A Word Please

I am excited to be a part of Jennifer Lane’s Conduct Series Blog Tour! This is a fun and suspenseful series about two ex-convicts who meet and fall in love. But it’s not that simple. Nothing ever is! Jen has written a piece to share with us today, giving us insight into how she incorporates her psychology background into her character development. Before we share that piece, here is a brief introduction for those of you who have yet to meet this talented author:

I’ve found that writing fiction is a hell of a lot more fun than slogging through a psychology dissertation! While I write under the name Jennifer Lane, I practice as a psychologist in Ohio. But please rest assured I’m not analyzing you right now. The tales of healing and resilience from my career have inspired me to write my own stories: The Conduct Series.

With Good Behavior began with two cons trying to make it on the outside: running from the Mafia, joking about sexy vegetables, and just maybe falling in love. Bad Behavior, the next in line, reveals that it’s not so easy to escape the past, but the plucky parolees once again strive to persevere. I’m currently at work on the third and final installment of the series: On Best Behavior.

I’m also excited for the release of my first Young Adult novel in March of 2012: Against the Tide. I’ve found that whether writing or reading, I love stories that make me laugh and cry. In my spare time I enjoy competitive swimming, attending book club, and hanging out with my sisters and their families in Chicago.

And here is the psycho author (Her words, not mine!):

Thank you, Darcia, for hosting a stop on The Conduct Series Blog Tour!

It’s fun being a psycho author. As a psychologist and author, I get to do therapy by day and writing by night. Darcia suggested I share a few tidbits about my psychological training and how it assists character development, and I’m happy to oblige.

One essential skill for therapists and authors is empathy.

“Empathy is the capacity to think and feel oneself into the inner life of another person.” ~Heinz Kohut

Empathy is an emotional understanding. Sympathy is feeling for the individual; empathy is feeling with the individual. Empathy appears simple but it’s harder than it looks. We want to respond with judgment or advice instead of reflecting the other person’s emotion. But using empathy can be so powerful. Empathic reflection signals the therapist understands the client’s feelings—not implying approval or agreement with those feelings.

In With Good Behavior, psychologist Sophie recalls meeting with her client Logan.

“What brings you in today, Mr. Barberi?”

He exhaled derisively. “A problem implies lack of control. I’m always in control of my bets. I know what I’m doing.”

When Logan tells Sophie he doesn’t have a problem, anyone with a BS detector can discern he’s probably in denial. If the court mandated him for counseling, he likely has a problem. Yet Sophie doesn’t confront him right away. Instead, she tries to understand the situation from his perspective, by empathizing with his anger. Another empathic reflection might be, “You’re frustrated you’re forced to attend therapy when you don’t believe you have a problem.” Sophie didn’t say “I think you have a problem” or “You’re full of it” or “What you need to do is find a hobby”.

A good therapist will feel like she’s sitting right next to the client, seeing the world from his or her perspective. A smart author will get inside her character’s head the same way.

Empathy is key for understanding character motivation. When I use empathy with clients, I find that people always have reasons for doing what they do. I may not understand those reasons at first, but if I stay patient and reflect the client’s feelings, inevitably I learn what makes them tick. The same is true for our characters. We have to know why they do what they do, and those reasons need to be believable.

For example, if you’re writing a character who cheats on his wife, you’ll need to understand why he does that.

• Did his father cheat on his mother, and he’s simply repeating history?
• Did his mother berate him so cruelly that he dislikes all women and feels undeserving of his wife, unconsciously sabotaging his marriage?
• Was he a football superstar who was coddled by fans and believes he deserves all the women he can get?
• Have he and his wife lost a child, creating a chasm between them so vast they’ll never reunite?

I certainly don’t condone a husband cheating on his wife, but if I can understand his motivation, I can create a richer, more sympathetic character. I especially enjoy empathizing with antagonists. Believable characters, like the people they represent, are neither black nor white, but all shades of gray.

Empathize with your characters to make them more compelling, credible, and convincing.

Thank you, Jen, for sharing this with us. Empathy is a powerful tool. While vital for therapists and authors, I think it can also be the difference between a casual friend and a truly great friend. If we all used empathy more often, we might not be so quick to judge one another.

Thanks for reading.

My guest today is the prolific author Beth Trissel. I was fortunate to receive a review copy of her novel Somewhere My Lass, which is a truly fun read. Beth is here to talk to us about that book and more. First, allow me to introduce you:

Married to my high school sweetheart, I live on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia surrounded by my children, grandbabies, and assorted animals. An avid gardener, my love of herbs and heirloom plants figures into my work. The rich history of Virginia, the Native Americans and the people who journeyed here from far beyond her borders are at the heart of my inspiration. In addition to American settings, I also write historical and time travel romances set in the British Isles and am an award winning, multi-published author with The Wild Rose Press.

I love that photo!

Here’s a look at Somewhere My Lass:

Neil MacKenzie’s well-ordered life turns to chaos when Mora Campbell shows up claiming he’s her fiancé from 1602 Scotland. Her avowal that she was chased to the future by clan chieftain, Red MacDonald, is utter nonsense, and Neil must convince her that she is just addled from a blow to her head–or so he believes until the MacDonald himself shows up wanting blood.

Mora knows the Neil of the future is truly her beloved Niall who disappeared from the past. Although her kinsmen believe he’s dead, and she is now destined to marry Niall’s brother, she’s convinced that if she and Neil return to the past, all will be right. The only problem is how to get back to 1602 before it’s too late.

The balance of the present and future are in peril if she marries another, and the Neil of the present will cease to exist. An ancient relic and a few good friends in the future help pave the way back to the past, but will Mora and Neil be too late to save a love that began centuries before?

Now for a chat with Beth:

Somewhere My Lass is part of your Somewhere Series, which are stories that open in one place and soon transport readers somewhere else entirely. What inspired this series?

First let me clarify that in several of my ‘Somewhere’ stories the reader is transported back in time in the same old house, while in Somewhere My Lass and the sequel I’m at work on, it’s as you said, to another place entirely. The unifying characteristic of the series is the paranormal/time travel element, but the stories themselves aren’t necessarily tied together. I came up with the idea about 4-5 years ago while watching one of my favorite British mysteries, Midsomer Murders. I enjoy the historic setting of these modern day mysteries, but especially when the story flashes back to an even earlier time in an old manor house or church to get to the root of the mystery. So I thought, why not incorporate that with my love of romance and history.

In Somewhere My Lass, Neil is a normal guy, living in our current time in the U.S. Then Mora appears in his life and he suddenly finds himself hurtling toward 1602 Scotland. You did a fantastic job with the dialogue and characters, capturing the dialect and feel of that place in time. How much time did you spend researching for this book? What type of research did you do?

Thanks. I did a great deal of research reading up on and studying Scottish history, old castles, feuds, the highlands…and I’m a British junkie. For years I’ve primarily watched shows and films set in the British Isles. My family is English Scots-Irish so it’s my heritage. And some have traveled there and reported in.

All the characters in this book were great but I especially loved Mora. She has this wonderful combination of innocence and gumption. How did you go about creating her character?

Mora would be honored to know how much you appreciate her, so I thank you for us both. She was an easy character to write, clamoring to be heard. I feel I discover characters and get to know them, rather than create.

One of the themes in Somewhere My Lass is soul mates and the idea that some people were destined to be together, no matter the obstacles. Do you believe that we each have that one true love?

But of course.

You have an interest in history that shows in the many books you’ve written. Can you give us a two or three line summary of each?

My fascination with the past is the ongoing inspiration in all of my work, and the common thread whether straight historical or paranormal. OK, a short summary of each story.

