Today I give you Allure Author Delilah Devlin. She's lived in Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Ireland, but calls Texas home for now. Always a risk taker, she lived in the Saudi Peninsula during the Gulf War, thwarted an attempted abduction by white slave traders, and survived her children's juvenile delinquency. In addition to writing erotica, she enjoys creating romantic comedies and suspense novels.
Excerpt from Delilah's "Warlord's Destiny", now features in the Ellora's Cave anthology, Fated Mates.
So, that's what Kronaki warriors look like!
Every story ever whispered about the fearsome warriors came rushing back to set Mora's body trembling. How they fought like ravaging beasts, cutting bloody swaths through Graktilian mercenaries during the war. How they lived in rough stone fortresses made of blocks carved from their frozen mountains. How they fostered their children to rival clans so they would be raised without gentleness.
How they fucked with such fury their women's screams echoed throughout their valleys.
Mora felt a tremor rumble beneath the polished, marble floor of the great hall, so explosive was the swell of conversation that arose at the warriors' arrival.
They were seven, dressed in furs and leather, armed with bows slung across their shoulders and scabbards at their sides.
She couldn't drag her gaze from the man at the head of their formation, striding toward her-her husband in name, if not yet by deed. Although she had never seen him before this day, she knew it must be him, for he looked the fiercest, the strongest-only one such as he would be chosen to rule from amongst their ranks.
He was from a race of barbarians, seemingly as proud of their reputation for brutal warfare as their orgiastic sexuality. The latter Mora could well believe for the man stalking her now looked every inch a sensual marauder.
A shiver of awe bit the base of her spine and trembled upward until the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood erect.
Taller by a head than any Mellusian, his broad shoulders nearly blocked out the sight of the two heralds dogging his steps as they attempted to halt him. He seemed not the slightest bit interested in following protocol by waiting for his name to be addressed to the assemblage. As if anyone attending the ceremony hadn't already guessed who he was!
He'd also eschewed the fine wedding tunic Mora's mother had personally designed-an embroidered silk affair that would have stretched absurdly across his bulging chest and arms.
No, he wore a vest of gray animal pelts that parted at the front, no doubt to tempt a woman's gaze to ogle his obscenely muscled chest and follow the dark arrow of hair down his hewn abdomen. The black sueded leather that encased his legs strained over thickly corded thighs and the alarming swell of his manhood.
Mora's heart tripped and then fluttered like the wings of an aradil .
Her mouth dry, she forced her gaze upward to look at his face but found no comfort there.
Lord Tetrik of Kronak-his name was as harsh as the angles of his square jaw and the sharp blade of his nose. His hair was dark like a moonless sky and worn like the old warriors in the paintings in History Hall-hanging past his shoulders with small braids on either side of his inflexible face. But his eyes frightened her most of all-chips of blue ice froze her in place as his gaze found hers across the noisy hall.
He would have to know she was his bride. She wore her wealth and importance in the weighty jewels studding her hair and gown and encircling her neck. She saw fury in that first glance. Had he already guessed he'd been cheated of the true prize? That her rich adornment was a ruse?
Her mother moaned behind her. "His ambassador said he was too busy to attend such an insignificant event. You should have worn the pink gown!" her mother hissed.
"It was covered in dirt, mother," Mora whispered, keeping her gaze pinned on the man walking straight toward her. "It's too late now, anyway. The ceremony is over."
"He may still repudiate you. Oh, what were you thinking, digging in the garden on your wedding day?"
"I wanted a tuber rose to take with me to my new home."
"As if a rose will grow in their rocky soil," her mother said, her voice becoming thin and breathy the closer the warrior drew.
Mora hoped her mother didn't choose this moment to faint. She suspected the Kronaki leader would scorn a woman frightened by the mere sight of him.
"That green makes your cheeks sallow," her mother lamented, working herself into a high state of agitation. "You look as though you're attending your own funeral."
Mora couldn't resist delivering a little dig. "Am I not? What do you think he'll do once he finds himself wed to the wrong sister?"
"You should have worn the pink! It would have shown you to advantage." She sounded on the verge of tears.
Her mother's diatribe wore on Mora's nerves. "Mother, it doesn't matter if I wear the pink or the green, I'm no beauty. He will know. And by the look of that scowl he wears, he already does."
"May the Goddess save us!"
"Hush, Hespha!" Her father finally intervened. "You frighten our daughter."
Only that wasn't quite true. Her mother's words had the opposite effect, reminding Mora that by rights, her older sister should have been the one sacrificed to honor The Promise. But her sister had been deemed too delicate and hidden away when the day came to repay the decade-old debt owed the Kronaki. "She'd never survive the rigors of life on that harsh planet," her father had said.
Her mother had been only too eager to agree to the substitution. Her delicate, slender little flower wouldn't be surrendered to the barbarian. Instead, Mora stood in her place. She was anything but delicate-a fact that had pained and embarrassed her parents to no end all her life.
A flush of anger heated Mora's cheeks. Try as she might, she couldn't suppress the primitive emotion. Her parents thought so little of her they were willing to marry her to a beast. A black-haired beast that grew more enormous and intimidating as he approached the dais upon which most of the members of the Mellusian royal family stood.
Mora straightened her shoulders. Jewels and a fine gown would not deceive the man. She was dull quartz against the bright, blonde diamonds glittering inside the hall.
He stopped in front of the dais. The room fell silent while all in the assemblage strained to hear what he might say. His cold gaze raked her from head to toe. Even standing on the raised platform, she had to tilt her head to meet his glance.
Panic had her body tightening. Mora raised her chin another notch, unwilling to let him see her fear.
He lifted one dark brow, and his gaze swept her face, lingering over her lips. "What is your name?"
He knew! "Mora. I am Mora," she said, surprised the words escaped her tight throat. Would he reject her? Strangely, she wasn't certain she'd feel relief if he deemed her unfit. Humiliation at his hands would be the harder emotion to swallow.
His gaze cut to her father, and he nodded once. "It is done," he said, his deep voice terse. Then he turned and offered her his hand.
As Mora realized his curt statement meant he would accept her as his bride, emotion pricked her eyes. He would have her. Although she wasn't the beauty he'd been promised, he accepted her as wife. She blinked and drew in a deep breath. She'd not shame herself by giving way to tears. Although she might be the least favored daughter, she was wed now-and to the fiercest warrior of the covenant worlds. She placed her hand inside his and stepped down beside him.
Immediately, she felt swamped by his tall, broad body, a sensation foreign to her, living all her life among the slender elegance of her people. She lifted her startled gaze.
"You're short." A frown drew his dark brows together in a daunting scowl.
Mora drew back. "I am tall for a Mellusian woman."
He snorted and glanced down her body again. "We leave now," he said, letting go of her hand.
"But we've prepared a banquet," her mother's voice quavered behind her.
"We're leaving now," he said again as though grinding his teeth, his ice-cold gaze never leaving Mora.
She sensed a question in his statement and nodded her assent. Best not to annoy him so soon in their marriage. That would doubtless come later.
He raised his arm, and she placed her hand atop his forearm. His skin was warm, the hairs dusting his arm crisp-the muscle beneath felt hard as stone.
"But her trousseau!" her mother cried. "Her things must be packed."
"I will see to her clothing." To Mora, he asked, "Is there anything else you would bring with you?"
She thought of the small bundle containing her personal treasures and the bundled roots of her tuber rose. "There's a package on my bed."
He turned then to her mother. "Fetch it. Bring it to the mage's chamber."
Her mother was so startled, she didn't question his authority to command her. She swept up the train of her gown and rushed from the hall.
Lord Tetrik strode out of the room, past the glittering assemblage without so much as a sideways glance.
Mora found herself enclosed at the center of the formation of tall warriors and lengthened her stride to keep apace. So tall were they, she was denied her last glimpse of her home, only catching a glimmer of gold leaf from the panels in the ceiling. Too soon, she was descending the steps to the mage's chamber in the dark, ancient dungeon beneath the golden keep.
As they stepped inside, the shadowy cavern seemed, for once, cramped. Her escorts fanned out around the perimeter of the room, their legs braced as if for battle.
Gwimmel, the castle's mage, turned from the cooking pot suspended above a crude wood hearth. His gaze darted to Mora's, and he raised his bushy, white brows. "That was rather quick. I had thought there would be celebrations above."
"Lord Tetrik desired to depart immediately," she murmured to her one true friend, aware of her husband's scrutiny. "And since the ceremony took place before his arrival."
"Ahhh." Gwimmel nodded. He straightened as far as his hunched back would permit. "Lord Tetrik, it will only take a moment to reopen the passage."
Mora glanced to her husband, whose scowl grew darker by the moment. If Gwimmel doesn't hurry, he'll change his mind! Disaster has not yet been averted.
Suddenly, her mother rushed into the room, halting to catch her breath as she spied the warriors. She stepped timidly into their midst and thrust the bundle into Mora's arms and hugged her. "Despite how it may seem," she whispered into her ear, "I wish you well, daughter." She squeezed her and stood back. Then she smoothed a hand over her perfectly coiffed hair before turning to her new son-in-law. "We have your promise you will return her if she so desires?"
"I keep my bargains," he said, the words spoken so slowly his true meaning could not be misinterpreted. He had kept his bargain-the Mellusians had not! "She may return after spring comes to the mountains if she so desires-and if she does not carry my child."
Although her mother strove for a regal nod, her hands pressed her stomach, betraying her unease. "Well, I wish you good journey." Her liquid gaze met Mora's one last time before she turned and departed the chamber.
Mora let out the breath she'd been holding and tried not to shiver at the chill encasing her heart at her husband's words. If she does not carry my child. With a husband so virile, how would she not?
"Mage!" Lord Tetrik spat the word, impatience apparent in his tone.
"Oh, yes, yes. Just a moment." Gwimmel bent and lifted a stone from a basket of magical stones beside the hearth.
He opened his palm and a rough-cut yellow diamond caught the flickering light from the hearth, bending and fracturing it until rays spread in a fiery prism-yellows, reds and oranges bursting like a tiny sun. Then he closed his eyes and murmured an incantation that sounded more like the gurgling of a river than any spoken tongue. The slivers of fiery light curved into a shimmering circle, becoming liquid, the radiance dimming at the center.
"Come, it is time," her husband said, gripping her elbow. He led her to the circle and ducked inside, pulling her along.
For more info on Delilah, please visit her website or her blog. And to order Fated Mates, please see here!
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Vivi Anna
Self proclaimed bad girl of writing, Vivi Anna is set to be a break-out star in 2006. She's inked a three book deal with Kensington. Vivi Anna likes to burn up the pages with her original unique brand of fantasy fiction. Whether it's in ancient Egypt, or in an apocalyptic future, Vivi Anna always writes fast paced action-adventure with strong independent women that can kick some butt, and dark delicious heroes to kill for.
EXCERPT FROM – HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF – Vivi Anna
Garrick sat down on the offered chair, Tommy and Smith stood on either side, while Puck leaned on the railing, ready for trouble.
“What do you want?”
Fisher put a cigarette in his mouth, and lit it. As he blew the smoke up, he gestured to Garrick. “I want what you want, man. Peace between our packs.”
“There is peace, or haven’t you noticed no one has been gunned down in nineteen months?”
Fisher chuckled. “True. Corin was an egotistical bore. He ran the pack like his own personal war machine.” He ran a hand through his long blond hair. “But what I speak off is eternal peace, a union of our two packs. One pack, one law.”
Garrick sat back in the chair and casually spread his legs. It was meant as a gesture of boredom, an insult. “And who will lead this pack?”
Fisher grinned around his cigarette and leaned forward. “Well, it would be obvious I thought. I’ve been alpha of my pack for many years, Garrick. You’ve only recently acquired yours. If it’s a matter of experience, then I think there is no question who should lead.”
Garrick nodded as if considering Fisher’s words. He glanced up at Tommy and shrugged his shoulders.
“Of course, you would become my second in command. You’ve proven yourself a fierce fighter, a cunning negotiator as a regulator and the Keeper of Secrets. Your talents would not go to waste, I assure you.”
Garrick gazed at Fisher and nodded. “Sounds like a real good offer Fisher, but why would I agree to be second when I’m already first?”
Leaning back on the sofa, he smirked. “I have many things to offer, Garrick. We have an abundance of women in the pack; something I hear is dwindling in yours. One day, you might want to find your mate, make babies, live eternally…and all that shit. I could help you with that ambition.”
Garrick didn’t like the way the conversation was going. Fisher had too much information on the status of his pack and evidently someone was bitching. The familiar odor floated to his nose again, this time it was stronger, more compelling. He flinched, shook his head, and glanced toward the metal ladder.
A gorgeous tall, lithe woman stood at the top of the steps. She didn’t look at Garrick as she passed his chair. Fisher held out his hand to her and she took it, allowing him to bring her down to his lap. He ran his hand up and down her back and smiled.
“You see, I have lots to offer a man like you.”
Garrick nearly swallowed his tongue as he eyed her. She was still the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Her body was svelte and toned and her skin glowed as if it had been kissed by the sun. Completely different from before, her auburn hair was short and spiky, accentuating a perfectly tanned angular face.
He remembered her eyes the most. Emerald green…and flashing like polished gems. She was just as he remembered her.
“Hello Garrick.” Her voice, cool and cultured, sent delicious shivers up and down his body.
“Hello Olivia.”
For more info on Vivi Anna, please be sure to visit her website or her blog. To purchase Hungry Like the Wolf, see here!
EXCERPT FROM – HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF – Vivi Anna
Garrick sat down on the offered chair, Tommy and Smith stood on either side, while Puck leaned on the railing, ready for trouble.
“What do you want?”
Fisher put a cigarette in his mouth, and lit it. As he blew the smoke up, he gestured to Garrick. “I want what you want, man. Peace between our packs.”
“There is peace, or haven’t you noticed no one has been gunned down in nineteen months?”
Fisher chuckled. “True. Corin was an egotistical bore. He ran the pack like his own personal war machine.” He ran a hand through his long blond hair. “But what I speak off is eternal peace, a union of our two packs. One pack, one law.”
Garrick sat back in the chair and casually spread his legs. It was meant as a gesture of boredom, an insult. “And who will lead this pack?”
Fisher grinned around his cigarette and leaned forward. “Well, it would be obvious I thought. I’ve been alpha of my pack for many years, Garrick. You’ve only recently acquired yours. If it’s a matter of experience, then I think there is no question who should lead.”
Garrick nodded as if considering Fisher’s words. He glanced up at Tommy and shrugged his shoulders.
“Of course, you would become my second in command. You’ve proven yourself a fierce fighter, a cunning negotiator as a regulator and the Keeper of Secrets. Your talents would not go to waste, I assure you.”
Garrick gazed at Fisher and nodded. “Sounds like a real good offer Fisher, but why would I agree to be second when I’m already first?”
Leaning back on the sofa, he smirked. “I have many things to offer, Garrick. We have an abundance of women in the pack; something I hear is dwindling in yours. One day, you might want to find your mate, make babies, live eternally…and all that shit. I could help you with that ambition.”
Garrick didn’t like the way the conversation was going. Fisher had too much information on the status of his pack and evidently someone was bitching. The familiar odor floated to his nose again, this time it was stronger, more compelling. He flinched, shook his head, and glanced toward the metal ladder.
A gorgeous tall, lithe woman stood at the top of the steps. She didn’t look at Garrick as she passed his chair. Fisher held out his hand to her and she took it, allowing him to bring her down to his lap. He ran his hand up and down her back and smiled.
“You see, I have lots to offer a man like you.”
Garrick nearly swallowed his tongue as he eyed her. She was still the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Her body was svelte and toned and her skin glowed as if it had been kissed by the sun. Completely different from before, her auburn hair was short and spiky, accentuating a perfectly tanned angular face.
He remembered her eyes the most. Emerald green…and flashing like polished gems. She was just as he remembered her.
“Hello Garrick.” Her voice, cool and cultured, sent delicious shivers up and down his body.
“Hello Olivia.”
For more info on Vivi Anna, please be sure to visit her website or her blog. To purchase Hungry Like the Wolf, see here!
