Author Interview with Elizabeth C Mock:

Hello Elizabeth. Please tell us little about yourself.

      Whew. Starting with the rough stuff first. So here goes. I'm a twenty-nine year old who loves stories and ideas and people. In college, I studied philosophy and writing in an attempt to organize the chaos that is my mind and to force my thoughts into comprehensible communication. I've spent the past seven years teaching high school and I love it. I love teaching and I love teenagers. They're curious and hilarious and they question everything.

      I self-published my debut novel, Shatter (The Children of Man, #1), in May 2010. I have, however, been writing since I was seven years old when I informed my mom that I was going to be a writer. She never laughed at me, despite the fact that it would take me two more years to actually learn to read. But that's another story.

      My hometown is the former steel city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I now live in Cincinnati, Ohio, but my heart lives out west in the mountains. Other than voracious reading and writing, I love to travel, camp, rock climb, and obsess over Doctor Who.

I know you write fantasy; would you give us some insight into Shatter (The Children of Man, #1) in a few sentences.

      Shatter and The Children of Man series is about several things. It's about the choices people make and the consequences of those choices. It's about friendship and relationships and that while they make life so much more complicated, they also make it that much more amazing. Essentially, however, it's a story about redemption both for the world and the individual characters. Oh, and there's magic, lots of magic.

How did you come to write this particular book?

      This book started one evening after rock climbing when my roommate and I started chatting about physics and philosophy over some fast food. We were discussing the understanding of light and dark within physics and how they correlate to conceptions of good and evil. Then we just started bouncing ideas back and forth. From that discussion, the idea of a magic system based on fractured white light was born. Later that night I had this image in my mind of Faela standing in a forest during that golden moment right after dawn being confronted by two men. She was clearly on the run, but I did not yet know why. That was seven years ago.

      I'm really drawn to stories that deal with heroes who don't always make the right choice and have sordid pasts. I love looking at individual relationships and group dynamics and how our choices affect not only ourselves, but also those connected to us. While the story started with an idea, I don't think any novel worth reading should be esoteric. If there isn't a good story and intriguing characters, what's the point? For me this story is about the personal tragedies my characters have experienced (and continue to experience) and the choices they make in the wake of those tragedies. Who will they choose to be? And what affect will those choices have not only on them, but also the world?

If you have a favourite character in your novel, why that particular one?

      Wow, that feels like asking who my favourite child is or which of my students do I like best. I would say I enjoy each of my characters for very different reasons. Faela and Kade are probably the most satisfying to write, but the most difficult. Those two are my most jaded and vulnerable characters. They've both had hard lives and their scar tissue is pretty darn thick. Peeling back those layers is gratifying.

      Sheridan, Jair, and Mireya are the most fun to write. I have a hard time taking life too seriously. Because when I'm faced with life's darkness, I'm either going to laugh or cry. I choose to see the absurdity and laugh and it shows in those three. Caleb and Talise are the easiest to write. Their motivations are so strong and obvious that their scenes just flow. And characters that are really shady and untrustworthy, like Lucien, are just plain fun, especially writing Lucien in the second book, Render.

Where and when is your novel set and why did you make these specific choices?

      My novel is an "other world" fantasy. It has no connection to the real world. It is a world with magic, but it is also a world that has progressed technologically. This isn't a sword and sorcery epic fantasy, but it is epic fantasy. There are a couple of reasons for this.

      First, my magic doesn't prohibit mechanical things from functioning.  Second, I know many engineers and I just cannot imagine being able to stop someone wired that way from inventing and tinkering. So, my world has around a 19th century level of technology - trains, steam engines, watches, ect.

      My world has a long and painful history and there isn't much undiscovered land left. I wanted an established world to tell this story. A world with its own back-story and scars, just like my characters.

Where can people buy your book?

      Shatter is available on all e-book formats (Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Sony, Diesel, iBooks, smashwords) and it is also available to purchase the paperback pretty much anywhere online (Joseph-Beth, B&N, Amazon, Powell's, ect.). My blog has a storefront with links to all these sellers: http://ecmock.blogspot.com/p/book-trailer.html.

What qualities do you think a writer needs to be successful?

      Many. There are many qualities a writer needs to succeed. With fiction it isn't enough to have a story to tell and the ability to tell it well. Though those both are extremely important. To succeed, I would say that all writers need a desire to always improve. Good enough is never enough.

      Writers also should to love to read. Being widely read is the building block of good writing. It's the fuel of good writing.

      Also, I cannot stress enough how important it is to have trusted critique partners who will tell you when you wrote a sentence that just offended the entire English language or when you've left a plot thread dangling that could end up strangling your heroes.

      On the pragmatic end, writers also need to have a pretty thick skin. You can't write a novel that everyone will love. Everyone's looking for something different in a story. Rejection comes with the territory. Even when other people make it personal, don't take it personally. Stay professional and stay classy.

What’s your working method?

      First, I come up with a basic, sketchy outline. When I draft, I just get out the words. I don't care about using the same word twenty times in ten sentences. I only need to get the words on paper. Drafting is the most exhausting portion of the process for me.

      My outlines aren't super detailed. I know that the characters are in this particular place and I need to hit these plot, character, and world building goals by the end of a given scene and I just let my characters loose. Sometimes this creates scenes that will never see the light of day and sometimes it takes me to places that are just pure gold which surprise me in a middle of the scene and will foundationally alter that aforementioned outline.

