J.B. Garner's Blog, page 32

General News: On The Road Again! a.k.a. Out of Town Next Week

The title says it all … or at least conveys a significant portion of the message.

I will be out of town visiting family from 8-30-2015 to 9-4-2015.  While all of the usual articles will be published on-time, including a new Starving Interview and Review, I will be less urgent than usual in responding to e-mails and other sundries.  My apologies ahead of time if this impacts you!

Things will be back to normal the week after!

Stay tuned tomorrow for a Starving Review of Heart of Earth, alongside a Starving Interview with the author, Mark Laporta!

Writing Is A Bad Habit: Generational Idiocy a.k.a. The ‘Adults Are Useless’ Trope

As we have already seen, it’s a scarily common element of many books (especially of the Young Adult persuasion) to have parental figures be absent, sometimes all adult authority altogether.  There’s a connected and perhaps even more common trope, often known as the ‘Adults Are Useless‘ trope, wherein the parents and other adults of our youthful protagonists are around, but range from utterly clueless to downright obstructive to the resolution of the plot.

In its most benign and reasonable form, this trope plays on the tendency of adults to take the assertions of the young less seriously than the same thing said by another adult.  There is some truth to this and it could be used to craft reasonable conflict in a plot, especially if the young protagonists are making some patently fantastic claims in an otherwise grounded setting.  Taken to an extreme (a sadly realistic extreme), you can include negligent and abusive parents in this trope, creating true antagonists out of parents and the difficulties that negligence or abuse can cause to the resolution of the plot (assuming the abuse is part of a subplot).

Even in these realistic forms, care has to be taken not to make the adults too obfuscatingly stupid.  Don’t take an adult’s mistrust of your young protagonists make him/her ignorant of obvious facts.  If the teens are yelling about an invasion of monsters and the adult sees one of these monsters stomping down the street, it’s highly unlikely (outside of comedic exaggeration, which has its place!) that the adult is going to write it off as a mirage or a prank.

You see, the problem with the ‘Adults Are Useless’ trope comes in when it is taken to a blatantly unrealistic level in a story that is otherwise supposed to have some dramatic weight.  Outside of comedy or parody, such excessive ignorance comes off as patently unrealistic.  When, to take an extreme example, the sheriff watches a werewolf rip a man in half and still doesn’t believe the plucky teenage monster hunters at face value, deciding it was ‘just a big dog’, it just comes off as stupid.  It completely shatters the reader’s suspension of disbelief.

This gets even more pronounced the more adults you include in this bubble of idiocy.  Yes, governments can sometimes be maddening in their bureaucratic mess, but there’s limits to how bumbling or idiotic you can paint large groups of adults, ESPECIALLY if you have every teen or child come on-board with minimal persuasion.  It just doesn’t make sense, and that disconnection from your book’s reality will sever your reader’s immersion.

There are ways to make this work, however, but it has to be woven into the core of the world you are building.  For example, I have seen several fantasy works where magic and the supernatural worlds are tied to an inherent innocence of youth, so it can only be used or perceived by those who are either young or ‘young at heart’.  Those old enough (physically or spiritually, depending on the mythology) simply cannot see or manipulate these arcane elements.  That kind of world creation can make this trope work in its most extreme forms, but even this should be handled with care.  Remember that adults maybe don’t experience the supernatural, but if these magical adventures or events have mundane effects, adults will still notice and react to them.

For example, if all werewolves are seen as giant wolves by adults in such a world, the sheriff might not believe the kid monster hunters above, but he is still going to act in defense of them if a werewolf threatens them, just act as if he believes it’s a dangerous animal, not a supernatural beast.  Keeping this in mind lets you keep that magical theme you are going for, while still giving your world a touch of grounding realism that keeps that suspension of disbelief strong.

So remember, if you want some youthful protagonists to take center stage and want to keep the adults to the sidelines, consider carefully the approach you take to it.  If you don’t approach this problem in a thoughtful way, you could very well alienate or confuse your readers, distracting them from the story you’re trying to get across.

As always, if you have comments, criticisms, or insights, let me know.  Until next time, good reading, good writing, and good luck!

Trope of the Week: Invisible Parents

jbgarner58:

Considering all the YA books I’ve reviewed and have yet to review, this is a big one!

