[Interview_1] Sue Moorcroft

Creative writing tutor and author, Sue Moorcroft was born in Germany and spent much of her childhood in Cyprus and Malta.

In addition to teaching creative writing classes, she has written and published five novels, among them, Uphill All the Way (Transita, 2005); A Place To Call Home (Magna, 2007) and Family Matters (Robert Hale, 2008).

Her short stories have been published in anthologies that include Sexy Shorts for Christmas (Accent Press Ltd, 2003) and Scary Shorts for Hallowe'en (Accent Press Ltd, 2004) .

She is also the editor of Loves Me, Loves Me Not, an anthology of short stories by the members of the Romantic Novelists' Association, which seeks to celebrate the RNA's 50th birthday in 2010. The anthology is to be published by Mira Books, in hardback in Autumn 2009 and paperback in February 2010.

In this interview, Sue Moorcroft talks about her writing:

Do you write everyday?

I normally write, or do something associated with writing or teaching writing, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday. But I'm flexible and will sometimes take a day out in the week and work at the weekend.

Sometimes I work all seven days! It depends on what I'm doing and how much work I have on.

I tend to begin each day with e-mails and keeping up with writers' forums because they're valuable in networking and information gathering. Then I move on to students, then to writing.

What are your main concerns as a writer?

Making a living is always a concern. So I work hard and, I hope, with intelligent application, and that seems to bring enough money in, one way or another.

As I indicated at the beginning of the interview, I write in several areas. If I just wrote one novel a year I wouldn't make ends meet unless I miraculously got a wonderful contract, one that has escaped me until now.

Sometimes I find it hard to get going and I have to give myself a talking to, otherwise I'd spend all day writing e-mails and surfing the Net.

In the writing you are doing, who would you say has influenced you most?

Good question. I don't really have an answer to it as I have so many influences upon me: other writers, the wants of my agent or an editor, the state of my bank account ...

How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?

I like to write about things that mean something to me.

My first published novel, Uphill All the Way, is set partly in Malta. A bit of my heart will always live in Malta because I lived there as a child. I have set other works there and got a good response from editors and readers and I enjoy sending my characters there -- so it seems sensible, as well as enjoyable, to carry on.

And one always draws upon one's own emotions, of course. How can you describe being frightened if you've never had a fright?

On the other hand, what I don't know I research or I imagine. I think I'm quite empathetic and that helps in knowing how my characters will feel in a certain situation. My fiction is always about characters who could be real in situations any of us could find ourselves in.

My second novel, Family Matters, is about the effect that money can have on people. Some people will sacrifice a lot, friends and family, just so they can get their hands on some money. I'm not talking about to have enough money to eat, I'm talking about extra money so that they can have extra things. This happened in my family and gave me a bit of a disdain of people like that. I can see that money is useful to have, of course! But it's not the be all and end all.

What are the biggest challenges that you face?

It's like almost anything -- I work hard. I put the hours in, I pitch work to editors, I do work 'on spec' that may never be bought. I may be lucky in that my response to even a huge emotional incident is to bury myself in work.

Rejection is difficult, of course. If you've done your very best work and it is rejected, that's a horrible feeling. It can sometimes be a challenge to try again. Self-belief is part of my make up, happily.

Who is your target audience?

Most of what I write is for mainstream fiction and probably appeals more to women, although men do read my stuff and enjoy it. I often have male viewpoint characters.

I suppose I write roughly what I like to read and so I write for people roughly like myself.

How many books have you written so far?

I've written a lot more than I've published! Uphill All the Way (Transita, ISBN 978-1905175000) was published in April 2005 and is a book about recovery. In it, Judith has to get over losing her younger lover, her life in Malta and most of her money; Adam from losing three fingers, two homes and one wife. It's about a giant mid-life wobble and that there's life after it.

Family Matters came out in hardback with Robert Hale (ISBN 978-0709085232) in March 2008. It's about money and family and who thinks which is most important. It begins with a helicopter crash, one of the most difficult things I've ever written but it gets a good reaction, and that proves to be the catalyst for many secrets spilled...

A Place To Call Home (Magna, ISBN 978-1842625446) was a serial and it's out now as a large print book and follows the Randle family after they lose their nice life in Germany and have to return to the U.K. It explores how you start all over again when your old life crumbles through no fault of your own. It proves that it can be done!

Between Two Worlds was a serial, too, and it will be coming out as a large print book, but I have no details yet. It explores the modern phenomenon of two people marrying, a second marriage for each of them, and making two families into one. In this case, they come from very different backgrounds and have a lot of adjustment to make.

How did you chose a publisher for your latest book?

My latest published book is Family Matters. It took quite a while to write, maybe 18 months, because I began it four times before I was happy with the way it was going. There was a lot of research involved, too, particularly concerning a young character, Tamsin, who has some emotional and behavioural problems. I enjoyed working with her. I liked the central character, Diane, too, as is someone who will only take so much from people before she loses her cool. She is loyal to her husband for all of their marriage, even though some of his decisions seem to disadvantage her and their daughter, Bryony -- but once he lets her down, all hell breaks loose.

Family Matters was published by Hale in the U.K. in March 2008.

'Choosing' a publisher isn't really an option -- my agent sells my books for me. If she ever had the happy situation of more than one publisher making an offer then I would have a choice to make. But not till then.

Hale produce a great book and is professional to work with. However, the company only produce a hardback and it's difficult to get them to reprint when the first print run sells out, even if it sells out quickly, as mine did.

Which aspects of the work that you put into the book did you find most difficult?

I think it was the scope of the book that troubled me. Initially, it seemed too shallow with just one viewpoint character -- Diane -- and it was when I included viewpoints from Gareth, James and Tamsin that the book began to come alive.

One can only solve a problem like that by thinking it through and maybe talking it over with like-minded friends.

Which aspects of the work did you enjoy most?

Researching helicopters! I like helicopters! And planes and cars...

What sets the book apart from other things you've written?

I think it dealt with quite a hard subject and I'm quite proud that it didn't point the reader at a conclusion. There's room in the book for different attitudes and I think some readers will think that Diane was right in what she did but some will see the point of view of her husband, Gareth. I think it makes a good reading group book, for that reason.

In what way is it similar to the others?

Relationships! I like relationship books.

What will your next book be about?

Actually, it's about an aeroplane ... No, it's about learning to forgive yourself.

I've given Brenna an awful lot of things to contend with, a husband who goes missing, a building project that has gone wrong, losing her job, struggling with her teenaged son and also her older learning-disabled sister, Libby. Brenna feels guilty about Libby as she is convinced she was instrumental in the accident that left Libby with traumatic head injury. (But there really is an aeroplane in the book, the Unforgettable Juliet of the title.)

When did you decide you wanted to be a published writer?

I suppose I wanted to be seen as good enough to be published. I also wanted to earn money as a writer so I didn't have to do a 'proper job'.

It was a slow process.

After the first couple of novels, I began trying short stories because I read that if you had a track record of about 20 short stories with national magazines, a book publisher would take you seriously. This did work for me but I had sold 87 stories before I sold the first book!

I expand my areas of writing all the time. As well as short stories and books, I write articles and profiles for writing magazines and courses for the London School of Journalism. I have ideas for non-fiction articles and a non-fiction book that I haven't yet attempted. But the day will come.

I found building this body of work hard but rewarding and 'doable'. I learnt, through my course, through writing magazines, how-to books, conferences and seminars, how to approach editors, how to study the market and write for it. Then I did it!

I work with students all the time but am certain that only a small number send their work out to editors, agents or competitions. Editors rarely come knocking on the door to ask if you have anything in your desk that they might like to publish and pay for.

I learn about writing and publishing by staying in contact with those in the industry, reading what I need to read and putting it to intelligent use.

