Monday, March 29, 2010

Make-Believe Monday with Philip Athans


Today on Make-Believe Mondays my guest is Phil Athans.

Phil, first, tell us a little bit about the manuscript you’re working on now.

Phil: I’ve recently put to bed The Guide to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction for Adams Media. It offers easy to read advice and inspiration for genre authors of all levels, but is geared a bit more for the aspiring author. I managed to pull together interviews with a number of major authors in the field. Advice, encouragement, anecdotes, and even warnings from those colleagues are scattered throughout the book. Contributors include some of the best-selling authors currently working in the fantasy and SF genres today (R.A. Salvatore, Terry Brooks, Kevin J. Anderson), critically acclaimed newer authors (Paul Park, J.M. McDermott) and even other editors (Lou Anders, John Betancourt), agents and critics.

Though I have a part of me that’s always been a bit skeptical about “how to” books in a subject I hold as sacred as I do the written word, the advice is geared toward the specific demands of the fantasy and science fiction genres. I honestly don’t think any book can teach you how to be a storyteller, but there are certain peculiarities to genre writing that can be learned, and should be if you want to appeal to genre readers. I hope the book will teach you how to build the “skin” that covers the essential spirit of any novel: a story well told, a clever turn of phrase, and a heartfelt universal truth.

Debra: One of the things I have always appreciated about my author friends is their willingness to share what they've learned, what they know of the writing craft and what it takes to craft a compelling story. Storytelling is a craft and I've always viewed the passing along of such knowledge as a way of showing respect for that craft along with thankfulness for the lessons learned and the mentors who helped along the way.

Ray Bradbury said, “We are cups, constantly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” How do you keep your creative cup filled?

Phil: It may sound like a cop-out answer to say, “I’m inspired by everything,” but I expend a considerable amount of energy trying to do just that. I think a writer should be a sponge, literally and liberally soaking up anything you gather in from any and all of your five senses. There’s nothing that can’t end up in a book, from ancient religious scripture to the often impenetrable mumblings of reality show contestants.

In particular I’m drawn to the creative output of others. Inspiration for a story, a character, or a whole fantasy world can be drawn from any combination of any number and variety of sources, including history, mythology, and current events. But reading other fiction, inside and outside the genre you tend to write, is essential to any fiction writer. Movies and (quality, scripted) television also inform my writing, especially in action scenes. The movies have really been dialing up the stakes on the action set-piece and any author of fantasy and SF in particular should be watching those movies and taking advantage of the written word’s lack of a special effects and stunt budget to spark wilder flights of creativity. Bigger isn’t always better, but smaller isn’t always better either. In the book I encourage authors facing a blank page at the beginning of an action scene to ask themselves: WWJCD? What Would Jackie Chan Do?

Debra: Not a cop out at all. And I like your Jackie Chan question. :-)

Some very famous authors have played with language, creating words for people or places that no one has ever heard of. Have you ever played with words in that way and if so how?

Phil: That sort of thing is an absolutely essential skill for fantasy and SF authors. Fantasy readers in particular are drawn to plausibility, not realism, so the adventures of Jim’s trip to Chicago is inherently less interesting to a fantasy reader than Huirdon’s journey across the Sandwastes of Chyren. I’ve always stopped well short of the hyper-immersive Tolkienesque steps of first inventing the language, but what you call something can tell a reader an awful lot about that thing in a single word. In The Guide to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction I give the example of a political office: If the Foreign Minister of a fantasy realm has set out on a program of genocide against gnomes, we’re not certain right away of that’s something he’s doing on his own or is part of his job description—is he evil and grossly overstepping his authority, or is the realm itself institutionally genocidal? If the character’s title is Minister of Gnome Eradication we instantly know that this is a government purposefully and openly organized with the goal of gnomish genocide. The author’s decision in that one naming convention builds his world in very specific ways, without pages of dry exposition.

Debra: Yes one word can change everything. As you've shown one word can explain so much.

For some writers, dreams play a role in creating fiction. Has this been true for you? Have you ever dreamed a scene or an image that later wound up in one of your books?

