Saturday Spotlight no.7 – Rachel Barnett

Complementing the author spotlights I ran from 2011 to 2016, today’s Saturday Spotlight, the seventh, is of novelist (and former 100-word competition entrant) Rachel Barnett. If you would like to take part in a spotlight, see Saturday spotlights.

Rachel Barnett lives on a farm in rural Wiltshire, almost within touching distance of Stonehenge. After a career as a primary school teacher (yes, it is as exhausting as everyone says), and then creating a little monster of her own, a chink of spare time saw her taking as many creative writing courses as she could get her hands on. Suitably equipped, she has finally managed to hide away from everyone (except for the dog!!) for long enough to achieve her life-long ambition of writing a book, or two…

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And now from the author herself:

My Writing Cave

My writing space has been put to many uses over the years. It has been a storeroom, playroom, farm office… Apparently it began life as an egg room, with its own outside door for the customers. It’s a single-skin addition to the side of our farmhouse, long and narrow, cold in the winter and perfect in the summer. Just right for storing eggs!

It’s just right for me, too – with the addition of a plug-in heater in the colder months. And a pair of fingerless gloves if it’s really parky.

After inhabiting the end of the kitchen table for years, I managed to claim this space as my own a few years ago and set about redecorating it myself. With gleaming gloss work and a fresh splash of sunny yellow on the walls I became overly bold and decided to put up Venetian blinds single-handedly. This approach is not one I would recommend. Put it this way, by the time the blinds were up and working I think I’d exhausted my entire (and rather extensive) vocabulary of swear words…

My desk is the crowning glory in this space. It was a Christmas-and-birthday-and-another-Christmas present from my other half and it’s beautiful. An antique with burr walnut veneer and wonderful deep drawers which are easily big enough to hold manuscripts. With that, a windowsill full of houseplants, and my gorgeous Labrador, Murray, snoring at my feet, I have created my perfect office space.

I try to write every day – to be honest it’s no hardship. Having come to writing later in life than some, I’m loving the freedom and creativity it allows. It’s also so much fun. I can have my characters do whatever I choose – the megalomaniac in me is very happy – and I get to drink as much tea as I want.

My approach to writing is linear. Once I have an idea of the beginning, the hopeful ending and a vague idea of what’s going to happen along the way, I start at Chapter One and write forwards from there. I also tend to ‘write myself in’ to a novel, which means I usually end up cutting the first few chapters as I have used them to ‘place’ my characters. For me, this approach works well, and I enjoy the way it means I learn about my characters in the same way my readers do. It also allows me to keep my finger on the pulse of my book.

As a reader, I enjoy fast-paced novels, and I hope that’s what I deliver for my readers. I also love writing feisty characters and challenging them with difficult decisions or circumstances – mostly because I want to find out what they’ll do – and I wrap the whole package up in a gorgeous location.

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Rachel online…

I have two novels publishing with Embla Books (an imprint of Bonnier Books) this year. The first was out on 16^th May and is set on a luxury yacht in the Italian Riviera. You’ll find sunshine, sea and secrets galore in A SUMMER ON THE RIVIERA (pictured above). Available on Kindle, as an audiobook and in paperback https://amzn.eu/d/9eTSbvr.

I also write romantic suspense for Champagne Book Group under a pen name – Laura R Leeson. THE VALENTINE RETREAT, set in glamorous Los Angeles, is available in eBook and paperback https://amzn.to/2YaXezJ  and its sequel – Valentine’s Revenge – is due out any time now.

My social media platform of choice is Instagram – you can find me there at www.instagram.com/Laura_R_Leeson or www.instagram.com/RachelBarnettAuthor

I also lurk occasionally on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Laura_R_Leeson

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If you would like to take part in an author spotlight, see Saturday Spotlights or email me for details.

Guest post: Paint Your Picture by Samantha Connolly

Today’s guest blog post is brought to you by Samantha Connolly.

Paint Your Picture

It is often said that you’re either scientifically minded or artistically minded. It can take a while to work ourselves out as we grow up. I, for example, was terrible at maths and whilst, during my pre-teens, I developed a healthy desire to learn more about the human biology, I was essentially and overall completely useless at science on the whole; I loved art and literature. So, once we work out which ‘mind’ we have, that’s it, right?

Well, no, actually, not really. If you’re all set with the understanding that you fall on the ‘artistic’ side of the spectrum, that can be comforting, in that it gives you a ‘path’ and a place to ‘fit in’ to – cue diarising Saturday visits to the Tate, buying of hair-dye and appropriate beaded jewellery to appear ‘arty’, and, of course, the obligatory writing out of soulful ballad lyrics while sitting cross-legged in DMs with purple laces and floaty floral skirts. But if, like me, you’re only OK at painting, while others are considered ‘naturals’, what do you do then?

