Life at Open Heart Publishing

M.E. Johnson, senior editor of Open Heart Publishing, was kind enough to answer a few questions for our readers about her literary life. In addition to being an editor extraordinaire, M.E. penned “Crossing the Guard,” a story in the soon-upcoming “An Honest Lie, Volume 1: Encouraging the Delinquency of your Inner Child.”

Welcome, M.E. Tell us about how you became involved with Open Heart Publishing and An Honest Lie.

I became involved in OHP and AHL when I became a writer, way back when (a date lost to infamy,) when I decided to be a serious writer versus a just for fun writer. (Don’t we all project our efforts into the future and base our decision on what we see?) The catalyst for our meeting (me and OHP and AHL) was Debrin Case, publisher of OHP and most excellent friend.

So, you’ve been writing for a while. What other artistic endeavors do you pursue?

I have always loved acting and have managed one way or another to be involved with it since I played the wicked step-mother in a junior high production of “Snow White and Her Friends,” a comedy spoof on the fairy tale. Over the years I have performed on stage and in film and have many fond memories from each. I am also an accomplished pianist, although I have never performed on the piano other than at recitals for students, and when I was a teen, to get the excuse of taking a break from work at Skakey’s Pizza Parlor (by playing piano for the dine-in customers in the restaurant.)

So you caught the acting bug early as well. When you’re attending a stage play for “Peter Pan,” do you clap for Tinkerbell to come back to life, or are you one of those types that sits on your hands looking embarassed?

No, I cry my eyes out. Seriously, who could NOT clap for Tinkerbell? She is every girl’s wanna-be, second only to none, including that princess.

Absolutely. Although Tiger Lily is slinkster cool, too. Switching gears, in the forward to An Honest Lie, you say the short story has the most demanding job of any literary form. What short story you’ve read would you say is the most well-crafted and why?

I don’t think I could pick just one. As an editor, I would have to say that any story that didn’t have spelling or grammatical or concept errors would be a most well-crafted story. As an editor, I would also have to say that any story that told me a story would be a most well-crafted story. And I would have to say that any story that had a voice would be a most well-crafted story. And also, as an editor, I would have to say, definitively, that every story has merit.

You’re in an interesting position, as many editors are, being both an editor and a writer. It’s strange to be on both sides of the process. Can you tell us about how you go about writing a story?

Would that be Plan A, Plan B, Plan K, or Plan Z? Driving seems to help. I’ve come up with some of my best ideas while driving from Point A to Point B. Staring at the computer screen does help, as long as I make my mind stick to thinking instead of chores/bills/errands and other responsibilities. Daydreaming is a favorite. I can work on that one for hours on end, no matter where I am. And last, a favorite method, “Mad Pull,” as I call it. It’s great fun. Take some slips of paper and write nouns (button, knife, rock, cookie, hat, Cheerio …) on them. This is random free association here, so be creative. On some more, write adverbs, on others, adjectives. On others write moods/feelings. And on others, write numbers. Put the slips for each group into an envelope (or box) of its own, and mix them up. Then, pull one (or two, or three, depending on how hard you want to make this) slips out of each envelope (box) and make a story out of what you get. (No cheating by just using the word.)

Great tips! It sounds like you really know how to challenge yourself into creative thought. What’s the most difficult story you’ve ever written, and what made it difficult?

“The End,” a fictional story about the possible lives of the known victims of the 79AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius. What made it difficult? Having a page limit.

What an exciting premise for a story! Tell me, what do the masthead, “An Honest Lie,” and the theme, “Encouraging the Delinquency of your Inner Child,” mean to you?

To me, they mean that which is in all of us, that playful and mischievous part of each of us that would like to do pranks, surprise you, and show you in that odd way that children do that today is a pretty darn good day.

That’s a great way to put it. Speaking of mischief, have you ever considered committing a crime?

Heck yeah. I got a list. Wanna see?

Um, that’s okay. I wouldn’t want you to incriminate yourself. Why don’t you tell us about how you became a writer instead?

Like all of us, there’s always been a writer in me. In school I was in charge of the Humor Department for the school paper … that would be one joke per week, please make them funny. I didn’t realize then that the joke was on me. I thought it was going to be an easy job. Later in life I wrote the monthly newsletter for a production company and got permission to be as creative as I wanted, so I did. With the passion for writing born and pampered, I moved on, writing for the comedy/improve troupe “Troupe Movement.” That also included writing mystery games and audience participation skits. And there was quite a host of corporate media to write in order to keep a roof over my head. All of this led me on to writing screenplays, novels, and short stories (among other things.)

