Meet Chris Jane! A Spotty Blog Interview

Introduction


Chris Jane is a mystery meat stew wrapped in enigmatic bacon covered in conundrum chocolate.... Wait. What was I talking about?


Clearly, I need to eat something.


Let's try this again.


Ahem.


Chris Jane is a writer whose debut novel, The Year of Dan Palace, is at turns funny, smart, painful and most of all, honest as it follows one man's choices in the face of the possibility that the world will end. I don't know Chris well, but the writing is more than solid. This is a writer that doesn't pull punches, that shows us sides of character it might be easier to turn away from. Of course, if Chris did that, we'd have a very different sort of story. This is good stuff.


The book is out on November 22, but it is available for pre-order on Kindle, now.


It is an honor and a privilege to present to you...


The Interview

Q) Where did you draw inspiration for the story of The Year of Dan Palace?

A) It was probably a combination of a fear of dying and a fear of not appropriately living, and added to that a desire to take a real, hard look at what a person might do with the end of the world as a possibility. Not only that, but how that person's actions might impact others.

I also wanted to have fun with the writing. While The Year of Dan Palace isn't, at its heart, a "fun" book (there is a serious theme or two), there is certainly fun stuff in it. It isn't oppressively heavy or "Oh, woe," and the characters themselves are pretty entertaining. They were certainly entertaining to write.

Q) Winnipeg or Winnebago?

A) Tough question. When Dan leaves home, he buys a Pace Arrow made by Fleetwood, a Winnebago competitor. Therefore, I cannot in good conscience choose Winnebago.

I did just learn on a "what to do in Winnipeg" search that a tourist attraction called "Lower Fort Scary" is just half an hour away in Selkirk, which I think makes the choice that much easier.

Q) In the Year of Dan Palace, you address how one person deals with End of the World anxieties which in turn causes the protagonist to second guess everything about the life he has. When 2012 rolled around did you or anyone you know experience anxiety over the much-discussed Mayan doomsday?

A) No. But we did have the standard "What would you do if?" conversation, at which point we listed the things we would do if we were going to die, none of which any of us ended up doing - even though we are all obviously, unquestionably, inevitably dying. Someday. Even so, most of us don't believe it, even if we know it's going to happen. One of the challenges Dan has is holding tight to that belief.

Q) Quinoa or purple rice?

A) I recently had quinoa for the first time. It was a little like tasty wet sand pasta-rice pellets. Pretty good!

I haven't had purple rice. What I'd like to try is risotto at a very high-end restaurant. Any time I catch Hell's Kitchen, Gordon Ramsey is going on about risotto. It's safe to assume it's the best food on the planet when done correctly.

Q) Is this your first novel? If so, when did you begin writing fiction?

A) I've been writing fiction since my pre-teens but didn't get serious about it until my early twenties. I was one of those readers, particularly in middle and high school, who always had to have a book. If I forgot one, my day would be ruined. What was I supposed to do while I was waiting, walking, or sitting in class without a good novel?

All of that reading somehow led to wanting to write. (I say "somehow" because I could just as easily have become a lifelong, passionate reader.)

This is not the first novel I've written. The very first, when I was 19, was a series of interconnected stories: X driving a car hits the brakes to avoid hitting Y. Their eyes meet, and the story lurches forward into the life and story of Y. And so on. I like to pretend it was an original idea at the time.

Q) When it comes to salsa, do you prefer black bean chipotle or mango peach?

A) They're both a little chunky, aren't they? Restaurant style is my daily addiction, with Tostitos lime chips.

Q) What advice would you offer to anyone setting out to write fiction?

A) Don't get hung up on perfection while writing the first draft, because you'll probably never finish (as far as novels are concerned). Write through, get to the end, get to know your story and characters, and then go back and make it better.

If short stories (and this is true for longer fiction, too), be honest, and don't be afraid to be honest. There's little you've felt that someone else hasn't felt at one time or another. Your task is to present that feeling in your unique way.

Q) Artists tend to have pretty interesting job histories. What's the strangest paid gig you ever had?

A) I willingly and knowingly improved the writing of a once-successful charlatan spiritual leader whose books' sole goal was to milk money from people wanting a better life. I'd try to find subtle ways to slip digs into the material.

Q) What's next for Chris Jane in terms of projects?

A) I have two in mind, one of which I hope to write with a partner. One tackles a social issue, and the other is a revenge plot. In real life, I'm probably more of a passive-aggressive revenge seeker - the kind who fantasizes about saying "No" when the wrong-doer needs a favor - so I think I'll enjoy writing a character who is a more active revenge participant.

Q) Binge-watching or binge-drinking?

A) Binge-watching on my smart days. Binge-drinking on my less smart days, and to a lesser degree than in my twenties. I think I can handle about three glasses of whatever is put in front of me. I am a middle-age cliche.

Spotty Blog Interview: Meet Ian T Healy!

Introduction:


Author Ian T Healy was introduced to me by the awesome Kristen J Tsetsi (who has recently released her novel Pretty Much True). You may be familiar with him from the Paper Rats videos that I am always going on about. Or you may be familiar with him as the publisher of Local Heroes Press, or, you might be familiar with his work as a novelist, author of the Just Cause series about a multi-generational family of superheroes. Superheroes, you guys! He's got a new one set in that universe coming out on April 1, 2014 titled Jackrabbit.

It is with great pleasure that I present the Spotty Blog interview.

Interview:

Q) As a 9 time NanoWrimo participant, how has that process helped your writing?

A) Actually, I'm a ten time champion, as I pulled off a successful marathon once again this past November. Over the years, I've gotten very good at planning ahead during the times when I'm NOT writing, so that when I sit down to write (whenever or wherever that might be), I have two things already in mind: what happens next, and what happens in the end. Knowing those things helps me to put together a cohesive plot, in spite of the general philosophy that plot is inconsequential during NaNoWriMo. I disagree with that fundamentally, and believe that plot is every bit as important as character and setting.

Q) What do you find most appealing about the idea of the superhero?

