Summer Kinard's Blog, page 26

Friday Faith Talk: Gratitude, Liturgy, and Homing

Activate homing signals!

Eight years ago, my baby sister tried twice to take her own life. As I reached out to her and my other siblings, I found out terrible things about their situation. I was devastated and did all I could to help from seven states away. One day, as I walked down the wide flagstones on Duke’s West Campus on the way to a seminar, I noticed the song I had been singing to myself on the long walk across the campus. It was from the liturgy, but only the beginning, over and over:

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

It is right and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth…

Just before reached my building, my ear opened to what I had been trying to sing to myself. “Always and everywhere,” I heard.

Always and everywhere became my homing signal in those difficult days. I had lived through rougher ones in many ways, growing up subjected to several types of abuse and neglect. But before I had left for college, I had largely protected my younger siblings from the worst of things. That semester of seminary, while I was working toward my second master’s degree, was harder because it impressed upon me my own powerlessness to shield my siblings. They had reached ages at which, unless they acted for themselves and chose the options we offered them, they would be stuck in a bad situation. I was disoriented by this new type of pain, and I reeled.

But whenever I became overwhelmed or was tempted to despair, the liturgy always came back to me. Always and everywhere give thanks. If that was not an “always and everywhere” time I found myself in, I don’t know what was. It was difficult, but I tried it.

Sometimes the only way I could give thanks was to make a start at it by repeating the words of the liturgy again. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give God thanks and praise.

Gradually, I gave thanks for God being with us always and everywhere. I gave thanks that my sister’s suicide attempt had failed, that she had gotten at least a little help, that she knew there were resources available even if she was not able to avail herself of them. I gave thanks that I had broken the cycle by following Christ, our leader who has truly broken all of the cycles of violence in this world, and would break the reign of violence in my sister’s life.

And I started to see differently. The always and everywhere world had more light in it. The always and everywhere world was full of music. The always and everywhere world lifted my baby sister in warm, strong hands and healed her with mama kisses and daddy hugs.

There I was, trying to reach my sister through thanksgiving, and I reached right through to a wellspring of grace and compassion such as I had not expected could be. My eyes changed so that I could see good in everyone around me. My ears changed so that I could hear the song in the speech of strangers. My heart changed so I could love and let go and love and set free and love and do justice.

When I hear people say they don’t need to go to church to be Christian, I am filled with deep pity. Not because I’m unaware that churches are chock-full of hypocrites, cheats, liars, thieves, failures, drunks, gluttons, and other people who sin less than I. But because without going to church, Christians miss their calling. The work of the church in liturgy that reshapes and restores the world starts right in us when we gather for Eucharist (Mass, Communion) and train our hearts to seek first the kingdom of God. The liturgy does not just open doors and break down walls and mingle earth and heaven; it activates and calibrates our homing sense so we can find our way in this world.

I told someone earlier today that gratitude is my way of being happy. I don’t mean that I never laugh. If you’ve read my book, you probably can guess that I have a somewhat corny sense of humor (and unabashedly so – why else would I write about women’s wrestling?). I laugh and smile all day. But gratitude is my happy. It’s the way I respond when all things are not equal. When a wonderful thing happens (my book made it to #4 in women’s fiction on Amazon’s best-seller list!) or something terrible happens (losing a loved one),  my feet start to move to an ancient rhythm. I walk and hum and sing, and eventually, I hear my own song.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing always and everywhere to give thanks.

Thank you to all who purchased Can’t Buy Me Love at yesterday’s Kindle Daily Deal. If you missed it or read a different e-reader format, mark your calendars for the Kobo summer reading sale August 2-5, during which Can’t Buy Me Love will be just $2.99. This post on gratitude preempted my scheduled post on Sexual Desires, but never fear! It will show up on a future Friday Faith Talk.

Interview with Summer Kinard

Can’t Buy Me Love is the Kindle Daily Deal in romance for July 25th.

Wot-wot, old chap? That’s right. Tomorrow is a big day for Can’t Buy Me Love. All day Thursday, July 25th, Can’t Buy Me Love is just 99¢ as the Kindle Daily Deal in romance. I’m breaking form to post a bit of an interview of me talking about the inspiration for the book. Enjoy! And don’t forget to check out {Can’t Buy Me Love} tomorrow!

What inspired Can’t Buy Me Love?

Years ago, I was sitting with a group of women at an all-day scrapbooking party. After admiring one woman’s amazing vacation photos, we got to talking about what would happen to such a beautiful book if the relationship failed and the scrapper married someone else. These books can take hundreds of hours to assemble, so they would be hard to let go. We explored options: a box in a closet or an unused drawer, but they all seemed too awkward. The consensus was that the book would have to be thrown out. I guess that conversation stuck in my craw.

Are the places in your book real?

