Life at Open Heart Publishing

Author Archive

Here, with an eye that can see beyond (or is that behind?) the grave, is Robert Dean, author of “Blue Eyeliner” from “An Honest Lie, Volume 1: Encouraging the Delinquency of your Inner Child.”

Hi Robert. Thanks for joining us. Let me start this off with a really heavy and important question. What do you think is the meaning of the masthead, “An Honest Lie?”

“An honest Lie,” to me, is an underscoring of life. People tell white lies daily to save face or someone’s feelings. We tell lies with the best intentions possible. So the name is an extension of what we do daily and we don’t even realize it. Go human race!

Go! Speaking of the human race, then, what do you feel is your most important contribution to that human race?

I’d like to say my writing but that would be pretentious and lame. As it stands right now, I’m going to go with nothing. You’ll know my worth after I’m dead. If it is my writing, then score one for the good guys. If not, then hopefully by the time I hit the grave, something will have worked itself out.

I’d like to think that too. Speaking of the grave, Robert, are there any skeletons in your closet that you believe our readers might find fascinating?

It’s all out there. Email me a question and I’ll answer it. Hell, read my blog and you’ll find a graveyard’s worth of skeletons for someone’s sick pleasures to enjoy. I don’t hide anything. It’s a matter of if you’re willing to ask. I don’t do drugs but I’ll drink myself into an early demise. I’ve had sex with girls and I’m left handed. There’s a start. Start your mental engines.

(You can visit Robert Dean at www.twistedworldofrobertdean.com)

Back to the here and now, Robert, here’s another heavy duty question. What do you feel are the important symbols and icons of culture in the 21st century?

I don’t pay any attention to pop culture outside of what is shoved in my face and I have zero ability to deter myself from it. If I had to guess, I’d say Apple/Mac, and now that Michael Jackson is dead, he’s going to get some pretty severe hero worship forever now. Either way, I’m pretty happy avoiding all thoughts about stuff like that. Let me wallow in my own corner of the universe where I could care less what Kim Kardashian is wearing or how we’re continually making ourselves dumber via text speak or Googling everything known to man.

A convincing argument. Let me change directions now. How about a question concerning “way back when.” Were you ever been a bed wetter?

No, I’ve never been one to piss the bed but I have shared a bed with a female who had too much drink and no nighttime pee control. Needless to say, I was not happy with the morning result. I don’t enjoy waking up wet. Ever.

Well put, and I’m sure your sentiments are shared. Changing track again, what other sorts of creative writing are you currently involved in?

Currently, I’m finishing my second full-length novel and I’ve got a variety of short stories written. All the while I continue to be a contributing writer for Offbeat magazine. I also write love poems to all of the women who’ve broken my heart. I cut them into my chest and stand in front of their windows screaming the words (think some serious John Cusack type stuff) … I’m kidding. Seriously, I’d never do that. What if it rains?

Good point. So now, what, or who, inspires you to become a better writer?

Life inspires me to become a better writer. If you’re going to write the life, you better live it. I moved to New Orleans because I knew the gloves would be off and I’d experience things here that I couldn’t imagine elsewhere. I’ve sat in bars next to fat bald guys with beards who happened to be in wedding dresses. I’ve seen a bondage bunny bar hop, zombie parades, homeless street fights. I’ve watched people vomit on themselves and never miss a beat. I’ve heard lovers scream bloody murder at one another in front of my house at all hours of the night and with zero respect for anyone who might have been hearing. I’ve been blind drunk every night for over 40 days in a row. I’ve woken up in strange beds and in the back of cars. I’ve got stories that could be scenes in everything from “Deuce Bigalow” to “Silence of the Lambs.” I’m the master of relationships that end up as flaming balls of ill placed feelings and major depression. I have a severe habit of loving the wrong kind of girls and letting them ruin my life … just another morbid detail in the twisted thing that I’ve been a part of for 28 years and counting. Living life at a million miles per hour is what keeps me relevant. If I’m going to try and capture the dust of what life is on the dark side, I better do my best to know what I’m talking about.

