didn’t know I was missing anything until I went to my first writing class in January 2006 and found I had been, or that’s how it feels. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Pete: My short story collection (Uneasy Living) is literary. My first novel, Diary of a Small Fish, is a blend of literary and political / crime.

Morgen: Yay, I love short stories. And I love the videos for your novel, they’re so clever. I love technology. If applicable, can you remember where you saw your first books on the shelves?

Pete: I have yet to see my novels on a shelf, other than a virtual shelf at Amazon, Smashwords, B&N and iStore.

Morgen: Me too. Maybe we will one day but this is fun in the meantime. How much of the marketing do you do for your published works or indeed for yourself as a ‘brand’?

Pete: Too much.

Morgen: Oh dear. A lot of interviewees have said it’s their least favourite aspect of self-publishing but even household authors seem to have to do a fair amount, just the way the industry is going. Have you won or been shortlisted in any competitions and do you think they help with a writer’s success?

Pete: My short story, Buried Treasure, will receive Honorable Mention in the 2011 Al Blanchard Award competition, sponsored by the New England chapter of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters In Crime. I do think it helps with your reputation among other writers, but not with the public.

Morgen: Something for the CV at least. Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

Pete: I do, Christine Witthohn, Book Cents Literary. Christine is a superb agent and tireless advocate. Although she was unsuccessful in selling DOSF in the short period of time I gave her to do it (a year), she was instrumental in convincing me to self-publish it, worked on a plan with me, and assured me that it would help her sell my second novel. In that context, I would say YES, I consider her to be vital to my success, because she understands the nature of the changes taking place in the publishing world, she embraces them, and she is adapting her work to help her writers position themselves for the New Paradigm.

Morgen: It must be pretty tough for agents at the moment especially given that it’s so easy (I can say that now I’ve done it) for us to put our own content out there, and more of us are doing it because it’s hard to get an agent. So your books are available as eBooks? What was your experience of that process? And do you read eBooks?

Pete: They are, the experience was relatively painless, and I enjoyed it a great deal. I hired an old dorm mate to do my cover. It helped that he’d done a half dozen book covers for Random House and a cover of The New Yorker magazine. I hired a professional conversion / formatting specialist, who did a superb job on the interior. I read about 50 novels a year, 80% of them on my kindle.

Morgen: Wow, one a week. I’m lucky if I read one a year (oh the shame of it!). That’ll all change when I go freelance at Christmas. <laughs hysterically> Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Pete: Christine gave my manuscript to editors at 7 publishing houses, all of whom she’d sold properties to before. After nine months, none of them had gotten to reading it. That was when I became convinced that the old traditional publishing model was broken. If I’m being honest about it, it really cheeses me off. I dealt with it by self-publishing. Doesn’t mean I won’t try to sell the next one, but I certainly won’t give it a year.

Morgen: I approached a dozen agents (by email / in person) and started wondering why I was when I was going to give up so much control – never say never but not for now. What are you working on at the moment / next?

Pete: I am nearly finished with a straight-up murder mystery, dead body on page one, whodunit. It is situated on Cape Cod, where I spent 15 years of my adult life (all of my work has some connection to the Cape). I have two ideas for the following one, and I haven’t decided which to write first. It will probably be another murder mystery based on a real-life unsolved murder known as The Lady In the Dunes.

Morgen: You could always write both, for variety, switching from one to the other if you get stuck? Do you manage to write every day? What’s the most you’ve written in a day?

Pete: I do not write every day. I am a practising lawyer too, so I switch things around depending on my schedule. The most I’ve written in a day is about 4,000 words.

Morgen: That’s good going. What is your opinion of writer’s block? Do you ever suffer from it? If so, how do you ‘cure’ it?

Pete: Never had it, never will.

Morgen: <laughs> Me too, pretty much. I might run aground then go on to something else but find I can plough on when I get back. One thing for sure, I’ll never run out of ideas. A question some authors dread, where do you get your inspiration from?

Pete: I haven’t the slightest idea, and that’s the way I like it.

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

Pete: I am a pantser through and through. I get an idea, and my characters run with it. I wrote a blog post on this subject recently. Here is an excerpt from it: I am a pantser through and through, which means –especially as I approach the climax and ending of my second novel – that I must rely on the feedback of my characters to help me get them out of the jam I put them in. I mean, it’s only fair, right? Often this time in semi-consciousness is spent running through a conference call with these characters, brainstorming, noodling, arguing about where they’d go next. By this point, I need to trust them, and they need to trust me. How did we get to this point?

Morgen: I’ve heard ‘pantser’ a few times now, I love it. Do you have a method for creating your characters, their names and what do you think makes them believable?

Pete: I’m sure I do, but I don’t know what it is. My characters simply reveal themselves to me at the outset and are pretty sneaky about how much they tell me and when. Their names seem to pop right into my head spontaneously, as soon as I see them. I don’t think I’ve changed three names in all of my stories. My favorites are Bernard (don’t call him ‘Bernie’) Kilroy, Billy Cruddy, Harold Acres and Diana LaVonn.

Morgen: In my third novel (a 117K first draft chick lit) I had a William (no-one has called him Will or Bill and kept their job). I’m stuck on Elliot now, wanting to call all my characters Elliot, as a first or surname. I’m resisting the urge pretty well. Are you involved in anything else writing-related other than actual writing or marketing of your writing?

Pete: My writing wouldn’t have progressed the way it did if a fellow named John Hudspith hadn’t spotted my early first chapter on youwriteon.org and invited me into a private writers website (The Book Shed), where a bunch of Brits pounded me silly until I’d gotten it right. So I am a firm believer in paying it forward. I am a veteran member of agentqueryconnect.com, a website that assists aspiring writers to craft their queries and learn about the process of seeking publication. I participate with other veteran members in the operation of fromthewriteangle.com, a blog about all things writing and publishing.

Morgen: I had a couple of things on You Write On but pulled them off as I didn’t have time to do the site justice (swapping reviews). It’s a great tool though, like Harper Collins’ Authonomy. Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?

Pete: I wrote over 20 drafts of my first novel. I’ll probably write three for my second. I tend to edit as I go along, and the more I write, the better I get as “curing” my old bad habits.

Morgen: 20 edits ouch. I glaze over after three or four then it goes to my editor who picks it to death (thankfully) anyway. How much research do you have to do for your writing? Have you ever received feedback from your readers?