How would you describe the writing you are doing?

Hard work but enjoyable.

This week I have finished drafting the final episode of a serial called One Summer Night in Malta for a U.K. magazine, The People's Friend. I have sent that to a writing friend to read before I polish it. I'm not convinced that the ending is yet strong enough and anticipate that there's more work to be done.

I have also drafted a profile of a fiction editor of a new American fiction magazine and got together the visuals and sidebars for that. I've sent out four stories to overseas markets, stories that have been published in the U.K. already and needed some revision to suit the new market (and have sold one of them already).

In the back of my mind is my current novel, Unforgettable Juliet, which is also awaiting revision. But I've had a bereavement this summer and find I don't have the emotional energy for the novel, right now. It can wait.

What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?

Um ... doing it, I suppose. Making it stick. Making a living. It's not a success in the J. K. Rowling category but it's still a success.

*This article is based on an email interview with Sue Moorcroft which took place in September 2008. Since then, the non-fiction book she referred to in the interview, one that was only an idea at the time, is now a reality and will be published in January 2010 by Accent Press as Love Writing: How to Make Money Writing Romantic or Erotic Fiction.

Possibly related books:

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Possibly related articles:

• An Interview with ... Sue Moorcroft, by juliemt, Single Titles, April 12, 2008
• The Story Seller, Interview by Myra Kersner
• Sue Moorcroft, Wired Malta (formerly known as Wired Temples), April 15, 2005
• RNA Special Part 2: An Interview with Sue Moorcroft, by Mike Atherton, Great Writing, July 7, 2005

[Interview] Ivor W. Hartmann, author and editor-in-chief of StoryTime

Ivor W. Hartmann is a Zimbabwean writer, visual artist and literary activist. He is also editor-in-chief of StoryTime, an ezine that seeks to showcase new African writing.

In this email interview, Hartmann talks about the ezine and about how it is being received by emerging African writers.

What is StoryTime all about?

To quote the StoryTime About page mission statement if I may, since I put the effort into re-writing it recently:

The StoryTime African New Fiction FreEzine is all about new African fiction reading and writing. For our readers we provide a free weekly ezine showcasing the works of some of the hottest new African fiction writers. For our writers we endeavour to find them, and then encourage free online fiction publication at ST, as a multi-purpose means to improve writing ability and their exposure.

For the ST readers, my aim is to publish at least one great fiction story every week from an African writer, usually early morning Sunday (+2GMT).

I also do the occasional special edition on days like Valentines, or like the last one on President Robert Mugabe's Birthday. ST featured a cutting edge farcical story written for the occasion by Zimbabwean author Masimba Musodza ("Robin Hood & The President's Birthday Bash").

Also in the works is an annual ST Book Anthology called African Roar, which is set to be published by The Lion Press in early August 2009. It will then be launched at a new Zimbabwean Writers Festival in that same month being organised by The Lion Press.

For the writers, I actively look for new and established talented fiction writers to showcase at ST, and welcome all fiction submissions within the ST guidelines. Once the authors are accepted into ST, I then provide an interactive online home for them and their stories. Firstly, we showcase their stories by publishing them in the ST ezine.

In addition to that, for each ST author, I create a special author bio page that showcases them specifically. This includes an autobiography with their picture, all their stories at ST, and as many related links (I updated them monthly) to good content about the authors and/or their works. It includes, extra to the main ST feed, a specific feed only about them from ST.

The author page also gives them a space and the freedom to communicate with their readers in personal posts at their page, and in comments on the story itself. Taken all together, ST hopes to serve as a promotional interactive conglomerate of their online authorial presence and work.

How did StoryTime come about?

Like most ideas, this one grew out of necessity, or the dearth of good fiction-only magazines, coming out of South Africa and understandably, Zimbabwe. Not that there aren’t any, but they are fewer and far between in comparison to the rest of the world.

Frustrated as a new fiction writer madly writing with so few local outlets for my work, I started thinking about how I could remedy this dire situation.

Being strapped for cash back then (as a new-ish dedicated full-time writer and living in a new country), basically made me realise that a proper print magazine was out of the question to start with. So I took a look at online publishing which led me to Google's Blogger framework, and so the first incarnation of StoryTime was born.

Right from the outset my intention was to use the Blogger framework to publish a real ezine. I also definitely wanted to avoid personal blogging in the ezine and feature only fiction works, even if they were only mine to start with.

How long have you been working on the project?

I published the first ST ezine in June 2007.

Initially, I wanted to create a fiction ezine that would consist of an eclectic collection of world fiction, run directly by its authors for their readers, and create an online home for all the authors involved.

Over time and after gaining a bit of experience in this new field of online publishing, I came to realise what I wanted ST to be. That being, primarily a focus on the poorly represented and yet amazingly rich and diverse, fictional literature coming out of Africa and from the far flung African Diaspora. So I changed the ST emphasis to African writers only and the rest was history.

How do you find contributors?

I actively seek out talented writers and invite them to ST, and constantly look for free ways to promote ST and all our authors by all means at my disposal, on and offline. Then there's the relatively new development of the ST book anthology, African Roar, something I have wanted to do since the very beginning. In this regard I have just put out the call for ST fiction submissions to be published first in the ezine, and thereby gain entry into the selection process for the printed anthology. This came about thanks in no small way to Sarudzayi Barnes at The Lion Press, who secured us the funding to print publish with LP, from the U.K. Arts Council. Though in the long run I'd like the anthology to not only pay for itself, but also offer a decent percentage return for all the authors published in it.

Which writers are you currently working with?

This is a great question and maybe I can also explain something of how ST works. Firstly let me do the honour roll for everyone ST is actively working with:

Igoni Barrett, Adesola Orimalade, Ayesha Attah, Ayodele Morocco-Clarke, Beaven Tapureta, Chris Mlalazi, Colin Meier, Esi Cleland, Emmanuel Sigauke, Masimba Musodza, Nigel Jack and Sarudzayi Barnes.

It is these authors who have made ST what it is by joining, contributing and working with ST. Two members of prime contribution are Emmanuel, who is co-editing the upcoming ST anthology with me, and Sarudzayi, whom I mentioned earlier.

Now when I say our authors work with ST, what I mean is unlike traditional publishing, ST runs under a Creative Commons 3.0 licence (Attribution, Non-derivative, and Non-commercial). This means that in effect, the author joins ST and then together we showcase their work in the ezine, directly under their own names and copyrights. The authors then, forever, have complete access to all their works at ST and can edit them or remove them entirely if they so choose. This I feel is an important part of the capabilities of online publishing, giving the authors direct control over their work.

Hindsight can also be very illuminating, especially as one improves as a writer with each new work. At ST as the author you may make changes, normally reserved for a second revised edition in the print world. So the ST authors are their own editors, and I approve their works for publishing in the ezine as editor-in-chief of ST.

What challenges do you meet and how do you deal with them?

ST always presents many daily challenges which I try and deal with as swiftly as humanly possible. But I suppose the prime challenge from the beginning, has been my choice of the Blogger framework to publish ST for free. In doing so I have had to constantly search for ways to present ST as an ezine and not a generic blog. Luckily though, I am also a visual artist and have tried to make ST on the whole look as un-blog-like as possible. Not to mention the utter helplessness when faced with problems beyond my control, because it’s a free service. However, that's also the good thing about ST in its current form, apart from my own time and that of the authors; it's totally free for us and therefore our readers. This might change in the future, if we can ever afford a dedicated .com domain name and full website etc., which will bring its own set of new challenges no doubt. Though, unless we start printing a magazine solely, I'd like to keep the ST ezine free for the authors and all our readers.