And that’s a wrap for our interview with Robert Dean, author of Blue Eyeliner.

Visit Robert Dean at
www.twistedworldofrobertdean.com

Robert Dean is a freelance writer, author, and poet from New Orleans, LA. Born on the Southside of Chicago in 1981, he studied English and writing throughout his formative school career but never considered it something more than a hobby. After taking a compositional writing class his senior year of high school and meeting a teacher that changed his perspective on the art, he decided to take up writing as a career, for better or worse. Graduating with top honors from the Chicago Center of Broadcasting, he learned the journalism side of writing. While the other students were busy getting ready to look good on camera, he was busy reading books. Dean has worked for NBC, ABC, The Michiana Entertainer, and has had freelance pieces published in online journals. He has also contributed to various independent ‘zines’ that have came and gone throughout the years. Currently, he is a staff writer for the world-renowned Offbeat music magazine and has gotten to write about and interview some of the most exciting musicians to come out of New Orleans. Leaving Chicago to pursue his writing career, Dean moved to Louisiana to seek out new ways to expand his mind and dive into a life where fiction meets reality. Since the move, he’s written a full length novel titled “In the Arms of Nightmares” that is currently being shopped for publication. He is also writing a collection of short stories titled “The Snakes in the Garden.”

strong>Joining us today is Will Terry, author of Situational Dyslexia from “An Honest Lie, Volume 1: Encouraging the Delinquency of your Inner Child.“

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Hi Will. The title of your story “Situational Dyslexia” conjures many questions. What is that exactly?

Situational Dyslexia is a make believe illness, similar to sequential order deficiency. The character who has it does things and doesn’t remember doing them until after its over. It depends on the situation. Sometimes his brain tries to protect him like this.

Have you had other pieces of work published or is “Situational Dyslexia” the first?

I have some work published in Dallas by The Pannhandler, in Philadelphia by The Vivid Literary Journal, and in Florida by The Corporal. This will be my first piece published in a book.

You strike me as the kind of guy who could make a success out of any endeavor. What made you want to become a writer?

My favorite teachers were always English teachers. My fourth grade teacher submitted a poem of mine and it was published when I was very young. People in my school just referred to me as a writer from then on and I got used to it.

Okay. I need you to put on your imagination hat. If you could be any character from any story, who would you be and why?

I would be Case from Neuromancer by William Gibson. He lives in a cyberpunk world of permanent night and that sort of thing agrees with me.

Very interesting, Will. Henry Dorsett Case is an impressive character. Let me ask you about a different kind of character, one from around the house, say, a pet. Have you ever felt as if your pet held you in contempt?

I had an epeleptic cat who had have seizures whenever people would come over. It made dates interesting.

What else might our readers find in your house? Are there any skeletons in your closet that we might find fascinating?

I sometimes use what I call the writing process dartboard. It’s a complex system of swinging hula hoops from the ceiling and aiming at different genres, character ideas, and plots with a dart. There are pictures of it on my website at www.philosopherdown.com.

Getting back to your writing, what other sorts of creative writing are you involved in?

I manage a website for aspiring writers in Austin. It’s www.philosopherdown.com. I’m working on a manuscript for a novel called “Trash Librarian”.

Well, there we have it, a brief look into the mind of Will Terry. Look for his exciting story in “An Honest Lie, Volume 1: Encouraging the Delinquency of your Inner Child,” coming this fall to a bookstore near you!

Visit Will Terry at
www.philosopherdown.com

Will Terry is twenty five year old writer from Austin Texas where he is a student at Austin Community College . He is currently working on a bachelors degree in Social Work with aspirations for a masters degree in English. His work has been published by The Panhandler in Houston , The Vivid Literary Journal in Pennsylvania , and the Armageddon Buffet E-zine. He maintains a website for aspiring writers at www.philosopherdown.com. His writing centers on humorous exaggerated interactions between men and women. “Situational Dyslexia” focuses on the tendency for people to set themselves up for confusion and only figure out after why. Some authors that he admires are Louis Ferdinand Celine, Charles Bukowski, and J.G. Ballard. His philosophy to writing centers on embellishing personal experience.