Daughter of the Wind: Autumn, 1784: A tragic secret from Karin McNeal’s past haunts the young Scots-Irish woman who longs to know more of her mother’s death and the mysterious father no one will name. The elusive voices she hears in the wind hint at the dramatic changes soon to unfold in her life among the Scot’s settled in the mist-shrouded Alleghenies. Jack McCray, the wounded frontiersman who staggers through the door on the eve of her twentieth birthday, holds the key to unlocking the past.

Enemy of the King: 1780, South Carolina: While Loyalist Meriwether Steele recovers from illness in the stately home of her beloved guardian, Jeremiah Jordan, she senses the haunting presence of his late wife. When she learns that Jeremiah is a Patriot spy and shoots Captain Vaughan, the British officer sent to arrest him, she is caught up on a wild ride into Carolina back country, pursued both by the impassioned captain and the vindictive ghost.

Through the Fire: At the height of the French and Indian War, a young English widow ventures into the colonial frontier in search of a fresh start. She never expects to find it in the arms of the half-Shawnee, half-French warrior who makes her his prisoner in the raging battle to possess a continent––or to be aided by a mysterious white wolf and a holy man.

A Warrior for Christmas (In An American Rose Christmas Anthology): Reclaimed by his wealthy uncle, former Shawnee captive Corwin Whitfield finds life with his adopted people at an end and reluctantly enters the social world of 1764. His one aim is to run back to the colonial frontier at his first opportunity––until he meets Uncle Randolph’s ward, Dimity Scott.

Red Bird’s Song: Taken captive by a Shawnee war party wasn’t how Charity Edmondson hoped to escape an unwanted marriage. Nor did Shawnee warrior Wicomechee expect to find the treasure promised by his grandfather’s vision in the unpredictable red-headed girl. As they struggle through bleak mountains, facing wild nature and wilder men, Wicomechee and Charity must learn to trust each other.

Somewhere My Love: Star-crossed lovers have a rare chance to reclaim the love cruelly denied them in the past, but can they grasp this brief window in time before it is too late? Newly arrived at Foxleigh, the gracious old Wentworth home in Virginia, British born Julia Morrow is excited at the prospect of a summer working as a guide in the stately house and herb garden. She quickly discovers the historic plantation holds far more.

Somewhere the Bells Ring: Caught with pot in her dorm room, Bailey Randolph is exiled to a relative’s ancestral home in Virginia to straighten herself out. Banishment to Maple Hill is dismal, until a ghost appears requesting her help. Bailey is frightened but intrigued. Then her girlhood crush, Eric Burke, arrives and suddenly Maple Hill isn’t so bad.

Into the Lion’s Heart: As the French Revolution rages, the English nobility offer sanctuary to many a refugee. Captain Dalton Evans arrives in Dover to meet a distant cousin, expecting to see a spoiled aristocrat. Instead, he’s conquered by the simplicity of his new charge. And his best friend Thomas Archer isn’t immune to her artless charm, either.

Nighthawk, my FREE read: An abused young wife stranded in the Alleghenies in 1783 is rescued from drowning by a rugged frontiersman who shows her kindness and passion. But can they ever be together?

I feel like I forgot one of them, but there are some in the works, in various stages.

What is your writing process like? Do you do all your research first? Do you outline before writing? Do the characters or the plot come to you first?

Research is my armor. Without it I can’t really envision the scene. I try to plot and outline, but mostly I ‘feel’ the story and commune with the characters until I get to know them. Glimpses of the story comes to me but mostly I have to write it. I’m what they call a panster.

If you could go back to any time and place in history, where would you go and why?

18th century America has always fascinated me, and the British Isles, similar time period.

You have one view for eternity. Mountains or ocean?

Mountains, I see them out my window.

Thank you, Beth, for allowing us to get to know you!

Looking for a good story? Here are all of Beth’s books on Amazon, in both print and Kindle format:

Thanks for reading.

My guest today is Sandra Yuen MacKay. She is a brilliant woman, an author, an artist and an inspiration. She also happens to have schizoaffective disorder, which, in basic terms, is a combination of schizophrenia and mood disorder symptoms. Sandra has written a compelling memoir called My Schizophrenic Life: The Road To Recovery From Mental Illness. I have immense respect for Sandra, who tells her story with unflinching honesty. This book is so much more than one person’s story. Sandra gives us insight into the schizophrenic mind, removing the stigmas of mental illness and showing us the loving, intelligent and often terrified person living with the illness. She offers hope to those dealing with mental health issues and guidance for their caregivers. And, beyond that, she offers inspiration to us all. Sandra’s story is one that we can all learn from.

Here is a brief introduction:

Sandra Yuen MacKay is an artist and writer. She has a Fine Arts Diploma from Langara College and a Bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of British Columbia. She is also a public speaker on recovery. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Here is a look at her memoir, which we’ll be discussing:

In her early teens, Sandra developed early signs of paranoid schizophrenia (now re-diagnosed as schizoaffective disorder), which came as a surprise to her unsuspecting family. Her book chronicles her struggles, hospitalizations, encounters with professionals, return to school, eventual marriage, and successes.

Sandra has graciously answered my sometimes very personal questions. Here is our conversation:

You were a young teenager when the auditory hallucinations first began. Not realizing that these were hallucinations, you thought that you had super hearing ability. In fact, in your book you state that this superpower made you feel like a comic book hero. Can you share a bit about those early feelings?

I was still very much a young girl with fantasies and dreams. When I heard these voices talking to or about me, I believed they were students from school. I was happy to be the center of attention in my imaginary world, until the voices turned against me and my life became a nightmare. It can be scary and disorienting to be in a world where one feels constantly spied on and ridiculed.

While your family was always loving and supportive, they were not the type of people who openly discussed emotions. That made your early symptoms all the more difficult for you to manage. Rather than go to your parents for help, you resorted to acting out in the hopes of getting their attention. At one point you wrote, “Who are you and why are you doing this to me?” on your front porch. You realized that you needed help, even though you didn’t yet grasp the implications of all you experienced. Do you remember that feeling when you were first diagnosed? Did you family ever openly discuss your illness and subsequent treatment?

In the year previous to my diagnosis, I was unable to communicate what was happening to me. I was unfamiliar with the term ‘schizophrenia’. After I was diagnosed, I was relieved to be told the voices weren’t real but I didn’t understand what it all meant. Our family became closer over the years. However, if I began to talk about some of my confused thoughts, my parents told me to speak to my doctor instead. Overall, they provided a stable, safe home environment and supported me in many ways.

While still in high school, you were committed to the psychiatric ward of a hospital for three months. Once stabilized, you returned to that same high school. The very idea of such an experience makes my stomach twist. What was that like for you?

Returning to school was extremely tough. I thought the other students all knew I was ill, and they could send thoughts to me and vice versa. Imagine sitting in a classroom with those types of peripheral thinking going on! It was a feat that I was able to continue.

I can’t even being to imagine myself in that situation. I am astounded by your perseverance.

I don’t believe that there is a true “reality”, so much as reality is what our minds perceive. Schizophrenia is essentially a split from the reality that most of us live in but, in your mind, your experiences are as real to you as mine are to me. I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult that is to sort out. Was there a point when it became easier for you to distinguish the real from the imagined?

Some of my delusions were so rock solid I needed years to understand they weren’t real. My thoughts were deceptive, causing me to go in and out of a false reality and the ‘common’ reality. Sometimes, I’d see myself sitting on a fence seeing both worlds before falling off into a void of confusion. Now years later, I’ve trained myself to recognize breakthrough symptoms and take steps to control them.

Many people with mental illnesses of all sorts refuse to take or cannot manage their own medications. You were diligent in your treatment and rarely went off your medications, despite the difficult side effects and resulting complications. Looking back, why do you think you were so responsible about your treatment from the start?

I think it was because I learned early on that the medication was effective. If I stopped taking it, I knew I would end up very ill.

I am astonished at all you’ve been able to accomplish. You have incredible perseverance and are truly an inspiration for all people, not just those with mental illness. Can you share a few of your secrets for leaping over those hurdles and striving for your best?