There is also an inherent challenge in letting your authors have complete access to their works. One only has too view MySpace to see how out of hand this can get if left unsupervised. So behind each story I work a bit of hard-learned but simple HTML magic to make sure it complies with the ST layout standards, and doesn't jam the feed readers.

In general though, I have found the ST authors more than willing to help solve any problems that may arise, which makes life a lot easier.

How would you describe the standard of writing at ST?

So far, I think we have maintained a fairly good standard of writing at ST, but I can only believe that this will become even better as ST grows. It is also my intention with the first anthology to raise the bar significantly, by only print publishing the 'eclectic' or very best, of all the works published in the ezine since our beginnings. Subsequent to the first anthology it will be the best of that year.

Who is your target audience?

On the whole I'd say we already have enough variety to satisfy nearly every fiction genre taste, and so this would put us squarely in the fairly broad realm of all those who read fiction/literature magazines and ezines.

Furthermore, with our solid presence on Facebook and by using the Blogger framework, we are introducing ST and our authors to whole new generations of online fiction readers.

Which aspects of the work do you enjoy most?

There are quite a few reasons why I was motivated to start ST, but one of the big ones was to start communicating with my fellow Zimbabwean writing peers in Zimbabwe and those spread throughout the world. I had the idea that together we could do what artists are at least in-part meant to do, and that is being a voice for the voiceless; to bring to the world light, the very real catastrophe of our Zimbabwean situation through our arts, in this case, writing. Therefore, I have slowly but surely opened the lines of communication between several Zimbabwean writers and myself, and together we have achieved some measure of real progress. This is surely what I enjoy most, seeing and being a part of something greater than myself, which actually does cause positive change.

Ultimately, like most Zimbabweans, I have a great desire to return home permanently from what is effectively an economic exile.

What sets ST apart from the other ezines and literary magazines?

It would have to be the complete control the authors have over their work, and the strong sense of close community that ST engenders in both its authors and readers. We like to help each other out where we can, and most of us bring an existing entourage of readers to ST when we join. I believe it is this spirit of openness and community, tempered with real authorial control, which draws readers and serious writers to ST. This, therefore, raises the bar with the addition of each new talented writer, and our growing experience in online and print publishing.

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[Interview] Lucien Black

Lucien Black currently resides in Orange County, Ca with his wife and children.

He started writing in 1991 and helped to produce an independently published comic book. His own first book, No Vacancies, Vol. 1 started off as a series of comic book scripts.

Currently, he is working on the second volume of No Vacancies.

In this email interview, Lucien Black talks about his concerns as a writer.

When did you start writing?

I started writing in 1990. I had no aspirations to be a writer at first, but after a writing course in high school I started to enjoy the idea. My teacher at the time, Terry Fugate, was a great influence and after I graduated I started composing scripts for comic books.

I joined up with a few friends and about two years later we published our first independent comic book. We were very excited but our investor backed out at the last minute and left us to fend for ourselves. We were able to get book one printed, but subsequent issues were shelved.

I eventually tried to move out on my own and get my own comic book scripts published. I had four or five story lines I was developing and really wanted to break into that industry. I submitted work to all the major publishers like Marvel and DC Comics and even the smaller shops but no bites on the work.

So I continued to write as a hobby and started and restarted my stories over and over again until about two years ago.

My wife convinced me that I should convert my scripts to short stories and publish them that way. After some hemming and hawing I started re-writing them and developed the first version of No Vacancies. What I decided to do was keep the serial feel of the comic book and develop some stories that would continue in future volumes of No Vacancies.

How would you describe your writing?

My works are fictional stories with action adventure, horror and superhero themes. Future works will include other genres but for now the majority will focus on those.

I love the superhero genre and try to find new ways to tell those types of stories.

Who is your target audience?

Anyone that likes action adventure stories like Indiana Jones, horror, comic books, short stories, mysteries.

I truly think my work can lend itself to a pretty wide audience. I think that anyone that can be hooked in by an action packed story with fantastical occurrences will enjoy the work. Once they are hooked, I believe they will come back for more.

Which authors influenced you most?

It's difficult to narrow down one or two main influences to my work. There are many comic book writers such as Chris Claremont and Alan Davis that were very inspirational to my earlier endeavors. Beyond that Lee Child, Lorenzo Carcaterra, Stephen King, Stephen J. Cannell, Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, etc.

What are your main concerns as a writer?

My biggest concern as a writer is definitely confidence in my work. I am without a doubt my own worst critic and tend to really be hard on my work.

Writing a story that draws the reader in, gives them an exciting ride and leaving them wanting to either know more about a particular character or to read the next part of a story and doing it well is a major obstacle. In the end I just have to let the chips fall where they may and see what turns out.

How have your own personal experiences influenced your writing?

Absolutely, yes. I think what personal experiences bring is that absolute sense of realism. One of the main problems in comic book writing is that many writers miss adding in those life experiences. If you are trying to accept characters as real, there has to be that human element.

Divorce, death, loss of jobs are all critical aspects of life that should be blended in with the action or horror. When I started re-writing these stories and redeveloping my characters, I added in many elements from my own life that I thought would add that sense of realism.

What are the biggest challenges that you face?

Simply finding the time to get the work developed. Thankfully, I have time during my lunch hours to focus on work, but between work, school (still working on my degree) and life it is difficult to find time to focus.

How many books have you written so far?

My first book, No Vacancies, Vol. 1 was published in October 2008 by Lulu.com.

I took cues from the serials of old, and used the concept of serialized fiction to introduce readers to my work. No Vacancies is a compilation of four short stories and some poetry that somewhat fit into each tale. The genres are action adventure, superhero and horror tales.

"One More Sunday" follows Detective Sam Arkwright as he attempts to put together the missing pieces of a murder. "Outcast and Devotion", which is set in the fictional city of Hudson, NY, and in which a serial killer is leaving behind mutilated bodies and the police are baffled. In "Devotion", Dr. Alastair Cromwell struggles to resurrect his late wife, Annette. Will he succeed and at what cost?

Part 1 of "High Stakes", introduces a louse of ma, Jack Ander. Abused by his father; branded a coward. Is he destined to be a hero?

Do you write everyday?

I work a full time job outside of writing and I actually use my lunch hour for writing. It is a solid hour of me focused on just my writing and what is great about it is that I actually have it scheduled every day. There are days when I am not in the office so I may lose a day here and there but that isn't necessarily a problem.

Outside of that time, I generally write in the early morning on the weekends, when the house is quiet.

I find that I have to really focus myself to get quality output.

Since I am working on various short stories at any given time, I tend to flip back and forth between writing one or the other. I find that if I get stuck, it helps me to step away from one story and gain some momentum on another. Typically when I come back to the story I skipped, I am refreshed and have all sorts of new ideas to jot down. I also keep a journal close at hand when ideas pop into my head, this way I don't lose them; especially dreams.

How did you chose a publisher for No Vacancies? Why this publisher? What advantages or disadvantages has this presented?

It was published by Lulu.com in October 2008. It has great advantages to an independent writer to complete a script, submit the book and cover art and then within a few short hours the book is available to the public.

The disadvantages are mostly on the marketing side. Finding ways to publicize my work is difficult. There are some packages you can purchase through the publisher but that takes time. At this point, it's basically word of mouth. I have a few other ideas for marketing but it will simply take time to get everything into place.

Which aspects of the work that you put into the book did you find most difficult?

Making sure that the reader was left wanting more. I always want a book or story to end and my first response to be, "Where can I read more about that character".

What did you enjoy most?"

Researching settings. In the story, "High Stakes, Part 1", there is a scene where young Jack Ander, the main character, is waking up and he hears a radio program. So I researched which radio program would have been on the radio at the moment he woke up and who would have been singing/talking at the time. That is a part of the writing process I have only recently added to my work and it just adds so much depth to the story.