Most of them are; some are thinly veiled or slightly fictionalized versions of real places. Durham is a vibrant, homespun city that loves life. I wanted to capture some of the zest of the local food and community scenes in the book.

I didn’t know there was such an active freegan movement in Durham. How did you find out about it?

There is a very active reuse and freecycle community here, along with strong environmentalism. There may also be freegans, but mine are imagined, I’m afraid.

There are a lot of Catholics in your book. Are you Catholic?

I grew up around a lot of good people who described themselves as “bad Catholics” for one reason or another. I’m Episcopalian by way of other denominations, but Catholicism was part of the atmosphere of my early years.

The shrine plays a major role in Vanessa’s healing and self-acceptance. Tell us about it.

When I was a girl, my Great Aunt Max lived in a Victorian house in Galveston, Texas, where my huge extended family often gathered. Her dining room was fifteen feet high by thirty feet long, and a buffet stretched nearly that entire length. The first four or five feet was a big shrine. She had lots of tall glass votive candles, some plain and some with saints. There were loads of prayer cards, church fans, tiny saint figurines, saint medals, flowers from funerals, family photos, crosses, and rosaries. I think she kept holy water, too. The smell of Aunt Max’s buffet table shrine is my first idea of what God might smell like.

When I wanted to give Vanessa a way to make a place for love in her life, I knew that she really needed a physical space to gather meaningful objects. Her fruit bowl was the start of that ingathering of life. Making and keeping up the shrine gave her a way to value the whole of her life, even the hurtful parts.

I think God does that to us, comes into the middle of our lives and calls everything holy. That’s what the shrine meant to me, and what I wanted to give Vanessa.

Read more at my page on Light Messages Publishers’ site.

 

Plotting with Pinterest

When I finished my first draft of Can’t Buy Me Love last May, I made a Pinterest board to gather up some of the images from the novel. The board not only gave readers a glimpse into the book world, but it helped me re-imagine the plot as I undertook major revisions. I’m now about 45,000 words into my next novel, Tea and Crumples, and I’ve made a new Pinterest board for this work-in-progress. {See it Here}

This time around, I started the board earlier, and I am customizing all of the pins with plot details. There’s even a floorplan of the shop!

Here’s the floorplan for the Tea & Crumples shop! (I’m a writer, Jim, not an architect!)

Even though I did not customize the colors, you still get a good sense of the size and flow of the shop. Tea and Crumples started out as a business plan, but 14 years later, it has morphed into a novel! Somewhere between me filling a notebook with sketches and numbers and menus and beginning to write in earnest again, characters peopled the shop that has long been laid out in my mind. The place came first, and then one of the shop owners, Sienna. Besides Sienna, the first person to take on distinction in my mind is Mr. Cleotis Reed, who walked into the shop the first day it was opened, and said boldly, “My name is Cleotis Reed. I’m 74 years old. I speak my mind.” He never stopped doing so in all these years, and his seat at the chess table anchors not only the shop, but also the story. (Cleotis Reed even corresponded with some of my real life friends when I was in seminary, giving out sound advice with country turns of phrase.)

Of course, before Pinterest, I had notebooks and sketches, which have not gone away. But Pinterest makes it easier to share my vision with others. It has become a vital part of my writing life.

How about you? Do you use Pinterest for plotting stories?

Mondays on Writing Like a Mother will feature some part of the writing and publishing process. If there’s a topic you’d like me to cover, please comment to let me know!

UPDATES & UPCOMING:

BIG NEWS! Can’t Buy Me Love will be the Kindle Daily Deal in Romance THIS THURSDAY, July 25th. One day only, you may purchase the Kindle version for just 99¢ (list price is $7.99). If you’d like to read or give Can’t Buy Me Love to a friend, Thursday is a great day to do so.
I will make an author appearance and read from Can’t Buy Me Love at the Durham Streets at Southpoint Barnes & Noble on August 15, 7:30pm. Please come out and say, “hi!” If  you’re there for the reading, you might also get to hear a little singing.
Can’t Buy Me Love will be on sale for only $2.99 on Kobo from August 2-5. If you miss the Kindle sale or read on a different ereader, don’t miss this sale!
Author Margaret Arvanitis, who interviewed here as part of the Writing Mothers interview series in April {post here}, has just released her latest YA Western, Hank of Twin Rivers, Book One: Journey of Change . You can click the title to go to the book on Smashwords. This book is geared toward boys, but girls might enjoy it, too. Congratulations, Margaret!

Friday Faith Talk: More than we can bear

This came up today on a friend’s Facebook page. I know you’ve heard it, too. You’re going through a profoundly difficult, unbearable situation. Maybe your life is always hard due to mental or physical health issues. Maybe you parent a special needs child or care for a special needs parent. And people come out of the woodwork, some to help, some to offer moral support, and some to say inane things that frustrate, anger, and isolate you further from the broad stream of humans not going through the terrible thing. Chief among the insipid sayings is the pseudo-pious, “Well, God won’t give you more than you can bear.”