Monday, October 31, 2005
Lisa Renee Jones
Today I give you Allure Author Lisa Renee Jones. You may recall I did a full interview with Lisa before, but to refresh your memory, here's a bit about her. Lisa owned and operated a temporary staffing agency for over ten years earning numerous awards. Of these achievements the one she is most proud of was being recognized by Entrepreneurial magazine on the top ten growing Women owned businesses list in 1998.
The corporate world offered only limited opportunity to explore her creative side so she began writing Romantic Suspense. Since starting her career, she has placed in numerous contests including winning the Romantic Times Aspiring Writers contest for her Romantic Suspense, Hidden Instincts.
A Mother of two, she lives in Austin, Texas where she writes on a daily basis, eagerly working on her next plot, and discovering new depths to her writing.
Excerpt from Lisa's HEALER:
“Diego.” She said his name as if it was a question.
He answered by gently easing her knees apart, fitting himself in the V of her legs. Her hands slid to her sides, fingers digging into the blanket as if she fought the urge to touch him. She sucked in a breath as he pressed his body against hers. “You belong to me.” One of his hands slipped from beneath her skirt, sliding up her side, following the curve of her sultry form to her back. Pressing her closer to him, easing her full breasts into his chest. He felt her shiver. “I know you feel our connection.”
Her hands went to his shoulders “Yes,” she whispered, “but why? I don’t know why.”
Lips lingering just above hers, he could almost taste her without touch. “One mate for life,” he explained, feeling the possessiveness of knowing she was that to him. You are that person for me. I cannot live without you. ”
“This is crazy,” she whispered, her voice holding a breathless quality. “I shouldn’t be here. How can I respond to a stranger like this? So…”
“Potent,” he said, but it wasn’t a question. It was merely giving voice to what he felt. His mouth closed down on hers, needing what only she could give. The first touch of her soft lips melted him inside out. He was on fire, yet, he felt relief, as if a flame had been sprayed with water and ignited at the same time.
His tongue slid past her teeth, soaking in her flavor with one deep stroke, and then another. How he managed to be gentle he wasn’t sure. The last he wanted was to scare her. The beast inside begged to be unleashed, yet somewhere, somehow, he found the will to contain it. For her.
But the beast would only wait so long.
End Excerpt
For more info on Lisa, please visit her website or her blog. And to order Healer, please see here!
The corporate world offered only limited opportunity to explore her creative side so she began writing Romantic Suspense. Since starting her career, she has placed in numerous contests including winning the Romantic Times Aspiring Writers contest for her Romantic Suspense, Hidden Instincts.
A Mother of two, she lives in Austin, Texas where she writes on a daily basis, eagerly working on her next plot, and discovering new depths to her writing.
Excerpt from Lisa's HEALER:
“Diego.” She said his name as if it was a question.
He answered by gently easing her knees apart, fitting himself in the V of her legs. Her hands slid to her sides, fingers digging into the blanket as if she fought the urge to touch him. She sucked in a breath as he pressed his body against hers. “You belong to me.” One of his hands slipped from beneath her skirt, sliding up her side, following the curve of her sultry form to her back. Pressing her closer to him, easing her full breasts into his chest. He felt her shiver. “I know you feel our connection.”
Her hands went to his shoulders “Yes,” she whispered, “but why? I don’t know why.”
Lips lingering just above hers, he could almost taste her without touch. “One mate for life,” he explained, feeling the possessiveness of knowing she was that to him. You are that person for me. I cannot live without you. ”
“This is crazy,” she whispered, her voice holding a breathless quality. “I shouldn’t be here. How can I respond to a stranger like this? So…”
“Potent,” he said, but it wasn’t a question. It was merely giving voice to what he felt. His mouth closed down on hers, needing what only she could give. The first touch of her soft lips melted him inside out. He was on fire, yet, he felt relief, as if a flame had been sprayed with water and ignited at the same time.
His tongue slid past her teeth, soaking in her flavor with one deep stroke, and then another. How he managed to be gentle he wasn’t sure. The last he wanted was to scare her. The beast inside begged to be unleashed, yet somewhere, somehow, he found the will to contain it. For her.
But the beast would only wait so long.
End Excerpt
For more info on Lisa, please visit her website or her blog. And to order Healer, please see here!
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Allure Authors -- Sylvia Day
Today, meet Allure Author Sylvia Day.
Sylvia Day is the multi-published author of highly sensual romantic fiction set in historical and futuristic settings. A wife and mother of two from Southern California, she is a former Russian linguist for the U.S. Army Military Intelligence. She is also the President and founder of Passionate Ink, Romance Writers of America's first and only erotic romance special interest chapter.
Some of Sylvia's highlights:
2004 IRW Golden Opportunity
1st Place Historical & Best of the Best Winner
2004 Lori Foster/Brava Contest Reader's Choice Winner
2004 Gateway to the Rest
Historical Winner
2004 Some Like it Hot Finalist
2005 Amber Heat Author Winner
2005 Silver Rose Website Contest Finalist
For more info please visit Sylvia's website or blog.
And excerpt from Sylvia's book Misled:
Misled by Sylvia Day
Sable had found her prey. She could smell the fear pouring from him in misty waves, even over the odors of stale beer and cigarettes.
He knew she was hunting him.
Her mouth curved in smile so feral the men who watched her with lusty eyes looked away, their interest doused instantly. Stepping further into the dimly lit bar in the Deep Space 12 concourse, her hand dipped automatically to the lasersword held in the holster on her thigh. It was illegal to use weapons in the concourse, it was illegal even to carry a weapon but she had docked in the waste removal bay, affording her the opportunity to slip past security.
Scowling, she sniffed the air to check on her fugitive, Butch Castle, but also to search for another scent—one so masculine and virile it drove her to madness. In fact she could still smell it on her skin and it was keeping her hot and horny, distracting her when she needed to be the most focused. She forced herself to concentrate, tuning out the background music in the small bar and the paging of flight information echoing in the terminal behind her. Her focus narrowed, a huntress closing in for the kill.
Her shoulders relaxed when she confirmed she was the only vampire in the room. Still, Sable knew she didn’t have long before Derek caught up with her. The handcuffs she’d used to shackle him to the bed would hold, but the bedposts wouldn’t. She’d be damned if she’d let him steal another fugitive from her, even if he was the best fuck she’d had in over a century.
She stepped further into the bar…
“You know,” purred a deep velvety voice behind her. “A guy could take it personally when his woman fucks him senseless and then leaves without a kiss goodbye.”
Heat pooled instantly at the top of her spine and spiraled downward. Shocked, Sable spun around. “What the hell?”
Derek Atkinson stood barely an inch away, his strong hands gripping his narrow hips as he eyed her with his silver stare—a stare still molten with desire for her. “I wasn’t done with you yet. I was just taking a power nap before we started again.”
A shiver went through her body at his words. His raking glance stripped her of her clothing and left her naked to his view. He’d wanted more of her? After two days straight of mind-blowing sex? The man was an animal.
Her nostrils flared. Standing this close to him she could finally smell his delicious scent buried under the overwhelming smell of herself. No wonder she hadn’t detected him sooner.
His eyes danced with devilish amusement. “I thought I was in pretty good shape, but I guess not if I’m falling asleep and you still have the energy to get up and chase my fugitive.”
That arrogant comment penetrated her astonishment. “He’s not your fugitive!”
He cupped her cheek with a warm hand. Instantly her skin grew hot, her pussy wet, her nipples hard. Even after two days straight of Derek’s addicting carnal attentions she was still ready fuck him again. Immediately. Her fangs slid downward in anticipation.
“Sable, sweet.” He smiled, his sensual lips curling upward to reveal pearly white fangs even longer and more deadly than her own.
Her mouth dried instantly.
His voice lowered and she knew he smelled her arousal. “You’re a talented hunter, baby, no doubt about that. But your operation is small and you’re often ill-equipped. If you just let me—”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Butch Castle edging toward the exit to the main concourse. Faster than the human eye could see her, she leapt over the tables between her and her prey. She tucked the man, easily twice her body weight, under her arm and left Derek without looking back. She heard him shout after her as she crawled along the wall to the traffic-free ceiling and ran to her ship. And then she couldn’t hear anything with Butch screaming in terror as they flew through the concourse upside down, his human eyes unable to see more than a blur.
Sable could sense Derek swiftly gaining ground and cursed under her breath. She was no match for him physically, as he’d proven on several occasions in the past, and she was weighted down with the screaming human. She saw her turn coming up but maintained her lightning speed, feinting to the left at the last possible moment. Derek blazed past them. The ruse bought her only a few seconds but it was long enough for her to enter her transport and shut the cargo bay. Just as the portal locked with a hiss of air, she felt a thud as Derek slammed into the door. He’d probably dented the damn thing.
Sable shoved Butch Castle into the brig. “Take a shower,” she ordered. “Wash the stench of fear off you. I’m hungry, so after we take off I’ll be back to feed.” She saw his eyes widen in dismay and smiled. “Don’t worry, you’ll enjoy it. Humans always do.”
Moving to the deck, she sat in her captain’s chair and secured the five-point harness. Then she activated the exterior communication link. “Move away, Derek. I’m about to take off.”
“Damn it, Sable,” he growled. “You bitch! Didn’t the last two days mean anything to you?”
She swallowed hard. Mean anything? They’d meant everything.
What an idiot she’d been to give in to her longing to have him. Burn this thing out, he’d said, and she’d leapt at the excuse to have him even though she’d known deep inside that it would only get worse.
Glancing up, she saw him standing in the loading bay, one hand plunging through his thick raven hair in frustration. He was undeniably gorgeous. Tall, broad-shouldered and thickly muscled, he took up her entire view screen from the chest up. Her heart pounded against her rib cage and her chest grew tight. “Don’t play me, Derek,” she said in a voice that betrayed her with its hoarseness.
He glanced up sharply and bore his metallic gaze into hers through the video screen. He couldn’t see her, but his gaze still searched for answers. “It seems to me that I’m the one being played. Was I just a convenient fuck for you, baby? A couple dozen orgasms and I’ve outlived my usefulness?”
“Go to hell,” she bit out, even as she shivered at the memory. “You were going to do the same to me, I just beat you to the punch. Now back off!”
He backed away a few steps, affording her a clear view of the massive bulge of his cock straining his suit. His handsome face was set in harsh lines, his gaze piercing in his fury. “If you believe that, Sable, after all the time I spent inside you, you don’t know anything about me at all.”
Sable closed her eyes for a moment, willing away the burning behind her lids that would prevent her from seeing her way out of the narrow docking bay. If only things could be different.
“Goodbye, Derek,” she said softly as she terminated the audio. When she opened her eyes and looked at the screen he was gone.
And with a skilled tug on the controls, so was she.
Misled available at Ellora's Cave
Sylvia Day is the multi-published author of highly sensual romantic fiction set in historical and futuristic settings. A wife and mother of two from Southern California, she is a former Russian linguist for the U.S. Army Military Intelligence. She is also the President and founder of Passionate Ink, Romance Writers of America's first and only erotic romance special interest chapter.
Some of Sylvia's highlights:
2004 IRW Golden Opportunity
1st Place Historical & Best of the Best Winner
2004 Lori Foster/Brava Contest Reader's Choice Winner
2004 Gateway to the Rest
Historical Winner
2004 Some Like it Hot Finalist
2005 Amber Heat Author Winner
2005 Silver Rose Website Contest Finalist
For more info please visit Sylvia's website or blog.
And excerpt from Sylvia's book Misled:
Misled by Sylvia Day
Sable had found her prey. She could smell the fear pouring from him in misty waves, even over the odors of stale beer and cigarettes.
He knew she was hunting him.
Her mouth curved in smile so feral the men who watched her with lusty eyes looked away, their interest doused instantly. Stepping further into the dimly lit bar in the Deep Space 12 concourse, her hand dipped automatically to the lasersword held in the holster on her thigh. It was illegal to use weapons in the concourse, it was illegal even to carry a weapon but she had docked in the waste removal bay, affording her the opportunity to slip past security.
Scowling, she sniffed the air to check on her fugitive, Butch Castle, but also to search for another scent—one so masculine and virile it drove her to madness. In fact she could still smell it on her skin and it was keeping her hot and horny, distracting her when she needed to be the most focused. She forced herself to concentrate, tuning out the background music in the small bar and the paging of flight information echoing in the terminal behind her. Her focus narrowed, a huntress closing in for the kill.
Her shoulders relaxed when she confirmed she was the only vampire in the room. Still, Sable knew she didn’t have long before Derek caught up with her. The handcuffs she’d used to shackle him to the bed would hold, but the bedposts wouldn’t. She’d be damned if she’d let him steal another fugitive from her, even if he was the best fuck she’d had in over a century.
She stepped further into the bar…
“You know,” purred a deep velvety voice behind her. “A guy could take it personally when his woman fucks him senseless and then leaves without a kiss goodbye.”
Heat pooled instantly at the top of her spine and spiraled downward. Shocked, Sable spun around. “What the hell?”
Derek Atkinson stood barely an inch away, his strong hands gripping his narrow hips as he eyed her with his silver stare—a stare still molten with desire for her. “I wasn’t done with you yet. I was just taking a power nap before we started again.”
A shiver went through her body at his words. His raking glance stripped her of her clothing and left her naked to his view. He’d wanted more of her? After two days straight of mind-blowing sex? The man was an animal.
Her nostrils flared. Standing this close to him she could finally smell his delicious scent buried under the overwhelming smell of herself. No wonder she hadn’t detected him sooner.
His eyes danced with devilish amusement. “I thought I was in pretty good shape, but I guess not if I’m falling asleep and you still have the energy to get up and chase my fugitive.”
That arrogant comment penetrated her astonishment. “He’s not your fugitive!”
He cupped her cheek with a warm hand. Instantly her skin grew hot, her pussy wet, her nipples hard. Even after two days straight of Derek’s addicting carnal attentions she was still ready fuck him again. Immediately. Her fangs slid downward in anticipation.
“Sable, sweet.” He smiled, his sensual lips curling upward to reveal pearly white fangs even longer and more deadly than her own.
Her mouth dried instantly.
His voice lowered and she knew he smelled her arousal. “You’re a talented hunter, baby, no doubt about that. But your operation is small and you’re often ill-equipped. If you just let me—”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Butch Castle edging toward the exit to the main concourse. Faster than the human eye could see her, she leapt over the tables between her and her prey. She tucked the man, easily twice her body weight, under her arm and left Derek without looking back. She heard him shout after her as she crawled along the wall to the traffic-free ceiling and ran to her ship. And then she couldn’t hear anything with Butch screaming in terror as they flew through the concourse upside down, his human eyes unable to see more than a blur.
Sable could sense Derek swiftly gaining ground and cursed under her breath. She was no match for him physically, as he’d proven on several occasions in the past, and she was weighted down with the screaming human. She saw her turn coming up but maintained her lightning speed, feinting to the left at the last possible moment. Derek blazed past them. The ruse bought her only a few seconds but it was long enough for her to enter her transport and shut the cargo bay. Just as the portal locked with a hiss of air, she felt a thud as Derek slammed into the door. He’d probably dented the damn thing.
Sable shoved Butch Castle into the brig. “Take a shower,” she ordered. “Wash the stench of fear off you. I’m hungry, so after we take off I’ll be back to feed.” She saw his eyes widen in dismay and smiled. “Don’t worry, you’ll enjoy it. Humans always do.”
Moving to the deck, she sat in her captain’s chair and secured the five-point harness. Then she activated the exterior communication link. “Move away, Derek. I’m about to take off.”
“Damn it, Sable,” he growled. “You bitch! Didn’t the last two days mean anything to you?”
She swallowed hard. Mean anything? They’d meant everything.
What an idiot she’d been to give in to her longing to have him. Burn this thing out, he’d said, and she’d leapt at the excuse to have him even though she’d known deep inside that it would only get worse.
Glancing up, she saw him standing in the loading bay, one hand plunging through his thick raven hair in frustration. He was undeniably gorgeous. Tall, broad-shouldered and thickly muscled, he took up her entire view screen from the chest up. Her heart pounded against her rib cage and her chest grew tight. “Don’t play me, Derek,” she said in a voice that betrayed her with its hoarseness.