Pete: Google has revolutionized the research process. Google Maps especially. I like to be very site specific in my locales, and I use real names of restaurants, meat markets, bars, etc.

Morgen: Because someone will catch you out. What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write?

Pete: There is no process. When I am not writing, I am fighting with my characters about what’s going to happen next. Could be lying in bed at 3:00 am, could be in the shower. When I sit down to write, it just starts coming. I have no explanation for it.

Morgen: But it comes out, that’s the main thing. Some writers like quiet, others the noise of a coffee shop etc. Do you listen to music or have noise around you when you write or do you need silence?

Pete: I’ve written successfully in the silence of my kitchen (or any other room in the house) at 2:00 am and at a crowded bar at the height of Happy Hour. I do NOT listen to music, however. As a musician too, I find I get distracted too much in the listening.

Morgen: I’m the same, classical only, no words to take over. What point of view do you find most to your liking: first person or third person? Have you ever tried second person?

Pete: My shorts are mostly 3^rd person, the novels are 1^st person. I have no interested whatsoever in 2^nd person, reading or writing.

Morgen: It is a strange one, probably why I like it. Do you use prologues / epilogues? What do you think of the use of them?

Pete: That’s like asking, “what do you think of wine?” I have an epilogue in DOSF. My editor told me he liked the novel better without it. I said, “Then don’t read it.”

Morgen: (I don’t like wine, my brother loves it) but I tend not to read prologue or epilogues. Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Pete: Only if I never get around to finishing them.

Morgen: If anything, what has been your biggest surprise about writing?

Pete: That strangers think it’s any good.

Morgen: What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Pete: Pay attention to learning craft, read everything you can get your hands on, in and out of your genre, and keep your day job.

Morgen: Oops, I’ve just given up mine. Is there a word, phrase or quote you like?

Pete: The prospect of refreshment at the charges of another is an opportunity never to be neglected by men of clear commercial judgment. Hilaire Belloc, The Mercy of Allah (1922)

Morgen: Wow. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Pete: I play blues guitar in seedy Boston bars and golf on the finest courses available.

Morgen: Ah ha, that’s where the reference to golf in your videos comes from. I know you’re on LinkedIn (I think that’s where we ‘met’, how valuable do you find forums or networking sites?

Pete: I recommend that writers pick one or two social networking sites to hit hard, and visit the others just to stay visible. I hit Facebook hard. As far as value, I won’t know until I see how many of my old hometown childhood friends buy my stuff. I do have quite a following, I just don’t know if it converts to readers – yet.

Morgen: Let’s hope this interview helps a little. Where can we find out about you and your work?

Pete: www.petemorin.wordpress.com and www.goodreads.com

Morgen: What do you think the future holds for a writer?

Pete: I like to think the possibilities are just beginning.

Morgen: Me too, I’m very excited by the way things are going. Is there anything you’d like to ask me?

Pete: What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Morgen: It depends on wind thrust and air traffic but anywhere between 37mph and 83mph. Only kidding, haven’t a clue. Thanks Pete.

I then invited Pete to include an extract of his writing and this is from ‘Diary of a Small Fish’ (I love the cover by the way, Pete):

I used to play an obscene amount of golf at the exclusive Hyannisport Club. I knew at the time it was irresponsible and over-indulgent, but I never thought it was a federal crime.

At the beginning of a perfectly glorious Labor Day weekend, I sat on the back deck of my Cotuit home, cleaning my Pings, preparing for the typical holiday Friday afternoon: eighteen holes, a few martinis and a well-aged New York strip.

Life was good. Then the doorbell rang.

When I opened the door, a massive United States Marshal glared at me with a stone face. He wore a black suit with a badge the size of a pastrami sandwich. His jacket was pulled back on the side to display a gun on his hip.

“Paul B. Forté?” he said in a gravelly voice, deep and mean.

I felt the skin of my face go cold. “Yes?”

He reached inside his suit coat and withdrew a piece of paper.

“You are hereby served.” He shoved the paper in my chest.

Stunned, I took the document.

“Have a nice day,” he said. He turned, marched to the black sedan idling in the driveway, and got in. I watched as it roared backward into the street, slinging the white clamshells onto my lawn, shifted into drive and squealed rubber.

My throat fought to swallow, but it was dry as gin. “Thank you,” I croaked.

Pete Morin has been a trial attorney, a politician, a bureaucrat, a lobbyist, and a witness (voluntary and subpoenaed) to countless outrages. He combines them all in this debut novel.  Pete’s short fiction has appeared in NEEDLE, A Magazine of Noir, Words With Jam, 100 Stories for Haiti, and Words to Music. He published many of them in a collection titled Uneasy Living, available at most online ebook stores.

When he is not writing crime fiction or legal mumbo jumbo, Pete plays blues guitar in Boston bars, enjoys the beach, food and wine with his wife, Elizabeth, and their two adult children, and on rare occasion, punches a fade wedge to a tight pin surrounded by sand or water. He lives in a money pit on the seacoast south of Boston, in an area once known as the Irish Riviera. Pete is represented by Christine Witthohn of Book Cents Literary Agency.

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.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but 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.

 

Guest post: ‘Technique Is Part of a Poet’s Voice’ by poet Phillip A Ellis

Tonight’s guest blog post, an extra to the normal three a week schedule, on the topic of poetry techniques is brought to you by poet and interviewee no.55 Phillip A Ellis.

Technique Is Part of a Poet’s Voice

When you hear that every writer must, at some point, develop their own voice, you may be wondering what that means, and what it entails. There are a fair few elements to a writer’s voice, and to a poet’s voice, and I am going to talk about one of them: technique.

A poet’s technique is, at its simplest, the poet’s command of their poetry’s technical aspects. That is, all the nuts and bolts that work to make a poem a poem. Rhythm is one. The ways a metaphor is structured, but not what the metaphor says, is another. As is the degree to which the metaphor integrates with others.

A poem’s sense of musicality is another element of technique. The degree to which it aspires to the condition of music, partly through rhythm, partly through patterns of sound, is part of the element of technique.

In a sense technique is the technical elements of a poem, what can be learnt and practised, and what can more easily be mastered than can diction, or tone, or narrative distance. But knowing what is covered by technique is one aspect of the matter.

