Wednesday, July 30, 2008

An Evening with My Characters, Part II

* I run back to my own trailer for a couple of family-size microwave entrees and a bag of frozen vegetables as I wait for the men to clean up, musing on their appearance in my time. Rulon seems to have recovered all the strength he lost from the effects of his grievous war wounds. He's filled out, his chest regaining its former bulk. Carl still limps. I wonder if that will be permanent, given the awful damage to his left leg from the fight with the Acosta gang. Clay is taller than I remember. Ranch work evidently agrees with him.

Arriving back at the spare trailer, I set the microwave to nuke the meals, and bring out a pot for the Italian-style veggies. These guys have probably never seen zucchini, I remind myself as I fill the pot and set it on the stove. The shower runs in the background. I guess the novelty of an indoor waterfall won out over a sit-down bath.

I stare out into the night through the kitchen window, wondering about the men's brother, James. When I last left him--in published form, that is--he was in a world of hurt, estranged and away from the family, grieving over the loss of someone he'd cared a great deal for. I've been there, and my heart breaks for him.

Rulon comes down the hall in stocking feet, his dark hair slicked back, still damp from his shower. I invite him to sit, and he does so, pulling on his boots. I lean back against the counter.

ME: Tell me how you came here. It's pretty amazing to see you all.

RULON (settling in his chair): It was mighty amazing, the three of us riding out to check on the cattle, and seeing a rainbow arched through the sky, just ahead of us. We didn't think nothing of it. Rainbows generally fade back as you approach them. This one, though, it just stood it's ground, and we passed right under. I knew right off something wondrous had occurred.

ME: Why?

RULON: Oh ma'am, uh, Mom, everything was different. We was in a piney forest, for one thing. I found a trail, and we followed it a ways.

ME (breaking in): You always were the best tracker out of your brothers.

RULON (smiles at the compliment): Thank you. I'm teaching 'em some of the tricks.

ME: Sorry I interrupted. Go on.

RULON: We came to a clearing, and the edge of a cliff. Mom, the view was outstanding. Outstanding.

ME: It is indeed. You were on the Mogollon Rim.

RULON: We knew we was out of our time when we saw some of those cars and trucks you explained about. It looked like folks were fixin' to camp out. (He furrows his brow in puzzlement)

ME: Folks do that for recreation nowadays.

RULON: Recreation?

ME (sweeping my hand around the kitchen): All these inventions have given us time beyond what we spend working for a living. Most people don't have animals to tend anymore, so they can get away from their homes and go have fun.

RULON: Can't they have fun at home?

ME (laughing): You'd think so, wouldn't you? The days of gathering around the piano in the parlor for fun are long gone.

RULON: We didn't have a piano, but growing up, we'd sing hymns and the old songs in the parlor, like you said. James had the sweetest voice of all. (Rulon passes his hand over his mouth, and I know he's thinking of his absent brother)

ME: You miss him?

RULON: Him bein' gone feels like a burning fire eating away in my chest. (He slumps forward, his hands tightly gripped between his knees. His voice is low and muffled.) Pa was wrong in the way he treated James. He knows it now. Ma grieves something fierce that her boy is gone.

ME (shaking my head): He's not dead. I wish I could tell you about him. I can't.

RULON (raising his head and sitting up straight again): I reckon you can't. It helps to know he ain't dead. Thanks for that much knowledge.

ME: I don't know if you'll remember talking to me once you go back home. I hope you'll hold on to some measure of comfort.

RULON: I dearly hope so.

ME (stirring the vegetables): Tell me more about your coming here.

RULON: Well, we decided to make camp, since the clouds and thunder come up and we reckoned it would rain soon. We was unpacking our gear when along came a little red car, or maybe it was a covered truck? It was going the other way from all the camping folks, so Carl hailed them and asked if perhaps they had an acquaintance with you. We was mighty pleased to learn Mr. McCabe and Mr. Rains are your neighbors. They said they'd caught themselves as many fish as the law allowed, and since it was fixin' to rain, they was headed home. They said they'd carry a message to you.

ME: I was pretty floored to get the news that you were here.

RULON: Floored?

ME: Amazed.

RULON: Oh. They gave us directions on how to get down the right trails and find you. When they left, the rain come on plenty strong. We packed up and took out after them. I tell you, it was an adventure dodging all the vehicles when we got down to the macadamized road.

ME (guffawing): I'll bet! We call that a highway. It's a turnpike for our motorized vehicles. I imagine it was slick with the rain. I would have liked to see the faces of some of those drivers.

RULON: No you wouldn't. They was plumb angry. Said some mighty foul things, too. Some I didn't even understand. And then they would do this--

ME: Don't show me! I can imagine. Some folks are just plain rude. In their defense, they don't see many horsemen coming down that steep grade. Some of the turns can make a strong man blanch, and coming upon a horse in the road during a cloudburst-- (I laugh again, shaking my head)

RULON (frowning): Once we saw the way of things, we tried to keep to the side and out of their way.

ME (recovering my voice): I'll bet!

Carl and Clay come into the kitchen. I dish up the food and they sit around the table, exclaiming over the zucchini and red peppers and how short a time it took for me to prepare their food. They wait for me to sit down, then Rulon says a short blessing, and the men get down to the business of eating.

TO BE CONTINUED

*This is a work of fiction. I don't really talk to time-traveling characters from my novels. I do like them a lot, though, and am glad they passed under the rainbow to visit me in my own place and time. To order my novels, The Man from Shenandoah and Ride to Raton, visit my website at marshaward.com.

Monday, July 28, 2008

An Evening With My Characters

*As I mentioned last week, I found out that some of my characters were camping out on the Rim. Because it was so rainy, I invited them to ride down into the hamlet where I live and take advantage of the empty mobile home I own (that I'm going to be putting on the market very soon) as a much drier sleeping arrangement. They agreed, and the first problem I had was finding a place to put up the horses for the night. After I made a few telephone calls, a neighbor let the men stake out their animals in her orchard. I ferried saddles and gear and men back to the trailer, and introduced them further into the 21st Century.

ME: Here we are. Let me unlock the door and show you around.

CLAY OWEN: The door's made of glass?

ME: It's called an Arcadia door, and it slides open.

(RULON OWEN affectionately ruffles his younger brother's hair): Keep your mouth shut, little brother, or you'll collect a heap of flies. I 'spect that won't be the only wonder you're gonna see.

ME: A lot of things will seem strange. You've leaped past quite a few years.

CARL OWEN: That's so, ma'am. After we passed under the rainbow, we noticed a passel of oddments, like that vehicle you use. We saw some like yours, and others with an open bed in the back.

ME: Mine is called an automobile. Or a car. It's for getting people around, like a buggy or a coach. Those others you saw are trucks. They're best for carrying gear or goods. (I pause and look at my characters standing around the living room, dripping on the rug.) It's odd to hear you call me "ma'am."

RULON: We took a vote, ma'am. We know you're by way of being our "mother," but it don't seem fittin' to call you "Ma." We have a fine ma already. Well, you know that. You made her up.

ME: Yes, years ago. (I gesture around.) This is called a living room. Sort of a parlor. That's the kitchen, but the stove is very different than any you've seen. I'll show you how to work it later. (I shepherd them through the house.) This is the bathroom. It's more than an indoor privy. It's also a washroom. (I turn the faucet on, then off.) You wash your hands here. This tap turns on the cold water, and this one is for hot.