He glanced up sharply and bore his metallic gaze into hers through the video screen. He couldn’t see her, but his gaze still searched for answers. “It seems to me that I’m the one being played. Was I just a convenient fuck for you, baby? A couple dozen orgasms and I’ve outlived my usefulness?”
“Go to hell,” she bit out, even as she shivered at the memory. “You were going to do the same to me, I just beat you to the punch. Now back off!”
He backed away a few steps, affording her a clear view of the massive bulge of his cock straining his suit. His handsome face was set in harsh lines, his gaze piercing in his fury. “If you believe that, Sable, after all the time I spent inside you, you don’t know anything about me at all.”
Sable closed her eyes for a moment, willing away the burning behind her lids that would prevent her from seeing her way out of the narrow docking bay. If only things could be different.
“Goodbye, Derek,” she said softly as she terminated the audio. When she opened her eyes and looked at the screen he was gone.
And with a skilled tug on the controls, so was she.
Misled available at Ellora's Cave
Allure Authors
All this week I'll be posting excerpts from a new writer's group: Allure Authors, which has generously agreed to include me. We're gonna get together and try to spread the word about each other. So stay tuned and keep a watch for that. Also, our group website will be going up later this week. You'll be able to find it here:
allureauthors.com. But it's not up yet! So stay tuned.
allureauthors.com. But it's not up yet! So stay tuned.
Cyndia Depre
CYNDIA DEPRE
Cyndia Depre is earning rave reviews for her romantic thriller, Amanda's Rib. From the book's jacket:
Is Amanda Winslow a grieving widow or a cold-blooded killer?
Attorney Jack Lindsey has mixed feelings about Carlisle, Illinois', newest resident. When he discovers Amanda was recently acquitted of murdering her husband, he thinks that is the cause of his unease. Is Mandy a killer? Mandy. He never has nicknames for people, so why does he think of her as Mandy? Why does he think of her at all? She's not his type. Still, the killing has piqued his interest. He wants to learn more, even if that means frequent contact with Amanda.
Jack delves into the murder and trial. His actions set off a shattering string of events, putting his and Amanda's lives in danger and resulting in the death of another. Jack is forced to question his strict beliefs.
Is murder ever justified?
With strong sales and outstanding reviews from everyone who picks up the book, it's clear that Cyndia has a winner on her hands with this one. Friendly and talented, Cyndia has also managed to distance herself from the pack with her concerted promotional and marketing efforts, which are now paying dividends for her.
Cyndia is currently hard at work on her second novel, but I was able to catch up with her to toss a few questions her way.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they've influenced you?
Martha Grimes, Minette Walters, Elizabeth George and Dennis Lehane lead the pack. They all write deep, three-dimensional characters. Trite as it sounds, books really are about people. The more I can get into a character's head, and feel they are real, the happier I am. These authors not only tell a good tale, they do it with people who are flawed but always trying to be better. They make mistakes, and try to fix them. In other words, they are human. A perfect protagonist is a boring protagonist. Give me a heroes and heroines who can be jerks, and I understand them. Hummmm....I wonder what that says about me.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
My strength would be dialog, and I include inner thought when I say that. I love reading what characters say and think, and that's probably why I like that style of writing. Whenever I can use dialog instead of narrative to move plot, character, setting etc, I do. I aim for very different voices in characters, so even without a tag readers will know who's line they just read. I am absolutely horrible with description. It usually bores me when reading, and writing descriptions is darn near painful to me. I don't really care if the sky is cerulean blue and someone is driving a white Mazda which still has that new smell and on and on and on. That's just me, though. I have a friend who can fill two pages describing a teacup and do it beautifully. Some people love that. I skim ahead.
3) You've effectively mixed suspense and romance in Amanda's Rib. Did you find this a tough balancing act while writing it? Where did you get the idea/inspiration for Amanda's Rib?
The idea came from talk shows and America's constant need to blame someone for everything that goes wrong. In the case of abuse, I was aghast how often the victim is blamed. I didn't think that was fair, and decided to write a novel about how a woman could find herself in such a situation. I gave Amanda every advantage, yet it took her two years to get out of an abusive relationship. How are people with no family, no money, and children to feed supposed to escape? Balancing suspense and romance was very hard in Amanda's Rib. I wanted her tough and able to take care of herself, but soft and vulnerable on the inside. Although I wanted people to like her eventually, my main concern with the first chapters was making her interesting. Also, I didn't want a 'mushy' romance. If Amanda is taken seriously, her relationship with Jack would have to evolve. Jack is a man coasting through life and used to getting his own way. Amanda is still in love with her second husband, the one who was murdered. Jack isn't a blip on her radar screen. I liked making him work to understand himself, then have to scramble to win Amanda's heart. When asked to describe it in one line, I said, "Amanda learns to trust and Jack learns to love." All this is probably way more than you wanted to know.
4) Amanda is a very complex character, which is part of what keeps us turning the pages in the book. Did you have any specific goals in mind when you were creating the character of Amanda Winslow or did you pattern her after any other characters/people?
Amanda is completely made up. I'm happy you think she's complex, because I wanted her to be real and people are complex. In some ways she's who I'd like to be. I'd like to be smarter and braver. There are parts of me in her, but not much. Amanda never loses her composure (I do), and her mind is always working (mine only occasionally). Like me, she never lets anyone see her cry. She has my necklace and plays with it when she's upset. I found myself doing that and gave her the twitch or whatever you call it. When writing Amanda I'd put her in a situation and imagine what I'd like to do rather than what I would do. They often aren't the same, so it was fun living through her for a while.
5) What do you find to be the most difficult part of writing and/or publishing? What's the greatest reward? Is it worth it? Or is writing something you'd do even if there was zero payoff?
The most difficult part of writing is starting each day. Then, when I've gotten going, stopping. When I hit the writing zone, I don't know what time it is. The toughest part of publishing is getting people to know I exist. I knew it would be hard, but wow. Thankfully I've got thick skin or I'd be a puddle most nights. For example, the owner of a grocery store where I've shopped once a week for ten years wouldn't let me put a small stack of bookmarks near the store window. I was stunned. It never occurred to me that shopkeepers wouldn't jump at the chance to help a local author. But most won't. I'll wear them down, given enough time. It's just a matter of nonstop nagging. The greatest reward is hearing from readers. I just love that. One wrote that I'd written her life (except for the murder part) and said the book helped her understand herself and her husband. I treasure all the letters and email, but that one really hit me in the heart. Is it worth it? I don't know. Writing is worth it because it's such fun. But I'm not sure I'll try to be published again. I'll finish Oblivious, my next novel, and decide then if I want to go through this again. I think it was Lawrence Block who said if you feel like writing a novel, take an aspirin and lie down. He may be right as far as publishing, but writing is wonderful.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
My first thought was my husband. But I have dinner with him every night! I'm not going to give some deep answer like Einstein or Abraham Lincoln. The truth is I like dining with my husband because he makes me think and he makes me laugh. Why change that? So I'd pick someone like Oscar Wilde or Dorothy Parker. Others can figure out the secrets to the universe. I just want to have some fun while I eat.
7) One CD, one book, one DVD and a desert island. What book, CD, and DVD do you take?
DVD is easy...Camelot. Book...that's a toughie. Trattoria, of course. Then probably something about how to build a raft out of sand and coconuts and navigate using only my watch and ankle bracelet. CD...I'd burn my own with tunes by Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, Bob Seger, CCR. Upbeat stuff. Who needs 'I Am A Rock' or '100 Years' on an island?
8) When did you first get the feeling not that you wanted to write, but that you could be so successful at it? What are you working on now?
I still don't feel I can be successful at it. I'm working on a screwball mystery/romance. It makes me laugh. I'm probably the only one who will laugh at it, but there you go. Sometimes I have to amuse myself.
9) Suppose you can't have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers and critical acclaim (but not making cash from writing), or would you rather be a bestselling author with the fat coin?
I'd like respect. The older I get, the less money means to me. How many purses can one gal own? I've gotten respect from my husband and parents just through Amanda's Rib. When they say they are proud of me, I feel happy down to my toes. I guess that answers the earlier question. Was it worth it? Yep. My family is proud of me.
Cyndia Depre is earning rave reviews for her romantic thriller, Amanda's Rib. From the book's jacket:
Is Amanda Winslow a grieving widow or a cold-blooded killer?
Attorney Jack Lindsey has mixed feelings about Carlisle, Illinois', newest resident. When he discovers Amanda was recently acquitted of murdering her husband, he thinks that is the cause of his unease. Is Mandy a killer? Mandy. He never has nicknames for people, so why does he think of her as Mandy? Why does he think of her at all? She's not his type. Still, the killing has piqued his interest. He wants to learn more, even if that means frequent contact with Amanda.
Jack delves into the murder and trial. His actions set off a shattering string of events, putting his and Amanda's lives in danger and resulting in the death of another. Jack is forced to question his strict beliefs.
Is murder ever justified?
With strong sales and outstanding reviews from everyone who picks up the book, it's clear that Cyndia has a winner on her hands with this one. Friendly and talented, Cyndia has also managed to distance herself from the pack with her concerted promotional and marketing efforts, which are now paying dividends for her.
Cyndia is currently hard at work on her second novel, but I was able to catch up with her to toss a few questions her way.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they've influenced you?
Martha Grimes, Minette Walters, Elizabeth George and Dennis Lehane lead the pack. They all write deep, three-dimensional characters. Trite as it sounds, books really are about people. The more I can get into a character's head, and feel they are real, the happier I am. These authors not only tell a good tale, they do it with people who are flawed but always trying to be better. They make mistakes, and try to fix them. In other words, they are human. A perfect protagonist is a boring protagonist. Give me a heroes and heroines who can be jerks, and I understand them. Hummmm....I wonder what that says about me.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
My strength would be dialog, and I include inner thought when I say that. I love reading what characters say and think, and that's probably why I like that style of writing. Whenever I can use dialog instead of narrative to move plot, character, setting etc, I do. I aim for very different voices in characters, so even without a tag readers will know who's line they just read. I am absolutely horrible with description. It usually bores me when reading, and writing descriptions is darn near painful to me. I don't really care if the sky is cerulean blue and someone is driving a white Mazda which still has that new smell and on and on and on. That's just me, though. I have a friend who can fill two pages describing a teacup and do it beautifully. Some people love that. I skim ahead.
3) You've effectively mixed suspense and romance in Amanda's Rib. Did you find this a tough balancing act while writing it? Where did you get the idea/inspiration for Amanda's Rib?
The idea came from talk shows and America's constant need to blame someone for everything that goes wrong. In the case of abuse, I was aghast how often the victim is blamed. I didn't think that was fair, and decided to write a novel about how a woman could find herself in such a situation. I gave Amanda every advantage, yet it took her two years to get out of an abusive relationship. How are people with no family, no money, and children to feed supposed to escape? Balancing suspense and romance was very hard in Amanda's Rib. I wanted her tough and able to take care of herself, but soft and vulnerable on the inside. Although I wanted people to like her eventually, my main concern with the first chapters was making her interesting. Also, I didn't want a 'mushy' romance. If Amanda is taken seriously, her relationship with Jack would have to evolve. Jack is a man coasting through life and used to getting his own way. Amanda is still in love with her second husband, the one who was murdered. Jack isn't a blip on her radar screen. I liked making him work to understand himself, then have to scramble to win Amanda's heart. When asked to describe it in one line, I said, "Amanda learns to trust and Jack learns to love." All this is probably way more than you wanted to know.
4) Amanda is a very complex character, which is part of what keeps us turning the pages in the book. Did you have any specific goals in mind when you were creating the character of Amanda Winslow or did you pattern her after any other characters/people?
Amanda is completely made up. I'm happy you think she's complex, because I wanted her to be real and people are complex. In some ways she's who I'd like to be. I'd like to be smarter and braver. There are parts of me in her, but not much. Amanda never loses her composure (I do), and her mind is always working (mine only occasionally). Like me, she never lets anyone see her cry. She has my necklace and plays with it when she's upset. I found myself doing that and gave her the twitch or whatever you call it. When writing Amanda I'd put her in a situation and imagine what I'd like to do rather than what I would do. They often aren't the same, so it was fun living through her for a while.
5) What do you find to be the most difficult part of writing and/or publishing? What's the greatest reward? Is it worth it? Or is writing something you'd do even if there was zero payoff?
The most difficult part of writing is starting each day. Then, when I've gotten going, stopping. When I hit the writing zone, I don't know what time it is. The toughest part of publishing is getting people to know I exist. I knew it would be hard, but wow. Thankfully I've got thick skin or I'd be a puddle most nights. For example, the owner of a grocery store where I've shopped once a week for ten years wouldn't let me put a small stack of bookmarks near the store window. I was stunned. It never occurred to me that shopkeepers wouldn't jump at the chance to help a local author. But most won't. I'll wear them down, given enough time. It's just a matter of nonstop nagging. The greatest reward is hearing from readers. I just love that. One wrote that I'd written her life (except for the murder part) and said the book helped her understand herself and her husband. I treasure all the letters and email, but that one really hit me in the heart. Is it worth it? I don't know. Writing is worth it because it's such fun. But I'm not sure I'll try to be published again. I'll finish Oblivious, my next novel, and decide then if I want to go through this again. I think it was Lawrence Block who said if you feel like writing a novel, take an aspirin and lie down. He may be right as far as publishing, but writing is wonderful.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
My first thought was my husband. But I have dinner with him every night! I'm not going to give some deep answer like Einstein or Abraham Lincoln. The truth is I like dining with my husband because he makes me think and he makes me laugh. Why change that? So I'd pick someone like Oscar Wilde or Dorothy Parker. Others can figure out the secrets to the universe. I just want to have some fun while I eat.
7) One CD, one book, one DVD and a desert island. What book, CD, and DVD do you take?
DVD is easy...Camelot. Book...that's a toughie. Trattoria, of course. Then probably something about how to build a raft out of sand and coconuts and navigate using only my watch and ankle bracelet. CD...I'd burn my own with tunes by Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, Bob Seger, CCR. Upbeat stuff. Who needs 'I Am A Rock' or '100 Years' on an island?
8) When did you first get the feeling not that you wanted to write, but that you could be so successful at it? What are you working on now?
I still don't feel I can be successful at it. I'm working on a screwball mystery/romance. It makes me laugh. I'm probably the only one who will laugh at it, but there you go. Sometimes I have to amuse myself.
9) Suppose you can't have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers and critical acclaim (but not making cash from writing), or would you rather be a bestselling author with the fat coin?
I'd like respect. The older I get, the less money means to me. How many purses can one gal own? I've gotten respect from my husband and parents just through Amanda's Rib. When they say they are proud of me, I feel happy down to my toes. I guess that answers the earlier question. Was it worth it? Yep. My family is proud of me.
Friday, October 28, 2005
APPLEWOOD at Amazon!!
The fabulous Ellen Meister has her first book up for pre-order at Amazon! Check it out here, and be the first on your block to own this sure-fire bestseller:
Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA
Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA
Monday, October 24, 2005
Maria Isabel Pita
Maria Isabel Pita is already a literary force to be reckoned with. With two highly successful memoirs, seven novels, and a collection of short stories under her belt, she's one of the premier names in erotica writing today. But don't let the genre term of erotica fool you. Pita's writing is elegant and lyric she seems to effortlessly bridge the gap between sex and literature. Her memoirs, The Story of M and its follow up, Beauty and Submission vividly detail her life as a love slave. And that's literal. M is the story of her meeting and falling in love and being initiated as her master's slave. Sometimes shocking, but always thoughtful, M and Beauty and Submission give a rare glimpse inside not only the BDSM lifestyle, but also inside the mind and heart of a woman who lives it. Her novels range from romantic (Recipe for Romance, Fabric of Love) to more traditional BDSM (Eternal Bondage, To Her Master Born) but all carry the Pita stamp where love and submission become intertwined and where her prose and passion shines. She's been featured in some of the premier anthologies (Hot Women's Erotica) and has recently branched into the online world with her first e-published novel, Whips & Whispers. In her own collection of shorts, Guilty Pleasures, Maria truly shines. It's a complex and varied collection that ranges in time and settings from ancient Egypt to the near-future. All of the worlds are beautifully rendered, and the tone and feel of each story is unique. But Pita's writing pulls all together into a cohesive, stunning collection.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they've influenced you?
