Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to author Elysabeth Eldering. I recently read her YA novel Finally Home, which is a fun blend of mystery and paranormal. But before we talk about the book, here’s a little about Elysabeth:
Ms. Eldering is the award winning author of the Junior Geography Detective Squad (JGDS), 50-state, mystery, trivia series. Her stories “Train of Clues”, “The Proposal” (available as an ebook), “Tulip Kiss” (available as an ebook), and “Butterfly Halves”, all placed first, second, or runner up in various contests to include two for Armchair Interviews and two for Echelon Press (Fast and … themed type contests). Her story “Bride-and-Seek” (available as an ebook) was selected for the South Carolina Writers’ Workshop (SCWW) anthology, the Petigru Review. Ms. Eldering makes her home in upper state South Carolina and loves to travel, read, cross stitch and crochet. When she’s not busy with teenaged children still at home, working her full-time job as a medical transcriptionist or participating in virtual classroom visits, she can be found at various homeschool or book events promoting her writing.
It isn’t just history against progress – it’s daughter against father, or is it? Find out what secrets Kelly learns as she works to preserve an historic house in a small town that will help her bring her father Finally Home.
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Now on to my favorite part, where I get to ask Elysabeth lots of questions:
What inspired you to write Finally Home?
I had a vision one day while working of an old house. I work at home and have no idea why this vision came to me, but I had to stop working for about half an hour and just write this house. I put it aside for a couple of years and when I returned to it, I tried to make it a past lives story and the house was a bit different. I went through months of creating secret messages and codes that were discovered by Kelly (who at that writing was a 20 or 30 something year-old woman whose job was to preserve the houses). I sent to my editors and both of them nixed the story, saying that I needed to write it as a children’s story or young adult novel. So a while later, I decided to participate in NaNo (that’s National Novel Writing Month) as a writer (I’d already been participating prior to 2008 when I wrote Finally Home but as a spectator and cheerleader for my friends and acquaintances) but that was the first year my JGDS series was published and I was wicked busy during November so, I started the story the middle of November and completed it the middle of December – technically I did my 30 days and 50,000 words but just not during the month of November – lol. Anyway – after I wrote it, I let it sit for a long time before thinking about doing anything with it. I finally sent to my editors and a couple of other persons to edit it, and again putting it aside. I finally decided in 2011 that it was time to take Kelly off the back burner and really do my revisions and rewritings, leading to me publishing late in the year.
Kelly has a fascination with old houses and preserving them for history. Is this an interest you share?
No. I am not a history buff at all, although I do like the Victorian style houses and the look and feel of old houses as they do have so many stories to tell us.
Because of Kelly’s father’s job, the family is forced to move around a lot. Despite this, I found Kelly’s character well-grounded. Many kids would feel lost in her situation. What keeps Kelly feeling secure in her new environments?
I haven’t ever thought of what kept her secure with all the moves. I guess part of that comes from personal experience in that my father was in the service and we moved something like 7 or 8 times from the year I was born until I started high school. I also think that the house pulling her might have had something to do with it, especially since there was no indication prior to her family moving to this town that it would be any different than previous moves.
Finally Home has a paranormal twist that I won’t give away, and also talks a bit about destiny. Do you believe we each have a destiny to fulfill?
I think so. I also believe that we have all had previous lives that are intertwined and that we all have mapped out destinies that will somehow get fulfilled.
What is it about the YA genre that attracts you as a writer?
lol – See my answer to question #1 about writing for children or young adults – I just write whatever is in order for the day. I’ve written several short stories that are not young adult as well as children’s stories – so I’m game to whatever contest is calling me on a particular day, although I’ve not written anything for a contest in a while.
You’ve undertaken a big writing project with your Junior Geography Detective Squad (JGDS), 50-state mystery trivia series. Tell us a little about this series and what inspired you to write it.
This was actually inspired from my first ever writing and contest entry. I took second place with my story “Train of Clues” and it ended up being a children’s story with a mystery destination. I took that ms and sent to an editor with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and asked her to give me some guidance on how to make it a series with each state being the mystery destination or puzzle piece. She sent me some great information and from that I just played around until the right combination of story and game came around and worked perfectly for what I needed to do. I need to get back to writing more state stories but have put them on a hiatus for a bit because I’ve got a new idea brewing for the stories. More on that as the idea develops and formulates.
What is your writing environment like? Neat or messy? Silent or noisy?
Messy and quiet – I really should organize my desk but it is my catchall for work related and other things, but I can’t stand for anyone to rummage around on my desk looking for anything because I know where all my junk is and what is in the pile and if it’s messed with it I kind of get out of synch. I have to listen to doctors in my head all day long on my regular job so I totally like writing in silence. I seem to do better if I don’t have other distractions when writing (some days – lol; I can write more when I’m just concentrating on the writing and not listening to music or anything).
I have that same issue with my desk. It’s an organized mess!
Do you have a favorite author and/or book that helped inspire you to become a writer?
Not really. I used to read whenever I could when I was younger, mostly mysteries – Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys – but never really developed a favorite author. When I was in my 20s, I did enjoy V.C. Andrews very much but when I found out she had passed away and her books were being ghost written and weren’t of the same quality, I stopped reading her. In my late 30s and early 40s, I was getting into Jonathan Kellerman but haven’t picked up any of his books in a while either. I think at present, Jim and Joyce Lavene do have a couple of series that I’m into and really like but as far as inspiring me to become a writer – no, since I really didn’t start writing until I was in my early 40s. I was challenged to enter that first contest and that was it.
When you’re not writing or reading, what might we find you doing?
Working my day job as a medical transcriptionist, playing spider solitaire, crocheting or watching TV.
Favorite TV program?
I have too many “favorites” – lol – Survivor (the earlier seasons were the best), Dancing With the Stars, Rizzoli & Isles, The Closer, Criminal Minds, Top Chef (any and all of their series), Paranormal Kids: Children with Psychic Abilities, The Voice, SMASH, The Millionaire Matchmaker, Castle. Those are pretty much what I watch now, some not so much as others because I tend to forget when they are on.
Favorite food?
Any American chicken dish, noodle type dishes but of course most anything Chocolate – lol – seriously, I don’t have a favorite food, I just like to eat – don’t like super spicy foods (or they don’t like me). I also can’t have certain foods due to allergies but crave them so much – Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
One word or sentence that describes your current mood?
My current mood is content.
Thanks, Darcia for having me on your blog. I hope you enjoyed Finally Home and that readers out there will be discovering Kelly and her adventure in finding out about the house across the street.
Today I’m turning my blog over to Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick, one of the first authors I had the pleasure of getting to know as I ventured blindly into the world of indie publishing. Joel has launched an important project and I asked him to share the news with us here.
JournalStone Publishing, San Francisco, has dedicated its latest short story anthology to Rocky Wood, President of the Horror Writers Association. Net proceeds from the book sales will be donated to help cover medical expenses for Rocky, who has been diagnosed with ALS, a debilitating neurodegenerative disease that currently has no cure.
90 Minutes to Live is the product of JournalStone’s 2011 Short Story Competition, published in December. Thirteen tales, in a variety of genres were selected from a surprising number of submissions by Acquisitions Director, Joel Kirkpatrick. Authors were asked to use to odd themes for this year’s contest; 90 minutes to live, and a lock of hair. The anthology highlights JournalStone’s foundation themes, Horror and Sci-Fi. It also contains selected stories from Fantasy, Paranormal, and YA authors. Those authors, who were awarded this publication prize, are listed at this JournalStone link.
Joel Kirkpatrick is an author in the unique position of working in traditional publishing with JournalStone—reviewing all submissions to the company—and also being a self published author who is widely connected in the Indie community. In addition to reading the regular queries, he also helps manage and judge contests for JournalStone, and was given the reins of the entire 90 Minutes to Live project.
For this feature, Joel does what he loves to do most—interview authors. He tossed a few questions to all thirteen authors, to get some insight how they approach their craft. These fine writers are: Jasmine Cabanaw, Jen Phillips, Timothy Miller, Peter Hughes, David Perlmutter, Nu Yang, Bruce Golden, Jeffrey Wilson, Brett J. Talley, JG Faherty, Bill Patterson, J.A. La Rue and Brad Carpenter.
Thank you, Darcia for allowing us this space to talk about writing, and the 90 Minutes to Live project. Frankly, that task intimidated me until the submissions started piling into my mailbox. By the end of the first week, I knew there were some extraordinary short stories in those emails.
JournalStone President, Christopher C. Payne and I mulled over a lengthy list of possible themes to give the authors. The two we chose really just floated to the top of the list on their own. We selected the title directly from one of the chosen themes, because the statement itself is terrifying. 90 minutes is a pretty comfortable length of time, unless you are about to die.
The second theme, the lock of hair, was only the delicious twist to the project. Our thirteen authors worked it into their stories in some inventive ways. We only made the suggestion, and they embraced the odd mix on their own. They proved to be a lively bunch, and hardly intimidated by our contest.
Jasmine, Jen, you both chilled me with your stories. Were you pleased or intimidated by the contest themes?
Jasmine Cabanaw Pleased. Being given an assignment forces me to get creative and think of concepts I otherwise wouldn’t have.
Jen Phillips I was pleased by the themes! It was such an interesting pairing, my mind started working on a story almost immediately. Having 90 minutes to live provided a structure for the suspense necessary for a short story, while the lock of hair provided a focal point. My first thought was “if I had only 90 minutes to live, what would be the most horrific aspect of that situation?” For me, it was the prospect of knowing and yet not being able to do a thing about it, which is where the idea came from to make the main character of my story a victim of locked-in syndrome. The rest of the story flowed from there.
I haven’t written any short stories, and don’t really know if I could work in that tight story form. Which do you find is more difficult to write, a novel, or a short story, Bill? Jeff?
Bill Patterson Definitely a short story. The temptation is to introduce more detail, more setting, more dialog, just more of everything. The phrase “left to the imagination” is far harder here, because the author’s imagination is flinging ideas out like an out of control pitching machine. The length constraint on a short story is like an eight foot ceiling here, and the story is that perfect ten foot Christmas tree. Something’s got to give.
Jeffrey Wilson For me the short story is more challenging. A novel gives you 100,000 words to develop your characters and make them real, to lay out your story, generate real emotions in your reader, and make them feel that the story has come alive. To do the same thing in a few thousand words is a real art form and I have great admiration for folks who do it consistently well. You have to find a real economy of words, yet still make the story and characters come alive for the reader, and that is not easy.
Brad, you write both long and short. What do you think?
Brad Carpenter They are two different beasts. The short story monster has claws and loves to slash at you when you get to wordy. The novel monster is a leviathan with sharp teeth that tries to swallow you every chance it gets.
Do any of you get to write as much as you like? (Fairly strong NO from the ladies.)
J.A. LaRue There is no such thing
JG Faherty No, that pesky job thing keeps getting in the way.