Obviously working for what you want is a good move. American Palaeontologist Jack Horner was interested in palaeontology from childhood, but, as quoted by Liz Attebery in http://dyslexia.yale.edu/horner.html, the famous scientist described himself as having found school ‘extremely difficult because my progress in […] mathematics was excruciatingly slow.’ He could have given up. After all, to qualify as a palaeontologist nowadays you’re pretty much looking at obtaining your maths GCSE C or above, maths A-level, plus a relevant honours degree (see https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/palaeontologist.aspx). Horner is proof that you shouldn’t be put off!

Having said this, however, I still think it’s pretty dangerous to want to categorise ourselves too much from an early age. I mean, yes – it’s good to get a feel for what you like, and it’s great to feel encouraged in what you’re good at as you enter into adulthood, but if we decide that’s it, that’s ‘the sort of person’ we are, we’re closing off our options, pigeon-holing ourselves, and pressuring ourselves. We won’t be open to trying out different things in life, seeing if we’re good at those too, or if we’d like to be, and it forces us to be very, very good at just one thing – that’s a lot of pressure.

As a ‘fully-fledged’ adult, I’ve come back to ‘arty’, after having abandoned it when overcome by the feeling I just didn’t cut it (due to that pigeon-holing pressure thing). Now I like to write. And, so, that’s great. But what’s also great is to have figured out that we don’t exist in separate realms, one for those scientifically inclined, the other artistically so. I’m pretty good at other stuff too, but I love writing.

An example of ‘merging realms’, if you like; it is widely known that creative, artistic activity can go a long way to helping someone with a mental health issue. One organisation that brings focus to this is the charity Mind: http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/arts-therapies. People who engage in this form of therapy are not all naturally drawn to the arts, obviously, but it can still be possible for them to express themselves and their emotions through the arts at a particular time in their lives, because it works for them then. It can also be a way to repair a lost feeling of power – to regain control of yourself, in that you’re able to express yourself– at a difficult time mentally.

It is also widely known that exercise is a big YES when it comes to aiding those with depression or similar – see http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/Pages/exercise-for-depression.aspx – and, of course, we’re not all into fitness – but we’ll invariably make the effort to achieve what we need at the time.

Whether we are good at maths or good at languages or whatever it may be is neither here nor there. Whether you spend a few years writing a novel, tutoring a pupil in whatever subject, aiding NASA in their research, or creating some children – you’re an artist. Me, I just spent a few years writing a novel. Meanwhile, a friend of mine was busy writing her own story by creating her children – an analogy another friend of mine used, which I love.

The point is – we are all living our lives, painting our pictures, in our own ways, in our own time. We are all artists; we are all creating something, every day.

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Samantha holds a degree in English Literature with Film Studies from Kingston University, London, which she gained age 30. Since then she has been writing seriously, having undertaken a fiction writing module via Open University and completed her first young adult fantasy novel, The Sister Worlds, which is available for free download now on ITunes here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-sister-worlds/id1133703021?ls=1&mt=11

That was really interesting. I was lousy at science, far better at the arts so no wonder I ended up in the writing industry. And yes, writing is so therapeutic… I’ve killed off my next-door neighbour a few times. Great to have you back. Thank you, Samantha.

Samantha began telling stories from a young age, hiding herself away for an hour or so here and there while she spun her tales, living by her imagination (as much as possible within the bounds of reality!) whilst growing up. She began writing the odd poem during her teens, but it wasn’t until her late twenties whilst at university that she understood her true love for writing.

Her tastes are eclectic, not only in her own writing, but in the form and genre of the writing of others. She is inspired by Virginia Woolf and Christina Rossetti, amongst many others, including the work of Margaret Atwood, Jane Austen, Philip K. Dick, Ellen Miller, and Zeruya Shalev. She has most recently been drawn to the work of Abraham Verghese and Patrick Gayle. Her love for the magical and fantastical in fiction is a constant; she has particularly enjoyed the work of Veronica Roth in this respect, and once studied Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep in relation to Ridley Scott’s film Blade Runner. Samantha also has a strong interest in human relationships and mental health, and a love for the innocence of young children and the life and hope they instil in tired-out grown-ups.

With experience as an editor, proofreader and researcher, Samantha is well accomplished and finds this useful when writing and, of course, editing her own work.

