Lorina Stephens's Blog, page 59
June 28, 2012
Review: Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo by Michael J. Martineck
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
In Martineck's Sawyeresque novel Cinco de Mayo we're introduced to a global event in which some cosmic force causes people to share their entire memories with one other. The resulting narrative deals with the lives of a series of individuals and how they cope with this sudden awareness, and the actions they take in their heightened state of social consciousness.
The vignettes Martineck paints are, for the most part, poignant, at times even palpably disturbing in their reality. For myself, I may never, for instance, be able to countenance purchasing an eastern, hand-woven rug because of one reality Martineck used as a basis for one of his narratives.
And while this is a well-crafted novel, in the end there is no resolution as to what, exactly, caused this global phenomenon, and thus the story is left unresolved.
Overall, the story is one worth reading, and the author one worth investigating again.
View all my reviews
June 23, 2012
Google+ Hangout with Michell Plested
We launched the first of a series of Google+ Hangout Interviews and Chats today with Michell Plested, author of Mik Murdoch: Boy Superhero. It's a bit rough and scratchy, but we hope you'll find the content interesting enough to continue watching. Upgrade in our hardware is plainly in order.
June 21, 2012
The Things that Try Us
It's not often I post about my personal life. Not to sound haughty, or rude, but it's nobody's business but mine. And besides, I cringe when I read blogs and Facebook updates and Tweets in which people are divulging all the very intimate details of their lives. It just somehow seems a bit gauche, to me.
However, here am I, about to post something personal. It's not earth-shattering. It's more about adjusting things in my life so I can continue to write, edit, publish, administer -- do all of the things that are required of me in my chosen career.
I have rather severe osteoarthritis, combined with some interesting sciatica. I deal with pain every day of my life. No big deal. Lots of people deal with pain, and worse.
It would appear the arthritis has been around for decades, unknown to me. My knees have always cracked. My joints have always easily slipped out of alignment. About 11 years ago, right about the time we claimed these three stories of granite for our home, the arthritis decided to make itself truly known. Since then it's been a steady deterioration of mobility, increase in pain, and periodic adjustments to lifestyle and strategies.
It would appear Thursday last I was given a warning of another impending change. The night previous I was reading in bed, moved my right leg and WHAM! Some rather interesting and searing pain accompanied by what felt like the entire knee sailing off to the east. No matter what I did, no matter how I manipulated the leg and knee, I could not get it to behave. Ensued a truly disgusting night's sleep.
The following morning I stayed in bed when the alarm went off at 4:00 A.M., with admonishments from Gary, my husband, to stay put until I felt like getting up. Disgruntled, and guilty for giving in to this ridiciculous pain, I acqueisced.
However, later, when finally boredom and a need to be mobile drove me to distraction, I ventured out of bed, thinking I would shower, dress, figure out a way to get to the loft where the office is located, and set to a productive day.
Such silly thoughts.
After reducing myself to tears just brushing my teeth, a shower seemed inadvisable. I could barely stand. How was I supposed to manage in a wet, slippery environment? I could wait until later, I reasoned. And so I pulled together some clothes and then pulled them on, and then spent the next five minutes carefully and painfully ascending the very steep stairs to my workplace.
Well, that was interesting. Didn't know you could feel pain like that. Childbirth was a mere frisson by comparison.
Drank some juice, from the little bar fridge we keep in the loft, reasoned that I'd get my NSAIDs and Atenolol later (they are kept on the first floor in the powder room). So, I set to work, telling myself not to be a big baby. But truth of the matter was I realized I'd probably made a tactical error, because once up the stairs, how in blazes was I going to get down the stairs?
By 3:00 P.M. the call of nature had become somewhat urgent, and figuring I was allowed to knock off early for the day, given the circumstances, I made my careful and excruciating way back down the loft stairs. At the bottom I realized I needed to rest and so detoured for the bedroom where I sat, gasping a bit. Hell, I could use the ensuite bathroom, rather than try the marathon down to the first floor, and once there, and nature alleviated, decided I would risk the shower if for no other reason than to make myself feel better. I know, I know, endure more pain just to feel clean. But such are the quirks of my nature.
Managed the shower, although I had to back out while holding the grab-bar. From there managed to pull on clean clothes, rested again, and from there made the next leg of the journey down the next flight of stairs to the main floor.
By now I was not only exhausted, sweaty and in some pretty spectacular pain, but really needed to take the medications I should have taken first thing in the morning. So, after another rest and bit of a bully-talk to myself, I lunged from hand-hold to hand-hold, cane in one hand, swallowed said drugs, made a sandwich (I thanked Gary for making the kitchen reno a very ergonomic one) and swallowed that, and then said the hell with it and got myself ensconsced in the big leather chair in the living-room, cell phone down the front of my bra (what I realized had become my I've fallen and I can't get up device) and read while biting back tears both from pain and self-pity.