CARL: Hot water?

ME: Yes, there are taps like these in the kitchen, too. I have sort of a boiler outside that heats up the water. Then it's piped in to the taps. (I turn around and indicate the bathtub.) No buckets here, folks. Hot water on tap for your baths.

(CARL bumps Clay's arm): You're overdue.

CLAY (bumping back): Rulon's the oldest. He always says he gets the tub first.

ME: Um, you don't all need to use the same water. See this little hole? And this lever? (I work the lever.) The water goes down into a big pipe that takes it away down yonder. When each of you is finished, you can drain your water and the next man can start fresh. Or you can bathe in the waterfall.

CARL: Out on the creek?

ME: It's an indoor waterfall. (I demonstrate the shower, and the men make appropriate sounds of disbelief.) We call it a shower.

RULON: All these things are miracles to us, ma'am. What's this white chair for?

ME: That's the privy part. (I lift the lid.) We call it a toilet. You answer Nature's call here, then flush it away with this lever. If you're not going to sit, lift the seat and (I feel my cheeks beginning to burn) aim low. Here's the toilet paper.

(CLAY stoops over to examine it): It's a whole roll of soft paper, Rule. (He tugs, and TP unrolls onto the floor.) Oh, sorry, ma'am!

ME (laughing): Just wind it back up, Clay. It comes apart when you need to use it for cleaning up after yourself.

CLAY: Comes apart?

ME: Look at it. It's perforated into squares. Perforated means not quite cut apart. You hold here and pull here, and there you have a square or two. (I hold up two sections of TP.)

(CLAY's face is still red as he winds the TP back on the holder): Thanks for the instruction, ma'am.

ME (looking after RULON and CARL, who have wandered on into the bedroom): It's small, but it's cozy.

RULON: Ma'am, I reckon we all can sleep in that there bed.

ME: I thought you could spread your bedrolls out in the Arizona room, but if you prefer . . .

CARL: We're used to the ground, ma'am, but a bed! We ain't seen such a nice puffy one before.

ME: The house is yours until you need to go back. Do what you want. Except, I really am uncomfortable being called "ma'am." I understand your feelings about not calling me "Ma." You can keep that for Julia. How about calling me "Mom"?

RULON (tries it out): Mom. Mom. What's it mean . . . Mom?

ME: It's short for Mommy! I guess that's not a Southern form of address.

CARL: We use Mama and Ma, or Meemah, ma'am--Mom.

CLAY: I like it.

ME: It's better than calling me "Marsha."

RULON (nods): Yes ma'am, that's not fittin', ma'am, I mean, Mom.

ME: Let's go see the Arizona Room.

CLAY: Why's it called that?

ME: I believe it's because of all the glass to let the sunshine in. Folks think Arizona is hot everywhere, but that's not true. Up here in the forest, the sunlight is welcome.

CARL (looking around): Where's the fireplace, Mom? We can't build a campfire on this purty rug.

ME: You won't need a fire. You'll be warm here.

CARL: We need to cook our supper.

ME: I'll show you how to operate the stove. (We go back into the kitchen and I turn a knob.) This fire comes from piped-in gas. You can make the fire hotter by turning the knob a bit more. Just make sure you turn it off when you've finished cooking!

RULON: Much obliged, ma--Mom. This is surely a wonder!

ME: It is. Modern conveniences have come a long way since your era. (I look around.) I think that's all you need to know for now. There are clean towels in the cupboard in the bathroom. Get cleaned up and I'll wait for you in the parlor.

TO BE CONTINUED

*This is a work of fiction. I don't really talk to time-traveling characters from my novels. I do like them a lot, though, and am glad they passed under the rainbow to visit me in my own place and time. To order my novels, The Man from Shenandoah and Ride to Raton, visit my website at marshaward.com.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

What the . . . ???

So I get a Google Alert about my novel, The Man from Shenandoah. It's a link to Amazon.com, showing that the listing for my book has a brand new subtitle:

The Man from Shenandoah: A young woman's reflections on journeys in the sea of life

I gotta tell you, that subtitle has nothing whatsoever to do with the fiction I wrote! I don't still fit the profile of "young," either. I've earned my gray hairs.

Of course there's no email contact link on Amazon, so I can't let someone know that there's a big huge error on their site. I'm not sure they would care!

GRUMBLE, GRUMBLE, GRUMBLE!!!

All I can say is get the book from Barnes & Noble.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Virtual Blog Tour: Velda Brotherton

Today we have a special treat. My blog is a stop on writer Velda Brotherton’s Virtual Blog Tour. She’s promoting two of her books, a novel and a non fiction work, both dealing with the American West. Commenters along the tour will be entered into a drawing for her books. Velda gives more details below. Be sure to comment today and get in on the drawing!

A native of Arkansas, Velda Brotherton has been writing for 20 years. Her first articles appeared in local newspapers, then she became features editor for a weekly paper near her hometown. Out of that grew a weekly historical article, "Wandering The Ozarks," which she continues to write today for The White River Valley News in Elkins, Arkansas.

Her first non fiction book was published in April of 1994 and her first novel under the pen name of Elizabeth Gregg was published in October of that same year. She has a total of six novels and four non fiction books published.




Recently, one of Velda's early western historical romances, Images In Scarlet, published under the pen name of Samantha Lee, was issued through the back-in-print program with Authors Guild and iUniverse. It's a story of love and adventure on the Santa Fe Trail. Read an excerpt here.






Fly With the Mourning Dove is the true story of Edna, a young girl growing up on a homestead in New Mexico after WW I. Read an excerpt here.










This is in Colorado where the narrow gauge railroad heads out for Chama, New Mexico, from May through September for tourists. After that, the snows in the San Juan Mountains prevent it running.


This closeup of a train is one of the steam engines that makes the run. This would be similar to the ride that Edna and her parents made when they went to their homestead in New Mexico.

Velda has provided me with an article that fits very well with what I do. Take it away!


Writing Historical Fiction and Nonfiction
by Velda Brotherton

Today I stepped off my deck here in the Ozarks, and onto a boardwalk lining a street in Victoria City, Kansas, circa 1875. Wind caught at the camel’s hair overskirt of my London-smoke toilette. Its weight threatened to topple me into the dusty street. The noise of hammering and sawing, the aroma of new-cut lumber, fills the hot summer air. My, what busyness there is here in this new American city where we have chosen to settle with our Victorian ways.

During the year-long trip from Scotland, I dreamed of what the wild west would be like. My dreams came nowhere near the truth. Men wear guns on their hips, women are attired in calico dresses without hoops or drapes. They wear dowdy sun bonnets. But our founder George Grant promises that the ways of these colonists will not usurp our Victorian settlement. For the families have brought their silver, their damask cloths, their fashionable clothing, their bob-tailed ponies. These will surround us. Forever.

On this day I was taking a break from my current book, but could not leave the scene so easily. Writing the historical calls upon the author to immerse herself within the life about which she writes. To crawl into the very body of the character, develop a sense of place, internalize the five senses and the emotions of those long ago days. Remaining true to voice, attitude, politics and the morality of the time are important in historical fiction, vital in historical nonfiction.