Joan Grant is my all-time favorite writer. She wrote a series of “Far Memory” books which for her were memories of past lives, but whether you believe that or not, when you read her books you really feel you’re somewhere else in time and space and her writing is beautiful. I hate historical fiction where the characters just transport their modern brains and feelings into a bygone culture, which misses the point entirely. Working on “Guilty Pleasures” I “felt” the time and place I wanted to write about and then just started talking into my digital micro-recorder, and I swear I don’t know where some of that stuff came from!
Barbara Michaels & Ellis Peters are also two of my favorite writers, which might explain the strong element of romantic suspense in my work. I love mystery, and I guess I substituted sex for murder as the heart of the plot.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
I really don’t know if I can look at my writing so objectively, that’s just how it comes out, but I think my greatest asset is the poetry of my prose, all the metaphors through which I express thoughts and feelings, which IMO reveal how the human soul is reflected in everything because it is everything, but I’ll stop there; I have a very metaphysical mind. My weaknesses were once quite great. At first my novels were full of “pet words” I used over and over again, like “mystery”, but as I began to define what I meant by that, I avoided pet words and clichés more and more to the point where I have to say I’m pretty damn happy with my writing right now. I’ve worked really hard to get where I am now.
3) You've written novels, short stories, and memoirs. Which form do you enjoy the most? Do you ever feel more freedom in writing fiction as opposed to the memoirs? Do you think the brevity of the short story is more confining and harder than a novel, or is it more difficult to come up with and sustain the longer plot?
The memoirs were extremely painful to write because I was dredging up everything and being painfully honest about it and, frankly, I’d be happy never to write another memoir! For one thing, it disturbs me to have times in my life “set in stone” so to speak which gives the wrong impression, because whereas everything I expressed in those memoirs is true, life is change and in many ways I like to think I’ve continued growing and developing. I much prefer writing fiction. I think it’s more difficult to write a good story than a novel, but I like the fact that in a story you can be totally intense and not worry about filling the length out with dialogue and perhaps unnecessary scenes, yet I also love the development possible in novels and how you can sustain one suspenseful tale, whereas sometimes a story just teases you by making you want more.
4) In your memoirs, you're quite honest and forthcoming about the conflicts and struggles you've felt when it comes to certain aspects of submission in your relationship, and in much of your fiction we see the conflict of characters struggling with their own desires. Do you wrestle with these same conflicting feelings while writing your novels and stories? In other words, as an artist, do you ever struggle between writing what you want and what you feel would make a better narrative and better serve the reader?
No, I just can’t separate what I want and feel from the narrative because what I’m experiencing as I write is the whole point, not what anyone else thinks. When I write fiction, I start with the “seed” of a feeling, a desire, an image, and I just start writing without any idea what’s going to happen; I never have a fully developed outline, I’m just as intrigued and surprised as I want my readers to be by what happens to my character, which makes writing a lot of fun! After one scene ends I see an image like the frame of a movie and I “step into it” into the next scene, and the book unfolds as naturally as a seed germinating and sprouting and ending up as a tree.
5) In your short story collection, you criss-cross many "genres", even though overall it's primarily about erotic love. Do you ever feel like you have an obligation to approach these more erotic subjects, or do you always write solely to please yourself? Do you think this broadens your appeal, or do you think it could possibly harm your future "marketability"? Or do you not really care and you write it cause it suits you at the time?
That’s a lot of questions, but I don’t feel I have an obligation to do anything, so I guess that yes, I write to please myself, because I’m a very demanding reader and if I’m pleased, I’m pretty sure other people will be, too. If I’m not thrilled and engrossed and consumed while I’m writing something, I don’t think it would be worth anyone’s time to read it. As far as marketability goes, writing erotica definitely harms my ability to be taken seriously as a writer by mainstream literary critics, but I feel I have something important to say about our sexuality, which is a mystery still very much to be fathomed and properly understood and lived, IMO.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
There are many people, mostly dead, some alive, I would love to have over for dinner. Joan Grant and Deepak Chopra would be a great combo! (LOL).
7) One CD, one book, one DVD and a desert island. What book, CD, and DVD do you take?
The CD would have to be Curve’s Greatest Hits, the DVD Excalibur, and the book Eyes of Horus, by Joan Grant.
8) When did you first get the feeling not that you wanted to write, but that you could be so successful at it? What are you working on now?
I’ve been writing since someone handed me a crayon! There was no doubt that someday, one day, I would be published because when that’s all you really passionately want to do in life, the odds are in your favor, even so, it took me years and years to get where I am, often with very little encouragement from anyone, but at least my family – my mother and brother are both poets – understood, even though they are rather shocked by my books! (LOL)
9) Suppose you can't have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers and critical acclaim (but not making cash from writing), or would you rather be a bestselling author with the fat coin?
Respect and critical acclaim. I think how I feel about writing makes that obvious.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they've influenced you?
Joan Grant is my all-time favorite writer. She wrote a series of “Far Memory” books which for her were memories of past lives, but whether you believe that or not, when you read her books you really feel you’re somewhere else in time and space and her writing is beautiful. I hate historical fiction where the characters just transport their modern brains and feelings into a bygone culture, which misses the point entirely. Working on “Guilty Pleasures” I “felt” the time and place I wanted to write about and then just started talking into my digital micro-recorder, and I swear I don’t know where some of that stuff came from!
Barbara Michaels & Ellis Peters are also two of my favorite writers, which might explain the strong element of romantic suspense in my work. I love mystery, and I guess I substituted sex for murder as the heart of the plot.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
I really don’t know if I can look at my writing so objectively, that’s just how it comes out, but I think my greatest asset is the poetry of my prose, all the metaphors through which I express thoughts and feelings, which IMO reveal how the human soul is reflected in everything because it is everything, but I’ll stop there; I have a very metaphysical mind. My weaknesses were once quite great. At first my novels were full of “pet words” I used over and over again, like “mystery”, but as I began to define what I meant by that, I avoided pet words and clichés more and more to the point where I have to say I’m pretty damn happy with my writing right now. I’ve worked really hard to get where I am now.
3) You've written novels, short stories, and memoirs. Which form do you enjoy the most? Do you ever feel more freedom in writing fiction as opposed to the memoirs? Do you think the brevity of the short story is more confining and harder than a novel, or is it more difficult to come up with and sustain the longer plot?
The memoirs were extremely painful to write because I was dredging up everything and being painfully honest about it and, frankly, I’d be happy never to write another memoir! For one thing, it disturbs me to have times in my life “set in stone” so to speak which gives the wrong impression, because whereas everything I expressed in those memoirs is true, life is change and in many ways I like to think I’ve continued growing and developing. I much prefer writing fiction. I think it’s more difficult to write a good story than a novel, but I like the fact that in a story you can be totally intense and not worry about filling the length out with dialogue and perhaps unnecessary scenes, yet I also love the development possible in novels and how you can sustain one suspenseful tale, whereas sometimes a story just teases you by making you want more.
4) In your memoirs, you're quite honest and forthcoming about the conflicts and struggles you've felt when it comes to certain aspects of submission in your relationship, and in much of your fiction we see the conflict of characters struggling with their own desires. Do you wrestle with these same conflicting feelings while writing your novels and stories? In other words, as an artist, do you ever struggle between writing what you want and what you feel would make a better narrative and better serve the reader?
No, I just can’t separate what I want and feel from the narrative because what I’m experiencing as I write is the whole point, not what anyone else thinks. When I write fiction, I start with the “seed” of a feeling, a desire, an image, and I just start writing without any idea what’s going to happen; I never have a fully developed outline, I’m just as intrigued and surprised as I want my readers to be by what happens to my character, which makes writing a lot of fun! After one scene ends I see an image like the frame of a movie and I “step into it” into the next scene, and the book unfolds as naturally as a seed germinating and sprouting and ending up as a tree.
5) In your short story collection, you criss-cross many "genres", even though overall it's primarily about erotic love. Do you ever feel like you have an obligation to approach these more erotic subjects, or do you always write solely to please yourself? Do you think this broadens your appeal, or do you think it could possibly harm your future "marketability"? Or do you not really care and you write it cause it suits you at the time?
That’s a lot of questions, but I don’t feel I have an obligation to do anything, so I guess that yes, I write to please myself, because I’m a very demanding reader and if I’m pleased, I’m pretty sure other people will be, too. If I’m not thrilled and engrossed and consumed while I’m writing something, I don’t think it would be worth anyone’s time to read it. As far as marketability goes, writing erotica definitely harms my ability to be taken seriously as a writer by mainstream literary critics, but I feel I have something important to say about our sexuality, which is a mystery still very much to be fathomed and properly understood and lived, IMO.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
There are many people, mostly dead, some alive, I would love to have over for dinner. Joan Grant and Deepak Chopra would be a great combo! (LOL).
7) One CD, one book, one DVD and a desert island. What book, CD, and DVD do you take?
The CD would have to be Curve’s Greatest Hits, the DVD Excalibur, and the book Eyes of Horus, by Joan Grant.
8) When did you first get the feeling not that you wanted to write, but that you could be so successful at it? What are you working on now?
I’ve been writing since someone handed me a crayon! There was no doubt that someday, one day, I would be published because when that’s all you really passionately want to do in life, the odds are in your favor, even so, it took me years and years to get where I am, often with very little encouragement from anyone, but at least my family – my mother and brother are both poets – understood, even though they are rather shocked by my books! (LOL)
9) Suppose you can't have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers and critical acclaim (but not making cash from writing), or would you rather be a bestselling author with the fat coin?
Respect and critical acclaim. I think how I feel about writing makes that obvious.
Frigg, Quiction, TQR
A new edition of Quiction is online this week, featuring some nice work from G.C. Smith and Ginger Hamilton Caudill, among others.
There's also the fall edition of FRiGG up now. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but the artwork is as amazing as always.
And TQR: Total Quality Reading is now accepting submissions! Remember, this is a magazine catering to longer pieces of work (4 - 12k) which is a rarity. So polish up your best and send it in!
There's also the fall edition of FRiGG up now. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but the artwork is as amazing as always.
And TQR: Total Quality Reading is now accepting submissions! Remember, this is a magazine catering to longer pieces of work (4 - 12k) which is a rarity. So polish up your best and send it in!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Justin Holt
Justin Holt is a talented guy with a novel out that's sure to please. Stylistically Palahniukian but with its own quirky flavor and unique plot, check out the very entertaining and enlightening Payday, and say hello to Justin.
1: Who are some of your favorite writers, and do you think they’ve
influenced you?
There is stuff I like from Chuck Palahniuk, Max Barry, Stephen King, Hemingway, Nick Hornby, and there are the Canadian writers that I found in college, writers like Alistair Macleod, Wayson Choy, and Sheldon Currie, all of whom I find amazing. And a friend of mine, Jason Kane, I enjoy his stuff just as much, if not more than anyone else I listed. But my favorite writer hands down is Bob Dylan. His songs are leagues beyond anything else out there, and his memoir Chronicles: Volume One is brilliant.
As for influence on my own writing, I don’t know. I write to my own attention span. If something runs too long, I get bored. I like concise writers. Jay McInerney’s books, especially Bright Lights, Big City were huge when I was writing Payday. I probably read that book a dozen or so times over the course of two years. And the second person narrative of Bright Lights gave me the idea to do that with Payday.
2: What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your
writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
My greatest strength as a writer probably stems from my greatest fault as a reader. Since I have no attention span, I write to cater to my own deficiencies in a way. I don’t waste time describing the stuff I don’t notice in real life. But what I do write about, people say that I do it in a way that’s familiar, that they can visualize and sort of touch it, even if only to a memory they have of something similar, and I do it in a way that’s concise. I like that, because then whatever they are reading isn’t something that it’s not. It just is what it is. The chapters in Payday are rarely more than a couple of pages. When I’m reading a book, the first thing I do when I get to a new chapter is to look and see how long I’m going to have to commit to it. If it’s too long, the letdown is quick, and I’m more apt to give up on it. In my writing, I try to avoid that feeling.
I have many faults. I’m overly critical. I’m disorganized. I’m not that good at editing my own stuff. I tend to overwrite the scenes I don’t understand. And a lot of people tell me that the one thing I claimed as a strength is a flaw. Apparently people want to be told every last detail about everything. I’m too damn stubborn/disinterested to do that.
3: Where/How did you get your initial inspiration for PAYDAY?
My ex-girlfriend got a speeding ticket and had to attend a Defensive Driving Course. I went with her, having nothing better to do with a Saturday morning/afternoon. After I dropped her off I needed to kill time so I drove around for a while. After realizing that I still needed to kill five more hours I headed over to the community college, but found it more or less empty, with everyone away on Spring Break. The library building was unlocked though, so I went in. On the upper floor there was a giant neon sign on the first door that said something to the effect of Theft Prevention. The people inside left the door open so I sat outside and listened. These people were telling some really incredible stories about their lives as thieves, describing their addictions to stealing, and their methods. The meeting was, I guess, a sort of a class for them to attend to keep them out of jail. I was blown away. I worked in retail, so a lot of what they were saying; I thought about, trying to think if I’d ever seen anything like that before. After they took recess I went off into one of the classrooms and just sat down with a pen and a pad of paper. Within ten minutes I had two pages of drivel about the classroom I was sitting in.
Fast forward a couple of weeks, a teacher of mine called and told me that I had to send her writing samples of mine so she could forward them to Chuck Palahniuk, who was going to teach a writing workshop at my school. It was really last minute, and the first thing I found was that bit I wrote while killing time in that classroom, so I sent that off. When the workshop rolled around Chuck and I talked about the piece. He wrote Genius Description on the top of it, but said that it needed more. That was all it took for me to want to keep going, so after the Conference was over, some fellow writer friends of mine and I started a writing workshop. The bit about the classroom and the bit about the Theft Prevention sort of meshed together early on and I felt right away that I had the foundations of something.
A couple of months into the workshop, after I’d moved back home for the summer, I continued to work in retail, and one day while a fellow associate and I were sitting around, she told me this story about someone who used to work in that store, who would steal big ticket items by pretending that he was doing carry outs for customers. He was taking televisions, and entertainment centers, and DVD players. I laughed, but as I drove home that day it hit me, she gave me the perfect catalyst that I needed for my story. The main character was going to work in retail and he was going to be a thief. And while I wasn’t a thief, I figured I could get my frustrations about working in retail out through this character at the same time. So that’s what I did.
The initial bit about the classroom and Theft Prevention eventually fell out before it became Payday, but as my ex-girlfriend said, that was the best speeding ticket of all time.
4: Other than fiction writing, what’s the biggest lie you’ve ever
told?
Its probably involved love. Most of my dating life has consisted of me dating women that I had no real connection with. I knew it each and every time going in, and I always had my “I’m sorry, but this isn’t going to work” line ready to go. I just never used them. Next thing I’d know, months or years had passed by and I was still with them, screaming inside to get the hell out. I guess there is a bit of that in Payday, in regards to a relationship the main character has with one of the women in the book. But I suppose it wasn’t so much a lie as it was the fact that I had no real backbone to just be honest. And in the end it wasn’t a series of lies, just one big one that I couldn’t stop telling myself. Love is a tricky thing. Especially when you know that it doesn’t exist in the situation you’re in. But, like most lies, it caught up with me when I finally did find love and didn’t know how to deal with it.
5: What can you tell us about what you’re working on now?
I got about 25,000 words into my next project before I realized that it had gone completely Adaptation on me, and I’d written myself into the story. I’m deciding what to do, whether to keep going, trash it, or find a way to totally funk the entire thing up. What I will probably do is write a novel that no one will ever read, and take the parts of it that I like and infuse it into something else that isn’t me.
6: Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
My ex-girlfriend, hands down. I have no hero worship towards anyone, and I’m not intrigued enough by famous people, or even people whose work I respect, to ever want to meet them/have dinner with them. But my ex-girlfriend, she was the one person in this world I felt 100% comfortable around, even when I wasn’t comfortable with myself. And she called me on my bullshit. I’ve always respected that.
7: What do you look forward to most in the summer?