By the time Gary made it home I was in a pretty sorry state. And over dinner (a pizza the dear brought home), we realized we had to make some adjustments to the layout of our home in order to accommodate my increasing inabilities.
Funny thing was, however, by Saturday I was just fine. Back to my usual state of decrepitude, rather than this ugly, new state. Still and all, I have come to face the fact I have to give up my funky loft space.
So, we're going to do a bit of an unexpected renovation. The wall between the two guest rooms on the second floor is going to disappear, making one long room all along the east side of the house, with existing, wonderful deep windows facing north, east and south. The office will get moved down there, and the library moved up from the livingroom into the office (where I've always wanted it). The loft will be subdivided into two interesting bedrooms about 20' x 20' ea. And as soon as we can afford it, a stair lift will go in on the stairs up from the first floor.
We still get to live in this wonderful old stone house. I have access to bathrooms and water on the second floor, and will eventually have a lift that will allow me to travel in safety to and from the first floor. And I get to have a fabulous new office where I can write, and operate the publishing house.
Sometimes it just takes a shift in perspective, a willingness to see past the difficulty.
However, here am I, about to post something personal. It's not earth-shattering. It's more about adjusting things in my life so I can continue to write, edit, publish, administer -- do all of the things that are required of me in my chosen career.
I have rather severe osteoarthritis, combined with some interesting sciatica. I deal with pain every day of my life. No big deal. Lots of people deal with pain, and worse.
It would appear the arthritis has been around for decades, unknown to me. My knees have always cracked. My joints have always easily slipped out of alignment. About 11 years ago, right about the time we claimed these three stories of granite for our home, the arthritis decided to make itself truly known. Since then it's been a steady deterioration of mobility, increase in pain, and periodic adjustments to lifestyle and strategies.
It would appear Thursday last I was given a warning of another impending change. The night previous I was reading in bed, moved my right leg and WHAM! Some rather interesting and searing pain accompanied by what felt like the entire knee sailing off to the east. No matter what I did, no matter how I manipulated the leg and knee, I could not get it to behave. Ensued a truly disgusting night's sleep.
The following morning I stayed in bed when the alarm went off at 4:00 A.M., with admonishments from Gary, my husband, to stay put until I felt like getting up. Disgruntled, and guilty for giving in to this ridiciculous pain, I acqueisced.
However, later, when finally boredom and a need to be mobile drove me to distraction, I ventured out of bed, thinking I would shower, dress, figure out a way to get to the loft where the office is located, and set to a productive day.
Such silly thoughts.
After reducing myself to tears just brushing my teeth, a shower seemed inadvisable. I could barely stand. How was I supposed to manage in a wet, slippery environment? I could wait until later, I reasoned. And so I pulled together some clothes and then pulled them on, and then spent the next five minutes carefully and painfully ascending the very steep stairs to my workplace.
Well, that was interesting. Didn't know you could feel pain like that. Childbirth was a mere frisson by comparison.
Drank some juice, from the little bar fridge we keep in the loft, reasoned that I'd get my NSAIDs and Atenolol later (they are kept on the first floor in the powder room). So, I set to work, telling myself not to be a big baby. But truth of the matter was I realized I'd probably made a tactical error, because once up the stairs, how in blazes was I going to get down the stairs?
By 3:00 P.M. the call of nature had become somewhat urgent, and figuring I was allowed to knock off early for the day, given the circumstances, I made my careful and excruciating way back down the loft stairs. At the bottom I realized I needed to rest and so detoured for the bedroom where I sat, gasping a bit. Hell, I could use the ensuite bathroom, rather than try the marathon down to the first floor, and once there, and nature alleviated, decided I would risk the shower if for no other reason than to make myself feel better. I know, I know, endure more pain just to feel clean. But such are the quirks of my nature.
Managed the shower, although I had to back out while holding the grab-bar. From there managed to pull on clean clothes, rested again, and from there made the next leg of the journey down the next flight of stairs to the main floor.
By now I was not only exhausted, sweaty and in some pretty spectacular pain, but really needed to take the medications I should have taken first thing in the morning. So, after another rest and bit of a bully-talk to myself, I lunged from hand-hold to hand-hold, cane in one hand, swallowed said drugs, made a sandwich (I thanked Gary for making the kitchen reno a very ergonomic one) and swallowed that, and then said the hell with it and got myself ensconsced in the big leather chair in the living-room, cell phone down the front of my bra (what I realized had become my I've fallen and I can't get up device) and read while biting back tears both from pain and self-pity.
By the time Gary made it home I was in a pretty sorry state. And over dinner (a pizza the dear brought home), we realized we had to make some adjustments to the layout of our home in order to accommodate my increasing inabilities.