Phil: I have no spiritual, metaphysical, or superstitious component to my life at all, so I think most people would expect me to dismiss dreams as random firings of neurons without any particular significance, but that’s not at all the case. Though dreams are indeed, more or less, the result of the random firing of neurons, they’re my neurons, bent to my collection of memories, my emotional and psychological tendencies, my hopes, fears, and so on, so the result of those random firings can be of great personal significance, and no serious writer of fiction should ever ignore any moment of great personal significance.

There’s a scene in my novel Whisper of Waves in a which a ship is transported through a magical portal but something goes wrong and the ship emerges a hundred feet in the air, and crashes to the sea below. I dreamed that before I ever started writing the novel and had it in mind from the moment I started thinking about that story. The published scene is pretty close to the dream experience.

Several years ago I wrote a screenplay that, like the overwhelming majority of screenplays written by anyone, remains unproduced. It’s called Every Two Years, a Spider, and concerns a woman with the pathological compulsion to have children then intentionally poison them with the bite of the black widow spider. “Inspired,” if such a noble word can be invoked for such as this, by stories that were all over the press at the time of mothers murdering their own children, it’s a disturbing, tense little piece that I gave up on at least five time as I was writing it—because it was giving me nightmares.

At first it seemed as though my own brain was rejecting the writing of this script, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed that what I was really trying to do, subconsciously, was deal with it in some way, compartmentalize it, cleanse my mind of it. And the dreams only got worse when I wasn’t writing it.

I also sometimes have dreams that I’m not actually a part of. It’s as though I’m watching a movie play out in my head. These I struggle to remember. I still recall in detail a vivid dream that was a complete story laid bare, and one I’m still circling around writing. It’s almost like writing the novelization of a movie you only sat through once—ten years ago. Not easy, but . . .
If you ever see my name on a novel entitled Ghosts of Camelot, that was the dream—scene for scene.

Debra: I would love to see your name on a novel entitled Ghosts of Camelot. And the movie too. :-)

If there were no categories for books, no reader expectations to meet, and you could create the wildest work of imagination that you could think of what kind of story would that be?

Phil: Ultimately I think it would be a story about how much we all do to stand in the way of our own happiness. I wonder if it’s possible to encourage—even force—people to stop and think about all the things they do, think, and feel that’s weighing them down, making them unhappy for no other reason than “I was raised to believe . . .” or “I’m offended by . . .”

When has being offended by someone else ever made your life better? When has hating someone, stopping someone from doing something that causes no injury to anyone but people who’ve decided to be offended made the world a better place? There always seems to be something we’re all up in arms about—gay marriage in America, for instance, or state-sponsored health care—and in the end we eventually get over it and move on to being offended by something else.

Maybe I could write a historical fantasy that makes it clear that, ninety years ago, millions of Americans were deeply offended by the idea of women voting, or that the year I was born (and I’m not that old) there was such a thing as “Whites Only” restaurants. Human behavior is like the stock market, it fluctuates wildly but over the very long term it trends up.

Oops. Was I being hopeful just then?

Debra: Yes, Phil. You are perhaps more helpful than you know and I have quite enjoyed this interview. Thank you for joining us here on this Make-believe Monday to share a little bit of the magic of writing with our readers.

Readers here is a little bit about Phil:

Philip Athans is the New York Times best-selling author of Annihilation and nine other fantasy and horror novels for Wizards of the Coast. Born in Rochester, New York in 1964 he grew up in suburban Chicago, where he published the literary magazine Alternative Fiction & Poetry. He now resides in the foothills of the Washington Cascades, east of Seattle.

You can follow him on Twitter: @PhilAthans
and on the blogosphere at: fantasyhandbook.wordpress.com
and read his blog novel at: completelybroken.wordpress.com

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Debra's News/Debra is watching:

This coming Saturday I will be signing books in Blytheville, AR at That Little Bookstore Saturday April 3rd from 1:00 to 3:00. Come by and join me for tea and conversation. I love to meet readers!

www.debraparmley.com

Monday, March 22, 2010

Make-Believe Monday with Jackie Gamber

Today on Make-Believe Mondays my guest is Jackie Gamber.

Jackie, first, tell us a little bit about the manuscript you’re working on now.

