Author Insides - J.S. Watts

Author Insides - J.S. Watts
 
J.S.Watts is a British writer. She was born in London, England and now lives and writes near Cambridge in East Anglia. In between, she read English at Somerville College, Oxford and spent many years working in the British education sector. She remains committed to the ideals of further and higher education despite UK governments of assorted political persuasions trying to demolish them.

Her poetry, short stories and book reviews appear in a variety of publications in Britain, Canada, Australia and the States including Acumen, Envoi, Mslexia and Fantastique Unfettered and have been broadcast on BBC and independent Radio. She has been Poetry Reviews Editor for Open Wide Literary Magazine and, until its demise, Poetry Editor for Ethereal Tales. Her debut poetry collection, Cats and Other Myths and a subsequent poetry pamphlet, Songs of Steelyard Sue are published by Lapwing Publications. Her novel, A Darker Moon, is published by Vagabondage Press.  Find her online at www.jswatts.co.uk and www.facebook.com/J.S.Watts.page When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
It was at the beginning of secondary school. I’d always enjoyed writing, but hadn’t thought beyond that. Then a teacher I really respected commented on one of my short stories, saying she thought that one day I’d be good enough to turn professional. That was the spark that ignited the dream.

Why do you write?

Because I am alive. Because it’s what I do – for me it’s like breathing, really.

Is being a writer/poet anything like you imagined it would be?

I’ve written for so long in one form or another, that I find it well nigh impossible to answer this question.

What do you think makes a good story?

A good beginning, a riveting middle and an entertaining end or a riveting beginning, an entertaining middle and a good end: perm it how you will.

What's your favorite genre to read?

I don’t have one genre, but I read a good deal in terms of literary fiction, fantasy, science fiction, crime (a little), poetry, historical fiction, biography, literary criticism and anything else I feel to be a good or interesting read.

Who is your favorite author or poet?

I don’t have just one, but in no particular order (and with apologies to those I have left out) I’d list: Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Alice Oswald, Anne Sexton, Charles Causely, Emily Dickinson, John Donne, Wilfred Owen, T.S.Eliot, Thomas Hardy, Ray Bradbury, Alan Garner, Rosemary Sutcliffe, Hilary Mantel, Angela Carter, Sebastian Faulks, Roger Zelazny, Philip K. Dick, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and, if I had the time, I’d go on…..

What books or stories have most influenced you the most as a writer?

As you can probably gather from my list of favourite writers, it’s going to be difficult to narrow it down in any meaningful way. I like to think that all those I have listed as favourites have influenced my writing in some way.

What books or stories have most influenced you as a person?

To a certain extent the answer is the same as the one above, but I can still vividly recall crying in class (in primary school) when finishing Rosemary Sutcliffe’s "The Hound of Ulster" because I found the ending so sad and similarly (in secondary school) crying over a short story by Ray Bradbury for the same reason.

Where/how do you find the most inspiration?

Things, ideas, emotions around me that I connect to.

What does your family think of your writing?

They are very supportive and appreciative, but aren’t most families?

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I don’t really have a schedule, I just write in the time available to me.

Do you have any writing quirks or rituals?

Not that I’m aware of, unless you call the way that I write a quirk: always longhand and often in pencil. After that I type up onto the PC, editing as I go and from there on in I edit by hand and then type any changes into the manuscript.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

It’s been said before and better by others, but writing a novel is a bit like running a marathon (not that I’ve ever done the latter). Finding the stamina to keep going as you re-write your re-writes and edit your edits (and that’s before you even get to publication stage) can be a challenge.

What are your current projects?

Editing (yet again) the second novel, writing the third, writing more poetry and short stories.

What are you planning for future projects?

Finishing the third novel, getting the second published, producing a third poetry book.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Persevere

Where else can we find your work?

All over the place! – my poetry, short stories and book reviews appear in a variety of publications in Britain, Canada, Australia and the States including Acumen, Brittle Star, Envoi, Hand + Star, Mslexia and Orbis. My two poetry books, a collection, "Cats and Other Myths" and a pamphlet, "Songs of Steelyard Sue" are both published by Lapwing Publications. You can find more detailed information and links to relevant websites (and sales outlets) on my website:

www.jswatts.co.uk You can also find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/J.S.Watts.page

　

JENALYN from Marianne Villaneuva

Jenalyn

by Marianne Villaneuva

Seventeen-year-old Jenalyn dreams of a better life. From the vantage point of her home island of Cebu, in the Philippines, America looks like a haven, a place where poverty and hardship can be left behind. When Jenalyn attracts the attention of a much older American man, she and her family assume the rest of her life will be happy. But Jenalyn is unaware of the secret he hides, and the unexpected fate that awaits her.

