A Conversation With...Kelli and Erin Beck
Talking Walls and Cigarettes And Other Dark Tales
Tell us a bit more about yourself.
Kelli: I’m a small town girl, having lived most of my life in the rural Midwest. It’s a good enough place except the allergies are terrible. I work for the United States Postal Service and write in my free time. I have narcolepsy, which I think all the sleeping I do helps with my creativity. I have a husband, two dogs, and a snake.
Erin: Although I consider myself a Chatsworthian, my family is originally from Chicago. We moved when I was eleven, so it’s hard to consider myself a city girl, but I sometimes feel the lure of bright lights and the hustle and bustle that only a city can give you. I have, however, grown to love the quiet of the country and have taken quite an interest in nature. I currently work full-time in a factory, which sucks, but I’ve been taking college classes online to get my degree in English.
What do you do with your leisure time?
Kelli: I like to sleep, write, and read. I go to concerts whenever I can. I like to run (though I’m pretty slow at it and frankly not that good), play with my dogs, normal everyday things. I am addicted to Netflix which has cut into my writing time considerably.
Erin: In my leisure time, I read, and obviously write when I’m particularly inspired by something. My boyfriend and I go out to his family’s cabin quit often. We take our two dogs and get a kick out of them running and playing. We go on hikes, cut brush, set things on fire, and occasionally blow something up.
How long have you been writing and what was your first published piece?
Kelli: Since the sixth grade. I wrote a short story for an assignment and the teacher had written “nice detail!” in the margin. I don’t know why that was so significant for me, but it was. I then told Erin I wanted to be a writer and we started writing together. Like Erin, in the seventh grade I submitted a poem into a contest and it was published in a big anthology. I got a letter stating that I was a semi-finalist and that I could purchase the book with my poem in it for 50 bucks or something. When I told my dad he said they were just trying to sell books. He was right.
Erin: I’d say I’ve been writing since about eleven or twelve or since the sixth grade when I met Kelli. I may have dabbled a bit before, but I don’t remember much. I think it really became a passion of mine when I started writing with Kelli. I consider Talking Walls and Cigarettes my first published piece. I do have a poem published in one of those Who’s Who books where they publish everyone’s poem and try to get you to buy the book, so I don’t really count it.
What inspires you as a writer?
Kelli: Everything. People around me, things I read, watch, or listen to. I try to write about things close to my heart. Things that scare me, humor me, move me.
Erin: Many things inspire me to write, a good book or movie to begin with. Reading a good book that I totally get lost in makes me wish I had written the book. It makes me want to invoke those emotions in readers with my own writing. Everyday life also inspires me, my friends, my family, and even my co-workers. There’s a lot of interesting characters out there just asking to be written about.
Where would you like to be in five years’ time?
Kelli: In five years I would like to be making a living writing. I have a couple things I’m working on myself, plus a couple Erin and I are going to be working on soon, as well. It’s always been my dream to be a working writer and I’m going to keep making steps in that direction.
Erin: In five years I would like to have an Associate's in English and maybe a Bachelor's in publishing. I want to be through with factory work and working with the written word in any form, even if it’s not my own. I would like to have more of my pieces published, but I’m not trying to be the next Stephen King or JK Rowling. I just want to be Erin and write what inspires me and hopefully inspire someone else with my work. that I totally get lost in makes me wish I had written the book. It makes me want to invoke those emotions in readers with my own writing. Everyday life also inspires me, my friends, my family, and even my co-workers. There’s a lot of interesting characters out there just asking to be written about.
Are you a panster or a plotter?
Kelli: Panster. I did plot a novelette by the direction of Holly Lisle, a writer and a writing teacher. It was fun to change things up. I tend to go for it in the first draft and then in the second I set up my plot and get my head around what I’m really trying to get across.
Erin: I think I’m a little of both. I don’t start all my stories the same way. Sometimes I just come up with the first line or a bit of dialogue and then attempt to build a story around it. I may plot out specific scenes from there but not all of them; some are formed during the writing process. Occasionally I’ll have an idea and I’ll know the beginning and the end and not the middle. So basically I do a little plotting and little of just letting things flow.
Have your writing habits and methods changed from when you were starting out?
Kelli: I’m more diligent now. I don’t wait for inspiration, I call it forth. Or sometimes I just stare at the screen until I turn off the computer and take a nap.
Erin: Yes, I do a little more plotting than I used to. Plotting has helped me actually finish a story, which is something I use to have a big problem with. I still struggle with it a bit, because my habits are pretty much the same. I mostly write when I’m inspired. I rarely sit down and force myself to write.
What inspired you to write Talking Walls and Cigarettes?