Her previous proofreading and editing experience comprises a website research and editing project for the charity Re-Cycle, the proofreading and editing of a website story – also for Re-Cycle – together with the editing of their August and September newsletters; also a novel, short story, and flash fiction piece for author Elizabeth Los, a novel excerpt for author & translator Jasmine Heydari, and the website area and biographies for global broadcast production company Clean Cut Media Ltd. She has also read and edited various documentation including minutes, website material, presentations and more, as part of her administrative background.

Samantha has had three articles published to date and some short fiction. She previously ran a creative writing group on a voluntary basis for Mungos charity.

She is currently writing her second novel and working on a number of exciting new projects, whilst working as Sub-Editor for UnderTheFable magazine and embarking on freelance copywriting. She regularly writes fiction pieces both for her own website, and to be entered into various competitions.

If you would like to contact Samantha, please do so via http://inkfeatherpen.wix.com/inkspiredwrite.

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Related articles:

• http://www.copyblogger.com/successful-guest-blogging
• http://thewritelife.com/7-blogs-guest-posts
• http://goinswriter.com/guest-posting
• http://www.chrisjonesblog.com/2013/07/how-to-write-a-guest-blog-post-top-19-tips-to-getting-your-message-out.html
• http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31833/17-Foolish-Mistakes-to-Avoid-as-a-Guest-Blogger.aspx
• http://www.fastblogfinder.com/how-to-write-a-guest-post
• https://www.distilled.net/blog/seo/link-building-seo/the-anatomy-of-a-great-guest-post

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. Guidelines on https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/guests/guest-blogs. There are other options listed on opportunities-on-this-blog.

*** Breaking news! My online creative writing courses
are currently half price and one is free! ***

You can subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app via Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com. Alternatively, you can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything (see right-hand vertical menu).

You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my books (including my debut novel The Serial Dater’s Shopping List, various short story collections and writer’s block workbooks) and If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating. Thank you.

I now run online courses – details on Courses – and for anyone looking for an editor, do take a look at Editing and Critique.

If you would like to send me a book review of another author’s books or like your book reviewed (short stories, contemporary crime / women’s novels or writing guides), see book-reviews for the guidelines. Other options listed on opportunities-on-this-blog. And I post writing exercises every weekday on four online writing groups.

Author Spotlight no.415 – Miriam A Averna

Complementing my interviews, today’s Author Spotlight, the four hundred and fifteenth, is of Miriam A Averna. If you would like to take part in an author spotlight, take a look at author-spotlights.

Miriam A. Averna writes horror, dark, mystery, twisted or just plain weird stories. She lives in Milton Keynes with her two cats and partner, but is originally from the South of England and was born in sunny Sicily. She enjoys writing flash fiction, short stories and has just completed her medical mystery novel- No Cure for Fear.

She began writing when she was a kid and is an avid reader of fiction. Her stories have featured in a number of publications.

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Her horror story Run, Scream, Eat, REPEAT featured in the first ever edition of Canadian magazine Devolution Z in August 2015 http://www.devolutionz.com/previous-issues.html.

Another horror story, End Trails, is available for free download on www.pennyshorts.com. It tells of a girl who is persuaded to run a 5k zombie race by her friend… but is it all it seems? Click here to read that story.

In the Autumn issue of Kishboo e-magazine, she won the runner-up prize for her short quirky story I didn’t like those shoes anyway. Ever wondered how shoes end up on the side of roads? Then read this story to find out!

She is also Assistant Editor for Horror Scribes which publishes flash fiction stories and regularly hosts competitions, their most recent one was based on Dante’s Inferno. https://horrorscribes.wordpress.com/fright-cards

When not writing she is mostly eating, thinking about eating or cataloguing ales and craft beers in her head.

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And now from the author herself:

Author interview no.708: mystery writer Joyce T Strand

Welcome to the seven hundred and eighth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is contemporary and historical mystery author Joyce T Strand. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further… but not before you check out the giveaway that Joyce has kindly offered – details after the interview. My thanks go to Della of Dellagate for arranging this interview…

Morgen: Hello, Joyce. It’s great to have you back.

Joyce: Thanks for having me on your blog. I appreciate the opportunity to talk about my contemporary and historical mysteries that I write to entertain the whodunit fans.

Morgen: I love whodunits, although I rarely get them right. Please tell us something about yourself, where you’re based, and how you came to be a writer.

Joyce: I currently live in Southern California near San Diego, although I lived most of my working life in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is why many of my mysteries are set there. Before writing fiction, for more than 25 years, I spent most of my career writing by-lined articles, whitepapers, press releases, and fact sheets. When I lost my job in 2008, I had difficulty finding a new one and decided to write fiction. It was an interesting transition!

