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knee-breeches · 7 years

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So I've noticed how much you love James Madison (I do too!) and was wondering if you had any opinions on a biography of him and Dolley. It's by a man named Bruce Chadwick and I'd love to get it but I've heard mixed things about accuracy. Could you possibly clear things up so I know whether or not it's a good read? If not that's fine. Would you know of any good recommendations? Thank you!!!

I have read many essays and biographies about James Madison, and that book, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is the worst I’ve ever read.

Here are excerpts of a review I wrote on it back when I first finished it:

...with dense composition on every page and repetitive analyses from time to time, it often felt as though the author wanted to bolster the wealth of information between James and Dolley Madison by inserting filler to increase the page count. Either the editor was in a hurry or dead, because the entire novel was laced with intermittent grammatical and spelling errors (how many times Chadiwck flipped between spelling it "Dolley" and "Dolly" was incalculable); not to make like Chadwick and repeat my complaint of repetition.

The author's elucidations of certain details occasionally had me questioning his credibility... one of the first that comes to mind is the mention, of some point, of James Madison returning to Montpelier while his father "was in his eighties"...James Madison, Sr., died when he was seventy-eight years old. Another section of the book talked at length about James Madison's insistence on federal subsidization of roads and canals when every other biographer would claim to the contrary that Madison, hidebound, refused to allocate the federal government with power to fund any sort of internal improvement except for postage. Toward the end, there was mention of slave Sukey inquiring of Madison what the matter was when the latter couldn't swallow, while it was actually a niece of Madison's that had asked this question; while some of these errs are trivial details, it's a wonder that a writer who desires to capture the lives of two very important historical and political figures in American history would somehow manage to be so unthorough as to make mistakes that casual studiers of history would not. Another thing, Chadwick kept saying that Madison's eyes were hazel; I myself have heard conflicting records of his eye color (although his portraits usually show a dull blue or grey) but Chadwick didn't show any cognizance of this conflict, which ordinarily I wouldn't have batted an eyelash at, except he also included a contemporary description from Edward Coles who had described Madison's eyes as blue. It's not that tiny detail itself so much that bothers me, but more that it's a representation of the inconsistencies and misinformation found for the entire duration of the book. [Like? Did Chadwick write the entirety of his own book?]

I also dwelled for a long time on how I disliked what, at the time, I thought was Chadwick’s mishandling of the issue of slavery as it pertained to Madison and his involvement (or lack thereof), but that’s more arbitrary and controversial, and because it’s been a while and my views have changed, I won’t go into it here. Just know that, regardless of how you feel about slavery and how the Founders dealt with it, it was analyzed with laughable lack of eloquence or examples/substantiation in this book. But then again, everything is.

Looking back on it, I think there are some things in there that Chadwick threw in on assumption or things that he just made up. I remember there was one part where he talked about how Madison and Dolley used to argue about her turbans, but I have never before or since seen or heard anything from another source mentioning this, and it would surprise me if somebody as blatantly unthorough as Chadwick accumulated historical details that a myriad of other biographers missed. I’m not saying new information doesn’t pop up and that I know everything there is to know, but it’s an example of how dubious any of Chadwick’s information is because so much of what he says is either wrong or not backed by anything at all.

Anyway, there are some decent-ish things about the book. It had one of the better accounts on the War of 1812 that I’ve come by in a Madison biography (his biographers always breeze over it for some reason), and has a good plethora of more minute physical descriptions, which is something I personally like in historical nonfiction. But the things that are bad about it--redundancy, pacing, spelling, grammar, inaccuracy--aren’t made up for by the couple of okay aspects.

Over all, it’s just a carelessly-written book. It’s impossible to cite because there are so many silly mistakes and unabashed non-facts that a casual reader could never know what’s true and what’s not. I would never recommend this to (anybody, but especially) a person who’s not already very well-acquainted with the Madisons because they’ll walk away with a wealth of misinformation and contradictions.

If you’re interested in a decent piece on James and Dolley jointly, I recommend Mr. and Mrs. Madison’s War by Hugh Howard. It’s obviously focused more on the War of 1812 than a thorough recount on the subjects’ lives and relationship, but there is still great content to that end, plus a better look into the War that the Madisons played such a huge role in, which, again, most Madison biographers tend to overlook.

So yeah, please don’t buy the book. Unless you’re specifically looking for an example of a piss-poor biography.

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johnpalisano · 7 years

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I hear you love science fiction. Well, me, too. Have you read Apex? I know, right? The covers are absolutely stunning. Agreed. The stories are always top notch. Have you heard about the promotion? It’s super cheap to subscribe and there’s some great stuff to be had now and in the future . . . so check out their Revive the Drive campaign.

I had an opportunity to speak with Managing Editor Lesley Conner about some interesting stories from the past, what they’re up to in the present and some exciting news about the near future.

What is the most memorable submission you’ve received, good or bad?

I don’t actually remember the story, but one time an author was incredibly insulting in their cover letter. The gist of it was that if we didn’t accept their story it was because we were discriminating against them and were too stupid to understand the genius of the story. According to them they had experienced everything in the story and had written it based off those experiences so clearly it was the best story ever. Somehow I feel this logic is flawed. We did not accept the story—1. Because it in fact was NOT the best story ever, and 2. Insulting the editors before they even have the chance to read your story doesn’t exactly make them clamor to work with you.

I’ve received lots of insulting letters after rejecting stories (even had someone threaten to sue me once), but this was the first time it happened prior to rejection.

What kinds of stories are you looking for that you don’t see enough of?

I’d love to see more dark SF. We get a lot of fantasy, magical realism, and straight up horror submissions, but the slush pile can be a little light on dark science fiction.

Do you think reader taste changes? Or are there certain stories they never seem to tire of?

I think it goes in cycles. For a while one type or style of story will be really, really popular and then at some point you hit a market saturation—readers can’t absorb one more zombie story or fairy tale retelling or whatever—so those types of stories fall away and something else moves up to take its place. Eventually those stories will come back around and readers will be ready for them again.

What was the day like when you first knew APEX was going to be your full time gig?

There wasn’t one day in particular where suddenly Apex was my full time gig. It was a gradual thing. I started by volunteering 5-10 hours a week, working on marketing and social media. As I learned more about editing and publishing, and as Jason Sizemore and I built a working relationship, I began taking on more and more responsibilities. Then in October of 2014 the opportunity came up for me to step into the managing editor role. Jason Sizemore had moved back into the editor-in-chief position and we already knew that we worked really well together, so it seemed like the next natural step. Best decision I’ve ever made.

What’s upcoming with APEX that you can’t wait to share with readers? Any teasers?

The slush pile has been especially amazing lately and we’ve snatched up some gems for futures issues. Stories by E. Catherine Tobler, Lavie Tidhar, and Rich Larson to name a few.

In addition to the fiction Jason Sizemore and I are lining up, Dr. Amy H. Sturgis is guest editing the August issue, focusing on Native American and First Nation authors. I’m really excited to see what she brings to Apex Magazine.