The language of the time and place is sprinkled through the dialogue. To expect our modern day reader to accept the actual speech is asking too much, but no modern slang or speechifying belongs there either. If we aren’t sure a word or phrase was used then, we either don’t use it or get a dictionary that dates the first use of words and check it frequently. We can't assume we know when we may not. Nothing turns off a sophisticated historical reader quicker than incorrect language.

The real characters who take part in the story can and would have been there. After immersing ourselves in research, we characterize them as they were and make sure we have it right. Custer was a womanizer and a narcissist, but wife Libby did her best to immortalize him. Jesse James quoted Shakespeare and liked to have his photograph taken. When researching, consult three or four sources that do not all use the same basic source. Beware of the Internet and triple check any information you find there unless it’s posted at a reliable source.

The Devil’s in the details is oh so true. We can spend all our time researching dates, and forget to find out when a certain flower blooms, or if buffalo still roamed the plains when the story takes place. Or if a plant or animal there today was there in the past.

Writing both fiction and nonfiction history is equally difficult. Both require a huge amount of research about every single happening. If you think the Civil War actually ended when Lee surrendered, then it’s back to the books. The final battle took place out west at Palmetto on the Rio Grande almost a full month after the surrender.

I enjoy research almost as much as writing the book. It’s so easy to get caught up that weeks and months can go by before I settle down to the actual writing. So I get to know my setting and characters and complete the research for them. Then I write my first draft, marking places where I need more information. It’s a fine feeling to know the story is written before I begin to dig deeper into my research.

You are a creative writer, and you create your plot, conflict, characters and the voice of the story that will carry it through to the end. And each time you sit down to do this, you must transport yourself into that story so deep that you are no longer sitting at your computer, but walking the dusty streets; riding the wagons or horses; smelling the smoke of campfires or a rotting stack of buffalo hides; hearing the conversations of men and women of the western movement; seeing a crystal clear sky with no contrails or smog; tasting wild game, feeling the calluses on your hands. The real trick here is to completely remove yourself from modern day.

Because both of my books on this tour are western, one fiction, one nonfiction, I’ve concentrated here on that segment of our history. But what I’ve written holds true of any historical writing, be the books romances of any time or place, Americana, literary fiction, straight westerns, family stories, memoirs and biographies. The most important thing to remember is that people want to read good stories about sympathetic characters. Stick to that and you’ll turn out great books.

Here’s a tried and true way to set up your book: Draw a circle and divide it equally into four parts. This is the Hero’s journey circle. A story, be it short or a novel, will have four paradigms. You may divide by pages or chapters and each quarter can vary in length a bit either way.

In the first quarter, the character is lost, a wanderer who isn’t sure what he wants or how to learn what he wants. In the second he is an orphan and can’t get anyone to help him resolve his problems. In the third he is an emerging hero or warrior. He knows what he wants and is willing to go after it even though he may fail a few times. In the fourth he is a hero and a martyr, a person strong enough to accomplish what he wants but also a person who puts the needs of others before his own.

This is not mine. I learned it first from the great award winning short-story writer Pat Carr in a workshop. I heard it later from best selling author Jodi Thomas, who swears by the journey circle and uses it to plot her books, so don’t credit me with it. Good friend, western writer Dusty Richards, winner of double Spurs from Western Writers of America, writes his many books using the hero’s journey circle. Obviously it’s a reliable and oft-used method.

Velda continues: "Remember, this is just like a book signing in a bookstore, only much easier. You can sit at home, as can I, saving gas and lots of energy in this warm weather.

"Copy and paste the schedule below in your computer. Each day link to the blog that is hosting that day, enjoy the post, then leave a comment. Why leave a comment? Because at the end of the tour the name of everyone who leaves a thoughtful comment will be placed in a drawing. Four winners will each get an autographed copy of the book of their choice from the two I'm promoting. One lucky winner of the four will also receive a silver and turquoise ring from New Mexico. So don't forget to read and comment each day beginning July 21 through July 31. We'll hold the drawing August 4 and the winners will be posted on my blog. Winners will have to contact me with their snail mail address so I can send their book . . . and don't forget that beautiful silver and turquoise ring."

July 21 -- http://emilybryan.wordpress.com An Interview with the author
July 22 -- http://suzannewoodsfisher.blogspot.com History of photography
July 23 -- http://marshaward.blogspot.com Writing the Historical fiction/nonfiction
July 24 -- http://gwynramsey.blogspot.com History of Women in Photography
July 25 -- http://reihlife.com A photo array of New Mexico
July 26 -- http://vbrotherton.blogspot.com Where Do Ideas Come From?
July 27 -- Sunday--Take the day off
July 28 -- http://marynidasmith.blogspot.com Dance at the Sagebrush Inn, Taos
July 29 -- http://lindacapple.blogspot.com Edna's story/Fly With The Mourning Dove
July 30 -- http://westernhistoricalhappenings.blogspot.com John Dunn, Entrepreneur of New Mexico
July 31 -- http://communityoftheland.blogspot.com Interview with the author

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Winner: Poacher's Moon

The winner of John D. Nesbitt's Poacher's Moon is Stephanie Humphreys.

Congratulations, Stephanie! Please email me your mailing address asap.

Author Interview: J. Scott Savage

Today's guest is J. Scott Savage, who I know best as Jeffrey S. Savage in the LDS market. His previous works include two stand-alone novels and two series mystery books, but he assured me that his "Shandra Covington" series will continue. When he embarked on a Young Adult Fantasy series with a national company, Jeff shifted his name to J. Scott for those novels so as not to confuse the YA readers. Jeff/Scott lives in Utah with his family, when he's not traveling the country for his day job. His forthcoming novel, Farworld: Water Keep, will appear in September from Shadow Mountain.

Welcome, Jeff, er, that is, Scott! How long have you been writing? What made you start?

Well I’ve been writing off and on for most of my life. But I seriously started a novel for the first time about eight years ago. At the time it started as a way to relieve the stress of being the CEO of an Internet company during some pretty stressful times and traveling a lot. Later, I realized how much I loved writing.

When did you sell your first book?

The first book I ever tried to write was Cutting Edge. I sold it to the first publisher I sent it to. Sounds way too easy, huh?

What type of writer are you? Do you plan ahead/plot or do you simply fly by the seat of your pants?

I’m the type of writer who goes, “Holy cow! I only have three weeks till my deadline!” No, seriously, I need enough of the story in my head that I know where I am going. But if I outline too many details it feels like I lose a little of the spontaneity. So my outlines are more like ideas chained together by what-ifs.

How do you choose your characters' names?

I collect names. I actually have a little book. But writing in the fantasy genre really required me to spend more time thinking about the names. You can’t have Trinkalina and Hank. Doesn’t work too well. Generally I am not a fan of character names that the reader can’t pronounce. No, XXyrch.

What is your daily schedule like?

Get up. Shower. Have breakfast. (Usually I try to get dressed somewhere in there.) Oh, you mean as far as writing? I like to get in at least 1500 words a day. Usually I edit the previous day’s work first to get me into the story. If I’m really in a groove I can easily write 5-6,000 words. But I definitely have weeks where I don’t get anything written.

How do you handle life interruptions?

“Be quiet!!!!” Sometimes that works. Sometimes not.