Nu Yang It’s all about time management and putting my butt in the chair. I have a full-time job, so I do my writing in the evenings and on weekends.
Peter Hughes It’s tricky, because I often find myself without the time to write, but then when I do have the time sometimes my frame of mind is entirely wrong for the task of writing. I suppose what I wish is that I could just drop whatever I’m doing when the writing bug takes me!
Horror is a genre that embraces some dark, even brutal themes sometimes. Sci-Fi and Fantasy can be shocking too, but usually avoid being graphic. YA stories have come under fire lately for resorting to overtly violent and strong subjects. So, censorship in some degree is a topic that touches us all. Readers can be very vocal about themes they do not like. I’d like to know from all of you, do you censor yourself, for anyone?…ever?
J.A La Rue Yes. I often–nope, never mind.
Bill Patterson Of course I do. I try to keep the writing PG-13, since I am trying to appeal to the largest possible audience. Love scenes are more like 1960s movies than Penthouse Forum (does that still exist?). I could write highly detailed erotica for them, but that would severely constrain my potential market. So, yes, I do censor myself. Some people would brand me a sellout to The Man for that, but when one is unknown, you have to get ‘found’ first before you can be controversial. Consider this: if Robert Heinlen wasn’t already a well-known author, could he have ever published Stranger In A Strange Land? As it is, he had to fight to keep a lot of the controversial content in.
I have stories to tell. I want to tell them, and not get hung up in disqualifying details, like how much cursing, erotica, or gore is in them.
Jeffrey Wilson Constantly! It saves the editor a lot of time.
Timothy Miller My daughter, bless her little heart, beta reads most of my work. She’s nineteen, but due to her 6’3”, 275lb father (I bench 265lbs by the way. Break the wimpy stereotype writers! Whoop! Whoop!) who tyrannically hid her from the myriad evils of the world, she is an Amish sort of nineteen . . . and fragile. So, yes. I censure myself often.
Jen Phillips I censor myself often. I’m trying to break the habit of self-censoring. I’m still fairly new to the practice of writing fiction and presenting it to others to read (I just joined my local writers’ group last year). I have a tendency to feel as though I’m being psychoanalyzed through my content. This is a little silly–I never read a novel and think “wow, that writer must be off her rocker to write something like that.” I just need to move beyond it.
Bruce Golden I never–ever–censor myself. I’ve fought against censorship for decades, both in print and broadcasting. Censorship is slavery of the mind. No matter how insignificant you may think the matter is–even just a single word–when you try to control what a person can read or hear, you’re attempting to control their mind. The only thing worse is enslaving the body, and it’s a close second. If you believe that, then censoring yourself would be hypocritical. I not only don’t censor my words, I don’t censor my ideas. I’m known for (probably more than is really true) addressing sexual issues, both in my fiction and non-fiction. I don’t hold with the prevailing societal opinion that there’s anything dirty or evil about sex, so I treat it as what it is, a natural (naturally great) part of life.
David Perlmutter Yes. I am constantly worried about the reaction my work will receive when I send it out, so I agonize a lot about the content, which involves censoring myself often. If I don’t do it myself, then my editors will.
Jasmine Cabanaw Only when writing non-fiction about myself or people close to me.
JG Faherty Only if I’m writing for a young adult audience, or for a non-horror audience. For instance, I wouldn’t curse or use violence in a story that was being used for Boy’s Life or Chicken Soup for the Soul!
Nu Yang Sometimes I do have to sit back and wonder if certain elements will benefit my story, but it depends on the genre and the audience I am writing for. As Clive Barker once said, “Don’t be ashamed of how your imagination works.
90 Minutes to live is the second anthology in JournalStone’s Warped Words series. We love being frightened, and love finding terrifying stories. Have any of you ever been completely terrified? What scared you?
Bill Patterson Completely? As in loss of sphincter control terrified? No. Startled, scared, fearful, sure. But I’ve never been in blind panic terrified. Perhaps the scariest in the sense of pure adrenaline, is when I have to climb onto the roof of my house. That transition from the roof back onto the movable, wobbly ladder is never a picnic.
A better instance was when I was doing a structural inspection in the PATH system in New Jersey/New York. They had this structure called a caisson where several tracks came together on two different levels. The only way to get from one level to another was up a ladder bolted to the borehole drilled through fifteen feet of concrete. I’m six feet tall, and the guys back in 1905, when they built the thing, were about five-four. The hole was a very tight fit, and there was a moment, suspended twenty feet off the floor, when I had a touch of claustrophobia. I was glad to get out of that hole.
J.A. LaRue Have you ever asked a girl out? One you really liked? One so pretty and clever that it made your armpits sweat just to think about her? I have. Almost.
Peter Hughes Once as a child I went kayaking and the kayak capsized. I pulled the cord to release me but it didn’t work. We’d been told to stay calm in these situations and wait to be helped by an instructor, but after several moments I realised that no instructor was on the way and I was running out of breath. I was terrified then, and started thrashing around until I finally got myself out of that kayak. No-one had even noticed that I’d capsized!
Jeffrey Wilson I have felt real terror before in my military experiences. Interestingly, I find that I usually get really scared AFTER the event is over. At the time, it was more like “Well, this sucks.” Later, when you look back on it, the real fear hits you.
David Perlmutter Horror stories genuinely scare me sometimes. This in spite of the fact that I’ve read enough of them to know some of the cliches when I see them.
JG Faherty Yes, I have. On many occasions. And I’m frightened by the usual – death of a loved one, my own mortality, losing my job, etc. Horror writers just have the ability to take those daily fears and rebuild them into terror of the unknown or the supernatural.
Nu Yang When it comes to writing horror, yes! If you don’t scare yourself with your writing, how do you expect to scare the reader?
Timothy Miller I moved out of the house when I was fourteen. During that time, I spent around six months living in an abandoned house while I worked nights at a buffet and went school during the day. I had no key for the doors so I climbed in a window to unlock the door and bring in my bike. The house was in a bad neighborhood right next to the railroad tracks, so I wrapped my bike chain around my fist before I went to sleep every night. Some guys tried ot break in the door one night. I woke up and made alot of noise, cussed loud at the door and growled like a dog, (don’t laugh, it seemed reasonable at the time!) acting crazy. Anyway, the guys outside went away. Guess they didn’t want to break in on the swearing dog-boy.
I’m still a light sleeper.
Brad Carpenter I’m scared of shopping malls. Seriously terrified.
Jen Phillips I moved every three years growing up. Being the new kid, especially in middle school, presents its own level of fear and trauma.
Jasmine Cabanaw I used to have a phobia (OCD style) of spiders that was eventually cured by hypnosis!
I used to be afraid of the number thirteen, but I think that might be cured now.
Interviewed for a feature at HorrorNews.net, Rocky made this comment about receiving the dedication, “I was honored of course. I have a lot of respect for JournalStone, which has published tremendous work in its short history. Genre fiction always needs dedicated new publishing outlets, and horror has a great tradition of them – to me JS is adding to that tradition. And by honoring me, JournalStone also draws attention to a disease not many know about – ALS (Motor Neurone Disease, or ALS here in Australia), sometimes known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. This is an awful disease, 100% fatal, that medical science has made very little progress in combating over the last 70 odd years. The more people know about it, the more likely it is they might donate to medical research on ALS, or to one of the community groups that support sufferers and their families….” (the entire interview is available at the link.)
Christopher C. Payne, President of JournalStone has said this of the dedication, “I wanted the anthology to be about a cause and Rocky Wood is somebody I hold a tremendous amount of respect for….He is just an all around great guy that helped us out and in turn I got to know him. Now I simply would like to help him out in any way we possibly can.”
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Thank you, Joel, for sharing this with us today.
I hope you’ll all consider purchasing a copy of 90 Minutes to Live. Here it is on Amazon, in both print and Kindle format:
Today marks the start of Read Me Week. This is an event highlighting the importance of reading to kids. While I don’t write children’s books and my sons are now grown men, I do have vivid memories of the joy of cuddling with my boys and a pile of books. I wanted to acknowledge this important event and, to help me with that, I asked Stacy Juba to join us today. Stacy is a mom, and also an author of three excellent children’s books. Who better to kick off Read Me Week! Now I’ll stop talking (okay, typing) and let Stacy take over:
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Last year, I saw something on a television news program about a father who read to his daughter until her first day of college. How wonderful is that! Reading aloud isn’t just beneficial for babies and toddlers. It’s a practice that parents can keep up even when their child reads on his or her own. Back in seventh grade, my teacher used to read books to us such as Jane Eyre and the Newbery winning novel Dicey’s Song. I always enjoyed sitting back at my desk and listening to these captivating stories.
Although my main focus as an author is adult novels, I’ve also published a few children’s books. I valued books as a child, and in fact, still have most of my middle grade and young adult collection in my office. I loved the idea of writing books that children could enjoy.
My most recent book is The Teddy Bear Town Children’s E-book Bundle, exclusively available as an e-book from Amazon Kindle and a perfect book for reading aloud to children 3-8. It consists of three picture books, all featuring gentle illustrations of teddy bears. The Flag Keeper is about Elizabeth, a bear determined to prove to her dad that she is capable of raising the U.S. flag by herself while following all the rules of flag etiquette. Victoria Rose and the Big Bad Noise is about a bear who has to learn to overcome her fear of loud noises like the vacuum and blender, and Sticker Shoes is a fun story about a bear who tries to create beautiful shoes using stickers, but runs into a few problems along the way.
My titles for older readers include the young adult novel Face-Off. Twin brothers Brad and T.J. McKendrick, high school hockey stars, compete on and off the ice in this family sports novel. It’s written at about a seventh grade reading level, and is ideal for reading aloud to a 9-or-10 year old who might not be at that reading level yet but would still enjoy a story about sibling rivalry and hockey.
Here are a few of my other reading aloud favorites for different age levels.
For ages 3-6: Goodnight Goodnight Sleepyhead, written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Jane Dyer. Before a young child settles down for a peaceful sleep, she must bid her surroundings — bear nose and dinosaur toes alike — an affectionate goodnight.
Tell Me Something Happy Before I go to Sleep, written by Debi Gliori. Willa was tired, so she went to bed, but she couldn’t sleep. So Willa appeals to her older brother to help her. He suggests that Willa thinks of all the wonderful things which will be waiting for her in the morning. With her mind full of all the fun tomorrow will bring, Willa feels a lot better.
For age 6-9: The Junie B Jones series by Barbara Park – follows the kindergarten and first grade adventures of the energetic and mischievous Junie B.
The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne – Travel back in time with Jack and his little sister Annie in their mysterious tree house. Whether it’s watching baby dinosaurs hatch, finding a secret passage in a castle, helping a ghost queen in an Egyptian pyramid, or finding pirate treasure, readers won’t want to miss a single story.