With the Revive the Drive campaign we are running right now, we’ve lined up amazing things for the January 2018 issue—original fiction by Tade Thompson, Delilah S. Dawson, Cherie Priest, and Jacqueline Carey, more nonfiction, and poetry! Pretty exciting stuff! Hopefully we reach all of our goals and unlock everything. If we do, the January 2018 issue will be epic!

Apex Magazine is a monthly science fiction, fantasy, and horror magazine featuring original, mind-bending short fiction from many of the top pros of the field. New issues are released the first Tuesday of every month.

http://www.apex-magazine.com

Details about the Apex magazine Revive the Drive campaign

http://www.apex-magazine.com/revive-the-drive-2017/

Apex Magazine is an online prose and poetry magazine of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mash-ups of all three. Works full of marrow and passion, stories that are twisted, strange, and beautiful. Creations where secret places and dreams are put on display.

Each month we bring you a mix of originals and reprints, interspersed with interviews and nonfiction. We have published many of the top short form writers working today: Mary Robinette Kowal, Saladin Ahmed, Genevieve Valentine, Amal El-Mohtar, Forrest Aguirre, Nick Mamatas, Theodora Goss, Nalo Hopkinson, Lucy A. Snyder, Cat Rambo, Jeff VanderMeer, Seanan McGuire, and Jennifer Pelland. And we’ve also presented the first professional work of amazing new writers such as Indrapramit Das, T.J. Weyler, Alex Livingston, Ursula Vernon, Kathryn Weaver, Kelly Barnhill, Douglas F. Warrick, and Jeremy R. Butler.

Apex Magazine received a Best Semiprozine Hugo nomination in 2012,2013, and 2014. We placed two stories in the 2010 Nebula Award category of Best Short Story, and our stories won the category in 2014 (“If You Were a Dinosaur My Love” by Rachel Swirsky) and again in 2015 (“Jackalope Wives” by Ursula Vernon).

Each new issue is posted piecemeal throughout the month and placed on sale the first Tuesday of every month. Content can be read for free via the website. Alternatively, annual subscriptions are available and all our issues can be purchased in single issue formats (ePub/mobi/PDF or from the Kindle and Nook stores–these versions contain exclusive content such as classic reprints and novel excerpts).

We are reviving the subscription drive that was cut short in November. The new revived drive will run from March 27 to April 17th with a goal to raise $10,000!

Tier levels we will have to unlock during the drive will be:

$500 – Polls will open for readers to vote for the cutest/best Apex animal mascot: Pumpkin versus Oz! (Expect loads of adorable pics on social media as our editors try to sway you to vote for their pet!) Also, Jason and Lesley will make personal donations to the Humane Society

$1,000 – Apex will donate two short story critiques (one each from Jason and Lesley) to the ConOrBust auction, as well a membership to Imaginarium this October

$1,500 – Jason and Lesley’s It Follows debate goes live! Join our editors as they watch It Follows and live tweet the entire experience. If you’ve been following their conversations about the movie on Twitter, then you do not want to miss this!

$2,000 – an original short story by Tade Thompson in the January 2018 issue

$2,500 – add a poem to the January 2018 issue

$3,000 – add a reprint to the January 2018 issue

$3,500 – Andrea Johnson will conduct a video interview with Jason Sizemore, asking him questions submitted by our readers

$4,000 – add a a nonfiction essay to the January 2018 issue

$4,500 – add a second poem to the January 2018 issue

$5,000 – an original short story by Delilah S. Dawson in the January 2018 issue

$5,500 – podcast a second original story in the January 2018 issue

$6,000 – Apex donates a membership to ConFusion to ConOrBust

$6,500 – raise cover artist rates to $75

$7,000 – original artwork for all original fiction unlocked during the drive for the January 2018 issue

$7,500 – an original short story by Cherie Priest in the January 2018 issue

$8,000 – behind the scenes video with Jason

$8,500 – original artwork for all six stories in the January 2018 issue

$9,000 – a new print issue of Apex Magazine: SFFH #1

$9,500 – raise author rates to 7 cents per word

$10,000 – an original short story by Jacqueline Carey in the January 2018 issue

STRETCH GOAL!!! $15,000 – raise author rates to 8 cents per word and artist rates to $100!

Amazing, right!?! If we unlock everything for the double issue in January 2018, it is going to be phenomenal!!!

We are also collecting donated items from awesome people that you’ll be able to purchase during the drive to help us reach our goal.

Some of these donated items include:

story critiques from Jason Sizemore and Lesley Conner

flash fiction critiques from Anna Yeatts, editor at Flash Fiction Online

a query letter critique by literary agents Laura Zats and Eric Hane of Print Run podcast

signed prints of cover art from issues 80, 83, and 86

signed books by John Scalzi

signed books by Brian Keene

signed copy of The Crow God’s Girl by Patrice Sarath

signed copy of The Buried Life by Carrie Patel

signed copy of Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger

a handwritten poem by Brandy Schwan

cool collectors pieces by Justin Stewart

hats crocheted by Janet Harriett

coffee from Nate’s Coffee

Gamut/Apex Magazine subscription bundles

Shimmer/Apex Magazine subscription bundles

Flash Fiction Online/Apex Magazine subscription bundles

Personalized postcards from Lesley Conner for everyone who donates at least $5

APEX magazine Revive the Drive! I hear you love science fiction. Well, me, too. Have you read Apex? I know, right? The covers are absolutely stunning.

#books #creativity #entertainment #literature #science fiction #word #writing

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mysteryshelf · 7 years

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SLEUTHING SATURDAY SPECIAL - Fatal Option

DISCLAIMER: This content has been provided to THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF by Smith Publicity. No compensation was received. This information required by the Federal Trade Commission.

About the Book:

The Hotly Anticipated New Novel From Lambda Literary Award Finalist…

NAIL-BITING THRILLER EXPLORES THE DEVASTATING MORAL CONSEQUENCES OF A DANGEROUS CHOICE

“A sharp, intelligent thriller. Really top-notch.”

– Neely Tucker, Washington Post staff writer & author of Only The Hunted Run

“A wintery tale of violence and redemption, artfully balanced by a touching portrayal of a family in crisis.”

– Peter Swanson, author of The Kind Worth Killing

“Fatal Option grabs you from the first page. Plan to stay up.”

– Kathleen Antrim, former Co-President of International Thriller Writers & author of Capital Offense

Would you break the law to save your child?

Stephen Porter finds himself facing this very question – with life or death consequences – in Fatal Option, the hotly anticipated new thriller from Lambda Literary Award finalist Chris Beakey, set for release on February 21, 2017 with Post Hill Press.

Fatal Option opens on the coldest night of the year, with Stephen pulled from a dreamless sleep by a midnight phone call. His 17-year-old daughter, Sara, is stranded in the blizzard, crying in terror and begging for his help. It would be a no-brainer if he hadn’t gone to bed just an hour before after a night of binge drinking alone.

With blurred vision and unsteady balance, Stephen knows it’s dangerously irresponsible to get behind the wheel. But he hits the winding, icy roads of Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains to bring his daughter home.