      Once I get the first draft done, the real fun begins. I print out the entire monstrosity and edit for pacing and narrative flow. And I forcibly restrain the primal urge to line edit. As Scott Westerfeld so brilliantly said, "[If you accept that] you're eviscerating first, fixing later, you'll go a long way toward meaningful editing, as opposed to rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg." This quote is affixed to my computer screen. It is my mantra. After I make those changes and rewrites, which were extensive for Shatter, I send it off to my editors. Once I get their notes, I do more rewrites.

      At this point, I print it again. Now I finally get to do line edits and make it sound all pretty and beat my awkward phrasing and sentences into some semblance of coherent communication. Then back it goes to my editors. I make more changes and off it goes to my beta readers for their reactions. Once I get their notes, I make minor tweaks.

      Then the dreaded copy edits. This time I'm paying for this part to be done. My editors and I have looked at this manuscript so many times at this point that there is just no way humanly possible for us to catch the copy errors. The MS has usually gone through anywhere from five to nine edits.

What single biggest mistake is made by beginner writers?

      Not having a trustworthy critique partner who will be brutally honest with you and I do mean brutally. It really is invaluable. It's hard to look at your novel with fresh eyes; you need someone else's perspective, someone who won't coddle and pet your ego.

As a writer of fantasy, to what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world?

      I'm unsure that it's necessarily useful to publishing, but I do think that it's an important genre that allows the author to transport their audience to another world where the author defines the rules. You have the ability to really examine important universal truths within fantasy. Also, magic and dragons and elves are cool.

Many authors think marketing is a chore. What's your opinion on this issue and how do you deal with it?

      I've honestly done very little active marketing for Shatter. I have established my presence in a lot of social networking venues like my blog, the series website, Facebook, Twitter, goodreads.com, Shelfari, ect. I did create a book trailer. I also did a paperback giveaway of Shatter on goodreads.com when it was first released.

      Probably the best thing I did for marketing was that I offered Shatter for free as an e-book. The loss leader marketing strategy has been very successful for getting my name out there and my story in the hands of readers. It's a big risk to try a new author, especially one that is indie. So, I remove the monetary risk and readers only risk their time on my story and me.

How do you know where to begin a given story?

      Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I don't find the beginning until I'm in the middle or the end. Sometimes at the end I realize the beginning I have no longer fits. In college, whenever I had to write a paper or a story, I would sit at the computer and start writing about whatever came into my head until I found my way to what I was supposed to actually be discussing.

      Also, I'm a big fan of starting a story in media res or in the middle of things. I know some readers disliked that I did this with Shatter, but I like unravelling a good mystery and putting the pieces together. And this story really began when Faela, Kade, and Jair all meet, not when they each made their individual mistakes.

What sort of displacement activities keep you from writing?

      Social networking is my Achilles heel. It eats a lot of my time. Also, watching random television can suck me in. I turn on the TV in the background and all of a sudden I've just watched three episodes of Top Chef or Top Gear. Apparently, I have a weakness for shows with the word "top" in the title.

What support do you receive from family and friends, or a writing group?

      I couldn't write without the amazing support I receive from my friends and family. They take away anything flammable when I have the urge to burn everything I've ever written and crack the whip to get me working again and commiserate with me when I'm frustrated and let me bounce snarled plot lines off them until they're magically untangled. Without my support structure, I could never write something as complex as a novel.

How long does it normally take you to write a novel?

      First draft probably takes about three to four months of actual writing when all is said and done, but for Shatter that was scattered over six years and for Render it's been a little over a year. With my day job, it's sometimes nearly impossible to find the time to write consistently. Over my spring break, I was about to draft over 50,000 words in ten days. The editing process takes about another three to four months.

If there’s a single aspect to writing you find really frustrating, what is it?

      Writing a first draft is like ripping my soul out and attempting to smear it on paper in order to replicate something real. I've been known to describe first drafts as similar to being in an abusive relationship. Once after a particularly gruelling session, I claimed that the English language had just thrown me down the stairs. I certainly did feel bruised and battered. It really can be a job. But I love it.

Is there a particular aspect of writing that you really enjoy?

      I love creating new characters and worlds and figuring out their stories. I also really, really enjoy line editing, inappropriately so. I just love taking awkward language and moulding it into something beautiful or at least something that's not horrifyingly embarrassing.

Do you believe writing to be a natural gift or an acquired skill?

      Both. I think that some have a predisposition to writing, but without acquiring the skills and honing the craft, a writer will remain mediocre. I also think that anyone can be taught to write. He or she might not be the next Shakespeare, but anyone can be taught to communicate clearly and effectively.

What are you writing now?

      I'm finishing up Render, the second book in The Children of Man series and the follow up to Shatter. It picks up a week after the events in Shatter.

Do you have a website or blog that readers can visit?

My personal blog is Color Beyond Shade (http://ecmock.blogspot.com/) and the series website is The Children of Man Series Official Site (http://thechildrenofman.blogspot.com/). Please stop by both!

Given unlimited resources, where would you do your writing?

      I would write in Seattle, Washington in the Pacific Northwest of the US or Nafplio, Greece - definitely somewhere with big windows in either place. Both are in the mountains and both are near water. I grew up visiting the western US every summer. My heart belongs to the mountains.

Where do you actually write?

      I actually write either in the corner of my apartment staring at Scrivener or at various Paneras around Cincinnati. I do best when there are few distractions and no Internet to be found.

I recently reviewed Elizabeth's novel on this blog. You'll find the review here: http://stuartaken.blogspot.com/2011/04/shatter-children-of-man-by-elizabeth-c.html

Stuart’s Daily Word Spot: Daedal

Image via Wikipedia

Daedal: noun - skilful or ingenious inventor, like Daedalus; a maze or labyrinth.

‘The person who devised the first social network was a veritable daedal, a human being with real vision.’

