Christopher Mlalazi has written plays for Zimbawean performing arts groups that include Amakhosi Theatre; Umkhathi Theatre; Sadalala Amajekete Theatre and the Khayalethu Performing Arts Project.
His poems and short stories have been published in newspapers, magazine and websites that include Crossing Borders Magazine; Poetry International Web; the Sunday News and The Zimbabwean newspaper.
Others have been featured in anthologies that include Short Writings From Bulawayo: Volumes I, II and III ('amaBooks Publishers, 2003, 2004 and 2005); Writing Now (Weaver Press, 2005); and The Obituary Tango: Selection of Writing from the Caine Prize for African Writing 2005 (New Internationalist Publications, 2006; Jacana Media ,2006).
Christopher Mlalazi spoke about his writing:
One of your most recent short stories, "Election Day", was published in the Edinburgh Review. What is the story about? How long did it take you to write it?
The story is about election rigging in an unnamed African country. This story was inspired by accusations of election rigging that always follow presidential elections.
There is no given timeframe in which to write a short story, one can even write it in an hour. At the 2006 Caine Prize workshop in Kenya, we were required to write a 3,000 word short story in ten days flat.
It took me almost a month to write "Election Day" because I had about three versions of it and was failing to decide which was the best. Then I did a theatre adaptation of the same story, which helped further develop it, and after that, I came back to the prose version and worked on it until I came up with the draft which was happily and instantly accepted by the Edinburgh Review.
The story is set in a single room. Maintaining excitement through 3,000 words in such kind of a situation is really demanding: one has to dig deep into one’s resources, always planting hooks to keep the reader absorbed. At the end, when I looked back I loved what I had done.
I had really been concentrating on the extra-personal but I later discovered that my story had both inner and personal conflict. The protagonist in the story is a president during the last day of presidential elections. The opposition is clearly winning, and everyone belonging to the ruling party, even the First Lady, has panicked and they want to flee the country before it is too late, because they had been ruling unjustly. That is the surface of the story, the extra-personal conflict. Now, this panic has led to the president’s compatriots to look at their relationship with the him. That is the personal conflict. Going further down, these people also look at their inner lives, and that is the inner conflict.
What are your main concerns as a writer?
Seeing an ever declining book reading culture, that’s one -- and in Zimbabwe, the video or DVD is mainly responsible for that. It’s becoming rare to see someone carrying a novel on the streets these days -- it's always the DVD or video cassette.
My second concern is seeing African writers (and I am one of the culprits) shunning writing in their mother tongues and prefering Western languages. Are we not, as artists, custodians of our own cultures? Most young writers are shunning writing in the vernacular because they see it as a sign of backwardness, which I think is being naïve -- they think writing in English is the in thing, that it’s fashionable.
A program should be put in place that supports writing in vernacular languages, a sort of audience-building project as is being done with theatre, and it must be supported by the government. Children should also be encouraged to read books written in the vernacular, both at school and at home, so that when they grow up they will value them.
What does being a writer mean to you? And in what way are writers custodians of cultures?
I have never really given it much thought, what being a writer means to me.
I have always thought that I must write something. I have always had this unexplainable urge to produce something artistically -- which led me to break-dance, a little bit of vernacular rap, writing poetry, writing plays, stories -- just writing. I have even attempted to write an academic paper that attempts to analyze story structure.
Writing has opened my eyes to things I don’t think I would have given much thought to had I not been a writer, things like, "Is everything okay around us? And if they are not, how can I address that through my writing?"
We are custodians of culture in the sense that it is our duty to record our way of life and transmit it to posterity. Ways of life evolve, we can’t remove that, but what can we save? Obviously not all, because there are traditions which hinder progress, but the little that we save must be given its due respect through celebration in an artistic form, just like it used to be done in the past in the celebration of the first harvest or in the rain dance, etc.
How have your personal experiences influenced your writing?
Growing up in a Zimbabwe in political turmoil has dramatically influenced my writing in the sense that, as writing thrives on conflict, there is plenty of that around to pick from -- also the hunger and disease.
What are the biggest challenges that you face?
Getting an audience nationally, continentally and internationally. Africa has a wealth of stories and the challenge for the African writer is to seduce the world by the way we tell them. We have to overcome the corruption of power that pulls us back and often shuts our mouths and breaks our pens.
I am still yet to publish my first novel, but on the short story genre I can confidently say I have been successful, with several national and international short story anthology inclusions under my belt. I think my success on the short story genre rests on my being able to write without any reservations whatsoever. Also interacting with other writers internationally through the internet assists, because one gets to hear of a publishing deal here and there.
When did you start writing?
At High School where I dabbled in amateurish writing just for the love of seeing my words providing aesthetic entertainment.
At that stage, I was writing for my classmates -- they always seemed amused by my stories. I remember when I was in Form Four, I started writing a novel and kept at it for three years. When it was finished, I submitted it to the Literature Bureau, who rejected it. I put the manuscript away and forgot all about it. Sometimes I come across scraps of it around the house, and when I read them, I smile at myself. The story was an investigation, inspired by the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, the Three Investigators, James Hardly Chase, James Bond -- books which I read voraciously at that time.
In the writing that you are doing, who would you say has influenced you the most?
My late father, who was a master folklore story teller.
I grew up in the township of Pumula and it had no electricity before Independence. Food was cooked on an open fire in a lean-to. Sometimes, on hot days, after supper, we would sit by the fire and father always made it a point to tell us tales and almost all of them came with beautiful songs. Also, if relatives visited from the rural areas, he would ask them to tell us tales, which I enjoyed listening to very much. On other days father would ask us to recite the tales to him, correcting us where we made errors, and through that way I too became a good story teller. At school the teacher would sometimes require us to tell stories.
Do you write everyday?
Yes, I write everyday. I spend about five hours on it per day
What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
I am currently published in nine short story anthologies, with two more already confirmed for 2007. Another of my short stories has also been short listed for a major short story writing award for African writers.
I was also invited to the 2006 Caine Prize Workshop which was held at Cater Lake, a remote and tranquil resort in Kenya. Basically, what we did there was to write, then everyday after dinner there were readings of the stories by the writers, which were followed by group criticism to assist the writer develop his or her story.
There were ten writers at the workshop and two mentors/animateurs. The writers were drawn from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and two came from the UK . All the stories that were written at the workshop have been published in the 2006 Caine Prize Anthology titled The Obituary Tango. My short story is titled “Dancing with Life,” and it is a political and socio-economic satire.
In 2004, another of my short stories, “The River of Life,” was awarded the Highly Recommended citation in the Sable Lit Short Story Competition. The story is fantasy, a recreation of Genesis, postulating mankind as coming from stars.
In 2005 I also attended the Uganda Beyond Borders Literature Festival, which was a British Council initiative. At this festival, I facilitated a creative writing workshop for primary school students in Kampala, and also did a public reading. I had a great time there, and rubbed shoulders with some of Africa’s writing giants -- Shimmer Chinodya (Zimbabwe); Helon Habila (Nigeria); Professor Taban Lo Liyong (Sudan); Veronique Tadjo (Ivory Coast); Bernardine Evaristo (Nigeria, UK) to name but a few.
,,
Related article:
Christopher Mlalazi [Interview_2], Conversations with Writers, January 13, 2010
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
[Interview] Neil Williamson
Fantasy and science fiction author, Neil Williamson’s first story was published in Territories Magazine in 1993.
His other stories have been published in magazines such as The Third Alternative; Interzone and Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet. Still more of his stories have been featured in anthologies that include The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide To Eccentric And Discredited Diseases; Nova Scotia: An Anthology of Scottish Speculative Fiction; and The Elastic Book Of Numbers.
In a recent interview, Neil Williamson spoke about his first collection of short stories, The Ephemera (2006).
What is The Ephemera about?
The Ephemera is a collection of varied short stories about the length of time things last for. The stories are all fantastical in some way -- science fiction, fantasy, supernatural or magic realism.
The collection is made up of stories written over the last ten years or so. It was published by Elastic Press in May. The Ephemera is pretty much a summation of what I’ve written to date, but without the 100% Science Fiction stuff.
Which aspects of the work that you put into the book did you find most difficult?
I found choosing the stories difficult. There were ones that I wanted to have in there that just didn’t fit. And a whole bunch of new stories that I wanted to write for it, but didn’t have time.
What sets the book apart from the other things you have written?
I co-edited an anthology called Nova Scotia: New Scottish Speculative Fiction in 2005 (with Andrew J Wilson), but this is the first book that’s all my own work.
In your decision to become a writer and in the writing that you are doing, who would you say has influenced you the most?
I’m not sure I ever really decided that, it just sort of happened.
I remember deciding that I wanted to give it a try. I’ve always been a reader, and when I was living in London in the early 1990’s I got hooked on Interzone magazine. There were some terrific stories being published back then (and still are, check it out), and I admired one story in particular -- ‘Well Loved’ by Ian McLeod -- so much that I wanted to have a go at creating something like that myself. So I tried to write a short story and found it harder than I expected, and when I returned to Scotland shortly after that I enrolled in a Science Fiction and Fantasy writing evening class at Glasgow University. Through the class I was introduced to the Glasgow SF Writers Circle, and after that writing became so much of a habit that I’ve never been able to give it up.
Writers I admire include Jonathan Carroll, M. John Harrison and Ian McDonald, but I’d have to say that the biggest influence on my development as a writer has to have been the critique group I belong to: the Glasgow SF Writers Circle, who over the years have been a constant source of enthusiasm and advice.
What would you say are the biggest challenges that you face?
Finding the time to write. I don’t have great artistic ambitions, but my life is so full that sitting down on a consistent, regular basis to do something as simple as tell a story is enough of a struggle.
How do you deal with these?
Discipline, and getting up early. When my writing is going well I wake early and write for an hour or so before work. I also go off to a café and write through my lunch hour. And if I’m lucky, I might get another hour or so in before bed. That’s all the time that’s available to me, so I have to make use of it.
How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?
It’s obviously not possible to fabricate everything that you write about -- something of your own life is bound to creep in to the bricks, but I don’t write autobiographically. I’ll just use bits of what I know as colour. For instance, I’m a musician, so it’s easy for me to have characters who are musicians, or indeed other sorts of artists.
As for the direction of my writing, I find that the thing that has influenced that most is discovering new writers who are doing interesting things. And for me a lot of that process of discovery is done by meeting people at conventions or over the internet.
What would you say are your main concerns as a writer?
I never really know what a story’s going to be about until I start it, so I don’t think I really have concerns as such. Having said that, in retrospect you do see patterns. When I chose the stories for my collection, The Ephemera, for instance, I noticed that a lot of my stories were about brief encounters, and the value of appreciating things while they last. And rain, but I then I live in Glasgow, so perhaps that’s not so surprising.
What will your next book be about?
I’m currently finishing a novel called The Moon King, which is a fantasy adventure about a city that stole the moon for its own purposes.
What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
I think writing in itself is enough of an achievement. Publication is nice, but coming up with the ideas and putting them down on paper is the thing that makes me feel proud.
Related books:
,,
His other stories have been published in magazines such as The Third Alternative; Interzone and Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet. Still more of his stories have been featured in anthologies that include The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide To Eccentric And Discredited Diseases; Nova Scotia: An Anthology of Scottish Speculative Fiction; and The Elastic Book Of Numbers.
In a recent interview, Neil Williamson spoke about his first collection of short stories, The Ephemera (2006).
What is The Ephemera about?
The Ephemera is a collection of varied short stories about the length of time things last for. The stories are all fantastical in some way -- science fiction, fantasy, supernatural or magic realism.
The collection is made up of stories written over the last ten years or so. It was published by Elastic Press in May. The Ephemera is pretty much a summation of what I’ve written to date, but without the 100% Science Fiction stuff.
Which aspects of the work that you put into the book did you find most difficult?
I found choosing the stories difficult. There were ones that I wanted to have in there that just didn’t fit. And a whole bunch of new stories that I wanted to write for it, but didn’t have time.
What sets the book apart from the other things you have written?
I co-edited an anthology called Nova Scotia: New Scottish Speculative Fiction in 2005 (with Andrew J Wilson), but this is the first book that’s all my own work.