Originally posted on break the system:

Sure, in theory, parentsexist, but have you ever actually seen them? In Young Adult novels and children’s shows especially, parents have a habit of just rarely appearing or interfering with their children’s lives. This means the kids can get up to all kinds of hijinks. You don’t even need to mention if your characters got permission to go on a horribly deadly journey! Just let the audience assume.

Why this can be bad: This has always been my biggest beef with kids’ media. Even when I was little, I always noticed how the parents were usually very prominently missing. Kids never had to ask permission to go to a friend’s house, they never needed to get money from their parents, and they certainly didn’t need to get permission to journey to an island to help their best friend get back his grandfather’s soul. This is a trope that’s…

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Starving Interview: S. Paige Reiring, Author of Death Defiant

Good day, ladies and gentlemen!  It’s time to take a visit to the kitchen of another literary alumni of the Starving Reviewer process, the author of Death Defiant, S. Paige Reiring!  You might also recognize the name as I am a fan and common reblogger of her Tropes of the Week articles.  So, without further ado, let us begin!

Please introduce yourself to my literary foodies!

Hello! My name is Paige Reiring. I’m a senior student at The Ohio State University, and I’m studying English with a research distinction and minoring in creative writing. I’m a full-time student, so most of my life from September to April is dedicated to schoolwork and writing.

Do you do any work outside of the writing kitchen? Any non-work interests?

Reading (obviously) is a big one, but I read everything from novels to comic books to manga. Basically anything that involves a good story. I love video games, as well, and I spend a lot of time playing them if I can or watching others if I can’t.

What is your latest dish to be served up? Are there any past pieces of literary cuisine you think we should take a bite out of?

Last October, I published Death Defiant, my first full-length novel. I’m currently working on the sequel to that, God Grounder. I hope to have it out by the end of November, so I would definitely suggest checking out Death Defiant before that comes out!

What made you want to put on the chef’s hat and whip up your own books?

I’ve been writing stories since I was a kid. My first story was about a man named Nicotine who was working for an evil sorceress in an alternate dimension. He murdered my parents, and I had to use the power of friendship to defeat him and the sorceress. I was writing a lot of horror as a kid, but having grown up, my work’s a lot more fantasy-focused (even if it’s dark fantasy like Spawn).

Do you have a genre of specialty or do you dabble? Why?

I love fantasy – of any kind. One of my works that I’ve been developing for the past few years is technically science-fiction, but I like to think it’s got a lot more fantasy in it than anything else. I’ve tried doing more realistic stuff, but it just doesn’t hold my attention like fantasy. I love doing world-building and culture-building, and sci-fi/fantasy really lets me explore those.

Style! Every literary chef aspires to have their own unique one! What do you think sets yours apart and why?

I try to focus a lot on breaking tropes, clichés, and conventions commonly found in whatever genre I’m writing in. I love stories that defy expectations, so that’s what I strive for in my writing.

Even the best of us find inspiration is the dishes of others. Do you have any literary inspirations, heroes, and influences?

For a long time, 1984 by George Orwell was my favorite book. I’ve read it several times, but now that I’m older, I’ve recognized some problematic aspects to it that have somewhat soiled it for me. Nevertheless, it’s been a huge influence on my writing and reading choices. Most recently, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn has served as a huge influence. Same goes for A Song of Ice and Fire series. Both have made me put a stronger focus on the political aspects of my books, and I think you can see that a lot in Death Defiant.

Let’s get into the meat and potatoes: the art and craft of writing itself! Do you have a preference of points-of-view when you write?

Third-person limited. When I was younger, I role-played a lot, and that was often the only accepted way to participate. That’s seeped into my current preferences even though I don’t RP anymore, and I even have a hard time reading first-person stories because of it.

Sparse or wordy, how do you like your descriptions served up? Are you a Hemmingway man or do you like some saucy adjectives with your nouns?

Not quite the Hemingway sparsity, but I do prefer to keep my descriptions as short and to the point as possible. It’s actually been a complaint I’ve gotten from beta-readers that I don’t give enough description. I’m trying to find the perfect middle-ground right now, but I’m so distracted when I read lengthy descriptions that I try not to write them.

Picking off the menu of base literary conflicts, what’s your favorite and why?

Human versus human or human versus pseudo-god. For me, nothing can ever beat the intricacies of human interaction.

What do you think is more important to your recipes, plot or characterization? Why?

Characterization! If you make your characters interesting enough, they’ll turn even the most boring plot into an interesting one. However, plot, no matter how interesting, can make your characters better.