Sample from Ten Tales for Tomorrow

Rebirth

This story won First Prize in the Writers' Forum Short Story Competition and was published in the January 2010 issue of the magazine.

Centuries had passed since Jared had seen her. Like him at the time, Adelita had been in her prime; a reward for the few remaining males. But Jared had seen her as more than mere recompense for his ability to exist when most of his gender had declined or died. He'd always felt more than mere physical desire for her. Something he couldn't name, though he was sure a name existed for it, somewhere in the distant past. At the time, he'd been sure she'd wanted only his genetic rarity. Yet, here she was again, real as ever; her utter perfection mashing his emotions and rippling his deteriorating skin with small tremors.

Zareen, her most recent sisterclone and a close visual, if artificial physical copy, glanced across the soft sterility of his ward at her creator and complained to Jared, 'Adelita's human skin is still soft as a baby's, unlined as a ripening peach. It's just not right. She's organic. How can it be, my Lord?' She shrugged in an attempt to mimic frustration but the bounce of her flawless breasts mocked the act, reducing it to pantomime.

How Zareen could possibly know about babies or peaches was a mystery. Under the recent extension of Human Rights to premier androids, she was permitted certain memories from her originator. Such a relaxation in the laws had been inevitable almost since the inception of the Preservation Programme, though only of late had clones gained some rights that had been exclusively human. But the last proper baby had yelled her birthing protests over two hundred years before Zareen's incubation. And aromatically enhanced holograms might be impressive but they were a poor substitute for real peaches, if his memory served him well. You couldn't actually touch them, and nothing virtual had the same qualities as reality.

'So, how do you know, Zareen?'

'Imagination. I requested that quality during my first enhancement, my Lord.'

Well, imagination was fine. Reality was what worried Jared. And seeing the reality of that walking epitome of idealised femininity enter his sheltered empire was shock enough to shoot his health indicators way outside their safety zones: conditions his dedicated carers were eager to prevent.

'You wish me to deal with the intruder, Sire?'

Jared allowed the android medics to regain control over his natural functions and felt the air flow smoothly once more through his pipes, the blood cycle as it should around his aged body.

'No. Treat her as the Utmost Celebrity she truly is.'

But he wished her elsewhere; anywhere but close to his bed, where he lay deteriorating as he finally suffered the physical effects of extreme old age. Suppose she recognised him through his decay? All those centuries ago, they'd matched in quality of appearance, intellect, knowledge and, most of all, energy. What was it she'd said, that last time?

'A performance worthy of the occasion, Jared. Emotional component deeply moving, physicality supreme, sensory elements comprehensively targeted and achieved.'

She'd hinted then, through laughter at her own silliness, at future visits. 'Once I've swum the pool and served the remaining men. Sometime in the not-too-distant, if that meets with your approval?'

Approval? He'd have had her the next day, and the next and the day after that, ad infinitum. But he hadn't wanted to appear desperate; a man of his standing could have any companion he desired, after all. He never had forgotten her, though.

Now she'd come back. For him? He looked around the ward; his ward, his domain. There was no one else; only the carers and Zareen. With over two thousand commercial sisterclones, Adelita was unlikely to have travelled the Many Ways just to visit an artificial clone that bore her genes. So, was it true?

The male chromosome, less robust than the female, had deteriorated much more rapidly than predicted: early research failing to isolate actual problems from the hypothetical and the theoretical. The apparent distance of the threat had allowed energy and research to concentrate on those aspects that ultimately turned out to be favourable mostly to the female. When they'd predicted, millennia previously, the gradual decay of the Y chromosome, they hadn't realised what effect that decline might have on the rest of the male coding.

Oh, sure, Jared was still extant, still a reality. Unlike his fellows; long since reduced to memories and emotions wrapped in the plastaderm of their physically perfect cloned artificials. No longer truly human but, at least, surviving.

But no android, however well constructed, housed Jared's essence and archive. He stubbornly resided in the very body that had struggled down the birthing canal of his mother.

'Natural childbirth? I mean, really? My Lord.' Zareen gently stroked him in apology for her almost lapse. She knew the answer but it was her way of simulating amazement.

Over the centuries, in spite of continual exposure, he'd never come to terms with the eavesdropping ability of Premier Class Sisterclones. That weird skill in attracting, sifting and decoding the brainwaves of those nearby so they could read their thoughts. It was expected between androids but not between android and human. The ability had arisen out of the commercial and biological desire to have sisterclones respond at once to every whim of those few real men who existed at the time. But it had always unnerved Jared.

'Nothing artificial about me, Zareen.' Redundant information and, given the nature of what kept him alive, no longer strictly true. But she'd always found it difficult to accept. Such acknowledgement making her own state somehow less desirable, lower grade than the truly human.

'That's why I still want you, Jared.' Adelita had approached without him noticing.

Close up, she was even more perfect than he recalled; though he knew the phrase broke rules and he'd never dream of saying it aloud.

'Perfect is an absolute and therefore incapable of modification.'

He'd forgotten Adelita's human, and therefore uncanny, ability to read his mind; a by-product of her generous sharing of emotion and skill with her sisterclones, an unexpected consequence of the transfers she'd made with Premiers, like Zareen.

'But I'll forgive the grammatical fault. And even the deterioration of age, repulsive as it is, finds no blame in me. You're still fully functioning, I take it?'

'No idea, Adelita. I haven't “functioned” for a hundred years or more. No need with medics to take the drudgery out of the continued demands made of me.

'Drudgery, Jared?'