For 9-12: Nancy Drew Clue Crew series by Carolyn Keene – Being a lifelong Nancy Drew fan, I love this series about Nancy, Bess and George in elementary school solving age-appropriate mysteries.
The World Almanac for Kids – This isn’t necessarily a cover-to-cover read, but it’s fun to pick out a couple of interesting facts every night to share with your child – or perhaps your child might want to choose the facts and share them with you. You may be surprised how popular this non-fiction book is with children!
My guest today blends my two addictions – books and music. Her name is Caryn Rose and she has written a book called B-sides and Broken Hearts. I will freely admit that I want to be friends with Lisa, the main character in this book. She hangs out with rock stars and goes to all the best concerts. I’m suffering character-envy here!
Before we talk about the book, I’d like to introduce Caryn:
Caryn Rose is a Brooklyn-based writer and photographer who documents rock-and-roll, baseball and urban life. She covers the ups and downs of the New York Mets at metsgrrl.com, reports on Bruce Springsteen for Backstreets Magazine and brucespringsteen.net, and ruminates about music at jukeboxgraduate.com. She lives in Greenpoint with her boyfriend and her cat, Jackie Wilson. B-Sides And Broken Hearts is her first novel.
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Now for a look at her book:
Lisa Simon, age 37, still loves loud punk rock and hates Dave Matthews with an all-consuming passion. April 15, 2001 should have been just another Sunday night. But a news headline landing in Lisa’s email inbox changes everything: “Joey Ramone is dead.” The death of one of her teenage heroes serves as an long-overdue wake-up call causing Lisa to examine her life and how she’s lived it, from her youth as a poet on the streets of the East Village to 10 years later, all grown up with a career and a fiance. Add to the mix Jake McDaniel, lead singer of million-selling, critically-regarded Seattle band Blue Electric, known better to Lisa as the starving renegades who lived next door to her when she first arrived in Seattle. In the midst of an unexpectedly heated argument with the fiance over the historical relevance (or not) of the Ramones – which forces Lisa to face the truth about her relationship – Jake writes and invites Lisa to LA. Throwing what seems like half her cd collection in the car, along with a wardrobe consisting of high heels, jeans and t-shirts, Lisa starts driving from Seattle to LA in the middle of the night, accompanied by music, memories, and the ghosts of the past. Arriving in LA, she finds refuge, but also collides with her past, present and future; decisions need to be made, and this time, Lisa stands her ground.
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On to the fun part – a chat with Caryn:
While B-Sides and Broken Hearts is not a memoir, only an author with an intense love of music could have pulled it off. Do you remember that moment when rock jumped to the forefront of your life? Were you struck by a particular song or band?
I don’t remember much of my life when I wasn’t listening to music. My mother gave me her old radio and phonograph (god that makes me sound so OLD) before I was in first grade. I was buying records as soon as I had an allowance. My parents weren’t rock and roll fans but my mother loved music (she was more of a Sinatra and Johnny Mathis kind of gal). So no, I can’t tell you when I had that big A-HA moment because it happened so early on.
You give great detail on Lisa’s adventures during the New York punk scene and later, in Seattle, on the emerging indie scene later labeled grunge. I’m assuming you experienced these to some degree yourself, since research alone would not have allowed you to write with such clarity. Which is your favorite, from a rock fan’s perspective, and why?
I don’t want to shatter anyone’s illusions but — I didn’t start going to CBGB’s until I was almost done with high school. I didn’t see the Ramones until 1981 and I only saw the Patti Smith Group once or twice before Patti retired. I never saw Nirvana live (I was living abroad and always thought I’d have the chance) and didn’t move to Seattle until 1995. Grunge was over, done and dusted at that point.
To paraphrase Natalie Goldberg, a good writer can take a potato chip rack from a bar in Rochester and move it to one in Duluth and make it seem like it’s always been there.
As to having a favorite I always say that I am a member of the church of Strummer & Springsteen. Which kind of puts me in no-man’s-land, which is just about where I like it.
What are the 10 most played songs on your iPod/Mp3 player?
I had to reinstall iTunes recently which completely blew away all my setlist counts. I was interviewed back in December about this very question and at the time, The #1 most played song in iTunes was “Bulletproof” by the Afghan Whigs at 653 plays, and #2 is “Hold On, I’m Coming,” by Sam & Dave which is only in the 400s. Frankly I was more shocked it wasn’t “Born To Run,” “Clampdown” or “People Have The Power” but it is what it is.
You are a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. What is it about his music that draws you in?
It’s loud, it’s epic, it’s great writing, it’s an amazing band, it’s positive, it’s hopeful, it doesn’t talk down to you, it inspires you. He lives at the intersection of rock and roll and rhythm and blues and soul and that’s my zip code. I love the energy and the earnestness and the complete and total lack of irony.
I saw Springsteen back in the late seventies. He came out in a Santa suit and did his version of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. Great show!
Let’s talk about your writing process. Do you outline first? Do you make character diagrams, complete with personality traits, birthdates, job histories, etc.? Or do you grab an idea and run blind?
When I started *B-sides* I had no idea about process. I had always wanted to write novels and had tried to write novels. I did writing exercises for about a year until one night I dreamed the first chapter, woke up, and started writing. I wrote chapters out of order and then put them back together again, and had no idea how it would end until I got there. I am much, much more methodical now. I outline but not so much that I lose spontaneity. I do character sheets or at least sketches and the main characters have to have a playlist.
The one process I am absolutely dedicated to is showing up. I am a firm believer in butt-in-chair, move-hand-across-page. I write one day of every weekend. I don’t care if I only write five pages, that’s five more than I had the day before.
Silence or noise when writing? If noise, what are you listening to?
It depends on what I’m writing but I am a big big fan of silence. I have a manuscript that takes place in the 80s and the Sirius 70s and 80s channels were a godsend at recreating FM radio for me. Or, the character’s playlist. But I can’t have music on just to have music on.
B-Sides and Broken Hearts is your first novel. I read that you have others in the works. Can you give us a hint of what’s to come?
I should have my next book out by April 2013 – an editor approached my former agent a couple of years ago and pitched the idea of me writing the “‘Eat Pray Love’ of baseball and rock and roll”. I’m completely uninterested in memoir but I am interested in writing about why I love baseball so much and what it’s like to fall into it when you don’t grow up with it, so that’s the next novel. The book after that is the New York in the 80′s book I mentioned above. After that I plan on writing a sequel to B-sides. And I have other ideas after that, but that’s about as far out as I can plan.
This summer I will be publishing an ebook about my month seeing Bruce Springsteen in Europe. I’ve always wanted to write a travel book and this will let me combine that and writing about Springsteen, which is something I do a lot of anyway.
Is there one book you’ve read that has influenced you or made a big impact on your life?
Best concert you’ve ever seen? What made it so special?
I could pick seeing the Clash at Bonds in Times Square instead of going to my senior prom, or Springsteen on the River tour (or even a few years ago when he performed with Sam Moore, a gospel choir and the Miami Horns), or U2 at Wembley Stadium on the Zooropa tour, but I’ve also seen house party shows or shows by bands most people have never heard of that blew me away. Leonard Cohen in 2010 was amazing and he’s in his 70′s!
The great thing is that I’m still seeing amazing shows every year so I never have to stop and pick that one great show.
If your life had a theme song, what would it be and why?
“Ooh Child” by the Five Stairsteps. The lyrics explain it all.
I have to admit that surprised me! For those of you who don’t know the song, here it is on YouTube:
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You can learn more about Caryn, her writing, and her musical obsessions in the following places:
Do you like books that make you gasp and cringe? Do you like an unexpected fright, nightmares that step off the pages? If so, you’ll love my guest today! Author Glen Krisch is an up and coming master of horror and paranormal tales. I recently read two of his books – The Nightmare Within and Where Darkness Dwells – and loved them both. Naturally, I had to harass him with questions. Before we get to that, allow me to introduce Glen:
I have written three novels: Where Darkness Dwells, The Nightmare Within, and Nothing Lasting, as well as the novellas, Loss, and Brother’s Keeper. My short fiction has appeared in publications across three continents for the last decade. Dog Horn Publishing (U.K.) will publish my story collection debut in 2012. I am also a staff editor for Morrigan Books. As a freelance editor, I have worked on books by Tim Lebbon and Lawrence Block, among others.
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Now for a look at the books we’ll be discussing:
Maury has the power to pull dreams into the waking world, giving the dreams
corporeal form. These dream-people range from seemingly human figures, to monstrous beasts compelled by the most primal urges. Once exposed to the real world, the dreams evolve, adapting to their surroundings.
Maury is gathering dreams for display at Lucidity, the soon-to-open Museum of Dreams. From a boy named Kevin, he removes Mr. Freakshow, a nightmare feeding on the trauma of Kevin having recently witnessed his father’s murder.
As Maury falls in love with a dream-woman named Joy, he realizes how wrong it is to enclose the dreams. During the Lucidity’s Grand Opening, Mr. Freakshow escapes. To create a diversion, Mr. Freakshow frees the other dreams. The Nightmares, The Erotic Dreams, The Serenity Dreams–all of the dreams–invade the city.
Mr. Freakshow knows the rules that govern the dreams:
1. A dream-person achieves immortality by killing its dreamer.
2. If a dreamer dies for any other reason, the embodied dream disappears forever.
At first Maury seeks out Mr. Freakshow in order to stop him, only to realize there is only one way to accomplish this; he must find Kevin first, killing him before the nightmare has its way.
Kevin will do whatever it takes to be free of his nightmare, once and for all.
Maury will do whatever it takes to protect the love of his life.
Mr. Freakshow will do whatever it takes to realize his immortality.
Will Kevin survive his nightmare?
***
During a hot summer night in 1934, tragedy strikes when two local boys search for the truth behind a local legend. They stumble upon the Underground, a network of uncharted caverns just below the surface of Coal Hollow. Time holds no sway in the Underground. People no longer age and their wounds heal as if by magic. By morning, one boy is murdered, while the other never returns home.
The Underground is hidden for a reason. Certain locals want to keep their lair secret, no matter the cost.
After learning a long-held family secret, Theodore Cooper is set adrift. Once well off and set in his ways, he is no longer sure of his role in society. He leaves his comfortable life in Chicago to tramp the countryside, searching for meaning in this new context. During his travels, he’s drawn to an abandoned house in Coal Hollow and impulsively buys it.
Cooper doesn’t know that a massacre had taken place in his new house. In 1851, a group of bounty hunters tracked a family of runaway slaves to the home. They wound up killing the homeowners as conspirators, then chased the runaways into a cellar tunnel leading to the Underground. The bounty hunters cornered the slaves and killed them. To everyone’s astonishment, the slaves then rose from the dead. Over time, the bounty hunters chose to stay below ground, taking advantage of their new slave labor to build what they term “Paradise.”
Their numbers are augmented by deathbed miners who are offered immorality in exchange for their subservience and labor.
