Heidi Ruby Miller's Blog, page 71
May 6, 2011
Many Genres One Craft Official Release
You can finally get your hands on
Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction
, edited by
Michael A. Arnzen
and
Heidi Ruby Miller
and published by
Headline Books, Inc.
!Visit your local bookstore or find it online at these and many fine retailers:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Books A Million
Powell's Books
Writers Digest Shop
Read excerpts , meet the 65 contributors , and follow our mega virtual book tour at the Many Genres blog: http://manygenres.blogspot.com
Meet the Contributors of Many Genres One Craft: Anne Harris
On the
Many Genres
site, you can read an excerpt of
Anne Harris
' essay "Perfect Disaster: Don't Let Perfectionism Squash Your Creativity" from our new writing guide
MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT
.
May 3, 2011
Heidi's Pick Six Interview with Douglas Smith
HEIDI'S PICK SIX
Douglas Smith
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
That's a tough one. I can't write a story until I feel that I really understand the main characters in the story, especially what they need in their lives and what drives them. So by the time I've written a story, I feel that I know each of the characters. Which makes it hard to pick a favourite. It's like picking a favourite among your children. I'll name a few candidates. Gwyn Blaidd from my short story "Spirit Dance" and Jason Trelayne from "Scream Angel." Both stories won the Aurora Award. Gwyn reappears as the main protagonist in my recently finished novel, so he must have had an appeal to me to want to spend more time with him. Asai and Sawako, the two lovers from "The Red Bird," and Maroch, Laure, and Elise, the lovers (it's complicated) from "Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, by van Gogh." And of course, Bishop, The Last Dead Man, and Mary from "Memories of the Dead Man." Bishop is the protagonist of another planned novel, and that story was a way of getting to know him through Mary's eyes. All of these stories are available in my two collections, Chimerascope and Impossibilia, or as separate ebooks at http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/DouglasSmith
2. Tell me about your travels.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
4. What else can you do besides write?
5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
I enjoy cycling. Toronto is a great city for a cyclist (once the snow disappears), with miles of beautiful trails through the Humber or Don river valleys, or along the lakefront. I used to ride a road bike, then switched to a mountain bike and did some off-road trail riding for a while. This year, I've switched to a hybrid, and I'm riding in the Ride to Conquer Cancer, which is ~213 km (130+ miles) over two days, riding (along with about 5,000 other riders) from the CNE grounds in Toronto to Niagara Falls, ending up right beside the Falls at the end. Or at least that's the plan--I've just had arthroscopic surgery on my right knee, so I'm hoping I'll be able to get back to training soon. The ride is June 12-13, and I've raised just over $4,000 so far. If anyone is interested, you can donate to my ride here: http://www.conquercancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Toronto2011?px=2626025&pg=personal&fr_id=1361
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
Hard rock for pleasure, classical when I'm writing. Springsteen is my music god. I love all the classic rock bands: Stones, Zeppelin, AC/DC, the Doors, David Bowie, and the Moody Blues were (are) some of my favourites. Canadian bands like Tragically Hip, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Metric. But the Boss is my all time favourite. He's an amazing storyteller. I love his ballads. He tells stories through real characters, everyday people struggling with whatever life has thrown at them. What I love is that his characters always have this attitude of defiance and hope despite the odds against them. So many of his songs just speak to me of the bigger stories behind the ones that he just gets to hint at in just a few lines. I've written some stories based on or inspired by his songs, and there are more that I want to write. Someday I’d love to put out a collection of all my Springsteen-inspired stories. My dream would be to get his endorsement, include some lyrics of the songs to intro each story, and have all the proceeds go to his favourite charity. It’ll probably never happen, but I’ll keep writing the stories—because I’d do that anyway.
But when I'm writing, I can't have any music with lyrics playing, or generally any strong emotional flavour. So when I write, I tend to have baroque or chamber music playing. Vivaldi is a favourite when I'm writing. It's there. It's stimulating intellectually but I can put it into the background and focus on words without it competing for that part of my brain.