What sets No Vacancies apart from other things you've written?

Since this is my first novel, I think it sets the stage for my future works.

Writing these in a serial type format gives me the avenue to explore multiple stories and worlds in each volume. I like having the freedom.

What will your next book be about?

The next book is another volume of No Vacancies which will contain parts two of both "Outcast" and "High Stakes" (two on-going short stories). I will introduce a new on-going short story that is an espionage thriller and two additional self-contained short stories.

I expect that to be completed in the next four to six months.

What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?

Without a doubt, publishing No Vacancies, Vol. 1 was one of the most amazing feelings. When I got the first copy in hand, I was like a little kid with a huge smile. To see my own finished work was an awesome feeling.

Possibly related books:

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[Interview] Sarudzayi Barnes

Sarudzayi Barnes was born in Zimbabwe and was a student at Domboramavara Primary School before going on to Monte Cassino Mission and Harare High School. She is currently studying Law with the University of London.

She runs a publishing company, The Lion Press Ltd, which specialises in African and Afro-Caribbean children's stories in particular and other African and Afro-Caribbean literature genres in general. She also distributes and promotes books written in African languages.

Her books include The Endless Trail (Author House, 2008) and The Village Story-Teller: Zimbabwean Folktales (The Lion Press Ltd, 2008).

In this interview, Sarudzayi Barnes talks about her concerns as a writer.

When did you start writing?

I started writing when I was doing Lower 6 at Harare High School in 1990. I participated into a short story writing competition which was facilitated by the Curriculum Development Unit, which was based at the University of Zimbabwe, I think, but I am not sure. A few months after the competition, I received a prize of $50, which was a lot of money then. The judges invited me to go to the CDU because they wanted to encourage me to take writing seriously, and they also wanted me to develop the story further, but I ignored them. I did not go, I cashed my cheque and blew it up on something else.

In 1996 I wrote a play which I called "Sarudzayi", which I set at the University of Zimbabwe campus, because I thought U.Z. students were detached from real life out there. As students, we lived in a fantasy land, expecting well paying jobs, driving good cars, renting or owning immaculate flats or homes.

When I graduated with my B.A. in 1995, I was posted to teach in a rural school in Mavhuradonha, at Mavhuradonha School, that’s when it hit me that a university degree was not a passport to good living. But luckly for me, I soon left that job and got a better and more challenging job with the National Archives of Zimbabwe. I decided to re-write the play "Sarudzayi", but sadly I could not get a publisher. I wanted the play to be turned into a ZBC TV drama, and I gave a guy called Shoko my manuscript, and he just disappeared with it when he left the ZBC. My hopes were shattered, so I turned my mind away from writing.

In 2002, I was already living here in the U.K., I decided to write Zimbabwean folktales, I wrote about twenty of them (I still have the manuscript), and I began hunting for a publisher. I gave it to a friend, who said the way the folktales ended was too violent and no publisher was likely to publish them. Because I usually ended the folktales with the wrong-doer being punished, either being chased from the village, becoming insane or being killed, just like we were told these stories. I was frustrated and put the manuscript in a suitcase under my bed.

I was participating in a demonstration at the Lords Cricket Grounds in London in May 2003, because we wanted the England Cricket Board to boycott cricket games with Zimbabwe, and because I was one of leaders of the demonstrators, a guy called Ian Noah came to interview me. By then he was working for Intermedia Press, or I think it was his company I really don’t know. We spoke about human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, and I told him about my desire to write something about Zimbabwean politics. He gave me his business card and said he would love to work with me, guide me on the project and help me by publishing my book. So I came back to Coventry full of ambition and hope, that at least I found someone who could help me air my views through writing. I started working on How Mugabe Mugged Zimbabwe (and Made Mugs Out of the Rest of the World), a title Noah suggested, straight away. I was documenting things from a journalistic point of view, so Ian Noah advised me to put a bit of analysis into the book. I approached a Zimbabwean academic called Collin Zhuawu who has a Masters in International Relations and together we worked on the book. We signed a contract with Noah, the book was due to be published on 10 December 2003 as print-on-demand, but that’s when we last heard of Ian Noah. We phoned his mobile several times and left several messages until we got tired, but he did not return our calls. The book appears on online bookshops but we never managed to buy copies of the book. I don’t really know what happened. Ian Noah was very keen to see the project succeed, and many of our friends who ordered the copies never got to get any, so I don’t really know what happened to Ian Noah. I don’t think he sold any copies at all. Whatever happened, I think, was something beyond his control, because he was a genuine person. Again after the failure of this project, I shelved writing, but in 2007 I decided to write again, because I had learnt about self-publishing. I thought of what could be a more pressing issue among my fellow Zimbabweans, then decided to write about problems faced by Zimbabweans who emigrate to the U.K., S.A., Canada, Australia and America etc, for both political and economic reasons, how they are leaving children to fend for themselves in Zimbabwe, or husbands and sometimes wives, for many years while they work and send money to their broken families. I thought about things like immigration issues, HIV and AIDS because the whole separation process bring in temptations. I also realised that HIV and AIDS are things many Zimbabweans are not comfortable to talk about, yet it’s something affecting us. So I wrote The Endless Trail and paid Author House £635 to have it published. They gave me 20 copies for free, and I sell the book through Lion Press Ltd.

My book was published on 13 March 2008. I was thrilled when I received the first copy. I went everywhere with it, showing anyone who cared to listen or to see it. But there are some people, I thought they were my friends, whom I gave free copies and up to now some of them haven’t even bothered to read the book! That’s when I realised that a lot of Zimbabweans don’t have a reading culture. I told myself that if I am to continue writing, I should aim to make my writings international and not Zimbabwean centred.

In July this year I decided to register my own self-publishing company, The Lion Press Ltd, so now I self publish my books and I also help other writers to get published. On 30 September 2008, I published The Village Story-Teller: Zimbabwean Folktales (which is basically that manuscript I had put in my suitcase in 2002 because I could not find a publisher). I improved on the stories and published them. The book has been well received by African children here in the U.K., some African-American children as well, who got the copies through my friend who is a talk-show producer, Fritz Kanyile Ka-Ngwenya of the Afrodisak Show. The book has been well received.

How would you describe the writing you are doing?

I write about what I see everyday. I fictionalise things that I see or hear. So my work is a kind of socio-economic history. In The Endless Trail I wrote about real historical events, the formation of the MDC, the 1998 and 1999 ZCTU mass stay-aways, the queues for fuel, the tense political situation in Zimbabwe leading to the brain-drain.

I wrote about how Zimbabweans in the U.K. see Gatwick as maenzanise, where everyone works side by side, the Zimbabwean educated and those who were selling crafts in neighbouring countries or vegetable vendors; former house-maids now working side by side with their former employers in nursing homes and factories.

Who is your target audience?

Initially I wanted to target Zimbabweans and other Africans. Now I write for everyone, and I have changed my writing language and style as well, because in The Endless Trail I wrote a lot of Shonglish to retain the Africanness flavour, now I write standard English for all communities to read.

In the writing that you are doing, which authors would you say influenced you most?

Tsitsi Dangarembga, Alexander Kanengoni, Alexander McCall Smith, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Kei Miller (especially), Andrea Levy, Chinua Achebe and Ngugi wa Thiongo.

I love Caribbean literature and I want to write my next book in Jamaican Patois. Kei Miller writes about everyday in Jamaica. He writes about the plight of gay people, gangsters, Rastafarians, oppression etc. I am a Rastafarian Sistren myself, and I kind of identify with a lot of things he writes about. When you read his books it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction. When people read The Endless Trail, they ask me if it’s a true story, and I say, no, it’s fiction, and still they want me to tell them what happened to Jenny, because I leave them in suspense, and I say I don’t know. So they want me to serialise the book. So now I am working on Just Another Day, which a sequel to The Endless Trail.

