Mayra Calvani's Blog, page 26
May 17, 2011
International Books Awards Finalist!
I'm thrilled to announce that my children's picture book, Frederico, the Mouse Violinist, is an Award-Winning Finalist in the "Children's Picture Book: Hardcover Fiction" category of the 2011 International Book Awards! Yeepie!!!
Cheers,
Mayra
May 16, 2011
Fiction Picture Book workshop
I'll be offering a Fiction Picture Book workshop (for beginners) starting May 30th.
If you'd like to help me spread the word via your blogs, newsletters, twitter or facebook, the link is:
http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/showev...
Thanks in advance! I appreciate it!
May 14, 2011
Interview with Christine Amsden, author of The Immortality Virus
Christine Amsden has been writing science fiction and fantasy for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, a condition that effects the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams.
Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. They have two children, Drake and Celeste.
[image error]Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Christine! Have you always been a fan of science fiction?
Oh yes! The first story I ever wrote, at the age of seven or eight, involved Cabbage Patch Dollars going to Mars. I liked aliens, the future, magic, witches, and anything strange or unusual. As a teenager, I had a crush on Wesley Crusher. My favorite books were A Wrinkle in Time and The Chronicles of Narnia.
When did you decide you wanted to become a novelist?
This was never something I decided, it's just a part of me, something I have to do. I could no more not write than not breathe, and novels are my natural style. I like to spend time with stories, getting to know them, and so while I have written and read a few short stories here and then, I vastly prefer novels.
Tell us about your novel, The Immortality Virus.
The Immortality Virus is a far-future science fiction novel that asks: “What if the entire human race stopped aging?” It takes place in 2450, four centuries after The Change (when humans stopped aging), and tells the story of a blacklisted P.I. named Grace who is hired to find the man who caused The Change – if he's still alive. There's action, mystery, and a sprinkling of romance to help brighten the darkness of an otherwise dystopian novel.
What was your inspiration for it?
The Immortality Virus didn't come to me in a burst of inspiration. I started out with the idea that I wanted to write a science fiction novel (I had just finished a paranormal novel and wanted to try something a little different), and then started doing a random search on Wikipedia. The search led me to the article on DNA, which helped me recall something I'd read about a genetic source for aging, which led me to more articles, and after about a week of reading and researching, it all came together in my mind: Someone released a virus that altered the human genome in such a way that we no longer aged.
After that, things came together fairly quickly. I got into characters (which is where I usually start, to be honest), world building, and I wrote an exploratory draft. Grace came to life as I started writing, as if she had always been inside of me and we were just waiting to be introduced.
How did you create the dystopian world in your story?
It all started with a what if: What if the entire human race stopped aging? I didn't set out to write a dystopian novel, although I clearly realize that is what I did, but rather to consider the actual consequences of something that we (the human race) has always wanted. How long have we searched for the Fountain of Youth, both literally and figuratively? The current popularity of vampire novels is, I think, largely about the draw of immortality. And maybe it would be exciting, to be one among many, watching history move, but what if it were all of us? Would history even move very quickly, without the natural momentum of birth, growth, and death?
After that, I went back and outlined a social and political history, focusing on the Unitd States, from the time of The Change (in about 2050) to the time of the novel (2450). Much of this did not end up in the book, but having the information clear in my mind helped me to realize the world of the story.
What makes your protagonist special?
Grace is a strong woman – touch, determined, and smart – but inside, she's vulnerable. She often sees the world through a cynnic's eyes, and yet she stops to help those in need, grumbling the entire time. She truly cares, but is afraid there's really no such thing as love, especially when forever is truly put to the test.
What is your greatest challenge when writing science fiction?
My greatest challenge changes as I grow as a writer. When I wrote The Immortality Virus, my greatest challenge was action sequences. I spent many hours with my husband, coreographing them with him, and acting them out, to aid in the believability. (My husband being well-versed in marshall arts.) The experience helped me a lot, though, and I now feel much more confident writing those same scenes.
What is your writing and editing process like?
So far, it has been different for each book I have written. I'm not sure if I learn something each time, or if I just have to mix it up to keep things interesting.
Lately, I've decided that the trick to writing is to listen to that voice inside my head telling me something isn't right and not just bash my way through a story that isn't working. Writer's block means something is wrong, and if I stop to fix it, I have much better success.
Editing is difficult for me, especially because I have to blow up my screen to a hugely large font so I can catch those obnoxious errors the word processor missed. I take it slowly, one chapter at a time, going through twice for content, once for style, and once for grammar and spelling. With all but the first content run, I put all the chapter numbers in a hat and pick them out one at a time, to help me keep things interesting.
How long did it take you, from idea to final draft, to complete the novel?