Morgen: San Francisco’s certainly a popular location for writers. A few of them have visited this blog. You write contemporary and historical mysteries, have you considered other genres?

Joyce: With The Reporter’s Story, I have now written and published two historical mysteries and five contemporary ones. Not only do I write mysteries, but I also really enjoy reading all kinds: cozy, thrillers, historical, and procedural. If I were to change genres, I would probably write historical novels. Clavell’s Shogun is my favorite novel, and to be able to write like that would be incredible. I felt like I was actually in medieval Japan and was drawn into the chess-playing plot of intrigue.

Morgen: History was one of my worst subjects at school; trying to remember all those dates. 1066, 1665, 1666 and the twentieth-century wars is about as good as I get. You’ve self-published, what led to you going your own way?

Joyce: I have self-published. Three circumstances led me to that route. (1) I am impatient. The traditional process just takes too much time. (2) My background and career in public relations exposed me to publishing and marketing, giving me just enough background to make me think I knew something. (3) The ability to produce e-books at low-cost and publish them on Kindle and Nook at no up-front charge. Eventually the proliferation of social media added to the marketing quiver. However, I believe that the clout of a big publisher still carries considerable punch to the widespread success of an author.

Morgen: I’d agree and so I’ve self-published but am also planning to submit to publishers… the best of both worlds. 🙂 You mentioned eBooks (Kindle and Nook), how involved were you in that process? Do you read eBooks or is it paper all the way?

Joyce: I confess that I took to the e-book tablet very quickly. I am not one who needs printed-paper pages to enjoy reading. I find the e-book format convenient and alluring. I carry my Kindle with me everywhere and seldom mind waiting in doctor’s offices or in lines because I can pull it out and read. Of course, I have at least fifty books loaded and beckoning me. At the same time, I get very excited when I receive the print copies of my own books—the cover is so enhancing, and flipping through the pages seeing my words in print is exciting. OK, so maybe I still do enjoy the printed pages a little!

Morgen: Me too. I prefer eBooks to read, especially when Mrs Kindle reads to me (very useful when checking my own writing). Which authors did you read when you were younger and did they shape you as a writer?

Author Spotlight no.414 – Yani

Complementing my interviews, today’s Author Spotlight, the four hundred and fourteenth, is of Yani. If you would like to take part in an author spotlight, take a look at author-spotlights.

Yani is an Amazon Best Selling Author of five 5-star novels hailing from the North Philly and Germantown sections of Philadelphia.

She’s been in the top 20 of African American Fiction-Urban Life for her A Thug’s Redemption series and debuted at number 12 in Romance and Erotica for Obsessive Intimacies.

Yani has a unique way of bringing stories to life, giving her readers the feeling that they are watching a movie with every page that is turned.

Her characters are real, raw and easy to relate to while her story lines are original, and having the ability to evoke emotions in the readers from start to finish.

She has been featured in Yo! Raps magazine for ‘A Thug’s Redemption’ and was also a featured author at the 2013 Houston Black Book festival.

Yani first got her start writing for her school paper at University City. Her popular poems granted her an invitation to the Tri-State area’s number 1 Hip-Hop and R&B radio station, where she recited one of her most memorable pieces, “Why Tyrone Can’t Read”.

She then moved on to performing at various open mic nights in Philadelphia before landing a publishing deal with Publish America.

With the desire to self-publish and develop her own production company, Yani bought back the rights to A Thug’s Redemption and re-released it under her own publishing company “Anitbeet Productions”.

She then followed up with two sequels and penned her first erotic novel in 2014.

She is currently in the process of turning A Thug’s Redemption into an independent film and working on her sixth novel which will be released summer of 2016.

To learn more about this remarkable author and her incredible body of work, visit www.theauthoryani.com.

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And now from the author herself:

Guest post: How to desire the superlative Writing Dissertation Topic by Karen R Robinson

Today’s guest blog post, on the topic of academia, is brought to you by Karen R Robinson.

How to Desire the Superlative Writing Dissertation Topic?

Finding a superlative dissertation-writing topic is as tough as writing a good dissertation paper. It is obvious that students are required to write dissertation papers during their higher studies. Writing a good dissertation is very important for the students since it can influence their final grades considerably. There are indeed a lot of things that students must to consider before writing their dissertation. One of the most important things that students should focus on while writing their dissertation is choosing a superlative topic. Let it be any kind of assignment writing, selecting a good topic plays a huge role.