Below a town struggling to survive both the Great Depression and the closing of the local coal mine, there lives an immortal society built on the backs of slavery and pervasive immorality.
***
You can also get both novels combined in one book, which gives you one free!
This omnibus contains the novels WHERE DARKNESS DWELLS and THE NIGHTMARE WITHIN. A monster of a volume, this single ebook is over 195k words (or 700+ pages if in print).
WHERE DARKNESS DWELLS
Summer, 1934. Two boys, searching for a local legend, stumble upon the Underground, a network of uncharted caverns. Time holds no sway there; people no longer age and their wounds heal as if by magic. By morning, one boy is murdered, while the other never returns.
Below a town ravaged by the Great Depression, an immortal society thrives, built on the backs of slavery and pervasive immorality.
THE NIGHTMARE WITHIN
Maury can pull dreams into the waking world, giving them corporeal form. From a boy named Kevin, he removes a nightmare dubbed Mr. Freakshow. Mr. Freakshow knows the rules: a dream becomes immortal by killing its dreamer. When the nightmare escapes his confinement, he has but one goal.
Will Kevin survive his nightmare?
***
Ready to learn more? Here’s my chat with Glen:
In your novel The Nightmare Within, people’s nightmares literally come to life. What inspired this story?
I wanted to write something of a thriller/horror hybrid. I imagined a novel with plenty of scares and an ever-tightening plot that, once the essentials were established, would be a sprint to the finish. I also wanted to try to make it as original as possible. On the surface it’s a ridiculous concept—a man with the ability to pull dream-beings from the mind of a dreamer? But just about any horror trope, especially of the supernatural variety, is somewhat ridiculous. The dead rising from the dead to hunt the flesh of the living? Creatures that feast on blood and are rendered both immortal and mortally afraid of the sun? So I settled on the idea of dreams. But not all dreams are scary. But when they are… hold on to your seat!
You gave vivid descriptions of the nightmares, making them feel all too real. Were any of them adapted from your own nightmares?
Kevin suffers a case of sleep paralysis—the state when you’re awake, but you’re unable to move because your nervous system is still in “disable mode.” Basically you’re paralyzed for your own safety as you sleep. Occasionally signals can get mixed up and you’re fully awake even though you still can’t move. It’s happened to me a few times. Even though sleep paralysis is not technically a nightmare, it is one of the most frightening things you can experience. Of the “dream people” in the story? I’m sure a few details drifted over from my subconscious, but I didn’t purposely base any of them on my own dream experiences.
You perfectly captured Kevin, the young boy at the heart of this tale. His character was so well developed that I ached for him and wanted to rescue him from the nightmares. Tell us about your process for character development. Do you spend time outlining your characters before you write? Or do they evolve as you go along?
I tend to do a rough plot outline, nothing more than a “point A, to point B, to point C” sort of thing. My characters live inside my head. If I close my eyes, I can see what they wear, what they feel, know what they’re thinking. I glimpse the plot through their eyes, and that’s what ultimately dictates what happens.
Your novel Where Darkness Dwells is set in the 1930s and flashes back to the 1800s. I felt you did an incredible job of capturing the emotions and mentality of the eras. Did you do a lot of research? How did you get yourself into the necessary mindset for writing from the perspective of a generation you’ve never experienced?
As I started writing Where Darkness Dwells, the plot was just a heap of puzzle pieces, and I had to figure out how they had to come together. I’d been reading a lot of nonfiction at the time. These books were about the Great Depression, WWI, the fugitive slave laws, the Seminole wars, hobos… I’m sure there were other subjects that influenced me, but that gives you the idea. One day I was toying with a story idea. This 1930s hobo leaves the tracks he’d been following all day, and he soon comes across a gleaming red water pump handle. Once I wrote that brief paragraph or two, I knew I was in trouble. I’d never written anything that hadn’t been present day. But once I started, and once I understood that I was writing a complex novel involving multiple eras, I knew I had to do right by the subject matter. I guess my hard work can be seen on the page. So much material never reached the final draft, but it was all essential for the creation of the finished project.
Your method definitely worked. This stands as one of my favorite books.
What draws you to the paranormal/horror genre?
Horror offers a flexible foundation on which to build a story. You can do just about anything. I’m a “what if” writer. I’m constantly asking myself that question. “What if a guy can pull dreams from the mind of a dreamer?” “What if a subterranean world exists where people no longer age? What if that world is ruled by evil men?”
With that said, horror, for me, has to have a point. If a horror story doesn’t have some underlying message or some examination of humanity, it’s just an empty sequence of words. As both a reader and writer, I’m always looking for depth of character, a revelation or insight, a nuance that prompts contemplation long after I’ve read (or written) the story.
Is there a line you won’t cross with gory details? Do you feel horror should be about shocking with explicit detail, or more about allowing the reader’s imagination to do the work?
Where Darkness Dwells contains some of the most grim, dark material I’ve written. Even so, I censored myself when I wrote the Underground scenes. I’d originally intended to write a layer to the plot that I eventually scrapped. I thought it was too much. I wanted every bleak happening to have meaning. I didn’t want to go for the gross-out. Actually, one of the worst things that happens (the murder of a child character), happens off screen. I thought the message hit home even harder by not detailing it. I haven’t heard a single complaint about the graphic nature of the Underground, which has somewhat surprised me. I guess I struck the right balance.
I love the cover art for your books. Do you design your own?
I have absolutely no desire to do my own covers! I leave that to my go-to cover designer, Kealan Patrick Burke. Most notably an award winning author and editor, Kealan runs a full-service site for indie authors (covers, editing, formatting, etc). He can be found here: http://ebookcoverdesign.org
What scares you the most and why?
I have plenty of irrational fears. I’m actually quite neurotic, but try to keep things in check. My most realistic fear is the fear of something happening to my family.
Aside from reading and writing, what is your favorite pastime?
I claim to be a runner, but the last year has been horrible for that hobby. I also like to garden on a large scale. If I could ever afford it, I would have a 2+ acre organic garden, an orchard, honey bees, and chickens. Hmm… I just noticed how labor-intensive my hobbies are. Just thinking about it makes me tired. Maybe I should try out a new hobby: napping. Nah, sleeps over-rated!
Thanks for letting me ramble for a bit, Darcia!
Thanks for hanging out with me here, Glen. I would love to visit your organic garden! I hope you plan to share the goods.
My guest today is author Julie Elizabeth Powell. I recently had the pleasure of reading her novel A Murderer’s Heart, which is a crime story, a drama, and a story of psychological suspense. While about murder, Julie doesn’t include gory details and doesn’t use language that might offend some readers. This is one of those books that will appeal to a wide audience.
Of course Julie has been subjected to my never-ending questions. But, first, let’s get to know a bit about her:
My name is Julie Elizabeth Powell with a passion for words and six books published…all thanks to www.lulu.com, much hard work, sleepless nights and a very understanding and supportive husband.
My eldest daughter has flown the nest and is married to a man who doesn’t mind his mother-in-law though my son is still fluffing his feathers.
My middle child is off on a mysterious adventure, the like of which I can only guess…and tried to do so in my first book, Gone.
I love to read and am looking for ways to double time so to indulge in the mysterious and wonderful and delicious and strange…my favourite kind of story.
Writing takes up most of my days (and nights) though I enjoy creating handcrafted cards, making jewellery and dabbling in encaustic art whenever I can.
Oh yes, I used to teach or mark exam papers and have a BA (Hons) amongst other qualifications and hate all those necessary domestic chores that would, for me, be included in the Rings of Hell!
Anne Blake, psychiatrist, is good at her job and believes that even the most sick at heart can be cured…or at least saved enough that they can lead a better life. But maybe she’s wrong? Maybe within a murderder’s heart, evil lurks and nothing can be done except to save yourself?
***
And now for a chat with Julie:
Anne Blake, your main character in A Murderer’s Heart, became a psychiatrist because she was intrigued by how the mind works and what triggers emotional problems. Is this an interest you share with your character?
I have always been intrigued with how the mind works, especially how the emotions are linked. If I had time, I would like to study it in more detail, but for now have to be satisfied with basic research. I have suffered with depression for many years and I know it’s connected to what happened to my daughter, although I fight it and find that grabbing onto any happiness is the best way of keeping it at bay most of the time. Writing helps.
I can’t even begin to imagine the pain of losing a child. I have immense respect for all you’ve accomplished, and the way you express yourself through writing. After I readGone, which is the book inspired by your loss, I hope you’ll come back and discuss this further.
An underlying theme of this book is that we shouldn’t take people at face value. Not everyone is as they appear on the surface. Your characters, like people, are multi-layered. Do you spend a lot of time on character sheets, creating histories and personalities for your characters? Or do they come to life as you go along?
I would say the characters in my books, on the whole, come to life as I write. Something magical happens when I am typing, and I often find that they tell me what to do. Having said that, I can see someone in the street and it can spark an idea, or I use a mannerism I’ve spotted. Everyone is multi-layered and it’s important to relay that in stories – that’s why I constantly write how they feel and think and why they say and do. Descriptions are useful but these other ways bring the character to life much more. And I would always say that’s it is vital not to take anything at face value, either in ‘real’ life or imaginary.
There are quite a few twists in the plot. Do you outline ahead of time or did these twists kind of create themselves as you wrote?
The plot came to life as did the characters, as if the story was inside my head all the time and I just plucked it out (like all my work). Although, when I’m not writing, I’m thinking about it, especially at night when I’m supposed to be sleeping – and that’s usually when I think, ‘Ah, now what about if…? and, ‘Oh, yes, now that would be better!’ (I frequently write at night, as the urge is just too strong to ignore.) The trouble with twists though, is remembering why, when and how etc.
I do that same thing at night, when I should be sleeping!
You’ve written a lot of books, but I believe this is your only crime novel. What inspired you to take on this genre?
I don’t usually write this genre, but as my mother loves a ‘good murder’, I thought I’d have a go. She enjoyed it! I do prefer writing fantasy, but like to try all manner of genres.
Why this particular story?
I have a keen interest in the mind and how /why it works the way it does and so I wanted to explore how /why it becomes broken. And no matter what point of view, there are always questions. After I’ve finished my current work (the last of the Avalon Trilogy)…phew…I want to write more about the mind – the effects of memory /lack thereof and how it makes us what and who we are. If I can make it work, it’ll answer many questions that many people may have. I love to question everything!
What is your writing environment like? Neat or messy? Quiet or noisy?
Usually neat, although, when I’m writing notes (scribbling, more like) things can tend to become rather untidy. It’s quiet though (and my lovely husband understands and he actively encourages me to write…even nags if I’m slacking.) I wouldn’t be without my computer, and delight in the process of creation.
When you’re not reading or writing, what is your favorite thing to do?