Thank you! I didn’t want my illness to stand in the way of having a good, purposeful life. I had goals like anyone else and I didn’t give up. When things didn’t work out, I tried to learn something from the experience or look for positive outcomes.

You are a gifted artist and this talent is one of the things that kept you going through the hard times. What is it about drawing and painting that helps keep you balanced?

Being creative allows one to escape into that process and think intuitively. It also gives one a sense of accomplishment.

You are blessed with a supportive husband who has stood by you throughout your adult life. Can you tell us a little about Greg?

My husband is patient, kind and forgiving. He doesn’t judge me but realizes there’s ninety percent of me that isn’t about mental illness.

We could all learn a lot from your husband.

In your book, you offer 10 suggestions for caregivers of people with mental illness. Would you share those with us?

Some points I made were: Caregivers need some time to take care of themselves in order to help others. They need to take note if the behavior of the person changes and if so to take steps to make sure problems are addressed. Caregivers may need to remind a person with mental illness to take their meds or do things he or she might forget. A low stress home environment is also beneficial. Celebrate the small successes along the way.

Due in large part to various media reports and TV shows, many people are under the impression that a person with schizophrenia is dangerous and unable to live in “the real world”. All we need do to prove that false is look at your example. What would you like the average person, untouched by mental illness, to know about schizophrenia?

With the right treatment and support, I believe many people with mental illness can function well in society. I’m not a violent person and I don’t smoke, drink alcohol, or use street drugs either.

You made a statement near the end of your book that really touched me. You said, “I’ve built myself an umbrella of hope.” That is beautifully said and something many of us should do for ourselves. Do you have any advice on how each person can build his/her own umbrella of hope?

If one can see the good in one’s experiences, one can change their view of one’s life and the world. Through meditation and positive thinking, one may become less critical and more accepting of others and oneself resulting in greater happiness.

If someone reading this thinks he/she is experiencing schizophrenic symptoms or knows someone who might be, where can they go for help? Is there a website or two that you recommend for help in better understanding this illness?

It’s good to speak to a doctor for advice. Perhaps talk to the person’s family member and/or friends to see if they also have noticed changes in behavior. If the person is a high school student, one could speak to his or her counselor. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) serves 1100 communities across the U.S. On www.nami.org there is information and access to support and programs. Other useful websites include: www.psychosissucks.ca/epi and www.nimh.nih.gov.

Thank you, Sandra, for sharing with us today.

To learn more about Sandra and her work, check out the following:

Thanks for reading

I am against the death penalty. Feel free to tell me all of the reasons why I’m wrong. I encourage open discussion. First, though, you should know that I’ve read all of the arguments, facts, statistics and convoluted reasons both for and against. I’ve even written to an admitted murderer who sits on death row, one who pled guilty and (initially) asked for the death penalty, in order to get a personal view from the inside. I’m comfortable where I stand and I stand firmly in this spot.

But my point today is not to discuss the merits for and against the death penalty. I want to talk about the people whose job it is to carry out this government-sanctioned murder – the executioners.

An October issue of Newsweek had an article on professional executioners. These are people that the majority of us never think about. The trial is over, the killer sentenced. The media moves on and so do we. Years, often decades, later, the sentence is carried out by a nameless, faceless person. We get a blip on the news. We might remember who that killer is, though chances are high that many of us will not. That person is put to death, as if by the wave of a government magic wand.

You might be surprised to learn that many whose job it is to execute a death row inmate do not believe in the death penalty.

What would it feel like to be forced to kill another person as part of your job? In essence, you are a paid assassin. As you read this, your first instinct might be to say that you’re doing the country a service, that the inmate deserves to die. And, if that’s your stance, perhaps you are the right person for the job. But before you move on, sure of your position, really think about it. You’re killing another human being; one that might have committed one rash act two decades ago. One whose guilt you might not be convinced of. Are you positive that would not negatively affect you?

Newsweek introduced a few executioners, whose perspective I think is important to consider. We need to think about what we are asking these people to do; what we are asking them to live with.

Jerry Givens is a 59-year-old man, whose job for 17 years was to execute death row inmates in Virginia. During that time, Givens put 62 men to death. In all 62 of those cases, the official death certificate reads ‘HOMICIDE’.

Givens states that, “I had to transform myself into a person who would take a life.” That’s a profound position to find yourself in. He also states, “The person that carries out the execution itself is stuck with it the rest of his life. He has to wear that burden. Who would want that on them?”

Indeed.

Another person interviewed by Newsweek was Jeanne Woodford, who spent much of her career as warden of San Quentin prison in California. In 2004, shortly after her appointment as director of all California prisons, she resigned. Her reason? “I knew I couldn’t carry out another execution,” she said. “I knew I just couldn’t do it.”

From the start of her career, Woodford opposed the death penalty. Her words struck me deep: “…it never made sense to me that we would believe killing a human being would make up for killing a human being.”

Her position against the death penalty was not only personal. As a prison warden, Woodford concluded that capital punishment made no fiscal sense. She calculated that her state spent $4 billion to execute 13 inmates between 1992 and 2006. That is roughly $308 million per execution.

Studies – and numbers – prove that keeping a prisoner on death row, and eventually executing that prisoner, is far more expensive than keeping that same person in prison for life. As of 2009, the cost of prosecuting death penalty cases cost an average of $184 million more each year than it would cost to give these same prisoners life without parole. Woodford believes that extra money would be better spent on hiring more cops. In California alone, half of all murders go unsolved. We simply do not have enough manpower to do the job.

Jeanne Woodford, a career employee within our prison system, a warden, and, at times an executioner, believes that, “The death penalty shouldn’t exist at all.”

Allen Ault was the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Corrections from 1992 until 1995. During those short years, Ault oversaw five executions.

Ault states that he left his job in part because he did not want to supervise more executions. Two quotes of his, included in that Newsweek article, require no further comment from me:

“Having witnessed executions firsthand, I have no doubts; capital punishment is a very scripted and rehearsed murder. It’s the most premeditated murder possible.”

“The United States should be like every other civilized country in the Western world and abolish the death penalty.”

The death penalty remains legal in 36 U.S. states. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, between 1973 and 2010, 138 death row inmates were exonerated. That is 138 innocent people who, without intervention from an independent organization, would have been put to death. As I said, my point is not to argue the merits of the death penalty itself. We have to remember that we have no robots that ultimately kill these inmates. The sentences are carried out by men and women, not much different from you and me. Are we asking too much from them?

My writing journey has allowed me to meet and mingle with other indie authors whom I might never have otherwise met. These are authors whose work inspires me, captivates me, moves me and keeps me up nights because I simply can’t put the book down. I am honored to know them and humbled to be part of their world. My guest today is James Everington. He is among the indie authors whose writing I might never have stumbled upon had we not been part of the same secret indie author club. The secret part is far from intentional and we are doing our best to expose ourselves. In a manner of speaking, that is.

James has a new novella out called The Shelter and I think everyone should read it. Really. It’s that good. Here’s a look:

It’s a long, drowsy summer at the end of the 1980s, and Alan Dean and three of his friends cross the fields behind their village to look for a rumoured WW2 air raid shelter. Only half believing that it even exists beyond schoolboy gossip, the four boys nevertheless feel an odd tension and unease. And when they do find the shelter, and go down inside it, the strange and horrifying events that follow will test their adolescent friendships to breaking point, and affect the rest of their lives…

I asked James to tell us a bit about himself. This is what he had to say:

I’m a writer from Nottingham, England and I mainly write short stories. Most of what I write is dark, supernatural fiction, although not necessarily ‘horror’ in the blood and guts sense. My main influences are writers like Ramsey Campbell, Shirley Jackson, and Robert Aickman. I enjoy the unexplained, the psychological, and the ambiguous in my weird fiction, and this is the kind of story I try and write. I think a lot of the best such fiction has been done in the short story form (although that’s not to say I won’t be trying a novel at some point…)

I drink Guinness, if anyone’s offering.