'Artificial insemination. Not the real thing, like it was with you, Adelita. And it was never drudgery with you. Far from it. I was new and freshly made. Energy came naturally. I travelled with you. We made tracks together, found our mutual destination almost at the same instant. But you're not changed one iota. Look at me. You said yourself I've aged, become repulsive. You really can't expect the same of me so many centuries on.'

'I can. And I do.' She displayed a small green vial for him, secreted in her perfect hand, liquid contents swirling with an iridescent glow and the independent movement of a living medium that sent shudders through his fragile frame.

He'd heard about this. Never seen it. Always thought it an untruth put about by Them. Make a promise like that and They knew he'd cling on in hope, no matter what. And he had clung on. Taken every step to keep existence actual. Avoided the final, ultimate artificial cloning.

'It's real enough.'

He felt rather than heard her truth and knew it to be so. By space, she was something to see; always had been. And the scent of her. So much female pheromone in one enduringly lovely package.

They were close in many ways: like him, she'd been a foetus.

'Is it true, My Lord? You both were children of nature, infants…actually suckling at your mothers'…breasts, My Lady?' Zareen quivered.

'Only recent custom and utilitarian tradition have made the images in your mind obscene, Sisterclone. There was much soft and natural about it, then.'

'Yes. It's true, Zareen. We knew our mothers. Sucked milk and life where now only sensation lives.'

Adelita glanced sympathy at Zareen and passed a well-known secret to Jared. 'Artificial has no true understanding of Natural; the reality of it disappears with processing. That's why you and I must be and continue.'

It amazed him that she transmitted as easily as she received. Was that also a gift of the phial?

'Partly, yes.' She presented it again. 'Will you?'

The gift promised, but the threat made him tremble. 'I've heard it pains more than one can possibly imagine.'

She nodded.

'You?'

Again, that perfect face, framed by wavy pale gold, slowly rose and fell. It was then he saw beyond the intensity of those aquamarine eyes that flashed her want of him. In the depths of her pupils, the pain she'd felt and held echoed within her. The price.

'The pain has gone now?'

'Almost.'

'And you were really once as…?'

'Yes. Even more repulsive, if that's possible. But age was ever more cruel to women than men. There's a dignity to age in males that finds only pathos and fear of rejection in females.'

It was impossible to picture her in skin as old and dry as his. The bent bones, blackened teeth, slow aching joints, the hirsute sprouting regalia of age.

She smiled. 'An accurate portrayal. But reversible, as you see. Will you?'

'How long in agony?'

'A week at least; maybe up to a year.'

'Afterwards?'

'Echoes. Memories. Mutual bliss will cover the residue.'

He finally understood 'why'. She needed him to give her peace. Artificial clones were expert technicians but lacked the true warmth of the human. No matter how engineers might perfect robotics, machines were still machines, even when they housed the memories and feelings of the real men and women they mimicked.

He was human still. And she was supreme amongst living women. And she wanted him.

'Take it.' The phial lingered in her palm, offered.

'Why haven't They provided it, if it does all you say?'

She nodded, acknowledging his scepticism. 'They believe the risk is too high. Having made Their promises and provided this, They now consider the risk of actual use too high a price to pay. It was ever the way with Them, as you know, Jared.'

'And that risk is?'

She sat then, on the edge of the floating anti-grav that gave him soft support without pressure. 'There's a small chance you might die.'

He looked into her eyes and knew she told the truth but wondered at her definition of small.

'Less than one in twenty. And I demonstrate the risk is worth it. Will you defy Them and take the chance, before they come to destroy the only remaining phial?'

She held it up for his examination again and he watched the swirling threat and promise move within the small glass tube.

'They say it both restores and preserves. Does it?'

'Would I risk it otherwise? Risk you? It has restored me from the state I was; a state worse than your current condition. This is the last. I brought it for you because you are the one I want. There's only Jared. Only one. No more. The last.'

Surprising that she said it with such conviction.

'Am I?'

Amongst the many trillions, how could she be sure?

'I know. Even without official records, even without the Universal Brain, which agrees with me, there are signs if you search. And you know how thorough I can be.'

It was true, he knew. He found a memory of his time with her to curve his mouth. Saw it reflected in her face.

'Will you, Jared? For me.'

'How long will it give us?'

'I've already had an extra century, which I've spent in vainly searching for other men. There are none. Just you, Jared. And, even if there had been, I would eventually have been forced to come for you; to spend the rest of time with.'

'The rest of time? As short as that?'

She allowed a small smile and held the phial toward him. 'They claim eternity. A millennium or more with you will do for me.'

There was no sign of aging in her. Twenty two or three in terms of what the years once meant, according to the holographic records and his personal memories. And they'd never age.

She held his hand. 'They say that if decline begins after this, it ends the same moment. Live young and strong and vital. Die in an instant of imploding cells.'

'So, we'd end completely, denied the chance of transfer to an artificial clone?'

'After what we have as humans, Jared, after what we will have; who'd settle for a half existence?'

Zareen turned away; the pain of exclusion enough even for her artificial being.

He reached for the phial. Trembling, took it. And, suddenly, he knew the ancient name of what it was he felt for her.

'Yes. I love you, too, Jared. Here, let me.'

Almost as soon as Adelita administered it, he felt the energy course through him.

And, slowly, came the pain.

-0-

Ten Tales for Tomorrow, an eBook, can be sampled and bought here for most eReaders  and from Amazon.co.uk for Kindle here  and from Amazon.com for Kindle here.

Why is Assisted Suicide Illegal?

Cover of Terry Pratchett

It has long struck me that the ‘authorities’ take serious liberties with us as individuals. Don’t we all ‘own’ our lives? If we don’t have control over the outcome of our lives, then what do we really have that we can call ours?

