As I have previously confessed on this blog, I am a baking-challenged person. Today's confession is that I'm also challenged at the visual arts. That means that this time of year, when people are putting cute little decorated vegetables on their doorsteps, shows me for the stick-figure artist I am. Also, I'm a klutz and big knives scare me.
So rather than compete with my mom, who painted her pumpkin as an idyllic, full-color rendition of Bag End, complete with cotton-fluff smoke coming from the chimney...
...or risk chopping off my fingers with a big knife, this year I decided to bring my own branch of art to the pumpkin-decorating frenzy.
Poetry!
This pumpkin is my attempt both to sidestep artistic humiliation and contribute to world literacy levels and cultural awareness. Come on, little Rapunzels and Captain Americas. Have some candy. And some extra brain cells.
These famous opening lines spiral consecutively around the pumpkin, creating both a ghostly ambience and celebrating the beauty of words.
Now, here's the challenge. Using only these snippets of famous opening lines, plus the author's name in the photo below, can you identify this poem? Ten kudos points to whoever gets it right (and no cheating by my friends or family members who've already seen it in person)!
Ever wondered what a day in the life of a published author is like? Does the muse sing gracefully while fingers race on the keyboard to keep up? Or is it more like piles of coffee cups and shredded drafts? Do published authors have second jobs? What are their geeky secrets? And what do they think about e-books vs. paper?
Free image courtesy of stock.xchng and nkzs
Well, today we're lucky enough to find out, because I'm doing my first author interview on this blog! Local author (and my good friend) Angela Wallace has just self-published her 5th title, an urban fantasy called Earth Tones, which is the third in her Elemental Magic series. She is now sitting in my virtual living room, ready to reveal her secrets. Muahaha.
I mean, welcome, Angela.
1. Let's talk about book love (since that's obviously one of my favorite topics). How old were you when you fell in love
with reading? Can you remember what book/ books inspired you?
I fell in love with reading the moment I learned how. I’d
go to every Scholastic book fair and read enough books to get a prize every
time. Some of my favorite books were Tamora Pierce’s quartets Song of the
Lioness and The Immortals. They started with a young child with dreams or
special powers, and the books followed their growth into young adulthood. I
loved the journey. And the fantasy worlds. ;-)
2. What was the first story you ever finished about?
It was a YA sci-fi about a teenage rebel group in a post-apocalyptic United States. I guess the correct term would be dystopian, but it was heavy with space pods and ray guns. I wrote it when I was ten.
3. If you could have lunch with anyone,
living or dead, who would it be and why?
A. W.
Tozer. I love his book, The Pursuit of God, and I imagine it would be an
extraordinary conversation.
4. Juggling jobs is one of my biggest challenges. How does a published author support herself? Is writing your only job?
I’m also a sign language interpreter. I work at a couple
local colleges interpreting classroom lectures. It’s great because I get to
keep learning new subjects, but don’t have to work for a grade!
5. What is the geekiest thing about you? Because we have to know :)
I know how to write a form of Tolkien’s elvish runes. I
used to exchange letters with a friend in high school written in them. It also
makes a very handy code to keep passwords in.
6. What are some of the weirdest
ways you've gotten story ideas?
Dreams, for one. I’ve dreamed a few complete story plots from
beginning to end, though they don’t often get written down. If I could just
dream about the novels I’m actually working on, I could save time!
7. Now that you can look back on the completion of your latest book, Earth Tones, what was your favorite part of writing
this book?
Hm, I think it was getting to
know a new main character, plus getting to play with a new element. There was a
lot more opportunity for Nita to communicate with animals, and the earth
wielding in fight scenes was fun too.
Angela's latest book, Earth Tones, is the third in her Elemental Magic series.
8. You publish both paper books and e-books. As an avid reader yourself, which do you prefer, and why?
It depends. I do like paper books, seeing the cover on the front, seeing my progress as I turn the pages. But some of them are really fat and it hurts my wrist to hold them, lol. Then I like e-books better because it’s much lighter to carry around.
9. Online self-publishing gets a lot of media attention these days. So what do you like about self-publishing?
I like keeping control over my story. (Yes,
I’m a control freak.) I also like working at my own pace. I can be a drill
sergeant on myself, but am well aware that “life happens.” It’s easier to give
myself permission to be flexible than it is to ask for it from someone else.