In your decision to become a writer and in the writing that you are doing, who would you say has influenced you the most?
I’m not sure I ever really decided that, it just sort of happened.
I remember deciding that I wanted to give it a try. I’ve always been a reader, and when I was living in London in the early 1990’s I got hooked on Interzone magazine. There were some terrific stories being published back then (and still are, check it out), and I admired one story in particular -- ‘Well Loved’ by Ian McLeod -- so much that I wanted to have a go at creating something like that myself. So I tried to write a short story and found it harder than I expected, and when I returned to Scotland shortly after that I enrolled in a Science Fiction and Fantasy writing evening class at Glasgow University. Through the class I was introduced to the Glasgow SF Writers Circle, and after that writing became so much of a habit that I’ve never been able to give it up.
Writers I admire include Jonathan Carroll, M. John Harrison and Ian McDonald, but I’d have to say that the biggest influence on my development as a writer has to have been the critique group I belong to: the Glasgow SF Writers Circle, who over the years have been a constant source of enthusiasm and advice.
What would you say are the biggest challenges that you face?
Finding the time to write. I don’t have great artistic ambitions, but my life is so full that sitting down on a consistent, regular basis to do something as simple as tell a story is enough of a struggle.
How do you deal with these?
Discipline, and getting up early. When my writing is going well I wake early and write for an hour or so before work. I also go off to a café and write through my lunch hour. And if I’m lucky, I might get another hour or so in before bed. That’s all the time that’s available to me, so I have to make use of it.
How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?
It’s obviously not possible to fabricate everything that you write about -- something of your own life is bound to creep in to the bricks, but I don’t write autobiographically. I’ll just use bits of what I know as colour. For instance, I’m a musician, so it’s easy for me to have characters who are musicians, or indeed other sorts of artists.
As for the direction of my writing, I find that the thing that has influenced that most is discovering new writers who are doing interesting things. And for me a lot of that process of discovery is done by meeting people at conventions or over the internet.
What would you say are your main concerns as a writer?
I never really know what a story’s going to be about until I start it, so I don’t think I really have concerns as such. Having said that, in retrospect you do see patterns. When I chose the stories for my collection, The Ephemera, for instance, I noticed that a lot of my stories were about brief encounters, and the value of appreciating things while they last. And rain, but I then I live in Glasgow, so perhaps that’s not so surprising.
What will your next book be about?
I’m currently finishing a novel called The Moon King, which is a fantasy adventure about a city that stole the moon for its own purposes.
What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
I think writing in itself is enough of an achievement. Publication is nice, but coming up with the ideas and putting them down on paper is the thing that makes me feel proud.
Related books:
,,
Friday, June 15, 2007
[Interview:] Tavis J. Hampton
Tavis J. Hampton lives in Indianapolis where he works as a Library Media Specialist.
Most of the time, he writes under the pen name Tavis Adibudeen and over the past few decades, he has written hundreds of poems, short stories and newspaper and magazine articles.
His first novel, The Golden Scrolls, was published in September 2006.
In a recent interview, Tavis J. Hampton spoke about his writing.
How long have you been writing?
From the time I was a child, I've always been writing. My first book was "published" when I was in first grade. My mother still has the only copy of that book. It was a story about our dog, Aristotle, running away. All of the students in our class made their own books using construction paper and paste. The teacher laminated the pages and bound them together.
I started writing articles for the school newspaper in high school and also wrote for a local newspaper as an intern.
In 1999 I started a non-profit Islamic web site that is now one of the most well-respected in the community at-large, with thousands of visitors each month from all over the world. As editor, I do not do as much writing as I used to, but I still try to publish a research essay once every other month.
Together with a good friend of mine, we established the Muslim Writers Society, where people can freely publish their works on our site. There are also plans for an anthology. Currently, we have over 400 members.
Do you write everyday? What sort of targets do you set yourself when you are writing?
I do write everyday, but with the responsibilities of family and a full-time job, I do not always have time to work on my books. I have, however, become a regular blogger.
The amount of time I spend writing varies according to my schedule. Sometimes I might spend several hours in one day. Other days I don't get to write at all.
When I was writing The Golden Scrolls, I set a firm date for completion, but I did not set targets for the number of pages or chapters. I finished the book ahead of schedule. It was actually suppose to be completed by January 2007. I accomplished my goal by taking about an hour each day to write and although I was not able to write every single day, I wrote more often than if I had not set that goal for myself at all.
Where and when was it published?
It was published in the United States in September 2006 and is currently available worldwide. I self-published the book using Lulu.com.
The Golden Scrolls is about a kingdom on the brink of an unfathomable darkness that was creeping closer to them and consuming everything in its path. Other kingdoms had already fallen, and the people of Cor were awaiting a Chosen One who would find the long lost Golden Scrolls. These scrolls contained the only remedy to the darkness that plagued these people.
To the surprise of everyone, the Storyteller, their guide and protector, believed that Fuad, a 12-year-old boy, was the Chosen One. Fuad left from Cor to find the scrolls, and It is there that the adventure begins.
Which aspects of the work that you put into the book did you find most difficult? Which did you enjoy most?
I created an entire world with thirteen kingdoms, tens of characters, and an entire back-history to the book. I had to keep diligent notes; I'm talking pages and pages of it. It was sometimes difficult to keep everything straight. Fortunately, my wife and my editor both helped sift through all of it.
Once I had developed this world, my characters began to take on their own personalities. People come up to me and tell me what the Storyteller should say or what Fuad should have done. It is easy to fall in love with many of these characters and to wish to see them reach whatever goals they set out for themselves. At the end of the book, it brought tears to know that the journey had ended and that they would no longer be a part of my daily life.
How long did it take you to write it?
I started writing a short fable almost four years ago. It was supposed to be only a few pages, but after a few months of pondering over it, the pages multiplied. Then, I stopped for a couple of years. After getting married, my wife encouraged me to finish the story. Last year, I finally took her advice.
What would you say are your main concerns as a writer?
I just tell the stories. I do not pretend to have mastered the art of writing. But in the end, it is all about the story and the message. People want to read a good story. They don't care how many times you split infinitives or how many big words you use. They want a story that means something to them. My goal is to deliver that story to them in a nicely-bound easy-to-read package.
I want my message to be clear. Writing for me is a way of reaching people who otherwise would not hear my message. I do not write simply to entertain. Every book, every fable, and even every line on a page has some deeper meaning. It can be a moral message, a spiritual message, or a social commentary. When conveying it, I do not want to make it too obvious, but I also do not want to obscure the meaning. It is a thin line to walk, but, hopefully, I traverse it well.
When people tell me that my writing has positively affected them, that motivates me to continue the journey.
How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?
As a Muslim, who converted to Islam ten years ago, my life has taken a decidedly different direction than it could have. Anytime someone has a life-altering experience, it affects everything and everyone around him. Each choice has a ripple effect in the pond of life, and those ripples spread out in all directions and touch all people.
My book is not about Islam, which is drastically different from many modern Muslim authors. I have taken a classical approach to writing.
In the height or golden age of Islamic civilization, the authors transcended writing about mundane issues and created some of the most celebrated written works in history, including science, mathematics, sociology, and even fiction.
So, rather than boring my audiences with a book about regulatory issues of Islamic law or family moral values, I have woven a tale, one that begins with flawed people, and the story follows those people as they progress and grow. It is truly character driven. My story is about people, rather than events.
What made you convert to Islam?
There was no one event or experience that made me convert to Islam. It was the culmination of life experiences and realizations. Ultimate realization comes through self-reflection and contemplation on the Divine Presence. I try to send this message in my books without directly associating it with any religion. All people, religious or not, can relate to the concept of introspection. We have a saying, "He who knows himself knows his Lord."
In Britain, for example, the image that is being painted of Muslims is that they are terrorists. Why do you think this is so?
There are terrorists from all religions, cultures, and societies. To associate one group of people with terrorism is prejudicial and naive. It is unfortunate that some people do not take the time to educate themselves.
In the United States, we have a long history of indigenous Muslims, whereas the U.K. primarily has a community of immigrants. Islam in America dates back to pre-Columbian times , particularly among people of African descent. In our communities it has been commonplace for generations. It is not a new phenomenon.
It would make my response unduly long to go into the details of analyzing people's perceptions of Islam. Perhaps I will write a book on this topic in the future.
What will your next book be about?
My next book, The Sword of Kelterya, is already in the works. It is the second book of The Golden Scrolls, a year after the events of the first book.
Related books:
Most of the time, he writes under the pen name Tavis Adibudeen and over the past few decades, he has written hundreds of poems, short stories and newspaper and magazine articles.
His first novel, The Golden Scrolls, was published in September 2006.
In a recent interview, Tavis J. Hampton spoke about his writing.
How long have you been writing?
From the time I was a child, I've always been writing. My first book was "published" when I was in first grade. My mother still has the only copy of that book. It was a story about our dog, Aristotle, running away. All of the students in our class made their own books using construction paper and paste. The teacher laminated the pages and bound them together.
I started writing articles for the school newspaper in high school and also wrote for a local newspaper as an intern.
In 1999 I started a non-profit Islamic web site that is now one of the most well-respected in the community at-large, with thousands of visitors each month from all over the world. As editor, I do not do as much writing as I used to, but I still try to publish a research essay once every other month.
Together with a good friend of mine, we established the Muslim Writers Society, where people can freely publish their works on our site. There are also plans for an anthology. Currently, we have over 400 members.
Do you write everyday? What sort of targets do you set yourself when you are writing?
I do write everyday, but with the responsibilities of family and a full-time job, I do not always have time to work on my books. I have, however, become a regular blogger.
The amount of time I spend writing varies according to my schedule. Sometimes I might spend several hours in one day. Other days I don't get to write at all.
When I was writing The Golden Scrolls, I set a firm date for completion, but I did not set targets for the number of pages or chapters. I finished the book ahead of schedule. It was actually suppose to be completed by January 2007. I accomplished my goal by taking about an hour each day to write and although I was not able to write every single day, I wrote more often than if I had not set that goal for myself at all.
Where and when was it published?
It was published in the United States in September 2006 and is currently available worldwide. I self-published the book using Lulu.com.
The Golden Scrolls is about a kingdom on the brink of an unfathomable darkness that was creeping closer to them and consuming everything in its path. Other kingdoms had already fallen, and the people of Cor were awaiting a Chosen One who would find the long lost Golden Scrolls. These scrolls contained the only remedy to the darkness that plagued these people.
To the surprise of everyone, the Storyteller, their guide and protector, believed that Fuad, a 12-year-old boy, was the Chosen One. Fuad left from Cor to find the scrolls, and It is there that the adventure begins.
Which aspects of the work that you put into the book did you find most difficult? Which did you enjoy most?
I created an entire world with thirteen kingdoms, tens of characters, and an entire back-history to the book. I had to keep diligent notes; I'm talking pages and pages of it. It was sometimes difficult to keep everything straight. Fortunately, my wife and my editor both helped sift through all of it.
Once I had developed this world, my characters began to take on their own personalities. People come up to me and tell me what the Storyteller should say or what Fuad should have done. It is easy to fall in love with many of these characters and to wish to see them reach whatever goals they set out for themselves. At the end of the book, it brought tears to know that the journey had ended and that they would no longer be a part of my daily life.
How long did it take you to write it?
I started writing a short fable almost four years ago. It was supposed to be only a few pages, but after a few months of pondering over it, the pages multiplied. Then, I stopped for a couple of years. After getting married, my wife encouraged me to finish the story. Last year, I finally took her advice.
What would you say are your main concerns as a writer?
I just tell the stories. I do not pretend to have mastered the art of writing. But in the end, it is all about the story and the message. People want to read a good story. They don't care how many times you split infinitives or how many big words you use. They want a story that means something to them. My goal is to deliver that story to them in a nicely-bound easy-to-read package.
I want my message to be clear. Writing for me is a way of reaching people who otherwise would not hear my message. I do not write simply to entertain. Every book, every fable, and even every line on a page has some deeper meaning. It can be a moral message, a spiritual message, or a social commentary. When conveying it, I do not want to make it too obvious, but I also do not want to obscure the meaning. It is a thin line to walk, but, hopefully, I traverse it well.