That’s easy. New York Yankee baseball is as close as I will ever get to religion. And after the last five years of futility, I’ve lost a good decade off my life from stress. I take it way too serious, but I’ve always been that way. Ever since I started playing baseball, I fell in love with it. And to be honest, since I stopped playing it after college, there’s been this enormous void that I can’t seem to replace. Watching the Yankees helps. But watching them lose doesn’t. And the worst part isn’t really them losing as much as it is having to hear all of the idiot “fans” who latch on to other teams just because they hate the Yankees and want to see them lose. If you’re a fan of a team, stay a fan of the team. And if your team isn’t the one who beat the Yankees, shut the hell up already, you have no place to say anything. These “fans” are always the same people who can’t name five players on the Yankees (they always stop after Jeter and Arod), let alone two people on the team who beat them. Ignorance fires me up.
This was supposed to be a happy question. See, I do take this stuff way too serious.
8: One cd, one book, one DVD and a desert island. What book, CD, and
DVD do you take?
My one material vice are CDs. I’ll cheat and say that I would burn a compilation that would include Dylan, Ani Difranco, dredg, Flogging Molly, Fiona Apple, Nas, Frank Sinatra, and others. But if I couldn’t do that, the album would be Blood on the Tracks by Dylan. The DVD, Braveheart. The book, if you mean novel, would be either Choke by Palahniuk or Empire Falls by Russo, depending what type of mood I’m in when it’s time to vacate to the island.
9: You can't have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers
and critical acclaim (but not be making cash from writing), or would
you rather be a best-selling author with the fat coin?
We all take the same amount of money with us when we die. I wouldn’t want the expectations or responsibility that money and fame involve. Respect and critical acclaim come with expectations too, and you’re set up for the inevitable fall when you put out something that someone with pen doesn’t like. Peers and acclaim are just as fleeting as money. If I can make the one person I care about most in the world smile, that’s enough for me.
1: Who are some of your favorite writers, and do you think they’ve
influenced you?
There is stuff I like from Chuck Palahniuk, Max Barry, Stephen King, Hemingway, Nick Hornby, and there are the Canadian writers that I found in college, writers like Alistair Macleod, Wayson Choy, and Sheldon Currie, all of whom I find amazing. And a friend of mine, Jason Kane, I enjoy his stuff just as much, if not more than anyone else I listed. But my favorite writer hands down is Bob Dylan. His songs are leagues beyond anything else out there, and his memoir Chronicles: Volume One is brilliant.
As for influence on my own writing, I don’t know. I write to my own attention span. If something runs too long, I get bored. I like concise writers. Jay McInerney’s books, especially Bright Lights, Big City were huge when I was writing Payday. I probably read that book a dozen or so times over the course of two years. And the second person narrative of Bright Lights gave me the idea to do that with Payday.
2: What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your
writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
My greatest strength as a writer probably stems from my greatest fault as a reader. Since I have no attention span, I write to cater to my own deficiencies in a way. I don’t waste time describing the stuff I don’t notice in real life. But what I do write about, people say that I do it in a way that’s familiar, that they can visualize and sort of touch it, even if only to a memory they have of something similar, and I do it in a way that’s concise. I like that, because then whatever they are reading isn’t something that it’s not. It just is what it is. The chapters in Payday are rarely more than a couple of pages. When I’m reading a book, the first thing I do when I get to a new chapter is to look and see how long I’m going to have to commit to it. If it’s too long, the letdown is quick, and I’m more apt to give up on it. In my writing, I try to avoid that feeling.
I have many faults. I’m overly critical. I’m disorganized. I’m not that good at editing my own stuff. I tend to overwrite the scenes I don’t understand. And a lot of people tell me that the one thing I claimed as a strength is a flaw. Apparently people want to be told every last detail about everything. I’m too damn stubborn/disinterested to do that.
3: Where/How did you get your initial inspiration for PAYDAY?
My ex-girlfriend got a speeding ticket and had to attend a Defensive Driving Course. I went with her, having nothing better to do with a Saturday morning/afternoon. After I dropped her off I needed to kill time so I drove around for a while. After realizing that I still needed to kill five more hours I headed over to the community college, but found it more or less empty, with everyone away on Spring Break. The library building was unlocked though, so I went in. On the upper floor there was a giant neon sign on the first door that said something to the effect of Theft Prevention. The people inside left the door open so I sat outside and listened. These people were telling some really incredible stories about their lives as thieves, describing their addictions to stealing, and their methods. The meeting was, I guess, a sort of a class for them to attend to keep them out of jail. I was blown away. I worked in retail, so a lot of what they were saying; I thought about, trying to think if I’d ever seen anything like that before. After they took recess I went off into one of the classrooms and just sat down with a pen and a pad of paper. Within ten minutes I had two pages of drivel about the classroom I was sitting in.
Fast forward a couple of weeks, a teacher of mine called and told me that I had to send her writing samples of mine so she could forward them to Chuck Palahniuk, who was going to teach a writing workshop at my school. It was really last minute, and the first thing I found was that bit I wrote while killing time in that classroom, so I sent that off. When the workshop rolled around Chuck and I talked about the piece. He wrote Genius Description on the top of it, but said that it needed more. That was all it took for me to want to keep going, so after the Conference was over, some fellow writer friends of mine and I started a writing workshop. The bit about the classroom and the bit about the Theft Prevention sort of meshed together early on and I felt right away that I had the foundations of something.
A couple of months into the workshop, after I’d moved back home for the summer, I continued to work in retail, and one day while a fellow associate and I were sitting around, she told me this story about someone who used to work in that store, who would steal big ticket items by pretending that he was doing carry outs for customers. He was taking televisions, and entertainment centers, and DVD players. I laughed, but as I drove home that day it hit me, she gave me the perfect catalyst that I needed for my story. The main character was going to work in retail and he was going to be a thief. And while I wasn’t a thief, I figured I could get my frustrations about working in retail out through this character at the same time. So that’s what I did.
The initial bit about the classroom and Theft Prevention eventually fell out before it became Payday, but as my ex-girlfriend said, that was the best speeding ticket of all time.
4: Other than fiction writing, what’s the biggest lie you’ve ever
told?
Its probably involved love. Most of my dating life has consisted of me dating women that I had no real connection with. I knew it each and every time going in, and I always had my “I’m sorry, but this isn’t going to work” line ready to go. I just never used them. Next thing I’d know, months or years had passed by and I was still with them, screaming inside to get the hell out. I guess there is a bit of that in Payday, in regards to a relationship the main character has with one of the women in the book. But I suppose it wasn’t so much a lie as it was the fact that I had no real backbone to just be honest. And in the end it wasn’t a series of lies, just one big one that I couldn’t stop telling myself. Love is a tricky thing. Especially when you know that it doesn’t exist in the situation you’re in. But, like most lies, it caught up with me when I finally did find love and didn’t know how to deal with it.
5: What can you tell us about what you’re working on now?
I got about 25,000 words into my next project before I realized that it had gone completely Adaptation on me, and I’d written myself into the story. I’m deciding what to do, whether to keep going, trash it, or find a way to totally funk the entire thing up. What I will probably do is write a novel that no one will ever read, and take the parts of it that I like and infuse it into something else that isn’t me.
6: Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
My ex-girlfriend, hands down. I have no hero worship towards anyone, and I’m not intrigued enough by famous people, or even people whose work I respect, to ever want to meet them/have dinner with them. But my ex-girlfriend, she was the one person in this world I felt 100% comfortable around, even when I wasn’t comfortable with myself. And she called me on my bullshit. I’ve always respected that.
7: What do you look forward to most in the summer?
That’s easy. New York Yankee baseball is as close as I will ever get to religion. And after the last five years of futility, I’ve lost a good decade off my life from stress. I take it way too serious, but I’ve always been that way. Ever since I started playing baseball, I fell in love with it. And to be honest, since I stopped playing it after college, there’s been this enormous void that I can’t seem to replace. Watching the Yankees helps. But watching them lose doesn’t. And the worst part isn’t really them losing as much as it is having to hear all of the idiot “fans” who latch on to other teams just because they hate the Yankees and want to see them lose. If you’re a fan of a team, stay a fan of the team. And if your team isn’t the one who beat the Yankees, shut the hell up already, you have no place to say anything. These “fans” are always the same people who can’t name five players on the Yankees (they always stop after Jeter and Arod), let alone two people on the team who beat them. Ignorance fires me up.
This was supposed to be a happy question. See, I do take this stuff way too serious.
8: One cd, one book, one DVD and a desert island. What book, CD, and
DVD do you take?
My one material vice are CDs. I’ll cheat and say that I would burn a compilation that would include Dylan, Ani Difranco, dredg, Flogging Molly, Fiona Apple, Nas, Frank Sinatra, and others. But if I couldn’t do that, the album would be Blood on the Tracks by Dylan. The DVD, Braveheart. The book, if you mean novel, would be either Choke by Palahniuk or Empire Falls by Russo, depending what type of mood I’m in when it’s time to vacate to the island.
9: You can't have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers
and critical acclaim (but not be making cash from writing), or would
you rather be a best-selling author with the fat coin?
We all take the same amount of money with us when we die. I wouldn’t want the expectations or responsibility that money and fame involve. Respect and critical acclaim come with expectations too, and you’re set up for the inevitable fall when you put out something that someone with pen doesn’t like. Peers and acclaim are just as fleeting as money. If I can make the one person I care about most in the world smile, that’s enough for me.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Edward Moore in new anthology
My pal Edward Moore has a story in the just released anthology Friends. I can't wait to get hold of it and check him out!
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Tobacco Road by Myfanwy Collins
Read this:
Tobacco Road by Myfanwy Collins.
What a stunning essay in a top-notch magazine. Congrats Myfanwy!
Tobacco Road by Myfanwy Collins.
What a stunning essay in a top-notch magazine. Congrats Myfanwy!
Ink Pot and Bob Arter
Some sad literary news: The final issue of Ink Pot is now available. A long round of applause to the generous Beverly Jackson for doing such a wonderful job with this magazine. It will be sorely missed.
On the bright side, Ink Pot is also now offering a limited edition "The Collected Works of the Inimitable Bob Arter". Bob Arter is inimitable. And fabulous in every sense of the word. Order here: Ink Pot
On the bright side, Ink Pot is also now offering a limited edition "The Collected Works of the Inimitable Bob Arter". Bob Arter is inimitable. And fabulous in every sense of the word. Order here: Ink Pot
Gwendolyn Joyce Mintz
One of the most talented, and prolific, writers I know of is Gwendolyn Joyce Mintz. Her range is incredible. She can turn up to the heat and send ice through your veins. Her blog is up and running, and it should be a great to keep up with her, cause she always has something new going on and being published. (Most writers would KILL for her credentials. It just makes me insanely jealous, but that's mitigated by the fact that she so richly earns her credits.)
Fall In Love
Angie Ross graciously invited me to participate in an anthology she's putting together. I read her book, False Security, and really enjoyed it, and I dig her idea, so I'm going to jump on board with a contribution. If you're looking for something to submit to, here's the deal, we'd love to have some solid contributions!
__
Have you ever fallen in love? Have you smiled so much that your heart aches with happiness? Have you been pulled under so completely that you feared you might drown under love’s vicious waves?
Author Angie Ross, along with authors Susan DiPlacido and Kate McGee, invite female authors to tell their fictional stories on love for a short story collection. We are looking for truly innovative stories about realistic and unique female characters falling in love, whether that character wins over the guy, has a torrid affair, or experiences heart wrenching rejection.
If you are an up-and-coming female author and feel you have a story inside you to share with the world, submit approximately the first 1,000 words of your story to angie@angieross.com. Please put “short story submission” in the subject line. All stories must be told from first person point of view and in present tense, and be between 8,000 to 12,000 words. We will select the top stories to join us in this collection. Once the collection is complete, we will seek agency representation and publication of the collection. Thank you and good luck!
__
Have you ever fallen in love? Have you smiled so much that your heart aches with happiness? Have you been pulled under so completely that you feared you might drown under love’s vicious waves?
Author Angie Ross, along with authors Susan DiPlacido and Kate McGee, invite female authors to tell their fictional stories on love for a short story collection. We are looking for truly innovative stories about realistic and unique female characters falling in love, whether that character wins over the guy, has a torrid affair, or experiences heart wrenching rejection.
If you are an up-and-coming female author and feel you have a story inside you to share with the world, submit approximately the first 1,000 words of your story to angie@angieross.com. Please put “short story submission” in the subject line. All stories must be told from first person point of view and in present tense, and be between 8,000 to 12,000 words. We will select the top stories to join us in this collection. Once the collection is complete, we will seek agency representation and publication of the collection. Thank you and good luck!
Website redesign
Well. I'm in the midst of a big overhaul on my website. I hope to have it uploaded this evening. If you get a chance, drop by and check out the new look and tell me what you think. My Website
Monday, October 03, 2005
The War Bug by Biff Mitchell
Biff Mitchell's The War Bug is now available in paperback!
Biff is the author of some fantastic novels. Among them, Team Player, Heavy Load, and now available in paperback, The War Bug.
The War Bug
In just a few hours, Abner Hayes' wife and daughter are going to die, and the only way he can save their lives is to team up with a deadly computer virus and travel through time and space in a virtual universe that itself has only hours to live. Through suicidal game worlds, virtual landscapes that threaten to devour the unwary, and a series of insidious cyber traps, Abner and the virus must stay one step ahead of sinister forces that will stop at nothing to destroy his family in order to steal their incredible secret. Spliced with dark humor and intricate characters, The War Bug is a non-stop roller coaster thriller into a terrifying future.
The War Bug at Amazon, or go here for a plethora of buying options such as B&N, Powells, and discounted price at Shockwave.
Biff is the author of some fantastic novels. Among them, Team Player, Heavy Load, and now available in paperback, The War Bug.
The War Bug
In just a few hours, Abner Hayes' wife and daughter are going to die, and the only way he can save their lives is to team up with a deadly computer virus and travel through time and space in a virtual universe that itself has only hours to live. Through suicidal game worlds, virtual landscapes that threaten to devour the unwary, and a series of insidious cyber traps, Abner and the virus must stay one step ahead of sinister forces that will stop at nothing to destroy his family in order to steal their incredible secret. Spliced with dark humor and intricate characters, The War Bug is a non-stop roller coaster thriller into a terrifying future.
The War Bug at Amazon, or go here for a plethora of buying options such as B&N, Powells, and discounted price at Shockwave.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
TQR: Total Quality Reading
TQR: Total Quality Reading is a brand new e-zine that hopes to break the mold of current e-zines with a different approach and format of existing e-zines by taking a tiered approach with its selection process and making that process visible to the public. It will take a decidedly business approach by considering the stories submitted to it as "capital" and the readers are "investors". The open-vetting process will begin with floor personnel reading. The floor personnel will then pass selected stories up the ladder to "The Terminal". After a reading and discussion is held at this level, chosen stories will then be hand-delivered to the two department heads, the lit fic and the genre fic department. Those department heads with then choose their favorites and have to fight for their choices before the Chairman, the one and only Theodore Q. Rorschalk, the founder and leader of the firm. He'll read and take the advice of both of his department heads, and then make his final decision on what to publish that quarter, with his prime criteria being that the stories are simply of the utmost highest quality.
So, for those of you interested readers, and writers, who are considering investing in this new venture, we're having a little sit-down Q&A with Theodore himself to help explain the process and tell us what we can expect to see on their pages.
1) I notice that your word limit (4,000 – 12,000) is much higher than most e-zines. What makes you think that people are going to be interested in the longer stories?
Rorschalk: It’s been my experience that e-zines have gone ‘flash’ crazy for some time now: publishing the kinds of capital you can start and finish in the time it takes a standard commercial break. With few exceptions, the longer piece is being squeezed out of the Internet because editors don’t think the reading public can bite off more than that.
To this notion I say, “Bully!”
To wean the public back from this sound-bite brink, TQR has fashioned a feature that will allow investors the opportunity to read as much as they can, or care to, one day, come back to the site in a few days to check on the status of this or that piece of capital as it wends its way up the corporate hierarchy and, if so moved to do so, click on ‘Bookmarks’ and start where they left off reading before. It’s my hope that this will get people reading capital of more substance on the Internet again.