Oh, really?

Let me break down some of the ways this sentiment is wrong:

1. It’s a misquotation of the scripture.

2. It’s a misuse of the scripture.

3. It’s based on a view of humans as insular individuals that is fundamentally opposed to the idea of the community we are meant to be in the body of Christ, the church.

4. It’s a poor substitute for loving action.

One: Misquotation of scripture

First of all, the Christian tradition is full of people who face more than they can bear. Part of the unusual nature of Christian witness is that Christians try to be true to their beliefs even when it’s all too much to bear. What people are vaguely remembering when they “quote” the pithy, “God won’t give you more than you can bear,” is I Corinthians 10:13.

Let’s have a look:

10:13 temptatio vos non adprehendat nisi humana fidelis autem Deus qui non patietur vos temptari super id quod potestis sed faciet cum temptatione etiam proventum ut possitis sustinere

Just kidding (*mostly* I’ll get back to that in a minute).

12 So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. -I Cor. 10:12-13

In this part of the letter, Paul has been laying out examples of faithful people who screwed up big time. He’s not just telling the Corinthian Christians to watch themselves so they don’t mess up, too. He’s telling them to be humble about the grace they received and to press on faithfully together, assuring them that when their faith is tried, there will be a way out of the apparent either/or situations where both choices seem bad. God’s going to help them through. He does not say, “Hey, your kid is developmentally delayed? Yeah, that’s because God knows you’re strong.”

The only appropriate answer to that way of thinking is, “Like, wtf, God? Why would you do that? I’m weak! Cut me some slack!” But never fear. Remember, that’s not what the passage is saying anyway. In fact…

Two: Misuse of Scripture

There’s a weird thing in translating stuff into non-Southern English. If you can read the Latin passage above, you already know where I’m going with this. But in case not, grant me the license to quote you the freshly-made-up Authorized Southern Version of the key verse:

13No testing has overtaken all y’all that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let y’all be tested beyond y’all’s strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that y’all may be able to endure it.

The misuse of scripture when someone says to a sufferer, “Oh, God won’t give you more than you can bear,” is two-fold: 1) It’s not a word in season with the weary one. It’s not an inspired or edifying thing to say. It does not build up. 2) That verse you’re referencing? It’s about the whole community of Christians.

We’re talking Levar Burton in leg warmers here, not crushed, lonely person stoically bearing all that mess out of sight:

Yes, God IS faithful, and God gives so much grace that if all y’all pitch in together, y’all will get through this together.

Three: A Community, Not Individuals

You know what Christians standing alone are called? Consumers. They are a figment of the market imagination invented to sell us stuff and ideas. Christians are not supposed to be alone, nor can they be and partake fully of the faith. Even hermits have to come together to receive sacraments, and they join through the rhythms of daily prayer with all Christians everywhere.

No, the idea that Christians are meant to bear things alone is a foolish one that does not stand up to scrutiny when compared with the long history of the faith. We each struggle against the spiritual forces of wickedness in this world, but we do so precisely because we are not alone. All that banner waving, soldier of Christ talk that can get individualized and teeshirt-ized is meant to be in context of an ancient idea called (prepare yourself) recapitulation.

I’ll let you drink something caffeinated before I explain. Better? Okay. Recapitulation means to put the head back on. In Christian thinking, it refers to the way that God not only began the good work of grace by creating us and saving us in Christ, but also! set us off on a new course, one that leads to life instead of destruction. Here’s where the body metaphor so loved by the early church comes into play again. That new head that was put on humans is Christ. We were fool-headed and destructive, and now we are meant to work together in truth, love, and wisdom, guided by the Logos of God, Jesus Christ. (Logos means Word or reasoning faculty. In this case, the good sense of God, given to humans in Jesus. If you have not the sense God gave you, never fear! Jesus is sorting it, and you (with the help of the Great Y’all of the Church) can hope to get some sense after all.)

In short, Christians need each other, the whole church throughout time, all the saints, all the prayers, all the angels, and of course our leader and Head J.H. Christ, just to get by. There’s no place in faithful speech to one another for isolating talk.

Four: The Love That Acts

The Great Y’all of the Church shows itself in loving actions. If you know someone who is going through hell, don’t stand on the sidelines and make pleasantries about their heat tolerance. Go with them. Okay, so maybe you’re overwhelmed by your friend’s problems. Of course you are. Those waves of trouble can be huge! But if we make a human chain, we can keep each other afloat. (Some people even walk on water.)