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
I generally will always have an outline. For short stories, this tends to be just in my head, although I might at least have worked out the list of scenes that I will need. I also generally do not write any story, even a short one, from start to end in sequence. A lot of my stories have begun with me writing the closing scene first. I like it when that happens--it gives me a clear target to aim at for the rest of the story. Sometimes the ending changes, sometimes not. But it's a rare story that I write in the same order a reader will consume it.
With novels, I work from character outlines first before I do any work on the plot. I need to know my characters well enough that the choices they will make at each plot turn will be clear and obvious to them (and so to me). For my first novel, I then had a detailed scene list.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
Roger Zelazny is probably my all-time favourite SF&F writer. I don't think I write like him, but I'm sure there is an influence there somehow. Ray Bradbury was another favourite of mine, and I still greatly admire his short fiction. Hemingway was an eye-opener for me when I discovered him, in terms of a wonderfully lean prose style that communicated as much by what he left out as what he put in. Other writers that I enjoy (but have no idea if they influence my own writing) include Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, and Tim Powers.
But I also see a *lot* of movies, and I think they influence my writing style as much as anything. And I'm a huge fan of anything from Joss Whedon, but especially Buffy. Still the most brilliant piece of creativity to ever hit TV. I love watching the eps on the DVD where Joss provides commentary. They're like a writing workshop.
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Definitely. Family Guy and American Dad, but I also have the DVD collections of the old Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes classics. Bugs is my all-time fave cartoon character.
Douglas Smith is an award-winning Canadian author of speculative fiction, whose stories have appeared in over a hundred professional magazines and anthologies and twenty-four languages around the world, including InterZone, Amazing Stories, Cicada, Baen's Universe, Weird Tales, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Postscripts, On Spec, and The Third Alternative, as well as anthologies from Penguin/Roc, DAW, and others.
His newest collection, Chimerascope , including an Aurora winner, a Best New Horror selection, and nine Aurora finalists, is available from ChiZine Publications. His first collection of short fiction, Impossibilia , is available from the award-winning UK press, PS Publishing. A complete list of Doug's published fiction is available here along with reviews of his stories.
Doug was a finalist for the international John W. Campbell Award for best new writer, and has twice won the Canadian Aurora Award . He's been an Aurora finalist seventeen times and has several honourable mentions in The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror. You can check out a complete list of his award history here .
An independent film based on his story "By Her Hand, She Draws You Down" toured festivals in 2010, winning several awards. Doug recently completed his first novel, based on his award-winning short story, "Spirit Dance."
Douglas Smith
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
That's a tough one. I can't write a story until I feel that I really understand the main characters in the story, especially what they need in their lives and what drives them. So by the time I've written a story, I feel that I know each of the characters. Which makes it hard to pick a favourite. It's like picking a favourite among your children. I'll name a few candidates. Gwyn Blaidd from my short story "Spirit Dance" and Jason Trelayne from "Scream Angel." Both stories won the Aurora Award. Gwyn reappears as the main protagonist in my recently finished novel, so he must have had an appeal to me to want to spend more time with him. Asai and Sawako, the two lovers from "The Red Bird," and Maroch, Laure, and Elise, the lovers (it's complicated) from "Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, by van Gogh." And of course, Bishop, The Last Dead Man, and Mary from "Memories of the Dead Man." Bishop is the protagonist of another planned novel, and that story was a way of getting to know him through Mary's eyes. All of these stories are available in my two collections, Chimerascope and Impossibilia, or as separate ebooks at http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/DouglasSmith