That ties a lot into the previous question. I can handle life’s interruptions. But I can’t write very well when I don’t have stability in my life. For example if I am really worried about how I am going to pay the bills, it’s tough for me to lose myself in a story. Once I am into a story though, you could set off a bomb next door and I wouldn’t notice.

Do you write with music playing? If so, is the music likely to be songs with lyrics or only instrumentals?

I’m one of those people who finds it hard to focus on writing with music playing unless I am so familiar with the music that it just fades into the background. I do like instrumentals and nature sounds. The sound of the ocean is soothing. When I go back and edit, I often have music.

What food or snack keeps the words flowing?

I can’t eat while I write either. But not for the reason you’d think. I get so caught up in the story that I can eat an entire bag of chips without realizing it. So mostly I save food for breaks.

What one thing do you like most about writing? Least?

I love the high you get from writing a really powerful scene. I get so pumped up imagining how people will react when they read it. The worst is when suddenly nothing seems to work and you really question whether you should be writing at all. You’re like “Why did I ever think I could do this?”

Tell us about your new book, Farworld: Water Keep.

Farworld is really off the beaten path for me. Not they I haven’t crossed genres before. But this is going into fantasy and YA. It was such a change that I really didn’t think I could do it. But the story pulled me through. I got so caught up in Marcus and Kyja and the whole Farworld location that I literally dreamed about it almost every night I was writing. I describe this book as ordinary kids finding a way to accomplish extraordinary things. Not the typical story about kids overcoming their weaknesses to become great per se. But kids learning to live with their weaknesses and struggling to do the right thing. It’s fantasy, but it’s the way most of us would handle things if we were put into those circumstances. “I don’t know why I was chosen to do this. And I’m probably going to fail. But I’ll give it my best shot anyway.”

Awesome cover, BTW. What is your next project?

Well I’ve got two series I am actively keeping up with—Shandra and Farworld. So that doesn’t leave a ton of times for new projects at the moment. But I’ve got this kind of darker urban fantasy idea along the lines of the Desden Files. It’s about a bounty hunter/PI who dies and gets sent to hell. But he has a way to earn back his life if he can solve a little problem for the big guy.

What is your advice for other writers?

Write with a passion. Don’t write a story that is like all the others. Don’t write something “good enough.” Write something that gets you really excited. That’s what other people want to read.

What other work of yours has been published?
Cutting Edge, Covenant, 2001
Into the Fire, Covenant 2002
House of Secrets, Covenant 2005
Dead on Arrival, Covenant 2006
Water Keep, Farworld Book 1, Shadow Mountain, Sept 2008

Thank you for the Interview.

Thank you, Marsha. I’ve really been enjoying the process of publishing for the national market. It’s been a real learning experience. Let your readers know they can drop by my blog anytime at
http://www.jscottsavage.com/ and the Farworld website should be up in the next few weeks at http://www.readfarworld.com/.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Those crazy characters!

Some of my characters were camping out up on the Rim this weekend, and later on, I'm going to share with you the chat we had. I don't think you want to miss it.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Winner: One of Al Past's Distant Cousin Novels

Since the original winner did not contact me, I put the commentor's names back in the hat--well, actually, this time it was my big orange popcorn bowl--and drew out the name of a new winner.

And it's . . .

Shirley Bahlmann!

Shirley, please email me so I can connect you with Dr. Past for further instructions. Thank you.

Author Interview: Sariah S. Wilson

Sariah S. Wilson says she doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up, but in the meantime, she's a busy wife and mother who writes intriguing novels for the LDS market. Her newest one, just coming out, is entitled Servant to a King. It's available in LDS bookstores and online at deseretbook.com.

Welcome, Sariah! What made you start writing?

Equal parts desperation and inspiration. We needed to find a way to fund my oldest son’s therapies. I spent a lot of time on my knees asking what we should do to find the help we needed. I kept feeling like I should try writing – which was crazy because I’d never imagined myself to be a writer or grew up wanting to be one (although I’d always been an avid reader). But little things kept happening that pushed me along the path and now here I am.

When did you sell your first book?
I sold my first book in December 2005.

What type of writer are you? Do you plan ahead/plot or do you simply fly by the seat of your pants?
I think I’m a combination of both. I have enough written down so that I know where I’m going, but characters do things that surprise me all the time. I don’t really outline, but I do find that when I have my story constantly in my head, dialogue and scenes occur to me that I must jot down immediately and from there I organize them into where I think they should go in the book.

How do you choose your characters' names?
For my last three novels, I’ve picked names that sound like Nephite/Lamanite names. I’ve tried to follow the naming conventions and patterned the names after real ones (or else I’ve done some sort of combination). With my latest, it was pretty easy to pick out the names of Ammon (since that actually was his name) and Princess Isabel, with Isabel being one of only five female names mentioned in the Book of Mormon. Other than that I typically just pick names I like that usually have some sort of Hebrew base (like the name of Sam’s sisters in "Desire of Our Hearts" – Kelila and Lael).

What is your daily schedule like?
Ha-ha, that would imply I actually have a schedule. I have no schedule. My daughter and sons have a schedule that I simply revolve around. My day consists of playing with them and taking care of them. I should probably say I clean the house, but that only happens sporadically. Then I’m supposed to write in the evening after they’ve gone to bed, but by that point I’m typically exhausted and just wanting to climb into bed myself.

How do you handle life interruptions?
Not well.

Do you write to music? If so, with lyrics or only instrumentals?
I do write to music. With lyrics. I get a set of songs for each book – sometimes the song matches some of the emotions I’m trying to convey in the song (for "Desire" Nick Lachey’s "What’s Left of Me" really matched up with how Alma felt about himself, that he had little to offer the heroine after he realized his mistakes, for "Servant to a King" I loved Doris Day’s "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" because of the hero’s inability to admit that he loves the heroine). Lots of times there just happens to be a song I like on the radio and I add that to my song list.

What food or snack keeps the words flowing?
I don’t think I could eat and write at the same time. Both food and writing require my complete attention, so the two should never meet, in my opinion.

What one thing do you like most about writing? Least?
What I like most about writing: being done.
What I like least about writing: starting a new book.


Tell us about your new book, Servant to a King.
Here’s the awesome back cover copy, which I love:

When Isabel’s father offers her hand to a Nephite, she’s shocked and angry—and when the offer is refused, she’s utterly furious. How dare this Ammon refuse to marry the beautiful eldest daughter of King Lamoni! There could only be one explanation for this unforgivable dishonor: Ammon must be a spy.

Isabel closely watches her enemy, expecting to find evidence of treachery, but instead she finds evidence of loyalty, bravery, and kindness. Afraid to admit her growing affection for Ammon, Isabel hides her true feelings behind a headstrong façade. Yet when the vile Lamanite prince Mahlon threatens to take her as a bride and wrest the kingdom from Lamoni, Isabel must choose between her pride and her life. Meanwhile, the risks of love test Ammon’s faith and courage as never before.

Will Ammon thwart the marriage of Isabel and Mahlon before it’s too late? And could a Lamanite princess and a Nephite prince really live happily ever after?

When I was reading the Book of Mormon the last week of December in 2005 and I got to the story of Ammon, I started thinking, What happened to that princess? How did she feel when Ammon said no? Then I thought about how long the sons of Mosiah lived in the land of the Lamanites, and how it was more likely than not they had families and wives while they were there. So one thing led to another, which is where this book came from.