If you’re tempted to say, “God won’t give you more than you can bear,” may that poisonous phrase turn to ashes in your mouth, and may you never speak it, not even to yourself. Instead, remember this: “Bear one another’s burdens.”

Here are some loving acts to try instead of saying platitudinous drivel to friends in need:

-Pray for them. A lot. Often.

-Pick up a gift certificate for them when you’re out at a restaurant.

-Fill up their gas tank.

-Help with repairs.

-Don’t judge them, no matter how much you think you’re better than them. Because you’re not, and you would fall just as easily if you tried to stand alone. (Remember the Great Y’all, and be humble.)

-If you know the medical sitch, explain to fellow people who also love your friend so they don’t have to tell the diagnosis AGAIN.

-If you can provide respite care, do so.

-If you can donate to a research fund or cause, do so.

-Call your local politicians or write them, asking for extended services in the area of your friend’s need.

-Make sure they have clothes and food and shelter.

-If almsgiving is your thing, consider direct relief through bill paying or cash.

-Love them when you see them.

-Be kind to the special needs person, even if s/he is not very likeable at that moment.

-Find appropriate ways to show love. Consult the Great Y’all.

Peace, y’all. Join me here next week for the first of a two-part Friday Faith Talk on sexual desires.

Being a Teacher who Writes: Guest Post by Author Matt Posner

Author and teacher Matt Posner talks about the challenges of writing as a busy teacher.

Today, I welcome author and public school teacher Matt Posner to share some of the challenges of work/writing balance in a teacher’s life. Matt is the author of the School of the Ages book series, set in America’s premier magic school, and co-author with Jess C. Scott of the Teen Guide to Sex and Relationships. Read on to hear Matt’s thoughts on “Being a Teacher Who Writes,” and learn how to find Matt online.

Thanks for inviting me to appear on your blog, Summer.

I write books for ages 12 and up. I don’t know who my readership is — my reviewers are mostly adults who like YA books. I hope I have reached some teens also, because I have things to say that I hope they will be moved to read about. But I don’t write full-time.

Nope, I’m a teacher.

We teachers are bad guys these days. The media, the corporations, the politicians, they all say that we are the problem in American education. We don’t push the students hard enough, they say. We don’t have the proper skills. We make too much money. We need to pay more for our benefits. We should give up our job security. It’s a tough space that we teachers occupy just now, being the scapegoats for all social problems. And here, I thought I was using a wide range of skills, including the skill of keeping my head screwed on right when under pressure, to take care of kids who present a wide range of challenges, to do my best to advance them along the path to adulthood and give them some skills they can use, both technical skills and life skills. I didn’t know I was the problem. I thought I was part of the solution.

Being a teacher is pretty stressful, really. We are being harassed by a wide variety of political enemies. We have a challenging generation of young people to mentor. A lot of those kids feel like family and feel like our own, and their troubles can easily slide into our lives the way shadows join us on a forest path. We do extra for the ones who need more, as often as we possibly can.  And like all skilled workers, we push ourselves to do better even as we have to push back against ignoramuses who want to tell us what to do.

Of course, we have families with their problems, and we deal with finances and we try to keep fed well and exercise and find ways to let go of stress. And sometimes we don’t even get along with each other. So how is it possible to be a writer under all these conditions?

Well, it’s rough. I can’t write every day. If I could, my output would be triple what it currently is. I spend a lot of time tired and I spend a lot of energy outside the workplace dealing with irritants and hassles rather than with creative work. I specialize in finding little nooks and crannies of time, only to discover that I am too distracted, irritable, or drained to do much with them. (I use those  moments for marketing, if I have a computer available.) I write in notebooks between classes, or on the subway, or in the bathroom. I take notes on my phone. I listen to research materials in podcast form while commuting. I do a lot of creative problem-solving that way too, playing stimulating music on my iPod to trigger the flow of ideas while I am behind the wheel.  I try to disappear during Winter or Spring Break to write undisturbed in an undisclosed location.

I hate that I am not producing more. That… sucks!! If writing full-time, how much more I would be able to manage! I could have a regimen — do activity A from this hour to that hour, then switch over to activity B from X o’clock to Y o’clock, and then break for lunch.  (“Posner’s lunch is a 6 oz. skinless chicken breast, three Tbsp steamed vegetable, blah blah. Celebrity diet…) That would be a good life. Oh, for the wings, for the wings of a dove…

Time for a rhetorical turn. Yes, I hate the weariness, the wasted time, the frustration, but there is, of course, another side to the story.