We all know that the first taste means the most! What do you do to get that first bite hook with your readers?

Either I start with the inciting incident – the event that changes the status quo for my character – or I create a scene that introduces the world and something interesting about my character. This keeps things interesting and hopefully doesn’t bore anyone with cliché or nonsense descriptions.

The most important of questions: Cake or pie?

Let’s be real: you have enough room to eat both.

Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to aspiring literary chefs out there, what would it be?

Never stop writing. Write as much as you can, as often as you can. Don’t kill yourself over it, but don’t think you’re going to get any better if you don’t put in the work. Let people read your stuff. Let them critique it. Don’t take it personally. Always strive to get better.

Monday Musings: Inclusiveness, the Lifeblood of Creativity

Right, so the 2015 Hugos happened.  I was considering writing an article in greater specificity about what happened there, but there are far better sources of information out there than I.  Still the whole kerfluffle set my mind to musing which led to this article that wot is here now.

Variety is the spice of life, right?  It’s a hackneyed phrase, but it really is true.  If we continue in a rut or move through a continual unchanging cycle, life gets boring.  I don’t think that’s really something that can be debated, at least seriously.  The same thing connects into art and creativity.

Yes, you can create the same things continuously, using the same ideas you always have, but there are only so many configurations you can put those blocks into.  You might think this statement conflicts with some of my other articles about the core conflicts and the total number of plot lines out there and the like, but, as I also said in those articles, the way to innovate those core conflicts and plots is with new twists and new interpretations.  In other words, new ideas.  Variety.

How do we find this variety in thought and experience?  We include.  We welcome new points of view, new people, and new cultures.  This really heralds back to the terrors of the echo chamber.  Our creativity stagnates if all we listen to, all we read, all we experience comes from those with our same backgrounds and our same ideas.  To expand our creative bounds means stepping outside of our cultural bounds, to seek to understand the ‘other’.

So, if you don’t include others, don’t try to grasp the important of understanding, and never step outside of your comfort zone, expect your creativity to stifle and your writing to wilt.  We won’t even talk about the social and emotional complications.  The world is moving forward, slowly and lurchingly, to a state of equality and understanding.  I’d reserve yourself a ticket if you haven’t already.

Starving Review: Storm Front (The Dresden Files Book 1) by Jim Butcher

Storm Front (The Dresden Files Book 1) by Jim Butcher (Amazon, Goodreads)

WHAT MADNESS IS THIS?!  Why is the Starving Reviewer, literary foodie and beggar at the indie author table, giving time to *haughty sniff* mainstream published faire?  Because it’s a travesty not to read all kinds of fiction, mainstream or indie, and if I am going to eat the food, I’m damn sure going to review it!  Expect the occasional mainstream review to crop up alongside the weekly indie reviews in the weeks to come.

Right, so, with that out of the way, Storm Front was dropped on my plate by a friend.  “You love film noir stuff and Dashiell Hammett novels!” he said.  “You love urban fantasy stuff!  This is a great fusion of all that!  You’ll love it!”

As my stomach was growling and I hadn’t found breakfast in the dumpster I was picking through yet, I made a surly grunt and took the proffered book to chew on.  I was being promised a lot and I was skeptical if Mr. Butcher could deliver on the hype train barreling at me.

Before we find out if I was satisfied or was about to riot, let us never forget the Starving Review creed:

I attempt to rate every book from the perspective of a fan of the genre
I attempt to make every review as spoiler-free as possible

Being a cynical indie reviewer, of course I wanted to disbelieve the hype train but was I ever wrong!  So very, very wrong.

Storm Front delivers on every promise my friend had made to me, but that doesn’t really cover it.  Naturally, we have to start with the setting, an important player in both urban fantasy and film noir detective tales.  The Chicago Mr. Butcher cooks up for us is one both familiar and strange, mixing the subtle shades of the supernatural seamlessly into the gritty city that feels like the natural descendent of the likes of Al Capone and the Prohibition-era gangsters.  There is no conflict between the two elements, both of which seem strangely made for each other in this chef’s capable hands.

Plot and character both are liberally flavored from both genres, taking elements freely from both fantasy and hard-boiled pulps, once more with just the right balance from each.  More importantly, everything is properly set-up, an important factor for both magic and mystery, never leaving the reader at a loss but also never over-explaining.  The needed information rolls in at just the right points to inform and to foreshadow.