A) I just love the idea of having abilities far beyond those of the typical mundane. Like George Carlin said, we're just big piles of protoplasm walking around. Superheroes are immediately something more than that. They can DO more. What they CHOOSE to do is what defines them as heroes (or not heroes, as the case may be). In religious philosophies, they might be angels, or demigods. Whatever the case may be, they are the legends and myths of our culture. And as a writer in that genre, I am creating new legends. That's a pretty awesome place to be.

 Q) What's your superpower?

A) Clearly, I can clone myself to get all this work done.

Q) What prompted you to form your own imprint and become an author/publisher? What advice would you give to someone thinking about taking that road to publication?

A) I was looking toward the future, when I'll be sitting atop a publishing empire, raking in the dough, surrounded by hookers and blow (hookers and blow is a recurring joke between me and my dearest friend, writer Allison M. Dickson). Honestly, I didn't want to see my work just published under my name. I wanted it to be attached to a publisher of some kind, and I also considered that someday I would probably try to publish other authors. It looks like that day may come as early as this summer, when Local Hero Press will be publishing an anthology of superhero fiction by several other authors.

My best advice is to do it the right way. Don't pick a company name that is already in use somewhere else. Register the company with your local Secretary of State. Form it as an LLC (that's on my to-do list for this year). Be professional about it in all aspects. Do not ever expect people to pay you for the privilege of being published by you. Money should always flow TO the author (and to your service providers like editors and artists). That's the biggest reason I haven't taken on publishing anyone else yet. I want to make sure I have enough income from my own work that I can pay someone right out of the gate. Shared royalties are all well and good, but cutting an author a check right from the start for the privilege of publishing their work says a lot about how willing I am to assume the financial risk for the work's success.

Q) Would you like fries to go with that font?

A) My current favorite font is Linux Libertine. It is utterly gorgeous in print. And it's also free. I love open source projects!


Q) How did you approach creating your series set in the Just Cause universe? What is one feature of world-building you think of as unique or most significant?


A) I built the JCU around the character of Mustang Sally and her family. She was the first third-generation superhero, with her mother being a hero during the '70s and '80s, and her grandmother during the '40s and '50s. Someday I will tell tales about Sally's own children as well. It's given me a lot of story material, and I think that's one of the things that makes the JCU unique. At its core, it is a family saga, like the sort of things James Michener wrote. Sure, there are tales that reach outside the saga--in fact, JACKRABBIT is one of those--but the main focus of my work in the JCU deals with Sally and her family in some way.
The novel coming out this fall, CHAMPION, is a return to Sally's ongoing
career as a member of Just Cause the team.


Q) Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming novel?


A) Yes, of course.
Jay is having a pretty bad day at school. His popular cheerleader girlfriend just dumped him and a jock spilled soda all over his brand new Nikes. So when the God of Rabbits recruits him to save the world from an invasion of interstellar cockroaches, it seems like it might be a pretty cool gig.
Unfortunately, in the spectrum of god-like abilities, rabbits rank pretty low, and Jay receives the ability to make snarky wisecracks, jump real high, and . . . that’s about all.

With all other superheroes snapped up by the Cockroach God and his minions running rampant in the extra-dimensional Gods’ Home, Jay and his newfound ally Bluebird are the only two unlikely heroes left to defend humanity.

We are doomed . . .


Q) What has changed or stayed the same for your writing process since you started writing fiction?


A) I have more gray hairs in my beard than when I started. Writing tends to be a little slower for me now, not because I want to write less, but because I'm working harder at writing better. Recently I've been stretching myself and working well outside of my comfort zone in unfamiliar genres and situations, simply because I think doing so will
broaden my skill base and make me better overall at the craft. People ask what's the hardest thing about being a writer, and I always say it's being a better writer. I write less on my phone than I used to, but that's mainly because I have much less time outside of the home to do it. I do still keep an active project or two on the phone in case the mood and the time strikes.
As far as what has stayed the same, it has to be the drive to tell stories no matter what. I'd still write even if people stopped buying my stuff tomorrow. And I would be very, very sad SO DON'T DO IT.


Q) Unitard or union suit?


A) Depends on the application. Mustang Sally wears a full body suit reminiscent of what speed skaters wear. Jackrabbit also wears a full body suit (at the insistence of his ballerina coach tailor). Another character in the JCU, named Crackerjack, is completely immune to harm, and he could fight crime bare-ass nekkid if he so chose.

I don't really have the abs to rock either one, so I'd have to go with a nice Italian suit, overcoat, and fedora like The Question.


Q) Is there a form of storytelling that you haven't tried yet that you would experiment with? *hands Ian an Erlenmeyer flask*


A) That's a tough question. So far over the years I've written space opera, mainstream fiction, non-fiction, superhero fiction, western/fantasy, hard science fiction, urban fiction, mainstream YA, cyberpunk, steampunk, a murder mystery (that's CHAMPION), horror (my current WIP), and slipstream. What's left?

Oh yeah, romance. I have a dear friend, Shewanda Pugh, who writes romance brilliantly. I need to take some lessons from her in that and see if I can squeeze out a better romance than what's in the Just Cause books.







About Ian Healy:
I can be found on Twitter (http://twitter.com/ianthealy), Facebook
(http://www.facebook.com/authorianthomashealy), Scenicwww.ianthealy.com, and on Amazon
(http://www.amazon.com/author/ianhealy).

Jackrabbit releases in print and ebook versions worldwide from all
online retail outlets on April 1, 2014 (honestly!).


Check out the Goodreads Giveaway at
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/81665-jackrabbit (runs from Feb.
14 through March 21, 2014, with three signed ARCs as the prizes). Visit
my Facebook page for more information.

A Spotty Blog Interview: Meet Rune Skelley!

Introduction: Rune Skelley is the writing team Jen and Kent. They have a blog with some awesome writing prompt generators that make me squee. I've been lucky enough to know them for mumblesomething years, meeting through a fiction writing critique group. I count myself extremely lucky to know them, and even luckier to call them friends. If it weren't for these two, I might not have any publication credits to my name. Their critiques are thorough.


I still have the scars.


Under certain types of light, the scars read "qwerty."


Okay, enough joking around! Here we go...