Becky Warner, featured author for “An Honest Lie, Volume 1: Encouraging the Delinquency of your Inner Child” is here to share with us some interesting things about herself, her work, and this very interesting book coming soon from Open Heart Publishing.

The floor is yours, Becky!

 
Hi Becky. Can you tell us what was your favorite book as a child and why?

Huckleberry Finn- I read it when I was fifteen and related to Huck so much so that after I finished the book, I did some checking on the author. I was shocked to find out he’d been dead a while and that someone could write something so emotionally charged that it reached out from the pages and touched me so dramatically.

What made you want to become a writer?

Same reason as question no. 1. It always amazes me how you can reach a total stranger simply through the written word. Every single time someone reads something I’ve written and compliments me on it, I’m absolutely thrilled.

Is “Thompkins Literary Review” your first story to be published?

No. I’ve had several poems and short stories published as well as a fiction novel.

You recently had a book signing that was written up in the local newspaper. Isn’t that right?

Yes. Here’s the link to the article: http://www.norwalkreflector.com/articles/2007/12/16/front/iq_466666.txt

The article goes into detail not only about your struggle to get this book published, but also about how you came up with the story for your book, “And the Bull Saved Me.” How did you come up with “Thompkins Literary Review,” your story in An Honest Lie?”

“Thompins Literary Review” is based loosely on personal experiences and my son and husband’s sometimes humorous reactions to my writing efforts.

It seems your son and husband do influence your work. Let me ask you some questions about your personal beliefs, and I’m starting with a heavy one. Have you ever contemplated committing a crime?

No, for three reasons. First, God would know, my mother would know and I’d know and none of those three would be happy about it.

Well put, Becky. Another question, do you believe in life after death in any form?

Absolutely. Otherwise, what’s the point of living? One’s story doesn’t end with death. A new chapter simply begins.

Back to your writing, what other sorts of creative writing are you currently involved in?

I’m finishing my 9th fiction novel and outlining a play.

We’ve mentioned a couple of your published works. Can you tell our readers what else you’ve had published and where it was published?

My comedy/romance novel “And The Bull Saved Me” (under my pen name- Alex Rose) was published by PublishAmerica and can be found at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com and Borders.com My short stories “Commuter Trains and Ankle Chains,” and “You Move Me” (under my other pen name- Rose Alexander) were published by Double Dragon Publishing and can be found at Carnaldesirespublishing.com My non-fiction credits include The Scribblers Club newsletter and The Candy Factory Gazette. My poem “God Loves You” was published in the American Poets Society compilation, Reflections, and my poem “The Middle Ground,” published by VoicesNet, Inc., was awarded Special Recognition in the Voices Net Anthology.

Can we have an example of one of your husband or son’s humorous reactions to your writing efforts?