The techniques of poetry can vary from poet to poet, and from poem to poem. The best poets tend to vary their technique. So that their best poems tend to be ones where technique works in concord with the other elements. So that there is, as it were, a sense of harmony even when the poem is not harmonious.

For example, the technique used by T. S. Eliot in The Waste Land is in harmony with the sense that the poem consists of a mélange of disconnected voices. That there is chaos in the world, and that the world has lost its meaning and unity. Compare this poem with his Four Quartets and you can see shifts in the technique employed, so that the latter poems are, on the whole, more unified, helping to convey their religious worldview.

As a result, particularly when it comes time to revise your poetry, you need to develop and exercise your technique. Some poets I know argue that what a poem is saying is paramount, so that they tend to focus on that, rather than technique, and it shows in the sparsity of their voice, and a tendency towards a less-developed technicality. Others, such as myself, see the need for both elements such as voice and images, and the technical aspects to work more harmoniously. As a result, in my best poems, there is the illusion of a transparency that reveals, on analysis, a greater sense of the poem’s sense of technique.

I would like to quote some of my work, to reveal this, but I invite you to look elsewhere online. Searching for “Phillip A. Ellis” is easiest, since it is my preferred name, but you will see that I write rhyming verse, free verse, and formal unrhymed verse among others. Having this variety is part of my emphasis on technique, after all, since I want to excel in as many poetic forms as is possible.

Yet, given that technique is part of a poet’s voice, and given that it can be learnt from practice and example, it should be easy to realise that there are aspects of being a poet that make poetry a craft, something that can be learnt, as well as an art, something requiring a degree of talent. And if you can master enough technique to write passable verse, you have the start of a gift, a gift that can bring joy to friends and family.

So, if you’re thinking of becoming a poet, or becoming a better poet, look towards practising your technique. You can do so by reading poetry, and writing poetry, and it means you’ll become a better writer in the long run.

Wow. Thank you Phillip!

Phillip A. Ellis is a freelance critic and scholar, and his poetry collection, ‘The Flayed Man’, has been published by Gothic Press. Gothic Press will also edit a collection of essays on Ramsey Campbell, that he is editing with Gary William Crawford. He is working on another collection, to appear through Diminuendo Press. Another collection has been accepted by Hippocampus Press, which has also published his concordance to the poetry of Donald Wandrei. He is the editor of Australian Reader, Melaleuca and Breaking Light Poetry Magazine.

If you would like to write a writing-related guest post for my blog then feel free to email me with an outline of what you would like to write about. If it’s writing-related then it’s highly likely I’d email back and say “yes please” (while quietly bouncing up and down in my seat with joy!).

The blog interviews return as normal tomorrow morning with Pete Morin – the two hundred and second of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords.

 

Blog interview no.201 with writer Ann Pietrangelo

Welcome to the two hundred and first of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with memoir novelist and spotlight no.25 Ann Pietrangelo. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.

Morgen: Hello (again) Ann. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer.

Ann: I came to writing rather late in life, at the urging of my husband. What began as a dabble into the world of blogging quickly morphed into serious territory.

Morgen: I know that feeling. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Ann: I freelance on a wide variety of subjects, but health has been my focus. I don’t mind research and am open to whatever topics my clients request.

Morgen: A client’s dream by the sound of it. What have you had published to-date? If applicable, can you remember where you saw your first books on the shelves?

Ann: My first book is a memoir, “No More Secs! Living, Laughing & Loving Despite Multiple Sclerosis”.

Morgen: I like the play on words. Is your book available as an eBook? If so what was your experience of that process? And do you read eBooks?

Ann: In addition to paperback, my book is available in eBook format for Kindle and for Nook. It can also be read via free apps on other mobile devices. And speaking of Kindle, I am crazy about mine! I received it as a gift a year ago, and I’m hooked. It’s easy, convenient, and practical. I still adore printed books, but I don’t believe it’s an either / or thing. If you love reading, having more options is a good thing, right?

Morgen: Absolutely. There are several discussions on this topic on LinkedIn and I always say they both serve a different purpose. I read a paperback around the house but eReader (actually on my laptop) when I go away (which is rarely so it’s paperbacks in the main). Do any of your books have dedications? If so, to whom and (if appropriate) why?

Ann: Yes, I have a rather long dedication for my book. I thanked each of my three children for their support and encouragement. I always believed I was supposed to inspire my kids, but it turns out that I am inspired by them. I acknowledged a writer friend, Steve Williams, who helped by keeping me on task and on schedule. I also gave a heartfelt thanks to my loving husband, who has seen me through so much and allowed me to write about our life together.

Morgen: I really like your cover, who designed it?

Ann: My husband, Jim, is a web professional and handled the cover design. We came up with the concept of a pair of legs with high heels and a cane because it would illustrate so well what the book has to say about the on again / off again nature of relapsing / remitting MS.

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

Ann: I’m working on my first work of fiction, something I’ve long dreamed of doing, and I’m beyond excited with my idea and with the process.

Morgen: I love fiction. Actually the only non-fiction I write are articles about writing, maybe that’s all I know. Do you manage to write every day? What’s the most you’ve written in a day?

Ann: I do write every day because it’s how I earn a living. It’s not all exciting, but it’s certainly interesting. Now that I’ve begun the novel, I need to work on scheduling time for it each day without burning myself out.

Morgen: It doesn’t need to take much; 300 words is a 100,000 book in a year. Have you ever received feedback from your readers?

Ann: Yes, I’ve been blown away by the response to the book. Apparently, I touched a nerve and people seem to understand and appreciate my efforts. I can’t begin to tell you how gratifying that is.

Morgen: I can imagine. My books have only been up three weeks and every purchase / review notification I get from Smashwords is a thrill – I sit and clap. Do you write on paper or do you prefer a computer?

Ann: If I had to use paper, I’d never get anything done. I don’t know how authors ever managed without computers!

Morgen: I learned on an electronic typewriter with carbon paper, I wouldn’t want to go back to that now. Some writers like quiet, others the noise of a coffee shop etc. Do you listen to music or have noise around you when you write or do you need silence?

Ann: I cannot listen to music while I work because I end up singing and unable to concentrate. I prefer silence or low background noise. I love when the weather permits open windows and I can listen to the birds outside.