JENALYN explores, with unflinching exactitude, the interplay of hope and delusion in the mind of a young woman who aches only to break free.

Marianne Villanueva is the author of the short story collections Ginseng and Other Tales From Manila, Mayor of the Roses, and The Lost Language. She is the recipient of fellowships from the Stanford University Creative Writing Program, the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, and the California Arts Council. Her work has been widely anthologized and has appeared in many literary journals, including The Threepenny Review, ZYZZYVA, The Asian American Literary Review, J Journal, Juked, the New Orleans Review, and Our Own Voice. "Jenalyn" is her first published novella.

Writers Can Change Identities - Guest Post from Susan Tepper

Writers Can Change Identities

Susan Tepper

Today, while buying a bottle of shampoo, for which I paid cash, I was asked for my name.  My name? I said to the woman taking my money.  Reluctantly I told her.  Susan, I said.  Then she asked for my last name.  No, I said.  I will not give my last name.  This is a bottle of shampoo.  I’m paying in cash.  Why do you need my name?  I don’t, said the woman.  It’s a store policy.  It’s absurd, I said.  It’s an invasion of privacy.  Now the government or some agency will keep tabs on what kind of shampoo a person buys?  The woman agreed.  It’s horrible, she said.  Tell you what, I said.  I’ll give a fake name.  Go for it, she said.  How about Jesus Christ?  Jesus is good, said the woman.  She typed it into the computer.

My husband and I went to a newly opened restaurant for brunch.  This place had been touted for its great food when it was at its old, smaller location.  The new location was very trendy and nice.  Red leather booths, black and white tiles, lots of 1950’s chrome.   For brunch we ordered the French toast that they’re famous for and a side of crisp bacon.  After waiting a long time, the food was placed in front of us.  The French toast was made of the ends of a loaf of hard French bread.  It looked and tasted bad.  The bacon was not crisp, nor was it flat.  It was curling, fatty strips.  Disgusting.  Don’t eat that, I told my husband.  You could get trichinosis from undercooked bacon.  We were pretty annoyed.  Then I noticed some woman flouncing around the place moving knick-knacks and straightening pictures.  She had attitude.  I called her over.  Are you the owner?  I said.  Yes, she said.  The pride in her eyes couldn’t be disputed.  Well this food is disgusting, I said.  Who cooked it?  Well our regular chef is off today, she said.  I said, So you’re telling me the guy who cleans up cooked our food?  More or less, she said smirking.  OK, I said.  Well I’m the food critic from the Star Ledger.  I’m here to write a review.  The woman turned pale.  That’s not fair, she said.  You’re supposed to let us know ahead of time.  Oh, really, I said.  Why is that?  So you can clean up your act?  My husband, who is used to my different incarnations from time to time, well he could hardly keep a straight face.  People work hard and spend their good money for restaurant meals, I told the woman.  Now they’ll know to steer clear of this place.

As writers we can make characters of all ages, shapes, sizes, colors and creeds.  What is a creed?  At any rate, it’s our writer gift to carry these characters into reality, here and there, if we choose to.  As long as we don’t overdo.  We have to remember who we really are, even as we make ourselves over into someone else.  Like Jesus, for instance.

Susan Tepper’s current book From the Umberplatzen (Wilderness House Press, 2012) is a quirky love story told in linked flash fiction and set in Germany.  www.susantepper.com

Live Poetry Readings, and What I Learned from Children - Guest Post from Julie Catherine Vigna

Live Poetry Readings, and What I Learned from Children
Julie Catherine Vigna

One of the most frightening experiences I can think of as a writer is to read my work aloud in front of an audience – and even more so to children. I used to say that I’d rather walk through fire than do a live poetry reading; memories of being so excruciatingly shy in school that I would be physically ill before having to read an essay in front of the class still fresh in my mind, even though my school days were over many years ago.