After reading The Shelter, I had questions for James. He was kind enough to indulge me, as well as entertain me, with his answers:

What inspired this particular story?

It was mainly inspired by real-life – as kids, myself and three friends made the journey to the next village looking for an abandoned air raid shelter, and we forced it open with tent pegs just like in the story, and climbed down into it… all the descriptions are accurate, as far as I can remember.

And what horror author could resist using such a great setting for story?

Your writing is incredibly vivid. I could see the surroundings and feel the emotions. You spark all the senses with your writing. Are the scenes vivid in your own mind as you write or is the detail something you work at?

It’s hard to say with this particular story, because so much of the imagery is taken from real life, far more so than for most of my stories. But in general yes, I work hard at it. Coming up with superficially vivid scenes isn’t hard, but I’m a great believer in what Poe said about short stories, that everything has to work together to the same end. So describing a sunny summer’s day in The Shelter would have been easy – describing it in such a way that it’s actually slightly sinister and adds to the story is what was hard and where the skill comes in.

You captured the boys’ dialogue perfectly. I thought the interplay between them added a lot of depth to the story. Did you draw on your own childhood interactions at all?

Yeah a lot of it was based on childhood conversations – the taunts, the slang. Fortunately in my adolescence I never had friends as horrible as those Alan has in the story though!

You’ve written a lot of short stories. What is it about shorter fiction that you’re drawn to?

I don’t know – it’s not conscious, part of me wishes I could do the commercially sensible thing and write novels (or a series of novels) and actually earn some money! (I did make an attempt at a novel while at university – a kind of poor Martin Amis rip off. If I die, burn my papers.) But the direction my talents take me is nearly always the short story way. And artistically I’m fine with that – I love short stories. They’re an art form in themselves; I think you could spend your life writing short stories and never come close to maxing out all the potential they have.

When you write, what comes first for you – characters or plot?

Hmmm, can I cheat and say neither? Generally it’s just a mood, or an image, or maybe even just a first line. And after mulling it over for a length of time I then just start to write and see what happens. I never really know how the plot will turn out, or what the characters will be like – I prefer to let them evolve together.

(You’ll be pleased to know I’ve taken the same ‘off piste’ approach to answering your questions too!)

I am pleased to know that! And I can relate to your writing method. That’s very much how I work, as well.

Do you write straight through from beginning to end, then worry about editing afterward? Or do you rework scenes and edit as you go along?

Yeah – I tend to do at least two handwritten drafts, and then one draft to type it up and worry about the editing. As you can tell from the comments above about how I approach starting a story, my first drafts can sometimes be a bit scattershot. (As I said, if I die, burn my papers.)

What is your favorite genre to write within?

Nearly everything I write is horror, although I don’t find ‘horror’ the best word to describe the kind of stories that influence me. Robert Aickman called his fiction ‘strange stories’ and that works for me. ‘Weird fiction’ is also a term I’ve used. Basically, horror stories which build up a creepy, surreal atmosphere, rather than those which just bring on the gore-soaked chainsaw clowns or whatever. I also like stories where you’re unsure how much of what has happened is objectively real, and how much is in the main character’s head.

Again, this is pretty much all can write, rather than it being a conscious choice. I’ve written some more general literary stuff, like Feed The Enemy, but mostly I can only write ‘strange stories’. I’ve tried other things but they’ve never worked out- dark comedy, science fiction, even some attempts at poetry (if I due burn… etc.)

Do you prefer to read short fiction over longer work?

I don’t have any preference, as long as the story is the length it should be. Some novels you read are obviously just inflated novellas or short stories. It’s a bit like those people who grow huge marrows or tomatoes – they don’t actually taste as nice as the normal sized ones!

Well said!

What is your favorite genre to read?

I read pretty much anything – horror, sci-fi, the classics, literature (however you want to define it) and plenty of non-fiction too. That’s part of the reason I find it strange my own writing talent is so narrowly focused – it certainly doesn’t reflect my reading habits!

I can relate to this dilemma. I read a huge variety of fiction genres and nonfiction topics but my writing always seems to contain dead bodies.

What can we expect from you next?

I’ve another book’s worth of stories in various stages of completion, which I need to work out what to do with. I’d like to get a few in magazines etc. before I self-publish them in another collection. But that will happen at some point or other.

Thank you, James, for hanging out with us today!

Thanks for reading.

I get excited when I read a new author (new to me, at least) and instantly fall in love with his/her work. That happened recently when I read a story by author Jeremy C. Shipp. Now I can’t wait to get through some of my to-read (must-read ) list so I can explore more of his writing.

Jeremy is my guest today. He’s hanging out, talking about lazy ghosts and sporks. Yes, Jeremy is an intriguing guy. Before we move on to the conversation, here’s a brief introduction:

Jeremy C. Shipp is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Cursed, Vacation, and Sheep and Wolves. His shorter tales have appeared or are forthcoming in over 60 publications, the likes of Cemetery Dance, ChiZine, Apex Magazine, Withersin, and Shroud Magazine. Jeremy enjoys living in Southern California in a moderately haunted Victorian farmhouse called Rose Cottage. He lives there with his wife, Lisa, a couple of pygmy tigers, and a legion of yard gnomes. The gnomes like him. The clowns living in his attic – not so much. His online home is www.jeremycshipp.com.

You can also connect with Jeremy on Facebook and Twitter:
www.twitter.com/JeremyCShipp
www.facebook.com/JeremyCShipp

Now for a chat with Jeremy:

You’ve written both short stories and full length novels. Do you prefer one over the other?

Short stories are challenging. I try to pack a lot into a few pages, and that’s difficult. And fun. That being said, I love writing novels the best of all. I enjoy spending so much time with the same characters. It’s like making friends. The more time you spend with them, the more you like them.

When you sit down to write, do you decide ahead of time whether your project will be a short story or a novel? Or do you let the idea play itself out to whatever length works?

When writing a short story, I never know exactly how long the tale will end up. But when an idea comes to me, I always know whether or not it will be a novel. There are times when I get an idea (or a cluster of ideas), and it’s clear that won’t be able to say everything I need to say unless I write a novel.

I recently read The Sun Never Rises in the Big City, a short story in which the plot and characters unveil themselves a little at a time. It’s creepy and dark and I loved it! What inspired this particular story?

Thank you! For this tale, I was greatly inspired by film noir-style imagery. My goal was to write a unique noir-esque tale set in a dystopian future, and this is what I came up with.

Have you written or do you intend to write more stories using the setting and some of the same characters that appear in The Sun Never Rises in the Big City?

I have not, although I have written other stories where the truth slowly reveals itself. One example of this type of tale is ‘Camp’.

You say that you live in a “moderately haunted Victorian farmhouse”. Tell us a little about your house and its ghostly inhabitants.

Rose Cottage was built in the 1890s and she’s the third oldest building in our town. The owners were going to tear her down before we saved her and renovated her. There’s been at least one documented murder that took place in this house (not when I was living here). Once, when my father and I were working in the attic, taking apart the old chimney, something started rising out of a mound of ash. At first we thought it was an animal, but it turned out to be an old doll. These days, the ghosts are rather lazy (they don’t even help with the dishes), so I consider Rose Cottage to be moderately haunted.

I would love to have a ghost that did dishes!

Does the atmosphere affect your writing? If so, how?

The ghosts inspire me, from time to time, when they actually get off their lazy, ethereal buttocks and scare me. And, being in a historical home affects me and my writing. Living here helps to remind me that history isn’t dead. History lives in the present, and affects every aspect of my life.

You’re quite the accomplished author and your stories have been published in a variety of publications. How many total short stories and novels have you written? And what are the names of some of the publications where readers can find your stories?