Morgen: If anything, what has been your biggest surprise about writing?

Ann: That I’m doing it at all, and that I’ve managed to turn it into a full-time gig in my 50s. Will wonders never cease!

Morgen: Well I’m hoping to do the same in my mid-40s (next year) so I may come to you for some tips. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Ann: First, call yourself a writer. Say it. Believe it. Be it. Then be stubborn about it. You are a writer – not because someone pays for your work, but because it is a part of you that won’t be stifled. This isn’t a job for those who aren’t fully committed to the idea. When the powers that be say “no,” you’ve got to figure out how to get around them.

Morgen: Find the right person for the right thing. Are there any writing-related websites and / or books that you find useful and would recommend?

Ann: I’m a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (http://www.asja.org), and I get a lot of practical information there.

Morgen: Ah yes I’ve heard of them. We have a couple of equivalents (at least, I’m sure) http://www.swwj.co.uk and http://www.bajunion.org.uk. Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how invaluable do you find them?

Ann: I’m active on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google+. It’s interesting. I’d probably enjoy a little Facebook time no matter what my career, but if not for writing, I most likely would not be much of a social networker. I’ve found this to be the best way to reach my audience – online and eBook readers.

Morgen: I feel the same but yes, boy do they eat time. Where can we find out about you and your work?

Ann: My main website is AnnPietrangelo.com. If you don’t find what you’re looking for there, there’s a handy contact form. My husband designed the site and I’m proud to show it off.

Morgen: It’s very simple and ‘clean’, I like that. Some sites try too hard (she says hoping she doesn’t mean her own). What do you think the future holds for a writer?

Ann: These are confusing and interesting times for the writer. Traditional publishing is shrinking and it’s more difficult than ever to break in, but self-publishing, particularly for eBooks, is booming. The writer shoulders increasing responsibilities for publishing and marketing, but also has more control and can possibly earn more in royalties. I imagine there will be many more changes in the next few years and I, for one, am excited about the possibilities.

Morgen: Oh me too, I can’t wait. If you could have your life over again, is there anything you’d have done differently (writing-related or otherwise)?

Ann: Most definitely. I’d have allowed myself to pursue the writing dream earlier.

Morgen: Yep ditto. Had I realised (earlier than my late 30s that it’s what I wanted…want to do). Is there a question you’d like to ask me?

Ann: Not ask you – tell you. You are doing quite a service by promoting authors the way you do. I believe in thanking people who do good things, so thank you, Morgen.

Morgen: Oh you’re so welcome. I really enjoy doing what I do (or I wouldn’t do it, I guess) and of course it gives me blog content and I’m hoping an audience for my books too… so a win-win.

Ann Pietrangelo is the author of “No More Secs! Living, Laughing & Loving Despite Multiple Sclerosis“. Making peace with multiple sclerosis, surviving triple-negative breast cancer, and continuing to pursue a career as a freelance writer … well, let’s just say she’s fairly stubborn and doesn’t lack a sense of humor. A member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, her writing covers a wide range of topics for sites all around the web. Ann and her husband, Jim, are partners in WebCamp One LLC, a full-service website development company. Not every couple can manage to live and work together, but these two seem to thrive on it. “No More Secs!” Is a poignant and often humorous memoir chronicling their experiences with midlife, marriage, and multiple sclerosis. Ann is currently working on a novel.

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 at Smashwords.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but 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.

 

Guest post: Writing science-fiction by Dal Burns

I’m delighted to bring you this guest blog post, today on the topic of writing science fiction by Dal Burns.

Alien Race is my first sci-fi piece to be published. It has a rather odd story attached to it. A friend and I were having a drink together and talking about writing in general. She decided on a bet; $100 that I couldn’t write a 20,000-word story in two weeks if she were to give me the final sentence. I thought about it. 20,000 words for $100? Seemed about right for a writer, so I agreed. She gave me the last sentence; “We were going home.”

The subject matter was mine to decide upon. I went home and started to think about the words, ‘We were going home’. I spent two days staring at a blank screen on my computer. Although the word ‘home’ is powerful in any story, how was I to build a new story on that one word?

When writing, I often use incidents from my own life. I have traveled a lot and spent many years on the road, gathering stories and adventures. This story could be dragged out of one of those adventures but that didn’t seem right. I needed to get away from my life entirely and look for something beyond my experience. That meant leaving Earth. As simply as that, I had decided to write a sci-fi story.

Rather than taking the story into space and leaving it there, I thought it would be interesting to link the Earth with the story in some fashion. This would give the reader a basis for getting involved. Glancing over at my bookshelf, I saw “Lucy, The Beginnings of Mankind.” There was my hook. I had to start in the distant past and move the story into the future and off the planet. So the story had to feature a person who was rooted in the past, while living in the distant future. Thus was created Ed Davidson. This was to be a man who looked for artifacts on Earth in a future time and who found something linking the past and the future. Simple; an alien artifact turns up at a dig site, some several million years old.

Now I had a plot developing. An artifact means aliens were on earth millions of years ago. This prompts the reader to wonder why and we have them interested. Nothing too technical or fancy needed. A good, simple story of a man curious to find out more about our past, by looking outward into space.

Now I needed the plot of the story. Davidson is an off-world archaeologist seeking the unattainable. Alien artifacts. He needs a rival. Someone who will get into Ed’s way, frequently.  That turns out to be Jag Danis (a deliberately ‘jagged’ sort of name), a mine boss who doesn’t want any alien artifacts getting in the way of his mining operations on distant worlds. Between them, they scour new worlds looking for wealth and evidence of alien life. Here we have the age-old conflict between two men who are competing with each other. One is seeking wealth and power, the other seeking knowledge. They will, of course, find themselves on a collision course as their desires clash. To introduce a bit more tension, Danis never plays fair. An old plot contrivance that works off-world as well as on.

Now that the main plot was organized, the sub-text of the story needed to be found. Aliens are endlessly fascinating to sci-fi reader, so they had to be included. As we are dealing with aliens who visited Earth millions of years previously and are more advanced, I thought it simple to give them the ability to move through time. In order to stay away from current thinking about the impossibility of time travel, I had them move their consciousness through time. Not something a physicist can easily dismiss. This may also give the reader pause for thought. Could humans have a conscious soul or a consciousness that transcends the boundaries of physical laws?