There’s a lot of care taken with the entire recipe, but most of all with the characters.  Despite the fantastical elements, they feel real and that, above all things, helps carry the story onward.  It just works and works well.

Really, there’s little else to say that wouldn’t delve into spoilers.  Storm Front matches all the gushing praise that was thrown at me and the chef deserves every bit of credit for creating this perfect blend of the fantasy, mystery, and hard-boiled detective novels.  It’s an auspicious start for what is now a long-running book series.  Of course, the real proof will be if Mr. Butcher keeps this same level of excellence throughout the rest of the series.  Expect me to find out in the future.

FINAL VERDICT: ***** (A masterful blend of urban fantasy, mystery, and hard-boiled detective novels!  Bravo!)

Starving Review: Slabscape: Reset by S. Spencer Baker

Slabscape: Reset (Slabscape Book 1) by S. Spencer Baker (Amazon, Goodreads)

Delicious, savory science fiction!  It’s admittedly a favorite treat of mine, so I was quite excited to see today’s meal slid out in front of me (that and all I had for breakfast was a thin rice gruel).  It promised fascinating science fiction spices mixed with that dry British humor mix.  Did it deliver or did it just dry out in the oven?

Before we begin, put your hands over your hearts and recite the Starving Review oath:

I attempt to rate every book from the perspective of a fan of the genre
I attempt to make every review as spoiler-free as possible

The first big hurdle when you’re making a sci-fi layer cake is to establish a strong first layer, to set the rules and structure of this particular piece of science fiction.  Every sci-fi world has its particular flavors and it’s the consistency of those flavors that help the readers suspend their disbelief for the more futuristic or fantastic elements of the world.  Mr. Baker has created a truly fantastic world in Slabscape and he does an excellent job introducing us to it and creating a consistent universe for his characters.  Hurdle one is passed!

This well-baked world also supports the comedic aspects of the recipe.  There’s a definitely British feel to the whole recipe, that particular sort of dry wit that appeals to my particular sense of humor.  Maybe it’s a combination of blatant comedic excess mixed with a strangely firm sensibility to the way Slabscape functions that makes it all work out, but it certainly does work.  That may be more important than the whys in this case as humor can be an unquantifiable thing, even for a Starving Reviewer like me.

So our genre mix is well-balanced, creating a solid foundation to layer on the heaps of characterization and creamy smooth plot, right?  Well, the chef does serve up some nicely realized characters, a colorful cast that adds quite a bit of zing to the mix.  Our main protagonists have a solid arc as they serve as our gateways into the sci-fi world the readers are introduced to, alongside some interestingly eccentric (at least by our 21st century viewpoints) secondary characters.  So far so good!

The one stumble that Slabscape hits comes down to the plot.  It’s not bad precisely, especially as the focus is obviously on introducing this bizarre future world to the readers, but that focus doesn’t entirely excuse the extremely low stakes of the plot and the rushed non-event conclusion to what might be seen as the big twist conflict introduced in the second-half of the book.  With a world being presented as so perfectly safe, I kept expecting the other foot to drop, to show us that feeling of safety might be an illusion or there was something else going on, and that dramatic tension was never realized.  Too many of the mysteries and conflicts built up were simply dissolved with little payoff and minimal conflict.  It almost has a rushed, ‘we gotta wrap this up to set up the next book’ feel to it at the end, especially as it ends things on a new cliffhanger of sorts.

So what does that mean in the final, full analysis?  Slabscape: Reset delivers on an engrossing sci-fi flavor with all the dry notes of comedic wit you might want, but the plot is unfulfilling in the end.  However, you’ll enjoy the meal right to dessert, so it is still worth your time to take a bite out of if you enjoy comedic science-fiction meals.  It does speak to the strength of the rest of the book’s elements that I am still giving it the rating I am despite the climax’s flat resolution.  If you’re a hard sci-fi eater, though, or prefer single serving meals without committing to a series, you might want to avoid this particular repast.

FINAL VERDICT: **** (An engrossing sci-fi flavor with dry notes of comedic wit but the plot has a flat conclusion!)

Starving Interview: S. Spencer Baker, Author of Slabscape: Reset

Good morning, friends!  It’s Friday, which means time for a fresh Starving Review, which also means it’s time for a fresh Starving Interview!  Let’s grab a coffee and sit down with the chef of the week, S. Spencer Baker, author of Slabscape: Reset and talk shop.

