Asher’s Mark by Amy Durham
Published By: Self-Published by Author, TBA August 2014
Official Author Websites: Site | @Amy_Durham | Facebook | GoodReads
Converse on Twitter: #AshersMark or #AmyDurham
Available Formats: E-Book, Paperback
Page Count: approx. 300 Read More
Losing Touch by Sandra Hunter
Published By: One World Publications (@OneworldNews), 15 July, 2014
Official Author Websites: Site | @sandrajhunter
Available Formats: Paperback & Ebook
Page Count: 224
Converse on Twitter via: #LosingTouch OR #OneWorldPublications
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Losing Touch” virtual book tour through TLC Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the publisher One World Publications, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Inspired to Read:
I have always had a keen eye on Bollywood films, especially those which feature Aishwarya Rai, as I came to know of her works through the release of “Mistress of Spices“. I love the full-on lively atmosphere of combining dream sequences, musical numbers, and the heart of a story told in motion pictures such as the ones I find from Bollywood releases! I try to find new ones to watch as I become aware of them, which is why I have thus far seen: “Bride & Prejudice” and “Do Dooni Chaar“. All of which I happily checked out of my local library, as they are quite inspiring on the dexterity of always keeping our card catalogue full of foreign language releases both in literature and motion picture. I’d love to explore more Bollywood & Indian film releases in both Hindi and English, as whilst I was watching Do Dooni Chaar, I noted that after awhile I did not even realise I was ‘reading the subtitles’! I love when that happens! (previously, I felt this way as I watched “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” & “Life is Beautiful” as I watched them on the silver screen at time of release) My focus on India as both as a country and as a cultural heritage stems from my appreciation of their enriched cultural heritage (from art to music to dance to film to religion), and of course, my absolute joy in eating their cuisine!
When you find yourself passionate about a culture and a country, you always want to surround yourself with the stories that are either set there or are about the people who come from there. For me, my heart will always be attached to India. The fact that I draw a measure of joy out of reading Buddhist texts and studying their cultural heritage is only the tip of why I love India as much as I do. I have been wanting to read more stories by Indian authors and writers who give their stories a heart of their cultural identity. When this book was offered on tour, I simply was overjoyed, not only as it was the start of being able to read Literature of India, but because I truly appreciated the premise — of one family attempting to carve out a new life in a new country whilst attempting to keep their cultural identity and heritage in tact.
My own heritage is full of stories where my ancestors immigrated to America, and how their journeys led them to the New World. I find myself attracted to other families and their own personal journeys towards discovering where they wanted to lay down roots for their next generations as much as I am encouraged to continue to root out my own ancestral past through genealogical research. Each of us has a story within our bones, which is carried through the whispers of our past relations who strove to give each of us a different path to live than they had themselves. I think we each honour our family each time we take a pause out of our day to listen and read the stories of all families who take this step to change their own stars.
After Indian Independence Arjun brings his family to London, but hopes of a better life rapidly dissipate. His wife Sunila spends all day longing for a nice tea service, his son suddenly hates anything Indian, and his daughter, well, that’s a whole other problem. As he struggles to enforce the values he grew up with, his family eagerly embraces the new. But when Arjun’s right leg suddenly fails him, his sense of imbalance is more than external. Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, he is forced to question his youthful impatience and careless cruelty to his family, until he learns, ultimately, to love them despite — or because of — their flaws. In a series of tender and touching glimpses into the shared life of a married couple, Sandra Hunter creates strikingly sympathetic characters — ones that remind us of our own shortfalls, successes, hypocrisies, and humanity.
Sandra Hunter’s fiction has appeared in a number of literary magazines, and has received three Pushcart Prize nominations. Among other awards, she won the 2013 Women’s Domination Story Competition, 2012 Cobalt Literary Magazine Fiction Prize and the 2011 Arthur Edelstein Short Fiction Prize. Her short story “Blessed Are the Meek” won Glimmer Train’s Spring 2005 Very Short Fiction Award, and is now a chapter in her novel Losing Touch, to be published in July 2014 (OneWorld Publications).
I tend to forget to realise that as I am reading books published across the Pond with a bit more regularity than I could have done in the past (one of the blessings of being a book blogger), the book cover art I am appreciating on recently read novels are the editions from across the Pond! For instance, I had not stopped to realise the cover art designs I appreciated for The Lost Duchess were in effect the British edition covers! Likewise, as I settled into Losing Touch my mind did not readily auto-adjust to noticing this cover art is decidedly British as well! When I pulled up sites in reference to the novel, I noted an awkward difference in cover design! Whereas this one alludes to Arjun’s wife Sunila or even Jonti’s wife Nawal or even Nawal’s sister Haseena. I first felt it could be Sunila as although she has a want for British life, she still holds a few traditions of her heritage close to her heart. Yet, to be truthful she does not wear traditional Indian clothes, so this directed my eye to believe it was truly Nawal.*
(*until I read the story and realised it was Haseena!)
The cover art for the American edition makes absolute no sense to me at all – it is one of those modern graphic designs that has a repetitive pattern; I am finding myself not a plumb of passion for these selections. A few times I find graphic designed covers to be quite befit of the narrative. In this particular case, I think the novel loses a piece of its own identity by the swirls and two non-identical blotches of orange.
What appealed to me about the cover (as displayed on this book review!) which arrived to me on my copy of Losing Touch, is that it goes to the core of the story: being in transition and yet curious about ‘something’ being said ‘off camera and out of view’ of the photographer. I realise they used stock images but for whichever reason, I felt this cover connected more directly to Arjun & the Kulkanis.
On a personal note: This is why I am thankful there is Foyle’s, who will drop ship to anyone in the world who wants to purchase books from England! There are other book shoppes surely that will do the same, as I still remember the expressive joy in purchasing the Complete Histories of Middle Earth from one such book shoppe in the recent past to help me curate a way to read Tolkien’s legacy in the order of Middle Earth! This is a project noted on my tCC list for those curious to know ‘when’ I shall embrace Middle Earth. I am also reminded that when I go to read my next Jenny Barden novel, I will need to import the book from England! I can see myself spreading the joy of future purchases between Foyle’s & all the lovelies (book shoppes) I am finding on Twitter! It is quite incredible to live in an age where you can exchange bookish tweets with Indies from Ireland & England! What joy I have as a Joyful Tweeter of Bookish Joy! (a part of me will forevermore think of “Foyle’s War” as I make future purchases; now that the series is encased inside my heart)
Transitions: India to London:
I appreciated getting a first-hand glimpse into a family striving to find their niche in England, after having immigrated from India for a fresh start in a new country. Little notations of their cultural heritage from India are mentioned and observed throughout the text, as well as their contemporary choices to extract out a new identity amongst their new co-workers, neighbours, and friend circles. I think a part of what is difficult for anyone to shift their life from one country to the next, is to find the balance of what to keep with them as a cultural identity and what to compromise as far as what new attributes to introduce into their life as a different method or mannerism of how to live next. Each country you reside in is going to have their own particular pace and recognisable differences; this even includes how different regions within the same country have ‘regional dialects’ (of which I have blogged about previously), where the pronunciations and phrasing can alter as you travel. (this is inclusive of America as much as England)
I appreciated reading the differences in how their children were being given more freedom of choice (as far as schooling and matches of marriage) and how even in the subtle differences they were still learning to understand how to complete the transitions from India to London. Throughout the text, they always remained true to who they were, right or wrong, their individual character left a strong impression.
My review of Losing Touch:
Losing Touch sensitively opens at the funeral of Arjun’s younger brother Jonti, as Arjun recollects his brother’s life and observes how his wife and children are attempting to blend into British culture and society without wanting to keep a part of their Indian culture attached. They are shifting into a new life in a new setting and country, opting instead to shed a bit of their own cultural past to embrace the new one that they are finding. Arjun is struggling to come to terms with his family’s choices as he is a traditionalist and believes that although he wants them to embrace life in England, he apparently did not expect them to forsake their heritage to do so.