I love, love, love the cover! What is your next project?
I have two that I’m working on simultaneously. One is for the national market, a paranormal contemporary romance that shows magic doesn’t always work the way it’s supposed to, and the second is historical romance for the LDS market, but it won’t be another Book of Mormon fiction (I have more of those coming in the future, but I hope to be able to write all different kinds of romantic fiction for the LDS market set in different time periods, so we’re going to try and switch it up a little next time).

What is your advice for other writers?
Persevere. If you want it bad enough, never give up. Read. Read, read, read. I don’t think there’s any class or how-to book or degree that will teach you to write the same way reading will.

What other work of yours has been published?
Secrets in Zarahemla – 2007 – Covenant Communications
Desire of Our Hearts – 2007 – Covenant Communications

Thank you for the Interview.

Thanks for asking me such great questions!

Sariah blogs at Six LDS Writers and a Frog every Saturday.

Winner: Angela Hallstrom's Bound on Earth

Stephanie Abney, you are the winner!

Since I know where Stephanie lives, I don't need her to contact me, unless, of course, she wants to.

Congratulations!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Author Interview: John D. Nesbitt

Today’s guest, outstanding author John D. Nesbitt, lives in the plains country of Wyoming, where he teaches English and Spanish at Eastern Wyoming College. His literary articles, book reviews, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. In western fiction, his area of main emphasis, he has had six short story collections, two contemporary western novels, and more than fifteen traditional western novels published in various hardbound, large print, audio, and mass-market paperback editions. He has also written textbooks and course manuals for his courses as well as a Boise State Western Writers Series booklet on Robert Roripaugh.

John has won many prizes and awards for his work, including two awards for fiction from the Wyoming State Historical Society, two awards from Wyoming Writers for encouragement of other writers and service to the organization, two Wyoming Arts Council literary fellowships (one for fiction, one for non- fiction), and a Western Writers of America Spur finalist award for original mass-market paperback novel for Raven Springs. Today we're spotlighting his new contemporary western mystery entitled Poacher’s Moon.

John will send an inscribed, autographed copy of Poacher's Moon to a lucky commentor to this blog post. A drawing will be held on July 22. Here are the rules:

1) You must have a US or Canadian mailing address.
2) You must make a comment other than "Me me me!"
3) You must comment before July 22.
4) You must
contact me by Tuesday, July 29 with your mailing address when your name is announced. Otherwise, a new winner will be drawn.

Welcome, John! How long have you been writing? What made you start?

I have been writing since I was in grade school. I had a little bit of recognition for writing poetry when I was in the eighth grade. In high school I had a few of my essays and stories selected for the bulletin board, and I wrote poetry on my own. When I was an undergraduate, I kept a journal and wrote poetry, much of it in the style of the poems I was studying in British literature courses. In the second year of graduate school I took my first creative writing course, focusing mostly on fiction. Four years after that I had my first short story published in a magazine called Far West, which published work by established western writers and which paid good money for the time. I wrote and published short stories, literary articles, reviews, poems, and magazine articles for several years, and then I had my first novel published in 1994. Since then I have continued trying to stay diverse, but a greater proportion of my time has been spent on writing novels.

What made me start? I don’t remember, except that I wanted to see my ideas expressed in literary form. It might be easier to say that I just couldn’t quit.

When did you sell your first book?

I sold my first book to Walker and Company, a hardcover publisher in New York that did traditional westerns at the time. My first published book was entitled One-Eyed Cowboy Wild. As mentioned above, it came out in 1994. Walker did two more of mine until they quit publishing westerns.

What type of writer are you? Do you plan ahead/plot or do you simply fly by the seat of your pants?

I am something of a planner, and I have become more of one as time goes on. For a novel, I usually work with an outline, a set of characters, and a set of additional notes and comments to myself, and for a short story I often do something similar but on a smaller scale. I have written a lot of stories by feel, as I call it, but those have often been shorter than 5000 words.

How do you choose your characters' names?

I have a few techniques I employ. I try not to have too many names with the same letters (i.e., avoid Jim and John and Jeff and Jack in the same story, and avoid similar last names like Wilson and Williams). I try to vary the length of characters’ names as well, and I also try to avoid repetition in stress patterns. For example, many of our Anglo-American names have a stressed first syllable and an unstressed second syllable, as in Linda Wilson. I try to have characters with one syllable in the first name, two in the second; two in the first, one in the second; two and three, three and one, and so on.


Also, I try to give my characters basic names (Clay is pretty earthy) or historically accurate names (Pearl or Nance for a man, for example) or names that have some kind of allusion. Maybe I have too much fun here (Dryden in one story, Shadwell in another), but I also try for names that resonate with some kind of additional meaning. In Poacher’s Moon, for example, the missing person is named Heather Lea, and she corresponds to the parallel theme in the novel about use and abuse of nature.

What is your daily schedule like?

When I am working full-time on a manuscript, as I am doing now (I have a full-time teaching job, but I am on summer break), I try to be writing by 8:00 a.m. I write until 12:00 or 1:00, and then I either type up what I’ve written or I go to town and do errands.

How do you handle life interruptions?

It depends on what kind of interruption it is. Divorce has not been kind, nor have similar disappointments. It’s certainly not a good idea to try to write about a miserable mess when you’re in the middle of it, and sometimes it is difficult to write about anything else. As for other interruptions, such as day-to-day obligations and emergencies (come quickly; the cow is in the garden), I try to keep them at their level, solve the problem, and get back into my work.

Do you write with music playing? If so, is the music likely to be songs with lyrics or only instrumentals?

I don’t write or read with music playing. Music is good when I am ironing shirts, and I have known myself to have my favorite music for mopping floors as well.

What food or snack keeps the words flowing?

I don’t have any special attachments here.

What one thing do you like most about writing? Least?

The thing I like most about writing is the satisfaction of expressing an idea or feeling and then seeing it shaped into a pleasing form. The thing I like least is fighting the system and having to worry about whether I am still going to have my work published after the current contracted work is finished.

Tell us about your new book, Poacher's Moon.

Poacher’s Moon is a contemporary western novel with a strong element of mystery. In it, I explore an idea that I think is important in the modern-day west, and that is whether people look at natural resources (especially wildlife, in this context) as a commodity or as something that transcends its financial value. I locate this problem in my main character, Wilf Kasmire, who at the opening of the novel wants to try to make a living as a guide and outfitter so he can enjoy the outdoor life he loves. He becomes somewhat disillusioned, however, when he takes out hunters who pay and then think, in sometimes casual and sometimes crass terms, that they should get their money’s worth. At the same time he is going about this work, he is nagged by the disappearance of a young woman he used to spend time with, and no one seems to be trying very hard to find her. In pursuing ethical problems that come up in his work as a hunting guide, Wilf also finds himself pursuing the question of what happened to Heather Lea.

This novel was a major work for me, both in what I was hoping to achieve and in what I thought I achieved. I realize, of course, that not everybody is going to like everything, but I do have hopes that this novel will be appreciated.

What is your next project?

Right now I am working on a traditional western novel. It is already under contract, but until something is closer to publication, I usually don’t say much more than that.

What is your advice for other writers?

Don’t give up. Don’t write what you think someone else wants. Take advice to improve what you want to write. Read good literature and use a dictionary.