Jackie: Debra, I’ve begun the editing phase of a time travel/historical novel surrounding two of history’s most influential and mysterious people: Adam Worth (the real-life inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘Moriarty’, and Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. Though the two were born nearly 100 years apart, and are connected in history only by way of a single painting, my novel tells the story of how they met and fell in love. It is the story of “what really happened”.
In addition, I’m writing on the second volume in my Leland Dragons series.

Debra: So you're venturing into romance then. My favorite genre. :-)

Some very famous authors have played with language, creating words for people or places that no one has ever heard of. Have you ever played with words in that way and if so how?

Jackie: Much of my favorite kind of writing involves characters from places created only in my imagination. I have, on occasion, created languages as well, which is a lot of fun, although I’m careful not to overdo it. A splash of unknown language between two characters can add realism; too much is overwhelming. But I enjoy naming characters, as well, with phonetically-friendly but unusual sounds. My fantasy novel, Redheart, takes place in Leland Province, where dragon names are something of a Native American feel, and human names seem almost familiar.

Debra: Just a splash, dears. (Writing can be so much like cooking.)

As a child did any particular book or author pull you into their imaginary world?

Jackie: My first experience with a story that involved characters from another world—a wizard and a witch—was The Frightened Forest by Ann Turnbull. In the story, a girl visits her cousins in an unfamiliar town, and upon meeting a dare to walk alone through an abandoned train tunnel, she accidentally releases a witch who had been imprisoned in the dark. I was enthralled by the tale, but had no idea at the time that it was a “fantasy”. My love for that book definitely shaped the kind of stories I write today.

Debra: Ah, now that's a new one that hasn't come up before. I'll have to look for it.

Jackie, thank you for visiting Make-Believe Mondays this week to talk about imagination, creativity and dreams.

Readers may learn more about Jackie and her books by visiting
www.lelanddragons.com and www.jackiegamber.com

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Debra's News/Debra is watching:

Last week I attended Gulf Wars in Lumberton, MS where I sold some books, slept in a period pavillion (primitive camping at this site) and soaked up the atmosphere and experiences to use in the medieval romance I am planning. Just got in Sunday so this week is going to be spent getting caught up on things after having been away.

This coming Saturday I will be at That Bookstore in Blytheville signing books from 1:00 to 3:00. If you are in the area do stop in for tea and to say hello! I love making new friends and meeting readers.

www.debraparmley.com

Monday, March 15, 2010

Make-Believe Monday with Rosemary Jones

Today on Make-Believe Mondays my guest is Rosemary Jones.

Rosemary, first, tell us a little bit about the manuscrip you’re working on now.

Rosemary: I’m always working on multiple projects. Right now, one project with a firm deadline is a short story requested for a fantasy anthology. The other is a new idea that started last year with a rejection from an editor. I had been asked to outline a potential trilogy but the project never happened. I was looking at my notes and thinking that I liked certain characters but I wanted to go in different directions than the original outline.

Debra: Ray Bradbury said, “We are cups, constantly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” How do you keep your creative cup filled?

Rosemary: I read. Constantly. I don’t think I could be a writer without being a reader first. My newest electronic toy is an e-book reader that lets me check out books from the library. It makes grabbing a little extra reading time so easy – I can always whip it out on the bus or during a break in the day.

Debra: Yes, how could anyone create books without loving books? Writers must read. In all the interviews I've done here on MBM, you're the first to mention eBooks as a way to feed your creative well.

Is there a point when your characters begin to come alive and you can see and hear them?

Rosemary: If I’m writing about them, they are already alive in my head. Perhaps because I spend much of my outlining time pondering how people would be reacting in the plot situation, what type of person is being called upon to deal with graveyard ghosts, and so on. All my novels have started with a very specific person in my head: I can’t get started until I know who I’m writing about. For me, fantasy simply doesn’t work if the characters aren’t alive with all the quirks and wonderful flaws that real people have. In Crypt of the Moaning Diamond, I knew the leader of the Siegebreakers was a forthright young woman with a quick temper and a rather messy look. Which meant sparks had to fly when she came up against the very polished and proper Captain who hires her mercenary band. In City of the Dead, the heroine is younger, still seeking her place in the world, and somewhat plagued by having too much family. She lives at home, and the entire family is involved with maintaining the city’s haunted graveyard, and she wants to find another career. Except she is very good at dealing with ghosts, ambulatory skeletons, and the wizard who shows up at her doorstep.