Hunter etches into her story the power of sensory knowledge and memory of how certain things are able to be smelt on the air near us, can lead our minds back down memory’s row. And, how at the moment of recovering those memories, we either feel more remorse (if already grieving through anguished sorrow) or a swath of bittersweet recollection, half filled with the regret of the days no longer here. The mind and the heart does a lot of odd things to a person who is grieving their loved one. Time and space of our everyday living can shift and transform out of us and between us at the very same moment; we are not of ourselves completely when we are attempting to rectify the loss of someone who was once fully present and now spiritually renewed into the next life.
Jonti has passed by what I can only presume is an inherited neurological disease, as he was not the first in his family to contract it, and this unknowing of the family medical history eludes to a growing concern on behalf of Arjun’s own health and wellness. I refer to this being ‘unknown’ as Hunter only slips a piece of knowledge of how Jonti passed rather than a full disclosure of what led to his sudden death in his thirties. Arjun’s own fears and concerns for his family’s adjustment to England are acting as a blinding to his own health concerns, as his collapsed falls in conjunction to his brother’s death did not lead him to think anything malicious was afoot.
Sunila’s voice comes a bit lateron as we find through her point of view the disintegrating condition of her marriage to Arjun; as there were quiet attributions of this happening in early chapters. His quickfire temper, his unease to dissolve a disagreement between his daughter Tarani and son Murad (the object of the fight was a radio), and his disbelief and avoidance of having a physical condition that could not only control his life but take it from him. He walks through the motions of his everyday life without the bliss and attention Jonti gave to his own family. This is a stress factor for Arjun, and as we read through the passages where Sunila is contemplating divorce and a life away from her husband, we start to see how the undercurrent of their marriage is tilted against a rocky shore. The author keeps the obvious obstructed from the reader’s view, revealing the evidence of domestic disturbances only in brief flickering moments where we gather a larger sense of the reality of Sunila’s marriage. In this way, the novel is a gentle read with clean references to deeper angst and a guiding hand of giving you a breathing space to digest the story.
The symbolism and metaphors within the heart of the context of Losing Touch are some of my favourites I’ve stumbled across recently. I have forgotten to mention this habit of mine in recent reviews of noticing the touches of how each writer chooses to convey certain thoughts and observations. I also appreciate the fact that this is full-on Briton, with their unique turns of phrase and cheeky short-cuts of expression. The Anglophile in me was most happy throughout the reading! I also noted having read “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry” a few years back has seemingly given me a proper knowledge of the roadways in England. I nearly could envision the A40 as Arjun and Murad traversed it in order to meet up with Haseena! Although Arjun is not committing adultery with Haseena, he is eclipsed in that uneasy spot between being spiritually / mentally committed to another woman and being physically entwined. Of course, I did see a programme on television which expressed that there are different levels and conditions of adultery and one of them is being physically present in a marriage whilst being mindfully absent in spirit with another outside of it. To the level, that despite no physical contact is involved, in all other ways an affair is elicited.
The novel yields itself into two thoroughly engaging sections, where Part I engages us with the foundation of where Part II is leading us next; whilst skipping a near-full twenty years in-between. The second half is more solemn and melancholic than the first, and I believe is told in second or third person rather than first. I am always getting a bit confused on tense and person points of view; irregardless of how many examples I read of each. I credit that to being dyslexic, but the point here is that there is a radical change in the voice of the narrator for this half of the story. Part I was filled with a robust energy and Part II is a bit more subdued and ambles a bit like a snail. Giving more pause to thoughts and to musings neither of the characters felt they’d aspire to know the answers of. (Alas! I’ve sorted it! Part I the characters were telling their own story to the reader; in Part II they’re life is being observed and spoken about without their voices leading the story forward. Until they return just before the end, to conclude as they begun.)
Losing Touch in of itself (as a title and as a story) is attempting to draw attention on the aspects of our lives that we might allow to fall behind our fingers, like the sand in an hourglass; tricking unnoticed and unaware of how much we’ve lost a connection to everything we hold dear until its nearly too late to reconcile. With unflinching honesty and a keen awareness of how to paint the portrait of a family emerging out of their cultural heritage whilst sorting out how to live amongst the Brits: Hunter finds a way to encourage us to examine our on thoughts on life, marriage, children, and the unspoken absence of things left unsaid.
By the time I reached the ending chapters, I knew my time with the Kulkanis was drawing to a close. I was going to miss peeking in on their lives, listening to their conversations, and being with them as they rose above the tides like waves arching over and under the years of their lives. Sunila is the heroine of the story for me, as she walks her life through her faith, eager to sort out the best way to approach the trials as they arise and to hold fast to her vows she took with her husband on her wedding day. It is her quiet strength that leads the family back together, and gives her husband the bolster to continue to thrive despite how different his life became once his body could no longer support his normal activities. The three Auntys: Sunila, Pavi, and Haseena give us such a welcoming warmth into their intimate lives, that I must thank the author, Sandra Hunter for blessing me with their presence!
On Sandra Hunter’s writing style & voice of character:
I appreciate how her narrative voice and style allows us to align ourselves with Arjun and his immediate family. She stitches into the dialogue and thought sequences words of Hindi origin which gives the story an authentic feel. I always appreciate when native words and phrases are incorporated into a story, as they allude to the fact we are reading about a different culture and language heritage outside of our own. The pacing of the story is quite British, as I am noting differences in the craft of story-telling between American and British authors of late, as I have had more opportunities to read Modern British Literature over the past year. It is a bit like noting the differences in motion picture, when you see the styles of American, British, Canadian, and Indian film-makers. Each has their own set of tools of the trade (so to speak), and each has their own unique definitive style therein.
Each chapter is devouted to one full year of Arjun and his family life, carried through by snippets of reflection and action, that were to give the reader key insight into the family’s progress past Jonti’s death and what occurred in their lives since they said their good-byes when the story opened at his funeral. Told in first person perspective, you get a rather firm and intimate view of their thoughts, their expressions, and the way in which each of them elects to live their life. Arjun by far is the curious one who as a true introvert processes everything with the knack for self-reflection and internal musings that lead him towards understanding, acceptance, and transition.
The one curious pattern of her story-telling style is that for each chapter, it is not merely a new year that progresses forward but a month as well! For instance, the first chapter begins in September and by the time you reach chapter four you are arriving in December. The years clicked off from 1966 to 1969 as well. This is a most curious pattern and by doing so, it allows you to see not only the passage of time, but of the season in a gentle arc of time shifting forward and ebbing away. There is a bit of a time jump from Part I to Part II, as the second half picks up in 1998 shortly after leaving 1973!
Her personal style is both gentle and guiding, she allows you to soak into her prose and appreciate her characters for what they have to relay to you. She is a writer I want to read more of and I cannot wait to seek out a new novel of hers when they are available to read as she is only just now venturing forward into novels, as she previously focused on short stories. I might have to see if her shorts are bound into print collections, as I do have this new penchant for shorts! Except to say, the brief excerpt of her current WIP (work-in-progress) of a novel took me by a bit of gobsmacked surprise due to the language — Losing Touch was graceful in its ability to paint a story without the abrasive language so popular in today’s literature. I even appreciated how she handled the changes in faith as both Arjun and Sunila were embracing Christianity which gave them a lot of fodder to chew on throughout the book.
As an aside: I appreciated using the lovely bookmark, Ms. Hugo gave me whilst I received “A Matter of Mercy” for review for an upcoming TLC Book Tours stop! I am always attempting to remember which bookmark was enclosed with each novel that I find myself using to read other novels that arrive for review! Forgive me if my notations of which bookmark I selected goes amiss and a-rye. If you were curious of my reference as an Anglophile kindly direct your attention to ‘My Bookish Life‘.