I first dreamed up the idea in the summer of 2006, at which point I wrote a novella-length story that I always knew needed to be a novel. I spent most of the next year working on other projects, including the promotion of my debut novel, Touch of Fate, then I picked it back up in the summer of 2007. I wrote a full draft that summer, then once again, worked on other things until August of 2008, when I finally wrote the last draft. This was something of a summer project because I was involved with a summer critique group for a while. All together, if I carve out the times I set it aside to work on other things, I probably spent 9-12 months on it, but as you can see, the math isn't all that simple. :)
What advice would you give to aspiring SF authors?
Writers write! (For more details, visit my blog. I have weekly tips for writers there.)
Thanks, Christine!
Thank you for having me!
May 10, 2011
Meet the author of LATITUDE 38
Author Ron Hutchison graduated from the University of Missouri in 1967 with a degree in journalism. He has worked as a reporter, editor, and columnist at newspapers in Texas, California, and Missouri. He was employed by Sun Oil Company as a public relations executive, and later operated his own advertising and public relations agency. He created the board game ‘Sixth Sense’ in 2003. The game was sold at independent bookstores nationwide. Since moving to Joplin in 2007 from New Mexico to care for her elderly mother, he has written dozens of Op-Ed pieces for the Joplin Globe on social issues ranging from abortion to same-sex marriage. He lives in Joplin, Missouri.
[image error]Q: You’ve had a long career in journalism and public relations. What made you take the plunge and write your first novel?
A: Actually, this is my second novel. Santa Fe Crazy was published in 1999. I became sidetracked for the next seven or so years with a board game I created and marketed called Sixth Sense. I didn’t really begin writing fulltime until 2007.
Q: Please tell us about your novel, Latitude 38.
A: Latitude 38 is a love story set in the future. It plays out against a backdrop of swirling social and political change, and tells the story of Diego Sanchez and his wife Adriana, a couple deeply in love. Their world is shattered when Adriana is diagnosed with terminal cancer. After gut-wrenching deliberation, they opt for doctor-assisted suicide. Wee problem. Crippled by decades of blistering partisan debate over the questions of euthanasia, gun control, capital punishment, school prayer, and same-sex marriages—and fearing total anarchy after the bloody Pro-Choice riots a year earlier—the United States is now two separate republics and the border between them is closed. Because Diego and Adriana live south of the border, where doctor-assisted suicide is illegal, they must flee north, across the 38th latitude, where euthanasia is not only legal, but mercifully encouraged for people with terminal illnesses. Any doubt they had about making the perilous trip is removed when they learn the government south of the 38th latitude secretly mandates that terminal cancer patients be given placebos to fight the pain.
Q: How did you come up with the title?
A: The 38th latitude divides the United States into halves. It seemed a natural title. A country being carved up is not new. European countries have been sliced and diced many times over the past 100 years, as have Middle East and Far East nations. The January 2007 issue of National Geographic Magazine reported that in the preceding two years more than 600 changes had been made to the borders that define the world. Remember the Soviet Union? What was once the second most powerful nation on the planet is today 15 separate countries. To think the United States is immune from such geographic restructuring is arrogant and naïve. The breakup of the Soviet Union was caused in large part by economic factors—the Soviet Union went broke. Given our mounting debt, the same thing could happen here. However, it is not debt that will be our undoing; we have the means to fix that. No, it is the uncompromising ideological division that will cause our demise. At first glance, one might see this disintegration as a Republican vs. Democrat tug-of-war. Closer scrutiny, however, reveals the division to run deeper than mere political affiliations. It is polarization at the gut level, one that trumps party loyalties.
Q: What was your inspiration for this story?
A: When I moved to Joplin, Missouri in 2007 to care for my elderly mother, I was asked by the editor of the Joplin Globe to write Op-Ed pieces for the newspaper. I had worked at the Globe many years earlier as a reporter and later as an editor. Latitude 38 was a consequence of these editorials. Oddly, I had never shown an interest in social issues until I began writing the Op-Ed pieces in 2007. I can’t explain my sudden interest. I’m reminded of David Seidler’s acceptance speech at this year’s Oscars. He won for Best Original Screenplay with The King’s Speech. The 73-year-old playwright cracked that, “My father always said I’d be a late bloomer.” Perhaps, like Seidler, I’m a late bloomer because at 70 I now have the personal discipline, intellectual honesty, and cast-iron point of view to succeed at writing.
Q: Describe your main characters, Diego and Adriana. What makes them compelling and why should the reader care about them?
A: Diego and Adriana are deeply in love. Diego has lived a sheltered, adventure-free life, and he questions his ability to successfully make the dangerous border crossing. But Adriana’s welfare is at stake, and he pushes himself to limits he once thought impossible. The story is told through his eyes. Although she is dying, Adriana is selfless; she cares more for her husband’s welfare than her own, and encourages Diego to conquer his inner fears.
Q: You explore some heavy social themes in Latitude 38. Could you discuss some of them?