So now I had all the elements necessary. Looking at the story, it really boils down to several simple themes that could be in any story. Davidson is on the classic hero’s journey. Danis is the villain, trying to stop him. On one level they are fighting each other. On another level they represent the eternal struggle of humankind. Wealth versus knowledge. Greed versus virtue.  Finally, the aliens represent the force beyond both of them, attempting to guide the course of events, without becoming the ‘deus ex machina’ we need to avoid at all costs.

As with all good stories, I wanted a solid and satisfying resolution. Allowing Davidson to return to Earth in an attempt to complete his hero’s journey, despite Danis’ best efforts to thwart him, added to the conflict and tension of the story. As with many of my writings, what I want may not be what I get. I always allow the story to unfold in its own way and refuse to be my own ‘deus ex machina’. What actually happened in Alien Race was a bit of a surprise to me but seems to be satisfactory to the readers of my story.

If one wishes to be an Asimov, it will take rather a lot more work to complete a book or a novella than I am capable of delivering. Nonetheless, I find that the universal themes used in most books are also present in science-fiction, albeit with a healthy dose of science or pseudo-science mixed in to make the theme fit into the category of science-fiction. The combination is a compelling one. It allows the reader to become involved in the age-old stories of our cultures while imagining a universe filled with amazing and generally improbable technologies. To me, this is a great mix for a reader who wishes to escape mundane reality, while still understanding the culture, background and context of the story.

Thank you Dal!

Dal is a 4^th-generation entertainer first put on stage at age eight, by his father. He has been involved in TV, movies, radio, recording studios, rock band, theatre etc. He has written for radio ads, theatre programs, screenplays and radio plays (he says they were fun!) theatre plays (2 of which were produced and quite successful). Dal wrote his first story at seventeen, after a mentor suggested he enter a writing competition. He said the suggestion was made because he was rather well known in his village (In the wilds of Northumberland) as the local storyteller. After that he didn’t write again until in his thirties, when working with a theatre company.

Dal has written four books and is working on a fifth, which is an illustrated children’s book, with co-author Kari Wishingrad and illustrators Sona & Jacob. That book will be released this year with the title “The Neighbor’s Cat”. He is also working on three new books; another children’s illustrated book, a YA story about an alternate universe and a YA story about two horses. Although Dal has never visited an alternate universe, he thinks he owns Bella, a Peruvian Paso mare. Bella knows better. Dal’s websites include http://dalburnswrites.com and http://dramaworksinc.com. He can also be found on Twitter (http://twitter.com/dalburns) and Facebook (as Dal Burns).

If you would like to write a writing-related guest post for my blog then feel free to email me with an outline of what you would like to write about. If it’s writing-related then it’s highly likely I’d email back and say “yes please” (while quietly bouncing up and down in my seat with joy!).

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with Ann Pietrangelo – the two hundred and first of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too) and / or email me. You can also read / download my eBooks at Smashwords.

 

Bailey’s Writing Tips podcast ‘red pen session’ no.8

This week’s podcast was released today, Sunday 27th November, the eighth of my episodes dedicated to reading a short story or self-contained novel extract (with synopsis) and then talking about it afterwards.

I run a fortnightly critique group as well as critiquing other authors’ writing which I really enjoy so I thought I’d create podcast episodes doing this. Please remember that it’s only one person’s (my) opinion and you, and the author concerned, are welcome to disagree with my interpretation – I will never be mean for the sake of it, but hope that I’m firm but fair. I also type the critique as I’m reading the story for the first time so by listening to the episode you will have had the advantage of hearing the story in full before hearing my feedback.

Regardless of what genre you write I hope that this helps you think about the way your stories are constructed and that you have enjoyed hearing another author’s work, the copyright of which remains with them.

This episode’s piece was emailed to me by crime author Lae Monie who featured as my second Author Spotlight on 17th August and who’s ‘More Hungry Boys’ extract was red pen session number three.

Lae is a 30-something author and citizen of the world (she’s travelled a lot – I’ve moved four times and 60 miles in my entire life). Lae says “I have been a writer for … well, it feels like forever and I can’t think of anything else I would like to do. My stories reflect the terse, lurid, violent tales about crime and desperation from the point of view of the criminal. They seek to discover the heart of criminality to create compelling reading for those who enjoy crime and are interested in the humanity of even the most unlikely characters.”

To describe the story a little, ‘The Vertigo Shot’ is the story of a pair of siblings going on a rampage in their own home and killing all members of their immediate family. One of them will kill herself and her child and the other will blame the massacre on his mentally deranged sister. Lae explained “The appeal to this story was just that, the brother’s insistence of his innocence and the use of his sister’s mental problem as his scapegoat. It was a fun project to write and taught me a lot about portraying mental behaviours in the best possible and objective way.”

The extract read out was taken from the beginning of Chapter 8, dated 1990 and is in the first-person viewpoint of the brother Darian. I removed some swearing from the original content but kept some mild instances as I felt it fitting to the dialogue. I then read out my comments about the piece and concluded…

There’s a great mixture of description and dialogue and whilst starting the reader thinking that the children were horrible by their actions we soon learn where their main streaks come from but then when the grandfather turns out to be worse our sympathies lie with the children, or at least in my case, one of them. Lae’s very good at choosing unexpected words and ‘The old ferry clenches into motion…’ is a classic example of this.

Written in first person present tense it’s very immediate and very smooth as it was only when I was concentrating on the viewpoint and tense about two thirds of the way through did I remember what they were – the sign of a great story; where we’re being swept along with the action. I even did a search for words ending in ‘ed’ to make sure there were no tense slips and there were none.

It’s important in any piece of writing to include the five senses and we’ve had most of them. Sight and sound we have from description and dialogue. Taste is rarely used and unless they’re actually eating anything (which they’re not in this piece) it’s not going to be appropriate. Smell is easy to add and we could have it with the old ferry or the grass at the beginning or in Stratford. We could also have touch in a few places including these places so plenty of scope for Lae to make the piece even more atmospheric!

Thank you for listening to this ‘red pen’ session. They will now be monthly instead of fortnightly and as yet I don’t have one in for December so if you would like a short story or novel extract, ideally up to 1,000 words, considered you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com.