What other work of yours has been published?

Traditional Western Novels

One-Eyed Cowboy Wild (NY: Walker and Co., 1994). Large print reprint (Thorndike, Maine: G.K. Hall/Thorndike, 1994); paperback reprint (NY: Leisure Books, 1997).
Twin Rivers (NY: Walker and Co., 1995). Large print reprint (Thorndike, 1996); paperback reprint (NY: Harper Collins, 1997).
Wild Rose of Ruby Canyon (NY: Walker and Co., 1997). Large print reprint (Thorndike, 1999); paperback reprint (Leisure Books, 1999).
Black Diamond Rendezvous (NY: Leisure Books, 1998). Large print reprint (Thorndike, 2000).
Coyote Trail (NY: Leisure Books, 2000). Large print reprint (Thorndike, 2002).
North of Cheyenne (NY: Leisure Books, 2000). Large print reprint (Thorndike, 2002).
Man from Wolf River (NY: Leisure Books, 2001). Large print reprint (Thorndike, 2002).
For the Norden Boys (NY: Leisure Books, 2002). Large print reprint (Wheeler, 2004).
Black Hat Butte (NY:Leisure Books, 2003). Large print reprint (Thorndike, 2004).
Red Wind Crossing (NY:Leisure Books, 2003). Large print reprint (Thorndike, 2004).
West of Rock River (NY:Leisure Books, 2004). Large print reprint (Thorndike, 2005).
Rancho Alegre (NY:Leisure Books, 2005). Large print reprint (Thorndike, 2006).
Lonesome Range (NY: Leisure Books, 2006).
Raven Springs (NY: Leisure Books, 2007). Large print forthcoming.
Death at Dark Water (NY: Leisure Books, 2008)
Trouble at the Redstone (forthcoming, NY: Leisure Books)

Contemporary Novels

Keep the Wind in Your Face (Casper: Endeavor Books, 1998).
A Good Man to Have in Camp (Casper: Endeavor Books, 1999).
Poacher’s Moon (Greybull: Pronghorn Press, 2008).

Short Story Collections

One Foot in the Stirrup: Western Stories (1995). Large print reprint (Thorndike, Maine: Thorndike Press, 1997).
Adventures of the Ramrod Rider: Gripping Tales, Augmented and Revised by the Author (Casper: Endeavor Books, 1999). Six stories.
Shadows on the Plain (Casper: Endeavor Books, 2005). Fifteen stories; ten previously published.

Short Story Collections (under my own imprint)

One Foot in the Stirrup: Western Stories (1995). Nine stories; six previously published.
I’ll Tell You What: Fiction With Voice (1996). Fourteen stories; eight previously published.
Antelope Sky: Stories of the Modern West (1997). Twelve stories; nine previously published.
Seasons in the Fields: Stories of a Golden West (1998). Thirteen stories; nine previously published.

Textbooks and Course Manuals

Blue Book of Basic Writing, course manual/textbook for basic writing (Casper: Endeavor Books, 1996, 1999, 2004).
Writing for Real, course manual/textbook for college composition (Casper: Endeavor Books, 2000, 2007).
Understanding Fiction, course manual/textbook for studies in fiction.
Done by Friday, activities manual to accompany Blue Book of Basic Writing.

Thank you for the Interview, John.

Thank you again for the opportunity to have this exposure. I appreciate it.


Visit John's blog at: http://www.johndnesbitt.blogspot.com/

Monday, July 14, 2008

Heaven Scent

Thanks a lot, Rebecca! You made me cry. Not to mention stay up too late!

Last night I read Rebecca Talley's novel, Heaven Scent, from cover to cover. What a gripping, compelling read!

It's a story of a young woman taking upon herself the task of putting back together her unraveling family--just as so many teenagers do, thinking somehow it's their job to do that. I was right there in Liza Compton's head, trying to figure out how to get my dad to pay attention to me like he used to do.

Then when something happened in the plot, I inwardly groaned, Oh no! It's a "Deus ex machina!" But I kept going, and soon I mumbled, "Yeah, but it worked, and it worked well."

This tale of overcoming unspeakable tragedy and getting on the road to emotional and physical recovery and reconciliation is a must read, for young people and adults, as well.

Thanks, Rebecca!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Season of Sacrifice

One of the books I read this summer is titled Season of Sacrifice, a historical novel by Tristi Pinkston. It's a fictionalized biographical account of her ancestor, Ben Perkins, whose skills and imagination provided the way for the Saints going to the San Juan in Southeastern Utah to get through the Hole in the Rock.

The book began in Wales, where Ben was put to work in the coal mines at a tender age, learning how to use blasting powder to blow coal loose for carting out of the mine. After he joined the LDS Church, he was presented with the opportunity to go to America to Zion--the Great Salt Lake Valley. He left behind a budding relationship with Mary Ann Williams, but before he left, he received her promise to come to America later with his family.

The novel continues with Ben and Mary Ann's marriage when she arrives in Utah, their settling in Cedar City, and then their call to go on the San Juan mission. An expected six-week trip turned into a horrendous journey of six month's duration. The Saints battled the elements and the terrain, building roads and scaling mountains, always facing seemingly unsurmountable odds in achieving their goal to take their wagons and their families to a new place for a new life.

The final section deals with the difficulties wrought on the family by polygamy, when Ben proposes to Mary Ann's younger sister, Sarah. As Mary Ann put it, "I had prepared myself for a stranger, for a woman I hardly knew. You would build her a house far away from mine, and I could pretend the whole thing didn't exist. I could do that, Ben. I could love you and care for you and pretend that there wasn't some other woman out there, also loving you and caring for you . . . You've taken that blissful ignorance away from me."

Once the author realized that the characters (her ancestors) weren't converted to polygamy, but to obeying God, and believing in His promise that all would be made right someday, she was able to tell the story of how they came to the same conclusions.

The book contains over 300 pages of text, including notes. Frankly, given my eye problems in the past, I wondered how long it would take me to read the novel. Once I began, I flew through it, even staying up far too late at night to finish. It's a satisfying read, one I recommend.


Visit Tristi's website to purchase Season of Sacrifice.

Come back later this week for new Author Interviews. And Fish Assassin, I need to hear from you!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Good News!

I found the file box of description cards that I mentioned in this blog. My son, who visited me over a year ago, organized a few things for me so that they would be more compact in my small home. For some odd reason, I was drawn to mess with the area of my living room where a basket was sitting. Guess what I found in there?

Yep! The file box.

I took all the cards out, gave them a thorough reading, and found, to my joy, that I had a lot of info on them that will help in future Owen Family novels. I also went to StoryCasting and entered a few more of my characters on the page for The Man from Shenandoah. I managed to find actors who approximate my images of these "people" I have worked with so closely over the years. One thing that highly amused me is that the picture on the card for the youngest daughter of Rod and Julia Owen, Julianna, is of Melissa Gilbert. Guess who my choice is--all these years after I created the cards--for Julia Owen?

Yep! Melissa Gilbert.

Why don't you go over to StoryCasting and let me know how you view my characters?

Friday, July 11, 2008

Author Interview: Melika Dannese Lux


Today's Author Interview is with a young writer at the beginning of her career, Melika Dannese Lux. She published her debut novel, City of Lights: The Trials and Triumphs of Ilyse Charpentier, last year.