What are your main concerns as a writer?

It is very difficult to get published. If you do self-publishing, marketing is another big hurdle to cross. Unless you are well known and well connected, you can easily become frustrated. People generally look at your book, if it is published by a very big company. To make matters worse, it is difficult to get a wider African readership. They would rather read Danielle Steel than look at a fellow African writer, and it’s worse if they know you. They judge you by your appearance. I am not really bothered about making money through writing books, because I have realised that one can’t make a living from writing alone unless you become big like J. K. Rowling, so I will continue to write, work hard and self-publish, give a few free copies away and sell a few. One day my turn will come. Someone out there will realise my talent and who knows? Besides, when I write, it’s a legacy for my children.

How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?

I write about things I see and hear. That influences my writing. I studied history, and I write social history through fiction.

What are the biggest challenges that you face?

The biggest challenge is writing something which is appealing to my readers. I overcome this by circulating my manuscripts to a few people of different backgrounds to get their opinion. In The Village Story-Teller: Zimbabwean Folktales I asked a few children to read my stories and asked them to jot down comments. So I got five children between seven years and 13 years to review my book, all from different backgrounds.

How many books have you written so far?

• How Mugabe Mugged Zimbabwe (and Made Mugs of the Rest of the World) by Sarudzayi Chifamba-Barnes and Collin Zhuawu (Paperback - 10 Dec 2003).
• The Endless Trail (Author House U.K., March 2008).
• The Village Story-Teller: Zimbabwean Folktales, The Lion Press Ltd, U.K. September 2008 by Sarudzayi Chifamba-Barnes, Lynne Sykes, and Jeffery Milanzi.

Do you write everyday?

I don’t write everyday. I might go for weeks without writing. I write when I feel the urge to write, like a mother giving birth when she feels the urge to push. If I plan to write something, I sit by my computer and only end up playing Mahjong Solatire online. I end when I feel that my head is empty. I don’t stop until I empty my ideas on paper. I can go for the whole day or night, or just for an hour or less. It depends.

How did you chose a publisher for your latest book?

My latest book is The Village Story-Teller. I self-published it under my own publishing company, The Lion Press Ltd because I don’t want to go about looking for a publisher again. I want to control my sells, my profits or my losses. I like it. The disadvantage is with marketing. I am not good at marketing. I am good at telling stories.

Which aspects of the work that you put into the book did you find most difficult?

Everything was cool with me. I work with a team of illustrators and I use the same editor. Raising money for production costs is the only difficult thing, but I have a steady job even though I don’t like it.

I enjoyed writing the stories, because I am a natural story-teller.

What sets the book apart from the other things you've written?

I wrote it for children, especially African kids in the Diaspora because I realised that with the amount of work we do here, it’s a ‘shift’ all the time and parents don’t have time to tell their children those kind of stories we were told under the moonlight in an African village. So I have kind of assumed the role of the village story-teller.

What will your next book be about?

I am writing a sequel to The Endless Trail, which focuses on the daily challenges faced by people in Zimbabwe, health issues, political issues and social issues.

I am writing about the challenges faced by the HIV-positive main character, Jenny, in her day-to-day life in Zimbabwe, the challenge of caring for two HIV-positive daughters, one who was raped by Tito, the gardener and infected with HIV when Jenny is in the U.K. where she is working as an illegal immigrant, and the other daughter who acquired HIV through mother-to-child-transmission. Through Jenny, I want the world to understand the plight of Zimbabweans who struggle to survive for each day, that’s why my book is called Just Another Day.

What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?

To get Lord Chris Smith (former Culture Secretary under Tony Blair’s government) to write a review for my book. I felt highly honoured. And also to get Professor Terence Ranger, who is a Professor at Oxford University, to write a review for The Village Story-Teller: Zimbabwean Folktales. I feel highly honoured. It’s not easy to get such big names to sit down and write a review for a book. It is encouraging. Also to see people reading my books. It’s a great achievement. And just to see and touch the book itself and tell myself, this is me, this is my work! It’s a great achievement.

Related books:

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Related articles:

• Introducing Sarudzayi Barnes, Author/publisher, Wealth of Ideas, November 28, 2008.
• Gary Albyn [Interviews], Conversations with Writers, December 4, 2008.

[Interview] N. P. Michaels

N. P. Michaels was born and raised in Michigan.

He made his debut as an author with the release of Shadow Haven: Battle Across The Sands (PublishAmerica, 2008).

In this slightly edited email interview, he talks about his concerns as a writer:

When did you start writing?

I started writing in 1999, though I didn't become serious until 2005.

In 2005 I was writing a story which is the pre-story to Shadow Haven. At the time it wasn't though. Other stories began to sprout during this time and then my mother fell ill of cancer. It was her that pushed me to believe I could be a published writer and during the years that followed, I re-designed the story to the current one.

I started by getting the 'main story' down and plotting it through each book. Other major and minor stories would come as I continuously re-wrote the story. As soon as my first book was complete I sought a publisher.

How would you describe the writing you are doing?

An adventure for sure, but it’s really hard work and takes a lot of time. But when you see your book take shape, it makes it all worth it.

I write what I love, and I think that’s important to any writer. I love to write stories and seeing readers getting excited about the world I created.

In the writing you are doing, who influenced you most?

My father and all the weird and fascinating shows I watched growing up. Though I would have to give a nodded to J. R. R. Tolkien and the world he created.

How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?

My mother’s death would be the biggest by far. She really is the spark of everything to me.

What are the biggest challenges that you face?

Right now, being everything which includes: writer, editor, promoter, webmaster, etc. To some, this may be easy, but to me it's not.

How do you deal with these challenges?

Take it day by day and stay positive.

How many books have you written so far?

Shadow Haven: Battle Across The Sands (PublishAmerica, 2008) which tells the story of a Great War that plagued the world of Esura because the wizard Aurum had turned evil and created a super race known as the democ. And over many years, Aurum and his forces destroyed many kingdoms and races. But just when hope seemed to have been lost, a new order of wizards called the Autar were sent down from the spiritual realm of Heldaia to re-organize the forces of good. They fought Aurum for five years and, in the final battle, they defeated him and the world was saved. But now, six hundred years later, the world starts to hear whispers of the dead wizard's return.

The novel raises the question: Did Aurum do the impossible and return from the grave? Or is some other shadowing threat involved?

Do you write everyday?

Monday to Friday. I try to take the weekends off.

How does each session start?

I open my notebook and read over my last few paragraphs. Then I look over my notes for the chapter and turn on some music or talk radio and try to create new things within a chapter.

The session ends after about eight or 10 hours. Or, generally, when I run out of ideas.

How long did it take you to write it?

Pre-story and all, about six years.

How did you choose a publisher for the book?

I rushed into that a bit, and rushed into it honestly.

Why this publisher? Nothing in general caught my eye. My book was ready and I needed a publisher.

The advantage is that my book is in print and can be read by all. The disadvantages are I never expected to have to do more than the publisher when it comes to editing and promoting my work. I am pushing harder on myself than I ever thought possible, to do what must be done.

Which aspects of the work that you put into the book did you find most difficult?

Humor and war really are my weak points. I’ve never been a good joke teller or even creative enough to make one up and when it comes to war, that’s something I never experienced.

I had to use what experiences I had that were funny and try to make use of them. For war, I read up and watched as many movies as possible. The only other way was to join the war and that doesn't sit well with my beliefs.

Which aspects of the work did you enjoy most?

Writing the mythology of the world in Shadow Haven, from the very origins, to beyond.