The Interview:


Q) So, how did you come up with the name Rune Skelley?

Jen: We talk about this in one of our early skelleyverse posts. We wanted one name, and we wanted it to be unisex. We thought about using our first initials and our surname, but then you run into the problem of whose name comes first. And also the problem of sharing initials with JK Rowling. I have a few baby name books that I use when naming characters, and so I basically went through the same process for our pen name.

Q) Pants or pantaloons?

Jen: Pantaloons, definitely.

Kent: Pants, if it's a weekday (except Fridays).

Jen: Kent takes casual Friday very seriously.

Q) When did you start writing fiction collaboratively? How did that begin?

Kent: This is one of those things that's been going so long it's like it's never been any other way… In college I started a space-opera type of novel, pantsing it, ironically, but I didn't know how to wrap it up. Jen was very supportive even though it was a sorry mess. Another long-standing interest of mine was role-playing games, starting with D&D. Jen and I were part of a  group, and we also started gaming as a couple activity, and that's essentially "making up stories together" so it flowed naturally into the more traditional form of a novel.

Jen: Around the same time he was working on his space-opera, I had an idea for a vampire story, but for some reason I was hesitant to write it on my own. I remember talking to Kent about it a lot, and basically strong-arming him into collaborating on it. It ended up as a short story, and I haven't looked at it in forever. I'm sure it needs a ton of work. Kent will probably tell you that he didn't really do much with it besides hold my hand, but he's lying.

Kent: You made me let go so you could type. I do remember that there's a passage that's in verse, which you assigned specifically to me. And I recall workshopping it between the two of us quite a bit. But it was always your story, you did a great job. I was happy to be in the front row. And I think that's how a good collaboration often feels, like "Wow this is fun, I'm so glad this person is letting me take part in this!"

Jen: It's a great way to be in on the creation of a story, to tell the exact story you want to tell, but still be surprised. That's one of my favorite parts of collaborating. Even though we make a big bad outline, and we talk about all the scenes and all the characters, I still get to be surprised by the details and the nuance that you bring. It's really cool.

Q) Egg nog or egg noodles?

Jen: egg noodles with lots of butter. 

Kent: egg noodles; nog is a hoax, people!

Q) When you aren't working on your own fiction, what other writing do you read? 

Jen: Lots of different things. Right now I'm reading a mystery (which I read a lot of), and Kent is reading "The Botany of Desire" to me. I should say here that Kent reads to me while I cook dinner. Next up after my mystery will be an Archer book (the cartoon spy), and then the JJ Abrams book.

Kent: I also try to maintain a varied reading diet. I have always been partial to science fiction, and still lean that way most of the time. My favorite authors are Roger Zelazny and Neal Stephenson. Currently, I'm reading "John Dies at the End," which is rather gonzo and full of horror-humor and immaturity. It's great fun. I try to read stuff that holds up, stuff I can still enjoy now that I'm ruined as a reader.

Jen: I think being ruined as a reader is why I read so many mysteries. I don't think I would be able to write a successful one, so it's fun to try to figure out how they do it (both the author and the bad guy).

Q) Feed me an elevator pitch.

Rune: Would you opt for immortality if the price was never again touching another living thing? That was the fictional world written about by Verity North. Now, 50 years after the disappearance of Verity and her scientist husband, their granddaughter has begun publishing new works that continue the series, and giving tours of the labs and prototype immortality facilities. But there are some areas that are off limits...

Q) Elevators or escalators?

Jen: Well, it depends somewhat on how many floors you need to cover. I really like escalators. We were at Macy's in Manhattan not too long ago, and they have these amazing old wooden escalators.

Kent: My heart says escalators, but my brain says elevators. 

Jen: But what does your inner-architect say?

Kent: escalators, all day long.

Q) What advice would give to someone who is starting their first collaborative fiction project?

Jen: Make sure you like to spend a lot of time with your partner. And make a good outline.

Kent: I second those points, and suggest you consider warming up with a project that neither of you is too close to. You need to learn how you'll work together, and you might feel protective until you know you can trust each other.

Q) Curds and whey or oatmeal and fruit?

Kent: Cereal.

Jen: Oatmeal with brown sugar. Fruit on the side.

Q) How do you stay motivated when you hit challenging moments?

Kent: Personally, I find motivation in competitive ways, which is not going to be a good fit for every partnership. But I get my game-face largely by not wanting to feel like I'm being outrun. That, and coffee.

Jen: I don't drink coffee, so that doesn't help me at all. I think that having a writing partner helps tremendously, both for the competitive reason Kent mentioned, but also because I don't want to let my partner down. We cover for each other, so if I'm not in a prose mood, I can work on other things related to the project while Kent writes, or vice versa. The project doesn't languish because one of us is having an off week.

Kent: I can definitely credit Jen with most of my motivation. On my own, I'd probably be too lazy.

Jen: On his own he'd definitely sleep more. Kent sometimes has the urge to write stuff that isn't a collaboration. I never ever get that urge. So I guess for me, having a partner is the way I stay motivated. Full stop.

Random Thoughts: Bear Hair and Observations about (gasp) Entertainment Marketing

Hello, dear readers!

It has been a while. August is pretty busy which is why I haven't blogged in a while. But more about the busy later.

So, while my brain has been largely engaged in multiple creative projects, it continues thinking about stuff during other daily tasks, like eating, animal maintenance, and that day job thingy.

There hasn't been a Round Up in a while. I have been reading, I can assure you, but the last batch of books I have read haven't been so squeeworthy. (I won't name names, because one person's "Meh" is another person's "Holy Awesomesauce!") The same is true of things I've watched over the past few weeks. I am sure that soon, I will have a batch of things to rave about ... but... this experience has lead me back to a comparison I have been making between the music industry and the publishing industry.

Sometime in the 90s, the music industry's indie labels became as distinguishable to listeners as bands themselves. The first notable label to market themselves as a label as well as promoting artists was Sub Pop. (Fact checks are welcome here. One might argue that well before this different labels were marketing themselves through their catalogues etc... but the Sub Pop sticker became a ubiquitous thing for a while and music lovers paid as much attention to what labels were releasing as to the specific bands they loved, but I digress. Kill Rock Stars in another indie that fits the bill for that time period.)

