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Thursday Thoughts: Poetry Weekend Wrap-up Aug 19: Interviews

Free Book Friday Aug. 18: In Conversation Revisited – Abigail de Niverville

Featured authors and book promo after the interview!

I started interviewing authors two years ago and I thought it was time to contact them and invite them to revisit the post. Here is the second in the series.

In Conversation Revisited – Abigail de Niverville

Hey, Abigail! Nice to “see” you again.

Did you know that our conversation was the first one I did for my blog?

Oh wow! I didn’t know. How fun!

I was a terrible host. I offered very guest after you the beverage of their choice, so I now I must make amends. What can I get for you?

Just a coffee is great.

Shall we listen to what we created almost two years ago?

Yes!

[Chairs scuffing on floor…*cough*…]

Hi, Abigail. I’m glad you made it. I know that internet traffic can be congested at times. So, if you are comfortable, let’s get started. In 33 1/3 words (see what I did there?) or less, tell me a little about you.

I’m a musician and author from the East Coast, now living in Toronto! I also play the oboe, sing, and write lyrics. I’m very inspired by the places I grew up around back home.

(did I do that right?)

You’re a little over, but I’ll let it pass.

[Leon: It was 34 words. How’s that for nitpicking?]
[Abigail: Haha! Wow, very precise!]

What is your favorite note?

I’ve never given it much thought, honestly! I’d say D is very nice.

[Leon: Still on the D bandwagon or can I interest you in a B flat?]
[Abigail: I’m still on the D bandwagon for sure.]

That’s a good choice. I like that one as well. Do you know how many people pick that note?

I have no idea!

Neither do I. Interesting to know, though. So, along that same line, do you have perfect pitch, and if so, what is the most common note out there?

I don’t have perfect pitch! The only note I know 100% whenever I hear it is “A”. That’s the beauty of being an oboist and tuning every orchestra/band you’re ever in. I spent many hours practicing playing “As” over the years!

I think there is an oboe joke about that.

Oh, probably. There’s an oboe joke for everything.

[Leon: Want to hear one?]
[Abigail: Sure.]

[Q: What’s the best thing about playing the oboe?
A: If you lose your music, the flutes always have the same part.

Here’s a tuning one:

Not as many as for the viola, I’m sure. What composer has influenced you the most?

Probably Sondheim! I’m very inspired by musical theatre in general. I once thought I might try for a performance program in that area, but I found I much prefer being behind the scenes.

I recognize the name, and I’m sure I’ve heard his pieces, so I looked him up and said, “Oh yeah. That guy.”

Yeah!! That guy!!

[Leon: He passed away shortly after this. Were you saddened at the loss?]
[Abigail: It was a very sad day! But I’m comforted that he left behind such an amazing body of work.]

What inspires you to compose a piece, and how do you proceed? I rarely hear a melody in my head, so when my emotions need an outlet other than poetry, I have to turn to playing guitar to come up with ideas.

It really depends. Sometimes, I have a melody spring out from my head that I have to write down, but sometimes it’s just a concept I want to explore more. Like, maybe I’m inspired by a photo or a poem and want to convey that musically. Or maybe I have words in my head I want to put to music.

[Leon: Have you been composing a lot?]
[Abigail: Not as much recently. I’ve done some electronic music for short films, but I haven’t had as much of a chance to write more “traditional” pieces. I’ll admit the pandemic zapped a lot of my creative energy, and it’s been a challenge getting back into the swing of things.]
[Leon: I get it. I’ve only composed a few guitar pieces myself. ]

Do you have a favorite instrument to score for, and on the flip side, what instrument do you find challenging?

I love writing for voice! An instrument I find challenging to write for is the harp, or really anything stringed. As a woodwind player, stringed instruments are foreign to me, so sometimes I need to ask around to see if what I want to write is possible or if a player would hate me for writing something a certain way.

Isn’t a harp just a sideways piano? It’s like the builder just gave up and said, “That’s enough.”

Haha, I wish it was that simple! All those pedals and tunings make things interesting.

When was the last time you have an earworm, and what song was it?

Yesterday, I had “Danger” by BTS stuck in my head basically all day.

[Leon: I was lucky that I didn’t know this one. I still don’t.]

I’ll give you one— Watermelon Sugar . You can thank me later.

Gosh, that’s also constantly in my head. It’s too catchy!

[Leon: I haven’t heard that song lately.]
[Abigail: I heard it today! Thanks Spotify.]

First concert? Last concert?

My first concert was probably Symphony New Brunswick. My parents started taking me to them when I was pretty small, so I’m guessing it was them! The last concert I saw was Kim Petras.

[Leon: Now what was the last concert you attended?]
[Abigail: If musical theatre productions count as a concert, it would be Hadestown in Toronto!]

I’ll have to look her up. What song or genre are you embarrassed to like?

I don’t really get embarrassed by my music taste anymore. Life’s too short to get hung up on those sorts of things. If I had to answer the question, though, I’d say K-pop because it’s so big right now, and many who aren’t in the know are annoyed by it and the fans, but I really don’t care.

I agree. There’s usually merit in all styles of music…usually.

[Sound of flipping through cue cards]

I read here that you are a writer of poetry. What came first for you, music or writing?

I think writing. I was writing stuff way before I could spell or print properly, but music came shortly after. I began lessons when I was still in kindergarten.

[Leon: Do you have any new books out?]
[Abigail: I don’t since the last time we talked. But I’m working on one right now. I just finished doing the bulk of the edits, so it may be available by the time this interview sees the light of day.]
[Leon: I’ll hold off as long as I can.]

Do you have a favorite book?

So hard to pick just one! I’d go with the Lord of the Rings trilogy because I’ve reread it the most out of everything.

I’ve read that a few times as well. I think the sign of a good book is when you want to read it again. I’ve read Klondike by Pierre Burton many times.

I can’t say I’ve read it or even heard of it! You learn something new every day!

[Leon: Have you had a chance to read that one yet?]
[Abigail: Nope! Haven’t been doing much reading recently. Again, blame the pandemic.]

It’s a historical account of the gold rush. Quite fascinating. Speaking of fascinating … are you allergic to anything or wish you were?

I have sooo many seasonal allergies.

Let’s change things up a bit. Are you ready for the lightning round?

Sure!

[Leon: I’ll give you the same questions as before. Let’s see if they match!]

Introvert or extrovert?
Introvert? It depends.
Talk or text?
Text
Physical or Ebooks?
Ebooks
Tea or Coffee?
Coffee
Coke or Pepsi?
Coke
Rick or Morty?
never seen it.
The beaten path or the road less traveled?
Road less traveled
Like or dislike: Ice cream
Like
Moths
Like
Waterfalls
Like
Hedgehogs
Like
Bonus question: What’s the square root of 13?
Are you serious?

[Leon: Very good 12/12! Thanks for coming back.]

You can see Abigail here:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdeNiverville

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adeniverville/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abawhale/

All previous interviews are here:

Leon Interviews Authors

Leon Stevens Interviews Himself

The story behind Free Book Friday:

I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?

Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. Therein lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.

Some free book offers require a newsletter sign-up, which is a small non-monetary price to pay to try out a new indie author.

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Review copies: Like reviewing books? Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words

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Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/