I’ve written hundreds of short stories, and maybe a dozen novels. Some of my published books include Vacation, Sheep and Wolves, Fungus of the Heart, and the Bram Stoker Award-nominated novel Cursed. My short stories have appeared or are forthcoming in over 60 publications, such as Cemetery Dance, ChiZine, Apex Magazine, Withersin, and Shroud Magazine. Anyone interested in learning more about my writing can visit www.jeremycshipp.com.

Your books and stories have some great cover art. Do you choose and/or design your own covers?

Some of my books (like Cursed and Vacation) are published by Raw Dog Screaming Press. So my publisher is in charge of those covers. Recently though, I’ve published books through my own publishing company. For these books, I hire cover artists, and I often let them know what style I want, or what I want to see on the cover. The fantastic cover art is all thanks to these amazing artists.

If you could spend a day with any author, living or dead, (presuming, with a dead person, you’d go back in time to when he/she was alive, rather than hang out at the graveyard) who would you choose and why?

I would love to go miniature golfing with Haruki Murakami. His work is strange and unique, and I’ve always wanted to pick his brain.

I have not read anything by Murakami. I’m embarrassed to admit that I had not even heard of him. Now I need to see what I’ve been missing.

Tell us one silly/strange/fun fact about yourself.

I like sporks. I used to wear a plastic spork necklace in high school, and right now I have a titanium spork on my desk. If I were a superhero, my catchphrase would be ‘Spork!’

Who knew sporks could be a fashion accessory?

Thank you, Jeremy, for taking the time to answer my questions – and for making me rethink the existence of sporks!

Thanks for reading.

My guest today is the talented author Stacy Juba. You might know Stacy from her two mystery novels, Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and Sink or Swim. Recently Stacy released two equally entertaining young adult novels – Face-Off and Dark Before Dawn. While these two books are in the young adult genre, they easily cross over and can be enjoyed by adults of any age. Here’s a look:

Head-to-Head, Skate-to-Skate, It’s Winner Takes All! What might have been a dream come true has turned into a nightmare. Brad’s twin brother T.J. has gotten himself out of the fancy prep school his father picked for him and into the public high school Brad attends. Now T.J., the bright light in his father’s eyes, is a shining new star on the hockey team where Brad once held the spotlight. And he’s testing his popularity with Brad’s friends, eyeing Brad’s girl and competing to be captain of the team. The whole school is rooting for a big double-strength win…not knowing that their twin hockey stars are heating up the ice for a winner takes all face-off.

When teen psychic Dawn Christian gets involved with a fortuneteller mentor and two girls who share her mysterious talents, she finally belongs after years of being a misfit. When she learns her new friends may be tied to freak “accidents” in town, Dawn has an important choice to make – continue developing the talent that makes her special or challenge the only people who have ever accepted her.

Stacy is here to answer my questions but first, for those of you who have yet to meet her, here’s a brief introduction:

Thousands of readers have been captivated by the books of Stacy Juba. Stacy published her first book, a young adult novel, at age 18 and she hasn’t stopped writing since. Her recent mystery novels for adults include Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and Sink or Swim. She is also the author of the patriotic children’s picture book The Flag Keeper, which teaches children about U.S. flag etiquette, the children’s picture book Victoria Rose and the Big Bad Noise, the paranormal young adult thriller Dark Before Dawn, and the young adult family hockey novel Face-Off.

Learn more about Stacy and her writing on her website: www.StacyJuba.com/blog

Now to get Stacy to spill all her secrets:

You wrote the first draft of Face-Off when you were still in high school. What inspired you to write a book at such a young age?

I wrote my first story in third grade, and by fifth grade, I was writing my own mystery series. I was very introverted growing up, and writing was a way for me to express myself. My elementary school teachers really encouraged the talent. I was inspired to write a full-length book after reading about a novel-writing competition for teenagers in Tiger Beat magazine. The magazine had a short article on the most recent winner and indicated that the contest was held every two years. I decided to try my hand at writing a book to enter in the next competition. I had recently gotten interested in ice hockey and started getting the glimmer of an idea. Face-Off wound up winning the competition and was published in 1992. Since the book was long out of print, I released a new paperback and e-book versions this fall.

Face-Off is about four brothers who all play hockey. I was struck by how well you handled the point of view of your male characters. What gave you such good insight into the minds of teenage boys and how brothers interact?

Honestly, I don’t know! I didn’t grow up with brothers, and I was very shy, so I certainly didn’t date any teenage boys! My friend down the street had three brothers and she read the book and offered feedback while I was writing it. I watched lots of TV shows like The Brady Bunch and movies about siblings. I just used my imagination and observed boys at school to see how they acted. I wanted the two main characters, twins Brad and T.J., to be cool jocks on the outside, but with a lot more depth on the inside. It was a lot of fun writing about the McKendrick family. One of the themes in the book is jealousy – T.J. and Brad envy one another and have a competitive relationship. I was pretty competitive in school as far as wanting to get good grades and be at the top of my class, so I imagined what it would be like to be competitive with a sibling in the same grade, who plays the same sports, and who has the same friends.

I have to ask about the hockey thing. I’ve been a huge Boston Bruins fan since about the age of twelve, even though no one else in my family has ever watched the sport. I could tell by your writing that you know the sport well. What drew you to hockey back then and do you still watch?

I got into hockey during the 1988 Olympics, watching guys like Brian Leetch and Craig Janney. That was back before pro hockey players filled the U.S. roster and I just found the whole thing exciting. After the Olympics ended, I went into withdrawal, but luckily a lot of those players went pro. I started following the Boston Bruins, and keeping up with those former Olympians in the NHL. The Bruins were stellar at that time and went head-to-head with the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals. I got swept away by Bruins fever. I was a diehard hockey fan for several years, but stopped following it as avidly in my twenties due to time constraints. I got back into it again last spring, with the Bruins’ outstanding playoff victory!

You left Face-Off with an opening for a sequel. Had you written a second book and/or do you have a sequel planned?

I wrote a sequel called Offsides when I was about 20 years old, but the original publisher had a lot of turnover in personnel and they weren’t interested in it, so there wasn’t much I could do with it. My fifth grade teacher read the sequel to his class, and the kids loved it even more than Face-Off, so I knew the book was good. It’s been in my drawer for years and years, and I’m currently giving it a rewrite. I need to do some research into college hockey scholarships as that issue is a lot more complex than it used to be, so the book needs some work, but I hope to release it in the next year or two.

Dark Before Dawn is another book you wrote at a young age. This story focuses on a teenage girl with psychic powers. Do you remember what first inspired you to write this one?

I started the original draft in my early twenties, at the suggestion of an editor from Random House who had read another paranormal YA book that I’d written. She thought my style was similar to bestselling YA author Lois Duncan and advised me to write another paranormal YA. The editor soon left publishing, but not before telling me that my early draft of Dark Before Dawn (then titled Deadly Thoughts) had potential. Over the years, editors at four different publishing houses brought the book before their publishing committees, and the manuscript went through many changes, but the timing was never right for publication until now. There was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but in hindsight, I think this book is being published at just the right time.

From the details about crystals and various techniques, I could tell that you either had a passion for the topic or had done a lot of research – or both! So I have to ask. Do you have any psychic abilities of your own? If not, would you want them?