I love, as a reader, finding out things beyond the story of the books -- where it started, where it’s ending and how it got to where it is.

What sets the book apart from the other things you've written?

That’s easy! It’s the world that surrounds it. It’s so indepth that I could make many more books before and after the current series is over.

What will your next book be about?

It will continue from where the first book of Shadow Haven left off.

What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?

Hearing my readers say they enjoyed my book and world as much as I.

What are your main concerns as a writer?

Keeping the story original and entertaining.

I deal with this by constantly thinking ahead and using my experiences, new and old.

Related books:

,,

Related articles:

"Shadow Haven: Battle Across the Sands by N.P. Michaels", Book Review, by Janica Unruh, June 6, 2008, Blogcritics.org.

[Interview] Wendy Mewes

Wendy Mewes lives and works in Finistere and has been teaching and writing about history for more than 25 years.

Her non-fiction books include Crossing Brittany (2008); The Nantes-Brest Canal: a Guide (2007) and Discovering the History of Brittany (2006) -- which focus on the history and attractions of Brittany.

She has also written and published two novels, Moon Garden (2004), a novel of love, growth and natural magic, and, The Five of Cups (2006), which explores explores love, loss and renewal.

In this email interview, Wendy Mewes talks about her writing:

When did you start writing?

I wrote my first ‘book’ when I was eight. It was about ancient Greece and I still have the faded pages of careful handwriting tied together with cotton. I remember consulting many books in the library and my father’s collection and enjoying the process of selecting information and telling things in my own words.

Since childhood I intended to be a writer, recognising it as a fundamental part of my nature. I thought then, however, that I would be a poet. Through my teens I wrote poetry and ran a poetry club at my school. I won prizes for poetry but it was not exactly an option for a profession.

I studied ancient history at university and wrote a serial set in ancient Rome. A very popular teen magazine said they liked the style but the story was too complicated for their readers and would I write a short story? Life got in the way and I didn’t follow up this opportunity. First mistake!

I worked seriously at my poetry during my twenties and submitted a collection for a major award at the age of thirty. Again, it was well-received, but I’d misread the rules and was six months too old. After this I was seriously ill and gave up writing for nearly ten years. Then, in a good phase of my life, I suddenly started a crime novel, set in England and Poland, which had a female heroine and a humorous tone. I was very confident that at last I’d found my niche and decided to give up my teaching career in London, move to the country and concentrate on writing. A reputable agent took on the novel and assured me I’d be a millionaire. The first editor rejected the book despite saying that I ‘had really got something’. After that the agent lost interest and I wasted 18 months, trying to write a sequel, but without any advice or encouragement. I could not even get the manuscript back from the agent.

I began writing articles for the editor of a local magazine who was also a publisher. We later married and together wrote a little walking book which was a sell-out locally. I then joined a professional writers’ group in Glastonbury, where I learnt a lot and benefited from serious criticism of my work from established writers.

I wrote another crime novel, rather dark this time, which I still think is one of the best things I’ve done, even though it has not been published. Another agent took it on, but did even less for me than the first. Second mistake -- bothering with agents!

I began writing a light-hearted novel about natural magic. Although my husband specialised in publishing transport and local interest books, he said he’d try publishing the novel. So Moon Garden came into the world and has in fact done well over the last few years, without any advertising or publicity. It is a bit of a cult book in pagan circles and has enjoyed many excellent reviews on the internet.

Next we moved to Brittany, north-west France, and my husband set up a new publishing company Red Dog Books, and I began to write guidebooks, walking books and a history of Brittany, coming back to my training and teaching experience. In the last few years I have written seven books about Brittany, including another novel set in the wild landscape where we live. All have been good sellers.

How would you describe the writing you are doing?

In my non-fiction work I am trying to make the landscape and history of Brittany accessible to readers and visitors who may not speak French well. Many of my readers actually live here and want to discover the background of their adopted country in a language they can read easily. I try to write concisely but with clarity and good organisation of material. Simplifying the complexities of history is a challenge, but my skills seem to lie in this area.

As far as novels go, I write about making choices and hope to inspire people to move forward in their lives. The two published novels have a ‘feel-good’ factor, but I think the next may be something else altogether. It is true that I had the pagan world in mind when I began Moon Garden, but in fact it has been enjoyed equally by readers of all backgrounds.

In the writing you are doing, which authors influenced you most?

This is a hard one! In non-fiction I don’t feel I have models, but in fiction I admire enormously the fizzy skills of Janet Evanovich with her unique combination of humour and menace, especially in the earlier Stephanie Plum books. But I think the writers I most admire in serious fiction, such as Hilary Mantel, are doing something quite different from me. Maybe I consciously choose to read the opposite of what I write! When I read Thierry Guidet’s short account of his walk along the Nantes-Brest canal in French I thought I’d like to do the same and write about that journey myself, but my perspective as a foreigner and historian is completely different.

What are your main concerns as a writer?

In non-fiction I have always been motivated by producing quality work that is accessible to the general public but also academically sound. I am not interested in sensationalising history or sacrificing evidence to the demands of a good story. I believe that reality is just riveting as fantasy!

In fiction, so far I have thought about being entertaining and amusing in my characterisation and dialogue. I think in my next novel I want to explore my own emotional experience and understanding more deeply.

How have your personal experiences influenced your writing?

In fiction I have drawn on events and people from my own life but circumstantially rather than profoundly. I was astonished to get a letter from a reader who met me years ago saying how easily he could see me in one of the characters in Moon Garden. In fact I had based this person on someone I knew and didn’t like very much! I’m not sure if there’s a lesson here or not!

The Five of Cups was a novel from my experience of coming to live in a foreign country with all the emotional upheaval that can bring, but the actual story is very different from my own. I found this book painful to write because it brought home to me many unsatisfactory aspects of my life. Since then I have not been able to ignore them!

In the novel I have just begun, Walking for the Broken-Hearted, I intend to draw much more closely on my own psychological experience. I feel the time has come for that and in a way I’ve been holding back up until now.

What are the biggest challenges that you face?

I suffer from too many ideas and too little time! I also find it difficult to reconcile the demands of writing fiction and non-fiction. I often feel I’d like to be free of the demands of constantly writing books and just concentrate on getting back to poetry. But financially I have to produce guidebooks. My novels take a huge effort and a lot of time to produce but do not have great financial returns, although I’m quite pleased with making a small profit from them. If there was no commercial imperative, sometimes I wonder if I’d write at all -- in many ways when it becomes simply work, the magic can ebb and flow.

Do you write everyday?

No, not every day. I am often out for days of walking or doing researching for historical books or having meetings with tourist organisations. (I also run an association here in Brittany for walks and visits to interesting places guided in English, and this takes up a lot of time).

For fiction, I am always reluctant to get started because there is not the easy agenda of a non-fiction book. The latter can be planned and then worked through in an orderly fashion. I don’t feel like that about fiction -- it churns me up emotionally and I often have to force myself to write. The Five of Cups only met its deadline by a strict 1,000 words a day which nearly drove me insane (but I always keep to deadlines)! Because I see the business from my husband’s point of view as a publisher, and how the delays of other writers cause him problems, I’m strict with myself about getting stuff in on time. Generally I am well-organised and disciplined as long as it’s non-fiction. Here I start work in my study at 9 am and make notes or write up all morning. My favoured method is to get something down one day and then review and refine it the next day before going on with a draft.

Afternoons are not good work times for me but I often come back to writing in the evenings. But nothing after 10 pm!

What is your latest book about?

In my most recent book, Crossing Brittany I describe a walk of 365 kilometres along the Nantes-Brest at a time when I was thinking a lot about the meaning of identity in my own life, so it’s both historical, personal and a bit of a nature study! It has taken me two years to write, despite being a short book, because it has been fitted in around other publications.