Funny thing was, however, by Saturday I was just fine. Back to my usual state of decrepitude, rather than this ugly, new state. Still and all, I have come to face the fact I have to give up my funky loft space.
So, we're going to do a bit of an unexpected renovation. The wall between the two guest rooms on the second floor is going to disappear, making one long room all along the east side of the house, with existing, wonderful deep windows facing north, east and south. The office will get moved down there, and the library moved up from the livingroom into the office (where I've always wanted it). The loft will be subdivided into two interesting bedrooms about 20' x 20' ea. And as soon as we can afford it, a stair lift will go in on the stairs up from the first floor.
We still get to live in this wonderful old stone house. I have access to bathrooms and water on the second floor, and will eventually have a lift that will allow me to travel in safety to and from the first floor. And I get to have a fabulous new office where I can write, and operate the publishing house.
Sometimes it just takes a shift in perspective, a willingness to see past the difficulty.
June 20, 2012
Join the Mik Murdoch fun
Young adults of all ages will want to join in the summer fun on Facebook for the lead-up to the release of Michell Plested's debut YA novel, Mik Murdoch: Boy Superhero.
Lots of questions, answers, fun; information about where you can pre-order the novel, get your own signed copy, and more.
There's also an advance reader copy giveaway on Goodreads you might want to enter. Details below.
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Mik Murdoch
by Michell Plested
Giveaway ends June 30, 2012.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter to win
Lots of questions, answers, fun; information about where you can pre-order the novel, get your own signed copy, and more.
There's also an advance reader copy giveaway on Goodreads you might want to enter. Details below.
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Mik Murdoch
by Michell Plested
Giveaway ends June 30, 2012.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter to win
June 18, 2012
Google+ Hangout with Susan Forest
Seven lucky people will have an opportunity to chat with Susan Forest in a Google+ Hangout that will stream to Five Rivers' YouTube channel, on Friday, July 6, 2012, 1:30 PM ET.
How to participate? If you don't already have a Google+ account, sign up. Add Lorina Stephens to your circle of friends and then send me message. The first seven people will be added to the Hangout with Susan Forest Circle and be invited to join the Hangout about 10 minutes before it happens.
We're new at doing this Hangout thing, so it should be a blast and an adventure.
Each person participating in the Hangout will receive a free EPUB of Susan's forthcoming collection of speculative fiction shorts, Immunity to Strange Tales.
June 15, 2012
Susan Forest to do Twitterview
Susan Forest, author of Immunity to Strange Tales, will be doing a Twitterview with publisher Lorina Stephens, on Tuesday, July 3, 2012, 2:00 P.M. ET.
A Twitterview is an interview that takes place on Twitter, in 140 character bursts, usually under a hashtag to make it easier for Twitts to follow. In this case the Twitterview will broadcast under the hashtag #5RTwitterview.
The first segment of the Twitterview is a question and answer session between Susan and Lorina. After that, the floor is open to questions from other participants.
Hope you'll join us for the fun.
Advance review copies of Immunity to Strange Tales are available in PDF and EPUB format in exchange for a published review. You can also enter the Goodreads giveaway to be eligible for one of 10 print copies.
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Immunity to Strange Tales
by Susan Forest
Giveaway ends June 30, 2012.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter to win
A Twitterview is an interview that takes place on Twitter, in 140 character bursts, usually under a hashtag to make it easier for Twitts to follow. In this case the Twitterview will broadcast under the hashtag #5RTwitterview.
The first segment of the Twitterview is a question and answer session between Susan and Lorina. After that, the floor is open to questions from other participants.
Hope you'll join us for the fun.
Advance review copies of Immunity to Strange Tales are available in PDF and EPUB format in exchange for a published review. You can also enter the Goodreads giveaway to be eligible for one of 10 print copies.
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color: black; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Immunity to Strange Tales
by Susan Forest
Giveaway ends June 30, 2012.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter to win
Susan Forest's to do Twitterview
Susan Forest, author of Immunity to Strange Tales, will be doing a Twitterview with publisher Lorina Stephens, on Tuesday, July 3, 2012, 2:00 P.M. ET.
A Twitterview is an interview that takes place on Twitter, in 140 character bursts, usually under a hashtag to make it easier for Twitts to follow. In this case the Twitterview will broadcast under the hashtag #5RTwitterview.
The first segment of the Twitterview is a question and answer session between Susan and Lorina. After that, the floor is open to questions from other participants.
Hope you'll join us for the fun.
Advance review copies of Immunity to Strange Tales are available in PDF and EPUB format in exchange for a published review. You can also enter the Goodreads giveaway to be eligible for one of 10 print copies.
.goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px;
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Immunity to Strange Tales
by Susan Forest
Giveaway ends June 30, 2012.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter to win
A Twitterview is an interview that takes place on Twitter, in 140 character bursts, usually under a hashtag to make it easier for Twitts to follow. In this case the Twitterview will broadcast under the hashtag #5RTwitterview.
The first segment of the Twitterview is a question and answer session between Susan and Lorina. After that, the floor is open to questions from other participants.
Hope you'll join us for the fun.
Advance review copies of Immunity to Strange Tales are available in PDF and EPUB format in exchange for a published review. You can also enter the Goodreads giveaway to be eligible for one of 10 print copies.
.goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px;
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Immunity to Strange Tales
by Susan Forest
Giveaway ends June 30, 2012.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter to win
June 13, 2012
Sharing a moment with Michell Plested
We asked Michell Plested if he'd mind sharing this dream-moment with his fans and supporters. He was delighted. And so are we.
June 11, 2012
Prognostications on Publishing
Back in 2008, I offered up my own view of where publishing was going, in particular the indie bookseller sector and the Espresso Book Machine (EBM). Over the years I've continued to bang on that drum, illustrating a vision of an evolved bookstore that's more Internet cafe than the hallowed stacks of print books. In some ways that vision has been realized, in others not.
To date there are only 57 EBMs worldwide, (US 28, CA 13, AU 2, AE 2, PH 2, CH 1, DO 1, EG 3, NL 2, JP 2, UK 2), in the following sectors: indie bookstores 21, universities 17, libraries 16, other 3.
Part of the difficulty with this remarkable technology has been the cost, and part has been distribution partners. Combine that with the phenomenal rise of eBooks, and it would seem the EBM may be destined for the 8-track and beta-video museum.
There is no disputing print books are rapidly evolving into eBooks. And while many of my contemporaries are wailing about the demise of print, I find myself standing off-camera, observing the scene. This is a strange experience for me (my love of digital books versus print), given I've spent most of my life madly, passionately, hopelessly in love with the printed word. Our home is filled with books, shelves and shelves of them. Much of our leisure time, even working time (given I'm a publisher) is spent with books. It is an old, familiar and comfortable relationship.
But I find myself eschewing the print book for my own personal reading. I would much rather delve into the Bag of Holding (something like Hermione's bottomless handbag) known as my Kobo, than hold a printed book. Quite aside from reduced strain for arthritic hands, it's just so much easier, more engaging to read on an ereader than it is a printed book. And since owning my reader, (Christmas 2010) I have purchased only two print books, and then only because I required them for research, and they weren't available in eBook format.
And while I will always publish printed books (more as an art-form) alongside eBooks at Five Rivers, my heart has been completely stolen by the digital medium.
It would seem I'm not alone. Staunch bibliophiles I've known for years are quietly slipping out the door of their love-affair with print, seduced by digital magic of eBooks.
And nowhere is that seduction apparently more powerful than with children., according to a recent article in Digital Book World. Disney's publishing arm reported:
I'm going to invite an egg facial here and predict that over the next years we'll see print
die and transform into an art form, much the way print photography has evolved. Bricks and mortar stores will be a rarity,
tend to speciality and trendy. Book lovers will buy digital, online, from their readers
or computers.
While all that's going on, libraries will morph into something else, not quite sure exactly, but
sort of repositories for print books in the way museums are for artefacts, and become study centres, WIFI providers, research
assistants, lots of Skype and interactive modules. And there will be fewer libraries.
Children’s
picture books will morph into mini-movies and become highly interactive, and
expensive to produce because of technological and intelligence requirements.
Books will become shorter as attention spans atrophy, although there will
always be a place for longer books. Graphic novels will follow along with children’s picture books,
morphing and exploding. More books will sell and less money will be made.
And those gatekeepers, the decision-makers in the ivory towers of publishing will
pretty much lose their influence because the barbarian hoardes will not only have crashed the gates, but overrun Isenguard. They will lose their influence because of simple economics. While the Big Six will continue to charge mass-market paperback prices for their eBooks, hoping to pay the mortgage with the sale of every eBook, the small and indie presses, and the self-published authors, will be offering up their books for under $10.00.
In the end it's all about economics. Will the paying public be willing to fork out, while shopping online from the comfort of their homes at three of the A.M., in their jammies, between $15 and $23 for a product that doesn't actually exist, or will they start investigating those less expensive titles priced under $10 from the small-fry of the publishing world?
I have a feeling it's going to be the latter. If you read a book and been dissatisfied and spent $15 on it, you're going to grumble. Whereas if you read a book and been dissatisfied and only spent $5, well, you figure it was the price of an expensive coffee. Equally, if that $15 has been a treat, it's not going to seem as much a treat as that $5 eBook you absolutely loved.
So there you go. The Oracle has spoken. Make of it what you will.