2. Tell me about your travels.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
4. What else can you do besides write?
5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
I enjoy cycling. Toronto is a great city for a cyclist (once the snow disappears), with miles of beautiful trails through the Humber or Don river valleys, or along the lakefront. I used to ride a road bike, then switched to a mountain bike and did some off-road trail riding for a while. This year, I've switched to a hybrid, and I'm riding in the Ride to Conquer Cancer, which is ~213 km (130+ miles) over two days, riding (along with about 5,000 other riders) from the CNE grounds in Toronto to Niagara Falls, ending up right beside the Falls at the end. Or at least that's the plan--I've just had arthroscopic surgery on my right knee, so I'm hoping I'll be able to get back to training soon. The ride is June 12-13, and I've raised just over $4,000 so far. If anyone is interested, you can donate to my ride here: http://www.conquercancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Toronto2011?px=2626025&pg=personal&fr_id=1361
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
Hard rock for pleasure, classical when I'm writing. Springsteen is my music god. I love all the classic rock bands: Stones, Zeppelin, AC/DC, the Doors, David Bowie, and the Moody Blues were (are) some of my favourites. Canadian bands like Tragically Hip, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Metric. But the Boss is my all time favourite. He's an amazing storyteller. I love his ballads. He tells stories through real characters, everyday people struggling with whatever life has thrown at them. What I love is that his characters always have this attitude of defiance and hope despite the odds against them. So many of his songs just speak to me of the bigger stories behind the ones that he just gets to hint at in just a few lines. I've written some stories based on or inspired by his songs, and there are more that I want to write. Someday I’d love to put out a collection of all my Springsteen-inspired stories. My dream would be to get his endorsement, include some lyrics of the songs to intro each story, and have all the proceeds go to his favourite charity. It’ll probably never happen, but I’ll keep writing the stories—because I’d do that anyway.
But when I'm writing, I can't have any music with lyrics playing, or generally any strong emotional flavour. So when I write, I tend to have baroque or chamber music playing. Vivaldi is a favourite when I'm writing. It's there. It's stimulating intellectually but I can put it into the background and focus on words without it competing for that part of my brain.
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
I generally will always have an outline. For short stories, this tends to be just in my head, although I might at least have worked out the list of scenes that I will need. I also generally do not write any story, even a short one, from start to end in sequence. A lot of my stories have begun with me writing the closing scene first. I like it when that happens--it gives me a clear target to aim at for the rest of the story. Sometimes the ending changes, sometimes not. But it's a rare story that I write in the same order a reader will consume it.
With novels, I work from character outlines first before I do any work on the plot. I need to know my characters well enough that the choices they will make at each plot turn will be clear and obvious to them (and so to me). For my first novel, I then had a detailed scene list.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
Roger Zelazny is probably my all-time favourite SF&F writer. I don't think I write like him, but I'm sure there is an influence there somehow. Ray Bradbury was another favourite of mine, and I still greatly admire his short fiction. Hemingway was an eye-opener for me when I discovered him, in terms of a wonderfully lean prose style that communicated as much by what he left out as what he put in. Other writers that I enjoy (but have no idea if they influence my own writing) include Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, and Tim Powers.
But I also see a *lot* of movies, and I think they influence my writing style as much as anything. And I'm a huge fan of anything from Joss Whedon, but especially Buffy. Still the most brilliant piece of creativity to ever hit TV. I love watching the eps on the DVD where Joss provides commentary. They're like a writing workshop.
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Definitely. Family Guy and American Dad, but I also have the DVD collections of the old Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes classics. Bugs is my all-time fave cartoon character.
Douglas Smith is an award-winning Canadian author of speculative fiction, whose stories have appeared in over a hundred professional magazines and anthologies and twenty-four languages around the world, including InterZone, Amazing Stories, Cicada, Baen's Universe, Weird Tales, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Postscripts, On Spec, and The Third Alternative, as well as anthologies from Penguin/Roc, DAW, and others.
His newest collection, Chimerascope , including an Aurora winner, a Best New Horror selection, and nine Aurora finalists, is available from ChiZine Publications. His first collection of short fiction, Impossibilia , is available from the award-winning UK press, PS Publishing. A complete list of Doug's published fiction is available here along with reviews of his stories.