I definitely don’t have psychic abilities, but I’m very interested in metaphysical topics. I’m trained in Reiki, a form of hands-on energy healing, and am a Reiki Master. I use angel cards to get insight into different situations and have had uncanny results, though it’s only something I do for myself, not for other people. I’ve shown a couple of friends how they can do readings for themselves. I think anyone can be trained to develop their intuition – not to become psychic, but to become more intuitive. I went through a crystal phase, where I bought all kinds of crystals like rose quartz and amethyst and put them in different spots throughout the house, but never noticed anything “unusual” about the crystals like in the book. I think developing your intuition is a definite asset in life. Doing so has given me the confidence to make quicker and more assertive decisions. For the past couple of years, I’ve been building my whole writing and publishing career based on my gut feelings and running with writing and promotion ideas that felt right. I don’t think I’d want to be psychic, though, and to have premonitions like Dawn unless there was a way I could change negative outcomes. I’ve been told by a few people who earn their livings as psychics or intuitive counselors that I’m very intuitive and could develop these skills even more if I took classes and went down that path, but like Dawn’s mother in the book, my comfort level only goes so far!

I could relate to Dawn in many ways. While I am many years out of high school, the difficulties remain strong memories. You’ve mentioned gym class being an issue for you, as it was for me and, I’m sure, countless other teens. Was writing this book in part a kind of catharsis for you in releasing those lingering feelings?

I had a lot of buried resentments about being picked last in gym class from elementary school through high school. I hated gym class, hated it with a passion. I resented teachers who assigned captains to pick teams and who didn’t bat an eye when the same kids were always picked last day after day. My mother and I even sent a Dear Abby clipping about this very subject, the unfairness of picking teams, to my gym teacher and nothing changed. I resented kids who made fun of me or got angry with me for hitting the volleyball into the net or striking out. Ironically, I majored in exercise science in college and had to take physical education classes. Although I am a big believer in the importance of exercise, that wasn’t the right path for me – I think it was more an act of defiance to prove to myself that even though I wasn’t a good athlete, I was just as physically strong as the other kids were. Writing those scenes in Dark Before Dawn was a bit of catharsis for me. I guess in hindsight, all that gym class misery was something I had to go through to find the drive and stubbornness to make it in the tough business of publishing. For years, I cried on the school bus or in the locker room after gym class, but there came a point where I said I don’t care what they think anymore and developed a strong backbone against the criticism. The ultimate irony is that the non-athletic girl who was always picked last wrote a book about hockey that was even on the recommended reading list of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Junior Education Program! And maybe that’s why I wrote Face-Off as a teenager, to show that even though I wasn’t good at playing sports, I could write about a sport.

I was right there with you in that gym class misery!

The ending of Dark Before Dawn brought us closure but also left an intriguing opening for a sequel. Do you have one planned?

I don’t have one planned at this time as I’m working on other books, but I did deliberately leave the door open in case Dark Before Dawn takes off – which I think it will!

Both of these titles are in the YA genre. (Though they easily appeal to adults of all ages.) You’ve also written two excellent adult mysteries, as well as two adorable children’s stories. Do you enjoy writing within one genre more than the others?

I started both of my young adult books when I was basically a young adult myself, so those were easier for me to write at the time. Now, adult novels are easier for me to write as I relate more to adult characters. However, I vividly recall what it was like to be a teenager, so drawing upon those experiences does help me to write YA, and I’ll watch young adult TV shows to get a feel for what today’s teenagers are interested in and their slang.

I know that you are working on another adult novel, though this new one is different from your two previous mysteries. Can you tell us a little about that?

In all of my novels except Face-Off, there is a dead body. This is my first adult book without any mystery or suspense aspect to it. It’s a blend of contemporary fiction, sweet romance, and romantic comedy and it draws upon the Cinderella tale in a very original way. I’m four chapters into the book and hope to finish it next year.

I can’t wait to read it!

You can find all of Stacy’s books on Amazon:

Thanks for reading.

Do you like mysteries? How about rock music? If you said yes to both, you’ll love today’s guest. RJ McDonnell has a new book out called The Concert Killer, which is the third in his Rock & Roll Mystery Series. This one is his most intricate plot and will keep you on edge until the very end. RJ has written a little something to share with us today. But, first, a proper introduction is in order:

RJ McDonnell earned a Bachelor’s Degree at Penn State University and a Masters at Marywood University. During his college years RJ was a rhythm guitarist and vocalist in two bands. Shortly thereafter, he moved to San Diego where he went to work for a professional writing service. In addition, he wrote a monthly column for the Military Press, and another for a San Diego publication, providing advice to job seekers.

In the ’90s, RJ discovered he had a knack for comedy writing. He wrote for a local San Diego cable television show that had a Saturday Night Live-type format. Over its two seasons on the air, 34 of his skits were produced.

Rock & Roll Homicide is the first novel in his Rock & Roll Mystery series featuring private investigator, Jason Duffy. Rock & Roll Rip-Off is the second and the newly released The Concert Killer is the third. You can learn more about RJ and his writing on his website: www.rjmcdonnell.com

Here’s RJ with an glimpse inside his new novel:

How far would a serial killer go if his justifications led him to believe he had God’s permission to commit murder? This is indeed the case in my recently released novel, The Concert Killer. It opens with the killer (CK) announcing that he was responsible for three prior murders at concert venues by posting a note at the scene of his fourth kill. The headline says, ‘Concerts Are Evil’, and is followed by news clippings from his previous kills, along with the typed signature – The Concert Killer.

It takes the reader very little time to conclude that CK truly believes his mission to shut down the rock concert industry is ordained from on high. But the police are not so sure. Prior to posting the note it appeared that CK had done everything possible to keep the authorities from concluding that the murders were connected. He always changed cities and methods for each kill. The profile of the victims varied radically as well. So the police were not willing to readily accept anything about a clue that was taped to the door of the women’s room stall where victim #4 was found face down in a toilet.

A central theme to The Concert Killer is: Justification after the fact. Almost all of us do it in our everyday lives, whether it be that extra large slice of cake, the $20 over budget at the casino, or calling in sick on the spur of the moment and declaring it a mental health day. We don’t intend to do it beforehand, and don’t want to overburden ourselves with guilt afterwards, so we justify. For CK, the stakes are obviously much greater. Not only is he making life and death decisions, but he is also jeopardizing his chance of going to heaven with each compromise. For a religious zealot this constitutes the ultimate gamble.

As the story unfolds, and the obstacles in CK’s path grow larger and larger, he is forced to engage in behaviors that conflict with his spiritual beliefs. His justifications lead him to a place where he has no alternative but to go ‘all in’ on his twisted notion of how to serve God. Just what does ‘all in’ mean to a serial killer who sees himself as God’s avenging angel? The Spoiler Alert Police won’t let me tell you, but believe me, it’s like nothing you’ve ever read before.

Does this mean that if I talk myself out of mowing the lawn in favor of watching a football game I could be climbing a tower with a rifle soon? Of course not. Like other vices, justifications can be healthy if they aren’t pushed to excess. Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a piece of chocolate cake waiting for me in the kitchen.
***

RJ has written a catchy song that introduces The Concert Killer and follows the early murders that occur before the book begins. He also performs this song. Yeah, he’s one of those creative types with all sorts of talents. He’s nice, too. Go figure. You can watch the trailer below and you can also find it on YouTube: http://youtu.be/29b2fWiM_kw

Thanks for reading.

My friend and fellow author Joe Schwartz has a new book out called The Games Men Play. I’m not saying you should run out and buy it but… wait, yes, that’s what I’m saying. I love his writing style! His stories are gritty, funny, sad, poignant and just damn good. Now I’m going to step aside and let Joe tell you about who he is and where his writing comes from. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Joe Schwartz:

It can be said that for every pound of fiction there should be one ounce of truth, a sliver of reality that is a glimpse into the author’s life. The best stories are made from such things. Regardless the topic – war, vampires, interstellar space travel – the best writers will leave small traces of themselves in their stories like a trail of breadcrumbs for the reader to follow.

When I was ten years old, my mother and I were riding home on the bus. The end of an ordinary summer day that had probably been filled with clothes shopping for her and most likely some rinky-dinky toy for myself that I couldn’t live without. We were only blocks from home when a young guy got on the bus. He couldn’t have been more than eighteen. I remember him as tall and skinny with oily, black hair that covered his eyes. Then a woman screamed as the bus driver leapt from his seat and grabbed the kid by the collar. Before I knew what was happening my mother had bolted from her seat beside me and had followed the kid and bus driver off the bus.