Fly in the Ointment:
There is a very brief and short passage in Chapter 14 where quite strong language is used rather unexpectedly, so much so I nearly forgot to mention it here! I was totally taken by surprise to find such strong words to convey such a simple scene of action and dialogue. In fact, held within the gentle voice of the story’s narrating pace I found it was rather out of step with the rest of the chapters and clearly not necessary to be included. I agree, the scene was alarming and dicey, but I think it could have been writ without the use of the strongest word I most dislike in literature. I believe my mind skirted over this completely, as said, I nearly forgot to mention this as I posted my review!
Top 10 books about Indian families by @writenteach #LosingTouch http://t.co/L5FDaupJwe via @guardian
— OneworldPublications (@OneworldNews) June 27, 2014
This Blog Tour Stop is courtesy of TLC Book Tours:
Losing Touch
by Sandra Hunter
Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours
Places to find the book:
Published by One World Publications
on 15th July, 2014
Format: Paperback
Pages: 224
Virtual Road Map of “Losing Touch” Blog Tour:
Tuesday, July 1st: Review @ 1330 V
Wednesday, July 2nd: Review @ Musings of a Bookish Kitty
Thursday, July 3rd: Review @ Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Monday, July 7th: Review @ Lit and Life
Tuesday, July 8th: The Written World *not posted yet
Wednesday, July 9th: Books in the City *not posted yet
Thursday, July 10th: Review @ Jorie Loves a Story
Friday, July 11th: BookNAround
Monday, July 14th: Missris
Tuesday, July 15th: Bibliophiliac
Wednesday, July 16th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Thursday, July 17th: Luxury Reading
Friday, July 18th: Time 2 Read
Monday, July 21st: Bound By Words
Tuesday, July 22nd: A Bookish Way of Life
Wednesday, July 23rd: Good Girl Gone Redneck
Please visit my Bookish Events page to stay in the know for upcoming events!
As foresaid, I have already earmarked off quite a heap of selections of ‘next reads’ for Literature of India choices, a few of which can be viewed on my Riffle List: Equality in Literature & Diversity in Literature : walk hand in hand. Other choices include: “The Hope Factory” by Lavanya Sankaran, “The Sandalwood Tree” by Elle Newmark, and “Haunting Bombay” by Shilpa Agarwal.
Reader Interactive Question: I am curious to know which books you’ve read about India or have stories set around the cultural heritage of India that have introduced you to Literature of India and given you a reason to continue reading their stories? What first drew you to appreciate India, was it through their cuisine or music? Did you pick up a novel once and found yourself enchanted? I’d love for you to share your own personal reasons for reading Indian stories in the comment threads & if you would be inclined to read “Losing Touch” after reading my own ruminations on its behalf.
{SOURCES: Book cover for “Losing Touch”, Author Biography, Author Photograph, and Book Synopsis were provided by TLC Book Tours and used with permission. Blog Tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets are able to be embedded due to codes provided by Twitter.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Myth tells that magic came to be when the fabled gem known as the Heart of the Sisters was shattered by evil gods. The same tale speaks of the Heart being healed one day, unleashing a power that will bring the end of humankind.
While traveling to begin his magical studies, young apprentice Niel finds himself suddenly at the center of the Heart’s terrifying legend. Caught in a whirlwind of events that fractures the foundation of everything he’s believed, Niel learns his role in the world may be far more important than he ever could have imagined–or ever would have wished.
A Mage of None Magic begins an extraordinary adventure into a perilous land where autocratic magicians manipulate an idle aristocracy, where common academia struggles for acceptance, and where after ages of disregard myth and legend refuse to be ignored any longer.
Author Biography:
A. Christopher Drown is a native of Brunswick, Maine, who currently resides in Memphis. His work has appeared in several magazines and anthologies. The first edition of A Mage of None Magic won the 2010 Darrell Award for Best Novel. His story, Path of an Arrow, received the 2012 Darrell Award for Best Novella. He recently completed his second novel and is at work on The Book of Sediahm, the next book in the Heart of the Sisters series. An award-winning graphic designer, when not slogging away at his trusty Macbook, Pedro, he can be found hiding around a nearby corner waiting to leap out at either of his unsuspecting children.
I am thankful to take a moment to sit down with another debut author through the Indie Publisher Seventh Star Press! I am always most delighted being able to interview emerging authors who are on the very fringe of launching their literary careers! There is such an excitement to absorb into their debut work, to see how their own unique style of story-telling will start to emerge and entice us to continue forward as their next books are released in due course! I had a smiting of an idea about A Mage of None Magic, but I did not know as much about the writer who penned the epic fantasy tale! Therefore, whilst I opted to participate in the blog tour for the book, I wanted to interview the author behind the fantasy series! This is merely the first book to get the world set in our eyes, and to introduce us to what will come next in The Heart of Sisters series!
I elected to ask him about his personal approach to writing as much as to gather a sense about who he is outside of the realm of creating stories and illustrations! As you will note, the book cover-art for A Mage of None Magic is of his own creation! Elsewhere along the tour he went into a bit more detail on how he originally sketched out the idea for who graces the cover by using inspiration quite close to his heart! The link to read the post which reveals this bit of ‘behind-the-scenes’ joy will be added underneath “Related Articles”. As I do try to find extra bits of relating material as I can find them per post.
Let us pause now to listen to the conversation:
On your Facebook page I noticed that whilst giving a recent talk at a library you highlighted a book shelf devoted to Shel Silverstein of whom I blogged about myself as being one of the integral writers to read as a child. His poems and his way of telling a story inside his collections was such a refreshing bolt of creativity and inspiration for me. My parents would surprise me time to time with each new ‘hardback’ edition. The hours I spent inside “Where the Sidewalk Ends” and “A Light in the Attic” is not even measurable by the joy in which was lit inside me! What drew you to the writer and what do you feel is his greatest legacy for children & adults alike?
Drown responds: My second-grade teacher, Ms. Sheriff, introduced me to Shel Silverstein via Where the Sidewalk Ends and the magic of that book has proven relentless. Beyond the opening lines of “Invitation,” (in which he refers to dreamers, wishers, and liars) what drew me into the crooked little world contained upon those pages was the wonderful sense of danger that lurked within the silly concepts and funny rhymes. Children being devoured by snakes, flying ships disappearing into the unknown, little boys turning into TV sets, kids literally losing their heads, poems written from inside lions because the author has been eaten, and so on. And the cover illustration so perfectly promises what awaits inside: Adventure, which can be fun, thrilling, sad, and frightening—often all at the same time.
The fact that I purchased copies for my own children, that they’ve grown to love the book just as much, and that there are millions of others who have done so for three generations now, is more legacy than the overwhelming majority of writers could ever hope to enjoy.
You also mentioned on Facebook, H.R. Giger taught you about juxtaposition (one of my favourite literary terms in writing narrative!), as I will yield to not know of the artist — Giger didn’t write :) — myself, in which ways did you take what he taught you and transmorphed that into your debut novel “A Mage of None Magic”!?
Drown responds: I think one need spend only a short time browsing Giger’s art to comprehend his genius for expressing the nightmarish by means of lithe elegance—gentle curves that tangle into madness; beautiful organic faces emerging from automated decay; sexuality conveyed through torturous machinery. I find that horror works best when presented intimately, and in Mage there are characters who discover that colossal power devastates even the smallest, most well-hidden pieces of who you are—on the most intimate terms.
Your writing mentor Joel Rosenberg is also unknown to me. What do you find were his greatest gifts in giving you inspiration on the level of writing fundamentals, the arc of story-telling, and how to approach publishing as a writer? What three essential books of his should every writer become known of and why?