It occurs to me that indie publishing is doing the same thing. A certain aesthetic accretes around the output of some publishers, creating a kind of brand. Much of this may have to do with chosen genre focus, but it also has to do with other, less easily pinned down qualities.

In music right now, almost everything Merge Records does tickles my ear-holes.

In publishing, it seems to be Angry Robot Books that gives me the narrative happy-pants. I come to this realization after looking at past Round-Ups on the Spotty Blog. When it comes to my personal tastes, they have never produced a miss. For what that's worth.

This is not to suggest that other indies don't hold sway, or offer other things that make me squee. It's just a trend I've noticed in my own reading.

Panverse Publishing is another one. Of course, there is a bit of bias there, I must say in the interests of full disclosure. I've been published through Panverse. This tends to encourage a person to pay attention to the other things happening with a publisher. It is a publisher, however, that has never let me down for a solid read. The hallmark here is Dario's eye for unique, diverse narrative voice in storytelling, which is most strongly evidenced in the anthologies.

When it comes to watching film, I don't have quite the same experience in regards to branding, yet. This may be unique to me, I tend not to pay attention to the production companies that produce movies I like. This may be because my tastes are all over the place and I don't remember, or it could be that I am not as diligent in paying attention to those details. But I don't see branding happening with production companies for film in the way it happens (for me) for books and music.

To be fair, this probably has something to do with my own personal experiences of work. I was in radio for a long time and have a heightened awareness of things like record labels. I write fiction have been published a few times so I pay attention to publishing companies as a matter of course. I've never worked in film, but I have begun writing scripts so this is probably a thing that will change. As I pay more attention, it is possible that a sense of "brand" here will accrete.

I have some serious movie buff friends that would probably argue the point that there is most definitely a sense of brand with production companies, but I'm really just talking about my experience as a consumer. It's all part of the random stuff that has been floating around in my head lately.

(Can you tell I've been reading over at hopeforfilm.com ?)

Anyway, bringing it back around to the music industry, my point about the Sub Pop stickers is that I was aware of them as a label before I started working in radio. I think that's all I will say there because this chick right here is no marketing expert.

Right, so, next thing. What can you do with bear hair? Seriously. Not too long ago, a bear came through the yard. Probably because I dumped something in the compost pile that smelled super-yummy. I know this because the composter was torn down and its contents scattered. Also, our visitor bent a shepherd's hook which held suet for the birds and made off with the suet. In addition, he found a can full of birdseed, crushed it ate half and dug a hole in the dirt, then left a bunch of hair clumps. One might think this is distressing. Mmmm. Not so much. At least to me. (But then, I did, once upon a time chase a bear across the yard because I wanted a picture. Not exactly the normal reaction... but digression again, so...)

I kept the bear hair, because my inner 9 year old is all like, "Coolest thing EVER!"

There is not enough of it to make a sweater, or use in the vegetable garden as a deterrent to other small critters. So what do I do with it?

These are the kinds of burning questions that take space in my head when I'm not editing a finished novel, working on the new one (there are some thorny issues re: diplomatic relations between dragons and humans), waiting for submission responses, seeking a workshop venue for the play, working on the new play, trying to build amazingpants playlists for my last two radio broadcasts of the summer and... and... and... well, there are a bunch of things I am leaving out, I'm sure, but there's the short version of the busy.

So, for the next two weeks, the playlists will be up. My regular blogging irregularity will likely begin again in September.

Until then, dear readers, I am curious about you! Leave a note! Leave a note particularly if you have any good ideas about bear hair.

Random Thoughts: On the Origins of Red Sonja

So, in some very small circles I'm considered a genre writer. (One friend has called me the Queen of Ick Lit, another person has dubbed me an inventor of White Trash fantasy because of the novella Fork You which appeared in Panverse One.  )

That said, I am woefully under-read in that which might be considered the genre classics. This is because I have a reading list that is ridiculously long and while I tend to write fiction with paranormal, fantastical, and science fiction elements what I read is everything from reference materials to literary fiction, science to mythology, palmistry to biography, history to essays.... I could keep going, but you get the point.

I'm divided about whether or not this is a serious problem. I think it would be a larger issue for a writer to not also be a reader, no matter what form those word-built creatures called stories take.

It is pretty awesome to have friends who are more knowledgeable about genre than I am. I get to learn stuff, and they get to point stuff out to me that I haven't considered.

Enter my friend Richard, who is a bit of an expert on all things related to comics, genre fiction, genre film, and the career of Patton Oswalt. Over the holidays this year he gave me several genre books that I had not read before. It turns out that some of these books are/were kind of a big deal in terms of genre. This is the stack that I turn to when I am between new book purchases or I am not in the mood to re-read old favorites. I won't list all the authors, but there is one in particular that has my brain kind of buzzing.

Sword Woman by Robert E. Howard, precedes his version of Red Sonja and later versions said to have been based on multiple other red-haired, swashbuckling adventuresses. Dark Agnes de Castillon is an interesting figure to have emerged in the 1930s. The edition of the book that I have includes an introduction by Leigh Brackett.


Red Sonja in later fantasy/comic stories is one of those scantily clad heroines where sexualized imagery has a ridiculously large part to do with the reader appeal. Agnes de Castillon is a very different character than that. (Whether or not various versions of the cover art reflect it is a different topic best left to Jim C. Hines and John Scalzi if you recall this bit of gender-bending genius.)

"But I did not wear doublet, trunk-hose and Spanish boots merely to show off my figure, and the morion perched on my red locks and the sword that hung at my hip were not ornaments."

The statement, made by the heroine remains true throughout the narrative. While there is an awful lot of attention paid to her attire, which granted, is unusual for a woman in 16th century France, I can't help admiring that for the most part, Red Sonja's predecessor Dark Agnes remains dressed for battle rather than a debauched spring break as later versions would have it. To be fair it is also true that the attire of male characters in the story is also paid heed. It seems to follow a convention in the sword and sorcery genre that clothes tell you, the reader, the status/role of the characters.