A: The ideological philosophies separating Americans today are more poisonous than those dividing Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland or Sunnis and Shites in the Middle East. I realize that’s a bold statement, but sadly, I believe it to be true. Regardless of the issue here in the U.S., the two sides refuse to give a hair’s breadth. It is this malicious impasse that compelled me to write Latitude 38. Although I broached many social issues 
throughout the story, I allow the reader to draw his or her own conclusions about the fair-mindedness of each issue, whether it is abortion, capital punishment or gay rights. Nobody likes to be preached to. I’ve tried not to preach.
Q: What was your greatest challenge while writing the novel?
A: I tried to remain philosophically neutral. It wasn’t always easy. I wanted the readers to draw their own conclusions about the consequences of a strict law-and-order society.
Q: What are your writing habits like? Are you disciplined?
A: I write six hours a day, seven days a week.
Q: How long did it take you to write the book?
A: About a year and a half. The story went through many revisions.
Q: Tell us about the publishing process. Was it difficult landing an agent and/or finding a publisher?
A: Finding an agent was difficult. I was fortunate to have made the connection with Leticia Gomez in 2008 when a Hollywood film company called Antibody Films optioned a three-book middle-grade series I had just written. I didn’t have an agent at the time. I found Leticia, and she represented me. Later, she represented Latitude 38, but found the going rough with traditional publishers—they told Leticia that Latitude 38 was too controversial. That’s the beauty of e-publishers. They allow writers more editorial flexibility. As a consequence of this, e-book readers have a much greater story selection.
Q: What’s next for Ron Hutchison?
A: I have two other novels in the works.
Q: What is your best tip for aspiring authors?
A: Write.
Thanks for this interview!
May 8, 2011
Book review: Instant Poetry (Just Add Words!), by "Laughing" Larry Berger
Instant Poetry (Just Add Words!)Third Edition
By “Laughing” Larry Berger
iUniverse
ISBN-13: 978-1450255523
ASIN: 1450255523
September 2010
52 pages
I was intrigued when I received a copy of this poetry chapbook for review. It isn’t the typical poetry book. The author, ‘Laughing’ Larry Berger, ‘wrote’ or improvised these poems onstage as part of an audience participation free verse sets at coffee houses in Los Angeles in 1996.
It isn’t easy to write poetry, much less improvise it in front of an audience, which is why I was delighted to discover Berger’s wit, imagination, and flair for language.
The verses, some as short as a few lines and some long enough for two pages, explore various subjects and themes, from fun and light to serious and transcendent.
A good example of the author’s lighter poems is “Bubble Gum.” It catches a moment, a single snapshot of pure joy.
Soft and warm between my teeth,
an old lover returns
sweet and tangy inside my mouth.
Over and over she dances,
building evermore desire.
Slowly she turns up the heat,
stoking the fires
until
her passions no longer confinable
She EXPLODES,
releasing the rapture of the moment!
And then
She slides along my tongue
For one
More
Tango
A recurring theme in this work is the idea that modern men are trapped, caged, slaves and prisoners of their own cars and apartments. The following stanza is from “Leprosy.”
Rotting corpses walking down the street
are they really so different from you and me?
They get up, go to work, come home,
all in steel and concrete coffins.
In other poems, such as “Four Thousand Years Ago (The Crack Baby’s Prayer),” the author takes a philosophical look at life, presenting the reader with a grim picture of society, injustice, and the violence inflicted by humans throughout history. Berger uses the symbolic metaphor of rivers red with blood—this metaphor, by the way, is also recurrent in some of his other poems.
Some of my favorite poems in this book are the ones where Berger captures one single moment of happiness in a world where disaster looms in every corner. For example, in “Green Tea Ice Cream,” which is about the prediction that the world will end in 2012, Berger ends the verse with:
Right now
I’ve got my green tea ice cream
I’m happy.
There are a several memorable lines in this collection. This from “Ten Foot Pole.”
Thousands homeless
or out of work, downing
Anti-depressant medication
As that statue out in the harbor
Spreads her legs to the world.
The following, my favorite, is from “Stop Laughing!”
To stop laughing
is to resign ourselves to
coffins of skin!
I’m not sure if Berger meant to leave his best poem for last, but “Cold KFC in N.Y.C.” was definitely the best for me. The poem, which reads like a story, is about a man who has just been mugged in Grand Central:
You see
an hour ago
I was kissing concrete
back at Grand Central
with the barrel of a
.357 shoved into the back
Of my skull.
The man, who has just missed death, goes back to his crummy, cold flat and collapses from terror and exhaustion. Later he wakes up hungry and the only thing left in his fridge is some cold KFC leftovers. Berger ends the poem—and the book—with:
And folks
I’ve got to tell you!
ROAD KILL NEVER TASTED SO GOOD!