Welcome, Melika. How long have you been writing? What or who compelled you to start?

I have been writing stories since I was very young. I think what compelled me to start writing was the desire to share stories I myself would want to read. I believe in transporting the reader to a different place and time and letting them get lost in someone else’s story or life for a while. I also write to tell a story which I wish I would have been a part of had it been real. I want my readers to actually feel as though the characters are people they would like to be friends with or know in real life—except for the villains, of course. ;)

City of Lights is your first published book?

Yes. It isn’t my first novel, per se, but it is my first “completed” novel. I started working on an action/adventure/sci-fi novel when I was 14, but it got put on the backburner. Someday I will go back and finish it, though. :D

What type of writer are you? Do you plan ahead/plot or do you simply fly by the seat of your pants?

Planning is key for me. But I also do fly by the seat of my pants sometimes. It depends on how firm the story is set in my mind. Right now, the novel I am working on has been germinating in my mind for five years. It required a lot of research and planning, plus lots of thinking and several stacks of notes/outlines. I usually start with a character and/or setting for a story and go from there.

How do you choose your characters' names?

That’s the most fun part! I love researching surnames and the meanings of names, so I usually set my stories mostly in Europe and different parts of the world based on what characters I have in mind. I have several notebooks full of character names I have used and have yet to use in stories and/or novels. Ilyse is unusual because I had given my French “Dolls of the World” Barbie that name years ago. I always knew that name would come in handy. ;) I actually made up the name “Rakmanovich” for Sergei after hearing the name “Radmanovic.” Sergei is also my favorite Russian male name, so it was a natural choice. McCarthy is actually my paternal great, great grandfather’s surname, so I put in a little family link there. ;)

What is your daily schedule like?

I try to get at least 6+ hours of writing done a day. Sometimes this is not possible, but I strive to meet this goal on a daily basis.

How do you handle life interruptions?

I just take the situation as it comes, deal with the interruption, and if there’s still time left that day, head to my computer and write. Sometimes life interruptions have a way of jogging the writing juices, too. I’ve often done my best writing on days where I only had a couple of hours left after a full day of activities.

Do you write with music playing? If so, is the music likely to be songs with lyrics or only instrumentals?

I used to write with music, but then it became too distracting. I would find that I was singing along with the song and not writing! ;) A huge inspiration for me when I was writing COL was Lifehouse’s “Hanging by a Moment.” That song just typifies what Ilyse and Ian mean to each other so perfectly. If COL ever becomes a movie, I am going to get the Lifehouse boys’ permission to use that song in the soundtrack. ;)

For the novel I’m working on now, I do listen to music, but not while I’m writing. When I am taking notes or just letting my mind think about the story, I listen to anything brooding and dark and also anything minor by Felix Mendelssohn, Max Bruch, or Phillip Glass. They know how to do brooding, let me tell you. ;)

What food or snack keeps the words flowing?

Hmm...I’m not much into junk food or munchies, but if I had to pick a food, I would have to say cheese! I know that sounds very strange, but I’m big on cheese, especially mild cheddar.

What one thing do you like most about writing? Least?

What I love most about writing is being able to get lost in a different world. I also love creating characters and their stories. It is such a joy when characters develop so fully that they essentially start to write the story themselves.

Probably what I like least about writing is the time it takes me to finish a novel. I have a deadline set for my next project to be finished by December of this year, so I have planned out that I will need to write 6 chapters a month to meet this goal. It’s achievable, but sometimes it’s difficult to be patient.

Tell us about City of Lights: The Trials and Triumphs of Ilyse Charpentier.

City of Lights is first and foremost the story of Ilyse Charpentier, a young singer in 1894 Paris who has never experienced love because of the stranglehold her patron, Count Sergei Rakmanovich, has placed upon her life. All that changes when she meets Ian McCarthy, a dashing, young English expatriate. Needless to say, the count is not at all pleased with this new obstacle. Ilyse has also been estranged from her younger brother Maurice, who blames her for letting the count drive them apart. Things are complicated further when the count sees a way to use Maurice as leverage to get Ilyse to agree to his demands. Without giving anything else away, Ilyse must use her wits and determination to overcome the many odds the count has created in order to possibly find the love she has always dreamed of.

I believe Ilyse’s story offers something for everyone. I’ve had readers from 10 to 80 tell me they’ve loved it and could identify with the characters.

What is your next project?

I am currently working on a Gothic/Vampire novel, entitled Nocturne, which I plan to finish by December of this year. I’m very hopeful it will garner the attention of agents and publishers, especially since it’s a new concept that has never been done before. It really is my “magnum opus” and so much fun to write! Vampires have always been my favorite monsters/creatures, so I knew it was only a matter of time before I wrote a story about them.

What is your advice for other writers?

Don’t let anyone or anything stop you from writing the story you know you were born to write. I know a few writers who let themselves get discouraged by critics and/or had bad experiences with agents and they let that get them down. That is a huge mistake. If you believe in yourself, no one can stop you *but* yourself.

Has other work of yours has been published?

To date, none of my other writing has been published. I hope to change that in the new year with the publication of my next novel, though. Wish me luck!

Here's good luck! Thank you for the Interview.


Thanks so much!

Melika's book may be purchased at:
Her website is at melikadanneselux.com

And the Winner of an Al Past Novel is . . .

FISH ASSASSIN!

Congratulations!

Please email me your mailing address, and tell me which Distant Cousin novel you want and how it should be inscribed. You have until noon MST on July 18 to contact me. If you don't do it by then, the names go back in the hat for a re-drawing.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Catching Up

It's been a while since I've written a personal blog post, but things have been sort of weird lately. Having finished and submitted my novel, I feel like I'm in a lull, a down-time. You might say my writing field is set aside as fallow.

I tried to join Tristi Pinkston's Book in a Month for July, but I can't force myself to write, so I bowed out. I guess I need to be still, do some long-put-off reading, and prepare for the next phase, when it comes.

Someone suggested a while ago that I join a new website called Storycasting.com as an author and create my ideal acting casts, if movies were to be made from each of my novels. I recently joined, and have been searching ever since for the box of file cards that have pictures on them that helped me create such physical descriptions as I put in my books.

Of course, I can't find the file box anywhere, although I know it lives in this house and not in a storage unit. I've shared it with an author's group here, so I know it lives with me. It's just gone into hiding, I suppose.

I did find a list of ideas for more books in my Owen Family series. I was amused to note that one idea had a check mark beside it. That idea became Ride to Raton!

Go join Storycasting.com (it's a free site!) and have fun telling me how you see my characters.

Totally off the subject, I saw a really awesome movie on the Fourth of July, Emma Smith: My Story. In my small town of about 12,000 people (actually, I live out of town, but go in for shopping, etc.), there is a small six-screen theatre. The owners are members of the LDS Church. Their family arranged to have four free showings of the movie on their tab as a gift to the LDS community: two on Friday, and two on Saturday. I went with a girlfriend, and although we couldn't sit together, we got in and both enjoyed the movie. Then we went to lunch.


I had a nice time, talking with her about liberty, and the War of 1812, and her visit to Fort McKinley, and the circumstances that led to Francis Scott Key's writing what became our National Anthem.