Drown responds: Quite simply, Joel showed how it was done. He showed me how a master storyteller implements the classic slope of rising action, climax and denouement. He showed me how to begin and end a scene, what it looks like when a character undergoes meaningful change, how to temper poignancy with humor, that dangerous situations should have real stakes and that surviving them should have real cost. He taught me how to use tone, and how to make antagonists scary yet accessibly human. Through his essays he showed me how to structure a series, and yet how important it is to remain open to unforeseen veers from the original path that are bound to happen. He taught me how to take literary criticism, and how to be gracious to those who praise my work. And every time I re-read his stories, I learn more.
Which three mentors in the field of life would you consider had the most influence on your writing and of your perspective of the world at large? In which ways do you consider them an inspiration on all levels of gratitude? For me, I always claim Dr. Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Leonardo da Vinci, and Albert Einstein gave me so much depth and perspective of breadth.
Drown responds: Thomas Jefferson is a hero of mine for championing reason over all else, and for understanding so clearly the capacity human beings have for collective greatness despite our proclivities for individual folly. I admire Galileo Galilei for having conviction enough to prove wrong what the overwhelming masses believed deep down in their marrow was the incontrovertible truth. And I’ve loved Jim Henson since I was old enough to crawl, for the endless gifts of his boundless imagination.
You mentioned in another Interview about the heart of the message knitted into “A Mage of None Magic” would be embracing the bold confidence of your own unique lifepath and gift to give the world. In which ways do you think readers will respond to this message and why do you feel it is truly more important to convey right now in literature? Why do people tend to forget how important this is to have in their lives?
Drown responds: Gosh, that’s pretty profound. I said that?
If I were allowed to carry away only one lesson from my studies of Joseph Campbell, it would be his urging of others to “follow their bliss.” Find the thing that makes you happy and follow the path it sets before you no matter what anyone else may think or say.
But what might happen, I wondered, if you simply couldn’t? In Mage, Niel faces a challenge that’s a mirror image of Campbell’s: A path set before him he seems unable to avoid following, no matter what, even though doing so promises to bring him anything but bliss. So really, his task is to persevere with whatever resources he’s able to manage, lest great harm befall just about everyone—which may be a bit pertinent to the tough times from which we in the U.S. are just now beginning to emerge.
Were someone to lend me a soapbox, I’d probably say that I think people tend to forget how important it is to choose their own directions in life because the calls of innovation and unconventionality get drowned out by the babel of Need-to, Have-to and Supposed-to. I just don’t understand contentment with not leaving the universe with a little more than it had before you came along.
What tools and materials do you use to write? And, where do you write the most? Time of Day?
Drown responds: I use my trusty Macbook, Pedro, almost exclusively. Pedro and I have been through a lot together. I used to carry a small notebook around to jot, well, notes, but now it’s so much more efficient to record a voice memo on my iPhone to transcribe later.
I don’t have fixed places or times when I write. Given my schedule, finding time to work is pretty catch-as-you-can. I do like writing first thing in the morning, with the early light and smell of coffee filling the house. And if I’m traveling, a Starbucks usually makes a good home away from home.
On your own personal writing style in narrative and story-telling, what do you find sparks the most joy for you to compose a novel of epic fantasy proportions? What kinds of characters enrich your creative heart?
Drown responds: I have no idea why doing something as agonizing, frustrating and often times as lonely as composing a novel sparks joy at all. Okay, that’s not true.
I think what I enjoy most about fantasy writing is the challenge to relate to a contemporary audience through the actions and dialog of characters relegated to more or less a medieval understanding of the world. I like puzzling metaphors and other comparisons on the characters’ terms that (hopefully) still resonate with the reader.
And the characters that enrich my heart are usually the bad guys. They’re quite cathartic. Well, bad guys and loyal friends. Loyalty is especially important to me personally, and I like it when someone deadly—evil or good—expresses dedication to another. Because in fantasy storytelling, that either leads to glorious victories or devastating loss.
What do you feel is the hardest to convey as a writer? The imagined world in the backdrop of the story or the narrative voice of the epic fantasy hero or heroine?
Drown responds: The imagined world going on around the characters, for me, is the most daunting part of fantasy writing—how to make the setting exotic enough to feel like a different place yet accessible enough to feel familiar. I admire people who take the time to word-build before ever typing a syllable, but I tend to build the ladder as I’m climbing. You can have the most encyclopedically thorough fantasy realm in the history of the genre, but after that you still have to write a story. I do like throwing in the little touches that indicate that world is turning all on its own regardless our heroes’ actions. The guy in the cantina scene in Star Wars doesn’t care if you’re the last of the Jedi and our only hope; he doesn’t want your damn droids in his place.
As a girl with roots in the Northeast, I must ask you about how a Mainer has adapted to life in the South, residing in the heart of where Southern literary voices have emerged new talent: Memphis! I would imagine there is a ‘story’ within how you arrived in Memphis as much as how Maine still is attached to your heart? Do you oft return for visits or have you not looked back?
Drown responds: I arrived in South through Navy-brattery; my father was stationed here. And though I’ve lived in the Memphis area for thirty years now, I’m afraid it still makes an ill-fit. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate Memphis—the music, the food, the amazing creative community. I’ve made life-long friends here whom I love. And my children were born here—this is their hometown. But when I walk about, I don’t feel the ground being glad to have my weight as I do when I’m in my hometown. Maine, for me, always has been and always will be home. I have some family left there and I get back as often as I can, though not nearly often enough.
What do you think differs from growing up in the Northeast in New England from life in the MidSouth? Are there similarities or stark differences? What did you appreciate the most of community in the heart of a quintessential Maine towne like Brunswick? Is there any bit of that life that you miss?
Drown responds: The differences are indeed stark. And vast. And yet, at the same time, people for the most part are just people. Mainers tend to be a lot more straightforward and practical with their opinions. Far more “Quit yer carping gripe” than “Oh, bless your heart.” There’s an inherent stoicism among folks up there; a very bare wood, boiled potatoes, foggy day, flannel and gumboots kind of self-sufficiency that I find romantic and comforting. And yes; I miss it all.
What do you prefer to compose when telling a story? A short story or a novel? In which do you find is easier or more complex to convey?
Drown responds: For me, short stories are much more of a challenge. They force brevity and economy, yet still demand the full arc of an entire story. Novels allow elbow room, permit a bit of wandering off the main path just because it’s fun to see what’s there. I’ve always preferred round-about trips to direct routes.
I read in one of your recent Interviews that you do not readily read fantasy yourself. Do you find as I do with certain aspects of science fiction, that it is best not to tempt your own heart’s imagination by placing like-minded stories inside your imagination? To keep yourself blind to what other authors are writing in the vein of your own narrative verse reading like-minded authors and perhaps placing you betwixt knowing how to then proceed with your own creations?
Drown responds: There’s certainly that desire not to muddy the waters with other people’s ideas, especially the ones that are better than mine. But I think it’s more along the lines of a dessert chef drawing inspiration from the meal that’s to be complemented; or perhaps the rock guitarist whose ideas come from listening to Mozart. Painters generally don’t browse other paintings before they begin a new work. They go out into the world, take in as many different textures and colors as they can, from as many different sources as they can, then sit down to the canvas and translate all they’ve absorbed.
Are you a night owl writer? I noticed you tend to become creatively kinetic to your muse during hours in which most are enchanted by the dreamscapes. I, myself am a night owl writer and book blogger.
Drown responds: I used to make a habit of working into the wee hours, but for a number of reasons that’s just no longer possible for me. My friends and colleagues Stephen Zimmer and Allan Gilbreath, though, keep utterly inhuman hours and make me feel like a little old lady in contrast. As I mentioned previously, my writing times are pretty haphazard.
Can you share a bit about your artwork as a graphic designer and how the art in which you create inspires your writing? I oft find that my artistic pursuits feed back the creative karma I fuse into my narratives. Do you visually paint your stories alive as you write through your mind’s eye and therefore turn to sketch out your characters or scenes? Or do you let them stay housed in your imagination?