Instant Poetry (Just Add Words!) is a collection of forty-eight poems. I was surprised at the author’s creativity, good humor, and, at times, depth about the human condition. Some of these poems were performed on stage along the West Coast and New York and were created in interactive poetry readings. It is a unique and ingenious concept. I don’t read poetry often but I found Instant Poetry engaging and interesting. If you enjoy poetry and would like to try something different, I recommend you grab a copy of this book.
Instant Poetry
May 2, 2011
Interview with Cuban Author & Playwright Teresa Dovalpage
Please welcome my special guest, award-winning Cuban playwright and novelist Teresa Dovalpage. She's here today to talk about her novel, Habanera.
Teresa has a Ph.D. in Latin American Literature and is the author of five novels, three in Spanish and two in English, and a collection of short stories in Spanish. Her plays has been staged in Chicago by Aguijon Theater and in small theaters in Miami. Her articles, reviews and short stories have appeared in 
Rosebud, Latino Today, Afro-Hispanic Review, Baquiana, La Peregrina, Letras Femeninas, El Nuevo Herald and other publications. She currently works as a freelancer for The Taos News and the bilingual paper Mas New Mexico. Visit her website at www.dovalpage.com.
Teresa presently lives in Taos, New Mexico, where she teaches Spanish and Spanish Literature at UNM-Taos. Her blog in Spanish, that complements her narrative workshop, is http://dovalpage.wordpress.com/ and her blog in English, where some of her articles are posted, is http://teredovalpage.wordpress.com.
Q: Thanks for this interview, Teresa! When did you decide you wanted to become a writer?
A: Thank you, chica! Now that I think of it, I probably decided to become a writer when I was a teenager. I grew up in Havana during the 80’s and entertainment options were quite limited then—camping out in rustic settings or going to Saturday night parties. I was never the cheez boom bah type (in fact, I was a nerd) and was afraid of snakes so I stayed home in the company of books. After reading thousands of pages, there came a time when I thought, “Hey, I bet I can write one too.” And I began to write…some really awful stories, according to my mother.
Q: Did anyone in your family write or have creative interests?
A: My grandfather used to have long conversations with himself and he often wrote them down. He transcribed them carefully, in dialogues between two characters “Yo” and “Mí mismo” (I and Myself). I don’t know if this counts as creativity, though... I tried to depict a few of his eccentricities in Ponciano, the main character’s grandfather in my novel Habanera, a Portrait of a Cuban Family.
Q: Did you have any struggles or difficulties when you started writing?
A: While I lived in Cuba I didn’t think there would be any opportunity for me to publish my books so I just keep writing for the love of it, por amor al arte. But I knew I would eventually leave the island, which happened in 1996. Once I came to “La Yuma,” as we call the United States, it was quite a smooth road. I didn’t even have an agent when I began, just sent the manuscript of A Girl like Che Guevara to as many publishing houses as I could think of. “Someone is going to pick it up, someday,” I figured.
Q: Did you have any mentors?
A: Pues claro! There are two writers that I greatly admire and consider my mentors, mis maestras. One is Lorraine Lopez, author of The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters and a finalist of the 2010 PEN /Faulkner Award. I always learn a lot about plot development and structure from reading her books. And my fellow Cuban Ana Cabrera Vivanco, currently living in Spain and author of Las Horas del Alma, a brilliant novel that I expect to see translated into English soon.
Q: Let’s talk now about your novel, Habanera, which has garnered some rave reviews. What is it about and what was your inspiration for it?
A: It started as a memoir, but at a given moment I realized I had reinvented history too much. After some prodding from my mother, who called me a liar among other things, I decided to turn it into fiction. It is loosely based on my own family, though I added many events that never happened in reality. (There was no ghost at home, at least that I knew of.) But the characters are inspired in my parents and grandparents who were—and are—a weird and motley crew.
Q: Habanera combines quirky humor with compelling drama. How do you decide when to incorporate humor in this type of novel? Is it a conscious decision or does it come natural?
A: Well, some things that people find funny were never intended to be humorous at all, hehehe…
Q: One of the reviewers wrote: “Dovalpage is a master of quirky, loveable characters, and emotionally resonant narrative.” How do you create your characters and make them genuine? How do you make your prose shine with emotion?
A: In this case, I copied most of the characters from reality so creating “genuine” characters was relatively easy. After all, I knew the models well… As for the emotion part, I try to give as many details as I can, to get inside the characters’ heads and let hem do the talking.
Q: What was your writing process like while working on Habanera? Was it difficult to go back in time and relive that experience?
A: Since I started it as a memoir the writing process was like keeping a journal backwards. I wrote down a series of episodes as they came to my memory (the unfortunate event with the Christmas pig at home, the visits to the cemetery…) But when I decided to turn it into a novel I changed the timeframe, from the 80’s to the 90’s, so I had to go back and rewrite some scenes… In general it was fun to relive my childhood experiences. I could see for the first time how quirky it really was.