Please introduce yourself to my literary foodies!

G’day. I’m usually known as Steve Baker but I’ve also been S. Spencer Baker for the past five years because, well, just Google “Steve Baker” and you’ll see. There are thousands of these damned impostors out there. One blighter even claims to be a British Politician! It’s embarrassing. My middle name really is Spencer (no one would make that up) so I used that to separate me from the blathering crowd. I was brought to this planet 59 years ago against my will and have been dreaming of leaving it ever since. I have already left more places than I have lived, starting with the utmost nothing-ever-happens part of middle England and winding up (for now at least) in something’s-always-happening Tokyo because Tokyo is as close to a spaceship as I’ve been able to find.

Do you do any work outside of the writing kitchen? Any non-work interests?

I have managed artists for most of my career. It sounds posher if you call it a career, but in truth it was just a series of events. I’ve been involved in music, design, film, advertising and consultancy. Writers aren’t the only ones who starve.

Non-work interests? Hmm. Does sleeping count as an interest?

What is your latest dish to be served up? Are there any past pieces of literary cuisine you think we should take a bite out of?

My latest book, which is also my second book, is called Slabscape: Dammit. You’ll gather I’m working on a series. Dammit has been out (Kindle first, then paperback) since last November so I’m currently working on Slabscape: Reboot which I’m hoping to get finished before the invasion. I was asked why so many SF writers produce series and my answer was; ‘You’re kidding, right? I’m going to go to all this trouble of inventing an entire universe and populating it with characters I love, alien beings who are cool, new rules of physics you could only dream were true, and only write one book about it? Are you crazy?’.

What made you want to put on the chef’s hat and whip up your own books?

The stark realization that I was going to die and I’d never done the one thing I dreamed of when I was a kid. I wasn’t given a terminal diagnosis or anything, there’s just a point in your life when you realise that death doesn’t only happen to other people. I suppose I’m a slow learner. Also, no-one was writing the type of stuff I wanted to read so I thought I’d give it a go – at least I knew I’d have an audience of one.

Do you have a genre of specialty or do you dabble? Why?

SF is my drug of choice. Some, but not all, of my stuff tends towards the satirical. Slabscape is best categorized as pre-apocalyptic, post-scarcity, far-future, humorous science fiction. Is that a crowded genre or what?

Why? I’ve written about the why before. The bottom line is I’ve always felt let down by the present and bitterly disappointed that the future we’ve been promised isn’t even remotely close. I have great hopes for the future, I’m just sad that I almost certainly won’t get to see it. SF is the only solution for whatever the opposite of nostalgia is called (shall we invent a word?).

Style! Every literary chef aspires to have their own unique one! What do you think sets yours apart and why?

I don’t think of it as style, I think of it as ‘voice’. Do I have a voice that is identifiably mine? It’s a tough one. When you first publish, it’s inevitable that reviewers (if you get any) will make comparisons. A touch of x with a splash of y, not as good as literary-hero, on a par with someone-you-never-heard-of. Some of the comparisons people make are flattering (so I blush and argue, internally, that they’re wrong) and some are plain nuts (so I go red and argue, again internally of course, that they’re wrong) but some are absolutely right. I’ve been influenced by everyone I’ve read in some way. It would be impossible not to be. But I write in what I think is my voice and although I’m still honing and polishing what that is, it makes me smile when my friends tell me they can hear my voice in their heads when they read my stuff. It must be awful for them.

Even the best of us find inspiration is the dishes of others. Do you have any literary inspirations, heroes, and influences?

Pretty much everyone and everything. I mean it. The list is too long. It starts with HG Wells and Jules Verne, goes all the way through the SF ‘greats’ and shoots off into the alleyways and byways of weird British humour, magical realism, crime noir, comics, screenplays and even John Masefield (bet you didn’t expect that). However, I’m going to pick one hero for you today: Iain M Banks. If you love ‘proper’ SF and haven’t yet read his ‘Culture’ series, you have a wonderful treat waiting for you. If you have read them and don’t agree with me that Excession is a masterpiece then I suggest you re-read it. It’s a stunning, breath-taking work of unmatched imagination handled by a writer at the top of his game. Iain re-inspired me to have a go and do what I’d dreamed of. I’m pretty sure I’ll never reach his level of literary class, but I might accidentally slip out a decent sentence or two by dint of trying. 