High school teacher Kieran O’Shea is also behind the wheel on that fateful night, searching for his autistic younger brother, Aidan. Kieran is also terrified – of the voices in his mind, of the probability that Aidan will be taken from him, and of the certainty that he will soon be arrested for murdering three women.

In a matter of minutes, Stephen will encounter Kieran and drive headlong into a collision that will force him to question everything he thought he knew about his family – and to protect his children from violence that hits all too close to home.

A murder mystery wrapped around a heartbreaking moral dilemma, Fatal Option is already being lauded by the who’s-who of the American thriller community, with bestselling author Jordan Dane calling it, “emotionally visceral,” and Norb Vonnegut praising the “relentlessly suspenseful” pacing and intrigue of Beakey’s sophomore release.

“Fatal Option is very much about an option,” says Beakey, “a choice that a good man makes in a desperate situation. Of course, the worst possible thing that could happen… happens. But sometimes bad decisions seem like the only decisions. What I really want readers of Fatal Option to ask themselves is: what would you do?”

Interview with the Author:

What initially got you interested in writing?

I’ve always been a storyteller – some of my earliest memories are of reading books I liked and then wanting to go off into my room to write my own stories. I wasn’t a very good student growing up – wasn’t very good at investing energy in subjects like mathematics and science that didn’t interest me. But I loved English and literature and always put extra effort into every assignment that enabled me to write. I believe that one of the greatest advantages any kid can have is to discover the thing that he or she is meant to do, and to have the resources to pursue excellence in that very thing. For one kid it might be auto mechanics. For another it might be politics. For me it was always the storytelling.

What drew you to writing thrillers?

I write the same types of stories that I love to read – those driven by suspenseful forward momentum, realistic characters, and high-stakes circumstances. I’ve always been a worrier – spend so much time thinking about bad things that can happen. I’ve found it useful to work those anxieties into frightening scenarios. I can’t say that writing really lessens my anxieties, but I always feel better when my characters who are good people overcome the threats posed by bad people.

How did you break into the field?

It took decades . . . I had to spend many years learning how to write, mostly on my own by reading a lot, writing every day, and coming to understand my voice and the types of stories I wanted to tell. I wrote four books before I found an agent, who sold my first novel, Double Abduction, to a small publisher who brought it out in hardcover. It sold well and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. I spent another nine years writing and pitching my second novel, Fatal Option, published by Post Hill Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster. Like most writers, I dealt with all kinds of rejection amid glimmers of encouragement. For me, “breaking in to the field” was kind of like being on a decades-long episode of “Survivor” . . . with one key exception in that there were many great people who supported and inspired me along the way.

What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?

Good people can be thrust into very bad situations. Often, those good people have to make dangerous choices. Sometimes those choices are morally and legally questionable, but good people will always make their choices for reasons that seem right at the time. Meanwhile, most good people do things they’re not proud of, and quite often bad people can be redeemed.

What do you find most rewarding about writing?

The day-to-day and moment-by-moment mysteries of the whole process bring me joy and a feeling of calm accomplishment. And one of the best rewards is seeing the people, places and plots you imagine coming to life in a way that people connect to. That’s the kind of reward I got when I saw the cover to Fatal Option, and as I read the Goodreads reviews from everyday readers (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30753471-fatal-option) and every time I watch this amazing trailer, which captures what Fatal Option is about in the most chilling way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pbw81Y9XtY

What do you find most challenging about writing?

Trying to be better and better at it . . . recognizing that’s a lifetime objective. Dealing with the frustrations you feel when it isn’t working. Staying upbeat in the face of rejection. Investing weeks, months and perhaps even longer in a story before coming to the realization that it isn’t going to work. And lastly, seeing great books going undiscovered while not-so-great books get thrust by publishing’s most powerful forces onto the point-of-purchase displays that tell people what to buy.

What advice would you give to people wanting to enter the field?

If you want to write, you need to set aside the time, every day if possible, to do so. Try to find the time when you’re naturally most creative. Write about the things that make you emotional – whether that means being frightened, or amused, or just deeply engaged. If you’re really determined to succeed, stay with it, no matter how frequent and/or coarse the rejections. Find friends who also like to write and who love to read. Support them by offering your candid thoughts on what they’re doing and welcoming the same from them. Be easy on yourself when you get frustrated, but push yourself toward constant improvement and an open mind about what constitutes true quality.

What type of books do you enjoy reading?

I typically read thrillers and stories driven by rapid pacing and suspense because these are the types of books I enjoy and strive to write. Every once in awhile I’ll read something that strays into the “literary” category, but I almost never read anything described as “a cozy mystery” or about a private eye who drinks a lot (unless it’s written by Dennis Lehane or unless I’m re-reading Raymond Chandler’s stories).

Is there anything else besides writing you think people would find interesting about you?

People close to me say I’m a good listener, which is probably true since I like to listen for awhile before I say anything. I’m relentlessly optimistic – which is partly the way I’m wired but also a conscious choice. I’m ridiculously spacey – am obsessed with this crazy and scary scenario where I lose my wallet the day I’m supposed to get on a plane and fly somewhere, or losing it right after I’ve landed and before I’ve checked into my hotel. I daydream a good bit of every day worrying about worst-case scenarios. I have cocktails at the end of every day, preferably accompanied by good conversation, a good book, or some amazing offering on Netflix or Amazon. I have a day job with a huge amount of responsibility, but act pretty goofy there, which is OK because everyone around me’s pretty cool.

What are the best ways to connect with you, or find out more about your work?

I love hearing from readers and connecting with other writers. I’m especially interested in knowing what readers think about the morally and legally-questionable choices made by Stephen Porter in Fatal Option. I want to know what they would have done in the same situation, and why. I can be reached by email at [email protected], and via Facebook. I also have a web site at www.chrisbeakey.com, and a blog where I post my short stories, novel excerpts and book reviews at www.blog.chrisbeakey.com.

About the Author:

Chris Beakey tells stories of good people caught in bad places. He writes fiction from his homes in Washington, D.C. and Lewes, Delaware, as well as nonfiction as a ghostwriter for an organization that promotes bipartisan policies that strengthen the nation through smart investments in youth. His first, novel, Double Abduction, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.

Connect with Chris Beakey on Facebook, Goodreads and at www.chrisbeakey.com.

Fatal Option [Post Hill Press] will be released February 21, 2017, and is currently available for pre-order via Indiebound, Amazon and wherever fine books are sold.

SLEUTHING SATURDAY SPECIAL – Fatal Option was originally published on the Wordpress version of The Pulp and Mystery Shelf

#shannon muir #pulp and mystery shelf

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char27martin · 7 years

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Writing Voice: 4 Tips for Tailoring Your Distinctive Voice

The following is an excerpt from WD Books’ new release, Writing Voice: The Complete Guide to Creating a Presence on the Page & Engaging Readers. It originally appeared in Writing With Quiet Hands by Paula Munier.

As an agent, I get very excited when I find a writer with a great voice because I know that it’s easier for a writer to learn structure than to discover her truth. I often meet talented writers who have yet to sell their stories because they have yet to find their voice—or they are fighting the truth about their voice.