Q: Tell us what the revision process is like for you. Do you edit as you write or do you edit later?
A: Both. I edit as I write and when I finish the manuscript, I have someone read the final draft too, particularly when it is in English. Ay, these pesky prepositions! My husband Gary has been very helpful in that respect.
Q: How was your road to publication?
A: It hasn’t been too difficult. After my first novel in English, A Girl like Che Guevara, was published by Soho Press, I had three more novels (in Spanish) published—Posesas de La Habana Posesas de La Habana, (Crazy Ladies of Havana, PurePlay Press, 2004), Muerte de un murciano en la Habana (Death of a Murcian in Havana) that was a runner-up for the Herralde Award in 2006 and El Difunto Fidel (The Late Fidel) that won the Rincon de la Victoria Award in Spain in 2009. It was a little more complicated to find a home for a collection of short stories in Spanish, Por culpa de Candela and other stories, but I finally did. And then came Habanera…
Q: What do you love most about the writer’s life?
A: The fact that I can write at home when I feel like it, surrounded by my cats and dogs…And wearing my moo-moo, though I only do that when my husband isn’t around. And most importantly, to hear from the readers, to get the personal feedback that makes all the butt-hours spent in front of the computer worthy. There is a fan of Cuban Literature in Spain who has created a website called La Biblioteca Cubana de Barbarito (Barbarito’s Cuban Library). When I get a message from him or from another reader, I feel in seventh heaven…
Q: What Latina authors have inspired you?
A: Many of them! But I want to mention Elena Avila, who sadly passed away last March. She wrote Woman Who Glows in the Dark, a national bestseller about curanderismo, and several beautiful plays. I used Woman Who Glows in the Dark as a textbook in my Santeria and Curanderismo class at the University of New Mexico and it inspired me to write a book on that topic, 101 Questions to a Curandera, that I am presently co-authoring with an eight-generation curandera, Patricia Padilla. The only thing I regret is not having been able to meet Elena in person.
Q: Did you establish a connection with other Latina writers when you started writing? How important do you think is a supportive community for budding writers?
A: Bueno, we have a very supportive and active community in NuncaSolas! I also have a wonderful circle of Latina writers and we trade first drafts and give each other advice. It is an invaluable help.
Q: What advice would you give aspiring writers?
A: Don’t store rejection letters… I have heard that some writers do it but can’t imagine anything more depressing, plus it seems like bad Feng Shui. And above all, keep writing!
Interview with Cuban Author & Playwright Teresa Dovalpage
Please welcome my special guest, award-winning Cuban playwright and novelist Teresa Dovalpage. She's here today to talk about her novel, Habanera.
Teresa has a Ph.D. in Latin American Literature and is the author of five novels, three in Spanish and two in English, and a collection of short stories in Spanish. Her plays has been staged in Chicago by Aguijon Theater and in small theaters in Miami. Her articles, reviews and short stories have appeared in Rosebud, Latino Today, Afro-Hispanic Review, Baquiana, La Peregrina, Letras Femeninas, El Nuevo Herald and other publications. She currently works as a freelancer for The Taos News and the bilingual paper Mas New Mexico. Visit her website at www.dovalpage.com.
Teresa presently lives in Taos, New Mexico, where she teaches Spanish and Spanish Literature at UNM-Taos. Her blog in Spanish, that complements her narrative workshop, is http://dovalpage.wordpress.com/ and her blog in English, where some of her articles are posted, is http://teredovalpage.wordpress.com.
Q: Thanks for this interview, Teresa! When did you decide you wanted to become a writer?
A: Thank you, chica! Now that I think of it, I probably decided to become a writer when I was a teenager. I grew up in Havana during the 80’s and entertainment options were quite limited then—camping out in rustic settings or going to Saturday night parties. I was never the cheez boom bah type (in fact, I was a nerd) and was afraid of snakes so I stayed home in the company of books. After reading thousands of pages, there came a time when I thought, “Hey, I bet I can write one too.” And I began to write…some really awful stories, according to my mother.
Q: Did anyone in your family write or have creative interests?
A: My grandfather used to have long conversations with himself and he often wrote them down. He transcribed them carefully, in dialogues between two characters “Yo” and “Mí mismo” (I and Myself). I don’t know if this counts as creativity, though... I tried to depict a few of his eccentricities in Ponciano, the main character’s grandfather in my novel Habanera, a Portrait of a Cuban Family.
Q: Did you have any struggles or difficulties when you started writing?
A: While I lived in Cuba I didn’t think there would be any opportunity for me to publish my books so I just keep writing for the love of it, por amor al arte. But I knew I would eventually leave the island, which happened in 1996. Once I came to “La Yuma,” as we call the United States, it was quite a smooth road. I didn’t even have an agent when I began, just sent the manuscript of A Girl like Che Guevara to as many publishing houses as I could think of. “Someone is going to pick it up, someday,” I figured.