Gender plays a huge role in Dark Agnes' story of origin in that it is her desire to escape a pre-scripted destiny due to her social status as a woman. She kills the bridegroom that her child-beating father is trying to force her to marry and flees. In the course of that adventure she finds that she rather likes sword-fighting and from there the narrative is a series of swish-slice-blood and narrow escapes from physical danger. You know, all the stuff of an adventure story.

Leigh Brackett explains Dark Agnes' appeal as a heroine and how she is a character who appeared well before her time in the aforementioned introduction. While the female protagonist with sword skill was beginning to rise in popularity in the fantasy genre, the sword-wielding woman was not popular in adventure stories of the 1930s. She describes Dark Agnes as an honest, pragmatic and active character not prone to self-pity. The character makes decisions, takes actions and sticks by those choices, unyielding. (What we might think of those choices in a modern context is a different discussion.) What I find remarkable here is the introduction of a strong female action hero during a time in fiction that I was unaware such a thing existed. I am not a Howard scholar, so I have no idea if when he wrote this it was his intention to break down boundaries in the world of fiction when it comes to women characters, or if it was just a new and different way to tell a story.

In the interests of full disclosure, this is a book that I would probably not have chosen for myself, but it has proven to be educational to me, and interesting in terms of the things it made me think about.

(*Cheesy blog-ending question alert*)

So, dear readers, what books have you been given that you would not have chosen that were eye-opening or thought-provoking for you?

Meet an Uncanny Writer! Gregory Miller!

Introduction

I have known Greg Miller for at least a decade. We may have first met when I worked at a music store and through conversation we discovered that we had a bunch of people in common, who are all fabulous and we both appreciate. Sharing such good taste in people, of course we became friends. Another thing we have in common is our passion for writing.

Mr. Miller is also a super-smart teacher-man who I know to be witty, sweet and quirky. I mean all of those things in the best possible ways.

He has authored several collections of short stories that take place somewhere called "Uncanny Valley." They are loosely connected and provide a rich, textured tapestry of an odd little town, indeed. I would describe Greg Miller's stories as deceptively simple and utterly elegant. Just be careful when reading that you do not get lost... the valley swallows people...

The Interview

Q) What’s the best/worst piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?

A) Best: Don't listen to anyone who says it can't be done. Worst: You'll
never make it.

Q) Favorite punctuation?

A) The question mark.

 Q) Towns or cities? Why?

A) Towns. More intimate, better mysteries.

Q) Writing wardrobe?

A) Everything from anything to nothing.

Q) What were you doing right before I started asking you a bunch of inane
 questions?

A) Watching "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

Q) What’s on your desk right now?

A) Pens, photos of my boys, cough drops, an "Empire Strikes Back" DVD, a
Ray Bradbury book (of course), a printoff of my new novel, an owl
feather (long story), and a half-empty root beer.

Q) Favorite food thing of the moment?

A) Indian food. Always Indian food.

Q) Favorite form of writing to do? Short story, novel, etc..

A) Short story. As Ray Bradbury said, "I'm a sprinter!"

Q) Baseball cap or top hat? Why?

A) Top hat. You can keep more stuff in there.

 

Q) I you could collaborate on a project with anyone living, dead or

 imaginary, who would you pick?

A) Ray Bradbury. And amazingly enough, we actually did do a
collaboration on a small project. The dream came true.

Q) Tell us about your current creative project/s.

A) I'm looking for a new publisher to reprint my two collections of short
stories and my framework novel-collection "The Uncanny Valley: Tales
from a Lost Town." I'm also hoping that publisher will be interested
in the prequel to "The Uncanny Valley," "Darkness in the Valley: An
Uncanny Dossier," my first full-blown novel.

 

 

 

 

 

*Follow Greg Miller on Twitter  @greggymiller

 

*Check out his amazon author page here http://www.amazon.com/Gregory-Miller/e/B002RH1R8I/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1361887840&sr=1-2-ent

*Books will be available from the original publisher http://www.stonegarden.net for a month.

 

 

Meet A Rocker of the Written Word: Dario Ciriello: Author, Editor and Indie Publisher

You know what's awesomesauce? I'll tell you. Dario Ciriello is awesomesauce. Not just because he published my novella Fork You in Panverse One. (http://panversepublishing.com/ ) but because he's doing some pretty brave and amazing things.

One of the brave and amazing things that he does is guide the helm of a ship called Panverse Publishing. He's making a go of being an independent publisher at a time when the publishing world is in constant flux and its future uncertain. Well, at least the future of publishing in its current, mainstream form is uncertain. In my (humble, very far away from the center of things so take this for what its worth, opinion) independant publishers like Panverse Publishing represent the future of the publishing industry.

These are risky times, but they are also wildly hopeful times. From chaos comes order, change, new beginnings and that is the bet Dario is brave and amazing enough to make with Panverse. As an author who has been published by Panverse I am excited for my editor, publisher and friend. The story-loving world needs folks like Dario who has an eye for fresh, unique storytelling that is also high in quality. I've been blown away by what I've seen in Panverse and I'm honored that my name gets to be included on the list of folks who've had their work published there.

Okay, so enough Squee-fest from me. Meet Dario and squee for yourself. (Yes, I know. Shut up.)

The Interview



Q) When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?


A) I was a late developer. I didn’t really feel the call until the mid-90s, in my early 40s. I’d written a few things before that, particularly a dark one-page piece written when I was eight or nine which could have been penned by a young Poe or Lovecraft. In my teens I discovered the Conan the Barbarian books and tried to channel Robert E. Howard. The results were predictably awful. But in the mid-90s something finally clicked, and I began, slowly, hesitantly to succumb to my Muse’s call.


Q) How did your love of the written word expand into the desire to become an editor and publisher?


A) I always loved novellas—a format particularly suited to SFF stories—and was disgusted at the dearth of venues among the SFF magazines. This led me to start Panverse Publishing, which originally only published SFF novella anthologies. (And of course you and I met when you sent me your own hilarious novella, delightful “Fork You”, for “Panverse One”).