When people tell me that my writing has positively affected them, that motivates me to continue the journey.
How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?
As a Muslim, who converted to Islam ten years ago, my life has taken a decidedly different direction than it could have. Anytime someone has a life-altering experience, it affects everything and everyone around him. Each choice has a ripple effect in the pond of life, and those ripples spread out in all directions and touch all people.
My book is not about Islam, which is drastically different from many modern Muslim authors. I have taken a classical approach to writing.
In the height or golden age of Islamic civilization, the authors transcended writing about mundane issues and created some of the most celebrated written works in history, including science, mathematics, sociology, and even fiction.
So, rather than boring my audiences with a book about regulatory issues of Islamic law or family moral values, I have woven a tale, one that begins with flawed people, and the story follows those people as they progress and grow. It is truly character driven. My story is about people, rather than events.
What made you convert to Islam?
There was no one event or experience that made me convert to Islam. It was the culmination of life experiences and realizations. Ultimate realization comes through self-reflection and contemplation on the Divine Presence. I try to send this message in my books without directly associating it with any religion. All people, religious or not, can relate to the concept of introspection. We have a saying, "He who knows himself knows his Lord."
In Britain, for example, the image that is being painted of Muslims is that they are terrorists. Why do you think this is so?
There are terrorists from all religions, cultures, and societies. To associate one group of people with terrorism is prejudicial and naive. It is unfortunate that some people do not take the time to educate themselves.
In the United States, we have a long history of indigenous Muslims, whereas the U.K. primarily has a community of immigrants. Islam in America dates back to pre-Columbian times , particularly among people of African descent. In our communities it has been commonplace for generations. It is not a new phenomenon.
It would make my response unduly long to go into the details of analyzing people's perceptions of Islam. Perhaps I will write a book on this topic in the future.
What will your next book be about?
My next book, The Sword of Kelterya, is already in the works. It is the second book of The Golden Scrolls, a year after the events of the first book.
Related books:
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
[Interview] Rod Duncan
In 2003, Rod Duncan’s crime thriller, Backlash was shortlisted for the John Creasey Award for the best debut crime novel of the year. Backlash was followed by Breakbeat (2004) and Burnout (2005).
The novels trace three very different stories which happen on the same day in Leicester, the most ethnically diverse city in the United Kingdom.
Duncan has a degree in Mining Geology and has worked as a scientific researcher in Aberystwyth and Leicester. He has been writing full-time since 1993.
In a recent interview, Rod Duncan spoke about his writing and his concerns as a writer.
Your most recent novel, Burnout is the third in a trilogy, that includes Backlash and Breakbeat. What unifies the three novels?
The three novels take place at the same place and at the same time -- in and around a fictional riot in Leicester. They are interlinked stories, following the paths of different people through a traumatic event.
I was interested in exploring the nature of narrative and the way events can seem different from different points of view. For example, a 'goodie' in one story can be a 'baddie' in another -- the same person, in the same event but viewed from a different point of view. Of course, there is no such thing as a 'goodie' or a 'baddie' and this was a way of exploring that from within the confines of traditional narrative.
After the first two novels, was Burnout easier or more difficult to write?
The most difficult thing in writing Burnout was that I was already tied down from the previous novels.
I knew what the weather was like on every day of the two weeks of fictional time that make up the core of the stories. I knew what all the major events were. I knew where all the key characters were, sometimes on an hour-by-hour basis. There could be no murders discovered, for example, during that two weeks, or they would have been mentioned in the previous books.
In short, I was hemmed in by my own previous writing.
How did you deal with this challenge?
Just as a blank page with infinite possibilities can sometimes block a writer up, limitations often produce great creativity. (I believe this is the reason that many creative writing exercises put a series of artificial limitations on what a person is allowed to write).
Burnout was a challenge, but ultimately I was extremely pleased with the result.
How did I overcome these difficulties? Lateral and logical processes.
The subconscious provided the lateral part. The conscious mind used lots of huge sheets of paper with complex charts scrawled all over them, establishing where all the characters were day by day through the two weeks, and all the key events.
How have the novels been received?
I'll talk about how the first novel, Backlash was received.
It was a story that jumped out onto the page for me. I could feel the pressure of the story wanting to be written. At the same time, I was very nervous about it because it is a first person narrative from the point of view of a mixed race woman, who works as a community relations police officer. It touches on issues of racism and differing attitudes to multiculturalism.
I worried, all the way through the writing process, that this material could be misinterpreted. Only when I finished did the anxiety go away. When I wrote the last sentence I knew it was complete and I stopped worrying what other people would think.
What caused this anxiety?
As we have seen recently, different people mean different things when they speak of multiculturalism. Almost any simple statement made on the issue can be misinterpreted. But in a novel, there is enough room speak about it.
So how was it received? I am glad to say that it was received very warmly by people from many different races and backgrounds.
I was particularly pleased with a glowing review in India Weekly. The reviewer got to the heart of the book. He really understood it.
Only one person complained about the way the book talked about racism. She stopped me in the street and asked why I'd written all those things bad things about Leicester. This shook me up, because I love this city in all its beautiful diversity.
But then I asked her exactly what it was in Backlash that she didn't like. It turned out the only part she'd read was the cover. I decided I could live with that.
Why do you think Backlash has been this successful?
I think Backlash was received well because, at heart, it is a good yarn. The multi-cultural city is it's background. But the story is about a woman, confronted with a crime which threatens her life and an event that will change it forever - one way or another. I think that's why it was shortlisted for the John Creasey award for the best debut crime novel of 2003.
What would you say are your main concerns as a writer?
My main concerns as a writer ... Narrative touches everybody. It is fundamental to the human condition.
Children learn to cope with their fears through stories of wolves and pigs and evil and good and death and love. We tell stories about things that have happened to us, to codify the changes of our lives. We try to find out the stories of our ancestors to help us understand where we came from. It is through stories that we understand religion and history. Writers and storytellers aren't simply making a living or entertaining people. They are engaged in something elemental. There is magic here. The alchemy of storytelling.
I don't believe a novelist could write a book and be unchanged by the process.
How has your own writing changed you?
Each of the books I have written has taken me on a journey. Particularly Breakbeat. That is the story of a dyslexic man, coping with a crime and coming to terms with who he is.
I found myself writing the words of another character talking to him, telling him why he acted as he did, explaining his psychology. But really the character was telling ME why I do the things I do, why I am as I am. I hadn't known it before.
What concerns me about writing? Is it to have a chance to entertain the reader? Yes, certainly. Is it to explore complex issues? Yes. But underlying all that is something more profound, something that exists mostly in the subconscious. It is to immerse myself in narrative. In short, it is to be human.
Related books:
,,
The novels trace three very different stories which happen on the same day in Leicester, the most ethnically diverse city in the United Kingdom.
Duncan has a degree in Mining Geology and has worked as a scientific researcher in Aberystwyth and Leicester. He has been writing full-time since 1993.
In a recent interview, Rod Duncan spoke about his writing and his concerns as a writer.
Your most recent novel, Burnout is the third in a trilogy, that includes Backlash and Breakbeat. What unifies the three novels?
The three novels take place at the same place and at the same time -- in and around a fictional riot in Leicester. They are interlinked stories, following the paths of different people through a traumatic event.
I was interested in exploring the nature of narrative and the way events can seem different from different points of view. For example, a 'goodie' in one story can be a 'baddie' in another -- the same person, in the same event but viewed from a different point of view. Of course, there is no such thing as a 'goodie' or a 'baddie' and this was a way of exploring that from within the confines of traditional narrative.
After the first two novels, was Burnout easier or more difficult to write?
The most difficult thing in writing Burnout was that I was already tied down from the previous novels.
I knew what the weather was like on every day of the two weeks of fictional time that make up the core of the stories. I knew what all the major events were. I knew where all the key characters were, sometimes on an hour-by-hour basis. There could be no murders discovered, for example, during that two weeks, or they would have been mentioned in the previous books.
In short, I was hemmed in by my own previous writing.
How did you deal with this challenge?
Just as a blank page with infinite possibilities can sometimes block a writer up, limitations often produce great creativity. (I believe this is the reason that many creative writing exercises put a series of artificial limitations on what a person is allowed to write).
Burnout was a challenge, but ultimately I was extremely pleased with the result.
How did I overcome these difficulties? Lateral and logical processes.
The subconscious provided the lateral part. The conscious mind used lots of huge sheets of paper with complex charts scrawled all over them, establishing where all the characters were day by day through the two weeks, and all the key events.
How have the novels been received?
I'll talk about how the first novel, Backlash was received.
It was a story that jumped out onto the page for me. I could feel the pressure of the story wanting to be written. At the same time, I was very nervous about it because it is a first person narrative from the point of view of a mixed race woman, who works as a community relations police officer. It touches on issues of racism and differing attitudes to multiculturalism.
I worried, all the way through the writing process, that this material could be misinterpreted. Only when I finished did the anxiety go away. When I wrote the last sentence I knew it was complete and I stopped worrying what other people would think.
What caused this anxiety?
As we have seen recently, different people mean different things when they speak of multiculturalism. Almost any simple statement made on the issue can be misinterpreted. But in a novel, there is enough room speak about it.
So how was it received? I am glad to say that it was received very warmly by people from many different races and backgrounds.
I was particularly pleased with a glowing review in India Weekly. The reviewer got to the heart of the book. He really understood it.
Only one person complained about the way the book talked about racism. She stopped me in the street and asked why I'd written all those things bad things about Leicester. This shook me up, because I love this city in all its beautiful diversity.
But then I asked her exactly what it was in Backlash that she didn't like. It turned out the only part she'd read was the cover. I decided I could live with that.
Why do you think Backlash has been this successful?
I think Backlash was received well because, at heart, it is a good yarn. The multi-cultural city is it's background. But the story is about a woman, confronted with a crime which threatens her life and an event that will change it forever - one way or another. I think that's why it was shortlisted for the John Creasey award for the best debut crime novel of 2003.
What would you say are your main concerns as a writer?
My main concerns as a writer ... Narrative touches everybody. It is fundamental to the human condition.
Children learn to cope with their fears through stories of wolves and pigs and evil and good and death and love. We tell stories about things that have happened to us, to codify the changes of our lives. We try to find out the stories of our ancestors to help us understand where we came from. It is through stories that we understand religion and history. Writers and storytellers aren't simply making a living or entertaining people. They are engaged in something elemental. There is magic here. The alchemy of storytelling.
I don't believe a novelist could write a book and be unchanged by the process.
How has your own writing changed you?
Each of the books I have written has taken me on a journey. Particularly Breakbeat. That is the story of a dyslexic man, coping with a crime and coming to terms with who he is.
I found myself writing the words of another character talking to him, telling him why he acted as he did, explaining his psychology. But really the character was telling ME why I do the things I do, why I am as I am. I hadn't known it before.
What concerns me about writing? Is it to have a chance to entertain the reader? Yes, certainly. Is it to explore complex issues? Yes. But underlying all that is something more profound, something that exists mostly in the subconscious. It is to immerse myself in narrative. In short, it is to be human.
Related books:
,,
Monday, June 11, 2007
[Interview] Adele Geras: poet, novelist and children's author
Award-winning poet and novelist, Adele Geras is one of the most versatile and prolific writers currently living in the United Kingdom. Over the past 30 years, she has written more than 90 books for children, nine novels for young adults and three novels for adults.
Her novel Troy was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children’s Book Award in 2000 and was highly commended for the Library Association Carnegie Medal in 2001. The novel was also a Boston Globe Honor Book.
Geras has published one poetry collection, Voices from the Dolls’ House (Rockingham Press) and has won several awards for her poetry.
Facing the Light, her first adult novel, was published by Orion in March 2003 and sold rights in 22 countries. Her second adult novel, Hester’s Story, came out in 2005 and her third, Made in Heaven in 2006.