Debra: Some very famous authors have played with language, creating words for people or places that no one has ever heard of. Have you ever played with words in that way and if so how?

Rosemary: I play word games all the time in my stories, but more with names. All the uncles in City of the Dead have names that mean wisdom. In Crypt of the Moaning Diamond, my heroine is named Ivy, an odd choice for the daughter of a druid (ivy chokes trees) except her name is a symbol of her parents’ arguments: her mother picked a name sure to annoy her father. These games remain deep background, as long explanations always get cut out of the final versions. But I know why those names exist and they influence how those characters act.

Debra: Oh, that is fascinating. And this is a good example for new writers of how you trim backstory. Sometimes you need that backstory to write your way into the tale, but it doesn't mean you leave it there.

For some writers, dreams play a role in creating fiction. Has this been true for you? Have you ever dreamed a scene or an image that later wound up in one of your books?

Rosemary: I daydream certain pieces. So if you see me just sitting under a tree somewhere, staring up at the leaves, I’m not sleeping on the job. I’m thinking up a scene.

Debra: Bless the daydreamers for they are the story tellers of tomorrow. And give thanks for the trees who have watched over the and given root to those dreams. It was one of my favorite things to do as a child, that scene just as you described.

As a child did any particular book or author pull you into their imaginary world?

Rosemary: Dozens. I collect and read children’s books to this day and ended up co-authoring the Encyclopedia of Collectible Children’s Books. Off the top of my head, my big favorites as a kid in fantasy and science fiction were: L. Frank Baum, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Alexander Key, Andre Norton, Ursula K. LeGuin, and various volumes of fairy tales. These days, on my YA shelf, authors whose work I purchase immediately are J.K. Rowling (I came to Harry a little late, about three books into the series, and then gulped the lot as quickly as they were published), Kenneth Oppel, Philip Reeve, and many more. It is obviously impossible for me to stick to just one name in a question like this.

Debra: What a marvelous list you have provided.

Is there anything else you would like to add about the role of imagination, and dreams in creating fiction? Any other message for our readers?

Rosemary: Take the journey that you want to dream about, but take time to think hard about the question: “what would a human being really do in a situation like this.” So much fantasy written falls a little flat because we turn the protagonists into these impossibly wise, strong, and basically overpowered superheroes. Going back to the very first fantasy novel, Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus catches our hearts because he is such a flawed and often weak man. He can’t help boasting, even when it gets him into trouble. He loses his temper. He makes mistakes. But he also figures out how to overcome his magical and mythical opponents because he has the most compelling quest of all: after ten years at war, he wants to go home and see his wife and child.

Debra: Excellent advice. Readers please visit Rosemary at
www.rosemaryjones.com

Rosemary, thank you for joining me here on this Make-Believe Monday.

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Debra's News/Debra is watching:

This weekend I had a lovely dinner with my publisher who was in town for convention. It was another first and a fun night I will always remember. I'm looking forward to the Romantic Times convention at the end of April where I'm hoping to meet my editor for the first time face to face.

This week I am also getting ready for Gulf Wars which is an SCA event (medieval reinactment) and I will be attending Wed the 17th to Sun the 21st. My books will be available in Merchant Rose at That Special Touch, booth 85, from Wed. evening until Friday evening and I'll be around to sign them.

I'm very excited to be staying in a period pavilion tent for the first time and this and other experiences will likely make their way into the medieval story I plan to write soon. So it's going to be quite the busy week.

Check my website for book signings and other events
www.debraparmley.com

Love and light,

Debra

Monday, March 08, 2010

Make-Believe Monday with Stephen Zimmer


Today on Make-Believe Mondays my guest is Stephen Zimmer.

Stephen, first, tell us a little bit about the manuscript you’re working on now.

Stephen: Right now, I’m working on a couple of fantasy short stories for a pair of anthologies being developed by two different publishers, as well as working with my editor on polishing up the 2nd book in the Rising Dawn Saga (the sequel to The Exodus Gate). We have a release party for this book coming up at Hypericon in Nashville, which takes place June 4-6. I am very excited to be launching the new book there, as this year’s guest of honor is no less than Ramsey Campbell!