Q: Did you have any mentors?
A: Pues claro! There are two writers that I greatly admire and consider my mentors, mis maestras. One is Lorraine Lopez, author of The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters and a finalist of the 2010 PEN /Faulkner Award. I always learn a lot about plot development and structure from reading her books. And my fellow Cuban Ana Cabrera Vivanco, currently living in Spain and author of Las Horas del Alma, a brilliant novel that I expect to see translated into English soon.
Q: Let’s talk now about your novel, Habanera, which has garnered some rave reviews. What is it about and what was your inspiration for it?
A: It started as a memoir, but at a given moment I realized I had reinvented history too much. After some prodding from my mother, who called me a liar among other things, I decided to turn it into fiction. It is loosely based on my own family, though I added many events that never happened in reality. (There was no ghost at home, at least that I knew of.) But the characters are inspired in my parents and grandparents who were—and are—a weird and motley crew.
Q: Habanera combines quirky humor with compelling drama. How do you decide when to incorporate humor in this type of novel? Is it a conscious decision or does it come natural?
A: Well, some things that people find funny were never intended to be humorous at all, hehehe…
Q: One of the reviewers wrote: “Dovalpage is a master of quirky, loveable characters, and emotionally resonant narrative.” How do you create your characters and make them genuine? How do you make your prose shine with emotion?
A: In this case, I copied most of the characters from reality so creating “genuine” characters was relatively easy. After all, I knew the models well… As for the emotion part, I try to give as many details as I can, to get inside the characters’ heads and let hem do the talking.
Q: What was your writing process like while working on Habanera? Was it difficult to go back in time and relive that experience?
A: Since I started it as a memoir the writing process was like keeping a journal backwards. I wrote down a series of episodes as they came to my memory (the unfortunate event with the Christmas pig at home, the visits to the cemetery…) But when I decided to turn it into a novel I changed the timeframe, from the 80’s to the 90’s, so I had to go back and rewrite some scenes… In general it was fun to relive my childhood experiences. I could see for the first time how quirky it really was.
Q: Tell us what the revision process is like for you. Do you edit as you write or do you edit later?
A: Both. I edit as I write and when I finish the manuscript, I have someone read the final draft too, particularly when it is in English. Ay, these pesky prepositions! My husband Gary has been very helpful in that respect.
Q: How was your road to publication?
A: It hasn’t been too difficult. After my first novel in English, A Girl like Che Guevara, was published by Soho Press, I had three more novels (in Spanish) published—Posesas de La Habana Posesas de La Habana, (Crazy Ladies of Havana, PurePlay Press, 2004), Muerte de un murciano en la Habana (Death of a Murcian in Havana) that was a runner-up for the Herralde Award in 2006 and El Difunto Fidel (The Late Fidel) that won the Rincon de la Victoria Award in Spain in 2009. It was a little more complicated to find a home for a collection of short stories in Spanish, Por culpa de Candela and other stories, but I finally did. And then came Habanera…
Q: What do you love most about the writer’s life?
A: The fact that I can write at home when I feel like it, surrounded by my cats and dogs…And wearing my moo-moo, though I only do that when my husband isn’t around. And most importantly, to hear from the readers, to get the personal feedback that makes all the butt-hours spent in front of the computer worthy. There is a fan of Cuban Literature in Spain who has created a website called La Biblioteca Cubana de Barbarito (Barbarito’s Cuban Library). When I get a message from him or from another reader, I feel in seventh heaven…
Q: What Latina authors have inspired you?
A: Many of them! But I want to mention Elena Avila, who sadly passed away last March. She wrote Woman Who Glows in the Dark, a national bestseller about curanderismo, and several beautiful plays. I used Woman Who Glows in the Dark as a textbook in my Santeria and Curanderismo class at the University of New Mexico and it inspired me to write a book on that topic, 101 Questions to a Curandera, that I am presently co-authoring with an eight-generation curandera, Patricia Padilla. The only thing I regret is not having been able to meet Elena in person.
Q: Did you establish a connection with other Latina writers when you started writing? How important do you think is a supportive community for budding writers?
A: Bueno, we have a very supportive and active community in NuncaSolas! I also have a wonderful circle of Latina writers and we trade first drafts and give each other advice. It is an invaluable help.
Q: What advice would you give aspiring writers?
A: Don’t store rejection letters… I have heard that some writers do it but can’t imagine anything more depressing, plus it seems like bad Feng Shui. And above all, keep writing!