To date there are only 57 EBMs worldwide, (US 28, CA 13, AU 2, AE 2, PH 2, CH 1, DO 1, EG 3, NL 2, JP 2, UK 2), in the following sectors: indie bookstores 21, universities 17, libraries 16, other 3.
Part of the difficulty with this remarkable technology has been the cost, and part has been distribution partners. Combine that with the phenomenal rise of eBooks, and it would seem the EBM may be destined for the 8-track and beta-video museum.
There is no disputing print books are rapidly evolving into eBooks. And while many of my contemporaries are wailing about the demise of print, I find myself standing off-camera, observing the scene. This is a strange experience for me (my love of digital books versus print), given I've spent most of my life madly, passionately, hopelessly in love with the printed word. Our home is filled with books, shelves and shelves of them. Much of our leisure time, even working time (given I'm a publisher) is spent with books. It is an old, familiar and comfortable relationship.
But I find myself eschewing the print book for my own personal reading. I would much rather delve into the Bag of Holding (something like Hermione's bottomless handbag) known as my Kobo, than hold a printed book. Quite aside from reduced strain for arthritic hands, it's just so much easier, more engaging to read on an ereader than it is a printed book. And since owning my reader, (Christmas 2010) I have purchased only two print books, and then only because I required them for research, and they weren't available in eBook format.
And while I will always publish printed books (more as an art-form) alongside eBooks at Five Rivers, my heart has been completely stolen by the digital medium.
It would seem I'm not alone. Staunch bibliophiles I've known for years are quietly slipping out the door of their love-affair with print, seduced by digital magic of eBooks.
And nowhere is that seduction apparently more powerful than with children., according to a recent article in Digital Book World. Disney's publishing arm reported:
In the first two weeks of sales for The Serpent’s Shadow, a new title in a series by Rick Riordan that came out on May 1, 30% of the sales were digital.
I'm going to invite an egg facial here and predict that over the next years we'll see print
die and transform into an art form, much the way print photography has evolved. Bricks and mortar stores will be a rarity,
tend to speciality and trendy. Book lovers will buy digital, online, from their readers
or computers.
While all that's going on, libraries will morph into something else, not quite sure exactly, but
sort of repositories for print books in the way museums are for artefacts, and become study centres, WIFI providers, research
assistants, lots of Skype and interactive modules. And there will be fewer libraries.
Children’s
picture books will morph into mini-movies and become highly interactive, and
expensive to produce because of technological and intelligence requirements.
Books will become shorter as attention spans atrophy, although there will
always be a place for longer books. Graphic novels will follow along with children’s picture books,
morphing and exploding. More books will sell and less money will be made.
And those gatekeepers, the decision-makers in the ivory towers of publishing will
pretty much lose their influence because the barbarian hoardes will not only have crashed the gates, but overrun Isenguard. They will lose their influence because of simple economics. While the Big Six will continue to charge mass-market paperback prices for their eBooks, hoping to pay the mortgage with the sale of every eBook, the small and indie presses, and the self-published authors, will be offering up their books for under $10.00.
In the end it's all about economics. Will the paying public be willing to fork out, while shopping online from the comfort of their homes at three of the A.M., in their jammies, between $15 and $23 for a product that doesn't actually exist, or will they start investigating those less expensive titles priced under $10 from the small-fry of the publishing world?
I have a feeling it's going to be the latter. If you read a book and been dissatisfied and spent $15 on it, you're going to grumble. Whereas if you read a book and been dissatisfied and only spent $5, well, you figure it was the price of an expensive coffee. Equally, if that $15 has been a treat, it's not going to seem as much a treat as that $5 eBook you absolutely loved.
So there you go. The Oracle has spoken. Make of it what you will.
June 8, 2012
Interview with Susan Forest, author of Immunity to Strange Tales
Another of the books Five Rivers releases August 1, 2012, and launching at When Words Collide, is Susan Forest's polished and fascinating collection of short, speculative fiction, Immunity to Strange Tales. We asked Susan to spend some time with us, and what follows is the result of that conversation.
Susan Forest
Lorina: You come at speculative fiction
from a literary sensibility. Is that a conscious choice, or does it have more
to do with your life view, the subjects about which you choose to write?
Susan: It's
interesting that you say that, because I don't think of myself as having a
marked literary sensibility—if anything, my goal would be to explore that
element further—although I do consciously work at simultaneously infusing
stories with both action/accessibility and a deep sensory experience. Having
said that, there are stories that have come to me with a strong voice, and I
think it is important to follow that voice, at least for the initial draft.
Lorina: Which leads me to the next
question, why write the stories you do? Why choose those subjects? These are
very human stories, from a mother’s difficult decision regarding survival of
the species, to an almost David Lynch love story.