Adele Geras spoke about her writing.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I came to writing by accident. I went in for a story competition in 1973 and enjoyed writing my piece so much that I decided to try and write some more …
[The piece] was a ghost story called “Rose” and it went on to be included in a collection of short stories called Apricots at Midnight, still available from Barn Owl books.
Who would you say influenced you the most?
Probably my wonderful English teachers at school and my dad who always read to me and directed me to many wonderful books. Miss Godfray used to cut out my extra and redundant adjectives. I was addicted to adjectives and purple prose as a child. They all combined great intelligence and critical acumen with the best sort of encouragement.
What are your main concerns as a writer?
Only one concern: to give pleasure to readers and enjoy myself while I’m doing it.
How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?
I suppose so … for example, I’m an only child and so I love writing (and reading!) about big families. Little Women was my favorite book as a child.
Which other books did you read as a child? Do you still enjoy them as much now?
All books about the theater that I could get my hands on: Noel Streatfield’s Ballet Shoes, and Pamela Brown’s books. Also the whole of Enid Blyton and things like Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books. Also by Andrew Lang, a book called Tales of Troy which I still have and which I knew by heart … it’s all about the Trojan war etc.
What would you say are the biggest challenges that you face?
There’s only one challenge: to write the best book you can and then try not to fret too much about what happens to it when it goes out into the world.
How do you deal with these?
I try and think of Chekhov’s motto: "Write without hope and without despair." That’s it … I try and write each day when I’m in the middle of a book.
What are your latest books about?
My latest adult book, Made in Heaven is about a big wedding and my latest teenage book Ithaka is about Penelope waiting for Odysseus to come home from the Trojan war.
Made in Heaven took about 9 months and was published June 2006 by Orion London. Ithaka took a year, but it was divided up into bits around my adult novel writing, if you see what I mean. [It was] first published by David Fickling Books in October 2005 and by Harcourt Brace in the USA in Jan.2006. Ithaka [has also] published in Corgi Paperback in August 2006.
Which aspects of the work that you put into the books did you find most difficult?
The hardest part is the beginning … and I mean as well as the beginning of the book, the starting up every day.
How do you get around this problem?
I generally start by correcting what I’ve written the previous day … this gets the fingers working on the computer and seems to give me the impetus to go on …
Which did you enjoy most?
The best feeling in the world is having written … I love that.
What sets your latest books apart from the other things you have written?
Well, the adult novel is a bit of a departure, in that my other adult novels tend to have a ‘looking back into the past’ element and this one doesn’t.
Ithaka relates to Troy. That’s my novel about the Trojan War and these two are the only things I’ve written set in the Ancient world.
In what way are they similar?
Well, they’re both written by me, and I suppose they’re full of my preoccupations and they are in my ‘handwriting’ as it were … my particular style.
What preoccupations are these and just how much space do they take up in your life? Why is this so?
What I mean is: all the things I like, theater, cats, fabrics, food, books etc come up in my books, that’s all … they take up lots of space in my life because they sort of are my life! I mean that you can’t help the things you like appearing in your books. I like relationships, seeing how families work. I like to think about the influence of the past on the present. I am interested in the way memory works … etc.
What will your next book be about?
My next adult book is about the consequences of a will. My next children’s book … I’m not thinking about quite yet.
What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
I reckon my greatest success is that people are still interested in [my books]. Publishers are still interested in publishing my work, after 30 years in the business and ninety-two books published. And that some people like reading what I write.
How did you get there?
By not giving up at the beginning when I was getting rejection letters for about eighteen months … by doing what I like doing but also listening to other people.
You are also one of the few writers who are catering for children, young adults as well as adults. Why would you say this is so? Do you approach each of your books for children, young adults as well as adults in the same way or do they present different challenges? How do you deal with these challenges?
Each book presents a different challenge. It’s not to do with age. Each book is its own ‘thing’. You have to approach each one with a fresh eye, as it were. The main thing is to decide: whose point of view are you telling this story from? And then it becomes like a kind of acting job and you just become whoever it is ... be it a fat black cat or a retired ballerina! And I like to change and change about because I don’t want to be bored with what I’m doing. And I never am! The adult books take longer … about a year, I suppose … because there are more words in them …
Facing the Light, your first novel for adults was published in March 2003. What made you decide to write a novel for adults? How did the idea for the novel come to you?
FTL, as I call it, was one of those lucky things. The idea for the twist at the end of the story came to me out of the blue. I wrote about 80 pages and a detailed synopsis of the rest and an agent became interested in it and sold it to Orion in a very good two book deal. It has also been sold to 22 countries round the world … just signed a contract for Lithuania!
It got a lot of critical acclaim and attention and more than either of my other two books, but still, Hester’s Story did better ( in paperback it ended up on the bestseller lists) and it’s too early to tell with Made in Heaven. Hester’s Story has sold to about 10 countries and Made in Heaven to about five so far, though this may change with time, especially if it does well in paperback here.
What do you think made it so popular? In terms of how, they have been received, how do the subsequent novels compare to Facing the Light?
You can publish anything you like but you can’t make people buy it in huge quantities. If there was a sure-fire way of doing this, all books would cover their advances but they don’t!
I think Facing the Light was popular because it combined a family story with a mystery. People do like to have a secret they have to find out. Hester’s Story has been very well received, in terms of the feedback I’ve had … also had very good reviews. Made in Heaven has had hardly any reviews but I’ve had lots of people say they like it best of all … it’s quite different from the other two, and is about a family preparing for a big wedding.
The biggest difference between writing for children and adults is the length of the book.
Related books:
,,
Her novel Troy was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children’s Book Award in 2000 and was highly commended for the Library Association Carnegie Medal in 2001. The novel was also a Boston Globe Honor Book.
Geras has published one poetry collection, Voices from the Dolls’ House (Rockingham Press) and has won several awards for her poetry.
Facing the Light, her first adult novel, was published by Orion in March 2003 and sold rights in 22 countries. Her second adult novel, Hester’s Story, came out in 2005 and her third, Made in Heaven in 2006.
Adele Geras spoke about her writing.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I came to writing by accident. I went in for a story competition in 1973 and enjoyed writing my piece so much that I decided to try and write some more …
[The piece] was a ghost story called “Rose” and it went on to be included in a collection of short stories called Apricots at Midnight, still available from Barn Owl books.
Who would you say influenced you the most?
Probably my wonderful English teachers at school and my dad who always read to me and directed me to many wonderful books. Miss Godfray used to cut out my extra and redundant adjectives. I was addicted to adjectives and purple prose as a child. They all combined great intelligence and critical acumen with the best sort of encouragement.
What are your main concerns as a writer?
Only one concern: to give pleasure to readers and enjoy myself while I’m doing it.
How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?
I suppose so … for example, I’m an only child and so I love writing (and reading!) about big families. Little Women was my favorite book as a child.
Which other books did you read as a child? Do you still enjoy them as much now?
All books about the theater that I could get my hands on: Noel Streatfield’s Ballet Shoes, and Pamela Brown’s books. Also the whole of Enid Blyton and things like Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books. Also by Andrew Lang, a book called Tales of Troy which I still have and which I knew by heart … it’s all about the Trojan war etc.
What would you say are the biggest challenges that you face?
There’s only one challenge: to write the best book you can and then try not to fret too much about what happens to it when it goes out into the world.
How do you deal with these?
I try and think of Chekhov’s motto: "Write without hope and without despair." That’s it … I try and write each day when I’m in the middle of a book.
What are your latest books about?
My latest adult book, Made in Heaven is about a big wedding and my latest teenage book Ithaka is about Penelope waiting for Odysseus to come home from the Trojan war.
Made in Heaven took about 9 months and was published June 2006 by Orion London. Ithaka took a year, but it was divided up into bits around my adult novel writing, if you see what I mean. [It was] first published by David Fickling Books in October 2005 and by Harcourt Brace in the USA in Jan.2006. Ithaka [has also] published in Corgi Paperback in August 2006.
Which aspects of the work that you put into the books did you find most difficult?
The hardest part is the beginning … and I mean as well as the beginning of the book, the starting up every day.
How do you get around this problem?
I generally start by correcting what I’ve written the previous day … this gets the fingers working on the computer and seems to give me the impetus to go on …
Which did you enjoy most?
The best feeling in the world is having written … I love that.
What sets your latest books apart from the other things you have written?
Well, the adult novel is a bit of a departure, in that my other adult novels tend to have a ‘looking back into the past’ element and this one doesn’t.
Ithaka relates to Troy. That’s my novel about the Trojan War and these two are the only things I’ve written set in the Ancient world.
In what way are they similar?
Well, they’re both written by me, and I suppose they’re full of my preoccupations and they are in my ‘handwriting’ as it were … my particular style.
What preoccupations are these and just how much space do they take up in your life? Why is this so?
What I mean is: all the things I like, theater, cats, fabrics, food, books etc come up in my books, that’s all … they take up lots of space in my life because they sort of are my life! I mean that you can’t help the things you like appearing in your books. I like relationships, seeing how families work. I like to think about the influence of the past on the present. I am interested in the way memory works … etc.
What will your next book be about?
My next adult book is about the consequences of a will. My next children’s book … I’m not thinking about quite yet.
What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
I reckon my greatest success is that people are still interested in [my books]. Publishers are still interested in publishing my work, after 30 years in the business and ninety-two books published. And that some people like reading what I write.
How did you get there?
By not giving up at the beginning when I was getting rejection letters for about eighteen months … by doing what I like doing but also listening to other people.
You are also one of the few writers who are catering for children, young adults as well as adults. Why would you say this is so? Do you approach each of your books for children, young adults as well as adults in the same way or do they present different challenges? How do you deal with these challenges?
Each book presents a different challenge. It’s not to do with age. Each book is its own ‘thing’. You have to approach each one with a fresh eye, as it were. The main thing is to decide: whose point of view are you telling this story from? And then it becomes like a kind of acting job and you just become whoever it is ... be it a fat black cat or a retired ballerina! And I like to change and change about because I don’t want to be bored with what I’m doing. And I never am! The adult books take longer … about a year, I suppose … because there are more words in them …
Facing the Light, your first novel for adults was published in March 2003. What made you decide to write a novel for adults? How did the idea for the novel come to you?
FTL, as I call it, was one of those lucky things. The idea for the twist at the end of the story came to me out of the blue. I wrote about 80 pages and a detailed synopsis of the rest and an agent became interested in it and sold it to Orion in a very good two book deal. It has also been sold to 22 countries round the world … just signed a contract for Lithuania!
It got a lot of critical acclaim and attention and more than either of my other two books, but still, Hester’s Story did better ( in paperback it ended up on the bestseller lists) and it’s too early to tell with Made in Heaven. Hester’s Story has sold to about 10 countries and Made in Heaven to about five so far, though this may change with time, especially if it does well in paperback here.
What do you think made it so popular? In terms of how, they have been received, how do the subsequent novels compare to Facing the Light?
You can publish anything you like but you can’t make people buy it in huge quantities. If there was a sure-fire way of doing this, all books would cover their advances but they don’t!
I think Facing the Light was popular because it combined a family story with a mystery. People do like to have a secret they have to find out. Hester’s Story has been very well received, in terms of the feedback I’ve had … also had very good reviews. Made in Heaven has had hardly any reviews but I’ve had lots of people say they like it best of all … it’s quite different from the other two, and is about a family preparing for a big wedding.
The biggest difference between writing for children and adults is the length of the book.
Related books:
,,
Friday, June 8, 2007
Interview _ Katherine Roberts
Katherine Roberts graduated with a First in Mathematics from Bath University and has worked with computers, racehorses, and in a pet shop.
Her short stories have appeared in magazines such as Take A Break and in anthologies of horror fiction. Several of them have won awards and prizes.
Two of her earliest fantasy stories, "A Gift from the Merlee" and "Death Singer," eventually grew into her prize-winning first novel, Song Quest
, which was published in 1999 and won the Branford Boase Award for an outstanding first novel for children.
Katherine Roberts' novels include Spellfall (2000), Crystal Mask (2001), Dark Quetzal (2003), The Great Pyramid Robbery (2001), The Babylon Game (2002), The Amazon Temple Quest (2002), The Mausoleum Murder (2003), The Olympic Conspiracy (2004), and The Colossus Crisis (2005).