2) So a lot of this process sounds like it's going to be transparent. Meaning, there will be public postings and discussions about the stories under consideration. Does that mean you're going to trash certain stories without even publishing them?
Rorschalk: The investors will be privy to the process, but not participate directly. I leave that to my staff of capital managers, whose ruminations over particular capital will, indeed, be transparent, that is viewable by investors, on the site.
To your second question I must tell you that we hold our venture capitalists in the highest regard, and, therefore, wish only to nurture them and their relationships with us at TQR. This is not to say that conflicts between capital managers and their favored capital pieces will not flair up, but, rest assured, though the managers may trash each other, they will not trash the capital, which is the lifeblood of our operation. In fact, our commitment to our venture capitalists is proved out by the personal rejections that will be e-mailed to those individual capitalists that make it past the Floor.
3) The two department heads are Tessa and T. What happens that quarter if they both present you with stories that are great, but you aren't personally very fond of?
Rorschalk: Never fear! I will be armed with two stories that the Floor personnel have set aside to bypass the normal tiered vetting process and deliver directly to me in order that this dreaded exigency ever comes to pass. If T. and Tessa come to me with damaged goods, I’ll trump their asses.
4) You have one department head that favors the artsy-fartsy "literary" works, and one that favors "commercial" fiction. Are we going to see this erupt into a lot of friction? And what "type" of capital do you personally prefer?
Rorschalk: My philosophy is, if there is no conflict, there is no story. And, since the vetting process at TQR is itself a story, then there had better be some weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth! So, to answer your question, “Hell, yes!”
Being sort of something resembling a man, my biases tend toward gratuitous sex, car chases and pyrotechnics, but I have also been known to study Umberto Eco tracts for days on end, trying to winnow out the meaning buried in the unprinted and unalluded to subtext within. So, I heartily recommend you take your best shot and see what sticks to the wall. Believe me you, if something’s really good, it’ll probably stick to my walls.
5) When can we look forward to you starting to take submissions?
Rorschalk: Our official ‘Go’ date is October 15, but we may start accepting capital submissions before then. Please check the site ‘Guidelines’ at your nearest convenience.
6) How many stories per quarter do you plan on publishing?
Rorschalk: The magic number 3. Which is also biblical. So who can argue with that?
7) I see the "Insider Trading" section of the site. Can you explain to me what that is?
Rorschalk: Sometimes there are capital characters that transcend the box they’ve been set in and made to conform to. ‘Insider Trading’ is a chance for those type characters voices to be heard in the form of personal interviews.
8) You're a paying market?? Yowza! So you must really love your venture capitalists/writers? Or is this just the reward you give them for putting them through the hell of being publicly flogged by Tessa?
Rorschalk: The only public floggings will be perpetrated by Tessa on T. or me, and, hopefully, vicey-versey. The remuneration TQR pays in return for its Capital Gains is a small token of the esteem we hold those brave souls who dare open their hearts and veins on the screen for all the world to read and enjoy and, perhaps, to understand and see with that empathy that forces us to admit we’re all just fallen bitches scraping for a bone.
9) Note! I cut the interview short and didn't ask a ninth question because I was too anxious to get on the ball and sub something to TQR!
So, for those of you interested readers, and writers, who are considering investing in this new venture, we're having a little sit-down Q&A with Theodore himself to help explain the process and tell us what we can expect to see on their pages.
1) I notice that your word limit (4,000 – 12,000) is much higher than most e-zines. What makes you think that people are going to be interested in the longer stories?
Rorschalk: It’s been my experience that e-zines have gone ‘flash’ crazy for some time now: publishing the kinds of capital you can start and finish in the time it takes a standard commercial break. With few exceptions, the longer piece is being squeezed out of the Internet because editors don’t think the reading public can bite off more than that.
To this notion I say, “Bully!”
To wean the public back from this sound-bite brink, TQR has fashioned a feature that will allow investors the opportunity to read as much as they can, or care to, one day, come back to the site in a few days to check on the status of this or that piece of capital as it wends its way up the corporate hierarchy and, if so moved to do so, click on ‘Bookmarks’ and start where they left off reading before. It’s my hope that this will get people reading capital of more substance on the Internet again.
2) So a lot of this process sounds like it's going to be transparent. Meaning, there will be public postings and discussions about the stories under consideration. Does that mean you're going to trash certain stories without even publishing them?
Rorschalk: The investors will be privy to the process, but not participate directly. I leave that to my staff of capital managers, whose ruminations over particular capital will, indeed, be transparent, that is viewable by investors, on the site.
To your second question I must tell you that we hold our venture capitalists in the highest regard, and, therefore, wish only to nurture them and their relationships with us at TQR. This is not to say that conflicts between capital managers and their favored capital pieces will not flair up, but, rest assured, though the managers may trash each other, they will not trash the capital, which is the lifeblood of our operation. In fact, our commitment to our venture capitalists is proved out by the personal rejections that will be e-mailed to those individual capitalists that make it past the Floor.
3) The two department heads are Tessa and T. What happens that quarter if they both present you with stories that are great, but you aren't personally very fond of?
Rorschalk: Never fear! I will be armed with two stories that the Floor personnel have set aside to bypass the normal tiered vetting process and deliver directly to me in order that this dreaded exigency ever comes to pass. If T. and Tessa come to me with damaged goods, I’ll trump their asses.
4) You have one department head that favors the artsy-fartsy "literary" works, and one that favors "commercial" fiction. Are we going to see this erupt into a lot of friction? And what "type" of capital do you personally prefer?
Rorschalk: My philosophy is, if there is no conflict, there is no story. And, since the vetting process at TQR is itself a story, then there had better be some weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth! So, to answer your question, “Hell, yes!”
Being sort of something resembling a man, my biases tend toward gratuitous sex, car chases and pyrotechnics, but I have also been known to study Umberto Eco tracts for days on end, trying to winnow out the meaning buried in the unprinted and unalluded to subtext within. So, I heartily recommend you take your best shot and see what sticks to the wall. Believe me you, if something’s really good, it’ll probably stick to my walls.
5) When can we look forward to you starting to take submissions?
Rorschalk: Our official ‘Go’ date is October 15, but we may start accepting capital submissions before then. Please check the site ‘Guidelines’ at your nearest convenience.
6) How many stories per quarter do you plan on publishing?
Rorschalk: The magic number 3. Which is also biblical. So who can argue with that?
7) I see the "Insider Trading" section of the site. Can you explain to me what that is?
Rorschalk: Sometimes there are capital characters that transcend the box they’ve been set in and made to conform to. ‘Insider Trading’ is a chance for those type characters voices to be heard in the form of personal interviews.
8) You're a paying market?? Yowza! So you must really love your venture capitalists/writers? Or is this just the reward you give them for putting them through the hell of being publicly flogged by Tessa?
Rorschalk: The only public floggings will be perpetrated by Tessa on T. or me, and, hopefully, vicey-versey. The remuneration TQR pays in return for its Capital Gains is a small token of the esteem we hold those brave souls who dare open their hearts and veins on the screen for all the world to read and enjoy and, perhaps, to understand and see with that empathy that forces us to admit we’re all just fallen bitches scraping for a bone.
9) Note! I cut the interview short and didn't ask a ninth question because I was too anxious to get on the ball and sub something to TQR!
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Ellen Meister blog and second book sold!
Check out Ellen Meister's blog if you want some great inside info and to catch her latest huge news about her SECOND book deal.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Hurricane Help
Things seem to be degenerating in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Every little bit counts. So if you happen to have a couple spare bucks in your wallet and want to kick in, here's a few places you can go to:
Red Cross
Salvation Army
And this place:
Network for Good
This lists a plethora of different nonprofs with different focuses in case you'd like plenty of options.
I'll strike a deal here. If you send a $15 or more donation to any of these places, and then you send me an e-mail telling me you donated, I'll send you a copy of either 24/7 or Trattoria, your choice. I'll do this until my stock of books has dwindled. I'll post a note here saying that the deal is over when I'm out of books. You don't have to send me proof of your donation, I'll take your word for it.
Red Cross
Salvation Army
And this place:
Network for Good
This lists a plethora of different nonprofs with different focuses in case you'd like plenty of options.
I'll strike a deal here. If you send a $15 or more donation to any of these places, and then you send me an e-mail telling me you donated, I'll send you a copy of either 24/7 or Trattoria, your choice. I'll do this until my stock of books has dwindled. I'll post a note here saying that the deal is over when I'm out of books. You don't have to send me proof of your donation, I'll take your word for it.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
ELLEN MEISTER
ELLEN MEISTER
Ellen Meister is rapidly on her way to literary stardom. Her debut novel, GEORGE CLOONEY IS COMING TO APPLEWOOD is due for a 2006 release from Morrow/Avon. It tells the story of three women whose lives are thrown together when Hollywood announces plans to film a movie in their children's schoolyard. A suburban resident of Long Island herself, this is a world that Meister is quite intimate with. And the book promises ample doses of pathos and humor. But does George Clooney actually make an appearance in it? I guess we'll have to pick it up to find out, but I have a feeling that even if he does, the real stars of this novel will be her leading ladies: Lisa, Ruth, and Maddie.
Ellen is also very well published with short fiction, much of which can be found on the web. Often gravitating between funny and heartwrenching, you won't be sure what "type" of story you'll be reading because of her range and diversity. But you will always be riveted and blown away by the end of it. A short sampling:
"Back To Sleep" , "Mrs. Esserman's Eggs", "Blue Shirt" "Womb-o-matic" "A Crack in the Foundation", "Tighter Abs in Six Weeks".
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they've influenced you?
I once met a man who called himself a writer and said he didn’t read any fiction because it might influence him, and he wanted all his work to be original. I’ve since learned that he’s not alone, that there are other writers who feel this way.
I’m sorry, but this is one of the most idiotic things I’ve ever heard. Every single damn thing I read makes me a better writer in some way. And it doesn’t make my work derivative. I do pick things up, but only the things that make sense to me. I suspect it works the same way for all writers.
I guess this is my way of saying I’m influenced by all of them. My favorites? It depends when you ask me, as that shifts, but Richard Russo, J.D. Salinger and Richard Yates are staples, which probably sounds odd coming from a writer of (ostensibly) popular women’s fiction. The long list of others at various times includes Steve Almond, Melissa Bank, Jennifer Crusie, Mary Gordon, John Irving, Susan Isaacs, Wally Lamb, Ann Lamott, Elinor Lipman, Elisabeth Robinson, Tim Sandlin, Maryanne Stahl, Jennifer Weiner and Lolly Winston, to name just a few off the top of my head.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
My greatest strength might be keeping the reader engaged. I tap dance my little heart out to entertain. I’m also told I’ve got a pretty good ear for dialogue.
Weakness? Probably descriptions. I don’t particularly like reading long descriptions, so I don’t write them, and probably wouldn’t be very good at it if I did.
3) You've written novels and short stories. Which would you like to focus on in the future?
Novels. I don’t even have to think about that.
4) "George Clooney and Other Secret Longings of the Applewood PTA" tells the story of three suburban women and their secret lives. How did you initially come up with the different plot-lines? Was it like a flash where it all came to you, or was a it a slow simmer where the different aspects all came together? When you set out to write your first novel, was it important to you to focus on female leads, or did it just progress that way?
Such good questions wrapped into one! First off, I only just found out that the legal department at HarperCollins pulled the plug on the title—I’m not allowed to use George Clooney’s name. I’ve been frantically brainstorming on new titles all week, and my current frontrunner is Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA. I haven’t yet heard whether my editor likes it, so it’s up in the air.
Anyway, I’m in awe of people who say they get the ideas for their novels like a bolt from the blue. Nothing like that has ever happened to me. I get a germ of an idea—sometimes it doesn’t even wind up being the main plot point. Some tiny thought just gets lodged in my head and I decide I have to explore it further.
For this novel, I was immersed in the PTA at the same time that I made the life-altering decision that I was going to start writing a novel, which I had wanted to do my whole life. I had so many feelings about being a part of this complicated group of women with all its strange dynamics, that I wanted to explore it in a book. At the time, there were no thoughts about whether or not this would be a marketable concept. I just wanted to write a book I felt like reading.
From there I struggled to come up with something central that could happen to these women, something big that would affect the whole PTA, and each of them personally. There’s a local woman I know who’s a location scout for movies and TV commercials, and that stimulated the idea of bringing a movie—and a big, sexy Hollywood star—to their town.
The only organic part of the process was that it was clear from the beginning that there would be three female protagonists. I’m not sure why that was so evident, but there you have it. I did struggle to develop personalities and backgrounds for these women. I wanted at least one of them to be someone who left behind a serious professional career to raise her children, so I made Maddie an ex-attorney. Each character had to have a conflict so she could ultimately have an arc, and I gave Maddie a troubled marriage. But I didn’t want her husband to be an insensitive jerk or a womanizer or anything that typical, as it turns me off that so many writers are quick to make the man the bad guy and the woman faultless. So I created a couple who are just out of synch. She’s tremendously emotionally-needy, and he’s too caught up in his work to wrap her in assurances. They do love each other, but have forgotten how it works.
Since I’m from Long Island, I wanted at least one “Jappy” character—someone rich with gawdy tastes in hair, clothes, jewelry, the works. But it was important that she have something huge and painful in her life that wasn’t evident on the surface at PTA meetings. So I gave her a husband who became disabled from a stroke. To temper the sadness with humor, I gave him brain damage that makes him sexually uninhibited and unaware that he’s impotent. He has a tendency to ask strange women for sex.
As this character is loud and brash, so I wanted my third to be shy and a bit timid. She was the most difficult one for me to write, as her personality traits are furthest from my own. I had to work the hardest relating to her and understanding her pain. I even wrote a full short story about her before even starting the book, just to get to know her better.
I guess this my 500-word way of saying that it was indeed a slow simmer.
5) From reading a lot of your short fiction, I notice that you're very adept at delving into both emotionally wrenching territory, and just as talented at a "lighter" touch with bursts of charming humor. Do you try to balance out your work this way? And also, which do think is more "serious" and/or difficult when it comes to writing: drama or humor?
Thanks, Susan. I do like to switch back and forth between pathos and humor, as they’re equally interesting to write.
For the most part, I would say that humor is much more difficult to write. The timing is so critical that it has to be set up perfectly to work. And of course, there are times I know a funny line is called for, and I have bubkes (nothing). Worst case scenario, I walk away from my computer and crack my head against a wall until a joke jars loose.
The novel I’m working on now has a character who’s a comedy writer and has a joke for everything. Why did I do this to myself? I go crazy making him funny.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
Hm. Physicist Richard Feynman, maybe. Or John Lennon. Maybe Groucho Marx? Might be fun to pour gin for Dorothy Parker, get her to dish on the Algonquin Round Table. I can’t decide.
7) One CD, one book, one DVD and a desert island. What book, CD, and DVD do you take?
Wait, I’m stuck on a desert island and you want me to think books and music? You give me too much credit. Couldn’t I just take George Clooney? Or if he’s not available, Steve Hansen?
8) Other than fiction writing, what's the biggest lie you ever told?
“I couldn’t eat another thing.”
9) You can't have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers and critical acclaim (but not making cash from writing), or would you rather be a bestselling author with the fat coin?
Best selling. I’d rather appeal to readers than to critics.
10) You get a bonus question, because much like your writing in how you combine drama and comedy, you combine two of the most revered traits. So which do you think has served you better over the years: Your beauty or your brains?
That’s the most flattering question ever! Honestly, I didn’t grow up feeling beautiful OR brainy. I was a strange and lonely kid, with self-esteem stuck at zero. In high school I started to write, and I was pretty good. It was then that it occurred to me that maybe I wasn’t such an idiot after all. That’s what helped pick me up and start seeing myself in a different light. By the time I went away to college, the glow of self-confidence was just starting to show. It was then that people—guys, anyway—first reacted to me as an attractive woman.
So the answer is brains. It all starts and ends inside our heads, doesn’t it?
Ellen Meister is rapidly on her way to literary stardom. Her debut novel, GEORGE CLOONEY IS COMING TO APPLEWOOD is due for a 2006 release from Morrow/Avon. It tells the story of three women whose lives are thrown together when Hollywood announces plans to film a movie in their children's schoolyard. A suburban resident of Long Island herself, this is a world that Meister is quite intimate with. And the book promises ample doses of pathos and humor. But does George Clooney actually make an appearance in it? I guess we'll have to pick it up to find out, but I have a feeling that even if he does, the real stars of this novel will be her leading ladies: Lisa, Ruth, and Maddie.