Part of my job is helping my clients recognize their authentic voice and tailor it to the best commercial project for them. Let me tell you four stories about four very different clients—and how they developed a distinctive voice, used that voice to tell great stories, and got published in the process. Each story offers a different voice lesson for the perceptive writer.

All writers bring a unique set of skills to their work: One author might write outstanding characters, while another might dazzle with dialogue. You don’t have to master every aspect of the craft in order to succeed, but the one quality required of every writer is a compelling, original voice. Your voice, which is often difficult to define and even more difficult to master, can transform your writing from pedestrian to powerful.

In Writing Voice: The Complete Guide to Creating a Presence on the Page & Engaging Readers, you’ll discover effective instruction and advice from best-selling authors and instructors like Donald Maass, Adair Lara, Paula Munier, Dinty W. Moore, James Scott Bell, and many others, plus exercises, techniques, and examples for making your prose stand out, be it fiction or memoir. You’ll learn how to explore the unique way you write, study the distinctive styles of other writers, understand the importance of word choice, develop the right voice for your genre, craft excellent narration that keeps your readers coming back, choose the proper voice for your nonfiction, and more.

1. Reveal Yourself: A Cop’s Story

When I first became an agent, I was overwhelmed by queries; my first week on the job I got more than one thousand queries from writers I didn’t know, and the numbers have grown exponentially ever since. I needed an intern. (As it turns out, I always need an intern.)

I got a call from a professor friend of mine who also writes popular traditional mysteries for St. Martin’s Press. She had an MFA student who was looking for an internship. She warned me that this was not your typical grad student but rather a middle-aged writer who’d spent thirty years as a homicide detective for the Oakland Police Department. I was thrilled because (1) I represented a lot of crime fiction writers who would benefit from a cop’s perspective on their work, and (2) I’m a sucker for a good police procedural.

His name was Brian, and he rocked. He read my queries, he edited my clients’ work, and he finished his thesis, which just so happened to be a police procedural. I liked it and offered to represent him and his work. But first he had to refine his voice.

For Brian’s voice was his selling point, the leverage I needed to pitch his work when I shopped it. Cops who can write are few and far between, so when I find one, I sign him—or her—right up. But voice is a two-edged sword: Brian’s experience on the force informed every word he wrote and gave his prose a confidence and authority born of that experience. All good. But not enough. What was missing in his story was how he felt about that experience. Readers would love his cop hero—but they would love him more if they got to know more about his heart—and not just his head.

This wasn’t easy for Brian, who, like most cops, kept his feelings close to his bulletproof vest. I knew he thought I was making a big deal out of nothing. But he did what I asked (another reason I like working with former law-enforcement and military personnel, as they actually listen to me and follow my advice). He beefed up his protagonist’s inner life, and I shopped the series. Within short order, I got Brian a three-book deal. (Look for the Matt Sinclair series, by Brian Thiem, wherever you buy your books.)

The only real significant revision request from his editor: Beef up the inner life of his hero even more. (I love being right. And I love Brian.)

VOICE LESSON #1: Readers respond most to emotional honesty in a writer’s voice. Don’t be afraid to reveal yourself.

In The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings, author and literary agent Paula Munier shows you how to craft flawless beginnings that impress agents, engage editors, and captivate readers. You’ll learn how to develop the big idea of your story and introduce it on page one, structure opening scenes that encompass their own story arc, kickstart your writing with effective brainstorming techniques, and introduce a compelling cast of characters that drive the plot. You’ll also examine best-selling novels from different genres to learn the secrets that experienced writers use to dive straight into a story.

With thorough examinations of voice, point of view, setting, dialogue, and conflict, this book is a must-have tool for luring your readers in with your opening pages—and convincing them to stick around for the ride.

2. Remember Who You Are: A Novelist’s Story

I’ve known Meera for many years; we met decades ago when we were both beginning writers in San Jose. We hung out at writers conferences and participated in writers workshops and read our work aloud to each other in writers’ groups. Meera was one of the most interesting people I knew; originally a farm girl from Missouri, she’d traveled the world in search of enlightenment. When I became an acquisitions editor for a mind/body/spirit imprint, I sought out Meera to write books for the new line—and she made a career for herself as the author of nonfiction titles, wonderful how-to books on the secrets of living an authentic life.

She wrote fiction, too—fabulous stories starring the exotic people and places she’d met on her travels. While technically proficient, these stories fell flat on the page. Meera was imitating the voices of other cultures, other customs, other writers—and drowning out her own voice in the process. In the meantime, she moved to the country and settled on a little farm she called the Henny Penny Farmette in Northern California. She started blogging about her chickens, bees, and goats.

Her blog was a big hit—and the ammunition I needed to convince her to write a novel set on the Henny Penny Farmette. She’d found her fictive voice right there on the farm. (Of course, she’d never lost it; she used it when writing nonfiction. But her love of other cultures and faraway lands blinded her to it in her own storytelling.) She wrote the first in a traditional mystery series set on the farmette—and I got her a three-book deal. (Look for the Henny Penny Farmette mystery series by Meera Lester wherever you buy your books.)

VOICE LESSON #2: If you’re having trouble finding your voice, start close to home. The truth is often right under your nose.

3. Listen to the Sound of Your Own Voice: The Historian’s Story

When I first moved to Massachusetts, I had no writer friends, and even though I was working at a publishing house with book people, I missed hanging out with writers. (Editors are not the same as writers, though I love editors—especially editors who are also writers.) So I joined the online chapter of Mystery Writers of America and started interacting with the other members online.

There I bonded with fellow Rainer Maria Rilke–fan Brian Thornton, who was from the Northwest (and not the same Brian who writes police procedurals—my world is full of great writers named Brian). We became fast friends and met in person several times at writers conferences. Brian, a history teacher by day, even wrote a couple of great history-related nonfiction books for me while I was an acquisitions editor.

But what Brian really wanted to do was publish fiction. We exchanged some stories for critique. I read Brian’s modern private-eye novel and one of his historical mystery stories. I told him that he should focus on historical fiction, as his historian’s voice seemed better suited for it. Commercial historical fiction is not easy to write; only people who are passionate about it and can make it relevant to the modern reader succeed. The good news is that if you can write solid historical fiction, you can usually get published. So I wasn’t at all surprised when Brian sold his first piece, a historical short story, to Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Now he’s working on a historical mystery—and now I’m an agent—so here’s hoping that he lets me shop it when he’s ready. (Did I mention that I love being right?)

VOICE LESSON #3: Capitalize on your voice’s strengths. Not only can this help refine your work, it can help you sell it.

Every fiction-writing guide offers its own set of beliefs, techniques, and methods for crafting a novel, developed from the values a particular instructor deems necessary for powerful prose. But while writers might disagree over showing versus telling or plotting versus pantsing, none would argue this: If you want to write strong fiction, you must make your readers feel. The reader’s experience must be an emotional journey that aligns with your characters’ struggles, discoveries, and triumphs.

That’s where The Emotional Craft of Fiction comes in. Veteran literary agent and expert fiction instructor Donald Maass shows you how to connect readers—viscerally and emotionally—to your characters and your story. You’ll learn how to create an emotional response through showing and telling, develop a moving narration style, understand reader expectations for a character, and more. Readers can simply read a novel … or they can experience it. If you want to give your readers an experience, start by conjuring vivid, authentic emotion on the page.