It was a good day.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Author Interview: Angela Hallstrom

Today's interview is with LDS author, Angela Hallstrom, whose literary novel, Bound on Earth, has received much acclaim. I have a signed copy of Bound on Earth to send to a lucky commenter on this Author Interview. Since I will be out of town part of next week, the drawing will take place on July 18. Here are the rules:

1) You must have a US or Canadian mailing address.

2) You must make a comment other than "Me me me!"

3) You must comment before July 18.

4) You must contact me by Wednesday, July 23 with your mailing address when your name is announced.

Good luck!

Welcome, Angela! How long have you been writing? What made you start?

I’ve been writing since I was a child, but I didn’t consider myself a “writer” until a few years ago. The reason I wrote when I was young, though, and the reason I write now is because I’ve always been really interested in two things: people and language. Writing is a great way for those two interests to come together.

When did you sell your first book?

Bound on Earth is my first novel, but many chapters in the book have already been published as short stories in literary magazines.

What type of writer are you? Do you plan ahead/plot or do you simply fly by the seat of your pants?

I’m not much of a planner. I wish I could be, because I think it would save me a lot of time in revision. But I almost always start with a character and a situation and just dive in. In most cases, I have no idea how the story is going to end and it takes a lot of revising for the story to find itself.

How do you choose your characters' names?

Sometimes they are names I like (for example, the baby named “Stella” in Bound on Earth is a favorite). Sometimes I pick names based on how they sound and if the sound of the name illuminates something about the character’s personality. I liked the name “Nathan” because it’s such a soft-sounding word, and Nathan is a soft-sounding man. His wife Alicia, on the other hand, is more brittle and can (sometimes) be a little cold and I liked the way the word “ice” seemed to be imbedded in her name.

What is your daily schedule like?

I wish I did a better job being organized and disciplined about my writing schedule—I keep planning to implement set times of the day and set schedules for writing. Part of the reason my schedule has been unpredictable lately is that we had a new baby last January and I’m just barely settling down into a more regular daily rhythm. He naps now from 12 to 3 or so, so I’ve been able to carve out some writing time there. I also write at night sometimes.

How do you handle life interruptions?

As I mentioned above, my life is full of interruptions. Along with the baby, I also have three other school-aged children, so I do a lot of juggling. My family is my first priority, and at this time in our life I don’t have as much quiet writing time as I will in 10 or 15 years. Basically I tell myself that it’s okay if it takes me a long time to write a story. It’s okay if it takes me a while to get another novel completed. The important thing is that I keep at it, even if it’s just a little here and a little there right now.

Do you write with music playing? If so, is the music likely to be songs with lyrics or only instrumentals?

Interesting question! I can’t have music of any kind playing when I’m writing. It’s hard for me to be interrupted at all—even the phone ringing or a child saying my name can make me snap out of whatever zone I’d entered, and sometimes it can take me a while to get back into it. So I usually write during times where I can be assured of an hour or two of unbroken silence.

What food or snack keeps the words flowing?

Hmmm . . . well, Diet Coke. That’s a must. Hot Tamales are good too. But I usually don’t eat while I’m writing (because of the zone-breaking problem mentioned above). I’ll take little breaks and wander away for snacks, though, for sure.

What one thing do you like most about writing? Least?

I love the moment when a seemingly insurmountable plot problem—or even a seemingly insurmountable language problem—suddenly resolves itself It can seem a little like a miracle, and it’s thrilling. I also love it when a story figures out how to end itself. It’s such a relief. I love getting to know my characters and living with them in my head, and I love it when they surprise me and make me laugh or make me cry.

I really don’t like beginnings. They scare me. I don’t mind revision, though—I actually kind of like revision because it means that I have broken through the brick wall of beginnings.

Tell us about your novel, Bound on Earth. Please let us know where readers may purchase it.

Bound on Earth is a novel in stories about a contemporary LDS family, the Palmers. Each chapter is told from a different character’s point of view and can stand alone as a short story, but together they come together as a novel that tells the story of this particular family’s struggles and trials, as well as the hope and love that keeps them all going.

I started writing the book during my MFA program at Hamline University in Minnesota. I had written a few short stories about this LDS family, and every time I went to break away from them and try something new, they kept reeling me back in. I also became very interested in the idea of “staying” as a theme in serious literature. So much of the literature I was reading and critiquing in school had to do with leaving—especially when it came to relationships. And I understand why. Leaving is the archetypal launching pad for most good plots, whether it’s leaving the country to go to on an adventure or leaving your family to strike out on your own. But I knew there had to be a lot of great drama and conflict in the act of staying, too, because I saw all sorts of drama around me, and most of that drama had to do with the act of staying, of being committed, of pushing through darkness toward hope.

I’m also a bit obsessed with family dynamics, and marriage in particular. Part of the reason I love to read and write is because I’m an inquisitive soul, especially as far as people and their life stories and motivations are concerned, and most real people aren’t willing to spill it on the level at which I wish they would spill. So I invented this little family for myself where I could examine all the nooks and crannies of these interesting relationships to my heart’s content.

The fact that I was interested in all the individual stories of each family member dictated the form of the novel, as well. As a novel-in-stories, it’s not a traditional novel with one, maybe two, point of view characters and a relatively straightforward timeline. There are many family members represented, each with his or her individual conflict, but in the end the book is about the greater meaning of family in our lives.

The book can be found online on Amazon and it can also be found in Barnes and Noble stores in Utah. It was recently picked up for distribution by Granite, so I’m hoping that it will find its way into LDS bookstores more effectively now.

What is your next project?

I’m working on a new novel, and this time it’s for a general audience instead of an LDS audience. The themes of family and the way God talks to us and works in our lives are still present in the book, but (at least so far) none of the characters are explicitly Mormon. I’m in the very beginning stages, though, so we’ll see where things take me.

I’m also just beginning to work on editing an anthology of LDS short fiction to be published by Zarahemla.

What is your advice for other writers?

Read a lot. And read like a writer—pay attention to what the best writers are doing, and how they do it. Be observant and curious and if you have little flashes of insight or the tiniest spark of an idea, write it down. Someday it might come in handy. You need to be brave, too—be willing to stick your neck out and let your characters stick their necks out. It takes courage, but it’s worth it. And don’t give up. If there’s anything I’ve learned as a writer and a teacher and an editor (I’m a co-editor of the Association for Mormon Letter’s literary magazine, Irreantum) it’s that once you’ve reached a certain level of competency as a writer, there’s so much variation in the tastes of different readers and editors that just because one particular editor or agent or even a member of your critique group doesn’t like your story doesn’t mean it’s inherently flawed. Of course, listen to good advice, but if you are certain of your point of view and believe in your ideas, sometimes it just takes patience to find someone who agrees with you and who is willing to publish your work.

What other work of yours has been published?

Here is a list of my published short stories:
“Who Do You Think You Are?” Salt Flats Annual, 2009 (forthcoming)
“Accusation,” Dialogue, vol. 40, no. 3, Fall 2007
“Unbroken,” Irreantum, Spring 2005
“Thanksgiving,” Dialogue, vol. 38, no.1, Spring 2005
“Trying,” Irreantum, Autumn 2003
“The Fireside,” The New Era, April 2000

Thank you for the Interview.

Thanks for the opportunity! Blog readers can visit my website,
angelahallstrom.com, for more information about the novel or to contact me with questions or requests.

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