You can find more about Lae and her work via her blog, Facebook and Twitter. Thank you again for subscribing, downloading or clicking on this episode and I look forward to bringing you the next episode next Monday, two more pieces of flash fiction.

The podcast is 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).

 

Blog interview no.200 with crime novelist Mark Billingham

Welcome to the two hundredth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, autobiographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with crime novelist and stand-up comedian Mark Billingham (who I had the pleasure of meeting, with Michael Robotham, and chatting to in the green room! when I volunteered at the Oundle Literature Festival March 2011).

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

Mark: Hi, Morgen. I’m tall, extremely punctual at all times and overly fond of spicy food. If you need something a little less trivial, I’m married with two kids and live in London (and a bit in the US) I think I’ve always been a writer in that I’ve always written. I wrote (or tried to write) funny stories at school, bad poetry as a student, terrible plays, average television programmes and eventually… crime novels. It was only when I’d written my first crime novel that I really found what I wanted to do. So I write full time, which is a real privilege, but time gets tighter due to the other stuff that goes with it. There’s part of me that still thinks like a freelancer, so I tend to say yes to far too many things. But life is pretty good. Especially if it involves spicy food.

Morgen: Well, thank you for saying “yes” to this interview, despite there being no spicy food on offer. You’re best known for writing crime novels, have you considered other genres?

Mark: Not really. Crime fiction has always been my passion as a reader, so I’ve never thought about writing any other sort of book. I’ve written a lot of comedy for radio and TV and have done some YA fiction, but that was very dark stuff. In fact, I think more people die than in the Thorne novels.

Morgen: What have you had published to-date? Can you remember where you saw your first book on the shelves?

Mark: So far there have been eleven novels – ten in the Tom Thorne series and one standalone novel – In The Dark. As well as that, three YA novels in the Triskellion series. I remember vividly hearing the news that I was going to be published. I was standing outside what is now Wagamama in Brent Cross shopping centre when my agent called with the news. I still get a buzz in that place. I think the first time I saw Sleepyhead on the shelves was in Waterstones on Oxford Street and I was beside myself. The day that stops being exciting is the day you should give up.

Morgen: I listened to Sleepyhead on audiobook – it made my walk to / from work much more bearable. Have you ever seen a member of the public reading your book… in any unusual locations?

Mark: Nowhere too unusual, but on the train and on the beach and stuff. It’s always exciting. But it’s NEVER a good idea to in any way acknowledge that you’re the writer of the book. Most people will just think you’re insane and run away.

Morgen: Unless they recognise you. I went to talks by Stephen Booth and Peter James recently and they both had incidents where “that’s my book” went wrong so I think you’re very wise. How much of the marketing do you do for your published works or indeed for yourself as a ‘brand’?

Mark: Well I do stuff online. I “tweet” as I believe the young people call it and I look after a Facebook page. Everything else is done by my publisher. These days a writer markets themselves in terms of public appearances and events and I always try and take those things seriously. As someone with a performance background, I always try and give a decent performance.

Morgen: And you certainly did at Oundle. Presumably you have an agent, do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

Mark: Yes, absolutely. The simple truth is that it’s almost impossible to get published without an agent. They will also negotiate all your foreign deals and look after everything that you should not have to worry about while you get on with writing the books. My agent is amazing and I simply would not be a full time writer without her.

Morgen: “while you get on with writing the books” I think that’s the key – writers should be writers after all. Your books are available as eBooks, were you involved at all in that process? And do you read eBooks?

Mark: I’ve never read an eBook, but am involved in the ongoing discussion with my publisher as to how best use them. It’s a branch of publishing that’s very much in flux right now and you have to keep on top of it. As a reader though, I’ll stick with books.

Morgen: Most of my interviewees to-date have said they’d stick with paperbacks (or hardbacks) and I’m the same. I have an eReader but I think they serve different purposes – pBooks for home, eBooks for travelling. I mentioned earlier that some of your books are also available as audiobooks, did you have any involvement with those?

Mark: Well I just read my first one. I read “Good As Dead” and it was a great experience. Much more exhausting that you’d imagine and a lot harder. I blithely create these characters with a variety of accents which then came back to bite me in the arse when I had to DO them in the studio…

Morgen: Wow. It’s not often that an author reads his own. I’ve had more empathy with the narrators since I’ve been podcasting – they probably don’t do as many takes in a whole book as I do in a half-hour programme. Do you have any say in the title and covers of your books? How important do you think they are?

Mark: Yes, I do and they are VERY important. I work in very close consultation with my publisher on these things. If my editor really hates a title, I will change it. If I really hate a suggested jacket idea, they will change it. It’s a co-operative process. This only really applies in the UK. You don’t have the time (or the energy) to get involved with how a book looks in Latvia or Brazil. It’s always a surprise, though not always a pleasant one.

Morgen: Oh dear. It must be strange too to see a translated title in those languages. Kate Atkinson’s ‘Started Early, Took the Dog’ is ‘Das vergessene Kind’ (the forgotten child) in Germany. Do any of your books have dedications? If so, to whom and (if appropriate) why?

Mark: Most of them do, I think. Many to my wife, some to my kids. I’ve dedicated books to my editors and to my agent and the last one was dedicated to David Morrissey and the producer Jolyon Symonds, for bringing Thorne to the screen so brilliantly.

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

Mark: I was incredibly lucky and got my publishing deal on the strength of the first 30,000 words of Sleepyhead. I had an awful lot of good luck and that can’t be overestimated in terms of getting published. I DID get rejected a lot when I was working as an actor though. Probably why I became a writer…

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

Mark: Just finishing up the next novel, which is another standalone. So… very nervous.

Morgen: You’ve been so prolific, do you manage to write every day? What’s the most you’ve written in a day?

Mark: No, I don’t sit at the computer every day, but the book is in your head all the time – taking shape, problems getting solved etc. When I am at the computer, I’m usually happy with about 1200 words in a day, but I HAVE done 3000 when I’m really flying and there’s a lot of coffee or Red Bull on hand.

Morgen: And spicy food. I know the answer to this because someone asked it at Oundle but… what is your opinion of writer’s block?

Mark: No such thing. Unless someone has broken all your fingers there’s nothing stopping you writing. It won’t always be any good of course, but writers have good days and bad days, same as anyone else. It’s one of those things I hate – another weapon in the armoury of those who try and make the craft of writing into something mystical.