Ellen is also very well published with short fiction, much of which can be found on the web. Often gravitating between funny and heartwrenching, you won't be sure what "type" of story you'll be reading because of her range and diversity. But you will always be riveted and blown away by the end of it. A short sampling:
"Back To Sleep" , "Mrs. Esserman's Eggs", "Blue Shirt" "Womb-o-matic" "A Crack in the Foundation", "Tighter Abs in Six Weeks".
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they've influenced you?
I once met a man who called himself a writer and said he didn’t read any fiction because it might influence him, and he wanted all his work to be original. I’ve since learned that he’s not alone, that there are other writers who feel this way.
I’m sorry, but this is one of the most idiotic things I’ve ever heard. Every single damn thing I read makes me a better writer in some way. And it doesn’t make my work derivative. I do pick things up, but only the things that make sense to me. I suspect it works the same way for all writers.
I guess this is my way of saying I’m influenced by all of them. My favorites? It depends when you ask me, as that shifts, but Richard Russo, J.D. Salinger and Richard Yates are staples, which probably sounds odd coming from a writer of (ostensibly) popular women’s fiction. The long list of others at various times includes Steve Almond, Melissa Bank, Jennifer Crusie, Mary Gordon, John Irving, Susan Isaacs, Wally Lamb, Ann Lamott, Elinor Lipman, Elisabeth Robinson, Tim Sandlin, Maryanne Stahl, Jennifer Weiner and Lolly Winston, to name just a few off the top of my head.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
My greatest strength might be keeping the reader engaged. I tap dance my little heart out to entertain. I’m also told I’ve got a pretty good ear for dialogue.
Weakness? Probably descriptions. I don’t particularly like reading long descriptions, so I don’t write them, and probably wouldn’t be very good at it if I did.
3) You've written novels and short stories. Which would you like to focus on in the future?
Novels. I don’t even have to think about that.
4) "George Clooney and Other Secret Longings of the Applewood PTA" tells the story of three suburban women and their secret lives. How did you initially come up with the different plot-lines? Was it like a flash where it all came to you, or was a it a slow simmer where the different aspects all came together? When you set out to write your first novel, was it important to you to focus on female leads, or did it just progress that way?
Such good questions wrapped into one! First off, I only just found out that the legal department at HarperCollins pulled the plug on the title—I’m not allowed to use George Clooney’s name. I’ve been frantically brainstorming on new titles all week, and my current frontrunner is Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA. I haven’t yet heard whether my editor likes it, so it’s up in the air.
Anyway, I’m in awe of people who say they get the ideas for their novels like a bolt from the blue. Nothing like that has ever happened to me. I get a germ of an idea—sometimes it doesn’t even wind up being the main plot point. Some tiny thought just gets lodged in my head and I decide I have to explore it further.
For this novel, I was immersed in the PTA at the same time that I made the life-altering decision that I was going to start writing a novel, which I had wanted to do my whole life. I had so many feelings about being a part of this complicated group of women with all its strange dynamics, that I wanted to explore it in a book. At the time, there were no thoughts about whether or not this would be a marketable concept. I just wanted to write a book I felt like reading.
From there I struggled to come up with something central that could happen to these women, something big that would affect the whole PTA, and each of them personally. There’s a local woman I know who’s a location scout for movies and TV commercials, and that stimulated the idea of bringing a movie—and a big, sexy Hollywood star—to their town.
The only organic part of the process was that it was clear from the beginning that there would be three female protagonists. I’m not sure why that was so evident, but there you have it. I did struggle to develop personalities and backgrounds for these women. I wanted at least one of them to be someone who left behind a serious professional career to raise her children, so I made Maddie an ex-attorney. Each character had to have a conflict so she could ultimately have an arc, and I gave Maddie a troubled marriage. But I didn’t want her husband to be an insensitive jerk or a womanizer or anything that typical, as it turns me off that so many writers are quick to make the man the bad guy and the woman faultless. So I created a couple who are just out of synch. She’s tremendously emotionally-needy, and he’s too caught up in his work to wrap her in assurances. They do love each other, but have forgotten how it works.
Since I’m from Long Island, I wanted at least one “Jappy” character—someone rich with gawdy tastes in hair, clothes, jewelry, the works. But it was important that she have something huge and painful in her life that wasn’t evident on the surface at PTA meetings. So I gave her a husband who became disabled from a stroke. To temper the sadness with humor, I gave him brain damage that makes him sexually uninhibited and unaware that he’s impotent. He has a tendency to ask strange women for sex.
As this character is loud and brash, so I wanted my third to be shy and a bit timid. She was the most difficult one for me to write, as her personality traits are furthest from my own. I had to work the hardest relating to her and understanding her pain. I even wrote a full short story about her before even starting the book, just to get to know her better.
I guess this my 500-word way of saying that it was indeed a slow simmer.
5) From reading a lot of your short fiction, I notice that you're very adept at delving into both emotionally wrenching territory, and just as talented at a "lighter" touch with bursts of charming humor. Do you try to balance out your work this way? And also, which do think is more "serious" and/or difficult when it comes to writing: drama or humor?
Thanks, Susan. I do like to switch back and forth between pathos and humor, as they’re equally interesting to write.
For the most part, I would say that humor is much more difficult to write. The timing is so critical that it has to be set up perfectly to work. And of course, there are times I know a funny line is called for, and I have bubkes (nothing). Worst case scenario, I walk away from my computer and crack my head against a wall until a joke jars loose.
The novel I’m working on now has a character who’s a comedy writer and has a joke for everything. Why did I do this to myself? I go crazy making him funny.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
Hm. Physicist Richard Feynman, maybe. Or John Lennon. Maybe Groucho Marx? Might be fun to pour gin for Dorothy Parker, get her to dish on the Algonquin Round Table. I can’t decide.
7) One CD, one book, one DVD and a desert island. What book, CD, and DVD do you take?
Wait, I’m stuck on a desert island and you want me to think books and music? You give me too much credit. Couldn’t I just take George Clooney? Or if he’s not available, Steve Hansen?
8) Other than fiction writing, what's the biggest lie you ever told?
“I couldn’t eat another thing.”
9) You can't have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers and critical acclaim (but not making cash from writing), or would you rather be a bestselling author with the fat coin?
Best selling. I’d rather appeal to readers than to critics.
10) You get a bonus question, because much like your writing in how you combine drama and comedy, you combine two of the most revered traits. So which do you think has served you better over the years: Your beauty or your brains?
That’s the most flattering question ever! Honestly, I didn’t grow up feeling beautiful OR brainy. I was a strange and lonely kid, with self-esteem stuck at zero. In high school I started to write, and I was pretty good. It was then that it occurred to me that maybe I wasn’t such an idiot after all. That’s what helped pick me up and start seeing myself in a different light. By the time I went away to college, the glow of self-confidence was just starting to show. It was then that people—guys, anyway—first reacted to me as an attractive woman.
So the answer is brains. It all starts and ends inside our heads, doesn’t it?
Monday, August 22, 2005
Quiction Online
Here's a nifty site that updates weekly: Quicktion Online serves up some great weekly flash fiction. This week, check out some gems from Ellen Meister, Beverly Jackson, Kathy Fish, and Steve Hansen.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Emerging Voices
LBF Books out of Pittsburgh has just now put up the order form for their collection of stories, Emerging Voices. Early orders get 20% off, for a total of twelve bucks plus shipping. Stories and authors included in this collection are:
Sun Worshiper (Eric Rives)
All That Glitters (David Coyote)
You Ought to Write a Journal (Jeanette Harris)
Surfin’s Easier When There's Water Involved (Cheryl Crossan)
Sexual Peak (Dawn Irene Dare)
Explorer Channel (Gayle Arrowood)
A Woman Scorned (Sherry Allyn Norman)
Greenhouse #5 (Lisa J. Cihlar)
The Old Woman (Pieter Mayer)
The Door Behind My Door (Kim Despins)
The Assaulters (Mike Ripley)
A Phoenix Rising (Gary Hill)
Secrets and Lies (Jennifer Celaks)
Greatness in Small-town Rural Nevada (Suzanne Chipman)
Music in the Mist (Kathryn Walsh)
One Step Closer to Hell (Andrew Dallas Ferrell)
Double Play (Michael W. Graves)
Check it out at LBF Books, and please support these talented up-and-comers.
Sun Worshiper (Eric Rives)
All That Glitters (David Coyote)
You Ought to Write a Journal (Jeanette Harris)
Surfin’s Easier When There's Water Involved (Cheryl Crossan)
Sexual Peak (Dawn Irene Dare)
Explorer Channel (Gayle Arrowood)
A Woman Scorned (Sherry Allyn Norman)
Greenhouse #5 (Lisa J. Cihlar)
The Old Woman (Pieter Mayer)
The Door Behind My Door (Kim Despins)
The Assaulters (Mike Ripley)
A Phoenix Rising (Gary Hill)
Secrets and Lies (Jennifer Celaks)
Greatness in Small-town Rural Nevada (Suzanne Chipman)
Music in the Mist (Kathryn Walsh)
One Step Closer to Hell (Andrew Dallas Ferrell)
Double Play (Michael W. Graves)
Check it out at LBF Books, and please support these talented up-and-comers.
Ginger Hamilton Caudill in HERSTORY
Herstory - What I Learned in My Bathtub...and More True Stories on Life, Love, And Other Inconveniences is due out October, 2005. In it, you'll find a nonfiction story titled "Hair Today" by Ginger Hamilton Caudill about her adventures with baldness as a result of breast cancer treatment. Do check her out!
Bad blogger!
Teenagers, I've been lax. I've fallen a bit behind with the blog, but I do have some more good stuff to come, including some more super-duper interviews with some really interesting writers. So please check back when you've got the chance, I hope to be getting some of those completed in the next few weeks. Until then, everyone relax, and enjoy the waning days of summer.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Beverly A. Jackson
After several years of running one of the classiest and most revered lit mags in the country, publisher/editor Beverly Jackson is closing up shop at Ink Pot. (for a full explanation, see here.) The magazine was a constant source of enrichment for readers, and a prized jewel for writers. With its gorgeous artwork, lush poetry, and high quality fiction, it was both an online venue and print market that showcased some of the best talent in the literary world. They were also a boutique publisher in the form of Lit Pot Press, Inc., offering some of the most cutting edge fiction and poetry books around, such as Terri Brown-Davidson's Marie, Marie, Hold on Tight, Joseph Faria's The Way Home, and the latest, Bloodletting & Fruits of Lebanon, novellas by J. Eric Miller. (a recent interview with Miller can be found here.) Ink Pot the magazine takes its final bow this October, though the website will remain online for another year and they will continue to sell single copies of their books.
But don't expect Ms. Jackson to slow down. An avid blogger, poet and writer herself, I expect we'll be hearing much more about her as she gets back to chasing her own muses. She already has an amazing, jealousy-inducing list of credits for both her poetry and fiction, including such high-cachet magazines as Night Train, Bonfire, Prairie Dog, Neo, and Riven. Online, you can find a full list of her work right here. But a few of my favorites are her recent entry into the Absinthe Literary Review (Eros and Thanatos issue) with "The Day Room", her 2004 Best American Short Story nominee "The Dead", her first place contest winner for Tattoo Highway "La Cucaracha", and "A Trip to the Grocer's".
The force of her stories and often dark edge in her writing are seemingly at odds with her classy and generous personality. But the graceful prose is a perfect match. See for yourself.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they've influenced you?
I have loved very diverse writers—from my childhood and teen years: Thomas Hardy, Graham Greene, and a romance writer Frank Yerby—to college years: Samuel Beckett, Saul Bellow, J.D. Salinger—to adulthood (spanning decades): Albee, Tom Robbins, Oates, Joan Didion, TC Boyle, Jim Crace, John Fowles, Cheever, -- oh, there’s just too many I love. I doubt that any one writer has directly influenced me while I think perhaps the whole of their creative bravery gives me the courage to set words to paper.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
I can’t see assets or strengths in my own work. I only see that it is never finished, never quite what I intended, and never good enough or true enough. It’s my biggest flaw, my lack of confidence.
3) When you would be looking at pieces with an editor's eye, did you ever catch yourself thinking, "Damn! I wish I'd written that!"? And were those the pieces you were most likely to then show off and publish? Or did you try to keep a more "universal" appeal in mind? Also, Lit Pot always had incredible artwork – was that reflective of your own personal tastes, or do you just have a keen eye?
Almost every excellent piece I read, I wish I’d written! I so love the work, and so relish the fine
output of good writing that I do covet it, cherish it in my heart. I wanted to publish everything I liked. I really didn’t consider universal appeal. My staff could talk me into things that they thought were worthy if it wasn’t my taste— but on my own, I only chose work I loved or near-loved. I have an incredible staff of editors who are also writers who sensed immediately what Ink Pot was all about, so most often we concurred. Part of my thrust was to publish newcomers and help nearly-there writers to have the confidence to keep writing. That was the real joy in all of it.
Re the artwork: I never took my writing seriously, though I’d written all my life. I had a creative urge—that much I knew. I was an actress in New York for a few years. I did a lot of crafts (including opening a shop/school called “Sheepish Arts” which sold needlepoint yarns and macramé materials) when I was married and also keeping house. (don’t you love old fashioned words like ‘keeping house?’) Then later, I studied painting in L.A., and always loved doing collage, acrylic abstracts and pastel portraits. My oldest friend once said, “you know I love your art, but you really should go back to your writing.” That astounded me. I never thought anyone even noticed. I took her advice and started writing again. But the love of art and hand-made crafts is always with me. I wanted incredible artists and poets(so many unsung!) to be featured in Lit Pot and Ink Pot as well as writers.
4) While working on Lit Pot/Ink Pot, I'm wondering if your own creative energy for writing took a nosedive. Did you often find yourself overwhelmed with the "job" and therefore unable to write? And, more importantly – are you looking forward to getting back in the rhythm and being able to write?
Actually, I think I got more serious work done while I was working on the journal than I did before or since. There’s a momentum that gathers with the ‘dream,’ being immersed in such creative endeavors and surrounded by others who are working so hard toward like goals. I got 35,000 words of a novel done in my spare time (of which there was none). What did seem to take a dive was the writing of poetry which had always sustained me. But editing and publishing during that almost five-year stretch changed everything in me. I wouldn’t be surprised if my DNA has changed, so I am rather looking forward to what will happen with solitude and free time. I’m not quite there yet. Ink Pot Issue No. 7 is on the fire, and I’m still in the midst of a kind of mourning. I don’t want to reverse the outcome, but there is an odd kind of celebratory sadness at the loss of what we shared and built together.
5) Running a magazine is a very "giving" sort of endeavor that requires quite a bit of generosity of spirit. Was this something that you think kept you going – the happiness you got from giving a boost to up-and-comers, or was the drive more about giving something to the readers? And now that you'll be going back to writing, do you think you'll find that same sort of reward in producing your own work?
Our whole mission was to support writers by getting their work read, and by treating them to the respect and consideration they deserved and so often did not receive at the hands of other publications. We refused to keep writers waiting for longer than one or two weeks (and usually less) for acceptances and rejections. We really wanted to support talented unknowns as well as put out a high quality journal that would attract a following. Our choices leaned toward dark and edgy literary work and we didn’t apologize for the narrowness of our tastes. A following did grow miraculously and so by following our own mission, we found both rewards.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
I might have answered this very differently a few years ago, but today I must say that it would be
thrilling if I could sit down with Herman Melville, after we’d had a large bottle of wine (so he could get past the gender and era differences.) I read Moby Dick for the first time this year, and it was a love/hate relationship that has now even attached itself to my novel in progress. Also since I’m a little tongue-tied around celebrities, I think he’d hold up the fascinating conversation all by himself.
7) One CD, one book, one DVD and a desert island. What book, CD, and DVD do you take?