It seems not that long ago I finally allowed my friends and family to read my poetry, and then talked myself into submitting some of my poems to anthologies for publication. Having several poems accepted early in 2012 in various publications gave me the much-needed self-confidence to realize a life-long dream of self-publishing my own poetry book, which I did this past July.

I suppose everything I’ve accomplished with my writing in the past year led up to being able to screw up the courage to schedule not just one live poetry reading, but three (what was I thinking) in the space of a week!  The first was an reading for the ladies of the library board in the small town of Provost, Alberta; followed by readings several days later at both the public and separate schools in town. To top it off, I was invited to be interviewed by our community television station before the library poetry reading. Looking back, I suppose I figured as long as I was getting my feet wet, I might as well just jump in the deep end – sink or swim, either result was better than agonizing over whether to dip a toe in the water or not.

What surprised me the most is how well my poems were received— and how much I enjoyed sharing them with people of all ages. I know I’m a good writer and have lots of support and encouragement from friends and family; but having perfect strangers, children especially, come up to you afterwards and tell you they enjoyed your poems is a completely different feeling from having family say your work is good— it’s so validating, and makes the extra effort of actively promoting yourself and your writing so worthwhile.

Children are devastatingly honest, even when they’re at their most polite and on their best behaviour. The prospect of reading to kids from grades three to six terrified me. The librarian casually mentioned that they would probably ask how old I was and how much money I made, and suggested that honesty is always the best policy when discussing such matters with children. I never had any of my own and haven’t spent time around kids, so had nothing to base my fear on— just that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I entered the doors of the public school on a warm September afternoon. There were five groups, one right after the other, with no breaks, fifteen minutes per group. I read four poems and allowed for a few minutes for questions before one group filed out and the next made their way in to sit in a semi-circle on the floor in the music room of the school.

The separate school had less groups, which allowed for longer reading and discussion times, and a short break between each class. It also meant more time for the kids to probe into areas of my brain I didn’t even know existed, as they wanted to know whether I’d written poems about practically every animal known to nature, exactly how did I know what words to use in my poems and how many poems had I written in all the years I’d been writing. My head was spinning by the time the teacher announced that would be the very last question.

No one ever did ask how much money I make (thank goodness, because I haven’t made anything yet); but sure enough, every group wanted to know how old I am, and when I first started writing. They calculated that I’ve been writing for 50 years faster than I could subtract six from 56, and I wasn’t sure who was more astonished by that— them or me. They didn’t appear to hold my age against me, though, probably because I saved the spooky Halloween poem for last, and they’d forgotten all about it by then. What I really enjoyed was their rapt attention and complete enthusiasm for the pieces I read. The difference between the polite clapping when I began the sessions and the wide-eyed saucer looks in their young eyes as they discussed the flights of imagination my poems led them to by the end of the readings was a thrill I will never forget— a memory to treasure and keep in mind as I work on my debut YA adventure/mystery novel. That’s the reaction I’ll be aiming for, the bar to set my sights on and to reach for as a measure of success.

My debut poetry book, Poems of Living, Loving & Lore, is available at the following locations under my pseudonym, J C Edwards:
Amazon  (Paperback & Kindle)
http://www.amazon.com/Poems-Living-Loving-Lore-Edwards/dp/1477138595
Barnes & Noble (Paperback & Nook)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/poems-of-living-loving-and-lore-j-c-edwards/1112448458
Xlibris  (Paperback)
http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products/SKU-0118162049/Poems-of-Living-Loving--Lore.aspx

Where to Connect with Julie Catherine:
Fan Page
http://www.facebook.com/PoemsOfLivingLovingLore
J C Edwards Page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/J-C-Edwards/401119423282488?ref=hl
Blog
http://juliecatherinevigna.wordpress.com/
Twitter
https://twitter.com/cvigna555

Writing and the Creative Process - guest post from Daniel DiStasio

Writing and the Creative Process 

Daniel DiStasio

When asked about writing and the creative process, I always fall back on the basics. Writing is story. Story is character. On a neighborhood street, I see an old woman walking a little dog and I imagine her previous life. The heartbreaks, landmarks, first kiss, last orgasm.  Did she bury her husband or leave him in Moscow? Were the dirty bedroom slippers and knee highs once fine silk stockings and sexy sleek pumps?  There’s a daughter in Humboldt working at a medical marijuana facility who calls once a week.  A son who got caught up in fire arms deal on the Mexican border and was never heard from again.  But Ida, the name she assumed so many years ago, Ida knows the son is dead, just as she know the daughter will be relieved when she dies, so the obligatory phone calls can cease, and the daughter can lay back in bed with her girlfriend on Sundays and not have to worry if she is too high to follow a conversation.   But Ida is the story. Ida is the character.  I love Ida. I will follow her wherever she goes.