Doug was a finalist for the international John W. Campbell Award for best new writer, and has twice won the Canadian Aurora Award . He's been an Aurora finalist seventeen times and has several honourable mentions in The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror. You can check out a complete list of his award history here .
An independent film based on his story "By Her Hand, She Draws You Down" toured festivals in 2010, winning several awards. Doug recently completed his first novel, based on his award-winning short story, "Spirit Dance."
April 29, 2011
MGOC Contributor News: Michael A. Arnzen Named 2011 Professor of the Year at Seton Hill
Many Genres editor Michael A. Arnzen was chosen as the 2011 Professor of the Year at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
Michael Arnzen (Ph.D., U Oregon) is an English professor by day and a horror/suspense writer by night. He holds four Bram Stoker Awards for his often funny, always disturbing fiction. His courses in the English program at Seton Hill run the gamut from expository and creative writing to literary criticism and film history, and he is an active teacher in the first year Seminar in Thinking and Writing. He has mentored novelists and led graduate writing workshops in SHU's unique MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction since 1999. He advised the campus literary magazine, Eye Contact , from 1999-2009.
Dr. Arnzen began serving as Humanities Division Chair at Seton Hill in Fall 2009.
April 28, 2011
Meet the Contributors of Many Genres One Craft: Adrea L. Peters
On the
Many Genres
site, you can read an excerpt of
Adrea L. Peters
's essay "Making Revisions Work for You, Not Against You" from our new writing guide
MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT
.
April 27, 2011
Many Genres One Craft Virtual Book Tour (VBT)
Our recent VBT stops for Many Genres, One Craft are:
Stop: Damsels in Regress
Jennifer, Emilie, and Tricia met while they were graduate students in Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction program. They bonded over their love for children's and young adult fiction, especially all types of historical fiction, and their desire to see their books in print.
Host: Patricia B. Tighe
Tricia is currently writing the sequel to a young adult historical fantasy set in 1890s Belgium. In An Inherited Evil, 18-year-old Mathieu Korsten must discover the secrets of his grandmother’s past to end a curse that could take his life.
Event: Book Review
Stop: Free Cotton
Providing discussion, tips, and marketing for education on all levels.
Host: Teffanie Thompson White
Teffanie Thompson White played with pen in hand. When pen was absent, she scratched words on ashen legs. She either taught class or wrote books, which she still does. Her picture book manuscripts, Bug Talk and For Tents and Ribbons, have been adapted into onstage ballets. Teffanie co-authors and co-publishes pictureless books.
Event: Educational Tips
Contributor: Michael A. Arnzen
Stop: Lighthouse Mysteries
All about lighthouses, mysteries, popular fiction and art, and Meg Mims!
Host: Meg Mims
Meg Mims is a writer, artist and photographer, RWA contest winner and multiple finalist. She earned an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University and is a staff writer for RE/MAX Platinum Online in Brighton, Michigan, and for Lake Effect Living, an online magazine.
Event: Wednesday Spotlight
Contributors: Michael A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller
For upcoming stops, visit our VBT page: http://manygenres.blogspot.com/p/virtual-book-tour.html
There's still time to be a host. Email Heidi Ruby Miller at heidirubymiller@gmail.com for details!
To pre-order a copy of Many Genres, One Craft, visit:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Powell's Books
Books A Million
and other fine book sellers!
April 26, 2011
MGOC Contributor News: Susan Mallery's Already Home
Many Genres, One Craft contributor and New York Times Bestselling Author Susan Mallery 's latest release is Already Home .
After nearly a decade as a sous-chef in a trendy eatery, Jenna is desperate for a change. She's supported her ex-husband's dreams for so long that she can't even remember her own. Until she sees a for-lease sign near her parents' home and envisions her very own cooking store.
Her crash course in business is aided by a streetwise store manager and Jenna's adoptive mother. But just as she's gaining a foothold in her new life, in walk her birth parents—aging hippies on a quest to reconnect with their firstborn.