My assumption (and I’m ready to be corrected on this) is that the major religions see our lives as ‘gifts’ from their particular gods and therefore not something we should be allowed to spend as we wish. But, for those of us who don’t have a god complex, and see no need of some divine power to oversee our existence, this requirement for servile gratitude to a higher power as an imposition. When such belief is enshrined in law to make our lives the property of the State, it becomes more than an imposition; it infringes our rights.

I believe that our life here is the one and only, and there is no afterlife in any sense that we can understand. We have one chance to live, or not to live, as we will. So, it’s perfectly logical and sensible for us to determine the manner, time and place of our death, when we are given that opportunity.

Of course such a liberty would be abused, and of course some individuals would use such freedom to end the lives of others and disguise this as a self-administered demise. But such evil behaviour already exists regardless of such freedoms. And, of course, it is a given, in my view, that a decision to end your life is taken under the understanding that you have considered the feelings and needs of those who love and depend on you.

We have the means to prolong life artificially, frequently by placing the individual into an impossible position over which he or she has no control. We keep alive mere shells. If you don’t believe me, visit any accommodation devoted to the preservation of the elderly demented. You will see there the remains of people who once were vital, alive and whole, people who could contribute and lead full lives before their demise. They exist only as shades of their former selves with no awareness of who they are or what is happening around them. The very essence of being human is the capacity for self-awareness. Once that has left, the shell is no more than meat. We hear so often, ‘You wouldn’t treat an animal that way.’ And, of course, we wouldn’t and don’t. It seems we reserve this living hell for the humans we love. It seems a strange form of love to me. And, I suspect this form of ‘caring’ has more to do with the needs of the carers than with the poor individuals in their care.

I have no wish to linger on this Earth once I’ve lost the capacity to think. It haunts me to imagine that I might be made to drift on in an unliving existence once my mind has gone, so I’ve signed an Advance Decision (available from Dignity in Dying) to ensure that I’m not kept alive artificially once that time comes. And I’ve made clear to my wife and my daughter my wishes in this regard.

Dignity in Dying has patrons as well-known and respected as Sir Terry Pratchett, Jasper Conran, Sir Terence English, the Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt, Ian McEwan CBE, The Rev. Prof Paul Badham and Janet Suzman, to name but a few. According to a recent survey, 92% of non-religious and 71% of religious people support assisted dying, but there is a vociferous counter argument to such compassion coming mostly from the extreme religious community who sponsor the Resistance Campaign with a Charter opposed to any help for those who are dying in agony. And some 50 or more MPs have signed the charter; these are people who are suppose to represent the views of their constituents, yet they are arrogant enough to go against the wishes of the 80% of the population who want a change to the law to allow assisted suicide in the UK. If you want to challenge your MP on this issue, I advise you to go to http://www.writetothem.com/ , where you will find links to your MP via your postcode. If you visit Dignity in Dying first, you'll have an idea of how to go about this. We have a situation at present which allows those who are dying in pain to be kept that way for as long as is humanly possible, on the spurious grounds that we are somehow not qualified to make a decision about the end of life for ourselves.
I’d far rather be able to legally decide the date of my death. That way I could plan it, inform those who cared that it was going to happen, and prevent the inevitable shock and distress that comes with the unexpected death of a loved one. Seems far more civilised to me than this dreadful habit we’ve developed of clinging to life at any cost, regardless of its real worth. Surely the measure of life is its quality, not its quantity?

Let me go when I’m ready to go, and remove the legal barrier that currently makes it a crime. My life is just that; mine. It belongs not to the State, not to any religion, not to any god you care to name. It is mine, mine alone, and should be mine to end when I so desire.

I know many people will be troubled, incensed even, by these thoughts. I’m sorry for that, but it doesn’t make my case any less valid. If you’re one of those who believes we are the children of some divine power, prove it to me. Not by quoting passages from dubious sacred works (such books are the words of man, not of any divine being, and therefore of no more value than any other story) but by demonstrating the love and concern of your creator by examples that have no negative counterparts. After all, any creator with a concern for the created can hardly be considered a positive force if what is created is also destroyed with equal energy and disdain.

I’d love your feedback on this topic.

Author Interview with SueAnn Jackson Land

SueAnn Jackson Land is an author who lives in Sudbury, Ontario. She has been published in The Globe & Mail, The Outer Banks Sentinel, on Soul's Code (a webzine) and was featured recently on Authors on Show.

This is the pitch: 
When the rage of living settles down and age relieves us of blame - then we are ready to look in the mirror. After everything we encounter as human beings, after every trial and joy, everything we have chosen this lifetime for - we eventually answer to the human being staring back at us from the mirror. I have suffered at the hands of others, child abuse, sexual abuse, rape, suicides in three generations of my family. I have also suffered at my own hands, addiction, obesity, depression. Along with the memoirs that talk about "what they did to me" I wanted to write one that said, "These are the people who helped me. These are the memories that I had to go back and revise because I was wrong. These are the things I could not change and here are the things that I could. This is how I found peace." Ultimately, this book is about survival and the grace that time offers us to change our perceptions and move on.

Tell us about The Truth About Whales in a few sentences.

The Truth About Whales is a memoir and it was written with the purpose of helping survivors of suicide, specifically family members of people who have completed suicide.

How did you come to write this particular book?

Three members of my family completed suicide: my grandmother, my mother and my seventeen year old son.  I started the book to explain my history to myself, to write down all of the research, notes and questions I had about my family’s story.  So it began as a journal of sorts.  When I finished it, 20 some odd years later – I realized that I had told the best story I have, my own.