Going to the cinema with my husband as often as possible – I absolutely love it, though I’m often disappointed in the weak storyline, the big screen is wonderful. I also create handcrafted cards and jewellery, dabble in encaustic art, drawing, painting, scrapbooking – anything creative. I also like walking on beautiful days and gardening. I’d like to read more, but with writing, posting reviews for others and all the other things I have to do, time flies. I’m looking forward to a break, however, where I’m going to read all those Dean Koontz books I’ve been saving.
A psychic has just told you about your past life. Who were you?
I’ve no idea. Ideally, I would have loved to have been Leonardo Da Vinci – what an incredible mind! Or Shakespeare – all those wonderful words! Though thinking about it, my handwriting is so bad that nobody would have been able to read my work. And just think of all the quills and parchment I would have destroyed. Well, maybe someone beautiful and rich and…well, that’s another story…
Who knows, Julie. Maybe you were Da Vinci or Shakespeare in a past life! Thanks for joining us here!
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I hope you will all take the time to get to know more about Julie and her writing. You can find her in all sorts of places on the Internet:
My guest today is the bestselling author Andrew Kaufman. He is also one of my absolute favorite writers. I’m character-driven in both my own writing and my reading preference, and Andrew has the ability to get inside his characters in a way many authors aren’t able to do. If you haven’t read his books, yet, you need to! But, first, hang out with us here and get to know a little about Andrew.
Andrew E. Kaufman is a freelance writer and author living in Southern California, along with his six Labrador Retrievers, three horses, and a very bossy Jack Russell Terrier (who, incidentally, thinks she owns the place).
After receiving his journalism and political science degrees at San Diego State University, Andrew began his writing career as an Emmy-nominated writer/producer, working at KFMB-TV, the CBS affiliate in San Diego, then at KCAL-TV in Los Angeles. For more than ten years, he produced special series and covered many nationally known cases, including the O.J. Simpson Trial.
But a minute was all it took to turn Jean Kingsley’s world upside down–a minute she’d regret for the rest of her life.
STEPPING INTO HER WORST NIGHTMARE.
Because when she returned, she found an open bedroom window and her three-year-old son, Nathan, gone. The boy would never be seen again.
A NIGHTMARE THAT ONLY BECAME WORSE.
A tip leads detectives to the killer, a repeat sex offender, and inside his apartment, a gruesome discovery. A slam-dunk trial sends him off to death row, then several years later, to the electric chair.
CASE CLOSED. JUSTICE SERVED…OR WAS IT?
Now, more than thirty years later, Patrick Bannister unwittingly stumbles across evidence among his dead mother’s belongings. It paints his mother as the killer and her brother, a wealthy and powerful senator, as the one pulling the strings.
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO NATHAN KINGSLEY?
There’s a hole in the case a mile wide, and Patrick is determined to close it. But what he doesn’t know is that the closer he moves toward the truth, the more he’s putting his life on the line, that he’s become the hunted. Someone’s hiding a dark secret and will stop at nothing to keep it that way.
The clock is ticking, the walls are closing, and the stakes are getting higher as he races to find a killer–one who’s hot on his trail. One who’s out for his blood.
***
Ready to learn more about Andrew and his books? On to our conversation:
Your debut novel, While the Savage Sleeps went straight to the bestseller list. Did that instant success affect your writing process and mindset when you set out to write The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted?
It’s kind of funny. When I set out to write my first novel, the question I asked myself was whether I could write a novel. Period. I’d tried so many times before but failed. Once I finished it, I honestly didn’t know how readers would respond, if at all. As writers, we work in a vacuum and really don’t know what we have until we send it off into the world. After While the Savage Sleeps went to number one, I realized this was a whole new ball game. Suddenly, I had an audience of readers. I understood the accountability that went with that, so when I started writing The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted, the question was no longer whether or not I could write a novel; it was whether I could write a better novel. It’s in my nature to want to stretch myself, to improve, but in this situation, the stakes seemed so much higher. I felt a responsibility not only to myself but also to my readers. I worked like I’ve never worked before to make this the absolute best I could. I was ridiculously hard on myself because I didn’t want to let my readers down.
I’ve read The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted, and I think your writing talent shines. Do you feel you succeeded in stretching yourself?
On a personal level, I’d have to say, yes. I’m satisfied that I did everything I could to raise the bar. I love this book, and I’m proud of it. It’s been true labor of love for me. Of course, we’ll have to see what the readers think, but the response from the beta readers was overwhelmingly positive, and I was thrilled with that. The rest is up to fate, I guess, and is out of my control.
These two books do not fall in the same genre. While the Savage Sleeps is horror, while The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted is a psychological thriller. What made you decide to switch genres, and were you worried about how your readers would respond?
This book is a complete departure from my first. We’re talking two sides of the globe. The thing is, I never intended to be a horror writer, per se. I write what I’m passionate about and don’t pay much attention to genre. While the Savage Sleeps was just a story I wanted to tell. The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted is another. I think when you write from the heart, the readers can sense that, and then everything else falls into place. I’m not sure I’ll ever want to be boxed into one particular genre; it seems too confining. I’ve worked hard to brand myself rather than just my genre. But yes, it was a risk for me to hop genres on my second book, especially after developing a following. Am I nervous about it? You bet. But it all goes back to following your heart and knowing all else will follow right along. I’ve learned to trust my gut; it hasn’t let me down yet.
I loved Patrick, the lead character in The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted. He’s a complex yet sympathetic character. Can you tell us a little about him?
Patrick is probably my favorite character to date. He’s had such a painful and tragic past and yet has still somehow managed to remain genuine, sincere, and quite likeable. Don’t get me wrong—he’s flawed, terribly so, but in a way, I think, that endears rather than repels. A few of my beta readers said all they wanted to do was throw their arms around him. I think that says it all.
Patrick struggles with a multitude of challenges. Can you share a little about them?
He suffered a horribly abusive childhood, has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and as if that weren’t enough, he’s a bleeder. You said it: a multitude of challenges.
I wanted to raise the stakes for him like I’ve never done before with any other character. It was important that the reader see him struggle and rise above his obstacles, both on a personal level and within the story itself. The blood disease is a metaphor; he’s been deeply injured, and as a result, is deeply vulnerable. On the physical level, he lives with the day-to-day fear of being injured, of bleeding to death. It’s the same thing with his emotional state; he’s scared of being vulnerable, of being wounded. It just felt like the right choice.
With the OCD, his particular compulsion is listing; he writes the same words over and over. To raise the stakes even more, he’s a journalist, a writer, trapped by his own words. The irony in that fascinated me, and I used it as a device to show his tension. As the situation becomes more dangerous, his disorder becomes more pervasive. As for his abuse, that’s directly tied to the plot, but it also makes him a more vulnerable character on so many different levels.
Are there bits of you in Patrick? Did you identify with him?
Not in terms of his circumstances, but on an emotional level, very much. It’s interesting how each time I write a new book, my characters become so real to me that at times it feels overwhelming. They’re almost like my children. I love them all and I feel their pain. I have to throw myself into their minds in order to portray them in a realistic and compelling way. In doing that, I tend to cross that emotional bridge and connect with them on a very personal level. I guess that’s a good sign.
You characters come alive on the page and become people readers can relate to. What is your secret to creating characters readers so easily connect with?
I think flaws are vital to a character, but like I mentioned before, ones that draw the reader to them. Flaws add dimension and make them more interesting, and since none of us is perfect, I think they help us relate to them better. We identify with their shortcomings. Another reason is that I do my best to make their struggles seam real, and when it’s all over, I want them to grow as a result, become changed in a significant way.
Your books lack sex, which absolutely works for you. Was it a conscious decision for you to avoid sexual relationships in your books?
The truth is that in real life, people aren’t automatically attracted to one another just because they find themselves thrown together. I see it happen in books a lot and it bothers me because it often feels too predictable. It’s so easy to take that path, so I choose not to. Besides that, I just don’t see a place for it when I’m writing suspense. If a crazed killer is chasing you, sex is probably going to be the last thing on your mind. For me, it slows down the action too much.
Tell us one thing you want readers to know about The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted.
Oh, gosh. There’s more than one. I guess that this book has so many layers to it, and instead of starting with a bang like While the Savage Sleeps does, it builds toward one. Kind of a reversal of sorts, but I think—or I hope—it’s a satisfying one.
Your very connected to your readers. What do they mean to you?
They mean the world to me, and I say it every chance I get. Make no mistake about it: I’m fiercely loyal to them. Now more than ever, there are so many choices when it comes to reading. That they’ve managed to find me and then support me like they have is nothing short of awe-inspiring. I feel an intense responsibility to give them the best I can offer, and I never want to let them down. It’s the reason why I dedicated this book to them. They’re that important to me.
***
Thank you, Andrew, for taking the time to talk to us about your writing.
Here’s a look at Andrew’s books on Amazon, in both print and Kindle format:
I hope you’ll take the time to read Andrew’s books. You can learn more about Andrew and his writing in the following places:
My guest today is author Mark Souza. I met Mark on Twitter about a year ago. Recently, I finally got around to reading some of his short stories and became an instant fan of his writing. If you like stories that make you flinch and cringe a little (or a lot), then you’ll love Mark’s work. He’s one of those few authors who can make me shudder without spilling a drop of blood. Mark agreed to hang out here and answer my questions. And I have to tell you that he was quite tolerant with my insanity, but that is a whole other topic! Here’s a brief introduction:
Mark Souza lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, two children, and mongrel beast-dog, Tater. He writes primarily horror, though on occasion, other things that strike his fancy. When he’s not writing, he’s out among you trying to look and act normal (whatever that is), reminding himself that the monsters he’s created are all in his head, no more real than campaign promises.
Upcoming Titles
His novel Robyn’s Egg will be released in the spring of 2012
A collection of his short stories, Try 2 Stop Me, will be released in September of 2012 FREE short stories available on Smashwords and most major ebook retail sites:
What is it about short fiction that appeals to you as a writer?
Writing short stories is the fastest way to get published, the best way to receive feedback, and the fastest way to learn the writing craft. A writer can spend a year writing a novel before submitting to agents and editors to get feedback. Good luck with that. Agents and editors are usually too busy to provide a critique. Feedback usually consists of “not for us.” And unless you just wrote The Hunger Games, they won’t read more than the first few paragraphs.
If a writer pens short stories, they can submit ten or more stories in that same time period, the stories will be read, and chances for honest feedback improve drastically. With short stories, you are dealing with anthology or magazine editors who get tens of thousands of words coming across their desks each week, versus an agent who receives millions of words a week.
The advantage short stories provide is more repetitions at working your craft. Every element of a good novel can be found in a good short story, so what a writer learns from writing short stories is directly applicable to writing novels. And because short stories usually have a word limit, they also teach the art of editing and tightening prose. The lower the word count, the more a writer learns about editing. Nothing tightens flaccid prose better and quicker than flash fiction, stories of 1000 words or less. Those 1000 words have to do double duty. Wordy phrases have to be reworked till they’re lean and precise.