CD – Lee Morgan’s “Night in Tunisia” (jazz trumpet)
Book –"The Complete New Yorker : Eighty Years of the Nation's Greatest Magazine" (not yet published, but I’ve got it on order. That should keep me busy for awhile.)
DVD – Wim Wenders’ (1988) “Wings of Desire”
8) Other than fiction writing, what's the biggest lie you ever told?
Well, see, I think that most of ‘real life’ is a lie, and that fiction is where we find the ‘real truth.’
That’s why I love writing and writers, and all art for that matter, because it is where truth lives, from my point of view. I mean, in life, don’t we all feel like frauds? Or is that only me? If you read physics or quantum mechanics, you know that what we ‘see’ isn’t real; you know from psychology that we all wear masks and are different personalities depending on who we’re with; we know from history and economics that society is fraught with misinformation, spin, advertising, propaganda, myth, and lies. But somehow when you read and write good fiction, an authentic self leaps out of the bullshit, to deliver the real goods. That’s how I see it anyway, which is why good art is so hard to find and so hard to do. So the biggest lie I ever told is ‘my whole life’ in one way or another. All the posturing, pretending, and civilized intercourse that one does to keep from screaming and biting off the faces of the people who don’t ‘get’ who you are. But then if they read a good story . . . suddenly they see something they never saw in you before. It’s magical. I married twice. One was an artist. One was an actor. No accident, that.
And I think it’s why readers read . . . we’re all hungry seekers of truth.
I once told a man I was pregnant (when I wasn’t) with another man’s child, hoping he would hate me (thus relieving me of my cowardice to break up with him.) Instead he wanted to marry me and raise my child. That was a lie wrapped in a selfish lie, wrapped in a likely debacle. If I write the story, it will be the truth about that lie. Does that make sense? Or is this just another lie?
9) You can't have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers and critical acclaim (but not making cash from writing), or would you rather be a bestselling author with the fat coin?
Respect from my peers and critical acclaim! No contest. For people with full stomachs, money is the biggest lie of all.
10) Bonus question: So what are you working on right now creatively, or what do you plan to delve into in the near future?
Well, the novel is sitting, waiting. It’s a series of past tense short stories wedded to a present tense narrative that I am tweaking to form into a novel— and whether I’ll be successful or not is yet to be seen. It is called “The Loose Fish Lessons” (Loose Fish being a reference fromMoby Dick):
1. A fast fish belongs to the party fast to it. (nearest to it)
2. A loose fish is fair game for anybody who can soonest catch it.
"...these two laws touching Fast Fish and and Loose-Fish will.on reflection be found in the fundamentals of all human jurisprudence . . . what are the Rights of Man and the Liberties of the World but Loose-Fish? What are all men's minds and opinions but Loose-Fish? What is the great globe itself but a Loose-Fish? And what are you, reader, but a Loose-Fish and a Fast-Fish too?"
Moby Dick
Herman Melville
My book is a non-chronological story of a woman’s journey to reconcile with family and self. Or maybe with truth. Or both. There’s a lot of lies in it at the moment. I have a long way to go but it’s my project for the near future. But who knows? Life is full of surprises. I also have a screenplay that needs a rewrite, and another to finish. And I haven’t written a poem in months. It’s a smorgasbord of words ‘out there.’ I tend to ride the horse in the direction it’s going, so I’m just planning to finish the last Ink Pot, and then get up and giddyup.
You ask all the good questions. And you sure give head-swelling introductions. Thanks for the interview, Susan.
But don't expect Ms. Jackson to slow down. An avid blogger, poet and writer herself, I expect we'll be hearing much more about her as she gets back to chasing her own muses. She already has an amazing, jealousy-inducing list of credits for both her poetry and fiction, including such high-cachet magazines as Night Train, Bonfire, Prairie Dog, Neo, and Riven. Online, you can find a full list of her work right here. But a few of my favorites are her recent entry into the Absinthe Literary Review (Eros and Thanatos issue) with "The Day Room", her 2004 Best American Short Story nominee "The Dead", her first place contest winner for Tattoo Highway "La Cucaracha", and "A Trip to the Grocer's".
The force of her stories and often dark edge in her writing are seemingly at odds with her classy and generous personality. But the graceful prose is a perfect match. See for yourself.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they've influenced you?
I have loved very diverse writers—from my childhood and teen years: Thomas Hardy, Graham Greene, and a romance writer Frank Yerby—to college years: Samuel Beckett, Saul Bellow, J.D. Salinger—to adulthood (spanning decades): Albee, Tom Robbins, Oates, Joan Didion, TC Boyle, Jim Crace, John Fowles, Cheever, -- oh, there’s just too many I love. I doubt that any one writer has directly influenced me while I think perhaps the whole of their creative bravery gives me the courage to set words to paper.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
I can’t see assets or strengths in my own work. I only see that it is never finished, never quite what I intended, and never good enough or true enough. It’s my biggest flaw, my lack of confidence.
3) When you would be looking at pieces with an editor's eye, did you ever catch yourself thinking, "Damn! I wish I'd written that!"? And were those the pieces you were most likely to then show off and publish? Or did you try to keep a more "universal" appeal in mind? Also, Lit Pot always had incredible artwork – was that reflective of your own personal tastes, or do you just have a keen eye?
Almost every excellent piece I read, I wish I’d written! I so love the work, and so relish the fine
output of good writing that I do covet it, cherish it in my heart. I wanted to publish everything I liked. I really didn’t consider universal appeal. My staff could talk me into things that they thought were worthy if it wasn’t my taste— but on my own, I only chose work I loved or near-loved. I have an incredible staff of editors who are also writers who sensed immediately what Ink Pot was all about, so most often we concurred. Part of my thrust was to publish newcomers and help nearly-there writers to have the confidence to keep writing. That was the real joy in all of it.
Re the artwork: I never took my writing seriously, though I’d written all my life. I had a creative urge—that much I knew. I was an actress in New York for a few years. I did a lot of crafts (including opening a shop/school called “Sheepish Arts” which sold needlepoint yarns and macramé materials) when I was married and also keeping house. (don’t you love old fashioned words like ‘keeping house?’) Then later, I studied painting in L.A., and always loved doing collage, acrylic abstracts and pastel portraits. My oldest friend once said, “you know I love your art, but you really should go back to your writing.” That astounded me. I never thought anyone even noticed. I took her advice and started writing again. But the love of art and hand-made crafts is always with me. I wanted incredible artists and poets(so many unsung!) to be featured in Lit Pot and Ink Pot as well as writers.
4) While working on Lit Pot/Ink Pot, I'm wondering if your own creative energy for writing took a nosedive. Did you often find yourself overwhelmed with the "job" and therefore unable to write? And, more importantly – are you looking forward to getting back in the rhythm and being able to write?
Actually, I think I got more serious work done while I was working on the journal than I did before or since. There’s a momentum that gathers with the ‘dream,’ being immersed in such creative endeavors and surrounded by others who are working so hard toward like goals. I got 35,000 words of a novel done in my spare time (of which there was none). What did seem to take a dive was the writing of poetry which had always sustained me. But editing and publishing during that almost five-year stretch changed everything in me. I wouldn’t be surprised if my DNA has changed, so I am rather looking forward to what will happen with solitude and free time. I’m not quite there yet. Ink Pot Issue No. 7 is on the fire, and I’m still in the midst of a kind of mourning. I don’t want to reverse the outcome, but there is an odd kind of celebratory sadness at the loss of what we shared and built together.
5) Running a magazine is a very "giving" sort of endeavor that requires quite a bit of generosity of spirit. Was this something that you think kept you going – the happiness you got from giving a boost to up-and-comers, or was the drive more about giving something to the readers? And now that you'll be going back to writing, do you think you'll find that same sort of reward in producing your own work?
Our whole mission was to support writers by getting their work read, and by treating them to the respect and consideration they deserved and so often did not receive at the hands of other publications. We refused to keep writers waiting for longer than one or two weeks (and usually less) for acceptances and rejections. We really wanted to support talented unknowns as well as put out a high quality journal that would attract a following. Our choices leaned toward dark and edgy literary work and we didn’t apologize for the narrowness of our tastes. A following did grow miraculously and so by following our own mission, we found both rewards.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
I might have answered this very differently a few years ago, but today I must say that it would be
thrilling if I could sit down with Herman Melville, after we’d had a large bottle of wine (so he could get past the gender and era differences.) I read Moby Dick for the first time this year, and it was a love/hate relationship that has now even attached itself to my novel in progress. Also since I’m a little tongue-tied around celebrities, I think he’d hold up the fascinating conversation all by himself.
7) One CD, one book, one DVD and a desert island. What book, CD, and DVD do you take?
CD – Lee Morgan’s “Night in Tunisia” (jazz trumpet)
Book –"The Complete New Yorker : Eighty Years of the Nation's Greatest Magazine" (not yet published, but I’ve got it on order. That should keep me busy for awhile.)
DVD – Wim Wenders’ (1988) “Wings of Desire”
8) Other than fiction writing, what's the biggest lie you ever told?
Well, see, I think that most of ‘real life’ is a lie, and that fiction is where we find the ‘real truth.’
That’s why I love writing and writers, and all art for that matter, because it is where truth lives, from my point of view. I mean, in life, don’t we all feel like frauds? Or is that only me? If you read physics or quantum mechanics, you know that what we ‘see’ isn’t real; you know from psychology that we all wear masks and are different personalities depending on who we’re with; we know from history and economics that society is fraught with misinformation, spin, advertising, propaganda, myth, and lies. But somehow when you read and write good fiction, an authentic self leaps out of the bullshit, to deliver the real goods. That’s how I see it anyway, which is why good art is so hard to find and so hard to do. So the biggest lie I ever told is ‘my whole life’ in one way or another. All the posturing, pretending, and civilized intercourse that one does to keep from screaming and biting off the faces of the people who don’t ‘get’ who you are. But then if they read a good story . . . suddenly they see something they never saw in you before. It’s magical. I married twice. One was an artist. One was an actor. No accident, that.
And I think it’s why readers read . . . we’re all hungry seekers of truth.
I once told a man I was pregnant (when I wasn’t) with another man’s child, hoping he would hate me (thus relieving me of my cowardice to break up with him.) Instead he wanted to marry me and raise my child. That was a lie wrapped in a selfish lie, wrapped in a likely debacle. If I write the story, it will be the truth about that lie. Does that make sense? Or is this just another lie?
9) You can't have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers and critical acclaim (but not making cash from writing), or would you rather be a bestselling author with the fat coin?
Respect from my peers and critical acclaim! No contest. For people with full stomachs, money is the biggest lie of all.
10) Bonus question: So what are you working on right now creatively, or what do you plan to delve into in the near future?
Well, the novel is sitting, waiting. It’s a series of past tense short stories wedded to a present tense narrative that I am tweaking to form into a novel— and whether I’ll be successful or not is yet to be seen. It is called “The Loose Fish Lessons” (Loose Fish being a reference fromMoby Dick):
"...these two laws touching Fast Fish and and Loose-Fish will.on reflection be found in the fundamentals of all human jurisprudence . . . what are the Rights of Man and the Liberties of the World but Loose-Fish? What are all men's minds and opinions but Loose-Fish? What is the great globe itself but a Loose-Fish? And what are you, reader, but a Loose-Fish and a Fast-Fish too?"
My book is a non-chronological story of a woman’s journey to reconcile with family and self. Or maybe with truth. Or both. There’s a lot of lies in it at the moment. I have a long way to go but it’s my project for the near future. But who knows? Life is full of surprises. I also have a screenplay that needs a rewrite, and another to finish. And I haven’t written a poem in months. It’s a smorgasbord of words ‘out there.’ I tend to ride the horse in the direction it’s going, so I’m just planning to finish the last Ink Pot, and then get up and giddyup.
You ask all the good questions. And you sure give head-swelling introductions. Thanks for the interview, Susan.
Monday, August 01, 2005
"Let's hug it out, bitch!"
This isn't so much about literature as it about television. Specifically Sunday nights on HBO.
I don't mind telling you, they were losing me. I still turned it on and watched, but I wasn't so thrilled anymore. "Six Feet Under" just got to be too much of a hassle at times, and last year, "Entourage" really didn't thrill me at all. Was I all excited about watching Lisa Kudrow in a new Larry Davidish show? No.
But lemme tell you. I could still list a few grievances about Entourage, but what's the point? I kept watching cause I like Jeremy Piven and he won me over right away. And this new season? I dig it! It's sharper writing with more of an arc with the whole Aquaman thing and Johnny Drama cracks me up. And Piven? He's still the best. If you don't know what the title of this thread is all about, it's about Piven and one of his best lines on the show.
Lisa Kudrow in The Comeback? Out-fucking-standing. The woman is nearly unrecognizable as Pheobe, and she has the self-conscious ticks down perfectly. Val is a great character, not because she's so loveable, but precisely because she's sort of an asshole, ok, a huge asshole, but that's just her and somehow Kudrow pulls her off as this one big huge exposed needy nerve that's at the same time trying to shelter and hide that hurt and need. It's some pretty good shit, is what I'm saying.
And Six Feet Under? Man, I got to totally hating Nate. Just loathing the bastard and his existential crises all the time. So what happens in the middle of the final season? Nate finds peace and they whack the son-of-a-bitch!! I LOVE IT! Now that's some great television, kids.
I wasn't loving you much these days, HBO. But with some tight (Entourage), uncomfortable (The Comeback) and gutsy (SFU) writing and two great actors (Piven and Kudrow) you've still got me watching. We're back on track now, baby. So let's hug it out, bitch!
I don't mind telling you, they were losing me. I still turned it on and watched, but I wasn't so thrilled anymore. "Six Feet Under" just got to be too much of a hassle at times, and last year, "Entourage" really didn't thrill me at all. Was I all excited about watching Lisa Kudrow in a new Larry Davidish show? No.
But lemme tell you. I could still list a few grievances about Entourage, but what's the point? I kept watching cause I like Jeremy Piven and he won me over right away. And this new season? I dig it! It's sharper writing with more of an arc with the whole Aquaman thing and Johnny Drama cracks me up. And Piven? He's still the best. If you don't know what the title of this thread is all about, it's about Piven and one of his best lines on the show.
Lisa Kudrow in The Comeback? Out-fucking-standing. The woman is nearly unrecognizable as Pheobe, and she has the self-conscious ticks down perfectly. Val is a great character, not because she's so loveable, but precisely because she's sort of an asshole, ok, a huge asshole, but that's just her and somehow Kudrow pulls her off as this one big huge exposed needy nerve that's at the same time trying to shelter and hide that hurt and need. It's some pretty good shit, is what I'm saying.
And Six Feet Under? Man, I got to totally hating Nate. Just loathing the bastard and his existential crises all the time. So what happens in the middle of the final season? Nate finds peace and they whack the son-of-a-bitch!! I LOVE IT! Now that's some great television, kids.
I wasn't loving you much these days, HBO. But with some tight (Entourage), uncomfortable (The Comeback) and gutsy (SFU) writing and two great actors (Piven and Kudrow) you've still got me watching. We're back on track now, baby. So let's hug it out, bitch!
Jim Ruland's Big Lonesome
And, in keeping the man-fest I apparently have going on here today, I give you the biggest news of all:
Jim Ruland has a collection of short stories that will be available soon from Gorsky Press. It's titled Big Lonesome, and I've read several of the stories and all were marvelous, so I'm sure the collection is outfuckingstanding. It's now available for pre-order at Amazon. Get yourself some great literature right here: Big Lonesome.
Jim Ruland has a collection of short stories that will be available soon from Gorsky Press. It's titled Big Lonesome, and I've read several of the stories and all were marvelous, so I'm sure the collection is outfuckingstanding. It's now available for pre-order at Amazon. Get yourself some great literature right here: Big Lonesome.
Don Capone's new blog
I see my pal Don Capone has a new blog up and running. Visit it! Capone's Hit List.
Matt St. Amand in Frigg
The new summer issue of Frigg Magazine is up, and it looks gorgeous as always. (They've really got tremendous artwork in every issue from LA Enoaraf, and sometimes some guest artists.) And Matt St. Amand's story, "Hadley" is not to be missed.
Supreme Court by Edward Moore
Edward Moore has a really unique and cool new flash posted at Flash Me Magazine. It's called Supreme Court.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