If you have a favourite character in your novel, why that particular one?

My gramam, Anna Fizel Geshan, is my favorite character in the book.  She was mean, volatile and unpredictable.  She was also soft, squishy and taught me what it was to value family. 

Where and when is your novel set and why did you make these specific choices?

The book moves in and out of many geographic areas.  I am originally from North Carolina, grew up in Pennsylvania; did “geographic cures” to North Dakota, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas and Sudbury, Ontario (Canada).

How can people buy your book?

The book is available on Amazon.com and on Lulu, as well. 

What qualities make a successful writer?

I have learned so much about what it takes to put together a book.  I thought I would have “the book” and Oprah would just magically find me.  Wrong!  I think self-confidence, persistence and networking are some of the qualities you need to be a successful writer.  You also need a great network of people who believe in what you are trying to accomplish and are willing to help you push through the days when you wonder exactly what it was you were thinking to begin this process at all!

How do you set about writing a piece?

I wish that I had the discipline to write every day, but I do not.  I write when I am moved to write.  Having sat down many times with the “I need to find a way to do this every day” I found myself with a lot of stuff even I didn’t want to read.  When people affect me, I write. When memories are painful or I find some nugget of information about my family, I write.  When I have no other choice – I write.

Beginning writers make many mistakes; what do you think is the most harmful?

Thinking that they are hack writers or that they don’t have the talent to “make it” as a writer.  That’s why it took me so long to finish my book.  I went into the “lit crit” circles and was completely underestimating my writing ability and my right to have something good for SueAnn happen.

To what extent are grammar and spelling important to a writer?

I think the attitude of “that’s the editor’s problem” is mistaken.  Getting published, or even to be seen by an agent, is like finding a needle in a haystack.  So if you are coming to a professional without something that is presentable; well, it’s like going to a company fundraiser naked.  You want to look your best, but there is the problem of the dangling participle.

How much revision of your MS do you do before you send it off?

I read through it once.  I sleep on it for a couple of days and read through it again.  I usually send it to a friend to have a gander (because I miss things) – then I hit “send.”

To what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world?

I think that readers have niche markets that interest them.  Not everyone wants to read the same thing.  The sad part about genre is that it limits readers at the same time.  If I read “romance” on the description, I immediately think “Harlequin” and turn my head.  I read a classic “romance” novel this year as a favor to a friend and it turned out to be one of the best books I read all year.

How do you know where to begin any given story?

Having written a memoir – of course the story begins with “I.”

What sort of displacement activities keep you from actually writing?

Authonomy (sad, but true)… I find myself reviewing so many manuscripts that any writing time I have budgeted is forfeited.  Having said that, if I hadn’t gotten on Authonomy and started meeting other writers, I would still be thinking that I had the “it” book and waiting by the phone for Oprah to call.

Do you have support, either from family and friends or a writing group?

I have been a part of a writing group for eleven years.  We are friends who came together out of a love for music and have emailed the details of our lives, every day.  It is amazing to me how many “writers” there are out there who have no desire to be published.  They write because it is their art and how they express themselves.

Is presentation of the MS as important as most agents and publishers suggest?

Honestly, I have almost no experience with presenting my book proposal.  I got aggravated at the process early on and self-published.  I am certain is it extremely important because of the sheer volume of the manuscript on-line.

How long did it take you to write your book?

Twenty years.  I am currently working on my second book and I certainly hope that it doesn’t take me another twenty.

Who or what inspires you?

Human beings, the human condition inspires me.  How we respond to one another emotionally, the spiritual search for why we chose this lifetime – I could write another twenty books about how much I love watching human beings discover their purpose here, how we touch one another’s lives.

If there’s a single aspect to writing that really frustrates you, what is it?

Having to critique someone else’s writing frustrates me.  I want to get out my red-pencil and mark up the text.  I lack the courage to say, “Hey… really… your manuscript could be so good if…you stopped using those ellipses and finished the quote with the quotations outside of the punctuation.”  That, and reading so many serial vampire killer stories.  Of course, I’m of the smarmy Stuart Smalley emotional variety, so…

Is there any aspect of writing that you really enjoy?

Self-disclosure – I am a flasher of the emotional variety.  I want people to know that I’m searching, the same way that they are – and what answers I manage to find.

Do you think writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?

I think that writers have a desire to express their perceptions of the world, of their lives.  My writing came from the inability to tell the secrets that were happening all around me.  Writing gave me a voice and an ally.  I believe that our brains and abilities are limited only by our ignorance.  If we don’t know it, if we don’t seek it, if we don’t discover it within ourselves – how are we to ever have something naturally?  Even savants have to play the instrument or put the pen to paper, right?

What single piece of advice would you give to writers still hoping to be published?

Don’t give up.

What are you writing now?

I’m writing, “After All” which is a memoir, go figure. It’s about the women who raised me and the chosen family that gave me the love I sought after.

Do you have a website or a blog that readers can visit?

I have a Facebook fan page for The Truth About Whales

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Truth-About-Whales/100551756663247

and I have a blog as well, but I am not great about keeping the blog up to date.

http://www.sueannjacksonland.blogspot.com/

Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment?

I would love a beach house in Nags Head, North Carolina with a view of the Atlantic.

Where do you actually write?

I attempt to write in my living room in Sudbury, Ontario with the television blaring.  We live in a two-bedroom apartment and it doesn’t allow for office space, really.  The best writing times are Sunday morning before anyone is up and breakfast isn’t even an option, yet.

Stuart – thank you very much for this opportunity to speak with you about The Truth About Whales.  I admire your effort in helping authors get the word out about their books and wish you luck on your next book!  I’m looking forward to reading it.