Drown responds: The connective tissue between my writing and my design work is the use of metaphor. In graphic design, my task is to take a provided group of disparate elements, find a common thread, and arrange them in such a way as to convey that commonality—particularly helpful in my photo illustrations.
And yes, I absolutely have the movie of what’s happening playing through my head as I’m writing. I do my best to see the hues, smell the aromas, and feel the environment. I’ll never have a map at the beginning of one of my books, but I can see quite vividly every location.
I completely agree with you on the merits of writing your heart out and telling the story which is welled inside you to give back to the word of readers. To write stories which inspire you as a writer will in turn inspire readers to find the stories which are given. Instead of buying into the belief that writing has to be marketed to the bottom line or it has no value. What do you think gives us this bold instinct to remain true to ourselves rather than to remain tethered to the industry’s ideal of what a writer should do?
Drown responds: Because creative acts are subjective by their very nature. Only the artist knows when the work is complete, and the satisfaction of completion is the only thing that puts the creative mind at ease. For a moment, anyway.
I was a bit surprised your initial reaction to bookish and writerly conventions was misunderstood on behalf of why some readers and fans of literary genres choose to dress visually their passion for their love of authors, stories, and the fantastical worlds of imagination. To me the greatest compliment we can express at either a live event or a motion picture is the outward embrace of the creative product. To give back a piece of joy in a visual way which celebrates our love of what we are seeing or experiencing. How did you change your perception and embrace what you at first felt was the wrong approach of a reader or fan? Do you readily now approach those who are visually expressing themselves or simply nod a smile from a distance? As I think part of what implores us to be visually creative is a bit like why the Holodeck appealed to not only the crew of the Enterprise but all of us back home watching the series on tv. A way to step into the story and live it.
Drown responds: I did harbor an early and unfair prejudice toward the cosplay set, on which I’ve since fully reversed myself. Initially, I thought it a shame for so much creativity and capability to go into something that seemed, to me, fleeting. Why not turn that energy toward something lasting? Why dabble about in other people’s creations when you could be creating your own? I falsely equated that sort of effort to the person who wears the jersey of his favorite player, goes to every home game, paints his face and belly blue and at the end of the season yells, “We won!” Thing is, though, you didn’t win. And the guy whose name is across your shoulder blades has no idea you even exist. No matter how dedicated a fan you may be, a vicarious sense of accomplishment is the same thing as no accomplishment, other than some temporary entertainment. And living through the deeds of others, from my perspective, is a waste of passion.
However, I eventually came to see those who take the time to build and display their costumes for what they really are. They’re the mask wearers who sit beside the campfire and relay the stories they’ve heard. They’re the ones beneath the bear skin who become the mythic figure in order to make the story come alive. They take the time to embody what inspires them and share that inspiration with others. And that by no means is a waste of time or passion.
Oh, and I’ve always been the sort to smile and nod from a distance no matter what the occasion. One of my very favorite quotes from Mark Twain empathsises the point for me.
A beautiful capture of the author’s favourite Twain quotation & an eloquent picture of the writer is found on LifeHacks Quotes!
As your travels in childhood were accelerated by being from a Navy family, where did you visit that left you in complete awe of your surroundings? Where would you love to travel back as a father with your children and wife?
Drown responds: Alaska, by far, is the most incredible place I’ve seen. There you can’t turn five degrees in either direction without seeing a completely new postcard-worthy sight. The sheer scale of the place bends the brain, and the absolute indifference to you, little human speck of meat, humbles the ego.
I’ve taken the kids there, to Alaska. And to Maine. And to the Grand Canyon. And to Michigan to visit the graves of our great-grandfathers. I’m thankful each of them seems to have inherited my sense of wonderment and love of travel. This fall we’re heading back to Maine with an excursion into Boston so they can see the grasshopper vane atop Faneuil Hall, which was built by Shem Drowne with the help of his brother, Simeon Drowne—my eight great grand-uncle and my eighth great grandfather, respectively. They’re buried in Copp’s Hill Cemetary near Leonard Drowne, my ninth great grand-father and the first Drown to come over from England. I’m happy to say my kids are really excited about having a familial connection to American history.
Why did you cross-compare your current work-in-progress “A Sister to Butterflies” as a cross-between “Wicked” (by Gregory Maguire) and “The Lovely Bones” (by Alice Sebold)!? I personally am a passionate appreciator of ‘Wicked’ as a Broadway Musical vs as a novel. Therefore my interest was piqued by your disclosure.
Drown responds: A Sister to Butterflies is more or less a fairy tale, but told in a realistic, adult voice—something that’s always fascinated me, children’s tales through the grim lens of verisimilitude. Maguire’s Wicked is exactly that: An Oz that has geopolitical concerns, wars, sex, religious zealots and murder. However, Maguire’s prose in that book, to me, runs a bit dry here and there. As a counterpoint, The Lovely Bones takes place in the modern world, but is written in such beautiful and lush language that it reads like a fairy tale.
So, that book falls somewhere within that spectrum. It’s my favorite work to date, and I’m excited to say it’s being considered by a publisher as I write this.
What is one thing readers might find surprising to learn about you?
Drown responds: That I have a vestigial tail.
Okay, that’s not true either. But that sure would be interesting. Maybe this’ll start a rumor.
Outside the realm of writing, what enriches your spirit the most? Where do you find your serenity?
Drown responds: Put me on a rocky coast with raspy grey ocean at my front and dark green pines at my back. Put me on a footpath deep in the woods with a daypack on my shoulders and a trek pole in my hand. Put me in airport, or put me in a car, with hundreds of miles to travel. Put me in a dim room with a cold beer and a close friend or two where we’ve hours to do nothing but save the world and each other’s souls.
Do any of those things, and I’ll show you serenity.
*Note: The author wished to quote from Sheil Silverstein’s “Where the Sidewalk Ends” except, as a book blogger I do look for permissions rights on quoting from each book that has a quotation on Jorie Loves A Story. Unfortunately, HarperCollins requires written approval for any and all quotations of their books for both adults and children. Therefore, I altered the quote by giving the essence of what is contained within the context of the opening page. If you see any quotations of books, due know it was after I either read the permissions per publisher website (as they sometimes allow small quotations for reviews), per book, or have personally contacted the publisher and/or author which applies to which book I’ve thus quoted. Thank you for your understanding!
Likewise, I found any quotations for Mark Twain published prior to 1923 can be freely quoted without prior permission due to fair use. Full information on quoting Mark Twain can be found on the Mark Twain Project website. Except to say, despite spending a few hours researching Twain database searches & source attribution sites, I cannot determine if the selected quote is inside the deadline or outside of it, as there is an authorised scholar of Twain who has the rights for anything written or said of Twain past 1923. I elected to yield to a site which has the quotation to be seen outside of this Interview.
I also exchanged one way of flavourfully colourising the mantra of Mainers for another!
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{SOURCES: Book cover for “A Mage of None Magic”, Author Biography, Book Synopsis, and tour badges were provided by Tomorrow Comes Media and used with permission. Author Interview badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers & My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. In conjunction with reading the novel for review on behalf of Tomorrow Comes Media, I wanted to interview Mr. Drown to gain an insight to his perspective as a debut author of epic fantasy. My questions were sent to the author and received a reply through Tomorrow Comes Media for which I am thankful.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.
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That’s What He Said – Quoting Mark Twain – (huffingtonpost.com)
The Fey have been with us since the beginning, sometimes to our great joy but often to our detriment. Usually divided (at least by us silly humans) into two courts, the first volume of A Chimerical World focuses on the Seelie Court: the court we humans seem to view as the “good” faeries. But “good” and “evil” are human concepts and as alien to the Fey as their mindsets are to us.
Inside you will find 19 stories that delve into the world of the faeries of the Seelie Court, from authors both established and new, including George S. Walker, Eric Garrison, and Alexandra Christian.
But be warned: these faeries are nothing like Tinker Bell.