The Cleopatra Curse (2006) and I am the Great Horse (2006) are her most recent novels.
She spoke about her concerns as a writer.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
You don't decide to be a writer. Either you are or you aren't.
I take "writer" to mean "story teller", a person born with a vivid imagination. Writing, telling or singing stories will be part of their life, whether or not they make any money from doing it. The non-writer, on the other hand, will often be at a loss for something to write and find writing hard work. They might manage to write a successful book but they will only be doing it for money (or some other outside purpose), not for the pure joy of telling the story.
Who would you say has influenced you the most?
Almost all the writers I read, especially the ones I read as a child.
Childhood favourites include Anne McCaffrey, Ursula Le Guin, and just about anyone who wrote pony books. I still enjoy the fantasy writers and often re-read old favourites for comfort, though I think I've grown out of pony books -- an exception would be Blind Beauty by K. M. Peyton.
As an adult, I do not have favourite authors. I like to read a wide variety of genres and am attracted more to story than a writer's name. I often discover brilliant books in charity shops several years after they have gone out of print.
What are your main concerns as a writer?
The gulf between the public perception of authors (that we're all millionaires with glamorous lifestyles) and the more mundane reality -- it can be embarrassing when you get begging letters from charities and schools, etc.
How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?
I think it's too early to tell, though everything filters through eventually.
What would you say are the biggest challenges that you face?
Getting my books supported by book-selling chains.
The chains are reducing their range of books in favour of greater quantities of titles they know they can sell, such as biographies of famous football stars or fashionable authors. This means that a lot of published books simply do not get into the chain shops at all. Since Waterstones took over Ottakars at the end of this year, the choice has become even narrower.
How do you deal with these?
I have no control over this.
What is your latest book about?
I am the Great Horse is the epic story of Alexander the Great, told from the point of view of his war-horse Bucephalas. I first came across Alexander while researching my Seven Fabulous Wonders series. He was always there in the background, sometimes a hero, sometimes a villain. I knew I wanted to write a book about him, but didn't want it to be just another Alexander novelisation. The horse's viewpoint seemed obvious since I'm so keen on horses, and Bucephalas' "voice" came to me fully formed. He isn't meek and mild like Black Beauty ... he's a battle-scarred war stallion with attitude!
How long did it take you to write it?
About five years.
I wrote the first chapter from my memory of what I knew about Alexander, to capture Bucephalas' voice. Then I started collecting research material. During this time, I was still working on my Seven Fabulous Wonders books, so I was writing some of a Wonders book one day and researching Alexander the next. I used ancient Greek horsemanship books such as Xenophon's Art of Horsemanship, classics such as The Greek Alexander Romance, and two very good modern biographies of Alexander -- Peter Green's Alexander of Macedon and Robin Lane Fox's Alexander. I also used my own experience of being a racehorse groom.
When I started writing, I researched the history in a lot more detail as I wrote the first draft, so that my first draft became a journey of discovery for me as much as it must have been for Alexander, keeping some of the excitement ... I was determined to deliver my manuscript before Oliver Stone's film came out, and managed to do so in 2004, just a few weeks before its release. I then went to see the film and loved it.
Where and when was it published?
America August 2006, U.K. March 2007.
Which aspects of the work that you put into the book did you find most difficult?
Reducing the length by a quarter so that it could be published as one volume, not three.
Originally, it was 200,000 words. I wanted the book to be an epic read, rather than lose some of its power by splitting it into three. I also wanted it published as one volume because I know from experience how frustrating it can be trying to track down the various parts of a trilogy when you're ready to read them.
It was difficult to reduce the length because that meant cutting 50,000 words, which is almost the length of a normal sized book.
I prefer the published version, because reducing the length has made the story much tighter and stronger.
Which did you enjoy most?
Writing the horse's voice, which allowed me to sneak in all sorts of comments about the recent war in Iraq without anyone realizing.
So, what would you say I am the Great Horse is really about? And, why was it important for you to comment about the war in Iraq in this way?
I suppose it is my "post 9/11 novel", since I started it a few weeks after the twin towers came down in New York. If you think about what Alexander did back in 322BC, it mirrors almost exactly what Bush and Blair tried or are trying to do to Iraq and Iran after 9/11. The only difference being that Alexander led his men personally against the Persians (and he wasn't after oil).
What sets the book apart from the other things you have written?
It is written by a horse [and] yes, this is the first book I have written from the point of view of an animal. My other novels have young protagonists, usually in their teenage years. With Alexander, this would not have worked since his story spans his whole life. So I used the horse to tell the story instead.
In what way is it similar?
It covers a period of Eurasian history and includes elements of fantasy. I have always been a fan of fantasy and [science fiction] SF. My first four books were genre books -- the Echorium Sequence being a fantasy trilogy, and Spellfall being a fantasy meets real world story. My Seven Fabulous Wonders series is based on ancient Greek, Babylonian and Egyptian history and their myths and legends.
I'm not sure why I'm drawn to this kind of history, but I find it a rich field to work in.
What will your next book be about?
Genghis Khan.
I have been working on this book for two years, on and off. Research is all part of the fun and includes biographies of Genghis Khan, Secret History of the Mongols, Chinese horoscopes, and Mongolian poetry. I think there will be some poetry in the book. The idea came out of a collage I made when I was wondering what to write after I am the Great Horse. I ripped up some magazines, stuck down pictures and words that appealed to me, and ended up with a sheet of images that, to my total surprise, suggested Genghis Khan ... a worthy successor to Alexander!
What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
Keeping going.
It takes dedication and self-belief to keep writing and sending out work during periods when there is little encouragement or money coming in. I have won awards for my work, which is always nice because it means someone has recognized what you've done, but the real achievement is always sitting down at the blank page to write the next story.
How did you get there?
By remembering what Gandhi said: that whatever I do will be insignificant, but it is very important that I do it.
What does this mean to you personally?
Writing what I feel needs writing and following my heart, however insignificant my book might be once it is done. Not giving in to the demand for "commercial" books. Putting truth above fashion.
Her short stories have appeared in magazines such as Take A Break and in anthologies of horror fiction. Several of them have won awards and prizes.
Two of her earliest fantasy stories, "A Gift from the Merlee" and "Death Singer," eventually grew into her prize-winning first novel, Song Quest
, which was published in 1999 and won the Branford Boase Award for an outstanding first novel for children.Katherine Roberts' novels include Spellfall
(2000), Crystal Mask (2001), Dark Quetzal (2003), The Great Pyramid Robbery (2001), The Babylon Game (2002), The Amazon Temple Quest (2002), The Mausoleum Murder (2003), The Olympic Conspiracy (2004), and The Colossus Crisis (2005).The Cleopatra Curse
(2006) and I am the Great Horse (2006) are her most recent novels.She spoke about her concerns as a writer.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
You don't decide to be a writer. Either you are or you aren't.
I take "writer" to mean "story teller", a person born with a vivid imagination. Writing, telling or singing stories will be part of their life, whether or not they make any money from doing it. The non-writer, on the other hand, will often be at a loss for something to write and find writing hard work. They might manage to write a successful book but they will only be doing it for money (or some other outside purpose), not for the pure joy of telling the story.
Who would you say has influenced you the most?
Almost all the writers I read, especially the ones I read as a child.
Childhood favourites include Anne McCaffrey, Ursula Le Guin, and just about anyone who wrote pony books. I still enjoy the fantasy writers and often re-read old favourites for comfort, though I think I've grown out of pony books -- an exception would be Blind Beauty by K. M. Peyton.
As an adult, I do not have favourite authors. I like to read a wide variety of genres and am attracted more to story than a writer's name. I often discover brilliant books in charity shops several years after they have gone out of print.
What are your main concerns as a writer?
The gulf between the public perception of authors (that we're all millionaires with glamorous lifestyles) and the more mundane reality -- it can be embarrassing when you get begging letters from charities and schools, etc.
How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?
I think it's too early to tell, though everything filters through eventually.
What would you say are the biggest challenges that you face?
Getting my books supported by book-selling chains.
The chains are reducing their range of books in favour of greater quantities of titles they know they can sell, such as biographies of famous football stars or fashionable authors. This means that a lot of published books simply do not get into the chain shops at all. Since Waterstones took over Ottakars at the end of this year, the choice has become even narrower.
How do you deal with these?
I have no control over this.
What is your latest book about?
I am the Great Horse is the epic story of Alexander the Great, told from the point of view of his war-horse Bucephalas. I first came across Alexander while researching my Seven Fabulous Wonders series. He was always there in the background, sometimes a hero, sometimes a villain. I knew I wanted to write a book about him, but didn't want it to be just another Alexander novelisation. The horse's viewpoint seemed obvious since I'm so keen on horses, and Bucephalas' "voice" came to me fully formed. He isn't meek and mild like Black Beauty ... he's a battle-scarred war stallion with attitude!
How long did it take you to write it?
About five years.
I wrote the first chapter from my memory of what I knew about Alexander, to capture Bucephalas' voice. Then I started collecting research material. During this time, I was still working on my Seven Fabulous Wonders books, so I was writing some of a Wonders book one day and researching Alexander the next. I used ancient Greek horsemanship books such as Xenophon's Art of Horsemanship
, classics such as The Greek Alexander Romance, and two very good modern biographies of Alexander -- Peter Green's Alexander of Macedon and Robin Lane Fox's Alexander. I also used my own experience of being a racehorse groom.When I started writing, I researched the history in a lot more detail as I wrote the first draft, so that my first draft became a journey of discovery for me as much as it must have been for Alexander, keeping some of the excitement ... I was determined to deliver my manuscript before Oliver Stone's film came out, and managed to do so in 2004, just a few weeks before its release. I then went to see the film and loved it.
Where and when was it published?
America August 2006, U.K. March 2007.
Which aspects of the work that you put into the book did you find most difficult?
Reducing the length by a quarter so that it could be published as one volume, not three.
Originally, it was 200,000 words. I wanted the book to be an epic read, rather than lose some of its power by splitting it into three. I also wanted it published as one volume because I know from experience how frustrating it can be trying to track down the various parts of a trilogy when you're ready to read them.
It was difficult to reduce the length because that meant cutting 50,000 words, which is almost the length of a normal sized book.
I prefer the published version, because reducing the length has made the story much tighter and stronger.
Which did you enjoy most?
Writing the horse's voice, which allowed me to sneak in all sorts of comments about the recent war in Iraq without anyone realizing.
So, what would you say I am the Great Horse
is really about? And, why was it important for you to comment about the war in Iraq in this way?I suppose it is my "post 9/11 novel", since I started it a few weeks after the twin towers came down in New York. If you think about what Alexander did back in 322BC, it mirrors almost exactly what Bush and Blair tried or are trying to do to Iraq and Iran after 9/11. The only difference being that Alexander led his men personally against the Persians (and he wasn't after oil).
What sets the book apart from the other things you have written?
It is written by a horse [and] yes, this is the first book I have written from the point of view of an animal. My other novels have young protagonists, usually in their teenage years. With Alexander, this would not have worked since his story spans his whole life. So I used the horse to tell the story instead.
In what way is it similar?
It covers a period of Eurasian history and includes elements of fantasy. I have always been a fan of fantasy and [science fiction] SF. My first four books were genre books -- the Echorium Sequence
being a fantasy trilogy, and Spellfall being a fantasy meets real world story. My Seven Fabulous Wonders series is based on ancient Greek, Babylonian and Egyptian history and their myths and legends.I'm not sure why I'm drawn to this kind of history, but I find it a rich field to work in.
What will your next book be about?
Genghis Khan.
I have been working on this book for two years, on and off. Research is all part of the fun and includes biographies of Genghis Khan, Secret History of the Mongols
, Chinese horoscopes, and Mongolian poetry. I think there will be some poetry in the book. The idea came out of a collage I made when I was wondering what to write after I am the Great Horse. I ripped up some magazines, stuck down pictures and words that appealed to me, and ended up with a sheet of images that, to my total surprise, suggested Genghis Khan ... a worthy successor to Alexander!What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
Keeping going.