Susan: The
answer, of course, differs wildly for different projects. Some stories are
driven by deeply held convictions because there is something important to me
that I want to express. Orange is a
good example of that. It kicked around in my head for years as a metaphor for
what mankind is doing to our world, and the lack of understanding we seem
capable of having about our own effects on the planet, but I couldn't find the
story in it for a long time.
Others, though, came as stories first, and I had to find the
meaning in them, such as The Right
Chemistry. I loved playing with the puns, but in itself, the cocktail party
with the joke ending wasn't enough. I was really pleased when I realized that
the free-choice/determinism theme was hiding under there all along and only
needed a few words—the right few words—to bring it out.
The underlying theme for Paid
in Full just popped out as I was writing it: I neither crafted the story
around that theme, nor did I have to hunt for it in revision. I started that
story knowing only a little bit about the setting and characters and let
themselves play out. I became aware of the metaphorical image at the end—that
sums up the whole story—about the time it was coming out of my fingertips onto
the screen.
Lorina: Tell us a little about your
writing process? Do you write daily, at a certain hour, with any expectation or
discipline?
Susan: My process has changed as my circumstances allowed. When I
was working full time, I had a lot of difficulty—even though I tried—writing
either in the early morning hours as some authors do, or after the kids were in
bed (though I wrote my first novel each evening after the kids were in bed).
Most of that time I was a weekend writer, and I had to consciously set aside
time or too many other things would crowd in. I used to tell my family,
"I'm going to Red Deer for the day" (which was just my office in the
house) to indicate they couldn't get in touch with me. And sometimes, my kids
would give me coupons for Christmas: "a day of writing," during which
they would do my chores for me! Best Christmas present ever! Now that I have no
competing work commitments, I exercise in the morning to get my blood moving
through my brain and write in the afternoons. But regardless of which
discipline I exercise, I need to be regular, for two reasons: First, because I
feel a real lack—hunger—in my life when I am away from writing for too long,
and second, because I need a certain momentum to keep the story going, or I
lose threads of ideas.
Lorina: You’ve written a few YA novels.
Is there an adult novel in the works? Or where do you see your writing heading
from here?
Susan: I only
have the one published YA fantasy, and a couple of adult fantasies that I am
shopping right now. I have just finished my initial research for another YA
alternate universe, so that is my current project, but I do need to get some
more short fiction going, soon. Several ideas there, and some partially
finished stories, but they are on the back burner at the moment because I'm
really excited about the current book.
Lorina: I understand you’re also an
accomplished artist. Do you find that one artistic discipline feeds the other,
or do they operate fairly independently of one another?
Susan: I am
always interested in how the arts inform one another. In a past life, I did a
lot of community—and some semi-professional—theatre, and I remember a wonderful
occasion when I got a chance to talk to my cousin, who is a professional
landscape painter, about the similarities. He had just finished a painting that
had been commissioned by a patron who really liked another of his paintings
that she couldn't buy because it had already been sold. In some ways, his commission—which
might have been a little less creative, perhaps, because it was painted
purposely to be similar to his previous painting—was like doing dinner theatre:
a project to bring in the income so one can do Shakespeare. I have spoken to
writers who say, "I'd really like to do a book on X but my publisher wants
another book in my series" so—again—like dinner theatre or a commission.
So far, as a writer, I haven't been subjected to those demands (I have had the
luxury to follow my writing passions), but I can see the parallels.
With my own painting—which is mostly acrylics—I have a
tendency to paint with a great deal of structure and control. But I want to
learn water colour because of the inherent release of control required: you
can't overwork a watercolour, or you'll just mess it up. I also want to try to
free up my acrylic brush strokes to get more of an impressionistic or even
edging-into-abstract feel, along the lines of Tom Thompson, or others in the
Group of Seven. I like landscapes, but I like them to be infused with action
and drama. So releasing control is a process I am working on. Similarly in my
writing, I do tend to be a plotter, but I would like to free myself up to trust
my skill and craft, and do more writing by the seat of my pants. So far, when I
have tried that, I have had some success, but it is still scary for me.
Lorina: There are some who feel writing
is a job, like any other. There is another camp that says being a writer is a
sensibility, that even if you earn your living doing something else, you’re
always writing. How do you feel about that question?
Susan: No
question that I am always writing, and I have a mini-tape recorder to catch
ideas on the fly, which has been a life saver. But the question is: do you want
writing to be your profession? If not, waiting for your muse is fine. Perhaps
you are writing memoirs for yourself or your family, or stories for your
writing group—maybe even for an occasional publication. That's an excellent
goal. Do you want the pressure of a book a year?