Now Jenna must figure out how to reconcile the free-spirited Serenity and Tom with her traditional parents, deal with her feelings for a new love interest and decide what to do about her ex's latest outrageous request. In the end, Jenna will find that there is no perfect family, only the people we love….
Meet the Contributors of Many Genres One Craft: Lee Allen Howard
On the
Many Genres
site, you can read an excerpt of
Lee Allen Howard
's essay "Your Very First Editor" from our new writing guide
MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT
.
April 23, 2011
Many Genres One Craft Virtual Book Tour
Our recent VBT stops for Many Genres, One Craft are:
Stop: Free Cotton
Providing discussion, tips, and marketing for education on all levels.
Host: Teffanie Thompson White
Teffanie Thompson White played with pen in hand. When pen was absent, she scratched words on ashen legs. She either taught class or wrote books, which she still does. Her picture book manuscripts, Bug Talk and For Tents and Ribbons, have been adapted into onstage ballets. Teffanie co-authors and co-publishes pictureless books.
Event: Educational Tips
Contributor: Sally Bosco
Stop: Seton Hill Writers
Three graduates of the Seton Hill University MFA program (Lesley L. Smith, Ann Laurel Kopchik, and Rodney Robbins discuss genre issues, give writing tips, and review books at their group blog Seton Hill Writers.
Host: Lesley L. Smith
Lesley writes SF and talks about the genre at conferences and conventions. Her latest novel is Multiple Possibilities.
Event: N is for Networking
Contributor: Michael A. Arnzen
For upcoming stops, including more from Free Cotton and Seton Hill Writers , visit our VBT page: http://manygenres.blogspot.com/p/virtual-book-tour.html
There's still time to be a host. Email Heidi Ruby Miller at heidirubymiller@gmail.com for details!
To pre-order a copy of Many Genres, One Craft, visit:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Powell's Books
Books A Million
and other fine book sellers!
posted by heidi
April 22, 2011
Heidi's Pick Six Interview with Edward L. Cote
HEIDI'S PICK SIX
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
It's funny, I love to ask readers who their favorite character is, but I'm not so sure I have an answer myself. I think I have strong characters and I've done pretty well with them. I have tried to put new personalities on traditional archetypes and create characters who are unique yet instantly recognizable, in a word, "iconic". I can single out one character who demonstrates this process the most clearly, and that is Alexander Mar'Cathy. He IS the Charming Scoundrel, but he is not Han Solo or Jack Sparrow. His closest cousin is probably Mat Cauthon, but even there the differences are more than cosmetic.
2. Tell me about your travels.
I do love to travel. I have to admit that one of the things I look forward to in the author's life is going to conventions, conferences, forums, and book signings, as well as being able to largely make my own schedule for recreational travels and vacations. I dream of my first appearance at Comic Con as a guest. I once had a job that required some travel; I went to Pennsylvania and Tennessee, where I saw some beautiful scenery. I went to Dallas once to visit some friends. I want to see California and Florida someday, and maybe tour the Pacific Northwest. Milwaukee and Columbus are two great towns in the Midwest, but my favorite place so far is Chicago. And that's just in the US. If money were no object, I'd like to spend a year in Europe.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
4. What else can you do besides write?
5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
Music is a big one. Sometimes real people, events or situations give me ideas or inform my efforts to add verisimilitude. For example, Bruce Payne, with his singular ability to mix camp with menace, helped to inspire the villain Der'aevis. I don't often “cast” characters like that, but in that case it was hard not to. Other than that it's hard to say, as I think much of my process occurs on a subconscious level. Often, a character, a scene, or a solution to a problem just comes to me. Sometimes the characters are so well developed in my mind that they inspire me. At this point I know what they would say or do in pretty much any situation. As for the impetus to write in the first place? I don't really know where that comes from, and I can't remember a time when I didn't have it. I don't even remember learning to read, just that I already knew how before kindergarten.