Deciding your dissertation topic is one of the first steps of your dissertation writing procedure. Most people find choosing a suitable and relevant dissertation topic as one of the most challenging things when getting started. They will have to spend a considerable amount of time and will even be required to work late into the night in order to find a superlative dissertation topic. The topic that you pick should assist you to remain engaged and provide a good working mood since the dissertation writing process is a lengthy one.

How to find a good dissertation title?

The majority of people are uncertain and lack knowledge about how to choose a good dissertation topic. They may be under pressure to find an apt dissertation topic, or not certain if the research they want to carry out will fit into a dissertation. Without a doubt, there are many remarkable topics out there but this is most likely the first time they are researching finding a superlative dissertation topic. There are indeed certain things that should be considered carefully, such as:

Don’t Stretch Yourself

When you are in need of writing a dissertation, you should concentrate on finding a topic that helps you get your writing done. A lot of people make a mistake by choosing a topic that is beyond their capacity. They end up tired of writing their dissertation and stop. Hence, don’t go selecting a hard topic, and research a lot to come across a dissertation topic that goes well with your writing knowledge and skills.

Find Topics That Are Engaging and Fruitful                  

Choose a topic that will prove engaging and fruitful. Your writing should be free from boredom and tiredness. The topic you select has therefore got to be engaging and fruitful. Keep in mind that dissertation writing is a long process. Thus, be wise and choose an engaging topic.

Don’t Go For an Overly Ambitious Topic

The best dissertation is generally written by means of simple topic. When you choose a topic with too many variables, there is always a probability to make it hard to research, complicated to write, and not easy to find any conclusions. Therefore, it is always healthier to pick a topic that you can complete in plenty of time and at ease.

Pick a Topic that Fascinates You

It is vital to pick a topic that fascinates you the most because it assists you to reach effectively and write with more enthusiasm. If your dissertation topic fascinates you, then you will come up with a professionally graceful piece of work, and as I have mentioned above, within a limited amount of time and with a limited sum of difficulty or hard work.

Decide On Something You Really Love

One of the most imperative features in finding a doable dissertation topic is to work on something you really love. If the topic is in your comfortable zone or what you love the most, then you can mull over staying with it over a quite lengthened phase of time. However, make sure to find a topic that is compelling as well. All in all, be certain that you have a plausibly clear research technique or track determined before confirming your dissertation topic.

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Author Bio:

Karen used to compose academic and non-academic expositions as an outcome of his boundless contribution in the writing business. His experiences with this top thesis writing services have allowed him to concentrate on both academic and non-educational topics. He recognizes that to be an effective writer, one needs to consider the business side of the business, and focus to succeed.

Very interesting. Thank you, Karen.

***

Related articles:

• http://www.copyblogger.com/successful-guest-blogging
• http://thewritelife.com/7-blogs-guest-posts
• http://goinswriter.com/guest-posting
• http://www.chrisjonesblog.com/2013/07/how-to-write-a-guest-blog-post-top-19-tips-to-getting-your-message-out.html
• http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31833/17-Foolish-Mistakes-to-Avoid-as-a-Guest-Blogger.aspx
• http://www.fastblogfinder.com/how-to-write-a-guest-post
• https://www.distilled.net/blog/seo/link-building-seo/the-anatomy-of-a-great-guest-post

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. Guidelines on guest-blogs. There are other options listed on opportunities-on-this-blog.

*** Breaking news! My online creative writing courses are £1 or $1-2! ***

You can subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app via Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com. Alternatively, you can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything (see right-hand vertical menu).

You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my books (including my debut novel The Serial Dater’s Shopping List, various short story collections and writer’s block workbooks) and If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating. Thank you.

I now run online courses – details on Courses – and for anyone looking for an editor, do take a look at Editing and Critique.

If you would like to send me a book review of another author’s books or like your book reviewed (short stories, contemporary crime / women’s novels or writing guides), see book-reviews for the guidelines. Other options listed on opportunities-on-this-blog. And I post writing exercises every weekday on four online writing groups.

Author interview no.707 with novelist Michelle Dim-St. Pierre

Welcome to the seven hundred and seventh of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with Michelle Dim-St. Pierre. 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, Michelle. Please tell us something about yourself, where you’re based, and how you came to be a writer.