To be a teacher is to care for other people, and that builds character. Working in an urban high school brings you into contact with innocence, sweetness, goodness, open and curious faces, all things that inspire you to do better for others, and give you a sense that you are not a waste of time if you try. But working in an urban high school brings you also into contact with some of the darker aspects of human life:   poverty, madness, violence, rage, disease, teen pregnancy, untimely death. These are problems no teacher has the power to resolve; the teacher is just a fellow-traveler on the road through such troubles, trying to give some counsel and encouragement. This role, though overwhelming devoid of victory through visible change, is perhaps more meaningful than the other. I regretted it for many years, but now I have embraced it. I know I don’t get it, that I can’t fix it, that I remain fundamentally different from the troubled ones beside whom I walk, separated by age, experience, and other aspects of context. Yet I also know that for some child, at some moment, I may be the only fellow-traveler with the boldness to speak. I know that though I may not cause change, I may be remembered for trying; I may be remembered in later days. Kids come back to us and say, “I wish I had listened to you.” But at the time they say that, they have turned things around on their own. Perhaps the unheeded counsel had an unplanned effect — to help them understand that it was worth turning things around, that they were worth it.

This role as mentor, caretaker, fellow-traveler has to matter to a writer. If you write only, and don’t engage with the world, you miss the energy that comes from meaningful human contact. I’m no philanthropist or social reformer, but I don’t think I was nearly the human being in the past that I have become since I began to teach. If it’s my role to care for the troubled, so be it. In the end, the writer in me will grow more expressive, more concerned, more intense. And that … does not suck.

Matt Posner is the author of the School of the Ages series of multicultural young adult novels about America’s greatest magic school in New York City, and the co-author with Jess C. Scott of Teen Guide to Sex and Relationships, older friends talking straight to young people about caring for their bodies and their hearts. Buy Matt’s books at Amazon (linked on the titles above) and connect with Matt online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

Thanks for writing for us, Matt! This guest post is part of the new Writing Like a Mother schedule: Writing/Publishing on Mondays, Guest posts and interviews on Wednesdays, and Friday Faith Talks. See you Friday!

Genre fiction

Hildegard of Bingen’s painting from her Scivias. Mysticism also has its own symbols, and it’s a nonfiction parallel to genre fiction.

I had a friend in seminary who once gave the most brilliant Bible study on apocalyptic literature I have ever heard, and she based it on romance novels. The hallmark of genre fiction is that all plots have the same basic Ur structure. My friend pointed out the ways that apocalyptic literature, with its common core of beasts, predictions of punishment for those in power, and promised redemption for the faithful, had the same level of predictability that romance novels share, with their wounded characters, thwarted attempts at true love, and final happy endings.

It’s important to know the genre structure in order to appreciate what you’re reading. I write in romance and women’s fiction, among other genres. Can’t Buy Me Love is classified by fellow romance writers as “Women’s Fiction with Strong Romantic Elements,” by reviewers as “contemporary romance,” and by women’s fiction and chick lit aficionados as chick lit or women’s fiction. Here’s my take on the genre differences:

Every single romance and women’s fiction novel follows this formula: Girl meets boy. They like each other. Looks like true love. Oh, no. Someone messed up big time. The one who did the dumb thing wins the other back. Now they have a happy ending. That’s the required plot for the genre. Women’s Fiction adds in friends and more focus on personal development in addition to the romance, so that the plot becomes: Girl feels lost. But she falls in love. That gives her more self knowledge. Friends and family help her solidify her future. Looking great with the love interest. Oh, no! Her past caught up to her. She’s going to use her newfound strengths to fix things. Hey, it worked! Happy ending for her and her love life.

The genres share the requirement of a happy ending, but they can be very different in tone and focus. Most romances stick to a tight, alternating he/she point of view. Women’s fiction often stays in the point of view of the heroine.

While I read a great deal of women’s fiction and a little romance, my preferred genre fiction to read is mysteries. They also follow a pattern, one with which more people are familiar. Detective has personality quirks. A crime or curiosity comes to his or her attention. He or she gathers clues. Danger ensues. The crime or problem is solved. [NB: I'm leaving out speculative fiction, because it has more fluid rules, though it is also a genre, of course.]

There is greater and less freedom in writing genre fiction. On the one hand, it’s fun to see how the basic plot arc is modified in each story. On the other, one must stick to the rules of the genre (happy ending, solved crime). What interests me about genre fiction, which far outsells other types of fiction, is that the pattern shapes the stories we tell ourselves. Genre fiction maintains a basically optimistic approach to life obstacles. I think genre fiction can be a buoy to hope because of that tendency.

What is your favorite genre to read or write?

Upcoming Dates to Note:

July 25th: Can’t Buy Me Love will be the Kindle Daily Deal in romance. Only 99¢ all day on the 25th! Buy copies as gifts for friends, or read it for yourself!

August 15: I’ll read and sign copies of Can’t Buy Me Love at the Barnes & Noble at Southpoint in Durham. 7:30pm

Interview with Writing Mother Sharon Norris

Aussie writing mum and author Sharon Norris tells us about her writing life today.