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
Music is very important to me. I have widely varied tastes and I follow several musicians and bands. Recently I've liked KT Tunstall's “Tiger Suit”, the self titled album from Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and “Suburbs” by Arcade Fire. I'm glad it won the Grammy. My favorite song is “Paper Bag” by Fiona Apple, who has a new album coming out in a few months. Henry Rollins helps me deal with anger and frustration. I like to discover new artists, especially when they are as fantastically talented as Annie Reese of a Chicago band called Rock Falls. I am passionate about what I do and don't like. I love concerts both big and small. Music inspires me and intersects with my writing. In my mind I sometimes connect specific songs with specific scenes. The “soundtrack” of Violet Skies is half Evanescence, but also includes Anastacia and even Kelly Clarkson. When I'm in a position to negotiate with the networks, I very much want to do a sitcom/drama TV series in a cinematic style that will feature pop music prominently.
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
I take notes, some of which are public on my blog, but I don't outline. I create the best characters that I can and I put them in an interesting setting and situation, then I watch it all unfold. The major players set things into motion, other characters react, and it just snowballs from there. I know the major plot events (sometimes months or even years) in advance, but I don't know the details of a chapter or scene until I actually sit down and write it. I wrote a chapter of the second book that started out as almost a blank slate but ended up having a nice flow and structure to it. I think it's some of my best work so far. I usually know how things are going to turn out, because I know the characters and the larger situation so well, but there have been surprises. In particular, Olbinaar turned out to have a much greater capacity for duplicity and cynicism than I had thought when I first created the character years ago. I love that this story can still surprise me, and I hope that means it can surprise the readers as well.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
I read Frank Herbert's entire Dune series at a young age, as well as most of what Orson Scott Card published back then. While they helped me to realize that I wanted to write, the single most direct influence on my writing style itself is Robert Jordan. My prose is definitely more sparse than his, but from what I understand that is not unusual for YA books. George R.R. Martin has also had a lot of impact on me, and I've picked up a few techniques from him as well. For example, I often use action to attribute dialog, and I learned that from Martin.
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Edward L. Cote (born 1975) lives in Lawrence, Kansas, where he went to college. He likes restaurants, bookstores, concerts and coffee shops and has many varied interests ranging from music to board games to politics. He learned to read before kindergarten and has been writing for many years.
Edward is publishing his first book in late May. It's a fantasy YA novella titled Violet Skies, the first volume in a series also called Violet Skies. The story features a female protagonist and several other compelling, iconic characters in a unique setting. It is a coming of age tale and a treatise on the use of power. He just started raising funds on Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/e...) to cover publishing expenses, chiefly a professional cover. You can find samples of his writing on his blog http://www.EdwardLCote.blogspot.com or in the Twelve Worlds Anthology for Charity : http://www.amazon.com/science-fiction... which is itself a great deal, $2.99 for about 80,000 words of fiction, and the author royalties go to Reading is Fundamental.
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
It's funny, I love to ask readers who their favorite character is, but I'm not so sure I have an answer myself. I think I have strong characters and I've done pretty well with them. I have tried to put new personalities on traditional archetypes and create characters who are unique yet instantly recognizable, in a word, "iconic". I can single out one character who demonstrates this process the most clearly, and that is Alexander Mar'Cathy. He IS the Charming Scoundrel, but he is not Han Solo or Jack Sparrow. His closest cousin is probably Mat Cauthon, but even there the differences are more than cosmetic.