Michelle: I was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and spent half my life there before relocating to the US. If someone had asked me ten years ago, where I saw my career heading in the next decade, “a writer,” would not have been the first thing to roll off my tongue. As many of my readers know, nursing is my first love and was always my first passion. I poured my heart and soul into my studies and eventually my profession. Over time, nursing became second nature. A profession that I loved, and that fundamentally shaped my personality, intellect and emotional development, had finally reached its peak. I knew it was time for a new challenge. This is when I began to give in to my desire to write.

What started as a hobby—a deviation from my daily work schedule, an imaginative escape into a fantasy world that I could shape and produce as I saw fit—has turned into so much more. A few pages grew into a few chapters. A few chapters grew into more chapters and before I knew it I had an intricate story and an admirable heroine. I felt like I’d found my second calling.

Morgen: I was the same, in a way. I came to writing very late (ten years ago when I was in my late thirties) in comparison to some and it took two or three years to think I might be able to do it as a career and another three or four years until I gave up my day job. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Michelle: My first book is largely women’s fiction with an emphasis on romance, though perhaps not in the traditional format that many are used to. It is a story about the duality of love and hate and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of tough choices.

Morgen: Very relatable. Have you self-published? If so, what lead to you going your own way?

Michelle: I started out with the intent of self-publishing. However, once I established a relationship with BookLogix and they read the manuscript they offered to publish it under their name. I did not pitch it to an agent or to a large publishing company, as the industry is difficult to break into for a first time author. Still, I would not eliminate this option down the road.

Morgen: It is very much. A lot of us are still working on cracking that clichéd nut. Is your book available as an eBook? How involved were you in that process? Do you read eBooks or is it paper all the way?

Guest post: She is My Daughter by novelist Joshua Braff

Today’s guest blog post, on the topic of children and movies, is brought to you by Joshua Braff, courtesy of http://www.bookmarketingservices.org, and originally posted on The Huffington Post. You can also read my interview with Josh at https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/2015/12/01/author-interview-no-706-joshua-braff.

She Is My Daughter

We had a girl in 2003. She was 12 this summer. Unlike her older brother she is of pastel colors and random giggles. Her room is purple with unicorn-ish bedding and a cotton candy lampshade. Her hair-ties shimmer of glitter and some of her socks do too. She laughs a lot and says it feels good to do so and only recently began brooding, briefly, returning to silly spells on the carpet, a turtle on its back. Her addition to our chemistry is immeasurable, her desire for the tips of her hair to be blue, immense.

“Hey, crazy turtle. You do your homework?”

“Turtles don’t need algebra.”

“Sure they do.”

“Nope, ask any of ’em.”

“Do turtles take showers?” my wife asks.

“Not me, man.”

We wait and she uncoils and ends up with her chin in her hands. “Can I get a turtle?”

We find them in the back of Petco. She names the first one Instant and I laugh, thinking of “In an Instant,” admiring the ease her mind locates humor. She then names the second guy Coffee. Instant & Coffee live in a tank with rocks and sludgy water which will get yuckier if we treat it right. They eat real greens that they reach with outstretched necks. At bedtime the two of us are alit by the glow of the tank as we snuggle before she sleeps. We decide Instant is the older brother and in a heartbeat my daughter says, “But only by a hair.” I sit up and look down at her.

“What?” she says.

“That’s funny.”

“Thanks.”

“And fast.”

“Lay back down, daddy. I can’t see the tank.”
It is easy to see my mother’s face in my daughter’s. She has my wife’s forehead and chin and it appears, an even more evolved sense of humor than my own, a tool I’ve used to respectable success in my prose. Who will she become? How will she use the gift? Before her existence I’d only begun to learn what selflessness could bring me. And then fatherhood. I’d say we’ve all grown, my son to six feet tall in his 15th year. His teenaged brooding began at eleven or so and seems to be waning. For my daughter the bouts of quiet thought appear almost heavy for her, as if she must sit to take it all in. I have empathy for someone who will need to navigate her life as I did. The road may be steep. But the humor will both hurt and help her. She can use a phrase or idiom she heard once, maybe a year ago, and apply it perfectly, originally, with the confidence one saves for reciting their phone number.

As of late she is sinking into the pubescent vortex. I sense a higher propensity for more acerbic and questionably age-appropriate wit. She is tired, cranky, unmotivated and staring at me right now. I touch the wrinkles above my eyes because that’s where she looks.

“Am I chewing too loud?” I ask.

Her eyes close before her head slowly returns to The Shawshank Redemption, her new favorite movie.

I slowly sink my two front teeth into the apple but leave them there. It’s going to
be hard to continue the bite without making noise. But I try.

“Just eat it, Dad. Eat it already.”

“It’s loud food.”

“You are loud. I’m trying to watch this and all I can hear is your jaw and teeth.”