Happy Fourth of July to my fellow Americans! I’ve snuck away from my family before the fireworks start outside, to bring you this interview with Aussie writing mum Sharon L. Norris! I hope you enjoy her perspective from the other side of the globe. Please read on to find out how Sharon Norris balances her life as a writing mother, and don’t forget to check out her website for more on her books and insights!

Tell me about your children and how you find time to write.

I have two daughters aged 16 and 11. I’ve been writing for children since 1996 – the same year my eldest girl was born. I was first accepted for publication in 2004, when my eldest girl was 7 and my youngest was 2, so my writing between 1996 and then was done with two small children in my life. Obviously, family comes first so most of my writing was done at night time after they were tucked up in bed. In my pre-kid days I used to be someone who would rise at 4am to write before going to work, and I could never stay up late. After having kids, I became a night owl. Now, with a teen and a tween, I still write at night.

What do your children think of your writing?

My girls are proud of me and what I do, but don’t think it’s any big deal. I think that’s because despite my publication successes I’m not a ‘name’ in the industry (sob!). I’m sure if I were as successful as J.K. Rowling, they might think differently because they equate her commercial success with her writing.

In which genre do you write?

I have specialised in junior novels aimed at upper primary school students (8-12 years). I believe this is what Americans call ‘mid-grade novels’. I love writing adventure stories. My novel Finders Keepers is about two brothers who find a dinosaur egg on a beach and hide it away when everyone wants to take it from them. The Balloonatic! is the tale of a mad-keen hot air balloon enthusiast who gets to ride in a balloon for his birthday, and has to use all his knowledge when the pilot collapses mid-flight. My novel The Croc Shock is aimed at slightly younger readers and is about a boy who lives on an animal reserve and takes a baby crocodile to school for Show and Tell. And my book The Blink-off is about a game played by children the world over, and is aimed at fluent early readers. This year I have turned my hand to writing my very first young adult novel in the futuristic dystopian genre which is so popular right now. I am five chapters in so far and the feedback from my writing groups is good.

They all sound so interesting! U.S. readers, note that Finders Keepers is available on Kindle through the U.S. Amazon site. (I’m mentioning this because it’s interesting; I receive no monetary gain from the links.)

How does your writing affect your family life?

I try to ensure that writing doesn’t affect my family life. The kids know this is what I do, but I do it at times when it’s not going to impact on my time with them. I supervise homework after school, I do housework and cook like most other mums, and the weekends are special times for us.

What is your typical writing pace?

I don’t put pressure on myself to write at a particular pace. Ideas and plot points will come to me at different times, and I edit every chapter after it’s written. However, I have writing colleagues who are very methodical about their approach and if they don’t spend so many hours a day writing, they are very hard on themselves. Personally, I would not survive under such a regimental writing arrangement. It would not work for me. One of my groups has regular ‘writing races’ through the week, which involves you writing for a set period and reporting in the word count. This is great as it’s very motivational and everyone who participates ‘wins’ for actually participating.

It’s wonderful to hear that you are able to keep such a balance by not pressuring yourself with pace. I cope in an opposite way, with weekly word count goals, and I’m glad to see a working alternative!

Beginning, middle, or end? Which part of a book/story do you most like to write?

I love creating memorable openings to my stories. But as all writers know, the whole book is important.

Where do you write? Do you have a dedicated writing space?

In cyberspace, yes. I have a website. At home, no. I don’t have an office, so I write at the kitchen table. Anywhere I can take my laptop to write is a bonus.

You’re not the first writing mother to tell me that. I think I’ll add a search category for “kitchen table.” It seems to be an important place in the lives of many writing mothers. I often write standing at my kitchen counter, which is roughly equivalent. I also listen to my favorite opera tracks that way without disturbing the children’s ears. Do you write with background music? A soundtrack?

No. I find music very distracting. I also don’t have Facebook or any social media open on my computer when I write as it’s also very distracting.

I can relate. I usually turn off the wireless internet access when I write for the same reason.

What inspires you?

Everything! I read avidly and will jot down notes from news items or other things that interest me, as well as my own general knowledge and I will admit, I’m a card-carrying conspiracy theorist! Finders Keepers was inspired by a true story of children finding a dinosaur egg in another state in my country. The Balloonatic! was born because I loved the idea of the title, and then researched hot air ballooning and my story was born. The Croc Shock originally started out as an ode to the late Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, and what I imagined he might have been like as a little boy.  The Blink-off was inspired by reading a Little Golden Book to my eldest daughter on the subject of cats (a cat is central to the plot). My current YA work in progress draws together elements from my work as a registered marriage celebrant and what I’ve imagined the world to be like in 400 years.