Debra: Oh, that's exciting! There's nothing quite like that book release party and holding it in your hands. (And for those who are in my stomping grounds in the Memphis area, Stephen will also be at Midsouth con.)

Ray Bradbury said, “We are cups, constantly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” How do you keep your creative cup filled?

Stephen: Music, dreams, experiences, travel…a good number of things go into my pools of inspiration. It is not any one single thing, but rather a broader process by which my inspirations emerge from a range of sources.

Debra: Is there a point when your characters begin to come alive and you can see and hear them?

Stephen: Absolutely. I get into a rather strange zone when I write, and it is as if I am writing down what I perceive, telling the story as it is played out within some sort of inner level of perception. Sometimes it is actually quite jarring to come out of a long writing session! I hope that doesn’t sound too crazy!

Debra: Doesn't sound crazy at all to me. I forget to eat and drink when I get into that zone. Then my husband will say what's for dinner, and it takes a moment to register where I am and that it is indeed time for dinner. Good thing we both like pizza. LOL

Some very famous authors have played with language, creating words for people or places that no one has ever heard of. Have you ever played with words in that way and if so how?

Stephen: I often have fun with words, sometimes even using international languages to name something. In Crown of Vengeance, I have a very formidable group of woodland creatures called the Jaghuns, which derives from the German for Jaegerhundt, or hunting dog! Similarly, the Unguhur, who live in the great caverns below the surface, have a name derived from the German word for monster.

Debra: This is fascinating! I love knowing a words origins.

For some writers, dreams play a role in creating fiction. Has this been true for you? Have you ever dreamed a scene or an image that later wound up in one of your books?

Stephen: Dreams are very powerful sources of inspiration, especially as you can experience many things that are not possible in the physical world, whether that be flying, walking under water without scuba gear, encountering dragons or monsters, and much more. I have far too many images to mention that have ended up having strong influences in my books. Visions of the Abyss, heavenly realms, and Purgatarion (in the Rising Dawn Saga) rely heavily upon such dreams. My concepts of the demonic and angelic derive from my dreams. The Elder from the Fires in Eden Series are another strong example, as are the An-Ki shape-shifting race of the Rising Dawn Saga. I’ve been able to get a very first-hand perspective of many things!

Debra: Anything is possible in a dreamscape and maybe that is why they fascinate me so. I'm glad you're able to capture them on paper. That is the tricky thing to do.

As a child did any particular book or author pull you into their imaginary world?

Stephen: My mother read me J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit when I was seven, and not long after that she got me the Chronicles of Narnia. It definitely had a profound influence on me, and set me on a fantasy voyage that has no end in sight!

Debra: Bless your mother, and all mothers who expand their children's minds this way.

If there were no categories for books, no reader expectations to meet, and you could create the wildest work of imagination that you could think of what kind of story would that be?

Stephen: Honestly, it would be doing the stories that I am doing right now, within my epic fantasy series. Epic fantasy is what I love the most, whether the tale is set in past, present, or future settings!

Debra: I'm always pleased to hear an author say that. It means the stories they are meant to be writing are being written!

Is there anything else you would like to add about the role of imagination, and dreams in creating fiction? Any other message for our readers?

Stephen: For me, dreams are a huge source of inspiration, and I have gotten many ideas and concepts for creatures and environments directly from dreams. The Elder from the Fires in Eden series, as I mentioned earlier, is one such example. I often have very powerful, very lucid dreams of a fantastical nature, sometimes dark-edged, and I am very happy when I wake up and am still able to remember the content of these sometimes harrowing, sometimes thrilling, and always unpredictable excursions.

Debra: Stephen thank you for a sharing your dream world with us and for visiting Make-Believe Mondays to share a bit of the magic of writing with our readers.

Visit Stephen at:www.stephenzimmer.com
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Debra's News/Debra is watching:

Friday I guest blogged over on Lucy Monroe's blog about Hot Springs, where I plan to set a novel.