The Fey have been with us since the beginning, sometimes to our great joy but often to our detriment. Usually divided (at least by us silly humans) into two courts, the second volume of A Chimerical World focuses on the Unseelie Court: the court we humans seem to view as the “evil” faeries. But “good” and “evil” are human concepts and as alien to the Fey as their mindsets are to us.
Inside you will find 19 stories that delve into the world of the faeries of the Unseelie Court, from authors both established and new, including Michael Shimek, Deedee Davies, and Nick Bryan.
But don’t be surprised if these faeries decide to play with their food.
One of the things that I appreciate being able to bring to my readers on Jorie Loves A Story, are interviews with Editors as much as Authors of whom I am featuring work by during blog tours! I am always innately curious about their personal perspectives both as professionals and avid readers, as the one thing all creatives share who are bookishly inclined is a pure knack and addition to the printed word! Our explorations vary greatly as each of us are quite individualistically unique in which writers speak to the murmurs of our imagination and heart’s delight of exploration, but within the common threads which are revealed per interview, you will find that we all have one key of commonality: the pure joy of soaking into a novel or story which lights a feverish excitement in our mind’s eye!
I love being able to be in a position to ask curious questions of those who work behind the scenes to bring out emerging new talent and new stories which will give all of us something to ponder, ruminative after, and enjoy most heartedily as we seek our next best read as much as our next most challenging read if we dare to jump outside our comfort zones! A habit I most encourage all readers to take up regularly as it keeps the ability to draw an empathic eye towards the unknown and not yet discovered at the forefront of our fingertips! Therefore, as I am a relatively new reader of fiction in short story format via anthologies, as well as a reader drawn back into her roots of science fiction & fantasy, I welcomed the chance to interview an Editor of three current new releases for the Indie Publisher Seventh Star Press! The first two anthologies are part of this lovely blog tour, where faeries are explored and divided into two distinctive courts: the Seelie and Unseelie. I opted to yield to the tour director’s wisdom in knowing about my reading preferences on which anthological collection I would receive for review during the tour! He wisely elected to send me the Seelie Court!
Ahead of reading my observations on the Seelie Court and the authors whose contributions are contained therein, I am honoured to welcome Mr. Sandridge today!
Let us settle into a comfy chair, sip a cuppa tea, and listen to the conversation as it unfolded:
What do you enjoy the most being an editor of short story anthologies!? In particular, what attracts you to the fantasy genre?
Sandridge responds: Finding great stories, and getting to read them before anyone else. ;) Well, aside from the author and perhaps beta readers, but hey. shrugs I also love seeing a good publishable story from an unpublished author. I remember what it felt like to get published for the first time, and when there’s a chance to give that feeling to someone else, the editor job ends up even more rewarding.
The thing I love most about the fantasy genre is you get to experience whole new worlds and meet mythic-level heroes (or sometimes just ordinary characters caught up in extraordinary situations) and villains that you ‘know’ are evil. And the monsters, can’t forget about all the cool scary monsters.
I must confess, that is one positive attribute attached to being a book blogger, as I oft am in a position to read a novel ahead of its publication date as well! I have not yet had the option of being a beta reader realised, but I know I would enjoy the work beta readers contribute back to the writers who give them the opportunity. I receive the same enjoyment whilst reading ARCs. Yes, I agree with you on the discovery of wicked sweet stories alighting out of the emergence of a new writer about to hit the bookshelves and become a part of the experience and joy for readers to engage into their stories and the heart of their voice in written form! I smiled whilst reading you enjoy passing forward the happiness you experienced yourself. I have found this to be true countless times, as the publishing world is very close-knit and is very much a community. I will yield to your appreciation of ‘monsters’,.. as I recently added that notation in my Review Policy! Laughs with mirth!
What do you appreciate more professionally, the role of a writer or that of an editor? Do you equally find enjoyment in both roles?
Sandridge responds: Each role has their own good points, and each role has their own headaches. I prefer writing over being an editor, but that’s because I always wanted to be known as a writer. But overall, I enjoy each role equally.
Your response is short and yet goes directly to the heart of who you are at the same time! Wicked!
I read that you have written over 60 reviews, were those for novels or short story anthologies, or not entirely bookish either? How did you find your footing as a reviewer and what did you enjoy the most (or still do) by reviewing the creativity of others?
Sandridge responds: I’ve reviewed novels, short story anthologies, and short story magazines. I first became a reviewer for Tangent Online back when Eugie Foster had been the managing editor (that was around mid-2005 when I started there). She had me do a test review on a magazine, liked what I wrote, and brought me on board.
The best part of being a reviewer is that it forces you to read with a critical eye. While it’s not as in-depth as a full critiquing, it can still give you a good idea of what works (at least for you) and what doesn’t. And that is very helpful knowledge that you can apply to your own writing.
I enjoyed learning of your path towards being a reviewer, as that is one thing I have noticed as a book blogger, we all entered the world of reviewing published literary works through different veins of entrance! I, myself was given a chance to review ARCs and finished copies ahead of their publication dates via Book Browse ahead of creating Jorie Loves A Story. It was through my love of my work as a First Impressions Early Reader that garnished my pure joy and love of book blogging! As well as a few other factors, like being bookishly bubbly and a natural bourne author / book cheerleader! As evident from my visits on The Star Chamber Show! Laughs. You’re work in both fiction, short story anthology, and magazine markets is quite the legacy of work and you definitely have the flexible reach of conveying your observations in multiple mediums! A wicked accomplishment, by far!
When did you first pick up the pen? And, in which direction did it guide you?
Sandridge responds: I think I was about 7 or 8 when I first watched The Neverending Story. I liked that movie so much that I decided to try to write a story that would never end. I stopped writing that, which I had titled Jotan’s Journey, after about a hundred pages when I realized the story sucked. Then I tried a couple short stories. It wasn’t until my teens when I picked up the pen again after developing a fantasy world I call Pankea. But even then, it was more hobby than anything else (although at the time I thought I was being “serious” about it). It wasn’t until I was 25, and realized that my life was already 1/3rd over and I so far hadn’t accomplished jack, when I finally knuckled down and got serious about becoming an author.
And, here I always felt I was the sole appreciator of “The Neverending Story”!! I never once met another kid in grades school who was as attached to that motion picture as I was! You warmed my heart using that as a starting point to respond to this question! Wow. Totally impressed! Perhaps I just have lived in the wrong state for Speculative Fiction appreciators!? That would not gobsmack me in the least! I always wondered if I was surrounded by a heap of Muggles! Laughs. Oy vie. I can first-hand understand your initial writing attempts, as one of my secondary teachers (sixth grade) would have well attested to: I had the heart of a writer, but I did not yet know how to fuse the idea to the page, yet my attempts were landmark to him, as he read every bit of what I gave. This being unique as I took simple English essay or vocabulary exercises and turnt them into short stories! Your drawing conclusion nipped off 25 years of living, as I for one always felt at twenty-five I only had lived one quarter of my life, not one-third! Mind you, I never felt that was the wrong side of the hourglass but a accumulation of adventures & stories thus far recorded in living memory! No matter how we each approach our path as a writer, the one thing remains: we were not like our peers and for that I smile a bit wickedly in fond appreciation & celebration of being a ‘creative’.
Which writers inspired you to write and share your own stories? And, can you give a bit of detail into how they gave you the inspiration?
Sandridge responds: My three primary inspirations are a bizarre mixed bag: Edgar Allen Poe, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Stephen King. It’s one of the reasons why even my heroic fantasy stories tend to veer into the dark and disturbing. I like how every single word, phrase, and sentence in a Poe short story is intentionally crafted to create a single powerful emotional effect in the reader (and his skill at alliteration is to die for). I love Tolkien’s sweeping epic scale in a world that felt real and also seemed to have a life of its own. And I’ve always been enamored by Stephen King’s “no balderdash rubbish” approach to the craft.