You really tend to combine elements of the arts in your life. I noticed on your blog, Em’s End, that “Dallas” is among your stage and film credits. Since you seem the best person to ask, who shot JR?

Who shot him? I don’t know. I didn’t watch that episode. I did get to be an extra in one episode of “Dallas,” but JR wasn’t in that episode, so I didn’t get to see him, either.

Got it- you never saw JR and I never saw that list. Why do you believe people should read your story, “Crossing the Guard,” in “An Honest Lie“?

Well, I really think it would be more of a question of why I want people to read my story. I thought it was good, and hope you do too. But we won’t know for sure until you go read it, will we?

I really enjoyed your whimsical tale, and I bet our readers will, too. Let’s talk about other people’s writing for a moment. What authors’ work do you think will be regarded as classic literature in the future?

Seriously, I think we have come to an age when it’s not the author who joins the ranks of classical literature, but the story itself. Does anyone even know who wrote ET? Who wrote Jurassic Park? It’s another one of those precious things we are losing to technology, like letter writing (and I mean by hand, with a pen, on paper, posted with a stamp, carried to its destination by a man on a really fast pony.) Today we just type a short quip on an impersonal keyboard and hit the send button. We’re going to lose libraries soon, too. Mark my words.

Facebook is putting so many hardworking ponies with families to raise out of work. And it’s a good point that the story often gets more notice than the author. What’s the best story you’ve read lately?

After running out of fresh picks at my local library, I’ve sort of been on sabbatical from reading books. I did read a very interesting biography of Marie Antoinette recently. And I would like to re-read “The Iliad.”

That’s pretty heavy reading for a sabbatical. Say, do you believe in ghosts?

Of course. I see ghosts all the time. Don’t you? The real question though, is do I believe in Ghost ‘hunters/seekers/banishers.’

I don’t know about you, but I can’t figure out why they have to turn the lights off to talk to ghosts that are perfectly happy to throw dishes around in plain daylight. Let’s end this interview on a cheery note. Do any philosophical problems recurrently bother you? What are they?

Absolutely, lots of them do. They bother me all the time. It seems we haven’t learned a thing in all these years. We still have the same philosophical problems today that we had back when Pliny and Socrates tried to spell philosophy out for us. The only difference is that they had answers, and we ignored them. Our lives are filled with philosophical issues. We wage wars based on philosophical decisions. We philosophize about the merit and morals of the individual, and for that matter, anything that runs contrary to our way of thinking. And all of us, just like Plato, ponder the peril of the soul, asking that age old question about life after death.

M.E. Johnson is currently a freelance writer and Senior Editor of Open Heart Publishing. Among her published works are Call of the Quitter, published in Dreams of Everyday by The Poetry Guild and The Story of Why Your Mother Always Told You To Stand Up Straight,” published by The Village Wit. M.E. was co-producer/founder and cast member of Troupe Movement a live comedy-improve troupe performing at numerous venues in Dallas, Texas.
Her film credits include Dallas (Lorimar Productions); Born on the 4th of July (Oliver Stone, Dir.); Love Hurts (Bud Yorkin, Dir.); Pancho Barnes (CBS/R. Heffron, Dir.); Dead Solid Perfect (HBO/B. Ross, Dir.) and Talk Radio (Oliver Stone, Dir.)

Stage credits include Fantoms, of the Opera and Band of Merry Charlatans II (Runway Theater); 39th Annual Grid Iron Show (Bob Glen, Dir.); Mr. Rambo’s Neighborhood, Stupid Cat Tricks, and The Lady and the Clarinet (PAS Playhouse.)
Other projects include Assistant Producer for Faults (R & S Production) and Guest Editor for the premier edition of Texas Film/Video News.

M.E.’s company, ThinkingWorks SP, offers speech coaching; on-the-fly writing and editing for public speaking; and writing/editing services for all applications within the corporate, multimedia, public speaking, film/video, and stage platforms.

You can visit M.E.’s blog at: http://www.blogcatalog.com/user/EmsEnd
and her writing portfolio at: http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/fumbles-world