Q) Best/worst piece of writing advice you've ever received?


A) The best may have been Gardner Dozois’s advice to, “be audacious.” The worst may be “show, don’t tell”—not because it’s wrong, but because the distinction and definitions between the two are very, very relative, a minefield of qualifiers and exceptions.


Q) What's on your desk right now?


A) I’m working on copyediting the upcoming Panverse novel, “Divinity and the Python” by Bonnie Randall, an extraordinary and powerful supernatural quasi-romance where the chief characters are an old morgue and a night club.

At the same time, I’ve just started outlining and character work on my own second novel, which is going to be dark and scary and (I hope) quite unusual.


Q) What has surprised you about publishing?


A) How extraordinarily hard it is to sell books.


Q) Sentence fragments or semi-colons?


A) Yeah, both; love ’em. Colons too: they rock.


Q) What were you doing before I started pelting you with questions?


A) Smoking, drinking, and cussing.


Q) Snowballs or mud pies?


A) Snowballs, every time.


Q) What does Panverse offer readers and writers that can't be found anywhere else? (Aside from awesome you, and my novella “Fork You” in “Panverse One”, I mean.)


A) I’d like to think that Panverse stands out for stories that are about something, that take risks, that aren’t formulaic. I also believe we have some of the flat-out best cover art in the business, indie or traditional.


Q) What principle guides you the most strongly as an editor?


A) At the risk of sounding pretentious, Truth. Both in my own writing and in selecting a manuscript, I want a story that feels true to life, that isn’t breathed on and crafted to the kind of cookie-cutter conformity found in so much genre fiction. A story with quirks, with theme, with characters that feel like real people.


Q) Bunk beds or water bed?

 A) Bunk beds! I love bunk beds!! Especially when they’re in a Wagon-Lits first-class sleeper compartment rumbling through snow-covered Alpine passes in the small hours of a freezing December night.


Q) What can you tell us about your community of support?


A) I’m very fortunate to have an incredibly supportive wife and some terrific friends. Without those, I’d have given up long ago.


Q) What are your thoughts on social media as it pertains to writing and publishing?


A) It’s a necessary evil.


Q) Favorite monster?


A) (laughs). That’s a great question! It would have to be the traditional Dracula, accompanied of course by a cohort of sexy, voluptuous, and very hungry lady vampires.


Q) You've written both fiction and non-fiction (I am referring of course to the newly released “Sutherland's Rules” and “Aegean Dream”). What are some of the key differences you've experienced in the process (aside from the obvious)?


A) Aside from the obvious, actually, not much. (Laughs). The upside of fiction is that you can tweak and change it to your will. The downside is the need to invent everything from (more or less) whole cloth. In my nonfiction book, “Aegean Dream,” a true memoir of our year on the tiny Greek island of Skópelos (the actual “Mamma Mia!” island), I was very fortunate to have a true story which already contained all the elements of a novel. If it hadn’t, or the subject matter had been drier, it would probably have been much harder to write.


Q) Favorite flavors of the moment? (Here, I am referring to food.)


A) I’ve been cooking a lot with chorizo lately. It’s especially awesome (teamed with rice and onions and small cubes of good cheddar) in roasted stuffed red peppers.


Q) Team sports or exercise?


A) I hate team sports—actually, sports, period. I do exercise, and like to walk and hike.


Q) If you could collaborate on a project with anyone living, dead or imaginary, who would you pick?


A) A writing project? It would have to be Mark Twain. He’d be impossible and wouldn’t want me near him, but I think we might have some synergy. But if you mean any project, I think I’d like to work with Queen Victoria and Benjamin D’Israeli on World domination.


Q) Grill or campfire?

 A) Ooh, both. I love grilling, but I’m serious wilderness backpacker, too. Most years I take a 4 or 5 day solo trip up into the High Sierras, where I stagger about at 10,000 feet and clear my head and heart from the dross of what we laughably call civilization.


Q) Tell us about your current and upcoming creative projects.


A) Right now all my energy is devoted to promoting Panverse Publishing and our authors. As well as “Divinity and the Python” (mentioned above), there’s “Channel Zilch,” a wild SF caper; “The Bone Flower Throne,” an Aztec Fantasy novel; “The Sparrow in Winter,” a Dark Ages Romance; and a nonfiction/self-help book titled, “No Wonder You Feel Like Crap!”.

 As if that weren’t enough, there’s my own work. “Sutherland’s Rules,” a caper-thriller about two old friends in their sixties risking life and liberty on an insane and highly illegal adventure, came out a couple of weeks ago and is starting to get a lot of great reviews. It takes a lot of work to get a book noticed, so I’m going to take this opportunity to ask your readers to go check it out and read the free excerpt as soon as you leave the Spotty Blog!

http://www.amazon.com/Sutherlands-Rules-ebook/dp/B00BC17284/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360524694&sr=8-1&keywords=sutherland%27s+Rules#_

 Upcoming also is my own WIP, which I work on first thing every morning for a couple of hours, is that it features parallel storylines—one starting in the 1920s and a contemporary one—ritual magic of the nastiest sort, and a long-dead and very disturbed Nazi colonel who’d once been given a sinecure command on a small Greek island just to keep him out of the way.



Somewhere in between all this, I find time to eat, sleep, work out, and have a life.




*You can also check out Panverse Publishing's facebook page here:
facebook.com/panverse

*You can follow them on Twitter as @Panverse

Happy Valentine's Day

So I wasn't going to do this today, make mention of Valentine's day in the Spotty Blog. Today was for rewrites on Road to Nowhere, reading Patton Oswalt's Zombie Spaceship Wasteland, and business as usual. But then the interwebs hove into view and reminded me that it is, indeed, February 14th and that today is a day about love.

It is easy to be snarky and cynical about Valentine's Day. Is it about the vapid marketing of cards and chocolates and an idealised version of romance? Sure. If that's what you choose to see. I would like to argue that it is possible to reclaim it, re-envision it and talk about love differently.

