11/09-12/09: The Hobbit/ Interview with Maria Arena - our guest discussion leader for The Hobbit

[[deleted user]]

Greetings Maria and thank you for doing the discussion of The Hobbit during December. I would like to ask you some questions that may be of interest to our group members.


Maria Arena

Do you have any favourite novels and what genre do you prefer?

As a young adult, my favourite genre was horror and I spent many happy (spooky) hours curled up with novels by Stephan King, Dean Koontz, Anne Rice and Robert McCammon, among others. Since entering uni, as a student and then as a teacher, I’ve been exposed to so much narrative that my tastes have broadened to the point where I’ll read anything (except maybe romance :s) that is well written and gives me something to think about. My philosophy (if I can be so crass) is that if I confine myself to one genre - such as horror – I would miss out on awesome works like Crime and Punishment, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, A Clockwork Orange, The Years of Rice and Salt, American Psycho, The Lovely Bones, The Book Thief… ahhh so many books :)

What do you enjoy about being a Lecturer of Creative Writing at the University of the Sunshine Coast?

There are many aspects of this work that bring me joy. I love exploring a particular novel, looking at its themes, characters etc and the broader social context out of which the author is writing. I love how a novel is the epicentre of a discussion/exploration that can take the students and I to unexpected places. For example, when I’m lecturing on The Book Thief, I discuss death as it is represented and personified in different cultures because the narrator of Zusak’s novel is Death. Such fun!

Mostly, I love it when I see that a student has had the ‘light switched on’; when they’re inspired to write and deepen their experience through practice. Or when they say writing creatively is the hardest thing they’ve had to do – but they’ve done it and learn something about writing and themselves in the process.

You bought your first typewriter when you were 19, what lead you to start writing?

I’d like to use that old line that goes something like ‘I started writing the day my mamma put a crayon in my hand’ but it’d been untrue. Fact is, I don’t know when first I wanted to write or what lead me to the practice. I read heaps when I was a teenager and maybe writing was a natural progression from there. I do remember that first typewriter though, and I know that from that point on, I’ve been following my writer’s path.

'Mira Falling' you have had published, how did the idea for that story come about?


Mira Falling

Mira Falling explores a number of issues: the cult of celebrity; our fixation with the infamous; the nature of truth etc but my initial idea was to explore relationships between people in small towns.

This idea came about after an altercation with a neighbour over a cat (shhh this is just between you and me). It was an ugly scene that ended with apologies and contrition, but which also developed feelings of mistrust (my youngest child, whose cat we were defending, was sure she would be set upon the moment she walked passed the neighbour’s house – chocolate cookies and a visit to the neighbour put her mind a ease :D). This lead (eventually) to the creation of three sets of siblings who live on the same street and their interactions. From there, Mira took control of the novel, which developed into the story of her desire for escape and fame, and what happens to the people who get in her way.

Nowhere in the novel is there mention of the cat, the argument or the neighbour (although there is a dead rabbit and a poor old lady who’s bumped off in the night, although I don’t see a connection :p), but it was the event that kick the story into life… so to speak.

Has any author been an influence on your writing?

At one time I would have said Stephan King, which is true in relation to my own penchant for writing darker narrative, but there have been so many authors that have influenced my writing.

If I could emulate any writers, they would be Margaret Atwood (because she refuses to be confined to a particular genre and writes with such depth and integrity), Mitch Albom (for the beauty and simplicity of his words) and perhaps Brett Easton Ellis (because of his control over the words; no other author has made me love the writing while deploring a character as much as he did in American Psycho). Mostly, though, I’m open to any author who practices writing as a art form – there’s always so much to learn from them.

You're the Director of La Vie Creativity, what services do you offer to writers?

La Vie is about guiding authors in the practice of writing. If a person has a desire to write and doesn’t know the basics, or needs a brush up on their skills, we work with them to develop those techniques. If they’re further along and are ready to write, we offer a mentoring service that supports, guides and encourages them all the way to completion. Or if they’ve finished a piece of writing and need assistance through the editing stage, we can help with that too.

In my experience of writing, I’ve had some amazing mentors and La Vie Creativity is my way of passing their support forward.

Can you tell us about your latest novel and when do you expect it to be released?

This is always a difficult thing to do; condense a whole novel into a couple of paragraphs but I’ll give it a go :) The novel I’ve just completed is called Sisterhood. It’s about four girls who live in different eras (1906 & 2006). The girls, in their own times, are sent to a convent which is run by the Sisterhood, a group of nuns who have dark appetites. Through the use of a diary and amulet, the girls are drawn together into a timeless space where they confront the Sisters.

The novel draws from of the horror of the convent laundry system and the brutalisation of children and women caught in those organisations. It is also my attempt to explore the relationships between women and why they are so cruel to each other when they could be working in partnership to make the world a better place. This theme of partnership extends to the male characters, whom the girls must work with in order to succeed in their quest.

When will this work be published? A good question. I’ll let you know when the publishers get back to me, LOL!

I’m currently working on a vampire novel (no it’s not a romance novel with vampires; I’ll leave that in the capable hands of Ms Meyer), which explores the question “Would you really want to be immortal?” and the overwhelming abundance of choices that our society offers. It’s a lot of fun and I hope to have it done by the end of February so I can get started on the next one…

What do you hope readers take away from your novels?

Writing for me is about two things: Entertainment and Enlightenment.

I try to write narrative that captures the reader’s imagination and holds them in the dream of the story. This is the pure entertainment, the joy, of reading.

If the reader comes on the journey I’ve created and stays until the end, then I like to repay their time and patience by giving them something to ponder when the last word is read. For me, the books that have touched my soul deeply have been those that have broadened my perspective on the world and helped me examine my own humanity. This is what I mean by enlightenment. It’s this experience I try to emulate for the readers of my novels.