Conspiracy theorist, imaginatively inspired tie-ins with reality, and you’re a marriage celebrant! Let me know when you write an autobiography! I think you just became a candidate for a lot of imaginary cocktail party guestlists. (We have an American thought exercise where you make up a list of interesting persons you would like to have at a cocktail party for wonderful conversation.) Speaking of which, what is your beverage of choice when writing?

Milo. It’s a hot chocolate type of drink that is popular here in Australia.

What’s next for you?

I’m in the process of moving to a very remote part of Australia for work. This will separate my family as my eldest girl is to stay here in Brisbane and complete her senior year at school as well as access specialist care for a medical condition she has, while I take my youngest with me thousands of kilometres north-west, right to the top of Australia. I will continue writing my YA book and will be most thankful for the internet to keep me in touch with the outside world because the place I’m going to in the Northern Territory is very remote. I’ve already joined the Arnhem Writers Group and will be helping them with an art festival later this year.

Best wishes to you and your family in this transition time. I’m glad you have a writing group to go to! Speaking of writing groups, is there a story you think ought to be written, but not by you? (Here’s a place to drop hints to a writing friend, if you’d like.)

There are so many stories that deserve to be told. Instead of the media focusing on celebrities and what they do, they should focus on the everyday suburban heroes who are achieving great things without the cameras, the microphones and the fuss. A friend of mine escaped from Communist Poland decades ago with her husband and risked everything to flee to safety away from the regime. I would love for her to write this story. So many young people today have no idea of what the world was like during the Cold War of the Twentieth Century and the freedoms taken away from people by their governments. True.



What are you reading?

The Amazing Spencer Gray, a mid-grade novel by Australian children’s and YA author, Deb Fitzpatrick.

Who are some authors who inspire you?

I have to be a bit parochial here – Aussie children’s and YA authors are tops. Jackie French is my favourite. Her mum Val taught me creative writing at university in the early 1990s so I’ve been watching Jackie’s career soar to great heights since then. I also like Michael Gerard Bauer, who writes wonderful children’s books.Which books have stayed with you long after you’ve read them?

Books with amazing concepts or memorable characters.


What’s your background? How does it play into your writing?

My career has been mostly within State and Local Government in Australia. Much of this time has been spent in writing-related roles so I’ve been able to hone my writing skills to a considerable degree. I’m an experienced technical writer, but luckily, this has also extended to creative writing. I’ve also spent some time running my own business as a writer, trainer and marriage celebrant and all of these things have played a part in my writing. The latter, for instance, has helped me with plot points for my current work in progress.Do you have other creative pursuits that feed into your writing?

My children are very artistic, but they don’t get that from me. Writing is my only creative pursuit. I love to sing but I am terrible so thankfully, I’m not ‘licenced to trill.’

Where can we find you on the web?

You can find me online as follows (click links to sites):

Web | Facebook | Twitter (@SharonLNorris)

Happy to chat and share info. Thanks so much!

Thank you, Sharon! I look forward to news of your work in progress. (And your memoir, if you are ever so inspired!)

Folks, please visit Sharon’s sites to learn more. If you are a writing parent who would like to participate in the Writing Mother/Father interview series, please comment or email me, Summer Kinard, at summerkinard {at} gmail {dot} com.

Can’t Buy Me Love is about to enter its second month of publication! Please check out my author page for a free excerpt and links to purchase.

Work in progress

Click to view slideshow.

My next book, working title Tea and Crumples, is coming along. A prominent image in the book is taken straight from my garden: bee balm! I fell in love with this edible/brewable herb last year, long before I started writing my new manuscript. It’s lovely to have this herb blooming in the garden while I’m typing away on the story.

Does your garden inspire any of your stories?

Writing Like a Mother Updates:

The interview series with other writing mothers resumes soon, so watch this space!
Highland romance writer Nancy Lee Badger interviewed me about writing and my book, Can’t Buy Me Love. Check it out!
I’ll be appearing at Barnes & Noble at The Streets of Southpoint in Durham on August 15th, 7:30pm. Come hear me read from Can’t Buy Me Love and talk about what inspired the book. I hope to see you there!

Writing Like a Mother of How Many?

 

Have you read the recent back and forth over whether female writers are better off with only one child? Go ahead and check out the articles:

Lauren Sandler’s Atlantic article

Alison Flood’s Guardian article on Zadie Smith’s response to Sandler’s article

It seems to me that the oversights in the conversation are three-fold:

1) Give credit to writing mothers for applying their vast creativity to managing their full lives, not just their writing schedules. Our culture likes to talk about carting children off to various forms of childcare, as though were perpetual infants, forever tugging the mother’s breast. In fact, children grow up. At some point between the ages of 4 and 8, most of them pick up reading. Of course a writing mother will have to shoo her children off sometimes, but that does not mean they are neglected. Nor does a woman have to have a staff to maintain vibrant offspring and a healthy writing output. What she needs, as I see it, is what Virginia Woolf said women need to write fiction – a little money, and a room of her own. Could having an abundance of children lower the odds of having either of those? Sure, but not necessarily. Besides, creativity loves limits.