And then there’s Eugie Foster. Every time I read one of her stories, I end up depressed for a week due to the fact that I know there’s no way I’ll ever be able to write with such flowing elegance in a way that seems so completely natural. That, and after reading one of her stories, you’re no longer the same person you once were before you had read it.
Of the three key inspirations you’ve mentioned, one was always on my TBR List long before I ever heard the bookish reader’s slang word for “books I want to read” (as TBR is ‘to be read’ slang): J.R.R. Tolkien appealed to my sensitivity of seeking out wordsmiths with the innate ability to dig deep into narrative which is both full of depth and breadth of story. Ironically, I did not actually acquire his books until my early twenties, seeking out the Histories direct from England and yet, placing them on my shelf to await the proper season to explore them fully! Ironic or no, the season has yet to arrive — as I plumb was bewitched, enchanted, and attached to the motion pictures save the violent overtures, as it was the characters which spoke to me the most: the Elves especially and the setting of Middle Earth! I even loved Gimli! (as revealed on my book review for “A Brotherhood of Dwarves”) King isn’t my traditional go-to psychological suspense writer, (as I have an aversion to Horror; yet I like Horror in other formats like classic motion pictures & a few other quirky interests) and yet, I could not help but include “The Dead Zone” & “Hearts in Atlantis” on my tCC List! (I spoke about this over the weekend in my #ChocLitSaturdays Tweet Chat) And, somewhere on my blog & in the book blogosphere itself, I have more than once mentioned my deep pull towards Middle Earth as a world wholly realistic and true to our own. I felt as though I *knew!* Middle Earth whilst I watched the motion pictures! As though I had ‘been there previously’ and my memories were slightly out of reach!? Poe interests me but from a distance. I am reading about his wife in “Mrs. Poe” in June for an upcoming blog tour! Clearly, I never quite close the door on what does not directly interest me! (the whole reach outside your comfort zone is a personal mantra!) Now, Eugie Foster I know nothing about – I will get back to you after I have time to reach her collective work!
What was your favourite past-time as a child? Did it inspire your future creative pursuits?
Sandridge responds: Hunting, fishing, video games, watching cartoons, and playing RPG games like Dungeons & Dragons. I also loved playing baseball even though my constant itching, sneezing, and watery eyes from my allergies made it difficult to play. Out of them all, I think D&D inspired my creative pursuits the most, but then that’s what the old tabletop RPG games were designed to do.
Oh, still my heart — I love board games & role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons! Laughs. You brought back happy memories of my childhood & teenage years! (I mention my gaming past in my book review of “Virtual Blue”) Fishing was always a happy day out for me, as it was simply me, the fish in the brackish river, and the worms in the Styrofoam cup I had the most pleasure in talking to before I used them as bait! I used the approach of Native Americans in being blessed for what you need in order to gain what you need. Except to say my precision as a fisherman was not nearly as accurate as my intentions, but the solitude and serenity of nature invigorated me! Plus how many girls do you know actually *love!* baiting their own hooks and purchasing their own bait!? I send up a heart-note of gratitude to my beloved grandfather for instilling my passion of fishing and giving his grand-daughter her first Swiss Army knife, tackle box, and fishing pole! Oy vie! Baseball! I could talk heaps of hours about baseball — from sorting out how I am a Leftie to a keen third-baseman, to the joy of being a Red Sox Nation girl! A hinting of which I revealed on this blog post by a recent debut author I hosted Ms. Brenda S. Anderson! Wicked sweet meeting another gamer who is a baller!
What is your favourite aspect of being involved with the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genre? (aka: Speculative Fiction) What endears you most?
Sandridge responds: Those three genres let you create pure poppycock in ways that no other genre will allow. Of course, with science fiction, you have to get the science right (or at least consistent and logical for your world) or you’re up the creek without the proverbial paddle. They’re also the genres that are much more closely related to both the Bardic Tradition and the Mythic Tradition, and thus are the evolved versions of what our ancient ancestors had first pioneered.
I completely agree with your sentiments on behalf of science fiction especially when you consider writing science fiction based on science fact (such as I have). For me that is part of the challenge and joy of writing science fiction, but it can also be the bullet which bites off your tail if you are not considerate of how you go about structuring your world and allowing the physics of your world’s dynamics to remain centered and true to its form.
Is editing an anthology more difficult than writing a book? If so, why? And, how did you make the final selections fit into each collection of A Chimerical World as you spilt them between the two court divisions of the fey?
Sandridge responds: When writing a book you still have to do some editing on your part before sending it off to an editor, so yeah, writing can be more difficult than just editing.
When deciding which story would go into which volume, I mostly went by the overall nature of the Fey in the stories. I didn’t want to fall into the trap of casting the Seelie Court as being all good and the Unseelie as being all bad. After all, faeries are a wee bit more complex than that. The authors had picked which court their stories belonged in, and the vast majority of them picked well. There were only a couple that were submitted for the Seelie Court that I decided better belonged in the Unseelie Court, or vice versa.
This is a credit to knowing which writers to pull into an anthology and the role in which you asserted as the leader and guide of the anthology itself. I cannot wait to reveal my own observations based on the collection of shorts inside the Seelie Court and then, make a further comment on this revelation of how they were collected!
What stood out to you the most of Tolkien’s elves & Shakespeares faeries to the brink that you settled back on their memories whilst creating the project that is now A Chimerical World? What attributes of those classical creations and distinctive personalities of their creations inspired you forward to seek out new voices of faerie stories?
Sandridge responds: I always loved stories involving elves and sprites and trolls. Tolkien’s elves are some of the most well-developed elves ever created, with a rich vast history spanning tens of thousands of years. And who doesn’t love Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The best thing about the Fey is that they epitomize “The Other” in that they can be so similar to us and yet so alien at the same time. And that’s what stands out the most in the stories you find in the A Chimerical World anthologies, that alien-but-familiar vibe.
You’ll be most surprised to learn this, but although I readily watched “A MidSummer’s Night Dream” in the cinemas when the new adaptation released with actors of our age taking on the lead roles, I have yet to sit down and acquaint myself with the actual bonefide original creation! (which I reveal in length on my review of “A MidSummers Night’s Steampunk”) The uniqueness of the fey and of faeries in general is part of what inspired me to create the hashtag for “A Chimerical World” to help start the conversation on Twitter for readers who pick up the volumes and want to create a convo based on what they find inside. I love characters who are alien yet familiar myself and that is one reason I opted to be on this tour! As much as why it goes to why I am passionately attached to “Avatar”!
I am also keenly interested in how you approached selecting the stories for Hero’s Best Friend as it is also an upcoming anthology with Seventh Star Press, going on tour in the book blogosphere shortly after A Chimerical World! Why do stories set in fantasy realms and involve animals bewitch our hearts as much as they do?
Sandridge responds: Humans have had animals as companions since before written history. They enrich our lives in such ways that most of us can’t even imagine a life without them. And while animal companions in fantasy and science fiction stories are always fun to see on-screen or read about, very rarely do they ever take a lead role in the story, outside of comedies. I thought it’d be fun to switch that around.
Yes, I completely agree with you on this score – they are oft underused in stories where they could be front and center as protagonists. This is also a harkening back to what has endeared me to science fiction and fantasy in motion pictures, as “The Neverending Story”, “Pete’s Dragon”, “Chronicles of Narnia”, and “Small Soldiers” alight in mind where animals take on distinctive lead roles in order to help their companions on their journey. I look forward to being on the blog tour for “Hero’s Best Friend” and seeing the stories which came out of your mission to bring them front and center!
I know you enjoy attending book conventions &/or festivals. What is singularly your favourite aspect of a convention? And, do you have a favourite story of meeting a reader who either knew of your work or enjoyed reading the same stories you do?
Sandridge responds: The best part of conventions is the face-to-face you get that can’t happen online, and being surrounded by people who enjoy a lot of the same kind of stuff you do. I like to hit the game rooms when I have the time to spare. It’s an awesome experience to play games with other writers, complete strangers, people you meet only at the cons, and your fans—and every mixture thereof.