Sure thing. After I’d written my third book, my son accidentally found out that I also wrote ‘Erotica’. He walked up behind me while I was writing at my computer one night and read what was on the screen. His response was immediate and indignant.
“What in the world do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, his tone so uncannily similar to my mother’s, back when I was a girl, that it made me wince. My automatic panic ‘cover my tracks’ mechanism kicked in and I started scrambling, thinking of alibis to get me out of trouble. I’d already come up with a couple good ones when I remembered who I was talking to and came back from nastyolgia lane.
“It’s nothing.” I told him. Then I explained to him calmly, which is something he was not, giving him my reasons for delving into the seedier side of literature. However, the horrified look on his face as I told him made me feel like Clarence Darrow informing the jury at the Scopes trial that they were all descended from monkeys.
Some things are just too upsetting to face.
“What do you mean you were just experimenting?” he said, his face contorting in repugnance.
“I’m working on some erotic short stories.” I told him. “After writing a romantic scene in my last book I wondered if I could write a full-blown sex scene. It’s sort of a writing exercise”
“A writing exercise?” he groaned, rolling his eyes like he was dying. “You’ve got to be kidding me! What do you mean a writing exercise?”
“I thought it would be a way to teach me how to write my characters better. To kind of get inside their heads more. To write something with less dialogue and more..uh…physical and mental content. And since there’s not a lot of talking when people have sex…..”
“Oh my God!!” he bellowed. “I don’t want to hear any of this! Does Dad know what you’re doing?”
“Your father doesn’t care. Besides the two of you never read my stories…..” I stopped in mid-sentence, realizing that I’ve let the proverbial ‘cat’ out of the bag. My days of writing freedom were about to end. Unless my guess was wrong, I’d just pressed him into service as resident ‘writing monitor.’ I quickly tried to cover my tracks, telling him that it was only an experiment and that I hadn’t even saved the story.
“Oh yes you have!” he griped, pointing accusingly at the title bar in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. “You’ve even given it a name! ‘Playing With Passion’? You’ve got to be kidding me! It’s nothing but Porn! What are you planning to do with this stuff?” He paused and a frightened expression filled his face. “Holy Cow! You’re not posting this stuff on the Internet, are you?”
The thought had never occurred to me but I didn’t answer right away because I was now feeling a bit of indignation myself. I wasn’t used to having my teenage son teach me morals so it seemed only right to make him sweat a little.
“You haven’t? Have you?” he said, his eyes now big as saucers.
“No.” I replied, trying hard not to smile. I started to add that it might be worth looking into when he abruptly cut me off.
“Good! And promise me one more thing!”
“What’s that?” I asked, suddenly propelled back in time to a similar lecture by my father on the evils of premarital sex. He should have told me about the perils of postmarital sex instead.
“Don’t ever work on that stuff when my friends are around! Okay? Promise?”

Will you tell us what your new novel is about?

My new book is a fiction novel titled, “Lightning Strikes Again” about a man named Gene who gets hit by lightning and afterwards, can read minds. He disappears for about eleven months when he’s poked and probed by a group of scientists. He re-appears in his hometown after he’s lost the unique ability and meets up with his best friend, Aaron. Aaron finds out that Gene lied to the scientists about losing the ability and for the next two weeks, follows Gene around, finding out what’s he’s been doing with his new-found talent. Aaron ends up in one crazy situation after the other as he gets caught up in Gene’s schemes. The zaniness continues as Gene talks Aaron into helping him look for a guy they both suspect might be a serial killer, whom they track down, but only at the cost of possibly being the man’s next victims.

Thanks for taking the time to share some thoughts with us Becky! We’re all eagerly awaiting the publication of “An Honest Lie, Volume 1: Encouraging the Delinquency of your Inner Child,” and reading your short story, “Thompkins Literary Review.”

Becky Warner writes fiction and non-fiction under the Nom de Plumes of Alex Rose and Rose Alexander… Her comedy/romance novel And The Bull Saved Me (Alex Rose) was published by PublishAmerica. Her short stories Commuter Trains and Ankle Chains, and You Move Me (Rose Alexander) were published by Double Dragon Publishing. Her non-fiction credits include The Scribblers Club newsletter and The Candy Factory Gazette. Her poem God Loves You was published in the American Poets Society compilation, Reflections, and her poem The Middle Ground, published by VoicesNet, Inc., was awarded Special Recognition in the Voices Net Anthology. She started out writing personal poems for her friends and then graduated to short stories and novels. Becky resides in Ohio and heads a local literary group called The Scribblers Club. Their goal is to bring together area writers to share ideas and resources, and to promote one another’s writing efforts. One of her happiest writing experiences was when she and a fellow Scribblers Club member had book signings together at the same bookstore. Her friends in the group inspired her so much that she based one of her novels on them, appropriately titled The Scribbler’s Club (a mystery about a local legend and The Underground Railroad- as yet unpublished). She grew up in the Lake Erie area of Ohio and bases many of her story locales there. She also enjoys reading and craft shopping in Amish country.