Morgen: Absolutely… and then there’s always voice recognition software. Do you get any of your plots from real incidents and do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Mark: It can be both. I usually just start with an opening scene that leaves unanswered questions, for both myself and the reader.

Morgen: Do you have a method for creating your characters, their names and what do you think makes them believable?

Mark: I often use the names of comedians I know or have worked with. I try and create characters as far as possible through their dialogue. That’s far more important to me than what they look like or what they wear.

Morgen: You mentioned earlier that British actor David Morrissey recently played your lead character Tom Thorne in a six-part TV series ‘Thorne’, how involved were you in that and did it end up as you imagined?

Mark: I was very involved and delighted with how it turned out. David and I worked (and are still working) very closely together. We wanted to make a good piece of television – not something that was necessarily slavish to the book. That said, David has always been hugely respectful of the source material. He is first and foremost a fan of the books.

Morgen: We’ve talked a lot about your novels but you’ve contributed short stories to a number of anthologies, have you ever considered writing your own collection?

Mark: Not yet, though I enjoy writing them very much. I believe that writing a great short story is harder than writing a good novel. I write a story if I’m approached, if it’s an interesting idea and if I find myself in good company. It is very sad that short stories are no longer successful commercially, though that may change now that so many are finding a home in the world of eBooks.

Morgen: As a short story author, I’m hoping so. You’re also a stand-up comedian, do you keep that completely separate from your writing or do the lines ever blur? If you had to choose stand-up or writing would it be an easy decision to make?

Mark: Yes, an easy decision. I did stand-up for 25 years and for most of that time I loved it. I still tell cheap jokes at the drop of a hat and try to make my events as entertaining as possible, but I don’t miss the stupidly late nights and the crazed egos of certain comedians. They are a FAR darker bunch than crime writers, I can promise you that. I’ve stopped gigging now, but who knows, I may do it again, some day.

Morgen: Or maybe both at somewhere like Edinburgh. Who do you first show your work to?

Mark: When a first draft is finished, I show it to my wife, my agent and a close friend who is a voracious crime reader. Then I do another quick draft and deliver it to my editor. Then I cross my fingers and have a long lie down.

Morgen: With some spicy food. Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?

Mark: Yes, there’s less editing now than there was. I take a perverse pride in delivering a very “clean” manuscript and there’s usually no more than two more drafts after that. That said, the work still NEEDS editing. There isn’t a writer alive whose work cannot be improved by the suggestions of others.

Morgen: Because sometimes we’re too close to it. I totally agree. I wouldn’t release anything without a second opinion and my editor not only spots flaws (thankfully not too many) but also comes up with some wonderful suggestions. Do you have to do much research for your novels?

Mark: There’s usually something specific I need to research, but as to the general business of police procedure, I’ve become less manic about it than I was. It’s a novel, so I’m no longer bothered by emails from readers pointing out that there isn’t a coffee shop where I said there was one or whatever. If something is crucial to the plot, I’ll make sure I get it right, but beyond that I’m not overly fussed. I really hate those novels where you can SEE the research.

Morgen: What’s your writing process – do you write on paper or do you prefer a computer?

Mark: I write on a laptop, though I do have a notebook with scribbled ideas, fragments of dialogue, doodles and so on.

Morgen: Some writers like quiet, others the noise of a coffee shop etc. Do you listen to music or have noise around you when you write or do you need silence?

Mark: I love music so much that to have it playing while I work would be far too distracting. So, silence, yes – though that usually means moments of silence in between kids shouting, dogs barking etc etc.

Morgen: In my case the one dog. What point of view do you find most to your liking: first person or third person? Have you ever tried second person?

Mark: Not tried second. I like a mixture of first and third, though one day I will write a book entirely in first. I think writing in first person, though it has disadvantages in terms of ‘point of view’ is a little easier. At least, you can write quicker.

Morgen: I adore second person and it suits dark, you might like it. Do you use prologues / epilogues? What do you think of the use of them?

Mark: I certainly have done. I know some writers hate them and Elmore Leonard advises against them, but I’ve often found them useful. They work like a theatrical tease or trailer and can set a mood. I like a prologue that you then spend the rest of the book getting back to.

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

Mark: No, there’s nothing hidden away in a drawer as far as I can remember. Probably for the best.

Morgen: What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life?

Mark: Starting a book is always hideous. It’s as if you’ve forgotten how to do it. I really enjoy live events – especially sharing a platform with other writers who are friends. Overall, there’s not really very much to complain about. It’s not digging a ditch, is it?

Morgen: It isn’t, thankfully. I’ve said this already but I really enjoyed listening to you and Michael at Oundle – apart from a Bloomsbury Readers’ Panel (four authors) at Chorleywood Literature Festival the previous November and the previous Oundle Literature Festival Readers’ Day (five authors) it was great seeing more than one author together, to bounce comments off each other. If anything, what has been your biggest surprise about writing?

Mark: That each book is harder to write than the last.

Morgen: What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Mark: READ! You’d be amazed how many would-be writers tell me they don’t read. How can you be a chef if you’ve never eaten anything?

Morgen: Guilty as charged, although I do listen to short story podcasts and audio novels (just finished the 7-hour Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). I do read books, I just tend not to get to the end, no fault of the book, I just spot another one I want to start (which is why I tent to stick to shorts / novellas). What do you like to read? Any authors you could recommend?

Mark: There are so many great writers out there. I would heartily recommend George Pelecanos, James Lee Burke, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman, Megan Abbott, Michael Connelly, John Connolly, Martyn Waites. And you absolutely HAVE to read Daniel Woodrell, who is so good it’s sickening.

Morgen: Is there a word, phrase or quote you like? (I love your ‘He doesn’t want you alive, he doesn’t want you dead, he wants you somewhere in between’)

Mark: Knock hard, life is deaf.

Morgen: What do you do when you’re not writing? Any hobbies or party tricks?

Mark: Listen to country music, follow Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and try to get better on the guitar. Party tricks? I can play tunes on my teeth…

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

Mark: There are hundreds. In terms of books, you can’t do any better than “On Writing” by Stephen King. I think he’s a writer who’s done pretty well for himself.

Morgen: It’s the most recommended book in these interviews. You’re based in the UK, do you find this a help or hindrance with letting people know about your work?