My creative life began as an actor. I studied the Stanislavsky’s method, observed Lee Strasberg at work in “The Actor’s Studio”, took classes with Uta Hagen and spent weeks preparing for roles by meditating myself into a trance of belief in characters that did not exist.  Writing became an extension of this living with characters.  If the characters are not real to me, they will never be real to an audience.  How do they become real? They live real lives inside of me.  Many writers keep journals; I do too.  But they are not my journals; they are the diaries of my characters.  They write them, and I channel them, and become them. I listen to their favorite songs, eat their favorite foods, suffer through their pains and tremble with their fears.

For writers, writing is living. Often, it is living someone else’s life. Someone you know, imagine, love and cannot live without.   Maya Angelou said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”  Story is character.  If a character lives inside you, let her out. As Maya Angelou says it’s unbearable to keep her inside.

My first novel Facing the Furies had twelve characters who fought the forces of nature during hurricane season in the Keys.  The strongest reaction I get from readers is about the characters.  Readers speak of them as real people.  They worry about them after the story ends. They tell me they know these people.  They never say they are characters. They are alive.  They are the story.

Facing the Furies is available through Vagabondage Press, Amazon and other online outlets.  If you would like to read more of my wanderings, including running the NYC marathon this Fall, excerpts from my next novel, please check out http://danieldistasio.com/index.html

The Process of Production Guest Post from Nath Jones

The Process of Production
by Nath Jones

A friend of mine is a bona fide success. So. I asked him, “What is that? Success? What do you do?”
He said, “I’m not smarter than anybody else. I don’t work harder than anybody else. I just finish things.”
Man. Finish things. Yeah that probably does make a difference, doesn’t it? So. After this conversation with him, I set about the business of polishing some of the writing projects I’d started. And. It really wasn’t that hard to get a few things done. I finished three books in about a year and a half:

The War is Language: 101 Short Works 
2000 Deciduous Trees: Memories of a Zine 
Love & Darts - Stories 
How to Cherish the Grief-Stricken (coming soon)

These are the first three books in a four-book series On Impulse. I’m interested in why we have this urge to tell our stories. In many ways the storytelling impulse is a damnable grace. So. I took some time to explore it from catharsis to craft. The first book is raw and experimental. The last, which will come out next year, is more what you’d expect a traditional collection of literary short stories to be.

Success is all well and fine. Finishing things is great, in theory. But. In the day-to-day grind, how often do we finish a book? There may be no more rare occurrence.

With writing, there is so rarely a sense of accomplishment. The projects never seem finished. So. What’s to be done in the meantime? How on earth does anyone keep writing, especially when we’ve been so conditioned to instant gratification?

Books take years. Short stories can take as long or longer. And. Just because you finish a piece doesn’t mean it will get published; just because it gets published doesn’t mean it will be read. And sales? What? Whatever. So, for me, I really had to develop a gratifying production process for traction through all the ups and downs, ins and outs of this work that so many of us love most.

I provide access to my writing process. I thought about my friend’s father. He makes pizzas in front of a window in our hometown. So. I adapted that model for my Facebook author page. And. I write books in public. To me, it’s a comment on artistic accountability, on solidarity with workers, and on our insistence for corporate transparency. Because how many of us are really open about what we do?

With all the social media changes, the process writing will migrate to a notebook on my author page. It will become less of a comment on what the pre-set forms of Facebook and Twitter do to a cogent train of thought.

But being transparent about how the work is progressing is a challenge. It’s often an embarrassment. Because many days there is very little progress and I am not always accountable to my goals made in the morning. But. Over time it works. It helps me keep going. I really appreciate being part of the community as a working writer instead of feeling cut-off from others in my solitary hermitage.