I stand with my apple and walk to the kitchen. I take a giant bite and look at the blond ponytail waving at me from the couch. I play with memories of us. Times when my eating was less intrusive. I toss the apple in the garbage and walk back. I attempt foolishly to snuggle with her, as we’ve done a million times, but she growls and turns her shoulder. I find my own chair. Morgan Freeman walks the beach of Zihuatanejo and finds Tim Robbins atop the fishing boat. The credits roll.

“You know what I love about this movie?” my daughter says.

“Tell me.”

“The music. It’s so important, ya know, to the scenes. They’d have less meaning without it. The scenes.”

We have the same color hair and our eyes do a similar thing when we smile. What is this gift I couldn’t have anticipated, where I am so clearly watching myself at times, in the frame of someone evolved. The family tree climbs upward through the life cycles and here I sit with my contribution, a branch that is us, and our time here together. I’m luckier than the richest man alive. And it’s something you cannot take from me.

It’s true that when I was in college I anticipated dialogue I’d share with my 11-year-old girl after seeing a movie. And then, of course it happened so often I’d stop thinking of it, letting the surrealism dwindle away. She’s a movie buff, can watch three in a day and will discuss them in detail afterwards. When she was ready to watch Jaws at the age of nine I let her because she wouldn’t stop talking about it. When it ended she announced it was her favorite movie of all time. Within minutes she’d begun to build not only the shark but the entire cast out of Legos. When Richard Dreyfuss was complete we played for awhile, recreating the scenes. I’ll never forget how she wanted to do the human side of the story, the texture out of the water. She saw tenderness, the human element, the very intricacy of art that my life’s work is about.

“You don’t have to go in the ocean,” she says, as we clean up. “It’s not the law.”

“No, but it’s nice. A good part of life.”

“I’m just sayin’ it’s not required.”

“Never let a movie keep you off the beach.”

“Dad. There was visible Elmer’s glue on the shark’s fin. It didn’t scare me.”

I tuck her into bed and we gaze at Instant & Coffee. I think of the final scene, Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider are floating on a piece of the destroyed boat. The sky can be seen, it’s been awhile, and the sun is out. The music is relieved, light and airy, and the possibility of a long and lasting life is seen in the splashing of their feet. I am absorbing great films I’ve seen before through the eyes of my daughter. Every piece of art has new meaning as I share them with her. Who said parenting was thankless?

“Let’s watch something else tomorrow, Daddy,” she says. “Think of a good one. I’ll think too. What’s that one you mentioned, Harold and something?”

“Harold and Maude.”

“Oh,” she says. “Those are much better turtle names.”

“No. Yours are perfect.”

“Then when I get fish. Harold and Maude. OMG.”

We watch it, I can’t believe how long it’s been. The film is rich with humor and pathos and has a Cat Stevens soundtrack throughout, leaving each scene dripping with the recoiling of war and the tenderness of his lyrics. My daughter turns to me about ten minutes before Ruth Gordon takes the fatal pill, the pill she never warns Harold about. I feel empathy for where she must go but will not warn her. What’s a better lesson for a lover of stories than to be witness to the fragility of humans from a safe distance. How do I keep Harold and Maude from a girl who recognized the brilliant human elements of Jaws, without ever being scared of the shark. She loves stories, characters, humor, plot angles. Maude takes the pill, Harold screams and races to get her in an ambulance. Cat Stevens sings the song, Trouble as Harold’s Jaguar/hearse revs high over the wailing sadness of his voice.

Trouble/trouble set me free/ I have paid my debt now won’t you leave me in my misery. I haven’t got a lot of time. I have to go there. Just let me go there.

My daughter’s eyes are filled with tears but she stares ahead, swallows, twice.

The film ends with Harold playing the banjo Ruth gave him. The love of his life is dead. But he is alive. As with Jaws, the ending is a flash of optimism, occurring in the waning seconds of catastrophe. And isn’t it best that we brace for such lessons in a life. My daughter is silent and still as she watches the credits. We don’t say anything until we reach her room.

“Harold looked like one of the Beatles,” she says.

“I agree. The hair. The pale skin.”

“That was funny but very sad.”

“Yeah. Emotional.”

“I loved it. But it made me really sad.”

Author interview no.706: Joshua Braff

Welcome to the seven hundred and sixth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today I welcome novelist, essayist and short story writer Joshua Braff, courtesy of Book Marketing Services. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And see below for details of Joshua’s giveaway.

Below is a list of suggested questions. Feel free to answer as few or as many as you are comfortable with (there are a lot to choose from).