Here we are again with another featured author from “An Honest Lie, Volume 1: Encouraging the Delinquency of your Inner Child.” Sharing some thoughts with us is Jon C. Forisha, author of Jellyfish Castles.  Enjoy!

Hi Jon. Let’s start with a question about your story. How does “Jellyfish Castles” reflect your own life?

Once when I was but a wee tyke, I was with my family vacationing at a beach. I forget what beach so we’ll act like it doesn’t matter. There must have been a thousand jellyfish there, and every one of their unthinking gelatinous bodies was lurching for the support of some hapless human swimming in the ocean. My mother, in a very non-characteristic spurt of vengeance, became the jellyfish killer, catching and burying jelly after jelly in the sands of the beach. I was saddened at their demise at the time, but now, hearing more and more about the constantly multiplying jellyfish population, it doesn’t seem like such a sad story.

That’s a very interesting childhood memory, Jon. I can see your mother must have had great influence on you. Who or what inspired you to be a writer?

When I was in 4th grade I wrote fan fiction (had I known that’s what it was at the time I would have immediately stopped) for the games Diablo and Starcraft, and an episode for the show Buffy. They worried my parents and teachers at the time, but their fears were quickly dispelled when I turned out to not be crazy; I just liked crazy stories. I got into fantasy novels by RA Salvatore around 6th grade and from there moved through Science Fiction. My love for writing has developed over the years, but it all started with worrying my teachers in 4th grade.

Where would we be without teachers? Well, we know about your childhood now. What about your future? If someone were to write a story about you, what would the title be?

The Alchemist of Creativity. This would be because whenever somebody says nothing is creative anymore, I am saddened. People say, “_______’s just a newer version of Texas Chainsaw Massacre!” or, “_______ is just like Star Wars!” This has been a saying for quite some time, people admitting that Shakespeare was the last creative thinker, that all the rest of us artists that were unlucky enough to come after the father of Romeo and Juliet are doomed to a life of cleverly borrowing and reusing elements invented before we were conceived. Therefore, if someone were to title a book about me The Alchemist of Creativity, that would be a grand compliment to my skills as a writer. As an Alchemist of Creativity I may combine elements and form new ones! I might make literary, and creative, gold at long last!

A very passionate point of view. What are some other things you are passionate about (besides writing)?

I’ve been a drummer since 6th grade, playing everything from xylophone and drum set to congas and Peruvian box drums. I’ve been in four or five bands and still play to this day. We turned my older brother’s bedroom into a music studio when he moved out, and it’s now home to more instruments than I care to admit.

It sounds like a great room to relax and have fun in. Tell me, when you aren’t relaxing and having fun and are hard at work, how do you go about writing? What is your writing process?

I generally think up some wacky concept (usually while doing something mundane, like brushing my teeth), joke around with it in my mind for a bit, realize it could actually turn into something, and then write the concept as a note on my phone. I then read over it weeks later and wonder what I was thinking. A few hours after that, I realize what I might have been thinking and I go back and ponder over it some more. As the notes on my phone stack up, eventually I really start rooting for one of them, and then it becomes a story with the help of some lightspeed typing!

Sounds like a very efficient way to go about it. Let me ask you something off-the-wall now. How would you describe yourself in 7 words or less?

These questions are always difficult to answer without appearing conceited. But here it goes: amazing, glorious, funny, awesome, sexy. Oh, that was only 6? I think it covered the gambit anyway.

Six are good enough! Here’s another one. How do you encourage the delinquency of your inner child?

I do zany things like make a U-turn where it specifically states not to. I play my drums loudly when I know someone will be annoyed. And then I write goofy stories, most of which will never see the light of day due to their inanity. But, really, hopefully every good story has at least a little bit of delinquency encouragement tied into it. I mean, could Jim Hawkins ever have saved Doctor Livesey and the gang in Treasure Island had he not acted a buffoon in the face of Long John Silver?