It’s also much easier coming up with ideas for good short stories than it is ideas strong enough to support a full length novel. And who knows, short stories sometimes grow long legs and turn into novels – I’m working on one of those now. What started as 5,000 words is now 100,000.
As you can probably tell, I’m a big proponent of writers cutting their teeth on short stories.
When you first sit down to write, is your focus more on the plot or the characters?
I usually start with a premise and plot first. But occasionally I’ll come up with a character that cries out for a story. For stories that begin with plot, once I map out where I’m going, I look for my characters and make a fundamental shift toward a character driven story. I firmly believe that good fiction is all character driven.
I’m generally a plotter rather than a pantser. A lot of that has to do with time restrictions where my writing is concerned. I don’t have the luxury of letting my characters wander until they find a story. That often leads to dead ends, ideas that peter out before they reach conclusion.
If you equate writing with driving, and time with fuel, those with a full gas tank and a fat wallet (i.e., plenty of writing time) have the luxury of pantsing – driving around without a map to see what they find. In my case, my tank is much closer to E. I have to have a map and check my route before I start. I need to know I have enough gas to reach my destination. There has a viable story before I’ll even start down the path.
I get into arguments about this all the time, and always with those with plenty of writing time. I try to point out that just because I plot, doesn’t mean I’m closed to the wonderful twists and turns my characters discover. If my characters take a story in a new and better direction, I am very open to revising my plot. But again, the new route has to be able to get me to the end.
Describe your ideal writing environment.
My ideal writing environment would be on the deck of my 120 foot yacht, anchored in a quiet lagoon off Aruba, with my loyal manservant Geoffrey keeping me well stocked with icy Diet Pepsis. Alas, I have no yacht, and Geoffrey works for someone else (Stephen King I think).
I do most of my writing at work during lunch. My yacht is a desk wedged amid cubical wall, my little cell in the hive. It’s messy – two monitors, a phone, and piled high with paperwork. It could use either a good cleaning or a fire. There’s always a background din from the chatter of coworkers and the hiss of the ventilation system; which is fine by me. It’s my version of the Caribbean breaking over a white-sand beach. I grew up in a large family and feel more at home with a little noise in my ears, and ill at ease in total silence. The one good thing about having so little time to write is that you have to get down to it: no waiting on my muse. If she shows up, great. If not, I start without her.
At the end of your story Appliances Included, you give readers insight into a character that was inspired by an actual person you and your wife met one day. Do you often base your characters on real people?
I often build characters a bit like Doctor Frankenstein — a piece from this friend, a trait from that one. It’s easier to build a character if you actually see and experience the specific personality traits you want to use.
Sometimes I’ll build characters wholly from scratch, but they rarely have the depth of personality as Franken-characters. They feel a little less genuine, and they are harder for me to visualize and know.
Rarely do I use someone I’ve met as a character, whole and unaltered. Sadie (not her real name) is an exception. Sadie didn’t need anything added to her to stand out on the page and take over a story. She was bigger than life in person, and bigger than life on paper. I met her once, talked to her for about five minutes, and will never forget her.
Writers have to keep their eyes and ears open for that kind of found treasure. It’s too easy to roll up the windows and move on, all the while missing out on something truly exceptional, and truly human. It only seemed appropriate to view the end of the story through Sadie’s eyes. She’s the neighborhood busybody, the Gladys Kravitz of her block. She’s seen them come and seen them go, and always has an opinion she’s only too glad to share.
Franken-characters is the perfect description!
Your story Cupid’s Maze was inspired by a trip with your daughter to a corn maze. Tell us a bit about that experience and how the story idea was formed.
My experience with my daughter was mildly alarming in that I thought it would be an easy matter to negotiate the maze considering it was relatively small and had a number of tall landmarks we could use for orientation. The corn wasn’t all that high, yet we were lost for hours. In our maze, the biggest element of horror was dispelled when we discovered Porta-Potties installed at the center.
The experience did get the wheels turning in my head, though. What if the corn was tall enough to wall off the rest of the world, the maze much larger, with no landmarks to orient yourself? Add in frigid weather, the specter of impending nightfall, and the possibility having to spend the night exposed in the corn. Then last two elements; take away the laughter and reassuring sounds of others in the maze (safety in numbers), and put something menacing to stalk those trapped inside. Suddenly, the friendly little corn maze turns into a horrifying nightmare.
Jessy Marie Roberts, Chief Editor at Pill Hill Press, gave me a great piece of advice about writing horror; it isn’t horror if bad things happen to people who deserve it, horror is when horrible things happen to good people, to innocents. I put that advice to work in Cupid’s Maze.
These two stories share a paranormal-horror component. What draws you to this genre?
What drew me to horror is practicality. When I started writing short stories trying to get published, the large majority of calls for submissions were in the horror genre. Though I’m a big Stephen King fan, I started out a mystery and thriller writer. I’m no dummy. I learned what I needed to be able to write horror, found some success, and kept on writing it. There will be mysteries in my future, but I’m embracing horror.
The paranormal introduces the ultimate fear – the unknown; that which we don’t understand and have never dealt with. Horror is a fantastic foil to show both the best in people, and the worst. I have little interest in gore or body count, but instead, concentrate on how characters respond to fear and duress. This aligns with my belief that good fiction is character driven. That’s where Koontz and King succeed so brilliantly. If you can’t get the reader to identify with the characters, you’re only killing trees, no matter what the genre.
What scares you the most and why?
Being victimized and helpless. The only thing worse, having something horrible happen to loved ones and being powerless to stop it. I think that is the basis of horror; having your worst fears realized and not knowing what to do to prevent it or make things better.
In my worst nightmare ever, I had driven to the Grand Canyon with my wife and oldest daughter; she was about six in my dream. I pulled into a scenic overlook and parked right up against the short, stone, retaining wall at the edge of the canyon. I was distracted trying to find a camera lost inside the car. When I looked up, my daughter was balancing atop the wall and walking toward me. I lunged and tried to grab her before she fell. She startled and instinctively stepped back, and was gone.
What a horrible dream!
I am a dog-lover (that sounds far creepier than it is), so I have to ask about your “beast-dog, Tater”. Why do you call him a “beast-dog”? And how did he/she wind up with the name Tater?
My youngest daughter always wanted a dog, but we had a long list of reasons why that might not be a good idea. One day near Christmas, my sister-in-law asked our kids, “If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?” My youngest responded she’d buy a dog, because from what her parents said, that’s about how much money it would take. A few weeks later, we picked out a rescue dog.
The website said she was a bloodhound/dachshund mix (MONGREL), and from the photo (floppy eared, long, black and tan body,) we thought that might be right. We were looking for a small, easy to manage dog. When we went to pick her up, it was clear the dachshund part was flat out wrong. The dog was much larger than we’d been led to believe. She is a shepherd/basset mix. Body of a basset, head and coloration of a shepherd (she weighs about 65 lbs now = BEAST DOG).
Comedian Ron White was very popular with my girls at the time we acquired our dog, so Tater – Ron White’s alias when arrested for drunk and disorderly – was tossed out as a possible name, and it stuck. Take a German Shepherd, saw it off at the knees, and you have Tater. She never fails to draw stares when we take her for a walk.
He’s cute! But, yes, he is a bit of a beast. I’ve learned you can’t always trust shelters and rescues to get the breed right.
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Here’s a look at some of Mark’s stories on Amazon:
You can also grab some of Mark’s stories free on Smashwords, where you can download the format of your choice for your ereader or computer.
My guest today is author and dragon-tamer J. Michael Radcliffe. I recently had the honor of reading an advanced copy of his new book Bloodstone – The Guardian’s Curse, which I highly recommend to all lovers of the fantasy genre and/or those who simply love a good story. Michael is hanging out with us today, answering my usual barrage of questions. First, allow me to introduce you:
An avid reader of fantasy and science fiction novels all of my life, I published my first novel The Guardian’s Apprentice in 2010. I live with my family in rural Kentucky along with our five cats. When not acquiring cats for my wife’s plan of world domination (cat armies are terribly hard to train), I enjoy spinning stories from the wisps of magic around me.
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Before Michael and I talk about his new book, you should know a little about it:
An ancient evil has returned to threaten the world of magic and mortal alike. Keegan Whitestone has become the Guardian – protector of the magical barrier known as the Veil – but he cannot yet control his powers. He must find and destroy the legendary Bloodstone, a jewel used by the powerful necromancer, Sava, to ensnare and devour the souls of others. In a bid to save the soul of the woman he loves, Keegan faces a terrible choice. ‘Bloodstone – The Guardian’s Curse’ is a twenty chapter novella of 32,000 words, and is the sequel to ‘The Guardian’s Apprentice’. Also included are the short stories ‘Forsaken’ and ‘Scale of a Dragon’ as well as the never before published short story ‘Inner Daemon’.
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Now on to some fantasy talk! Mind out of the gutter, people. I’m referring to the fantasy genre.
Oh, wait… Michael is nudging me out of the way. Apparently, he has something to say.
First, I would like to thank you so much for inviting me to do this interview. I would also like to encourage anyone reading this post to consider visiting us over at BestsellerBound.com. Our writing group was (and is) a great resource for someone new to writing like I was over a year ago. But more importantly I have formed many new friendships with fellow writers that I treasure!
I second that! Grab a chair, Michael, and put your feet up. Let’s chat:
What is it about the fantasy genre that intrigues you as an author?
I have always loved both fantasy and science fiction, ever since I read ‘Star Wars’ when I was in third grade. I love being able to create a world with a totally different environment than our own, with creatures that are only limited by ones imagination. Writing in the fantasy genre gives you a certain freedom to set the rules, to create your own world and populate it with the creatures (and monsters) from your imagination.
Bloodstone – The Guardian’s Curse is the sequel to The Guardian’s Apprentice. Do you have more planned for this series?
Maybe. I had originally planned a series of three books when I started writing TGA in 2002, but the storyline and plot have significantly changed over time. Book one was originally going to be called ‘Whitestone – The Guardian’s Apprentice’, and then of course ‘Bloodstone – The Guardian’s Curse’ and book three was going to be ‘Blackstone – The Guardian’s Salvation’. I may yet write book three…
I also have a couple of ideas unrelated to this series that I may explore first, if I can just find the time to write!
I can so relate to that!
Magic is a big part of Bloodstone’s plot. Are you a fan of modern magic or is it only the ancient magic like your character Keegan uses that fascinates you?
Although I enjoy the smoke and mirrors tricks performed by a good illusionist, I have to admit it is the ancient magic that fascinates me most. I think it must run in my family, as my sister, paranormal romance author Maeve Greyson, is just as fascinated with it – especially the old Celtic myths and legends.
How did you go about creating Keegan’s world? Did the idea come to you all at once or was it something you spent a lot of time developing?