It is published with Red Dog Books as usual because they specialise in books about Brittany. The main problem has been over the title. I have always called it "The Long Thought", a theme of the book, but the publisher and representatives/distributors in the U.K. did not find that a very inviting prospect to publicise so at the last minute after a lot of soul-searching and arguing, I have agreed to change the title to Crossing Brittany (or as I think of it to myself, "Cross in Brittany"!).

Which aspects of the work that you put into the book did you find most difficult?

This book is the most personal one I have written and it caused me to reflect deeply and often painfully on my life. I wrote it during a difficult time in my personal circumstances but not all of this can be easily exposed in the text, so I’ve had to make many compromises. It is also challenging to integrate a personal narrative with historical details and the description of my physical journey on this long walk.

I wanted to get a good balance between history, nature, walking, identity and observations about living in a foreign country. Constant reworking of the material was necessary to get this and, as the agreed length was quite short, I had to be extremely selective of material gathered over two years of research.

Which aspects of the work did you enjoy most?

I liked the actual walk, which I did over four seasons, bit by bit. Sometimes I walked for several days, staying in accommodation overnight and carrying all my gear; other times I did a day’s stint of about 25 kilometres. My method of composition was to make notes in a dictaphone as I went along, as well as taking photos and talking to people on the way. So the research was great!

What sets the book apart from the other things you've written?

The personal tone is quite different from my objective historical voice, and the discipline and descriptive powers required in a travelogue to keep the reader interested poses new demands. I wanted them to be able to see what I saw but also to recognise my individual reactions during the trip.

In what way is it similar?

The subject matter -- the landscape and history of Brittany -- is my normal sphere of work. But both are so varied that I rarely find myself writing about the same things twice.

What will your next book be about?

My next project (for 2010) is Britons in Brittany, a book about links between Great Britain and Brittany through the centuries.

Also, not quite out of nowhere but very suddenly, a new novel has jumped into my head, and Walking for the Broken-Hearted is progressing slowly. I shall be looking for a main-stream publisher for this book.

What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?

Helping British people living in Brittany to feel a sense of connection and understanding with their chosen place of settlement in a foreign country even if they find the language barrier an insurmountable one. Making history a subject with life and energy has been very satisfying.

I am also proud of the fact that so many people have enjoyed my two novels and written to me about the sense of encouragement for change and growth in their lives that they got from the books.

Possibly related books:

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Interview _ Gary Albyn

Gary Albyn was born in Zimbabwe in 1960 and currently lives in South Africa with his wife and two children.

His poems have been featured the anthologies, Forever Spoken (International Society of Poets, 2007) and The Best Poems and Poets of 2007 (International Society of Poets, 2008).

His gift book, Manzovo: Place of the Elephants (30° South Publishers, 2008) is an illustrated 110-verse poem that comes with a DVD of the poem recited by the South African Shakespearian actor, John Whiteley.

In this email interview, Gary Albyn talks about his concerns as a writer:

When did you start writing?

I started writing the poem Manzovo: Place of The Elephants in late 2003. The saga of the matriarchal herd just continued to evolve and develop over a period spanning 14 months. Upon completion, and without any notion of publication, I decided to memorize the story in order to be able to recite it to like-minded audiences; people with an abiding love and respect for our environment and natural heritage. Many members of those early audiences exhorted me to give serious consideration to publishing the story.

How did you get the book published?

The nature of the book I envisaged lent itself to a “coffee-table” format -- one that should bear complementary illustrations of the highest quality.

Upon my return to South Africa after a stint working in the Middle East, I immediately went to see Chris and Kerrin Cocks from 30° South Publishers in Johannesburg. Kerrin and Chris -- himself an author-cum-publisher -- listened attentively to my pitch and, to my complete surprise, immediately agreed to publish the book. So much for having to knock on dozens of publishers’ doors!

The obvious flaw in my proposal was that I didn’t have anyone to illustrate this book that 30° South Publishers had so readily agreed to publish. With a nonchalant wave of his hand, Chris said he’d “get Craig to illustrate the book!” As an ex-Zimbabwean myself, I knew -- of course -- of the world-famous ultra-realist wildlife artist Craig Bone, but could it possibly be the same person Chris was referring to? The rest, as they say, is history.

In less than a year, Craig Bone produced almost 200 paintings and sketches for the book, 100 eventually being incorporated into Manzovo: Place of the Elephants.

What motivated you to start writing?

We study history in the belief that the lessons extracted from past events may enlighten and prepare us for an uncertain future. Such lessons, if wisely applied, may hopefully cause future generations to adjudge ours as having contributed to the ongoing evolution and ‘civilization’ of mankind. Alas, I don’t think this generation will be so adjudged, given our appalling track record in the areas that truly count. Maybe my message can limn a future a little more tolerable for the next generation, and beyond.

Society at large has an alarming track record in respect of the management of its natural resources. These resources can be managed on a sustainable basis, but the deliberate and profligate destruction of our wild lands, flora and fauna -- all in pursuit of selfish gain -- is a sure precursor to catastrophic consequences. I hope to bring the plight of our planet -- and our collective future and survival -- to the forefront of discussion and debate.

Which authors influenced you most?

I have eclectic tastes in genres, authors and topics. Whilst I read extensively, I particularly admire those authors whose fictional works draw heavily on accurate research, and bold authors whose topics, whilst controversial, force us to argue and wrestle with our own embedded (and often flawed) beliefs or principles. Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris spring to mind.

Cullen Gouldsbury was widely regarded as the “Kipling of Africa.” His poetry resonates with the fluidity of the true heartbeat of this continent.

What are your main concerns as a writer?

I allow myself to feel a brief sense of accomplishment when complimented on my book -- much the same way a proud parent would react to recognition given to their child’s achievements -- but I neither dwell on it nor seek it. As a collaborative project involving many parties, I am merely its author, and my only wish is for Manzovo to succeed in bringing a wider awareness to the pressing issues we face.

How have your personal experiences influenced your writing?

I grew up in the old Rhodesia and was fortunate enough to spend much of my youth communing with nature. I am always re-inventing and re-invigorating myself whenever I return to the bush.

What are the biggest challenges that you face?

I admire those who have the innate ability to massage words such that the essence of each sentence splashes vivid hues on the readers’ mental canvas. I am a long way from achieving that, and my challenge is to not only get there, but not believe myself when I think I’ve arrived!

Do you write everyday?

I am engineer by profession and, for the foreseeable future, will continue earning a living in that environment. Hopefully the literary gods will look favorably upon my desire to write full time!

How many books have you written so far?

Two previous poems, “Mother” and “Father Time” have both been published by the International Society of Poets. “Mother” appears in their anthology Forever Spoken (2007), whilst “Father Time” appears in The Best Poems and Poets of 2007 (2008).

How would you describe the story behind Manzovo?

Thandi, now at the height of her prime, is the astute and respected matriarchal head of a herd of elephants. She gives birth to Lesedi -- the last of her five calves -- and thus begins their sweeping journey through the bushveld and across the open vistas of southern Africa.

While the herd has to deal with brushes with predators, farmers, poachers and culling gangs, their odyssey across the sub-continent also embraces some of the cultures, natural wonders and landmarks that give character to this region. So too are described encounters with some of the floral and faunal species unique to this part of the continent.

The poem portrays their epic travels at a time in our past when elephants were able to range, with relative ease, across the timeless plains of Africa. The story weaves in the arcane rhythm that pounds like a tribal drum deep in Africa’s chest.

How long did it take you to write it?

I started writing Manzovo in late 2003 and was still putting finishing touches to the story just prior to going to print in June 2008.

How did you chose a publisher for the book?