Review of They F*** You Up by Oliver James

Oliver James, in They F*** You Up, cites the lives of Prince Charles, Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Paula Yates, serial killers, victims of sexual abuse, and others, as examples of various personality traits and problems. In the process, he has written an accessible but scholarly treatise on the role of care, or its lack, in early childhood. His observations and quotes from various studies make a convincing case for the primary function of good parenting in raising children. He breaks down the process into periods of childhood and infancy and also describes how conscience, self-awareness and general mental well-being can be fostered by good and appropriate care from parents or carers. His ideas, backed up by the results of many studies and tests, make it clear that the role of genes in forming personality, conscience and the idea of ‘self’ is at best peripheral. Those who cite genetics as the major cause of crime, addiction, low performance, sexuality, depression and other mental illnesses are exposed as frauds or, at best, ill-informed commentators. Whilst our genes play a large part in making the human the animal he is, it is undoubtedly the type of parental care we receive from birth to age 6 that forms us into the adults we become.

Image via WikipediaJames explains in great detail how personality traits are formed, and describes how early brain patterning can and does form individuals into certain types of adults. Whilst some of the damage done by inappropriate parenting can be modified, alleviated and even repaired, a great deal cannot be changed without huge effort.

What James is calling for with this book is nothing less than a complete overhaul of the way society treats children. That nurture, rather than nature (genes), is the driving force behind personality disorders, depression, disassociation, weak conscience, criminality and madness is no longer disputed by those who understand these matters thoroughly. Those who blame genes, and use this argument as a basis for social discrimination, are both fraudulent and hypocritical.

James suggests a different strategy for dealing with society’s problems and forecasts that a failure to adjust to such a system will inevitably increase the rates of violence, crime, injustice and insanity in our world. I am convinced by his cogent arguments and find myself looking at my fellow human beings with much greater respect, tolerance and understanding.

Alain De Botton urges all prospective parents to read They F*** You Up BEFORE embarking on the hazardous voyage of parenthood. I can only agree with this injunction.

If you are thinking of having children, please, for the sake of your offspring and the future of the human race, read this book FIRST. And, if you have already had your children, or wonder about your own early life and its effect on your personality, read this book as a way of understanding why you are who you are and your friends are who they are. It is a cathartic experience.

Review of The Descent of Woman by Elaine Morgan

This study of an alternative evolution for humankind is, of course, now almost history itself. But, and it’s an important ‘but’, many people are ignorant of the ideas expounded by Elaine Morgan and remain rooted in the now discredited version of evolution as propounded by the earlier male anthropologists. The andocentric tradition is here thoroughly examined, questioned and found seriously wanting. Not only does this old fashioned tradition leave questions unanswered, but it fails to even ask many of the questions essential to the understanding of how we became what we are.

Morgan, a mere woman in a man’s world, has the temerity to ask, and to answer, a good number of these previously ignored questions. In the process, convincingly removes the foundations for the male centred and inspired evolutionary route, positing a female led series of changes and supporting her hypothesis with well constructed and thoughtful arguments.

This book was variously trashed, belittled and ignored by the established authorities of the day. Having spent their academic lives propounding and upholding a tradition built on shifting sand, the male doyens of the science were loth to accept that a mere woman, not even an anthropologist, might have something worthwhile to bring to the debate. Science, of course, when considered by those with the closed minds of tradition, is every bit as dogmatic and prone to self-perpetuating lies, mistruths, folklore and myth as any organised religion. Only relatively recently have a number of anthropologists accepted that Morgan’s hypothesis may actually have some serious contribution to make about our understanding of how, why and when Homo Sapiens rose above his hominid cousins to become the outstandingly successful modern mammal he now is.

The Descent of Woman is a work of serious, considered ideas presented with some humour and a light touch (one of the reasons given by some academics for dismissing it out of hand). It is accessible and engaging as a book and the ideas proposed are founded in reason and built on rational thought.

I would love to see this book made mandatory for all students of anthropology and for those blind leaders of the more extreme religious cults. In time, with fresh minds, open minds, the new thinkers will hopefully overturn the blinkered and self-serving misinformation propagated by the closed-minded, prejudiced and occupationally neutered academics who have, for so long, preached a gospel of evolution based on a false appreciation of man and woman’s place in the rise of humankind from ape.

I urge all women and men to read Elaine Morgan’s seminal work: it will provide much food for thought, conjecture and, with luck, a more positive outcome for society’s attitude to women and their role and position within the human race.

Buy in UK

Buy in USA

Buy worldwide

Interview with Writer Sasha Petrova.

In her book A Leaf on the Wind , Sasha Petrova takes us through her traumatic childhood memories of living with an abusive father. Her experiences almost destroy her life and the lives of her family members. Finally, she perseveres and overcomes her past to become a successful author and artist.

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Sasha Petrova moved with her mother to Mazatlan, Mexico. In addition to being a published author, she is also a talented artist and attends the Angela Peralta School of Fine Art near her home. Many of her paintings hang on walls in homes in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and of course, Mexico. She is working on two books, a mystery and a series of humorous short stories on her fascinating new life in Mazatlan.

SA:     Tell us about A Leaf on the Wind in a few sentences.

SP:  A Leaf on the Wind is the first book I wrote and the first to be published.  It is autobiographical.  It won the Seal of Approval on Fanstory.com in 2009 and also  made me the number two writer in 2009.

SA:     What qualities do you need to be a successful writer?

SP: Obviously you need inspiration but most of all dogged determination.  First and foremost, I write for myself and then keep my fingers crossed that the reader agrees with me.

SA:     What is your working method?