April 29, 2011
Meet Kindle-Bestselling Author Aaron Paul Lazar
Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. The author of LeGarde Mysteries, Moore Mysteries, and Tall Pines Mysteries enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at www.legardemysteries.com and watch for his upcoming Twilight Times Books releases, FIRESONG(2011), TERROR COMES KNOCKING (2011), FOR THE BIRDS(2011), ESSENTIALLY YOURS (2012) and DON’T LET THE WIND CATCH YOU (2012).
[image error]Q: When did you start writing mysteries?
A: During my late teens and twenties I always knew I wanted to write a mystery series some day. It’s odd, because the writing bug hadn’t really hit me at that point. But in the back of my mind I just assumed I’d do it some day. I pictured it happening later, maybe in retirement. (I still had to finish college, get a job, get a house, raise my kids in a safe environment, etc.) As I matured through my thirties, I continued to devour all of the series mysteries I could read. These writers were my teachers, so to speak.
I didn’t commit to the LeGarde series until my father died, in 1997. The agony of the loss sent me into a tailspin. I’d lost eight family members and friends in the previous five years, and his death was the final straw. I needed something to help me release the pain, and decided that a series dedicated to my dad would be just the ticket. After writing Double Forté, I was completely bitten by the writing bug. And it hasn’t stopped pestering me since.
Q: I understand the latest instalment in the LeGarde mystery series, FireSong, has just been released. What is your protagonist, Gus LeGarde, up to this time?
A: Gus juggles more troubles at one time in this book than he has in his entire series. Here’s a blurb:
What would you do if your country church was hit by a rogue tornado during services? What if the shrieking winds unearthed the bones of a missing parishioner in a nearby wheat field? Now add the discovery of heroin in your elderly minister’s bloodstream. When Gus LeGarde is thrown into the middle of the mess, he knows life’s finally gone berserk in East Goodland, New York.
The Genesee Valley is in chaos. Strangers drive panel vans through the countryside at weird hours of the night. A new batch of drugs is on the street, endangering local. The local salt mine collapses due to illegal mining practices. Gas fires burn in wells. Watering holes turn to brine. Crops are dying. Tempers are short. To top it off, the new salt mine lies directly over ancient Indian burial grounds, bringing anguish to local tribes.
While Gus faces ordeals delivered by nature and man, his wife Camille discovers a hidden room in their house. She digs through historical archives to learn that the 1811 original homeowner, Mary Hill, may have had connections with the Underground Railroad. When local grave robbers begin to loot historic coffins, they find an empty coffin. Who killed Mary? How did she die? Where is her body? And where will this two-hundred-year-old mystery lead?
Join Gus as he’s lured into a bizarre network of underground tunnels to expose the most shocking discovery ever to rock the Genesee Valley.
Q: Besides being an amateur sleuth, Gus is a music professor. He also loves gardening, cooking, and is a big family man. How did you create this character?
A: Gus LeGarde is based partially on my father, and partially on me. He’s a strange amalgam of us both, and has also grown into a unique person all his own at the same time. My father was an avid musician, gardener, cook, animal lover, and family man. Of course, so am I. People who read the series see “me” in it, but I see my father. It’s rather fun.
I always say “Gus LeGarde is a better man than me.” That’s because he can run through the woods to chase villains without getting out of breath, hold his own in a nasty fist fight, play a superb Chopin etude (I’m hopeless), garden, teach, inspire his students, and he juggles all of these adventures while still caring for his family. I admire his stamina!
Q: How important is plotting a mystery in advance for mystery writers?
A: Some folks plot in advance with great detail. I admire that. And I’m a little jealous of them! In my case it ends up not being all that important. The story comes as it wants to, flying out of my head without much advance notice. I simply document the process by keeping my fingers moving. ;o)
Q: What would you say are the main elements of a great mystery story?
A: In any genre, my firm opinion is that you need to have strong, memorable characters firmly rooted in a great setting with a plot that rings true. Or close to true! Providing clues that are reasonable up front is essential, but they shouldn’t be so obvious that they give away the ending. Twists and turns are a lovely addition – I particularly like to use this ploy. In addition, mysteries need to establish right off the bat some aching need in their readers to discover what happened, who killed whom, or what is going to happen as a result of it. There must be a burning question that needs resolution. I also believe a mystery needs a good setting, with a very strong sense of place. And it goes without saying that the writing must be smooth and polished, and that the dialogue must be real.
Q: How long does it take you to write a novel?
A: On average, it takes me about two to three months working an hour or two per day. That doesn’t include the post-edits that come when we get closer to publication, of course. Those may require another month or so of intense work.
Q: Do you suffer from writer’s block at times? What do you do to ‘cure’ it?
A: Sometimes I feel a little burned out, and when that happens, I just put away the laptop and live life for a while. I submerge myself in all things around me, listen to conversations at the grocery store, cook family feasts, garden in the sun, watch some great movies, play with my grandkids. Usually it takes less than a week to stir up the juices and get the stories percolating again.
Q: Who are your favourite mystery authors?