However, if you want to create a professional career, you
need to treat it seriously, including disciplining yourself to produce, to meet
deadlines, to improving your craft, and to taking care of the business end of
writing (promotions, networking, etc.). I don't believe that simply because you
put in regular hours that the writing becomes mechanical, or that the muse
departs. Quite the contrary, I think the more you immerse yourself in writing
and ideas, the more alive the muse becomes. In fact, I listened to a wonderful
program on Ideas (CBC Radio) about creativity, and apparently there is research
to support that: highly creative people (like the Beatles and Mozart) were/are
also highly prolific. Bum-in-chair, even on those days when the blank screen makes
you think washing the dishes is a better option. It all depends on your goal as
a writer.
Lorina: You also work as an editor at
Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy. Do you find editing has changed your
sensibilities as a writer, caused you to look at your own work differently?
Susan: The
opportunity to work for Edge has been wonderful. I'll brag a little here, and
let you know that a novel I edited for them last year is on the Aurora ballot
for best novel of 2011: Technicolor
Ultramall , by Ryan Oakley, an
intense, dystopian future with a dynamic story and a mind-bending idea behind
it. I enjoy the opportunity Edge gives me to work with authors to help bring a
story to its full potential, for the satisfaction of the author, the excitement
of the reader, and the prestige of the company.
At the same time, it is certainly a learning opportunity for
me, as I re-think all the editors I have worked with, their expectations and
communication style, my responses, and the resulting stories. The variety—in all
these factors—is interesting. As a writer I have had editors who asked for no
changes, to complete re-thinks, or to picky line-edit changes. As a writer, I
need to adapt to each. In one instance, I resisted changes (to the story Orange) because I thought those changes
went against what I was trying to say with that story. The result was, I lost
the sale. You have to be prepared for that. As it turned out, I did sell the
story later, intact, which made me happy. As an editor, I have worked with authors
who are very protective of their writing, right through to authors who almost
give me carte-blanche. I still have lots of thinking to do about writing from
many different viewpoints—creator, editor, teacher, learner.
[image error]
Immunity to Strange Tales
Available August, 1, 2012
ISBN 9781927400142
eISBN 9781927400159
Susan Forest
Lorina: You come at speculative fiction
from a literary sensibility. Is that a conscious choice, or does it have more
to do with your life view, the subjects about which you choose to write?
Susan: It's
interesting that you say that, because I don't think of myself as having a
marked literary sensibility—if anything, my goal would be to explore that
element further—although I do consciously work at simultaneously infusing
stories with both action/accessibility and a deep sensory experience. Having
said that, there are stories that have come to me with a strong voice, and I
think it is important to follow that voice, at least for the initial draft.
Lorina: Which leads me to the next
question, why write the stories you do? Why choose those subjects? These are
very human stories, from a mother’s difficult decision regarding survival of
the species, to an almost David Lynch love story.
Susan: The
answer, of course, differs wildly for different projects. Some stories are
driven by deeply held convictions because there is something important to me
that I want to express. Orange is a
good example of that. It kicked around in my head for years as a metaphor for
what mankind is doing to our world, and the lack of understanding we seem
capable of having about our own effects on the planet, but I couldn't find the
story in it for a long time.
Others, though, came as stories first, and I had to find the
meaning in them, such as The Right
Chemistry. I loved playing with the puns, but in itself, the cocktail party
with the joke ending wasn't enough. I was really pleased when I realized that
the free-choice/determinism theme was hiding under there all along and only
needed a few words—the right few words—to bring it out.
The underlying theme for Paid
in Full just popped out as I was writing it: I neither crafted the story
around that theme, nor did I have to hunt for it in revision. I started that
story knowing only a little bit about the setting and characters and let
themselves play out. I became aware of the metaphorical image at the end—that
sums up the whole story—about the time it was coming out of my fingertips onto
the screen.
Lorina: Tell us a little about your
writing process? Do you write daily, at a certain hour, with any expectation or
discipline?
Susan: My process has changed as my circumstances allowed. When I
was working full time, I had a lot of difficulty—even though I tried—writing
either in the early morning hours as some authors do, or after the kids were in
bed (though I wrote my first novel each evening after the kids were in bed).
Most of that time I was a weekend writer, and I had to consciously set aside
time or too many other things would crowd in. I used to tell my family,
"I'm going to Red Deer for the day" (which was just my office in the
house) to indicate they couldn't get in touch with me. And sometimes, my kids
would give me coupons for Christmas: "a day of writing," during which
they would do my chores for me! Best Christmas present ever! Now that I have no
competing work commitments, I exercise in the morning to get my blood moving
through my brain and write in the afternoons. But regardless of which
discipline I exercise, I need to be regular, for two reasons: First, because I
feel a real lack—hunger—in my life when I am away from writing for too long,
and second, because I need a certain momentum to keep the story going, or I
lose threads of ideas.
Lorina: You’ve written a few YA novels.
Is there an adult novel in the works? Or where do you see your writing heading
from here?