10. Anything you don't like about it?
The marketing, lol. Though, traditionally published
authors have to do much the same. Putting together this blog tour was a big
step for me!
11. Are there
are any fun scenes in Earth Tones that didn’t end up in the final draft?
There was this cute scene I wanted to use, but it just
didn’t fit anywhere in the story. Nita and her boyfriend Keenan are leaving the
house when they find a moose on the porch. I learned that this is a very
dangerous situation and that people are actually trapped in their homes until
the moose decides to leave on its own. Now, Nita could just tell the moose to
get lost with her earth magic, but instead she says they’ll have to put their
plans on hold, and with a suggestive smile, hints that they can figure out
something else to fill their time with.
Thank you for your time and insights, Angela!
If Earth Tones captures your fancy, check it out on Amazon. And watch the book trailer on Youtube (trailers aren't just for movies anymore)! Authors nowadays--especially self-published--are Jacks and Jills of many trades, and Angela turned moviemaker to promote her new book. Check it out.
You can also read the book description:
Nita Young doesn’t know if she has a future with college sweetheart Keenan Donovan—two star-crossed lovers of opposing elements—but she invites him up to Alaska to see if Earth and Water can rekindle their old flame. When a series of wild animal attacks strike the inhabitants of Yakutat, Nita has to put her romantic plans on hold. Mangled bodies are turning up, and a mysterious black panther has been spotted in the woods. Fur, scales, and a venomous bite suggest the cat is supernatural in origin—and evidence indicates that someone not only summoned it, but is using it to target those Nita cares about. It’s the perfect murder weapon: no fingerprints, no evidence. And in a town this small, the killer is someone she knows. Nita’s strength will be put to the test as she faces losing her friends, her town, and the man she loves.
To connect with Angela: Angela Wallace loves gun-toting good boys and could have been a cop in another life except for the unfortunate condition of real blood making her queasy. Good thing writing gun and sword fights isn’t a problem. In her books you’ll find the power of love, magic, and redemption.
Well, I was going to write an elaborate and fascinating post on used bookstores.
Hopefully I still will, at some point. But not today. I've got something else on my mind.
Chocolate chip cookies.
Free image courtesy of Stock.xchng and superfloss
I usually have chocolate chip cookies on the brain in some form or other. Warm on a napkin, with the chocolate just a little bit melty, they make my shoulders unclench any time of day. I'm an absentminded baker who tends to calculate quantities wrong, but for these cookies, I try harder to get them right. They were one of the American delicacies I missed most in Britain. But now they're on my mind for a different reason.
It was Wednesday night, a hard night, a gloomy night. An odometer-raising, package-juggling, asparagus-and-tears-for-dinner night. Grandma's not doing well, and the pressure had me full under its thumb that night. I was supposed to meet a friend for coffee, but though I love talking to her, I just didn't want to on Wednesday. I didn't want to talk. I wanted to sit and watch British TV until my mind melted into oblivion. I texted her.
She came anyway. Showed up on my doorstep, skipped coffee. Carried in her hands a green recyclable grocery bag. Containing chocolate chip cookies.
People say all kinds of things to friends who are hurting. Sometimes they're well-meaning things like Every cloud has a silver lining. Or God works out everything for the good of those who love him. Maybe they're true things. But when the wave of suffering knocks you over from behind and tumbles you on the sand until your skin is scraped raw and you can't remember which way is up, even true things don't help.
Free image courtesy of stock.xchng and storm11080
Suffering is a quiet place, a place where the rules don't work right and you have to reinvent the wheel. Like falling in love, it's a different experience for every person, and it feels like no one has ever experienced it before. That's why platitudes, no matter how true, don't help. They're words. And while I love words dearly, you can't use them to set a shattered arm or leg. Like sticky, cheerful Disney-character band-aids, they're utterly helpless to solve the mystery and horror of bone sticking through skin.
My friend couldn't fix my problems on Wednesday night. She didn't try. Instead, she listened with her full attention (I did end up talking) and gave me a hug (thank you, dear). The chocolate chip cookies she brought said I don't have all the answers. But I love you anyway. And somewhere between soggy Kleenex and melty chocolate pieces, I found the strength to keep going til tomorrow. That's what helps.
Lately music has been helping me where words fall short. So if you're in that quiet place tonight, reinventing the wheel or staring at shattered bone, here's a song that another friend showed me today. It's not a solution. But maybe it'll be like chocolate chip cookies on your doorstep.