I had read Chris’ first book, Fire Force, a few years before and, upon my return to South Africa in late 2006, heard that he was now publishing books with a Southern Africa bias. I chose him as the first publisher I’d visit due to our Zimbabwe connection.

What advantages or disadvantages has this presented?

Only advantages! Chris and Kerrin were quick to intuit that there were wider opportunities locked within Manzovo, which they have been able to liberate.

Which aspects of the work that you put into the book did you find most difficult?

The story required an enormous amount of patience, and went through literally hundreds of often small changes and variants. Neither this nor the research for the book ever proved to be tiresome. It is, however, most fulfilling to eventually see it manifest in hard copy…!

Which aspects of the work did you enjoy most?

The most rewarding element of Manzovo is doing the recital to an appreciative audience. They’re drawn into the raw beauty and emotion of the African theme, and oftentimes will admit afterwards to an almost indefinable and ethereal connection with the spirit within.

What sets the book apart from the other things you've written?

Its length!!

In what way is it similar?

I mostly try and write on issues that leave the reader with a message, a trigger for introspection.

What will your next book be about?

Craig Bone and I are looking to collaborate again on another African themed story. Next year perhaps!

What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?

I will answer that at some stage in the future when, I hope, Manzovo would’ve moved a critical mass of people to act decisively on behalf of our planet’s species and wild lands.

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Related Article:

Zukiswa Wanner [Interview], Conversations with Writers, November 14, 2008.

[Interview] Rachel Trezise

Rachel Trezise was born in the Rhondda Valley in south Wales in 1978.

She studied Journalism and English at Glamorgan University, and, Geography and History at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.

Her books have won two major awards and have been translated into Italian and Danish. Her autobigraphical novel, In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl (Parthian, 2000) won a place on the Orange Futures List in 2002. And her collection of short stories, Fresh Apples (Parthian Books, 2006) won the 2006 EDS Dylan Thomas Prize.

Trezise is also the author of a documentary about Welsh rock music, Dial M for Merthyr (Parthian, 2007), and a second novel, Sixteen Shades of Crazy, which is due out from HarperCollins in 2010.

In this interview, Rachel Trezise talks about her writing:

When did you start writing?

I started writing at the age of sixteen. I thought I wanted to be a music journalist so I started a fanzine called Smack Rupunzel, interviewing and writing about local bands. Soon afterwards, I started writing what became my first novel, In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl, an autobiographical account of a girl growing up poverty stricken and sexually abused in the south Wales valleys.

One day a friend of mine gave me an advertisement he’d found in a local paper from an independent publisher looking for submissions for a Welsh short story anthology. By then I was studying journalism and doing creative writing as a minor so I had a short story set in Wales. It was accepted and I met the publishing editor at the launch of the book. He asked me if I’d written anything else and I sent him the novel, not expecting much because it had already been rejected by most of the major London publishing houses. A week later he told me he wanted to publish it. It came out a few months before I graduated from university.

How would you describe your writing?

It’s what’s generally called ‘literary fiction.’ I like to call it life with the names changed. That’s how people who don’t read literary fiction understand it, but there’s more to it than that obviously.

Who is your target audience?

I’ve never had a target audience. I always write for myself, and if at the end of a piece of work, I enjoy it, I just hope others will too. I’ve never tried to write for a specific age or class and I suspect that puts a lot of pressure on writers.

Actually, I did write an Afternoon Play recently for [BBC] Radio 4. It was about teenage pregnancy and I found writing dialogue a huge challenge because I wasn’t allowed to use ‘bad language.’ But teenagers do use ‘bad language,’ and it seemed unrealistic to leave it out. I worked my way around it eventually but it took up a lot of time.

Which authors influenced you most?

My favourite authors are Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, two African American women. I studied both for English Literature, A-Level, a time when I was seriously considering writing myself, and discovering the magic of other people’s literature. Some of my own experiences were similar to that of their characters and I identified with the themes of repression in their work.

More recently I’ve discovered Annie Proulx, another American woman who writes about rural areas and the lonely, downtrodden people who inhabit them, and her themes are also very close to the themes I explore.

How have your personal experiences influenced your writing?

My first novel was autobiographical so my personal experiences influenced that book in a very obvious way.

My second book, a collection of short stories, is set in the Rhondda Valley where I grew up and still live, and the characters are amalgamations of the people I grew up with and the everyday struggles they faced -- unemployment, drugs, poverty, the social issues of the day. The stories were fiction though; scenarios I’d heard about second hand or read about in newspapers.

To write about something well, you have to care about the subject, and usually you care about it because it’s happened to you or someone very close to you.

What are your main concerns as a writer?

My main objective as a writer is to tell a social commentary.

I think people and place are tantamount to one another, and my concern is to tell a truth. Not necessarily a true story but a true human condition, to explain what being a human being is about. If you can do that well, then I think your work transcends nationality, like that of Toni Morrison or Annie Proulx.

I think a lot of social issues are brushed under the carpet by the media, and it’s important to document them as an artist.

What are the biggest challenges that you face?

The biggest challenge I have at the moment is writing a completely fictional novel.

Those short stories I just mentioned were my fictional baby steps, as it were. For the first time ever, I’ve had to plot a fictional story over 200 pages. I’ve been working on it on and off for five years and am nearing the end now. I had to plan it in a very detailed way, making sure I left no room to lose my way.

It’s also a technically difficult piece of work because it’s told by three women who are very similar in age and background. It’s set in the south Wales valleys though, an area I’m very familiar with and my next challenge will be to set a novel in another country. I’ve spent quite a bit of time in America and I’m going to set my next book there which will be a terrific change.

Do you write everyday?

I write Monday to Friday and over the weekend if there’s a deadline approaching or I’m nearing the end of a project.

I start by re-reading and editing the previous day's work. After that I’m ready to proceed. I work to a strict word length, a 1,000 words a day and push to always hit it, even if what I’m writing isn’t of any quality. I can edit it later.

What is your latest book about?

The book I’m working on, and which I described briefly earlier, is about an English stranger who moves into a very small, close-knit south Wales village. He’s a drug-dealer who seduces three of the local women.

The story is about obsessive love, poverty and provincial attitudes to nationality, race and modern life. The three female characters have been effected at some time or another by different forms of abuse and so the story is also about how experiences of traumatic childhoods make people vulnerable in some ways but stronger in others.

For the first time, I’ve chosen a big London publisher. There are pros and cons to both independent and large publishing companies and my decision for going with a larger one this time is the marketing and distribution power a large house has. I want to reach as large and varied an audience as possible.

What will your next book be about?

I’ve got two new projects in mind. The first is a novel about a girl who’s sold into prostitution by her poverty stricken mother and who suffers throughout her twenties and thirties but eventually becomes a high class call girl and then in the autumn of her life finds love with an Orthodox Jewish man who leaves his religious fold to marry her. A rags to riches story set in West Virginia and Brooklyn, New York.

The other project is also loosely based around the theme of prostitution, a collection of short stories that’s half written at the moment. I’m not sure which’ll be first.

What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?

In my relatively short time as a published writer -- it’s coming up to the 10 year anniversary, I’ve been lucky enough to win two literary prizes, The Orange Futures Prize for In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl and the Dylan Thomas Prize for Fresh Apples.

The second came with a £60,000 cheque and that’s enabled me to be able to write for the past two years without any financial worries, a rare situation for an author, so obviously that’s been a significant achievement and a great reward for all the time and energy I put into my work beforehand but I’m always thrilled when I see a manuscript turn into a book with a proper cover and blurb, perhaps even more so when it happens to be in a different language.

My first hard back book came out in Denmark last year, Ned i akvariet og op igen, a translation of In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl, and Fresh Apples comes out in Italy next year.

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