A: Here are a few: John D. McDonald, Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Dick Francis, Clive Cussler, Laurie R. King, Rex Stout, Peter Mayle, and Tony Hillerman.
Q: How do you balance writing and editing your novels with marketing and promotion?
A: This is the toughest part of my career right now, Mayra. In the beginning, I just wrote. I was hardly online at all, and I lived for the next book. I wrote 5 books in row before I even thought about getting published. But now – many years later – I go through phases of massive creation following by months of promotion. I don’t like this at all, and am trying to get more uniform and balanced with both. I write an article each week for my collaborative blog, Murderby4.blogspot.com. I try to twitter multiple times per day all week (pre-scheduled with Twuffer.com). I respond to fan mail and help young authors get started. And when a new book is coming out, I try to create a buzz in advance with virtual book tours, etc. Frankly, I wish I could go back to those early days when it was all pure fun. But then again, I’d have no readers, would I?
Q: What tips would you give aspiring mystery writers?
A: Here are a few tips: Less is more. Avoid adverbs and use stronger verbs. Avoid a bunch of useless phrases that are not needed but commonly used. Also, expect and welcome rejection. If you aren’t receiving lots of rejection notices, you aren’t submitting enough. Eventually one of them will pan out. Keep writing. The more you write, the more your skills develop. And one day it will all come together with your first book deal! (I’ve posted many of these tips on my website www.legardemysteries.com in the “Free articles and essays” section with detailed examples, etc.)
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers?
A: I often encourage writers (and everyone!) to “take pleasure in the little things”. No matter what’s happening in your life, if you appreciate the gifts that God has given us, all will be okay.
Open your eyes. Reel it all in. Absorb the beauty around you, whether it is the flash of love in an old woman’s eye, the ping of a cooling woodstove, the touch of a child’s hand, or the fragile petal of a white violet. Allow yourself to be in that moment, record it in your soul, and play it back for your readers for the ultimate connection.
Thanks, Mayra, for having me here today. It’s been so much fun! Following is a list of my books, blogs, and awards. If anyone needs to contact me, you can email me at aaron dot lazar at yahoo dot com.
Twilight Times Books by Kindle bestselling author Aaron Lazar:
LEGARDE MYSTERIES
DOUBLE FORTE' (2004, new version coming 2012)
UPSTAGED (2005, new version coming 2012)
TREMOLO: CRY OF THE LOON (2007)
MAZURKA (2009)
FIRESONG (COMING SOON! JULY 2011)
DON’T LET THE WIND CATCH YOU (COMING SOON! APRIL 2012)
MOORE MYSTERIES
HEALEY'S CAVE (2010)
TERROR COMES KNOCKING (2011)
FOR KEEPS (2012)
TALL PINES MYSTERIES
FOR THE BIRDS (COMING SOON! OCTOBER 2011)
ESSENTIALLY YOURS (COMING SOON! MARCH 2012)
Awards:
Preditors & Editors Readers Choice Award – 2nd place 2011* Winner of Carolyn Howard Johnsons’ 9th Annual Noble (Not Nobel!) Prize for Literature 2011 * Finalist Allbooks Editors Choice Awards 2011 * Preditors&Editors Top 10 Finalist * Yolanda Renee's Top Ten Books 2008 * MYSHELF Top Ten Reads 2008 * Writers' Digest Top 101 Website Award 2009 & 2010
www.legardemysteries.com
www.mooremysteries.com
www.murderby4.blogspot.com
www.aaronlazar.blogspot.com
April 20, 2011
Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop - for book lovers!
The Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop is scheduled from 12:01 AM April 20th until 11:59 PM April 25th.
Prize winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 26th. There are 265 blogs participating in this hop, so there will be plenty of prizes for all of you book lovers!
I'll be giving away autographed copies of the following children's books to ONE lucky winner.
Visit my blog for details:
http://mayrassecretbookcase.blogspot.com
March 29, 2011
ebook sale for book lovers
We appreciate our readers for making Tremolo: cry of the loon a breakout novel for Aaron Paul Lazar. Mazurka by Aaron along with several popular titles are currently available for 99 cents via Amazon Kindle.
Doggie Biscuit!, humor by Darrell Bain
Learning to Write the Easy Way for Fun, Posterity and Money, writing advice by Dorothy Ann Skarles
Mazurka, mystery by Aaron Paul Lazar
Sonora Wind, historical fiction by Florence Byham Weinberg
The Solomon Scandals, suspense by David Rothman
The Y Factor, SF by Darrell Bain and Stephanie Osborn.
Additional ebooks available at discount prices from $2.75 to $4.40 via Amazon Kindle.
http://amzn.to/eYYy6s
Lida E. Quillen, Publisher
Twilight Times Books
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Critically acclaimed Literary, Mystery and SF/F books
http://twilighttimesbooks.com/