I'm hard at work on the manuscript in progess and will soon be sending it to a few selected agents. After some bumpy patches the writing is smoothing out nicely.

Updates for book signings and conferences I'll be attending are on my website calendar:
www.debraparmley.com

Authors interested in being interviewed on Make-Believe Mondays may fill out the form there or email me at debra@debraparmley.com.

I'm enjoying my friend Gerri Russell's blog Knightly Musings and getting ready for an SCA event called Gulf Wars. I enjoy medieval reinactment and this is where we go camping for a few days and live in the re-created world. Still gathering material and researching for the medieval romance I plan to start. (Yes, I like multiple stories to work on. Probably it's the Gemini in me.)

Anyone else noticing the daffodils peeking their heads up? Spring is on its way!

Love and light,
Debra

Monday, March 01, 2010

Make-Believe Monday with Sandra Sookoo



Today my guest is Sandra Sookoo.

Sandra, first, tell us a little bit about the manuscript you’re working on now.

Sandra: The book I’m currently writing is the third in a trilogy. It’s a blend of paranormal and fantasy, with a bit of historical thrown in. The heroine (Mona) was the secondary character in the previous book and the hero (Braeden) was one of the villains in that book. It’ll be interesting for me to discover how these two will work together and how they’ll both redeem themselves.

Debra: Some very famous authors have played with language, creating words for people or places that no one has ever heard of. Have you ever played with words in that way and if so how?

Sandra: Oh absolutely! That’s part of the fun of being a writer. In THE ART OF FANG SHUI (the first book in the trilogy I spoke of) I created a world based around eight “realms”. Of course, once I created the world, I needed to populate it with different beings. It’s important in world building to remember to create a history and mythology that you’ll remember throughout every book in that series. This way, it’ll be more believable and comfortable for the reader.

Debra: That title tickles me, it's playful and fun and makes me want to read the book! And if you've had fun writing it, that usually plays through into fun for the reader as well.

For some writers, dreams play a role in creating fiction. Has this been true for you? Have you ever dreamed a scene or an image that later wound up in one of your books?

Sandra: Occasionally I’ll dream about my characters and scenes. More often than not, the next scene or bit of dialogue will come while I’m doing ordinary things like the dishes or making supper. Sometimes, I’ve woken up in the middle of the night knowing exactly what went wrong in a scene and how to fix it. Sometimes I’ll write it down. Other times I’m just too tired to reboot the computer LOL It’s funny how dreams work. I can go to bed hoping I’ll dream out the next sequence in a book. It doesn’t always work that way.

Debra: There is something about doing the dishes, or ironing or taking a shower that gets the creativity flowing, isn't there? That middle of the night waking can be problematic if we can't catch it down on paper somehow. So frustrating when it slips away. Dream journals help but not every time.

As a child did any particular book or author pull you into their imaginary world?

Sandra: I really loved Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read those 8 books and everything else she’s written. I spent every bit of my free time growing up at the library, reading there all afternoon then finally checking out 10 books or so to go home and read more. Getting lost in books was the only escape from those not quite so idyllic days. Eventually, I moved on to fantasy stories about wizards and elves, mostly by Terry Brooks. That’s probably what sparked my love of things not quite human.

Debra: Ah yes, Anne was one of my favorites too. It's only recently that I started reading fantasy so I have plenty of catching up to do! Haven't tried Terry Brooks yet but he's on the list. :-)

Sondra, thank you for joining us here on this Make-believe Monday to share a little bit of the magic of writing with our readers.

Readers may visit Sandra at:
www.sandrasookoo.com
Paranormal Romantics blog
Believing is Seeing blog
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Debra's News/Debra is watching:

Last weekend I traveled to Hot Springs, AR with my husband to celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary. We stayed in the historic Arlington Hotel and Spa. I'll be blogging about the trip this Friday, March 5th on Lucy Monroe's blog.

Today I was interviewed on the Damsels At The Gate blog.

I've been updating the calendar on my website with book signings and conferences for 2010. Also added a list of authors who have been mentors for me on the links page. Will be adding more things this week as well.
www.debraparmley.com

I'm almost done with the revisions for the contemporary romance and will be submitting to agents before the end of March.

Love and light,
Debra