Kelli: We really wanted to get ourselves out there and give people a taste of our writing style. I thought it was a great way to wade in the self-publishing waters, too.
Erin: Many of the tales in Talking Walls and Cigarettes were years in the making. A few were stories that we had each written sometime ago and had revamped. Kelli had the grand idea of putting together a collection of short stories to publish. We wanted to try our hand at self-publishing with a smaller work before tackling the full-length novel we co-wrote. When it comes to the dark tales in the collection, I guess we were inspired by things we fear. Kelli insisted that I write a story about aliens since I have an irrational fear of them. Homecoming was difficult to write since I do my writing early in the morning before the sun comes up. I didn’t like thinking about strange beings lurking in the darkness waiting to take the character in the story.
What is something you do that people find odd or even weird?
Kelli: Probably my narcolepsy. It’s kind of fun telling people because the expression on their face is awesome. People definitely don’t understand it and think I’m a dope for going to bed early, taking naps, etc. I’ve gotten a lot of flak over the years because I’ve missed out on lots of nights because I wouldn’t be home in time for my strict 9 o’clock bedtime.
Erin: Lots of things I’m sure, but mostly recently I was made fun of for talking with my hands. I guess I’m very expressive. My boyfriend would say a weird thing that I do is make “sexy” faces and poses toward him. I know I look ridiculous and not at all sexy. In fact, I’m trying to be funny, and since it always gets a smile out of him, I would say that I’m quite successful at it.
What is the funniest thing to happen to you in the last twelve months?
Kelli: Nothing is as funny as what Erin has to say.
Erin: Do I dare to tell this story? Since Kelli already forced me by gunpoint to tell it on camera for a video blog she plans on releasing, I may as well. A few months ago, my boyfriend and I finished fencing in the backyard, which I had no idea at the time how grateful I would be to have it there. One night we ate some greasy Casey’s (gas station) pizza. It was delicious and I believe I ate four slices. The next morning I awoke and went about my business as usual, making the coffee, letting the dogs out and so on. I heard my boyfriend wake up and go into the bathroom, and I went in after him. He was on the toilet. The pizza wasn’t sitting well with him, he said he about crapped his pants. I didn’t feel too bad; I had to go but it wasn’t urgent. I told him such and left the bathroom. No sooner did I enter the kitchen did the rumblings begin. I clenched my butt cheeks together and leaned over the counter in agony hoping to God that I didn’t blow before my boyfriend got out of the bathroom. I clenched and I paced and took deep breaths, willing my bowls to quiet. I wiggled my way over to the bathroom, still clenching, careful not to move to quickly in fear that one wrong move would bring about release. He was still on the toilet. He was taking forever. I raked my brain for a solution. It was coming and it was coming soon. Something had to be done. I raced out of the house and into the backyard, dropped trough, and…well, you can guess the rest.
What advice would you give new writers just starting out?
Kelli: Persevere. And you’re never as good as you think you are or as bad. Read a lot, study writing, and WRITE. I’ve written so many terrible stories but each one has taught me something about myself and my writing.
Erin: I’ve taken numerous creative writing classes and I remember one teacher saying that you get better as you get older. Or in other words, the more you write the better you’ll get. The best advice I have is to accept criticism and not to get bogged down by rejection letters. Each one puts you a step closer to an acceptance letter. Have faith and confidence in your writing and be able to defend it and if publishers can’t see the beauty in your art, take a chance on yourself and consider self-publishing.
What are you working on now?
Kelli: I’m working on a new novel called The Soul Jar. I’m on my second draft. I sent out my novel There Ain’t Nobody in Kansas to the editor and can’t wait to get it back so I can rewrite that. In the summer Erin and I plan on working on our novel Grabappleberry Punch: The Adventures of Mister Tennison. That one is very dear to me as I’ve come to think of Mister Tennison as a real person. We spent a lot of time in that world and I can’t wait to get back to it.
Erin: I think Kelli and I both have stories we are working on. We are toying around with the idea of putting together a collection of more humorous stories. Our full-length novel is never far from our minds. Although we are not currently working on it, we are always thinking of ways to improve it and plan on making improvements this summer.
What else do you have planned for 2014?
Kelli: I’m going to release my novelette Friday McDaniels and The Case of the Missing Nutsack. It’s a humorous story about a private detective and his brother. I also hope to release There Ain’t Nobody in Kansas later in the year. I like to run and I hope to get better at it and sign up for more races.
Erin: As I stated above, we plan on working on full-length novel this summer. For 2014, I plan to continue with my school work.
Check out Talking Walls and Cigarettes on Goodreads.
Talking Walls and Cigarettes And Other Dark Tales
Kelli on Goodreads
Kelli's website
Talking Walls and Cigarettes (Amazon)