In the interests of full disclosure, I love the fun, rebellious notion of anti-Valentine's Day celebrations. Dr. Ham's Big Stinking Anti-Valentine's Day Show absolutely delighted me. (Of course, Dr. Ham managed to find a guy who does the most spot on Christopher Walken impersonation I have ever heard anywhere and had that guy address me on the air guaranteeing that I would be delighted. I still have no idea who this person is, and Dr. Ham will not budge. Damn it!)

But there can be more to it.

Love exists in myriad forms, not just the sparkly, gooey confectionery kind. Love of family, friends and pets. Love of art, film, books. Love of people. Love of abstract ideas. Love of food. Love of indoor plumbing. I'm pretty sure my dog has an intense love of all things that smell of meat. So why not celebrate that? Appreciate that which you love, that you are loved, or maybe if you don't feel so loved, appreciate that you have the capacity to love.

Go forth and love.

Sounds obvious, and possibly trite, but there it is. Love is important.

If there was one thing from the interwebs that made me want to make mention of the day in a non-snarky way it was a gentle reminder in my facebook feed from poet and activist Dora McQuaid about the One Billion Rising event meant to raise awareness in order to stop and prevent violence against women.

Saying no to violence seems to me a pretty awesome way to express love.

You can read the reminder I read here: http://strategicstiletto.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/rise-my-love-and-be-my-valentine/

And you can find out more about Dora here: http://www.doramcquaid.com/

In Praise of the Beta Reader

In a recent conversation it was mentioned that writing can be lonely work. I would argue that writing is not necessarily lonely work, but it IS of necessity solitary work. I know. Semantics. But what can I say? This is an important distinction to a person like me, who loves solitude as much as she loves a good party. I don't feel particularly lonely when in the process of writing.

There is a point in the process when interactions with other humanoid-type creatures are required. No creative project comes to fruition and gains an audience (no matter what size) in a vacuum. I'm talking about the point when I am done with that first draft (and the obligatory first round of self-edits so as not to completely embarrass myself with the next part). I refer, of course, to the point where a manuscript must be presented to the Almighty Beta Reader.

I am strongly indebted to my Beta Readers. That first set of eyes to view a nascent piece of work will catch mistakes that as the author I can't see because I'm too close to the piece. This is true for things like grammar and typos (typing yams instead of yawns, for example) as well as content, consistency, structure and plot holes. A fresh set of eyes on the work at the right stage of the process can be the difference between a story that works and a story that fails. Ultimately, the beta reader tells the author what is not on the page but that should be. (Sometimes, it turns out to be the reverse of that statement, but you get the point.) The main thrust of this is that birthing a story requires help. A writer's community has an importance that is often overlooked. Okay, so that community isn't awake at 3am writhing in sweat-soaked dreams about whether or not you have made the right word choice, but the community will offer you a towel with which to wipe your sweaty forehead, and possibly a glass of water with which to replenish your fluids.

For a first draft, I can't let anyone have input until it is finished. It's just the way it seems to work for me, personally. If you are a writer who is a planner that might not be the case. You already have your story and all of its components firmed up, so that if a comment wants to derail your plot, you have no worries and it may provide food for thought rather than set your story spinning in directions it never wanted to go.

I'm more of an exploratory writer when it comes to a first draft. I have to know what the story is about and where I'm headed with a piece but I count on the writing to reveal the details as I go, which is why I'm so protective of the first draft process. Until I am certain of the fictional landscape and its characters feedback can actually hurt the process of creation. So, know what kind of writer you are and where in the process it is safe to show the invaluable beta reader.  But we all need those readers.

For those of you who've helped me along the way, I would like to say thank you, and please enjoy a river of chocolate and waterfall of wine from me to you.

One thing I'd like to mention when it comes to presenting work to your beta-reader is that it can be highly beneficial to you and the saint who has offered to spend time looking at your Not-Ready-For-Public-Eyeballs work to let that person know what your questions are regarding that work. I don't always know where a story is lacking, but usually there are a few areas I have concern about. I like to let my beta-reader(s) know about those areas of concern. Help the beta-reader help you, I say. (Okay, so really that's the first time I have said that, but you get the point.)

So, who else out there has praise for beta-readers, or has been a beta-reader and wants some praise? Or has a few thoughts they'd like to share on the topic? Talk to me. I'll be lurking.

Categories Player Interview The Eleventh: Jen Violi

Introduction

Jen Violi is a Portlandadian. Oregonista. I met her cyberspace via a person I know from the long and distant past (the 90s times radio-land) Mr. Jeff Blasinski. He said Jen reminded him of me, was also a writer, and pretty kick-ass.

He said, "You guys should be friends."

I said, "She's like me? Well, that's pretty killer. HELLS YEAH! BRING IT! WITH TWO OF ME WE SHALL TRAVEL ALL OF THE DIMENSIONS AND RULE THE KNOWN AND UNKNOWN UNIVERSES! WE WILL RIDE UNICORNS INTO THE SUPERNOVA TOGETHER WITH OUR LIGHT SABERS BLAZING AND A XENA-LIKE WAR CRY UPON OUR LIPS!!!"

Then I realized that I can't actually stray that far away from the coffee maker because it physically hurts. So Jen and I shall have to wait patiently while we gather minions...

It is with great pride and evil, world dominating laughter that I bring you Jen Violi.

Interview

Q. What’s the best/worst piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?

A. The worst came recently from a bizarre commenter on a blog post I wrote—he suggested that I pander to the leanings of my audience. Terrible advice. I’m all for revising to make something readable, to make it the best of what it is, to make it as much of a gift as I can for readers, but not for squelching my true writing voice and beliefs. The best I think came from reading Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones—in the late ‘90s, when I first took her suggestion to get into the practice of writing without stopping or editing myself, it was a revelation. And it still is. There’s so much good stuff and icky stuff and fascinating stuff below the surface chatter.

Q. Ampersands or hashtags?

A. Ampersands. They’re so lovely and swirly. Hashtags sounds like something you need a cream for.

Q. Turducken or stuffed squash?

A. Stuffed squash, clearly. And so it has been written, “one meat shall not be stuffed within another.” Oh wait, maybe I take that back. As with all religious proclamations, there are always exceptions. And I should not scoff at the turducken until someone makes me one. Any takers?