The kid lay on the ground bleeding to death. His arm was shredded. The muscular forearm was laid open and his veins wiggled like blue spaghetti. In a remarkable, almost incomprehensible act, my mother took hold of the kid’s artery applying the crudest but most effective of tourniquets. I remember being paralyzed by the sight until my mother yelled my name, possibly several times, until she had my attention. Mere blocks from home, she ordered me to go and call for an ambulance. By the time I had made it to our front door the sirens of an ambulance and police cars screamed down the street.

I waited for my mother on the sidewalk. Although the boy was almost immediately loaded and taken away to the hospital, a small crowd of cops had gathered together taking statements from mostly old people who had come out of their air conditioning momentarily for the excitement. I specifically remember one old man anxiously waiting with his garden hose for the opportunity to spray the blood from the concrete.

My mother emerged from this conglomeration of the elderly and aimless with her blouse covered in blood. Her mother had been a nurse, and at one time my mother had wanted to follow in her footsteps. Although she had never received any formal medical training she had two distinct advantages; She had studied her mother’s medical books since she was a girl and had absolutely no aversion to blood, more accurately another person’s blood. She smiled benignly as she walked by me, patting my cheek with her palm, as she went into the house to take a long, hot bath.
A couple of hours later, when my dad came home, she re-told the event to him as if she had merely done what anyone else would have done. As if she had only rescued the neighbor’s cat from a tree and there simply wasn’t that much to tell. By bedtime, the boy and his bloody arm were practically forgotten.

The next day was Saturday. It was early, before ten, when there was a loud knock on the front door. Barefoot in my t-shirt and boxers, I looked through the door’s window at what was possibly two of the biggest men I had ever seen. In between them stood a well-dressed man who looked as if he hadn’t slept in a week. Scared out of their minds, my mom and dad answered the door together. The man in the middle didn’t offer his name or introduce himself. He simply asked my mother, “Are you the lady that saved my son’s life?” Still nodding her head yes, the man reached out and embraced her, laying his head on her shoulder crying, his tears dampening her bathrobe like his son’s blood had her blouse. Before he left he slid a small folded wad of cash into my mother’s hand.

The kid, it turned out, had shredded his arm after seeing his girlfriend with another fella and decided the best way to express his rage was to punch his arm through her family’s front room window. If not for my mother’s care he would have died and that is something that has stayed with me, formed me, fueled dozens of my stories no matter how large or small.

A few years later, we moved to Colorado. My dad had joined the Army and we had gone to live the glamorous life of military dependents. Unfortunately we did this on less than a shoestring budget. No one had prepared us for how little a professional soldier made, much less a buck private trying to support a pregnant wife and a thirteen year old son. After paying the astronomical rent on a modest two-bedroom apartment we had little left over for luxuries such as food or clothing. Granted, we had never been rich, but this was a whole new level of poverty.

We stood in line for government rations such as a five-pound brick of cheese, ten pounds of rice, and instant pancake mix that was far from the worst of it. We had no furniture save what we could get as other military families that moved away or people threw out to be picked up in the garbage. My bed was a thin piece of foam salvaged from a travel camper that at best could only be said to be better than sleeping directly on the floor. My parents had been given a crib for the baby by some Catholic charity although we weren’t even mildly religious while they themselves slept on Army issued air mattresses. We ate MREs, better known as Meals Ready to Eat, Army food sealed and freeze dried meant to feed soldiers during combat, for dinner. Some were good, some were awful but they were better than nothing, which was the only other option.

The most prominent memory I have of that time though is our first Christmas. We had nothing. No presents, no tree, and worst of all, we were eight hundred miles from any family. The day was dire for us. We hardly spoke. My mother seemed to continuously cry in the kitchen at the table with the mis-matched chairs and a bent leg. Dad simply didn’t talk. It was like there had been the death of a close family member, so recent that we couldn’t express our grief to one another.

By the end of my dad’s military career he had divorced my mother. His last duty station had been Fort Polk, Louisiana. I realized almost immediately that his absence not only made the heart grow fonder but if I didn’t do something soon to support my family, which had grown by yet another brother, we would be homeless. From the time I was nineteen until I was twenty-one I worked as a galley hand on board various oil rigs throughout the Gulf of Mexico. I have seen dolphins swim, watched sharks feed, flown in helicopters, been responsible for the laundry and feeding of one hundred and twenty men a day, and have seen sunsets so brilliant that as the sun sank below the horizon I actually expected to hear and see steam.

My experiences however unique to my growing up are not unusual. Each and every person you know, including yourself, can tell you a mostly true story that would make the hair on the back of your neck rise, or bring you to tears, or make you laugh so hard you might wet yourself. That is not abnormal, that is life. We are nothing but the memories we hold and the stories we tell.

Every time I sit down to write, I am relying on the encyclopedic reference which is my life. That is, I write what I know. My stories are filled with sketches of people, images of time frozen in my memory like photographs that allow me to build worlds that only exist in the theater of my mind. I use my imagination to fill in the gaps until a whole, complete story exists where only a question might have when I began.

In my lifetime I have met thousands of people and have easily heard tens of thousands of stories. Some completely true and some absolute lies, but I’m glad to have heard each and every one. Every day somebody is certain to tell me some new tale of everyday life that I will personally find fascinating, an exclusive invitation to view another persons intimate, private life if only for a moment. And isn’t that the best definition of a story? We all have stories. Great fascinating adventures that can be as mundane as going to the grocery store, or work, or school. It isn’t how it might have actually happened so much as how it might be remembered, re-told again and again years later.

The only stories remembered, however, are those that come to be written down. Even today as a constant stream of new books overloads us more are wanted. We are a society addicted to fiction, to the suspension of disbelief, and for that, I couldn’t be more grateful.

Here are his two books on Amazon:

Joe and I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to share your comments and questions here.

Thanks for reading.

Looking for a little humor in your day? You’ve come to the right place! My guest today is Allen Smith, author of Watching Grandma Circle the Drain. This book is a collection of humorous article and essays designed to make you giggle.

Before we get to the book, I want to introduce Allen:

Allen R. Smith is a an award winning writer living in Vail, Colorado and has been published in magazines, newspapers and hundreds of websites specializing in humor, health, fitness, nutrition and outdoor sports.

Smith has been featured on the Denver affiliate station of NBC, the Denver Post, The Writer Magazine, OntheSnow.com, the Aspen Times, LIVESTRONG.COM, Trails.com, Idaho Mountain Express, Vail Daily, Tahoe Daily Tribue and published his first book, “Ski Instructors Confidential” in 2005. His second book, “Watching Grandma Circle the Drain” was released in August, 2011. He can be reached at www.snowwriter.com.

Now here’s a look at Allen’s new book:

In his latest tour de force, Allen Smith takes on the challenges of life from his own gritty perspective. Everything from surviving on-line dating to enduring his first sigmoidoscopy and advancing age. Watching Grandma Circle the Drain is a collection of entertaining work that deals with everything from struggling to learn Spanish and annihilating the game of golf.

Allen and I had some fun with a Q&A session. This is what he had to say:

What started you on the path of comedy and satirical writing?

During the 1980s I was working on my master’s thesis titled, “The Relationship Between Glycosylated Hemoglobin and Plasma Lactate Accumulation During Sub-maximal Exercise in the Type II Diabetic.” It was a 300+ page behemoth that required almost two years of isolated work in library stacks, researching and writing about bland biochemistry subjects. It was so boring, that I started looking for ways to blow off steam other than acquiring a drug habit or trashing hotel rooms. So, a friend and I thought it would be funny to post a list of “approved” thesis subjects to “help” new students just coming into the graduate program, looking for something to write their thesis about. We came up with a list of 30 approved subjects like, “Rear-quadriceps Mass and Pole Vaulting Height in the North Korean Brown Spotted Beetle” and “The Effect of Female Hirsutism on 10 Meter High Diving Performance.” Believe it or not, it actually got a few laughs, so I was hooked. Later in life whenever things started getting too serious, I’d write something that was way off in left field, but so well done that you could almost accept it as truth.