Well, Readers, I’ll let you be the judge of that! And that’s the end of our interview with Jon C. Forisha. Tune in again for more interviews with the authors of “An Honest Lie, Volume 1: Encouraging the Delinquency of your Inner Child.”

Find out more about Jon C. Forisha at http://thecolorsplorge.wordpress.com.

Jon C. Forisha is currently a Creative Writing student at the University of North Texas.  He was born and raised in Plano, Texas, and attended Plano Senior High School, where he enjoyed playing very loud music as the Drumline Captain.  Among his other works, he writes science fiction stories about everything from airships sailing post-apocalyptic landscapes to insane doctors experimenting on kidnapped hobos.  During his senior year of high school, he entered into and was chosen as a winner for the National Council of Teachers of English Achievement in Writing Award.  His winning story for the contest was about a German roboticist who created ridiculous machines to ease the burden of day-to-day living.  He actively plays music, drumming for two different bands and eating up the rich musical setting that the University of North Texas has to offer.  His favorite authors include Neil Gaiman, Kurt Vonnegut, and Michael Chabon.  He frequently visits his local public library, where row upon row of books never fail to call to him.  He plans on starting a career of writing short stories and novels and plans to break into screenwriting in the near future.  When not playing music or writing stories, he is hard at work determining how to keep the constantly multiplying jellyfish population from becoming the rulers of the world.  As of yet, he has found no plausible solution except to trap them in sand castles, though he is still hard at work.

Hello Readers!

Our featured author for this post is Brittney Dillard.  Enjoy!

What made you want to become a writer?

Well I’ve always loved to write, but I didn’t really see it as a profession until I hit ninth grade and began planning my first novel.  It was around that time that I started really getting into Stephen King, and reading every piece of his work that I could get my hands on.  I learned somewhere or antoerh that he’d gotten his start at writing short stories, and I was like, why not me?  If this extremely talented, noted author started out small, why not me?  I guess it worked!

Is “The Gift” your first story to be published?

No.  As a matter of fact I have published one other story, “Lake Progress”, in a small magazine called The Moulin Review.

Have any of your stories been ideas from dreams?

Yes, actually many of them have.  But as of now, none of them have been published.

Tell us about other things you are involved in besides writing.

College, for the most part.  Right now I am giving school and writing the full extent of my focus, and most likely will until the day I graduate.  I am actively involved in a Christian sorority, Sigma Phi Lambda, where I have met some truly wonderful girls.  I also just learned last week that I made the Dean’s List, and that was really exciting!

Have you ever considered suicide as an alternative to procrastination?

No, never suicide.  Usually a cold soda and an hour of running will tide me over pretty well.

What do you feel are the most important symbols and/or icons of the 21st century?

I think the modeling industry has become a huge part of American culture, especially among adolescent girls.  We see these stick figures stalking down the runway and girls instantly want to be like them; are even willing to starve themselves to do it.  When you look at pictures from, say, thirty or forty years ago you see models up to a size eight or ten, and now it is rare to see even a size five.  I find it very sad.

On a lighter note, patriotism has had a vast increase in popularity ever since 9/11.  The election of Barack Obama as president has created an important icon, as well, because it indicates that we as people have moved past an issue that has been plaguing this country since it was founded.

Have you ever been a bed wetter?

Ha ha, yes.  Of course.  But a very long time ago.

 

Brittney Dillard is an undergraduate journalism student at the University of North Texas and thinks writing is a great way to afford a PT Cruiser.  She has lived in a small north Texas town with a cozy population of less than one thousand for five years now, along with her parents, twin sister, big sister, niece, and nephew.  She’s been writing since she was old enough to hold a pen and hopes it iwll pay all her bills some day.  Among her biggest dreams are publishing her first novel, being interviewed by Tyra Banks, and living a life interesting enough to write a memior about.

Hello Readers!

Our featured author for this post is Alex Francani.  Enjoy!

Where did you get your ideas for writing “Legos, Honey, A Squirrel, Marcus, and Me.”