Q. Writing wardrobe?

A. Often, long hippie skirt or purple PJ pants. The most essential ingredient is elastic.

Q. What were you doing right before I started asking you a bunch of inane questions?

A. Although it seemed easier to just drink my coffee, forcing myself to eat breakfast because I know I’ll feel better for it later.

Q. What’s on your desk right now?

A. Oh, so much delight! Let’s go left to right, and I’ll stick to the highlights:
• stone turtle Buddha
• red metallic goose neck desk lamp
• the remains of my breakfast (apple, challah toast—why is that bread so GOOD, by the way? Do they put crack in it? Yam salve?)
• paperweight with a real scorpion preserved in glass
• vintage cardboard fan with a wooden handle from an Ohio funeral home. The fan features Jesus on the front and on the back, the name of the funeral home, the two digit phone number, and one of my favorite punctuation issues—bizarre/inappropriate usage of quotation marks. In this case: “Air Conditioned” (which I’m assuming didn’t work so well since they had these fans made) and “WHERE PARKING IS NO PROBLEM.”
• Dried lavender I picked in Hood River, OR
• A three-legged clay pig
• My coffee

Q. Favorite mythical creature?

A. Picking just one seems sick and wrong, but since you’ve pushed me into this corner, I’ll just keep shouting “Sasquatch!” until you bring me one to talk (grunt?) me down and carry me home in his big furry arms.

Q. Basement or Attic? Why?

A. Attic for sure. Basements are creeptastic. Attics are where you can have skylights or alcoves or sweet writing desks. Or Greg Brady’s groovy bedroom.

Q. Boots, Sneakers, or Stilettos?

A. Booooooots. Because it’s the most fun to say. Also, neither my skeletal system nor my lack of grace allow me to wear anything with a heel.

Q. If you could collaborate on a project with anyone living, dead or imaginary, who would you pick?

A. Hands down, Freddie Mercury. He and I would write the BEST MUSICAL EVER.

Q. Tell us about your current creative project/s.

A. I’m working on the eighth draft of a new novel, while still spreading the word about novel # 1 (Putting Makeup on Dead People), blogging here and there and everywhere, slathering as much awesomesauce as I can onto my monthly email newsletter for my bizness (you can sign up at www.jenvioli.com!), continuing to grow my work as writing coach and developmental editor, and last but not least, exploring the staggering realm of possibility that is making puddings out of coconut milk.

Literary Influences

Very recently, in the land of facebook I was tagged in a note which requested that I name 15 authors who have influenced me and will always stick with me. This was sent by the fabulous Paul Winarski, who is producing my play, Road to Nowhere. I planned on responding to that when I had some time but then I thought it would make a great blog post, particularly since I sometimes struggle with ideas for Ye Olde Spotty Blog. It also made sense since the topic brought on a whole whirlwind of thoughts on the subject of literary influences.

Answering the question of who influences my work is not as simple as listing fifteen writers, although I can certainly do that. The first fifteen that pop into my head are as follows,
Lewis Carroll, Tom Robbins, David Foster Wallace, James Morrow, Angela Carter, Francesca Lia Block, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Christopher Moore, Charles de Lint, Oscar Wilde, George Saunders,
Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket), Allen Ginsberg, Toni Morrison and Octavia Butler.

It's a good thing that there is a limit to the number of authors required, because otherwise you would be subjected to a massive wall of text containing a huge number of names. But here's the thing about those names. Each one of them is storied, in its own way. How and where I discovered their works has much to do with people in my life who introduced the work to me. Tom Robbins was suggested to me by Paul Shapera (yes, THAT Paul Shapera, of Steampunk Opera fame). Charles de Lint is a favorite of my brother's. Christopher Moore's work was beloved of my friend and co-author Kathy Morrow-Swartz. I read James Morrow's work for a class and was later lucky enough to meet him and his family. I'm also blessed enough to be able to call the Morrows my friends, which leads my to my next point about influences. My work is influenced as much by community as it is by the work that I have read. Conversations with the Morrow family have probably held as much sway as the fiction I've read by Jim, or Kathy's amazing poetry.

My work has been influenced strongly by the critique group I was in with Rune Skelley. Rune Skelley's writing prompts in particular are kind of like a magical key that unlocks the wine-barrel of creative juices. (There is probably a dirty joke in that statement somewhere, but I will leave that for you guys to parse.) Recently Juliette Wade (Analog) and I have been each other's writing cheerleaders. Dario Ciriello is another big positive influence. (check him out at www.panversepublishing.com )There are days when you stare at that page and can't seem to make it work, and the influence of someone in the writing trenches with you can make all the difference between a story that works and a story that's meh.

The writing is influenced by ideas or events (both large and small) from daily life. That's not to suggest I write fiction based on people I know, I don't. But a conversation about generational differences that I've had with a parent or grandparent will provide a new perspective with which to tackle characters, world-building or language. That extremely odd-looking statue of a leprechaun I saw at the dollar store while shopping with a friend might be the visual cornerstone of a character's apartment. The way the light falls on the bird-feeder in the backyard could provide clarity for a descriptive passage. Images or emotional states evoked by different types of music can also generate ideas. That dropped bit of subtext from a film might be something I want to explore further. So I submit that the question of what influences the work of a writer is infinitely more complex than what they have read.

Life influences the work of a writer. I remember going to a reading and Q&A given by Samuel Delaney at PSU. Heart pounding, crazy nervous, I raised my hand and asked a question about a particularly delicate passage he'd read from Dark Reflections. To me, it seemed a gorgeous, fearless piece of prose about sex, or the possibility of sex, and I asked him something like, "How do you do that?" I recall an emphatic response that one must "Pay attention." Good advice for life as well as art. That, for me, was a profound moment, as an aspiring writer and as a human being.

So, yes, pay attention to everything that you can. You can learn from everything if your eyes are open. (By the way, I'm still working on this. I will probably always be working on this, like I will always be working on that stack of books piling up near the bed.)

So, how about you guys? What are your thoughts on influences?