It takes dedication and self-belief to keep writing and sending out work during periods when there is little encouragement or money coming in. I have won awards for my work, which is always nice because it means someone has recognized what you've done, but the real achievement is always sitting down at the blank page to write the next story.
How did you get there?
By remembering what Gandhi said: that whatever I do will be insignificant, but it is very important that I do it.
What does this mean to you personally?
Writing what I feel needs writing and following my heart, however insignificant my book might be once it is done. Not giving in to the demand for "commercial" books. Putting truth above fashion.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
[Interview] M. J. Pearson
M.J. Pearson is the author of two highly commended gay historical romance novels.
Her debut novel, The Price of Temptation
, came out in 2005 and was a finalist in the Romance category of the Lambda Literary Awards.
Discreet Young Gentleman, her second novel, was declared a winner in the Published category of the Great Beginnings contest that is sponsored by the Utah chapter of the Romance Writers of America.
In an interview which took place on November 12, M. J. Pearson spoke about her concerns as a writer.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I've wanted to be a writer my entire life. For years I just thought I didn't have anything important to say -- at the same time, I always told myself stories to get to sleep at night -- serials that might run for months before they either hit a logical ending, or just faded away. Finally, as I approached my forties, it occurred to me that the stories that entertained me might entertain other people, so I started writing them down.
[My main influence] as a person [is] my mother, who tried to bring us up to care about other people and to look at life with an open mind. As a writer [it’s] Barbara Mertz, who writes romantic suspense and mystery under the names Barbara Michaels and Elizabeth Peters. Her books are consistently smart, funny and romantic -- if someone could make the same claim about me once I have a body of work out there, I'd die happy.
What are your main concerns as a writer?
My main concern is telling a good story, and reaching as many people as I can with it. If I can open some minds along the way, even better.
How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?
I was maybe six or seven years old when my older cousin came out as a lesbian, so gay people have always been a normal part of my life, and as time went on included family members, teachers, co-workers, friends. That, and a certain flexibility in my own sexuality, makes writing gay romance as "normal" as writing anything else.
What would you say are the biggest challenges that you face?
There's still a bit of an acceptance issue. When I first joined the Romance Writers of America, for instance, it was just as certain people began lobbying to exclude same-sex couples from the definition of "romance." That battle should have been won when the RWA Board of Directors made it clear that, in their words, "any definition of romance should be broad and inclusive." Unfortunately, there are members who won't give up the fight.
But acceptance goes both ways. My publisher asked me to use my initials instead of my first name, since he thought there would be gay men who would be unwilling to read a gay romance written by a woman. So far, I've yet to see any of that in person -- I've had great comments and fan mail from gay guys.
How do you deal with these?
I'm a bit of a fighter -- when the RWA sent out the infamous survey asking the membership if they wanted to restrict "romance" to relationships between one man and one woman, I emailed all the members of the Board of Directors, and just last month had a letter to the editor published in the October Romance Writers Report (RWA's magazine) in response to a woman who still insists the definition should exclude same-sex relationships. Fortunately, there were a whole bunch of letters objecting to this woman's views, including many of the greats in the genre (Nora Roberts, Jenny Crusie). Maybe this time, the issue has been put to rest for good.
As to acceptance from the gay community -- like I said, I've yet to have a direct problem. I hope it's because my books speak for themselves.
How many books have you written so far?
So far, I've had two books published, The Price of Temptation and Discreet Young Gentleman, and have three others written in draft form (meaning they still need some work). And I'm working on a sixth right now.
Do you write everyday?
Since last winter, I've been writing full time. I try to write every day, Monday through Friday, and leave the weekend for other things. Most of my productive time is in the morning, while in the afternoon I try to catch up on research and email. Right now, I'm doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, where the goal is to produce 50,000 words during the month of November), which has skewed this a bit -- I find myself writing evenings and weekends to try to make my goal.
What is your latest novel about?
In my latest book, Discreet Young Gentleman, Dean Smith is set up by someone to be found with a male prostitute, which destroys his engagement to a wealthy heiress. He teams up with the prostitute, Rob, to travel to Bath and try to find out who was behind it -- only to fall in love along the way.
How long did it take you to write it?
I wrote the bulk of it last winter, between January and the end of March. I sent the draft to my agent, who suggested some changes, and worked on the revisions for a month or so. Then, once it was sold to Seventh Window, Ken Harrison of SW had additional suggestions. So figure three months writing, and another two or three on revisions, for five or six months total.
When and where was it published?
My publisher is Seventh Window Publications, a gay press in Rhode Island.
The official release date was October 31, 2006, but it takes some time after that to make its way to the distributors, and from there to bookstores.
Which aspects of the work that you put into the novel did you find most difficult?
The challenge of writing any romance is to introduce two people you know are perfect for each other, then keeping them apart until the end, without seeming too contrived. Pacing was at times difficult when I was writing Discreet Young Gentleman -- is it too early for Dean to realize he's attracted to Rob? Is there too much tension between them? Not enough? When should it be clear that they're becoming friends, and then falling in love? Hard to nail.
Which did you enjoy most?
I'm a lifelong history buff, so the research is always a lot of fun for me. In this one, I incorporated several real-life ghost stories from the places Dean and Rob visit (as well as making up one or two to fit particular circumstances), and tried to use them to reflect the way the two men were feeling at the point in the story where they hear about the ghosts. I hope it makes it a more interesting read for people who pick up on what I'm doing, and I really love weaving stuff like that into my books.
What sets the novel apart from the others that you have written?
I'm more confident with my writing now, so in addition to telling a story, I can try to say more beneath the surface, if that makes sense. One example is what I mentioned above about using the ghost stories to reflect the main characters' feelings.
Another is that there's a subtext concerning the creation of identity: it's perhaps most obvious with Rob, who deliberately chose his first name to honor a very romantic story someone once told him, and in doing so makes it clear that love is very important to him. Later, it turns out that Dean is also choosing to use a particular variation of his own name, and once readers understand Dean's family history, they should be able to puzzle out why.
There's a little more to it, but I don't want to give any more away.
In what way is it similar to the others?
I hope Discreet Young Gentleman is as romantic as The Price of Temptation was, and that I was able to inject enough humor for the occasional laugh. The two books are set in the same era (the English Regency), although Discreet Young Gentleman actually takes place a year before the action in The Price of Temptation.
What will your next book be about?
The one I'm working on for NaNoWriMo is about an English soldier who falls -- hard -- for a Frenchman who is (supposedly) working with the English army during the Napoleonic Wars. Then the Frenchman steals some important documents and flees to the other side... It's got war. Intrigue. Betrayal. A little cross-dressing. And despite the circumstances, I promise -- there will be a happy ending.
What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
It was a big day for me when I learned I'd made the finals in the romance category of the Lambda Literary Awards -- and for my first book. That was a "Wow!" moment I'll never forget.
How did you get there?
I learned to write first and foremost by being an avid reader for my entire life. Then I worked hard at creating the best book I could, and after that I credit my agent, Sharene Martin, and my publisher, Ken Harrison at Seventh Window, for believing in me and giving me a chance to get published. I couldn't have done it without them.
Related books:
,,
Her debut novel, The Price of Temptation
, came out in 2005 and was a finalist in the Romance category of the Lambda Literary Awards.Discreet Young Gentleman
, her second novel, was declared a winner in the Published category of the Great Beginnings contest that is sponsored by the Utah chapter of the Romance Writers of America.In an interview which took place on November 12, M. J. Pearson spoke about her concerns as a writer.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I've wanted to be a writer my entire life. For years I just thought I didn't have anything important to say -- at the same time, I always told myself stories to get to sleep at night -- serials that might run for months before they either hit a logical ending, or just faded away. Finally, as I approached my forties, it occurred to me that the stories that entertained me might entertain other people, so I started writing them down.
[My main influence] as a person [is] my mother, who tried to bring us up to care about other people and to look at life with an open mind. As a writer [it’s] Barbara Mertz, who writes romantic suspense and mystery under the names Barbara Michaels and Elizabeth Peters. Her books are consistently smart, funny and romantic -- if someone could make the same claim about me once I have a body of work out there, I'd die happy.
What are your main concerns as a writer?
My main concern is telling a good story, and reaching as many people as I can with it. If I can open some minds along the way, even better.
How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?
I was maybe six or seven years old when my older cousin came out as a lesbian, so gay people have always been a normal part of my life, and as time went on included family members, teachers, co-workers, friends. That, and a certain flexibility in my own sexuality, makes writing gay romance as "normal" as writing anything else.
What would you say are the biggest challenges that you face?
There's still a bit of an acceptance issue. When I first joined the Romance Writers of America, for instance, it was just as certain people began lobbying to exclude same-sex couples from the definition of "romance." That battle should have been won when the RWA Board of Directors made it clear that, in their words, "any definition of romance should be broad and inclusive." Unfortunately, there are members who won't give up the fight.
But acceptance goes both ways. My publisher asked me to use my initials instead of my first name, since he thought there would be gay men who would be unwilling to read a gay romance written by a woman. So far, I've yet to see any of that in person -- I've had great comments and fan mail from gay guys.
How do you deal with these?
I'm a bit of a fighter -- when the RWA sent out the infamous survey asking the membership if they wanted to restrict "romance" to relationships between one man and one woman, I emailed all the members of the Board of Directors, and just last month had a letter to the editor published in the October Romance Writers Report (RWA's magazine) in response to a woman who still insists the definition should exclude same-sex relationships. Fortunately, there were a whole bunch of letters objecting to this woman's views, including many of the greats in the genre (Nora Roberts, Jenny Crusie). Maybe this time, the issue has been put to rest for good.
As to acceptance from the gay community -- like I said, I've yet to have a direct problem. I hope it's because my books speak for themselves.
How many books have you written so far?
So far, I've had two books published, The Price of Temptation
and Discreet Young Gentleman, and have three others written in draft form (meaning they still need some work). And I'm working on a sixth right now.Do you write everyday?
Since last winter, I've been writing full time. I try to write every day, Monday through Friday, and leave the weekend for other things. Most of my productive time is in the morning, while in the afternoon I try to catch up on research and email. Right now, I'm doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, where the goal is to produce 50,000 words during the month of November), which has skewed this a bit -- I find myself writing evenings and weekends to try to make my goal.
What is your latest novel about?
In my latest book, Discreet Young Gentleman
, Dean Smith is set up by someone to be found with a male prostitute, which destroys his engagement to a wealthy heiress. He teams up with the prostitute, Rob, to travel to Bath and try to find out who was behind it -- only to fall in love along the way.How long did it take you to write it?
I wrote the bulk of it last winter, between January and the end of March. I sent the draft to my agent, who suggested some changes, and worked on the revisions for a month or so. Then, once it was sold to Seventh Window, Ken Harrison of SW had additional suggestions. So figure three months writing, and another two or three on revisions, for five or six months total.
When and where was it published?
My publisher is Seventh Window Publications, a gay press in Rhode Island.
The official release date was October 31, 2006, but it takes some time after that to make its way to the distributors, and from there to bookstores.
Which aspects of the work that you put into the novel did you find most difficult?
The challenge of writing any romance is to introduce two people you know are perfect for each other, then keeping them apart until the end, without seeming too contrived. Pacing was at times difficult when I was writing Discreet Young Gentleman
-- is it too early for Dean to realize he's attracted to Rob? Is there too much tension between them? Not enough? When should it be clear that they're becoming friends, and then falling in love? Hard to nail.Which did you enjoy most?
I'm a lifelong history buff, so the research is always a lot of fun for me. In this one, I incorporated several real-life ghost stories from the places Dean and Rob visit (as well as making up one or two to fit particular circumstances), and tried to use them to reflect the way the two men were feeling at the point in the story where they hear about the ghosts. I hope it makes it a more interesting read for people who pick up on what I'm doing, and I really love weaving stuff like that into my books.
What sets the novel apart from the others that you have written?
I'm more confident with my writing now, so in addition to telling a story, I can try to say more beneath the surface, if that makes sense. One example is what I mentioned above about using the ghost stories to reflect the main characters' feelings.