2. Tell me about your travels.
I do love to travel. I have to admit that one of the things I look forward to in the author's life is going to conventions, conferences, forums, and book signings, as well as being able to largely make my own schedule for recreational travels and vacations. I dream of my first appearance at Comic Con as a guest. I once had a job that required some travel; I went to Pennsylvania and Tennessee, where I saw some beautiful scenery. I went to Dallas once to visit some friends. I want to see California and Florida someday, and maybe tour the Pacific Northwest. Milwaukee and Columbus are two great towns in the Midwest, but my favorite place so far is Chicago. And that's just in the US. If money were no object, I'd like to spend a year in Europe.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
4. What else can you do besides write?
5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
Music is a big one. Sometimes real people, events or situations give me ideas or inform my efforts to add verisimilitude. For example, Bruce Payne, with his singular ability to mix camp with menace, helped to inspire the villain Der'aevis. I don't often “cast” characters like that, but in that case it was hard not to. Other than that it's hard to say, as I think much of my process occurs on a subconscious level. Often, a character, a scene, or a solution to a problem just comes to me. Sometimes the characters are so well developed in my mind that they inspire me. At this point I know what they would say or do in pretty much any situation. As for the impetus to write in the first place? I don't really know where that comes from, and I can't remember a time when I didn't have it. I don't even remember learning to read, just that I already knew how before kindergarten.
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
Music is very important to me. I have widely varied tastes and I follow several musicians and bands. Recently I've liked KT Tunstall's “Tiger Suit”, the self titled album from Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and “Suburbs” by Arcade Fire. I'm glad it won the Grammy. My favorite song is “Paper Bag” by Fiona Apple, who has a new album coming out in a few months. Henry Rollins helps me deal with anger and frustration. I like to discover new artists, especially when they are as fantastically talented as Annie Reese of a Chicago band called Rock Falls. I am passionate about what I do and don't like. I love concerts both big and small. Music inspires me and intersects with my writing. In my mind I sometimes connect specific songs with specific scenes. The “soundtrack” of Violet Skies is half Evanescence, but also includes Anastacia and even Kelly Clarkson. When I'm in a position to negotiate with the networks, I very much want to do a sitcom/drama TV series in a cinematic style that will feature pop music prominently.
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
I take notes, some of which are public on my blog, but I don't outline. I create the best characters that I can and I put them in an interesting setting and situation, then I watch it all unfold. The major players set things into motion, other characters react, and it just snowballs from there. I know the major plot events (sometimes months or even years) in advance, but I don't know the details of a chapter or scene until I actually sit down and write it. I wrote a chapter of the second book that started out as almost a blank slate but ended up having a nice flow and structure to it. I think it's some of my best work so far. I usually know how things are going to turn out, because I know the characters and the larger situation so well, but there have been surprises. In particular, Olbinaar turned out to have a much greater capacity for duplicity and cynicism than I had thought when I first created the character years ago. I love that this story can still surprise me, and I hope that means it can surprise the readers as well.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
I read Frank Herbert's entire Dune series at a young age, as well as most of what Orson Scott Card published back then. While they helped me to realize that I wanted to write, the single most direct influence on my writing style itself is Robert Jordan. My prose is definitely more sparse than his, but from what I understand that is not unusual for YA books. George R.R. Martin has also had a lot of impact on me, and I've picked up a few techniques from him as well. For example, I often use action to attribute dialog, and I learned that from Martin.
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Edward L. Cote (born 1975) lives in Lawrence, Kansas, where he went to college. He likes restaurants, bookstores, concerts and coffee shops and has many varied interests ranging from music to board games to politics. He learned to read before kindergarten and has been writing for many years.
Edward is publishing his first book in late May. It's a fantasy YA novella titled Violet Skies, the first volume in a series also called Violet Skies. The story features a female protagonist and several other compelling, iconic characters in a unique setting. It is a coming of age tale and a treatise on the use of power. He just started raising funds on Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/e...) to cover publishing expenses, chiefly a professional cover. You can find samples of his writing on his blog http://www.EdwardLCote.blogspot.com or in the Twelve Worlds Anthology for Charity : http://www.amazon.com/science-fiction... which is itself a great deal, $2.99 for about 80,000 words of fiction, and the author royalties go to Reading is Fundamental.
Heidi Ruby Miller's Blog
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