Let’s get into the meat and potatoes: the art and craft of writing itself! Do you have a preference of points-of-view when you write?

So far, I prefer the omniscient narrator perch. It’s a lot of fun. I’m also working on a graphic novel with an illustrator friend of mine at the moment and that’s mainly first person which is interesting and a bit of a challenge.

Sparse or wordy, how do you like your descriptions served up? Are you a Hemmingway man or do you like some saucy adjectives with your nouns?

I’m a screenplay-style man. Keep it short, try to paint as clear a picture as briefly as possible and let the reader fill in the blanks. Long descriptions tend to slow things down too much for my liking. I don’t want any extra padding because I prefer my paperbacks to be able to fit comfortably in a jacket pocket. I’ve co-written some screenplays too (unproduced) and learned a lot about succinct descriptions during that process.

Picking off the menu of base literary conflicts, what’s your favorite and why?

I don’t have a favourite. They all have their place and uses. After all, conflict is a tool that reveals more about your protagonists and each type of conflict tells you something different. I suppose I enjoy man versus idiot bureaucracy/society quite a lot. Inner conflict has a lot of scope for humour too.

What do you think is more important to your recipes, plot or characterization? Why?

I’m going to vacillate again here. Characters are crucial, but they have nothing to do and no arc without a decent plot. Sometimes the plots are there just to show a particular side of a character, sometimes the characters determine the plot whether you want them to or not.

We all know that the first taste means the most! What do you do to get that first bite hook with your readers?

I’m still experimenting with this. In Reset I have the true inciting incident occur before page one, but it’s not revealed in full until about a third of the way through – perhaps this should have been brought in sooner. In Dammit I have it on page one. In Reboot I have it at … Ah ha! Nearly caught me out there eh? You’re not getting me that easily.

The most important of questions: Cake or pie?

Pie. Made in Melton Mowbray with spiced pork, gelatine, and a moist, thick pastry crust.

Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to aspiring literary chefs out there, what would it be?

The same advice I’ve given to aspiring creatives for years; keep on doing it and don’t give up (I have to listen to my own advice quite frequently). I should also add a codicil; don’t take any advice from an author who’s only published a couple of short novels too seriously!

Character Agency

jbgarner58:

I’ve brought this up A LOT before, but it can never be repeated enough. Character agency is vital to your readers’ enjoyment!

Originally posted on break the system:

My parents are avid readers, so I love talking to them about what they’re currently reading. A few weeks back, it was Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. While both my parents were iffy on it, my mom was especially irritated.

“The main character never makes any decisions for herself. Everything she does is just a reaction to what’s happening to her. She just lets things happen to her, complains about it, and does nothing to change it.”

My dad agreed with her, and when I talked to them about it later, neither had finished the book.

While I don’t know the accuracy of what they said since i haven’t read Outlander, it brings up an important point about agency in our characters. Chuck Wendig defines agency as this:

 A demonstration of the character’s ability to make decisions and affect the story. This character has motivations all her own. She is…

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Starving Interview: Arlene Cabus Poerio, Author of The Twisted Spiral

Good morning, friends!  Welcome back to the kitchen for a nice little chat the chef in charge of The Twisted Spiral, Arlene Cabus Poerio!  Let’s find out what’s going on in the mind behind the words!

Please introduce yourself to my literary foodies!

This Chef was born in San Francisco the same year the Golden Gate Bridge, attended private schools in The City, then finished up at U C Berkeley.

After marrying, we eventually moved to a small rural community to raise our children in a more serene setting. While residing in this town, I wrote “The Twisted Spiral”. A creative writing class at Berkeley helped me refine it.

Later when our children finished college and started lives of their own, we moved to the Sierra foothills. There, among the tall trees and vistas of the snowcapped Sierras my creative juices began flowing again. Finally, weary of snow in the winter, we moved closer to our children and grandchildren in El Dorado Hills, California. Our eldest, though, lives in Las Vegas. She is the ‘black sheep’ (Stanford, not Cal like the rest of us).

My husband, (especially), and children spoil me, encourage me, and make me want to be the best I can be.

Do you do any work outside of the writing kitchen? Any non-work interests?

I began to paint when we moved to the foothills and have exhibited in several galleries and local and international exhibitions. Some of my paintings can be viewed on my website: arlenecabuspoerio.com.