Another is that there's a subtext concerning the creation of identity: it's perhaps most obvious with Rob, who deliberately chose his first name to honor a very romantic story someone once told him, and in doing so makes it clear that love is very important to him. Later, it turns out that Dean is also choosing to use a particular variation of his own name, and once readers understand Dean's family history, they should be able to puzzle out why.
There's a little more to it, but I don't want to give any more away.
In what way is it similar to the others?
I hope Discreet Young Gentleman
is as romantic as The Price of Temptation was, and that I was able to inject enough humor for the occasional laugh. The two books are set in the same era (the English Regency), although Discreet Young Gentleman actually takes place a year before the action in The Price of Temptation.What will your next book be about?
The one I'm working on for NaNoWriMo is about an English soldier who falls -- hard -- for a Frenchman who is (supposedly) working with the English army during the Napoleonic Wars. Then the Frenchman steals some important documents and flees to the other side... It's got war. Intrigue. Betrayal. A little cross-dressing. And despite the circumstances, I promise -- there will be a happy ending.
What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
It was a big day for me when I learned I'd made the finals in the romance category of the Lambda Literary Awards -- and for my first book. That was a "Wow!" moment I'll never forget.
How did you get there?
I learned to write first and foremost by being an avid reader for my entire life. Then I worked hard at creating the best book I could, and after that I credit my agent, Sharene Martin, and my publisher, Ken Harrison at Seventh Window, for believing in me and giving me a chance to get published. I couldn't have done it without them.
Related books:
,,
Monday, June 4, 2007
Interview _ Siobhan Logan
Poetry, Football and the Spirits in the Sky
For centuries, people in the northern hemisphere have been so entranced by aurora borealis, the eerie display of lights that invade the winter skies, that they have woven myths and legends around these lights.
Colour Catchers, an all-star cast poetry performance that will be hosted on December 12, 2006, by Leicestershire poet, Siobhan Logan will be exploring some of these myths and legends.
The performance will revolve around a sequence of 13 poems which range from intimate personal accounts to epic narratives of unearthly journeys.
Siobhan Logan says:
She observes that although each culture has its own way of reading the shifting colours in the night sky, there are recurring themes.
Related article:
Interview _ Siobhan Logan, Conversations with Writers, April 11, 2007
For centuries, people in the northern hemisphere have been so entranced by aurora borealis, the eerie display of lights that invade the winter skies, that they have woven myths and legends around these lights.
Colour Catchers, an all-star cast poetry performance that will be hosted on December 12, 2006, by Leicestershire poet, Siobhan Logan will be exploring some of these myths and legends.
The performance will revolve around a sequence of 13 poems which range from intimate personal accounts to epic narratives of unearthly journeys.
Siobhan Logan says:
Some of them focus on the science of what we know about the Aurora Borealis. But for most, I've raided this fantastic story-hoard from countries across the Arctic Circle. "Naming the Lights", for instance, is based on the various names used for the lights by people from the Native Americans of Alaska, to the Inuits of Greenland, the Scots, Laplanders, Russians, etc.She came up with the idea for the sequence of poems after a collaboration with digital artist and writer, Jackie Stanley.
Originally, I was invited to work with the digital artist/writer Jackie Stanley on an exhibition to be shown in the Physics Department of Leicester University. They have scientists studying the Aurora Borealis there. She produced a short film based on one of my poems, "Auroral Football", and it was shown last May at Frog Island Mills.Eventually the Physics Department's reception area proved unsuitable for a sound installation, but by then, the poems had grown into a major project for Siobhan Logan.
Over the last year, I've developed a sequence of 15 poems — the material was just so rich and diverse, stretching across many countries and cultures.She was also drawn to the subject because she has always been fascinated by the idea of the North and with how the legends that have evolved around the northern lights seem to connect diverse cultures.
For me, as a child born in Northern Ireland and growing up in Bolton, Northern England, the idea of the North has always had a pull. We all have our own compass, our own poles, but these legends cross our globe and connect it. Perhaps at a time when ice-caps are crumbling, we should re-acquaint ourselves with a North that may be fast disappearing.She adds that nothing would cheer her more than to wake up to a good hard frost on the morning of the performance.
She observes that although each culture has its own way of reading the shifting colours in the night sky, there are recurring themes.
I was struck by one story that the lights appear when the spirits are playing football! Both Inuits and Native Americans spoke of this.Another theme she noticed was that, often, the 'sky-land' is seen as a place where ancestors reside and that this believe is still very present in our lives today.
These myths explore life and death, crossing over the boundaries, how we relate to our dead. But they also are about communities transmitting stories orally.In her own poems, Siobhan Logan found recurring father-son relationships and stories about how generations connect.
So there's a lot about rootedness and home as well as the mystery of nature.She chose to stage the performance on December 12 because this seemed to be the perfect time for the performance.
Tucked in between the great festivals of Diwali, Eid and Christmas, between the bonfires and fireworks, these myths are about the lights punching through winter's darkness. Even in Leicester, far from the Arctic Circle, people have heard of the Aurora Borealis, seen glimpses in nature programmes. This performance will bring the lights, and the myths surrounding them, home to us.For the December 12 performance, Siobhan Logan will be acting as the event's host and will be introducing projected images of the lights and knitting it all together with the poetry.
I will be joined by some friends from Leicester Writers' Club, a community of local writers. Rod Duncan, Chris d'Lacey and Maxine Linnell will help me to dramatise the poems, taking different roles and stories. There will be lights and darkness and voices — and in between, we'll share out some cake.She found researching the myths and legends that are associated with the northern lights to be a rewarding experience.
Personally, the research and writing of the poems has been an inspiring journey, taking my writing in different directions. I feel privileged to have a chance to share these wonderful stories. Hopefully, the performance will be something of a communal affair itself — hence the cake!
Related article:
Interview _ Siobhan Logan, Conversations with Writers, April 11, 2007
Friday, June 1, 2007
[Interview] Linda L. Rucker
Linda L. Rucker is part of the growing number of authors who are turning to self-publishing as a way of making their books available to a wider audience.
She has published two novels, What the Heart Wants and Dark Ridge as well as a collection of short stories, Words out of Time. Her short stories have also been featured in the anthologies, Forget Me Knots from the Front Porch; Romancing the Soul; the 2005 Riverdale Short Story Annual and in April Rollins’ Coffee Camp Review Magazine.
She spoke about her writing and her concerns as a self-published author.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I started writing in the eight grade when our English teacher gave us an assignment. We were to write a 1,000 word short story for a contest that was being sponsored by a national scholastic magazine. Our entries would be judged, and the winning entry would be entered into a statewide competition , the winner of that would go on to the national level.
I was happy that I was named the winner of our class competition, elated when I won the state competition and flabbergasted when I won the national competition. Seeing my story, and my name in that little magazine was the catalyst. From that point on I knew I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to be as famous as Margaret Mitchell or Harper Lee.
Who would you say has influenced you the most?
Authors? I'd say Margaret Mitchell and Harper Lee. I am a southerner and I love their voice. And folks from the south are notorious storytellers.
What are your main concerns as a writer?
Not being recognized as such. It's a damn shame that there are so many talented writers out there that will never get the recognition they deserve simply because the major publishing houses hold the power of what the public gets to read.
It's like there is an unwritten law in publishing that if you are not an already well established author or a celebrity, then your books have no merit and are not worthy of publication. And that is just plain stupid. That mindset has deprived all readers of some wonderful stories, by some truly talented writers.
How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?
My writing is so eclectic. I don't like to be pigeonholed. For instance, Steven King is known as a horror writer, John Grisham writes courtroom dramas, Danielle Steele, romance,and so on. So, when one of them breaks out of that genre, like King has done with his newest novel, Lisey's Story, or Grisham's, The Painted House, fans tend to get upset.
I don't want that. I want my readers to expect the unexpected from my books. I wrote, What the Heart Wants and called it " not your ordinary love story. So, readers know going in that there is no flowers and candy in that book. Dark Ridge is a drama/thriller and other books I'm working on are all in even different genres. I won't be one of those formulaic writers.
What would you say are the biggest challenges that you face?
Getting an agent that is worth that 15% they are demanding. One that will understand my writing, my goals and share them with me. But, also one that will go to bat for me against the big guns that hold this business in their hands.
But also, being satisfied with my work. So far I haven't been. I always think I can do better, and I most likely can. Oh, and getting some discipline! I am the most undisciplined writer I know.
How do you deal with these?
Getting an agent is probably the hardest thing to deal with. You know there are thousands of writers and wannabes out there deluging agents mailboxes daily, fighting for attention and representation. It is almost impossible to get one to read past that query letter that a lot of writers, me included, are just no good at. If you can't hook an agent with your query letter, then he/she will never ask for a sample or complete manuscript. But, the only way to win is to persevere, so giving up is just not an option. I am nothing if not stubborn and determined.
And discipline? I have no idea. I try very hard to set aside a certain amount of time daily for my writing, but something always seems to pop up. It's downright disturbing, but what can you do?
How many books have you written so far?
Completed? I have two. Both published. One [was published] by that so called traditional royalty paying publisher that offered no editing, no marketing, no promotional tools whatsoever, and one [Dark Ridge] was published by a vanity or subsidy press. However, that book was edited, fairly well, has some promotion and marketing tools and it is one I am proud of, to a degree, so I try to hawk it whenever I can. Of course, not one to toot my own horn, I have a difficult time with self promotion, which doesn't help when you're trying to sell your book!
Which “traditional royalty paying publisher” was this?
The publisher was Publish America. I was thrilled when they sent me a contract for What the Heart Wants. I had a publisher and I wasn't going to have to fork over a single dime of my royalties to an agent. When my copy of my book arrived, I actually cried; tears of pride and happiness.
After I read the book, I cried again; tears of frustration and humiliation. I was tempted to call them and tell them to pull my book out of publication. You see, from the time I signed the contract until the time I held the finished product in my hands, I had joined dozens of writing groups and took some on-line writing workshops, bought some books on editing and knew about 150% more about style and formatting, grammar, etc. than I did when I wrote the book.
This company took that manuscript; raw, unedited, filled with errors in style, formatting, grammar, and tenses, and written in a pretty passive voice and published it, stuck a $19.95 price tag on it and offered it up for sale.
I was devastated. While the story is unique and original, and like nothing I had read before, it was just not professionally edited and I, at least could see that.
I was so embarrassed by the book that I flat out refused to promote the thing. I didn't want anyone to know that I wrote it.
In the book's defense, as I said, it is a very good story and if you can get past the obvious editing problems, you will really enjoy it. But, for me it was just too embarrassing. To the point that I almost created a pen name for my subsequent books.
Do you write everyday?
I try to write at least a thousand words everyday. It's not always easy, and that's where the disciple comes in. I don't measure my writing in time, but in words.
What is your latest book about?
Dark Ridge is set in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee in the last days of 1948. Two young boys discover a nude, half dead young woman and [they] take her to their home.
Dark Ridge was one of those books that seemingly write itself. It took me six months to write the book and another six to edit it and cut it. When finished, it came in at well over 120,000 words, and knowing all too well that unknown authors were seldom accepted for publication, and especially if their work is over 100,000 words, I had a lot of painful editing and cutting to do before I got it whittled down to 107,000 words. Still long, but I couldn't cut any more and maintain the integrity of the story. So, all in all, it took me the better part of a year and half to finish it.
Where was it published?
Dark Ridge was released in October of 2006. Published by Page Free Publishers, it sadly bears the stigma of a self-published book, but it is one that I am not ashamed of. It can be ordered through Barnes and Nobles, Amazon.com, the Page Free Publishing site and can also be ordered at any book retailer in the country. It is, I believe, also available in the U.K. and Europe, as it is available through Ingram's and Baker and Taylor's.
You are almost apologetic for having self-published your book. Why is this?
Ahhh, because of the stigma. No matter how good the book is, if it is self-published, it will get very little recognition. I'm not apologetic for the book, just the means by which it was published, because unless I go out and drum up support for it, the chances of Dark Ridge becoming a best seller or garnering the attention of one of the major houses are slim to none. Why? Because it is self published.