You say that you get most of your good ideas in the shower. That’s funny, since that’s where I get a lot of my good ideas as well. (My shower, not yours!) What do you think it is about the shower that inspires your creativity?

So, you’re the person that’s been leaving wet towels around in my bathroom! I’ve thought about it a lot – since many writers I know admit to the same thing. The only thing I can come up with is that when I’m in the shower, my mind is at complete rest – no other distractions – so I allow the products of my imagination to come out, unimpeded. Sort of like the opposite to writer’s block. I get a similar response when I’m hiking all by myself in the wilderness – nothing to concentrate on except for the trail ahead of me. Often those thoughts are so fleeting (like having a thought in your sleep) that I have to make sure I always carry a small pad and pencil with me at all times. A grease pencil works well for the shower.

I never considered a grease pencil! I’ve been known to jump out of the shower all soapy and run through the house hunting for paper and a pen.

Expelled from Match.com! is one of my favorite articles in this collection. Can you tell us a bit about that? Did you actually submit that to Match.com and, if so, what were the results?

A number of years ago, I decided I was “…going to go out and get me a woman…” I’d heard a lot about online dating and how some people were actually successful. So, I registered for all the big ones: Match.com, eHarmony, PlentyofFish, etc. and spent an entire evening reading other men and women’s profiles to try to learn how to play the game. Unfortunately, it became apparent to me that everyone lied. And, they spoke with “forked tongues.” Everyone was outdoor and athletic, but loved to stay inside and snuggle. They loved Schubert and Bach but loved to have their eardrums perforated by KISS. So, I figured that the only way I was going to stand out from all of the other men’s profiles was to write something way over the top. The ladies that got the humor in it were who I was looking for. The rest were chaff. The response was incredible. I averaged 20 emails a day, not including the death threats and the bricks tossed through the living room window. A lot of women understood exactly what I was trying to do and wanted to get together to see who this guy was. Many of the encounters resulted in dates. I even ended up living with one for a winter until she spent all my money – but that’s another story. And, for the record – the profile I published in my book, “Watching Grandma Circle the Drain” is the actual profile I posted – word for word. Since that time, I’ve reverted back to hookers and picking up girls in bars who are too drunk to drive home.

I was a hairdresser for 15 years, so I took particular delight in A Hairdresser’s Lament. In this article, you poke fun at cosmetology (beauty) school. Many of the details, while silly, were very close to the reality of the experience. What inspired this article?

I hope the details seem rooted in reality – it’s a true story. I actually was a hairdresser for 10 years, starting with a 9-month stint in beauty school. Anyone who’s gone through beauty school undoubtedly has their own tales. There’s nothing quite as exciting as the first time you watch your patron’s hair fall to the ground after you’ve chemically burned it off their scalp. Or, when your client brings you a photo of Rita Hayworth’s vivid red hair and you send them home with a color that resembles day-old pizza. Hey, it happens to everyone. Somehow, I managed to get through it and became a very successful hairdresser in some of the most upscale salons in southern California. But, I thought the journey was so funny, it was worth writing about. Tip: never go to a beauty school to get your hair done, no matter how broke you are.

So true!

The second part of Watching Grandma Circle The Drain is called Ripped from the Headlines. In this section, you take current events, turn them on their head, and add a twist of humor. When and why did you first start doing this?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed catching the reading public with their pants down. One way to do that is to write something that is so good – so factual and believable – that they don’t know they’ve been had until they’re half way through the article. It’s the ultimate punch line that every standup comedian craves. So, many years ago (long before The Onion became popular), I started writing stories that looked like they could have been real, but weren’t. The object was to see how long I could keep the reader believing the story until they discovered that the jig was up. “For Better or For Worse” came to me after a frustrating period of dating. I just thought to myself, “Well, if women are going to make it that difficult, I’ll just marry myself.” Sometime later, I wondered, “What would it be like if the same guy who married himself started struggling with infidelity, alcohol and drug abuse and problems with money?” even if he was battling himself? The result was “The End of a Love Affair,” and I think is one of my best pieces. Sometime later, major league baseball became embroiled in the use of anabolic steroids. I started to wonder, “What would happen if steroids seeped into other sports like surfing, croquet, billiards or even chess?” “Steroids Invade the World of Professional Chess” is the unfortunate result.

Is there something you do to put yourself in a humorous mood before writing, like watch the comedy channel or read comic books? Or is humor your default position?

Like a lot of others who write comedy or perform stand-up comedy, I am NOT by nature a funny guy. Some of the funniest people have come from absolutely depressing backgrounds. While that doesn’t describe me, I do tend to be very focused, organized and serious. I manage to turn that around by constantly reading new authors, keeping what I admire and tossing out the rest. I enjoy reading David Sedaris, Andy Borowitz, Chelsea Handler and others who push the boundaries of humor and good taste, developing my own style. When something strikes me as a good subject for a piece, I’ll often time sit down and write an entire draft in one sitting. Then I prune and polish it, stretching the margins out as far as they’ll go until I have something that achieves what I am looking for.

Do you have a writing routine? Or do you write when the mood strikes?

When I first started writing for hire, I did a lot of commercial writing with very strict guidelines and killer editors. It required a lot of research and fact checking with time necessary for re-writes and edits. I found a rigid schedule worked the best for that type of writing and I never missed a deadline. That was good training for me. Writing comedy is often easier, but it still requires dead-on accuracy and many of the same skills I used for commercial projects. I write something everyday, but don’t necessarily have a strict writing schedule. I find that if I’m in the mood, I can sit down and write 10 times the word volume with higher quality, compared to trying to push it when I’m not. My average goal when I’m working on a book or a large project is somewhere around 1000 to 3000 words a day of good quality material – but I don’t beat myself up if it doesn’t come. It will tomorrow. One other TIP: I write each and every email (and I write a lot of them) as though I was submitting it to my publisher. Organized, grammatically and typographically perfect. It’s great writing practice and develops hardened skills when you’re not currently working on a project.

That is not something you see much these days, with our lazy text messaging culture!

Are there any topics that you will not write about or poke fun at?

I don’t like to poke fun at someone when they’re down, unless they’re responsible for their own predicament. I’d never write anything nasty or insensitive about people who are having a rough go of it. But, I could easily write something about the Bernie Madoff’s of the world that created the mess they’re in. I’m surprised we haven’t seen more about him, already.

Do you see yourself writing any serious pieces in the future?

I suppose to call oneself a writer (which often times makes me a little uncomfortable) you have to be willing to tackle a wide variety of subjects. I’ve written a ton of material on heart disease, exercise, outdoor sports and other subjects that one could call serious. On the other hand, a lot of the comedy pieces I write are written as serious as a heart attack – that’s what makes them funny.

Do you have a new project in the works?

I do. Anyone who’s read my current book, “Watching Grandma Circle the Drain” might question, “Where in the heck did he get all those ideas?” Many of them have come from my real life adventures. I’ve traveled all over the world, and pursued just about every dream I’ve ever imagined, working in a bizarre variety of working conditions, meeting every type of person you’ve seen on television – and more. I still have a lot more to share with the world. And the ones I haven’t personally experienced, I’ll borrow from other people – or I’ll just make them up. I’m currently writing another book that picks up where my current book left off. There’s one advantage of getting old – there’s lots to write about.

Intrigued by the man and the book? Here are both of his books on Amazon, in both Kindle and print format:

Thanks for reading.