Yes, I would think that is the best part of bookish conventions for me as well, even though I have not yet attended my first one! I have part of my blog’s sidebar dedicated to bookish conventions & festivals (which I do realise needs to be updated for 2014 /2015 dates!) as part of my long-term goals of JLAS is to be in attendance of the very events I am listing to help others find them to attend themselves! The bubbly chatterbox in me who likes to engage in truly spontaneous conversations will be lit with joy from the first moment she alights on the convention floor to the moment she hits the dreamscapes late into the wee hours of that next morn! Oh, I cannot help but dream of attending at the moment,.. including the Imaginarium which is an upcoming début bookish & writerly convention in September | Louisville, Kentucky!
What is the hardest part to writing short story fiction? On level of how the story needs to resonate and settle into the imagination of the reader? What tools and materials do you use to write? And, where do you write the most? Time of Day?
Sandridge responds: The hardest part is not falling into the trap of telling instead of showing. It’s an easy trap to fall into because you often do it without realizing what it is you’re doing. I used to write on a PC made of cannibalized parts that I called Frankenputer, but poor Franky kicked the bucket about a year back. Currently I write on an Acer laptop, when not scribbling notes at work on sticky note pads.
I used to have a strict writing schedule of 500 words minimum every day, Monday through Friday. But that was before I got stuck with an overnight job that has a 1 ½ hour commute to work and a 1 ½ hour commute back home. Now I mostly write on the weekends and on those rare weekdays when my brain is cognizant enough to string a sentence together.
Sticky notes!? You must be a saint of a writer to write notes in such a small space of paper! I barely have space on sticky notes to write my ‘to do list’ for JLAS! As much as notes about blogs to visit, books to fetch at my local library, upcoming weekly memes, blog tours to visit, tweet chats not to miss (and generally forget about lateron!), etc. Your Frankenputer reminds me of my own grimaces of dealing with Murdoc (named after a character on “Macgyver”) a feisty printer of the past who vexed me something fierce whilst attempting to print everything from personal correspondence to drafts of my manuscripts! He was a true ‘killjoy’, hence the name as he murdered every attempt I’d make to print! (note the sadistic humour?) I feel you for the commute – my Da had the same nightmaric hours on the interstate as you before he retired! Except his was rounded to four hours a day as he went two hours in both directions. I will hope for your work schedule to ease allowing you to resume your writing without the stress of a shortage of time to enjoy it in the near future.
Why does your passion lie with Indie Publishers and how did you decide to become active in the Indies?
Sandridge responds: The best thing about Small Press and Indies is you have much more freedom and control over your creations. It’s a powerful feeling to have.
That being said, writers also have to eat, so if a big publisher came along and offered enough money, I’d certainly be tempted to say yes. ;)
I love the ability of small publishers and independent publishers to take a risk on a writer whose work would not escape the slush pile at a big house. To give writers who have a more unique voice in narrative to have a chance at being published and having the backing of a publisher who believes in their vision & body of work. That said, there have been hybrid and/or self-published authors who I have had the pleasure of meeting through blog tour events that I was thankful had the confidence and persistence to get their books in print! I am thinking of “To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis“, “Inscription“, “The Storm Sullivan Saga“, “Safe & Sound“, and my forthcoming reviews of “Portals, Passages, & Pathways” as well as “The Dragon’s Pawn” (which carries on from “The Pact“). I celebrate cheering the innovative choices in publishing today!
What are three novels involving faeries you’ve appreciated but are not on a reader’s radar to read!? Meaning, they are not readily brought to light or spoken about as much as an author everyone would recognise by name alone. What captivated you by the context of the writer’s choice of faerie?
Sandridge responds: There’s a really cool elf in The Brotherhood of Dwarves series by D.A. Adams. And Eugie Foster has written some pretty cool stories involving Asian faeries and shape-changers; some of those stories you can find in her short story collections, like Returning My Sister’s Face. And Selah Janel has a novel that just came out, titled Olde School, which has Fey galore in it.
Faeries always spark imagination and wonder, and can be a theme all to their own.
I highlighted “The Brotherhood of Dwarves” because I had the honour of reading this during my previous showcase of Seventh Star Press authors & titles. I am still intrigued to learn more about Eugie Foster and I like the fact she wrote about a different cultural of faerie as much as included shapeshifters, as ever since I met the hawk in “Reclamation“, I am now keen to find more shapeshifters who appeal to me! I was happy for Ms. Janel to have a new release on tour right now as I have enjoyed getting to know her through The Star Chamber Show!
What is your greatest everyday joy?
Sandridge responds: Coffee and Mt. Dew! And lots of both!
By far the most unexpected answer I have ever received in an Interview! However, I must also admit, I was a Mt. Dew guzzling teenager who drank enough of the greenish liquid to curate enough caps to submit in to receive the wicked sweet Mt. Dew skateboard ONLY to be told by whomever was in charge of the collection of bottlecaps that ‘due to reasons not able to disclose’ the skateboard would not be sent to me nor would I be refunded the postage nor the shipping costs in which I included. I was NEVER more depressed nor deflated in my entire life! I never even thought to enter a ‘drink for a prize’ before and I never will again! Since then, I have had a distinctive cringe towards drinking the soft drink; and very, very rarely ever allow myself the pleasure of its taste. Why I elected to share this today is unknown! Hmm,… I should have revealed my new affixed addiction to java, which inspired the badge at the footer of this blog! Laughs! Consider this a ‘quirky antidote of Jorie’,… lest I ever reveal how disastrous it was for me to not collect a snowboard that was on layaway for six-months,… raspberry mocha latte anyone!?
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Converse on Twitter: #AChimericalWorld & #7thStar
All week-long I am proud to be hosting Seventh Star Press books and anthologies by emerging new talent in the Speculative Fiction branch of literature! This is my second Seventh Star Press focus week here on Jorie Loves A Story in 2014! The first focus week was self-promoted by myself and this time I have the honour of hosting blog tours for the publisher through Tomorrow Comes Media their publicity agent and firm.
I previously spoke on behalf of my passion for reading Anthologies during the A to Z Challenge!
This Editor Interview is courtesy of:
as I am happily honoured to be:
I reviewed “A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court” on Monday, 19th of May, 2014!
Please visit my Bookish Events page to stay in the know for upcoming events!
Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.
Reader Interactive Question:
In an effort to make this Interview a bit more interactive for my visitors & readers, I wanted to open up a Poll to see which fantastical creatures and characters within the Speculative Fiction realms are most enjoyed by everyone who alights on this blog tour post for Tomorrow Comes Media! Specifically out of my own curiosity and due to the fact this is a blog tour for Seventh Star Press, which is an Indie Publisher for Speculative Fiction authors and their stories!
Likewise, if you have a spare second after taking the Poll (more than one answer is allowed!), kindly add inside the comment threads why your heart leads you to marking down your answer! Name which stories by which authors of whom represent your choice(s) as a way to encourage others who alight on this post to seek a new author to explore! I look forward to seeing the responses myself as I always find quite a heap to look forward to reading within the Science Fiction & Fantasy genres! Those of you who read Horror are welcome to give those choices as well!
{SOURCES: Book covers for “A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court”, “A Chimerical World: Tales of the Unseelie Court”, and “Heros Best Friend: An Anthology of Animal Companions”, Author Biography and Book Synopsis of the anthologies were provided by Tomorrow Comes Media and used with permission. Collage of all three anthology book covers created by Jorie in PicMonkey. Author Interview badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers & My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. In conjunction with reading the anthology for review on behalf of Tomorrow Comes Media, I wanted to interview Mr. Sandridge to gain an insight to his perspective as both a writer and an editor. My questions were sent to the author and received a reply through Tomorrow Comes Media for which I am thankful.}
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