4. Do Not Confuse Voice with Plot: The Artiste’s Story

Sometimes I’m so bowled over by a writer’s talent that I ignore the lack of market potential for the work and sign the writer anyway. That’s what happened when I read Richard’s writing for the first time. Richard’s talent was obvious, and I wasn’t the only one who thought so; he’d been celebrated for his brilliant short stories. But he’d yet to break into commercial fiction with his novels.

Richard’s work was überdark—and überdark is not an easy sell. Even your True Detective stories have some (wan) light at the end of the dark tunnel of prose. I warned Richard about this, and he did some revision as requested, but he resisted my appeals to explore his not-so-darn-dark side. Eventually I caved—and I sent out the novel as it was to all the editors I knew who loved dark material. One by one they passed, saying it was just too dark, even for them. But if he wrote anything else, they’d love to see it.

I didn’t give up. (I hate giving up.) I knew that we just needed to find an editor who’d fall in love with Richard’s work the way I had. And I’m happy to say that we did; it took two years, but finally I got Richard a two-book deal with a Big Five house.

Unsurprisingly, the editor wanted a little (wan) light at the end of the dark tunnel of prose. Richard balked. The editor called me, and I called Richard. Richard was worried about “compromising his voice.” But voice really had nothing to do with it. If he found an audience, he couldn’t risk engaging them with his compelling voice only to lose them at the end of the story by refusing to make a slight shift in plot from a “so dark you can’t see” ending to a “dark but not so dark you have to slit your wrists” ending. I explained to him that the first page sells the book and the last page sells the next book. He didn’t have to change his voice; he just had to rethink the emotional impact of the ending on his reader. Leaving a bad taste in the reader’s mouth—no matter how beautiful the voice—is not the way to build an audience. (Richard Thomas’s novel Disintegration debuted to great reviews and endorsements by such literary lights as Chuck Palahniuk, Irvine Welsh, Chuck Wendig, Paul Tremblay, and more.)

VOICE LESSON #4: Voice is how you tell the story—it’s not the story itself. Be sure that you don’t compromise the emotional impact of your story to protect what you mistakenly believe is your voice.

About the Author:

Paula Munier is Senior Literary Agent and Content Strategist at Talcott Notch Literary Services. She began her career as a journalist, and along the way added editor, acquisitions specialist, digital content manager, publishing executive, author, and writing teacher to her repertoire. Paula is the author of several books, including Plot Perfect: How to Build Unforgettable Stories Scene by Scene. Her first mystery series debuts with Spare These Stones in 2018 (St. Martin’s Press).

The post Writing Voice: 4 Tips for Tailoring Your Distinctive Voice appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

from Writing Editor Blogs – WritersDigest.com http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/excerpts/writing-voice-lessons

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mercerislandbooks · 7 years

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A Q&A With Will Schwalbe, Author of Books for Living

Anyone can recommend a book, but it's rare that someone can fully articulate its lifelong impact. Will Schwalbe has the rarest of written voices--both intimate and universal--and with deep care and reflection he offers readers the most personal and heartfelt parts of himself in his latest, Books for Living. This memoir of sorts is not a list of Will's favorite books, but instead an explanation of how certain books and authors taught him timeless lessons about our deepest longings. The night after I finished the chapter on Stuart Little and searching, I was so inspired I started reading it aloud to my children. Will's voice leaps off the page and fills the room as only the most lively of conversations can. I can't stop thinking about this book and wanting to read every title he mentions, if only to keep the conversation going with him.

You can come and meet Will in person at Island Books on Saturday January 28th at 5pm. In anticipation of his appearance at the store, we’ve asked him some questions here. Read on to learn more about him.

But be warned: further interaction might send you home with more book recommendations than you can carry.

–Miriam

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Island Books: As a fan of your last memoir, The End of Your Life Book Club, I couldn't help wishing for your mom's take on the books you discuss in Books Your Living. Did you ever discuss any of them with her and was there one in particular she was drawn to and why (besides Stuart Little, obviously, since she read it to you as a child)?

Will: Death Be Not Proud is a book I remember talking about with my mother the minute I finished it. It’s a book that everyone used to read in school, but it has sadly fallen off reading lists. It was on my summer reading list when I was in middle school. Death Be Not Proud was written by John Gunther, who was one America’s most famous journalists and a bestselling author. In this incredibly moving work of nonfiction, he writes about his son, Johnny, who died of a brain tumor. I remember that I was terribly upset by the death of Johnny. At that age I hadn’t yet lost many people: really just a grandmother, my father’s mother. She died when I was very young, so I barely remembered her. But I felt like I lost someone close to me after I read about Johnny’s death, and I vividly recall talking about my grief with my mother. She shared with me some of her experiences, telling me of a friend of hers who had died of cancer when they were both in their twenties. She’d never told me about this friend before. That was one of the first times I realized that you can miss people you didn’t even know, but that you can also help ensure that they aren’t forgotten. When I remember Johnny now, I also remember my mother’s friend. And that was also one of the first times I realized the power of books to bring people closer and to help us talk about the things that are most difficult and most important.

Island Books: In your chapter on trusting people and The Girl on the Train, you remind us that thrillers have taught you to never ever trust anyone who says, "trust me." In your professional career, you're swarmed with people recommending books to you and saying, "Trust me, this is the next Gone Girl etc." Any advice on trusting people to recommend a book to you? Besides your mother, has there been anyone in your life who is a go-to source of book recommendations? How did they earn your trust? (Obviously this is an important question for booksellers everywhere.)

Will: Great question! The best way to figure out whether you can trust a book recommendation is to ask the person recommending how she or he came to hear of that particular book. If the answer is: Oh, it’s by my friend/husband/wife/cousin/doctor — watch out. It might be wonderful, but it might not. But if the connection is more tenuous, then there’s a much better chance you’ll like it. I also like to ask the person recommending if she or has finished the book. Often people recommend a book when they are only a few pages or chapters into it. As for my most trusted recommender, it’s the people at my local indie bookseller. Over many years they’ve come to know my taste and they are very good at introducing me to new books. I love how they will say things like, “Now, I know this is an ugly jacket and the flap copy makes no sense — but trust me, this one is for you.” They are almost always right.

Island Books: The most moving parts of Books for Living are when you explain how books reconnect you with memories of people you've lost, like the story of your friendship with David Baer and your connection over David Copperfield, or The Gifts of the Body and those you saw lose their lives to AIDS. Were those chapters the most difficult to write or did writing about them strengthen the connection as much as reading?

Will: I’m so glad you found those chapters the most moving; to me, they are the most important chapters in the book. It was both difficult and joyful to write these sections. At times, the writing caused me to feel these losses very acutely. I had to remember what it felt like to fly back for David Baer’s funeral; and I had to remember the moment when I realized the dreadful loneliness of my friend Terry; and I had to remember the awful grief and terror of AIDS, and how it seemed it would never end, and how little the rest of the country knew about it or cared to know. But I also felt joy at times when I wrote about David and Terry, and recalled their passions and funny stories about them. The chapter on AIDS, however, brought no joy. Just sadness. But I think that’s important to acknowledge. Some things in life are dreadful and there’s not a single good thing about them.