Now that is a tough question to answer. When I started out and began sketching the storyline, I had certain ideas about how I wanted the world to appear and operate. I have to admit though, that a good deal of that evolved over time – especially the creatures that populate it.
What is your writing environment like? Neat or cluttered? Quiet or noisy?
I will openly admit to being a ‘neat freak’, so my desk is pretty tidy – though I do have my dragon statuette (Idris, my writing partner) and several reference books on magical creatures, mythology and dragons lying about. As for the writing environment, it is almost never quiet. We have two kids still at home so it is fairly busy around our house. I usually write either late at night or early in the morning, when everyone else is still asleep. Either that or I plug in my earphones!
Is there a time of day or night when you are most creative?
Usually either late at night, or very early in the morning. I have to admit though, I’ve had ideas while driving down the road or at other odd times. On a couple of occasions I have actually had a dream that made its way onto the pages – for example just before Christmas I had an unusual dream that turned into the short story ‘Inner Daemon.’
I hear you have an army of cats. Tell us about them.
Yes, our ever-growing cadre of cats seems to keep getting larger each year! We are now up to five, two outdoor and three indoor, to be specific. I’ll give you a brief bio on each of them – I’ve also included my writing partner Idris, the dragon, as he’d never let me hear the end of it if I didn’t…
Idris (a.k.a. Shimmerscale) On a trip to Washington D.C. we visited a shop in Baltimore where my attention was drawn to a display case filled with various dragons. Now I have always loved dragons, but this one truly spoke to me – though I cannot explain why. I swear I heard his voice in my head saying “Finally! Have you ANY idea how long you’ve kept me waiting? Now pay the ransom and liberate me from this prison!”
Not being one to argue with a dragon, I paid the rather exorbitant price, er – “ransom” and brought him home. He now occupies a place next to my computer, where he supervises my writing – usually by providing frequent editorial comments about my dialogue.
After much prodding and cajoling, he has finally entrusted me with his name. His true dragon name is ‘Idris’ and his human given nickname is ‘Shimmerscale.’ I appreciate him sharing his true name with me, as most dragons are loathe to divulge such a thing to a member of one of the lesser races (humans, elves, etc.) Note:That last comment was from Idris, not me. I personally do not think we humans are a ‘lesser’ race, but who am I to argue with a dragon?
Mickey – the new recruit The most recent addition to our army, Mickey was adopted when the janitor at my wife’s school found him locked in a storage shed in 96+ degree, humid Kentucky heat. Severely malnourished – you could see his ribs and backbone – she brought the poor little fellow home. The kids named him ‘Mickey’ due to his enormous ears and in honor of our trips to Disney (yes, I know, a cat named after a mouse…).
A very loving and affectionate cat, Mickey has fattened up and now weighs close to 10 pounds at just seven months; he also wants absolutely nothing to do with outside, preferring to sit on window perch and watch. Cocoa, Cookie and Jasmine have not accepted him yet and skulk about the back deck, plotting an assassination attempt. Maddie is more accepting, though dislikes it immensely when he pounces on her from underneath the bed skirt…
Maddie Maddie was found on the side of the road in December 2009. Only about five or six weeks old (we think) at the time, someone had apparently thrown her from a moving vehicle, shattering her left hip and leaving her with a multitude of scrapes and bruises. When found, she had a soda cup stuck on her head and was starving. A happy and healthy cat now, Maddie has made a full recovery and doesn’t seem to realize she’s missing a leg. Her natural prey are Nerf darts, which she attacks with a vengeance whenever possible.
Jasmine The “middle” cat, Jasmine has never quite grown up. Extremely loving and affectionate, she is also incredibly jealous. She despises Maddie and will go into a week-long sulk if around her. As a result, she is now the official upstairs cat, while Maddie and Cookie diligently patrol the lower levels.
Cookie Convinced that humans exist for the sole purpose of feeding her, Cookie is fickle with her affections and dictates when the unworthy may approach. She also has an odd fondness for the refrigerator, and if unguarded will jump onto the bottom shelf. She will then hide behind the soda cans and refuses to come out for at least five minutes. If human, she would be the Queen of Hearts, shouting “OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!” at those who annoy her.
Cocoa Evil incarnate, Cocoa is bipolar on her best days. When the mood strikes her and she wants your attention, she will sneak up behind you and lick your ankle, foot or leg. At this point you have two choices: (1) pet her and make her happy or (2) ignore her and suffer her wrath, which usually consists of latching onto you with her teeth (if you’re smart, you’ll go with option #1…). Once she tires of your attention she will usually sink her teeth into your hand, indicating that your usefulness has ended.
They are all adorable! And I love their stories. I’m a sucker for a rescue. (Which is obvious by my five 4-legged misfits. )
What are your 3 most treasured material items?
Yikes! That is truly a difficult question to answer – you see, I am a sentimental fool. I think I probably have every Father’s Day and Birthday card given to me by my wife and kids and I form an emotional attachment to things. If forced to choose, I would say the three items are:
My grandmother’s cookbook – containing all of her best recipes written in her own handwriting, the pages stained and dusted with flour and cocoa powder.
A star sapphire ring given to me by my mother, not long after she had a heart transplant.
A gold pocket watch, given as a wedding gift to my great-grandmother and handed down through the Radcliffe side of my family.
Aww. That is such a great answer. Careful, Michael. You’re showing everyone what a sweet guy you are.
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Thank you, Michael, for hanging out here with us today!
Readers are invited to connect with Michael in the following places:
My guest today is the prolific author Jason McIntyre. If you’ve been hanging out with me here, then you know Jason is one of my favorite authors. He has a gift for pulling us into the stories he creates. Jason recently published three new books – the two short story anthologies Black Light of Day and Nights Gone By, and the novella Walkout. I’ve read them and couldn’t name a favorite. My recommendation would be for you to read them all! Here’s a look:
In the tradition of Hitchcock, Rod Serling, Ray Bradbury and Shirley Jackson, “Black Light of Day” is an anthology of six horror, science fiction, drama and suspense stories.
Dangerous Intersection // At the same intersection over the course of the next year and a half, Janey Dietrich goes through the motions of her ever-changing life and might finally discover what’s truly important to her.
Remembering Train Car Six // 58-year old Mort can’t shake the feeling that he’s been doing things in the past to help himself in the present. He just can’t remember doing them.
Two in the Park // The man in the fedora is good with his video camera but recently-divorced Albert is too busy watching his own daughter boss her way through the playground to give him the notice he deserves.
One Hour’s Reprieve // Allie gets one hour for lunch with her mom, to laugh, to catch up, and to deliver some heart-breaking news.
Dark That Day, After All // As they peer into the heavens together, elderly Jarvis Schloss unburdens his soul to another park dweller as they sit on his favorite park bench. The two each reflect on the primes of their lives and uncover something even darker than the sky overhead.
Act of Contrition // Mark Foley has climbed his way to a prime V-P position with Gabriel-Garvin and Subsidiaries but today he’s getting more than a simple hand-slap over a deal that went south.
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In the tradition of Hitchcock, Rod Serling, Ray Bradbury and Shirley Jackson, “Nights Gone By” is an anthology of six horror, science fiction, drama and suspense stories.
DDA // Ada Verhoeven has just graduated from a Berlin university. Now she’s following her father’s words of advice, getting things in order and making plans for her new life.
House Lights // Thinking he needs to get out of the house Abe is now face-to-face with the girl he pined for through high school…and he’s taking an acting class with her.
Man With an Addiction // The man in the pickup truck tells Katie that he’s just out to buy dog food for his newborn pups but surely there’s more to his offer of a ride home.
Down The Line // Otis Derry’s lead line inspector finds something on the early morning train bound for the mountain pass through Willis.
East Meets West // Duncan loves to work in the dirt and now that spring is here he can finally get that new flower bed planted before darkfall but the next-door neighbour has other plans.
Through the Transom Light // Henry can’t sleep and hasn’t for some years now–not since that night seven years ago when his and Anna’s lives were shattered with the scream of the baby monitor.
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“Not rich. Comfortable.”
Walkout is the latest novella from the author of the #1 Kindle Suspense, The Night Walk Men
Gavin is a wealthy and demanding investment banker, the sort of power-hungry, driven man those in the professional world don’t question. When a beautiful young woman finds herself entangled with Gavin following his divorce of a year ago, things aren’t exactly as they first seemed. Now, nearing the end of an icy winter, she’s living in his luxurious home in a rich neighborhood just north of the sprawling city. She’s washing his sheets and tending to his every whim…but a mysterious boat house on the property calls to her and, in time, she may not be able to stop herself from answering.
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After reading these three books, of course I had questions. I limited myself to ten. While I could have asked a couple dozen more, I didn’t want to take up all Jason’s time. After all, I want him to write more books. Before we get to the Q&A, here is a little about the man behind the words:
Jason McIntyre has lived and worked in varied places across the globe. His writing also meanders from the pastoral to the garish, from the fantastical to the morbid. Before his time as an editor, writer and communications professional, he spent several years as a graphic designer and commercial artist.
McIntyre’s writing has been called darkly noir and sophisticated, styled after the likes of Chuck Palahniuk but with the pacing and mass appeal of Stephen King. The books tackle the family life subject matter of Jonathan Franzen but also eerie discoveries one might find in a Ray Bradbury story or those of Rod Serling.
His books include the #1 Kindle Suspense, THE NIGHT WALK MEN, bestsellers ON THE GATHERING STORM and SHED, plus the multi-layered coming-of-age literary suspense THALO BLUE. McIntyre is the author of more than two dozen short stories, several novellas and full-length fiction. Currently, he is at work on the full-length follow-up novel about THE NIGHT WALK MEN.
Now for some fun! Here’s my chat with Jason. I’ve divided my questions by book title, so you’ll know where to find the stories we’re discussing:
Black Light of Day
The first story – Dangerous Intersection – takes place entirely with Janey in her car. What prompted you to set an entire story inside a car?
I read a foreword (or maybe it was an afterword) by Stephen King some years ago when he tried to pre-empt questions about why he set his novel, From a Buick 8, in Pennsylvania rather than his more traditional location of Maine. He said something similar to, “I was driving in my car in Pennsylvania when the story occurred to me so, to be honest to the story, I kept it in Pennsylvania when I wrote it.”
To me, this answer seems almost too perfectly rational. In a similar way, the idea for Dangerous Intersection came to me in the car as I was driving home from work. Each day, week after week, I would inevitably be stopped in a particular left-hand turning lane with only the soft, rhythmic click of my signal flasher as witness. It struck me how this echoed the opening scene of my novel from last year called On The Gathering Storm and that made me tune into the idea of echoes in our lives. Do we even listen to such echoes? No matter how often they repeat? Pretty soon, I had the nuts and bolts of the narrative and the characters figured out. I decided to keep the narrative not just inside the car but at the exact same intersection for much the same reason as King did. I felt I could be more true to the story if it felt more true to me.