SP:  Write, rewrite, and write again.  I always do my first draft on pad and paper, outside and away from all distractions.

SA:    What is the single biggest mistake made by beginners to writing?

SP:   Not realizing being a good writer is not enough to get you published.  If you expect to be the next New York Times best seller, you are in for a big let down.  Be realistic, but also be determined and don't give up.

SA:     How did you come to write this particular book?

SP:    My mother wanted me to write it.  I laughed and told her that was absurd since one, I couldn't write a book that told the world she was a terrible mother, and two, I didn't know the ending yet.  I finally relented when she became ill.  I promised her I would write the book after she was gone.  She died a few days later at the age of 84.

SA:     If you have a favorite character in your novel, why that particular one?

SP:    Sorry, I have to say myself, since it is an autobiography and, of course, my mother who was my inspiration.

SA:     How can people buy your book(s)?

SP:   My book can be purchased at http://www.omegapublications.net/Book_Store.tml or on Amazon.com in paperback and E book/Kindle.

SA:   To what extent are grammar and spelling important to a writer?

SP:      Sadly, very important.  A publisher will seldom look at a book with misspelled words and poor grammar.  This is why I joined Fanstory.com.  It is a website where I was able to get valuable input about editing for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. 

SA:   How much revision of your MS do you do before you send it off?

SP:   Since this was a labor of love, I actually did very few revisions other than punctuation and grammar.  However, I did have it edited several times professionally and to be honest, even they missed a lot of what we call spags (spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors).  After the third editing by my current publisher, I figured it was as good as it was going to get.

SA:  Where and when is your book set and why did you make these specific choices?

SP:   My book is set in Seattle, Washington starting in the late 1940's.   Because it is a biography, I wanted to present it from the point of view of myself as a child, not as an adult looking back over her life.  I, the main character, grow as the book progresses.

SA:  To what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world?

SP:  Genre is very useful, actually quite important.  Writers usually aim their work toward a specific genre/group.  Readers know what they want and, like flies, follow what they enjoy best.

SA:  What are your writing habits?

SP:  I write every day.  I live in Mazatlan, Mexico and am surrounded by tranquility, a must for a writer.  I go to my favorite cafe and sit for hours, never knowing until I actually start, what I am going to write about.  I write both fiction and non-fiction.  Despite the often dark nature of my nonfiction, I enjoy writing humorous stories that have been well received by the public.

SA:  How do you know where to begin any given story?

SP:   Gut instinct combined with inspiration.

SA:  What sort of displacement activities keep you from actually writing?

SP: The only thing I enjoy as much as writing is painting.  There is little else that gets in the way of my writing.

SA:  Do you have support, either from family and friends or a writing group?

SP:  I have many friends that are excellent writers. Some are published and others are trying to get published.  I also post on Fanstory.com to keep myself in the public eye.

SA:  Is presentation of the MS as important as most agents and publishers suggest?

SP:  Yes and no.  Yes, because if your MS does not capture them the first few sentences, they will toss your MS into the bin.  No, because so often it is just a case of luck; being in the right place at the right time.  There are a lot a excellent writers that get rejected all the time.  That is why I say determination is so important.  You just cannot give up.

SA:  How long does it normally take you to write a book?

SP:   I have written three books.  The first took me 18 months.  The second took me 6 months, and the last is still a work in progress.

SA:  What are your inspirations?

SP:   Stories about real life, real events, things I can personally relate to.  Strong people who overcome difficult situations inspire me.   I am also inspired by humor.  Life is so serious, you need to be able to laugh as well as cry.

SA:  If there’s a single aspect to writing that really frustrates you, what is it?

SP:  Getting published.

SA:  Do you think writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?

SP:  I think it is a gift.  Anyone can put words together and make a readable sentence but to capture the interest of the reader takes talent.  Not everyone is blessed with the talent to write well.

SA: What are you writing now?

SP:    I am doing a rewrite of my novel A Crack in the Mirror, a story about a family dealing with the horrific news that their father is a confessed serial killer.  I am also putting together a collection of humorous short stories about the joy of living in a foreign country.

SA:  Is there any aspect of writing that you really enjoy?

SP: When I write I become emotionally involved in the story.  If I don't cry, I don't feel the reader will cry and if I don't laugh, I know they won't laugh either. Therefore, I guess I'd have to say I enjoy entertaining myself most.

SA:  Do you have a website or a blog that readers can visit?

SP:  Omega Publishing is in the process of putting one together for me.  In the meantime they can go to http://www.omegapublications.net/Sasha_Petrova-_Author_Page_from.html

SA: Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment?

SP: I am one of the lucky ones.  I already have the ideal writing environment…I live in Mazatlan, Mexico.  What more could I ask for?

SA:  Where do you actually write?

SP:  After sitting outside in my favorite café writing a new chapter or story, I go home enter it into the computer, print it out, go back to the cafe, make corrections and/or additions.  The process continues until I am happy with what I have written.

Sasha Petrova

Mazatlan, Sinaloa

Mexico

Smurphgirl@msn.com

http://www.omegapublications.net/Book_Store.html

amazon.com A Leaf on the Wind by Sasha Petrova

http://www.fanstory.com/Smurphgirl

Word of the Day is divorced from the post that precedes it and produced in response to a request from a follower to provide just such a service.

Word of the Day; fiction – feigned, invented, not fact; but, as we all know, for us it is an imagined narrative, populated by imagined characters. ‘Fiction was Roger’s downfall; the fiction that he was writing fiction in his study, was exposed to Sarah when she walked in to find him in anything but a fictional embrace with a female lead who was decidedly factual.’