Mark: No, not really. The internet reaches just about everywhere.

Morgen: Isn’t it wonderful. You’re on Twitter and Facebook, how valuable do you find them?

Mark: Well, they are a HUGE time-suck, so you have to be careful, but they are useful ways to let people know what you’re up to; when you have a book out, where you might be doing an event or whatever.

Morgen: And pretty much the only places for us newbies who just have eBooks. Your website is www.markbillingham.com, is that the best place to find out more about you and your work?

Mark: That’s the best place. Apart from inside my head, but I don’t recommend that.

Morgen: Oh, I think a few people (including your readers) would love to go there. What do you think the future holds for a writer?

Mark: Well for this writer, I’m just going to carry on writing the books as long as people want to read them. I certainly don’t think the eBook revolution is going to kill off writers or anything like that. Although the ease with which anyone can “publish” now does mean there’s a lot of rubbish out there. Mind you, there’s a lot of rubbish in bookshops too.

Morgen: I’m glad you added the last bit. There’s a lot of talk on LinkedIn about the whole issue and I still maintain that reviews will highlight the quality. If you could have your life over again, is there anything you’d have done differently (writing-related or otherwise)?

Mark: I would have learned to play the guitar earlier, and I would never have tried to defrost a freezer with a chisel.

Morgen: Ouch. I use a metal spatula. Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

Mark: I think I’ve probably wittered on far too long already.

Morgen: Not at all. Is there anything you’d like to ask me?

Mark: Morgen is an unusual name. Where’s it from?

Morgen: A dog I used to have. I called him Morgen because of the German saying ‘Guten Morgen’ (good morning – I have German connections) but sadly he wasn’t a very well-behaved dog so I didn’t get to say it very often. My current dog is Bailey and he’s a star. Thank you Mark. I’m so grateful for your time.

Mark Billingham is one of the UK’s most acclaimed and popular crime writers. His series of London-based novels featuring D.I. Tom Thorne has twice won him the Theakston’s Crime Novel Of The Year Award, the Sherlock Award for Best Detective and been nominated for seven CWA Daggers. His standalone thriller In the Dark was chosen as one of the twelve best books of the year by the Times and his debut novel, Sleepyhead was chosen by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 books that had shaped the decade and is one of the titles chosen to be given away on this year’s World Book Night. Each of his novels has been a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller.

A television series based on the Thorne novels was screened in Autumn 2010, starring David Morrissey as Tom Thorne heading an all-star cast that included Natascha McEhlhone, Eddie Marsan and Aiden Gillan. The second series of Thorne is currently in production for Sky One and a series based on Mark’s standalone thriller In The Dark is in development with the BBC.

Mark Billingham’s latest novel is Good As Dead. His next novel, a standalone thriller called Rush Of Blood, will be published in August 2012. You can read more about him and his writing at www.markbillingham.com and www.tomthorne.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.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but 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. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.

 

Author Spotlight no.35 – Ty Johnston

Complementing my daily blog interviews, tonight’s Author Spotlight, the thirty-fifth, is of fantasy and horror author Ty Johnston.

Ty Johnston was born in Kentucky, growing up in and around the central city of Lexington. After college he spent the next 20 years as an editor with several newspapers. All the while he was writing short stories, a handful of which sold in smaller publications. Several years ago, he was forced into a change of careers, a circumstance many have faced recently. He decided it was time to take his love of fiction writing and to make it his new, full-time career. With the patience of a loving wife, and the joy of a beagle and house rabbits running around his feet, he has managed to do what he had once thought impossible. He has become a full-time fiction writer.

Most of his novels and short stories have been in the fantasy and horror genres, though he has penned some few science fiction and literary tales. After years as a newspaper journalist, and now as a fiction author, writing has become not only his life, but his religion. To borrow a quote from author Jonathan Franzen, “I worship at the altar of literature”.

And now from the author himself:

As I’ve grown older, I have come to find travel overrated.

It’s not that I have disdain for those who are well-traveled, but I often don’t understand it. To my way of thinking, going to places where thousands or millions of people visit on a regular basis is kind of beside the point. Yes, I can understand the exaltation in personally experiencing a place, its sites and cultures. But for myself, I would not find education, enjoyment nor prestige in staring at a sight with a camera in my hand while a busload of others standing next to me are doing the same.

That being said, I do enjoy going off on adventures. I find a thrill in discovery, especially in regions remote. Sure, I’m likely treading on ground walked by others, but it is new to me.

Perhaps I prefer solitude, or small groups, over a pack of fellow travelers.

Again, I do not mean to disparage those who feel otherwise. To each their own, I say.

But as I prefer lone treks into uncharted territories, I must admit such lands are more and more difficult to find. I do not have the budget for trips to the moon or deep-sea diving. I can trek back into a mountain range or deep forest or jungle, if I wish, but I’m not as young as I used to be.

This is one reason I consider literature my religion. Through the printed or digital word, I can travel anywhere I wish whenever I wish. Literature can plant me in the middle of any era of history, or within worlds dreamed of only by the imagination. The written word is not limited by time and space.

If I wish to examine a world undreamed, I can create it myself. This is one of the reasons I write, to explore. Sometimes I merely wish to analyze a physical world, often different from our own. Other times I want to scout the inner world, that which is inside us.

Each of us has similarities, but each is also unique. Through writing, I can bound off to lands of my own, or for some little while I can plant a flag in the minds of others.

Within the bounds of the written word, I am my own infinite spirit. Nothing is beyond me. That which is locked away by my own imagination can be opened by the artistry of others.

I make no claims to be a great writer, merely one who is always in search of something new to experience, even to share. Sometimes that includes the mundane or the tawdry, even the darker passions of our existence. At other times my exploration reaches heights that are blinding to witness, that can bring shivers to the soul.

This is why I consider literature my religion, though I am not the strongest of devotees. Through writing and reading, I can discover all things, I can be all things.

Only divinity can offer as much.

You can discover more about Ty and his writing at:

http://tyjohnston.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/#!/HTJohnston

http://www.facebook.com/htjohnston

To view the selection of his available e-books:

http://www.amazon.com/Ty-Johnston/e/B002MCBQRU

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/ty-johnston

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/darkbow

Thank you Ty.

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with crime novelist Mark Billingham – the two hundredth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me. You can also read / download my eBooks at Smashwords.