Island Books: Over a decade ago I asked you to recommend a few books to me to read on vacation, and the one I enjoyed the most was A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. It remains one of my favorite books and I was secretly hoping you'd include it in BFL. If you had, what would the title of that chapter have been, and any thoughts on what you would have said about it? I might have titled it "Appreciating What You Have" or "Your Life Could Be Worse.”

Will: I remember recommending A Fine Balance to you for a vacation, and I remember being so pleased that you felt about it as I did. I think that gave us something immense in common. Whenever I meet someone who feels about that book as we do, I feel like that person is "on our team" in some kind of cosmic way. Team Mistry. And, yes, the chapter title would have been something very much like those! I first read A Fine Balance when I had a terrible case of adult chicken pox — I was bedridden for almost two months and covered in pox. During the height of my misery I read this incredible novel, and I felt so keenly for the characters and so sorry for their suffering that I was able, for hours at a time, to forget my own discomfort. It’s the rare book that can help you forget you are covered in itchy pox.

Island Books: Something readers may not know about you is that you have been a great champion of translating Asian fiction for an American audience as well as an advocate for freedom of speech, as many of the authors you've been passionate about have been banned or persecuted in their own countries. That was another theme I thought might pop up in BFL but did not. Will you tell us a bit about how and why you developed a passion for Asian literature, like the work of Indonesian author Pramoedya Ananta Toer?

Will: I very much wanted to write about Pramoedya. But the reason I didn’t is strongly related to my answer to your terrific second question: I purposefully didn’t include any books I had edited or published because I thought that there was a bit of a conflict of interest if I did. (There are two exceptions: I was involved in the US publication of Feast by Nigella Lawson, and I write briefly about that in the chapter on Edna Lewis; and I’ve had the huge privilege of getting to know Hanya Yanagihara, but only after I finished writing about her extraordinary A Little Life). My passion for Asian fiction started with a great college course in Southeast Asian history. As part of the curriculum the teacher had us read excerpts from several Asian novels. One of the authors we read was Pramoedya Ananta Toer, who was at the time barely surviving on a prison island where he had been held for decades without trial along with tens of thousands of other political prisoners. I became fascinated by him and was desperate to read more works by him and by other Southeast Asian writers. (I also started to agitate for his release.) But almost nothing was available in translation from Southeast Asian authors. I lived in Hong Kong and worked as a journalist after graduating from college and made lots of contacts there: translators, journalists, authors, and academics. When I moved back to the United States and started working in publishing I used these contacts to find out about various Asian writers and work towards getting their books translated and published—mostly just so I could read them! As a result I published the first contemporary novels ever published in translation in the US from all sorts of countries: Vietnam, Korea, Burma. When I published Pramoedya, he was only the second Indonesian writer ever published in the United States—and Indonesia was then the fifth most populous country in the world. Of all the publishing I’ve done, I’m proudest of bringing Pramoedya’s work here. His tetralogy, This Earth of Mankind, is one of the greatest works of modern literature. It’s also a riveting read. This Earth of Mankind has now sold more than a hundred thousand copies here, and it has never been out of print. Pramoedya has been compared to John Steinbeck, James Baldwin, and Alexandr Solzhenitsyn—and he deserves his place alongside them.

Island Books: We will be reading and discussing BFL for the Island Books Open Book Club in February. Is there a particular chapter you think is ripe for a book club discussion and/or are there one or two themes from the book you hope your readers will focus on? Which is your favorite chapter?

Will: I think that’s like asking a parent about a favorite child! But for a book club, I think the chapter on David Copperfied is a good one, because it touches on the way that books and people become bound together. I think the chapter on Reading Lolita in Tehran opens up the discussion of how books can change or save our lives. I think the chapter on Gift from the Sea is a good one to discuss, as it explores the theme of finding time for ourselves in the midst of our crazy lives and world. And my publisher’s favorite chapter is the one on Zen in the Art of Archery, because it’s about the act of reading. But I think I also might chat about A Taste of Country Cooking, because that’s a tremendously poetic and profound book—and if your book club meets over food, you can cook from it.

Island Books: What are you currently reading?

Will: I just finished a marvelous novel called The Golden Age by an Australian writer named Joan London, which is set in a hospital for kids with polio. And I’ve just started a tremendous new literary suspense novel: The Dry by Jane Harper. I’ll have finished it by the time I see all of you. If it’s as good as it seems to be, I’ll be recommending it to everyone.

#miriam landis #will schwalbe #books for living #send #the end of your life book club

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infinitehouseofbooks · 7 years

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5 YEARS OF INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS COUNTDOWN – JULY TO DECEMBER 2013 RECAP

INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS turns 5 years old in April of 2017. Due to a massive failure with the blog’s previous hosting provider, all blogs prior to February 2015 were lost. However, the administrator has the original assets on file and a calendar of featured content. As a lead-up to the anniversary, features will be released on the fifth of each month that chronicle a period in the blog’s past and some of the highlights still worth noting today. This post is the fourth in the series. Enjoy!

INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS (focused on interviews and guest posts) and sister site DISCOVER WORDS (now closed; focused on excerpts) both continued to grow steadily over this period.

Here are samples of some of the books showcased between July and December of 2013 at INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS.

July: THE FAMILY THAT STAYS TOGETHER by Deborah Plummer Bussey

This is still available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.

Below is a reprint of the original interview with the author.

What initially got you interested in writing?

One of my fondest childhood memories was going to the county library that was located at the end of my street. In those days, absent video games, Xboxes, and iPads and when television only had three channels, I spent a lot of time at the library checking out book after book. My parents encouraged my reading and challenged me to read more than the ten books for the library’s summer reading club. That was always such an easy contest.

My sisters and I spent lots of time outdoors making up stories about each other, entertaining ourselves and showcasing the tales to a neighborhood audience. While a Girl Scout, my Scout Leader, Mrs. Ford surprised me with a blank journal as gift. “I noticed you liked to write,” she said when she handed it to me. I wondered how she knew that and at the same time wondered if it was true. Did I really like to write? I knew I liked to read, but was I a writer? I ended up majoring in English along with psychology and learned that I really did like to write and was encouraged to write professionally.

How did you decide to make the move into becoming a published author?

Because I was in academia it was publish or perish if I wanted to succeed. I was first published as a psychology researcher. I then decided to write a non-fiction book on friendship patterns for a wider audience than the professional academic community. After that process, I wanted to keep writing because I loved the process but wanted to have more fun doing it. A friend, an attorney who writes fiction in her spare time, encouraged me to write fiction.

What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?

I hope that is sparks the kitchen table kind of conversations about contemporary diversity issues—the tension between sexual orientation and religion, cross racial friendships and interracial marriages, stereotypes about age-appropriate behavior, the susceptibility of materialism as a way to achieve happiness. I also hope that they really like the characters and want to have Kathy and Tina as friends.