Susan: I only
have the one published YA fantasy, and a couple of adult fantasies that I am
shopping right now. I have just finished my initial research for another YA
alternate universe, so that is my current project, but I do need to get some
more short fiction going, soon. Several ideas there, and some partially
finished stories, but they are on the back burner at the moment because I'm
really excited about the current book.
Lorina: I understand you’re also an
accomplished artist. Do you find that one artistic discipline feeds the other,
or do they operate fairly independently of one another?
Susan: I am
always interested in how the arts inform one another. In a past life, I did a
lot of community—and some semi-professional—theatre, and I remember a wonderful
occasion when I got a chance to talk to my cousin, who is a professional
landscape painter, about the similarities. He had just finished a painting that
had been commissioned by a patron who really liked another of his paintings
that she couldn't buy because it had already been sold. In some ways, his commission—which
might have been a little less creative, perhaps, because it was painted
purposely to be similar to his previous painting—was like doing dinner theatre:
a project to bring in the income so one can do Shakespeare. I have spoken to
writers who say, "I'd really like to do a book on X but my publisher wants
another book in my series" so—again—like dinner theatre or a commission.
So far, as a writer, I haven't been subjected to those demands (I have had the
luxury to follow my writing passions), but I can see the parallels.
With my own painting—which is mostly acrylics—I have a
tendency to paint with a great deal of structure and control. But I want to
learn water colour because of the inherent release of control required: you
can't overwork a watercolour, or you'll just mess it up. I also want to try to
free up my acrylic brush strokes to get more of an impressionistic or even
edging-into-abstract feel, along the lines of Tom Thompson, or others in the
Group of Seven. I like landscapes, but I like them to be infused with action
and drama. So releasing control is a process I am working on. Similarly in my
writing, I do tend to be a plotter, but I would like to free myself up to trust
my skill and craft, and do more writing by the seat of my pants. So far, when I
have tried that, I have had some success, but it is still scary for me.
Lorina: There are some who feel writing
is a job, like any other. There is another camp that says being a writer is a
sensibility, that even if you earn your living doing something else, you’re
always writing. How do you feel about that question?
Susan: No
question that I am always writing, and I have a mini-tape recorder to catch
ideas on the fly, which has been a life saver. But the question is: do you want
writing to be your profession? If not, waiting for your muse is fine. Perhaps
you are writing memoirs for yourself or your family, or stories for your
writing group—maybe even for an occasional publication. That's an excellent
goal. Do you want the pressure of a book a year?
However, if you want to create a professional career, you
need to treat it seriously, including disciplining yourself to produce, to meet
deadlines, to improving your craft, and to taking care of the business end of
writing (promotions, networking, etc.). I don't believe that simply because you
put in regular hours that the writing becomes mechanical, or that the muse
departs. Quite the contrary, I think the more you immerse yourself in writing
and ideas, the more alive the muse becomes. In fact, I listened to a wonderful
program on Ideas (CBC Radio) about creativity, and apparently there is research
to support that: highly creative people (like the Beatles and Mozart) were/are
also highly prolific. Bum-in-chair, even on those days when the blank screen makes
you think washing the dishes is a better option. It all depends on your goal as
a writer.
Lorina: You also work as an editor at
Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy. Do you find editing has changed your
sensibilities as a writer, caused you to look at your own work differently?
Susan: The
opportunity to work for Edge has been wonderful. I'll brag a little here, and
let you know that a novel I edited for them last year is on the Aurora ballot
for best novel of 2011: Technicolor
Ultramall , by Ryan Oakley, an
intense, dystopian future with a dynamic story and a mind-bending idea behind
it. I enjoy the opportunity Edge gives me to work with authors to help bring a
story to its full potential, for the satisfaction of the author, the excitement
of the reader, and the prestige of the company.
At the same time, it is certainly a learning opportunity for
me, as I re-think all the editors I have worked with, their expectations and
communication style, my responses, and the resulting stories. The variety—in all
these factors—is interesting. As a writer I have had editors who asked for no
changes, to complete re-thinks, or to picky line-edit changes. As a writer, I
need to adapt to each. In one instance, I resisted changes (to the story Orange) because I thought those changes
went against what I was trying to say with that story. The result was, I lost
the sale. You have to be prepared for that. As it turned out, I did sell the
story later, intact, which made me happy. As an editor, I have worked with authors
who are very protective of their writing, right through to authors who almost
give me carte-blanche. I still have lots of thinking to do about writing from
many different viewpoints—creator, editor, teacher, learner.
[image error]
Immunity to Strange Tales
Available August, 1, 2012
ISBN 9781927400142
eISBN 9781927400159
![[image error]](http://www.5rivers.org/contents/media/t_immunity%20cover%202.jpg){kind=link}