Act of Contrition has a futuristic, sci-fi feel. This one brought to mind the ‘group think’ mentality, and also had shades of the Stanford prison experiment conducted in 1971. Did either of these things factor into your writing on this one? What was the inspiration?
The idea of ‘group think’ is absolutely a valid notion for readers to take from this story. Here, an employee of a large conglomeration has moved even beyond the point of frustration with the constructs of his work-a-day world and is now forced into a trial by fire.
I vaguely remember learning about the Stanford prison experiment from 1971 when I was in high school but didn’t have it at the forefront of my thoughts while writing this. Like most things, it was probably in the ingredient list of the stew which eventually became the final story. It is certainly applicable and an off-shoot and I love when readers bring such things back to me from their reading.
I was inspired by stories like Lord of The Flies and The Lottery (two other things originally gleaned from high school which I learned to love long after those awkward teenage years). They embody the idea that we as a species can be hunky-dory and even as cordial to one another as saccharine until the chips are down. Then, whamo!, we are throwing stones at each other or spearing pigs’ heads and lighting forest fires. This thin piano wire between rationality and chaos has always intrigued me.
Your writing is always visual, but Act of Contrition in particular stood out for me. I could see the action playing out as if on a movie screen. Are you a visual writer? Do you see the scene in your mind, then write it? Or does it become visual for you as you create it?
Striking question and I need to pause and really understand how it occurs myself before answering.
Okay. I’m back. Hope no one left to go to the bathroom or get a cup of coffee. If you need to, go ahead. I’ll wait.
Wonderful. Feeling refreshed? Me too. Where were we?
Usually the premise or centerpiece scene of a story or book comes to me in a visual way, as if seeing it on a film reel in my mind’s eye. The nuts and bolts scenes needed to either lead up to that centerpiece or trail away from it and explain it, occur in a similar visual way – but these parts unfurl in the moments as I write them. I go back religiously to ensure that the reader will take what I want them to from each of the filmstrips. I guess you could say I strive to be a master manipulator. If only I had political aspirations.
You in politics could be fantastic – or dangerous!
Nights Gone By
Through the Transom Light was the standout for me in this collection. The subject matter struck me deep. With Henry, the main character, you tackle the depth of a father’s love. For this story, did you draw on your own feelings of being the father of two young children?
This one was absolutely inspired by being a father. Despite this being Henry and Anna’s first child, the inspiration for this story came not from being a pop the first time but instead the weariness of going through it all a second time. Ugh. The thinking and re-thinking about whether I would even want to bring a child into this mixed up, violent, harsh reality. And, oh, hey, lookie-here, didn’t I just have this mental tug-of-war last week when we had the first baby? Sheesh. Now I’m mixing that with all the things I experienced that first time, logistical realities like not knowing how to handle baby’s new teeth and her indigestive wailing, never sleeping myself, losing out on such things as career advancements simply because my priorities had changed from seeking prestige to simple nocturnal survival. Simple things too, like not knowing where the remote is even though I JUST. HAD. IT. IN MY HANDS.
Another facet of this story – which, to be fair, has been one of the hardest for me to write, EVER – was the idea that we have no real understanding of why things happen to us. We can call it faith, religion, fate, destiny, karma, but no one rightfully knows why certain things happen to certain people. Being responsible for human beings outside of my own physical body is a sobering notion. Something will happen. It’s inevitable. And I will not be able to control it. Nor will I necessarily be able to explain it. There are irrational realities. And as a father, that’s scary as hell.
As a mother of two grown sons and a grandma to a gorgeous baby girl, I can so relate to this.
The paranormal twist gave the story an eerie edge, and Henry’s ability to hold onto his belief despite everything had a poetic feel. This was a fascinating blend. What was the inspiration behind this?
Simply, the idea that upon the birth of my second child, I had this unshakeable feeling of, “We did this once. It’s killing us. But we got through it before. It will be okay again. Some day.”
I don’t know how I would react in a similar situation to Henry’s and I hope I never have to be tested in such a way. But I have certain truisms about humanity that I hold dear. One is that we are a hopeful lot. We hang onto beliefs that are engrained in us, even if they are completely irrational and unfounded in the reality we see every single day. It’s our main survival instinct.
The dichotomy of an almost religious-level of faith mixed thrown against the supernatural felt like an interesting two-step to explore. I believe that not knowing the answer to a big life question is almost always the main driver of effective suspense fiction. As a writer, if I can formulate a question in the mind of the reader without actually phrasing it, and then explore the character’s path through to some kind of answer, I stand an excellent chance of scaring the bejeezus out of that reader.
And that you do!
In Man With an Addiction, you step into the mind of the story’s antagonist. What is it like for you to write from the perspective of a ‘bad guy’? Do you need to be in a certain mood or prepare in any specific way?
For a rather short story, Man With an Addiction took a considerable amount of thought and research before I set pen to paper, so to speak. Even before the newspaper clippings were consumed and shivered over, I was inspired by a shoddily-written warning note that was tacked to a community bulletin board at a local library. It warned of a known offender who had recently bought a house in the neighbourhood. Some citizen felt the need to spread the word.
The story’s challenge was an interesting one. I was inspired – believe it or not – by the movie Jaws. You see only the shark’s fin until about 80% of the way through that incredibly effective movie. If you read Man With an Addiction closely, you’ll note that nothing offensive, suggestive or off-colour is ever mentioned outright. As readers we’re unsettled by only the implications being made by the narration. And those implications are of the most unsettling kind I can imagine.
It was a dark few days as I wrote the first draft of that story.
Walkout
This novella was full of your signature darkness and vivid imagery. What inspired this story?
In a nutshell, I’d moved in with my girlfriend (who would one day become my wife). We lived in a rather shambled, poorly-built house and I had trouble sleeping that first winter as I became accustomed to living with another person, sharing that space, the lifestyle and so on. I feared on one particular dark and snowy night that my identity might be swallowed whole by this new world I now inhabited, even despite the infatuation and love I had for the person I lived with. But in that night, as I lay staring at the ceiling I worried, I wouldn’t ever go to sleep again. I’d grow so weary, reality would blur with imagination, bringing me to a state where I could legally claim temporary insanity. Would I go into a fugue and find myself standing barefoot outside one of our drafty windows pounding to be let in and having no real understanding of how I got there?
The confusion you feel in the story is an earnest attempt on my part to recreate that feeling of moving from a solo figure on the landscape to suddenly being half of a couple. Does an individual’s identity survive? Can it? It does, I think, but depending on specific dynamics it can get a rather extreme face lift. Peach gets one of those, doesn’t she?
Wow. That’s really fascinating insight. And, yes, Peach does indeed get an extreme face lift, as you put it.
Peach, the main character, goes through a period of intense confusion. Because she is the viewpoint character, her confusion becomes the readers’ confusion. I felt like I’d fallen down the rabbit hole and could relate to Peach’s disorientation. The sense of imbalance in the story could easily have left readers stumbling and irritated, but you managed to walk that fine line with ease. Are you aware of this tightrope act as you write? Or do you immerse yourself in the character’s mindset and write what you see and feel?
How much ego is involved if I say that the tightrope walking is intentional? I will admit that I rarely start writing a story unless I’m reasonably confident I can succeed in whatever kind of medicine the story needs to heal – if that even makes a lick of sense. Writing is a bit like doctoring. You get a patient (in the form of a nagging idea) and then you set about administering drugs and therapy to the nag with the purpose of curing it (and yourself, vicariously). If you get some kind of response – the wiggle of a toe when you were certain that paralysis was imminent – you’re encouraged to keep at it. Maybe you’ll get an x-ray of clear lungs after a month of imbalanced, violent pneumonia-like hacking. That black sheet of film puts you a little at ease. You feel like you’re on the right track with this course of treatment. The patient may not on live, but walk again, and breathe without the help of an air tank. As I wrote Walkout I had that feeling of pending fatality avoided and kept at it. In the end, beta readers said I nailed it so I packaged it up and sent it out into the world.
In the end, after all the bandages, casts, pills and prescription slips, that’s all I can do.
General
Some readers are under the impression that a male writer cannot properly write from a female POV and a female writer can’t properly write from a male POV. What is your opinion on this?
My opinion? It’s laughable that anyone can tell another person they’ve failed in a creative pursuit, particularly one so subjective as gender-specific points of view.
I’ve had some success with stories like Walkout, On The Gathering Storm and Bled – all told from a woman’s perspective — and certainly wasn’t inspired to try writing this perspective until I saw other male writers achieve it in their work. It’s a broad stroke to say that any writer, man or woman, can truly inhabit another’s point of view. You can’t. But you can write it in a believable way. I’ve seen it done. I’ve also seen it faked. My hope is that when I write any character – man, woman, black, white, old, young – that I do it in a way which is nearly invisible to the reader. It should be a heartbeat from the reality they know for it to be effective.
If I’ve come that close for a reader, I consider the story partway to success. The next thing is to tell the story so it unfolds for them in a reasonable way – even if the dinosaurs in it are drinking cognac and talking about the Martian’s chances in November’s presidential race.
Your writing is generally in the dark and twisted zone, and you occasionally tap into people’s fears. What scares you the most and why?
The news. I don’t often sit down to write directly topical or issue books (at least, I haven’t yet) but I work in a field that is directly related to the media and so I’m touched on a daily basis by the kinds of news stories tugging on the heartstrings and fear factors of average people. These ideas sort of saturate me, my psyche, my behaviours, and they tend to stew in me until they coagulate in a way that makes a bit of sense and I set about writing them down, either to get over them or cure them out of the wheelchair and make them walk again.
Funny confessional? I don’t actually look at anything I’ve written as dark and twisted. Suspenseful? Yes, I hope so. But I think if I did try for the darkness, the tales might feel disingenuous. I’m honestly surprised that interviewers, readers and reviewers say that I write all this twisted stuff. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve embraced it and play it up with things like spooky book jackets and podcasts filmed in a dark room, but actually I’m just writing about the world I see around me. It must be a scary damn place for most people.
I think you’ve stated the reality of it all. The real world is often a dark and twisted place. Honest writing portrays that darkness. The reality of it is what makes that writing so scary.
Thank you, Jason, for hanging out with us here and for taking the time to answer all my questions!
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Are you ready to run out and buy Jason’s books? Here’s a look at them on Amazon:
It isn’t just history against progress – it’s daughter against father, or is it? Find out what secrets Kelly learns as she works to preserve an historic house in a small town that will help her bring her father Finally Home.
. I will freely admit that I want to be friends with Lisa, the main character in this book. She hangs out with rock stars and goes to all the best concerts. I’m suffering character-envy here!
and 
– and loved them both. Naturally, I had to harass him with questions. Before we get to that, allow me to introduce Glen:
, which is a crime story, a drama, and a story of psychological suspense. While about murder, Julie doesn’t include gory details and doesn’t use language that might offend some readers. This is one of those books that will appeal to a wide audience.