The work is what it is. The process writing I share on my author page is what would normally go into a pile of spiral bound notebooks. I objectify all those thoughts and emotions that are the raw material for my work.
The result is an unpresentable hodgepodge: Quiet rumination. Brainstorms. Proving grounds for disparate ideas. Character sketches. Perspectives on conflict, on culture. Pontification. Book reviews. Reaction. Response. Planning. I have board meetings where various departments of the enterprise come and make presentations. It’s absurd since I’m the one doing everything. But it’s entertaining. I dabble in different styles, different voices, various kinds of syntax. And. Sometimes the author page is a text that captures the pure joy of life. Because writing on Facebook can curate both real-time and transience in a way that finished books and stories cannot.

In this way, the meta-narrative scaffolding that surrounds and supports a piece of writing can come out of the text. Postmodern play has a space on the author page and the work can stand alone without those distractions that call attention to the writer. Also, and at the same time, those narcissistic tendencies call social media into question. Because certainly we all make choices in how we represent ourselves online. And. Where there is choice, there is fiction.
--
The War is Language: 101 Short Works: http://www.amazon.com/War-Language-Short-Impulse-ebook/dp/B004FV58Y8/ref=la_B005EZ0A3I_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1350402275&sr=1-4

2000 Deciduous Trees: Memories of a Zine: http://www.amazon.com/2000-Deciduous-Trees-Impulse-ebook/dp/B0054EQ8ZS/ref=la_B005EZ0A3I_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1350402275&sr=1-3

Love& Darts – Stories: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Darts-On-Impulse-ebook/dp/B0071GKYKW/ref=la_B005EZ0A3I_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350402275&sr=1-1

On Impulse: http://www.scribd.com/collections/2757189/On-Impulse-eBook-Series

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/NathJonesWriter
author page: www.nathjones.com

Time and Chaos in a Writer's’ Life - Guest Post from C.V. Hunt

Time and Chaos in a Writer's Life 
C.V. Hunt

Things are crazy here. Not just a little crazy. Like over the top chaotic. And there’s this precious thing that seems to be becoming more and more scarce… time.

Writers struggle every day for a sliver of time. You know… they get up early, get the kids off to school, work a full-time job, go to the kids’ soccer game, fix dinner, spend quality time with the family, tuck the kiddies in at night, and then finally, forfeit sleep so they can create something the world might enjoy.

I don’t have children, but I do have a full-time job. I’m like the majority of the population. And I work a swing-shift to top it off. My schedule is hectic. A lot of times I’m not sure if I’m coming or going. Or even what day it is.

Now add life. You know that thing that happens and you have no control over. Yeah, that’s the one. A separation from your spouse. Your house goes up for sale. Relocation. Things get crazy and time has become a valuable resource.

I’m in this weird limbo now. I travel back and forth between two residences. The housing market isn’t great for sellers. I’ve been waiting with my fingers crossed since June.

But somewhere amid this chaos I found time to do the thing that I enjoy – writing. I didn’t think it was possible. I wasn’t completely sure I should be writing. My mind was in constant turmoil. I kept thinking, What kind of story would I produce if my head wasn’t on straight?

I hadn’t taken a break from writing since I started publishing a few years ago. But I was terrified to stop. What if I lost it? What if I stopped writing and couldn’t start up again. I think anyone who’s truly passionate about writing has this exact same fear. Or at least some do. I know some writers who intentionally take breaks, but I had never done it.

So I kept going.

Time and I have been playing a good game of hide and seek since all of this started. A half hour here… only twenty minutes there… And what was the end result from this?

How To Kill Yourself.

Yeah, I know. The title seems to throw people on opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. Some are offended immediately. Others find it funny. I’ve been sitting back and watching the chaos it’s created among readers. It reminds me of the chaos my mind was in when I was writing it. (And here’s something most readers don’t know. When a book is picked up by a publisher the title and cover design is almost always chosen by them.)

The story was created when resources were low (time). Moral was low. Life was crazy (chaos). It still is crazy. Nothing’s been resolved, yet. But I felt time was of the essence when I wrote How To Kill Yourself. How? I offer you a quote:

“Human life itself may be almost pure chaos, but the work of the artist is to take these handfuls of confusion and disparate things, things that seem to be irreconcilable, and put them together in a frame to give them some kind of shape and meaning.” - Katherine Anne Porter

If you’re interested in finding out what kind of story I produce when time is precious, and life is chaos, you can check out How To Kill Yourself at http://www.amazon.com/How-Kill-Yourself-C-V-Hunt/dp/0988348403/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350401941&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+kill+yourself or visit my site www.authorcvhunt.com