Now, that's not to say it isn't worthy of recognition, its just that I am not given to self promotion. And, I don't write for the market. I write for myself. Probably a death sentence for an author, but I firmly believe that a writer should write from his/her heart, not the publisher's pocketbook.
My philosophy? A writer should write what he/she wants to read, enjoys reading, and that's just what I do. Probably won't ever get that big contract, or that huge advance and I'll never be on The Tonight Show, but I at least have the satisfaction of looking over at my bookcase and seeing several books that I have either written or contributed to, and for me, that's fine.
But, on the off chance anyone reading this wants to read the book, do go to Amazon.com and order it, or better yet, your local book retailer and order it. If enough book stores order it, and other self published books, then that stigma will be erased. Wouldn't that be lovely?
Which aspects of the work that you put into Dark Ridge did you find most difficult?
The most difficult was the police investigation done by Sheriff Amos Quimby. Not up on police procedural and especially from the forties, it was hard for me to be sure that the techniques I used in the investigations were accurate.
Which did you enjoy most?
The dialog. At the time I wrote Dark Ridge, I lived in the mountains of eastern Tennessee. I spoke daily to the people and delighted in their accents and the colloquialisms. It made writing the dialog all the easier and gave it a more authentic ring .
What sets the book apart from the other things you have written?
Well, its certainly longer, and a lot more complex. I truly came to love the characters, and to even hate a couple of them. The characters were more like friends or family than any of my other characters in any of my other works. The town of Maylorsville and especially Dark Ridge itself felt like home to me, so I was really very comfortable while there, and I think the writing shows the familiarity, at least I hope so.
Dark Ridge is also a dark drama that uses innuendo and subtlety to get the point across instead of in your face realism like the sequel does. The reader knows that Harlan has molested his daughter, but there are no graphic details to slap the reader in the face. In that respect, it is a bit more for general audiences than the sequel to it, or some of my other works.
In what way is it similar?
All of my books and stories are set in the rural south. Dark Ridge is no exception. It also uses love and family as the catalyst for the drama, as do all of my works.
What will your next book be about?
I am currently at work on several different novels. One is a vampire novel with a twist you won't see coming, one a paranormal, not your everyday ghost story, one is the sequel to Dark Ridge. You can read an excerpt of Caney Creek, the sequel to Dark Ridge on my website.
What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
Being published, of course. Knowing that someone liked what I wrote enough to actually publish it, and to even pay me for it. But, far more than the money is the knowledge that someone liked what I wrote, me, Linda L Rucker!
How did you get there?
It's been a long row to hoe, as we say down south. A long journey that had dozens of detours and dead ends, and one I'm still making. You see, I'm not 'there' yet. I may never be, but I can tell you one thing, the journey is worth the trip! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to write. You might not get noticed, you might never be published, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you tried. Not everyone can write, but everyone thinks they can, so if you think you can, what have you got to lose? Give it shot.
A response from Shawn Street, a PublishAmerica public relations representative is accessible on OhmyNews International where this article was first published.
Related books:
,,
She has published two novels, What the Heart Wants and Dark Ridge as well as a collection of short stories, Words out of Time. Her short stories have also been featured in the anthologies, Forget Me Knots from the Front Porch; Romancing the Soul; the 2005 Riverdale Short Story Annual and in April Rollins’ Coffee Camp Review Magazine.
She spoke about her writing and her concerns as a self-published author.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I started writing in the eight grade when our English teacher gave us an assignment. We were to write a 1,000 word short story for a contest that was being sponsored by a national scholastic magazine. Our entries would be judged, and the winning entry would be entered into a statewide competition , the winner of that would go on to the national level.
I was happy that I was named the winner of our class competition, elated when I won the state competition and flabbergasted when I won the national competition. Seeing my story, and my name in that little magazine was the catalyst. From that point on I knew I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to be as famous as Margaret Mitchell or Harper Lee.
Who would you say has influenced you the most?
Authors? I'd say Margaret Mitchell and Harper Lee. I am a southerner and I love their voice. And folks from the south are notorious storytellers.
What are your main concerns as a writer?
Not being recognized as such. It's a damn shame that there are so many talented writers out there that will never get the recognition they deserve simply because the major publishing houses hold the power of what the public gets to read.
It's like there is an unwritten law in publishing that if you are not an already well established author or a celebrity, then your books have no merit and are not worthy of publication. And that is just plain stupid. That mindset has deprived all readers of some wonderful stories, by some truly talented writers.
How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?
My writing is so eclectic. I don't like to be pigeonholed. For instance, Steven King is known as a horror writer, John Grisham writes courtroom dramas, Danielle Steele, romance,and so on. So, when one of them breaks out of that genre, like King has done with his newest novel, Lisey's Story, or Grisham's, The Painted House, fans tend to get upset.
I don't want that. I want my readers to expect the unexpected from my books. I wrote, What the Heart Wants and called it " not your ordinary love story. So, readers know going in that there is no flowers and candy in that book. Dark Ridge is a drama/thriller and other books I'm working on are all in even different genres. I won't be one of those formulaic writers.
What would you say are the biggest challenges that you face?
Getting an agent that is worth that 15% they are demanding. One that will understand my writing, my goals and share them with me. But, also one that will go to bat for me against the big guns that hold this business in their hands.
But also, being satisfied with my work. So far I haven't been. I always think I can do better, and I most likely can. Oh, and getting some discipline! I am the most undisciplined writer I know.
How do you deal with these?
Getting an agent is probably the hardest thing to deal with. You know there are thousands of writers and wannabes out there deluging agents mailboxes daily, fighting for attention and representation. It is almost impossible to get one to read past that query letter that a lot of writers, me included, are just no good at. If you can't hook an agent with your query letter, then he/she will never ask for a sample or complete manuscript. But, the only way to win is to persevere, so giving up is just not an option. I am nothing if not stubborn and determined.
And discipline? I have no idea. I try very hard to set aside a certain amount of time daily for my writing, but something always seems to pop up. It's downright disturbing, but what can you do?
How many books have you written so far?
Completed? I have two. Both published. One [was published] by that so called traditional royalty paying publisher that offered no editing, no marketing, no promotional tools whatsoever, and one [Dark Ridge] was published by a vanity or subsidy press. However, that book was edited, fairly well, has some promotion and marketing tools and it is one I am proud of, to a degree, so I try to hawk it whenever I can. Of course, not one to toot my own horn, I have a difficult time with self promotion, which doesn't help when you're trying to sell your book!
Which “traditional royalty paying publisher” was this?
The publisher was Publish America. I was thrilled when they sent me a contract for What the Heart Wants. I had a publisher and I wasn't going to have to fork over a single dime of my royalties to an agent. When my copy of my book arrived, I actually cried; tears of pride and happiness.
After I read the book, I cried again; tears of frustration and humiliation. I was tempted to call them and tell them to pull my book out of publication. You see, from the time I signed the contract until the time I held the finished product in my hands, I had joined dozens of writing groups and took some on-line writing workshops, bought some books on editing and knew about 150% more about style and formatting, grammar, etc. than I did when I wrote the book.
This company took that manuscript; raw, unedited, filled with errors in style, formatting, grammar, and tenses, and written in a pretty passive voice and published it, stuck a $19.95 price tag on it and offered it up for sale.
I was devastated. While the story is unique and original, and like nothing I had read before, it was just not professionally edited and I, at least could see that.
I was so embarrassed by the book that I flat out refused to promote the thing. I didn't want anyone to know that I wrote it.
In the book's defense, as I said, it is a very good story and if you can get past the obvious editing problems, you will really enjoy it. But, for me it was just too embarrassing. To the point that I almost created a pen name for my subsequent books.
Do you write everyday?
I try to write at least a thousand words everyday. It's not always easy, and that's where the disciple comes in. I don't measure my writing in time, but in words.
What is your latest book about?
Dark Ridge is set in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee in the last days of 1948. Two young boys discover a nude, half dead young woman and [they] take her to their home.
Dark Ridge was one of those books that seemingly write itself. It took me six months to write the book and another six to edit it and cut it. When finished, it came in at well over 120,000 words, and knowing all too well that unknown authors were seldom accepted for publication, and especially if their work is over 100,000 words, I had a lot of painful editing and cutting to do before I got it whittled down to 107,000 words. Still long, but I couldn't cut any more and maintain the integrity of the story. So, all in all, it took me the better part of a year and half to finish it.
Where was it published?
Dark Ridge was released in October of 2006. Published by Page Free Publishers, it sadly bears the stigma of a self-published book, but it is one that I am not ashamed of. It can be ordered through Barnes and Nobles, Amazon.com, the Page Free Publishing site and can also be ordered at any book retailer in the country. It is, I believe, also available in the U.K. and Europe, as it is available through Ingram's and Baker and Taylor's.
You are almost apologetic for having self-published your book. Why is this?
Ahhh, because of the stigma. No matter how good the book is, if it is self-published, it will get very little recognition. I'm not apologetic for the book, just the means by which it was published, because unless I go out and drum up support for it, the chances of Dark Ridge becoming a best seller or garnering the attention of one of the major houses are slim to none. Why? Because it is self published.
Now, that's not to say it isn't worthy of recognition, its just that I am not given to self promotion. And, I don't write for the market. I write for myself. Probably a death sentence for an author, but I firmly believe that a writer should write from his/her heart, not the publisher's pocketbook.
My philosophy? A writer should write what he/she wants to read, enjoys reading, and that's just what I do. Probably won't ever get that big contract, or that huge advance and I'll never be on The Tonight Show, but I at least have the satisfaction of looking over at my bookcase and seeing several books that I have either written or contributed to, and for me, that's fine.
But, on the off chance anyone reading this wants to read the book, do go to Amazon.com and order it, or better yet, your local book retailer and order it. If enough book stores order it, and other self published books, then that stigma will be erased. Wouldn't that be lovely?
Which aspects of the work that you put into Dark Ridge did you find most difficult?
The most difficult was the police investigation done by Sheriff Amos Quimby. Not up on police procedural and especially from the forties, it was hard for me to be sure that the techniques I used in the investigations were accurate.
Which did you enjoy most?
The dialog. At the time I wrote Dark Ridge, I lived in the mountains of eastern Tennessee. I spoke daily to the people and delighted in their accents and the colloquialisms. It made writing the dialog all the easier and gave it a more authentic ring .
What sets the book apart from the other things you have written?
Well, its certainly longer, and a lot more complex. I truly came to love the characters, and to even hate a couple of them. The characters were more like friends or family than any of my other characters in any of my other works. The town of Maylorsville and especially Dark Ridge itself felt like home to me, so I was really very comfortable while there, and I think the writing shows the familiarity, at least I hope so.
Dark Ridge is also a dark drama that uses innuendo and subtlety to get the point across instead of in your face realism like the sequel does. The reader knows that Harlan has molested his daughter, but there are no graphic details to slap the reader in the face. In that respect, it is a bit more for general audiences than the sequel to it, or some of my other works.
In what way is it similar?
All of my books and stories are set in the rural south. Dark Ridge is no exception. It also uses love and family as the catalyst for the drama, as do all of my works.
What will your next book be about?
I am currently at work on several different novels. One is a vampire novel with a twist you won't see coming, one a paranormal, not your everyday ghost story, one is the sequel to Dark Ridge. You can read an excerpt of Caney Creek, the sequel to Dark Ridge on my website.
What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
Being published, of course. Knowing that someone liked what I wrote enough to actually publish it, and to even pay me for it. But, far more than the money is the knowledge that someone liked what I wrote, me, Linda L Rucker!
How did you get there?
It's been a long row to hoe, as we say down south. A long journey that had dozens of detours and dead ends, and one I'm still making. You see, I'm not 'there' yet. I may never be, but I can tell you one thing, the journey is worth the trip! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to write. You might not get noticed, you might never be published, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you tried. Not everyone can write, but everyone thinks they can, so if you think you can, what have you got to lose? Give it shot.
A response from Shawn Street, a PublishAmerica public relations representative is accessible on OhmyNews International where this article was first published.
Related books:
,,
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Lauri Kubuitsile writes romances novels; crime fiction; books and stories for children and teenagers; and, literary fiction. She was shor...