What is your latest dish to be served up? Are there any past pieces of literary cuisine you think we should take a bite out of?

“The Twisted Spiral” is my first published book. ‘Spiral II’ has been completed and is in the editing process. Most of the research on the third book (‘Spiral III’) is done and the writing has started. I also have written a book of poetry which I hope to publish before the end of the year.

What made you want to put on the chef’s hat and whip up your own books?

I have been writing poetry since childhood when I first learned to print. In 1981, I decided it was time for something longer and not so personal. I finished “The Twisted Spiral” in 1982 along with a mystery. Life got in the way and both were put in boxes, but each time we moved, they came along.

Finally, in 2014, I slowed down on my painting and decided it was time to dig those boxes out of the basement. After much editing and some updating, ‘Spiral’ was ready and published last August.

Do you have a genre of specialty or do you dabble? Why?

I had to choose to continue with either ‘Spiral’, a fantasy, or another early book, a mystery.

I chose the fantasy because I had read many science fiction books during the fifties, sixties and early seventies before turning to mysteries. I liked the added possibilities for imagination that fantasy – or science fiction – allow. I can also incorporate some mystery into those works. But for now, I am caught by my characters and have to finish their tale, so I will continue to focus on fantasy for a while.

Style! Every literary chef aspires to have their own unique one! What do you think sets yours apart and why?

I really don’t know what my formal style would be called. The characters and plot run like a film through my mind and that is what I try to convey. Several readers have mentioned that reading the book is like ‘seeing’ a film — makes me think my effort is successful.

Even the best of us find inspiration is the dishes of others. Do you have any literary inspirations, heroes, and influences?

At my age I have read many great, good and awful books. There are some classics, some literary, some mystery and early science fiction authors I admire. I could not possibly choose a favorite. I would say that idea and characterization are most important to me. I believe if I can extrapolate on their idea or on their characters, their book is successful for me.

Let’s get into the meat and potatoes: the art and craft of writing itself! Do you have a preference of points-of-view when you write?

I do not set out with a specific in mind. Whatever rolls out of my pen is it. (Yes, I am one of those who have to write the first draft by hand!) As you mentioned in my review, I have to be careful of not confusing the reader.

Sparse or wordy, how do you like your descriptions served up? Are you a Hemmingway man or do you like some saucy adjectives with your nouns?

Saucy! Descriptions are essential for me. Everything I write, I have can see in minute detail, and I want the reader to be able to experience it too. I feel my descriptions should be intricate enough to encourage the reader’s own imagination and provide their own vision. I want them to see color, to smell scents, to feel the temperature – I want them immersed in their senses.

Picking off the menu of base literary conflicts, what’s your favorite and why?

My choice is probably the most basic: good vs evil. I can’t say I consciously set out to do that, but that’s what seems to come out.

What do you think is more important to your recipes, plot or characterization? Why?

Plot, of course, is basic – especially since your imagination can run wild with fantasy. Sometimes it’s difficult to tame it and maintain logic. But, for me, characterization is the most essential part. If the characters are real; if they grow and change, they will make an impact on the reader. They will be remembered and thus your book will be also.

We all know that the first taste means the most! What do you do to get that first bite hook with your readers?

For me this is a difficult question. I am not sure the first bite of my book is that savory. It is a skill I pursue. I strive to make the initial descriptions and emotions capture the readers and drag them into the story.

The most important of questions: Cake or pie?

Presuming you mean in relation to writing, the overblown fullness of cake or the précis of pie: each, well-done, is desirable, but my choice would be pie. There is something I like about order, tightness, and an idea well enough defined to make you think about it.

Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to aspiring literary chefs out there, what would it be?

Do not give up; do not lose confidence. Keep writing no matter how much or how little time you have for it. Eventually you will accomplish your goal if you are persistent. If you can take classes, it is a plus; however, the most important thing is to read.

(Recently my husband decided he did not have room to build one more bookshelf in our home, so he bought me a Kindle. I have hundreds downloaded already. He cataloged 2500 hardcopy books and boxed half of them away. Besides donating and passing on many more, the bookshelves are still full. I am serious when I say READ.)

There is something to learn from every book – good or bad. It might be an idea, a fact, a phrase or a thought, but there is always something.

What I wrote in 1982 was much better edited in 2014 because of the years of reading. The flow of language becomes yours the more you read.