What do you find most rewarding about writing?

I write fiction because it is cathartic to make something up and not have to have citations for every thought that you put on paper as you do in academic writing.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

It takes a long, long time to write even a really good paragraph. The editing process is also grueling.

What advice do you give people wanting to enter the field?

The more you write the better writer you become. Also have a lot of diverse friends and experiences that will broaden your way of knowing and being and enhance your writing.

Is there anything else besides writing that people would find interesting about you?

In my next life, I am coming back as a Beyonce. If not as Beyonce then I will come back as a celebrity chef. However, a good friend of mine called dibs on Beyonce awhile back, so I have to have a second option. Since I love to cook it would be good to be a celebrity chef.

What are the best ways to connect with you, or find out more about your work?

Please visit my website www.dlplummer.com or like my Facebook page www.facebook.com/DeborahPlummerBussey and follow me on twitter@ SisterNun

Thank you!

August: INHERITANCE RISING by Honey A. Hutson

This is still available on Amazon.

Here is a reprint of the interview with the author.

What initially got you interested in writing?

I’ve actually been creating and writing stories since I was old enough to start talking to myself! It was just something that has been deeply embedded in who and what I was to become.

How did you decide to make the move into becoming a published author?

I think I always knew I’d publish my work someday. I spent the first part of my life honing my skill and it was just a natural progression to spend the other part sharing that hard work with others who would enjoy it. I get no greater joy than to have others enjoy reading the stories I’ve created. All the money in the world cannot replace that feeling, which makes it all worth it no matter where I eventually end up in that career.

What do you want readers to take away from reading your works? I want them to take a sense of breaking stereotypes, of self-responsibility and building strong characters within ones self. Everyone has an important role to play in their own lives and others and no one should be afraid of embracing that role actively. My characters are active participants in their lives and those around them. I particularly emphasize strong female characters, no damsels in distress here!

What do you find most rewarding about writing?

Being able to create strong characters with a purpose all their own and bringing those characters to readers who love them. To have someone I don’t know walk up to me out of the blue and tell me how much they enjoyed a book or story I wrote is everything I ever wanted from my work and I’ve achieved that goal over and over again. It’s all about the readers and it is very rewarding to see your work enjoyed so much.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

Marketing and getting people to review the book is the most difficult thing. The work doesn’t end when you write “The End” or when it goes off to the publisher for publication. It has just begun.

What advice would you give to people wanting to enter the field?

I would say know what you’re getting into. Do your homework, understand that writing itself is hard work and knowing when to “kill your darlings” and being able to take criticism is critical. It is a lot of work and if you break it into actually pay by the hour you really are a starving artist for a long time before, and if, you ever make it. This is one of those things you do because you love it, the rest comes if it comes and if it doesn’t all you have is your love for the writing!

Is there anything else besides writing you think people would find interesting about you?

I love photography, the outdoors and traveling to new and spooky places! I live for autumn and Halloween, which naturally shows up quite a bit in my writing.

What are the best ways to connect with you, or find out more about your work?

I have an author page on Facebook where I share give-a-ways of my books both hard copy and EBook and news of releases, interviews and snippets about my work and myself. This fall I have a new release coming and the third book in my series will be out around the end of the year and I might have a surprise coming for my readers in October!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Honey-Hutson-Author-Page/253292154720706

Twitter: @hhutson

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Honey%20Hutson

Goodreads.com: http://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=honey+hutson

Web Page: http://www.honeyhutson.com/inheritance-rising.html

September: SKY’S END by Lesley Young

This book is still available in paperback via Amazon and Kindle.

What follows is a reprint of the author’s original interview.

What initially got you interested in writing?

I’m a journalist so I actually write for a living, but nonfiction. I always thought if I wrote a book it would be something informational and deadly serious. But then I branched out as a reader a few years ago, and fell in love with genre, specifically, romance, sci-fi and urban fantasy. It was an awakening. At some point, I thought, ‘I could write this.’ I don’t know what actually triggered the doing part.

How did you decide o make the move into becoming a published author?

It was never so deliberate. Sky’s End was my very first crack at any kind of fiction writing ever. And it was very much an experiment. I would write a chapter, and read it to my husband, who bless him, appeared astounded and amazed, encouraging me to keep at it.

The next big hurdle came long after it was finished and I couldn’t land an agent. I took a pause from all the rejections. And one day it occurred to me that if I didn’t keep trying to sell my book, the story would never actually be shared. And that’s all that really mattered to me. So I started pitching all over again and I found someone who loved it — Deborah Gilbert, founder of Soul Mate Publishing and my editor.

What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?

Two things. I want them to experience powerful emotions. Whether they’re on the edge of their seat. Or angry, even, at my heroine Cassiel Winters. Second, I want them to feel a connection to Cassiel, like they went on an incredible trip together, one they won’t soon forget.

What do you find most rewarding about writing?

How I experience my characters’ journeys. There’s nothing quite like it.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

Finding enough time. Since I am just getting started, I still work full-time, as a journalist. I am headed straight for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (but it’s worth it!).

What advice would you give to people wanting to enter the field?

If what you write makes you laugh out loud, or burst into tears, if it inspires you, or gives you goose bumps, then don’t give up. Writing fiction should be an extraordinarily emotional experience — not necessarily always happy either. Bottom line: If it’s shattering your world, it will shatter someone else’s.

Is there anything else besides writing you think people would find interesting about you?

Ha! What a hard question to answer. I’m melodramatic, a recovering control freak, clumsy, addicted to dill pickle potato chips, formula bodice-rippers and test level rugby, and sometimes funny. Uh, so no, not really.

What are the best ways to connect with you, or find out more about your work?

I’m posting blogs with extra stuff from the book about Or’ic for example at lesleyyoungbooks.com/blog and on facebook.com/cassielwintersseries. I also tweet fun stuff @lesleyyoungbks.

October: STAINED by Cheryl Rainfield

The book is still available in hardback and paperback on Amazon, Kindle, audio CD on Amazon, and also on Audible.

The author’s original interview follows.

What initially got you interested in writing?

I love books. I used to read almost constantly—even while walking to school or getting dressed in the morning. It helped me escape the abuse I was living, and gave me hope, comfort, and validation. So I had a deep love of books. And writing, for me, came more naturally than speaking—it was my safe way of communicating. My abusers told me they’d kill me if I talked—but they didn’t mention writing. (smiling) In my head, writing wasn’t talking. I loved writing—it felt safe to me—and I was also good at it; I got a lot of praise from my teachers. And I had a deep need to break silence about the abuse and torture, to try to make a healing difference. So my love of fiction and writing, and my need to have a voice and be heard, drove me to write and later to try to get published.

How did you decide to make the move into becoming a published author?

I’ve always had a strong desire to be heard (after being silenced for so long by my abusers) and to try to make a positive, healing difference in the world. Books are my way to do that. But I didn’t get serious about getting published, about studying writing technique and getting feedback from other authors and persistently resubmitting my work rejection after rejection, until I took a course on children’s writing that turned into a writing critique group. I stuck with that group for almost ten years, and kept honing my craft and submitting and resubmitting my work, until finally an editor picked my book out of the slush pile. That book was SCARS. And with that, I got my dream. STAINED is my third book published through a US publisher (I’ve also had two books published through a small Canadian press, and one self-published book) and it’s a delight to me every time. I’m so excited about STAINED coming out!