My little superhero planet. Surprisingly, birthing him did not liberate me of my creative impulses!

2) We don’t talk enough about writing mothers or give enough credit to female writers in our culture, so that women trying to analyze trends think of only a handful of famous writing mothers. Perhaps if we stopped stigmatizing genre fiction, we might notice the large body of creative work done by mothers. As a romance writer in an active chapter of Romance Writers of America, which includes many NY Times best-selling authors, I have a great many more go-to experiences of successful writing mothers than most people. Most of us are not big names on the same scale as Pulitzer winners and J.K. Rowling. What we are is practical.

I’m going to give you a very tiny church history lesson for perspective. You know all those women whom we now call “mystics”? It’s easy to get the impression that they were stuck in their heads all day, praying in a silent seclusion. But in real life, they were the most practical people imaginable. They were cleaning lice and gore off the sick, washing and growing and cooking, and yes, praying together with other women who also served the poor and one another. They were brilliant and had exalted thoughts right in the middle of the laundry. (One of my favorite lines from St. Hildegard of Bingen speaks of the Incarnation as “he bleached the agony out of his clothes.”)So, creativity & living in your head, meet your old friend, daily life. THIS IS WHAT WOMEN WRITERS HAVE ALWAYS DONE!

Whether we have children, run monastery complexes, or not, what makes a creative woman successful is finding a way to make things work. If you think having a passel of children makes women less efficient, you have not seen any of the many women I know with three or more children. In general, the more children, the more streamlined childcare and housework AND the faster and more efficient the writing. (I only have two children [living], and I write 1,200 words/hour. And I don’t type super fast, either. It’s just a steady stream of words that gets the job done.)

And here’s my little two year old, who created this tea party for her brother and me all on her own! Guess what? I also didn’t lose the ability to write by giving birth to her. Hmmm…

3) Stop fantasizing writers as a cloistered, sequestered, negligent, insular group of people. Of course such persons might not make the best parents! But they also don’t make good writers, which is why no one has ever actually met a writer that fits this stereotype.

& The New Domesticity:

As a homeschooler and gardener and attachment parent, I’m one of the many parents who have taken up the mantle of work/home balance known as the New Domesticity. (See my previous blog post here. Emily Matchar’s wonderful book Homeward Bound should be on your to-read list! [Disclaimer: I do not receive any benefit from linking to her book! I just think you should read it.]) This trend is often touted as placing too many demands on women and making standards way too high. But what the movement is really about is priorities and balance. Just like the writing life.

Speaking of which, I have to head out to write on my work in progress! Don’t forget to check out my debut novel, Can’t Buy Me Love!

Shrines and Signing

I set up a shrine display at Fullsteam with items representative of Can’t Buy Me Love.

The launch party at Fullsteam Brewery on Sunday was loads of fun! Thank you to everyone who came out.

Next to the signing table, I set up a little shrine to the book. Making a shrine with her family of friends is a major turning point for Vanessa, the main character of Can’t Buy Me Love. I included elements from the book in the arrangement: bright fabrics such as those she uses to sew aprons, the real life version of the Banjopera luchadora mask described in the book, a cup of free St. Raphael santos (patron saint of healing and matchmaking), bright flowers in a ruby red vase, our friend Glow in the Dark Jesus, a TARDIS to represent nerdy Percy, and a shrine backdrop with images and descriptions. (I love the working dials in the background! If you look closely at my banner, you’ll see that I had my head shots made there, too!)

Mark your calendars if you missed the launch party! My next author appearance is scheduled for August 15 at 7:30pm at the Streets of Southpoint Barnes & Noble in Durham. I plan to read from a very fun scene in the book, where there will probably be opera!

This weekend, the book was featured in a few places around the web. Check them out for free excerpts or fun descriptions:

USA Today Happy Ever After Pick for Women’s Fiction

The Bloggess Weekly Wrap-up Sponsorship (Read her summary, which is the BEST description of the book you could get.)

Where Writers and Authors Meet Blog (with an exclusive excerpt!)

The Herald-Sun Books Roundup

If you have not had a chance to pick up a copy of Can’t Buy Me Love, you may find it at these local and online vendors:

Bean Traders Coffee (Where I wrote the book!)

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Kobo

iBooks

Or, if you know me in person, ask if I have a copy on me to sign for you.

Reading from a climactic scene, with an outburst of song!

****If you purchased an ebook copy of Can’t Buy Me Love over the weekend, there may have been missing text. The issue has been resolved. Refresh or reload your copy, and the corrected version should appear! ****

One of my youngest fans tried on the luchadora mask!