Morgen: Hello, Joshua. Please tell us something about yourself, where you’re based, and how you came to be a writer.

Joshua: I am based in Northern California, a town called Lafayette, not far from Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco. In the early 90’s I got very interested in writing short stories. I pursued it, took classes, found a community in Seattle where I was living. From there I got an MFA at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA, very close to where I live now. I published in national literary journals and then got an agent in NYC. From there I took on novels.

Morgen: Ah, short stories. My first love. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Joshua: I write fiction but utilize any truths I want to throw in. I also write essays for the Huffington Post. I have dabbled in screenplays and poetry but think I’m a short essay / novel kind of person.

Morgen: It’s good to try everything so we find our comfort zone. What have you had published to-date?

Joshua: I’ve published three novels, The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green (2004) Peep Show (2010) and The Daddy Diaries (2015). Multiple anthologies, Huffington Post essays, literary journals and magazines.

Morgen: Have you self-published? If so, what lead to you going your own way?

Joshua: I self published The Daddy Diaries. Massive shifts in the industry, the notion that a reputable small press wasn’t going to give me enough marketing attention, my wife being a digital publishing executive for twenty years and the feeling that my career would dwindle away if not for my taking the reigns. Dwindling away is not so bad, except I’m probably an author that should stick around a bit more.

Morgen: I think we all should, and we all have to do our own marketing. Are your books available as eBooks? How involved were you in that process? Do you read eBooks or is it paper all the way?

Joshua: Yes, available electronically and on audio. I was very involved in all aspects of forming my own press. It is called, Prince Street Press. I have never read a book on a kindle or computer. I was born in 1967. I love vinyl records also.

Morgen: Same year as me, (although I sold all my vinyl years ago). Do you have a favourite of your books or characters? If any of your books were made into films, who would you have as the leading actor/s?

Author interview no.706: debut novelist J Russell Smith

Welcome to the seven hundred and sixth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with debut novelist J Russell ‘Rusty’ Smith, courtesy of Book Marketing Services. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. Rusty is kindly offering a giveaway with this interview – see below for details.

J Russell ‘Rusty’ Smith has spent a lifetime fighting for a sense of moral justice, on both a personal level and on a broader stage. His experiences in the Vietnam War and his graduate studies in intellectual history and political theory allow him to bring both an intimate perspective and a scholar’s analysis to the writing of Longworth. Rusty is currently at work on his next two novels.

Morgen: Hello, Rusty. Welcome to my blog. Please tell us something about yourself, where you’re based, and how you came to be a writer.

Rusty: I am currently based in the US, in Southern California. While I have always entertained the notion of writing, I really “found myself” during the writing of Longworth. I then decided that I would continue writing as long as I was able and had the time. Unfortunately, I have a company to run, thus I am writing much less than I would like.

Morgen: I didn’t start my creative writing journey until my late thirties and thought I was late to the party but then read that Mary Wesley had her first novel published when she was 74, and Barbara Cartland was still writing (dictating) her novels until her death at 99. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Rusty: I have only written the one book, but I am in the midst of two others. One of those, probably the next one to be published, is science fiction. The idea came to me in a dream / nightmare.

Morgen: An interesting mixture. Do you write under a pseudonym?

Rusty: No, I have not used a pseudonym and will not likely use one.

Morgen: It’s hard enough getting known as one name so I don’t blame you. You self-published, what lead to you going your own way?

Rusty: I did it that way only because I could garner no interest from either agents or publishers. The discouraging part was the fact that I was dismissed without a single firm looking at my book.

Morgen: It’s often how it goes, but if authors do well online, there is more chance of them getting picked up, and marketing (guesting on blogs just one option) is a way to become more visible. Your novel is available as an eBook, how involved were you in that process? Do you read eBooks or is it paper all the way?

Rusty: My book is currently available in hard cover, soft cover, and eBook. While I do not read eBooks, I felt it necessary to offer it in that format, as so many read eBooks. I remain old-fashion enough to want to hold and feel my books, preferably in hard cover.

Morgen: 🙂 Most people do. I love my Kindle as it has a text-to-speech function and I love Mrs Kindle reading my books out to me. Do you have a favourite of your characters? If your book was made into a film, who would you have as the leading actor/s?

Rusty: If I had to choose a particular character, it would be the protagonist, Carson Longworth. Regarding whom I would choose as the leading actor, I have not a clue. I suppose there are many who could play the role. Certainly a young actor with gravitas.

Morgen: If your book was audiobooked, whom would you have as the narrator?