What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?

I want readers to know that no matter how deep their pain or what trauma they’ve suffered, they are not alone, there are other people who’ve been there and understand, and they are strong—usually stronger than they know. I want them to know that healing is possible, that things can and do get better, and that they can save themselves if they need to. Sometimes we have to be the ones to save ourselves—just as Sarah did in STAINED, and just as I had to over and over again until I was truly safe.

What do you find most rewarding about writing?

I love the feeling of writing flowing onto a page, of emotional truths being mixed into fiction and becoming more powerful, of having a voice now instead of being silenced—and of making a positive difference in the world through my books. It’s incredibly rewarding to get reader letters telling me how much they loved my books or identified with my characters or how SCARS helped them not kill themselves, stop cutting, get help or talk to someone for the very first time about their pain, feel less alone, or understand someone they know—even their child—who’s cutting or queer or a sexual abuse survivor. It’s such a wonderful thing to get those letters.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

I love writing and editing—it gives me a voice and it feels so right for me—but sometimes, because I’m drawing on my own trauma to write, I find it painful or find myself reliving some of my trauma. But what’s harder for me are the challenges in the business of writing. Sometimes I can find it painful to read a negative review—though I have to step back and remind myself that my book is not me, even if so much of myself is in my book. It’s so much easier for me to take in negative than positive (I was taught that through abuse), and even though I have so many glowing reviews, the bits of negative ones stick with me.

I also find it very painful when people try to challenge my books and remove them from libraries; I remember how much pain I was in and how horribly alone I felt as a child and teen, always looking for something in books that would tell me I wasn’t the only one and I wasn’t crazy. Books helped me survive, and I know from reader letters that I receive that my books are helping others survive and thrive now. So keeping my books out of the hands of teens who need it hurts. And all those years of rejections I received before I got published—those were hard and wore at my soul. Not the first few years as much, but after 7, 8, 9 years it really got to me and I started to feel despair. Thankfully I got published after about 10 years of rejections! It’s also hard when things happen like if you lose an editor you love or your publisher closes—my first publisher WestSide Books closed before HUNTED even got into the stores, and so I also lost my editor. BUT something wonderful came out of that—I’m now with a much bigger publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and am working with another amazing editor, both of who have treated me and STAINED wonderfully.

What advice would you give to people wanting to enter the field?

If you want to get published, I think it helps to read as much as you can, especially in the genre you write. Learn writing technique and editing—through books, conferences, classes, critique groups, and listen to the feedback you receive, especially if more than one person says it; it will help you get published sooner. But always listen to and trust your gut; sift through the feedback and only use what works best for you.

Research before you submit your book to either publishers or agents (or both); make sure you’re submitting your book to the appropriate people. Get a copy of Writer’s Market or subscribe to their website to find publishers and agents accepting submissions and their contact info. And if your dream is to get published, then don’t give up. Keep submitting, revising, and resubmitting your work. It took me 10 years and hundreds of rejections before I got published.

You can see some of the writing technique books I really recommend here: http://astore.amazon.com/rainfield-writing-books-20

Is there anything else besides writing you think people would find interesting

about you?

I put a lot of my life experiences—my trauma, healing, and passions—into my work. For instance, like Sarah in STAINED, I know what it’s like to be held captive, withheld food and water, repeatedly raped, and having my life threatened. Like Sarah, I’ve been bullied, have struggled with body image and low self esteem, and love comics and superheroes. And like Sarah, I am strong emotionally, and had to be the one to save myself.

I always write strong girl characters and emotionally strong boy characters; I think we need to see more of them in books, TV, movies, etc. And I always have queer characters in my work, whether they’re the main character or secondary characters. I’m queer, and I think it’s important that the LGBT community is reflected in books in positive ways. I also try to incorporate other forms of diversity in my books.

I love writing, creating art, reading books and comics, spending time with my friends, and playing with my little dog Petal, a sweet hairy-hairless Chinese Crested dog. If you’re curious about her, you can see some photos up on my blog: http://cherylrainfield.com/blog/index.php/2013/09/12/my-little-dog-petal-companion-comfort-and-joy-to-this-writer/ I also frequently tweet photos of Petal and put them up on Facebook. (smiling) She is part of my family, and I love her dearly.

What are the best ways to connect with you, or find out more about your work?

You can connect with me on:

My website: http://www.CherylRainfield.com

My blog: http://www.CherylRainfield.com/blog

Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/CherylRainfield

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/cherylrainfield/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.rainfield

my FaceBook author fan page: https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.rainfield.fan.page

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/raindew001

November: FRAGILE BRILLIANCE by Tammy Blackwell

This book can still be found in paperback on Amazon or on Kindle.

Here is a reprint of the author’s original interview about the book.

+ What initially got you interested in writing?

I think I was born interested in writing. When I was really young I wanted to grow up to be Dolly Parton. I would work hard on writing my country-western songs, even though I didn’t know how to do important writing-type things, like spell. Or hold a pencil. But I still remember some of the oh-so-insightful lyrics today.

+ How did you decide to make the move into becoming a published author?

Several things led up to me writing and subsequently publishing my first novel, but the thing that most made me think, “I can do this” was meeting some actual published authors for the first time. I realized they were just people who worked really hard and made their dreams come true. I decided if they could do it, I could at least try.

+ What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?

Blame it on growing up in the 1980s where all of our cartoons included a “one to grow on” or “knowing is half the battle” message, but I intend for my novels to be very didactic. I go into each of them with a message (or several messages) I want the reader to walk away with. (I know. I’m one of those adults. It’s horrible.) The biggest thing I hope my readers take away is the knowledge that we’re all strong in our own ways, and that our strength comes from staying true to our own thoughts and beliefs.

+ What do you find most rewarding about writing? Connecting with readers. The hardest days are worth it when someone tells me that one of my books has helped them through a hard time or made them smile.

+ What do you find most challenging about writing?

The writing part. Seriously, putting one word after the other is next to impossible.

+ What advice would you give to people wanting to enter the field?

Don’t just want it. Do it. Get your butt in a chair and write. It’s the only way to become a writer.

+ Is there anything else besides writing you think people would find interesting about you?

When I’m not writing books, I’m a YA librarian, which is pretty much the coolest job on earth.

+ What are the best ways to connect with you, or find out more about your work?

Website: misstammywrites.com

Twitter: @Miss_Tammy

Tumblr: misstammywrites.tumblr.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissTammyJean

December: IN ALL PLACES by Misty Moncur

You can still get this book in paperback on Amazon and also on Kindle.

Join us again next month on the 5th to find out the highlights of January to June 2014 as the countdown continues to INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS and its 5th anniversary in April 2017!

5 YEARS OF INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS COUNTDOWN – JULY TO DECEMBER 2013 RECAP was originally published on the Wordpress version of SHANNON MUIR'S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS.

#infinite house of books #shannon muir

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