I have no idea where this story came from. I recognize the writing style and I know that I wrote it, but I have no idea how I invented the unnamed 70-something year old man and his beautiful daughter Honey. I don’t know how I came up with the idea that the greatest manifestation of pain could be exacted in a grieving person’s decisions to stop actively participating in his own life. I wrote that story eight or nine years ago. At the time, I was a junior or senior in college. I wasn’t really trying to be a good writer, as much as I was trying to live a life interesting enough to be a compelling story. (I have since realized that “interesting” shouldn’t be the only criteria.) I always argued vehemently against people who said that the main characters of my first person stories were really just various versions of myself. Although, truth be told, they were probably more right than I was. Now, a little older and more wise to the fact that I am not as wise as I’d like to be, I see a lot of myself in the characters of my stories. However, the main character in “Legos” is an old man dealing with loss in a profound and thoroughly confusing way. As a 21 year old, I had never experienced loss like that. 

Tell us about some other things you are involved in besides writing.

Umm… I don’t want to. 

How do you organize the books on your bookshelf?

I don’t have a bookshelf. I buy books, and then forget about them. I know I have some in California in someone’s garage (I think his name is Dave), and I would like them back. I have some under my TV. When I was a little kid, I didn’t like to read school books, so when I finished them I threw them across the room. Sometimes I threw them pretty hard. As I grew older and liked reading more (and found some better books), I would sometimes even throw books that I’ve borrowed from other people. I guess I don’t treat books all that reverently. I respect the words on the page – and writers better than me – like Lewis Norden, Tim O’Brien, Dave Eggers, and Wally Lamb – but the way I figure it, the words are the same on a crinkled page as they are on a beautifully preserved page. Anyone who takes the time to finish something I’ve written can happily throw it across the room if it makes them feel better.

Who or what inspired you to become a writer?

My characters. I haven’t written a story myself yet. I create people, get to know them, and then I just watch them. I write down their lives like a documentary. 

Who is your favorite author (besides yourself) and why?

Lewis “Buddy” Nordan came downstairs to the kitchen one day from a day spent typing. He was crying. I wasn’t there, but from what he told our class and what I can imagine, this white-haired man of sixty hard and great years, probably slumped his shoulders and darted his eyes around the room. They eventually landed on the face of his wife.
       “What’s wrong?” she asks.
       Buddy looked from his wife to the floor, then without wiping his eyes, says in a small voice, “George just died.”
       His wife stopped her preparation of dinner and said, “Who’s George?”
       “He’s in my story.”
       “Didn’t you see his death coming?” she says, no longer worried about a real person who has died, and goes back to her cooking.
       “What?” Buddy says back, then considers the question, “Well, I guess I should have known.”

        Buddy Nordan makes sense to me. I marvel at writers who can plan a story meticulously, research it, and write it with beautiful prose, but I love Buddy because he lives with his creation and cares as much about his characters as he does his craft.

        While I was in his class, I tried to emulate his writing style into a story I was writing. I got a “B”. I don’t think he gave any other student a grade lower than an “A-” all semester. Either he doesn’t like how he writes or I failed miserably.

Do you consider yourself to be perfect? (please elaborate…no gory details or anything, just something more than a simple yes or no). 

I have a dream that one day I will be really famous. I’m not sure what I will have accomplished to get such fame, but for some reason, I’d have a world-wide audience. I would stand behind a podium before a great crowd, then I would start listing all my faults and weaknesses. I’d go on and on and try to outlast the crowd. It would almost be like playing a big game of chicken with a world-wide audience. I’d be daring them to stick by me despite myself. I’m not perfect and I realize that having a dream of telling the world everything that’s wrong with me isn’t the most healthy idea in the world, but wouldn’t it be great if there were still people around after all the facts were known? Wouldn’t it be just great? Everyone has secrets. I don’t believe all secrets are kept because people are being “secretive” We just don’t always have the right words to express the Truth. This is true though: it would be great if after all my faults and weaknesses are known, there’s still someone there to hug me.

No, I’m not perfect. One of these days I’m going to learn that that is okay. 

Where will you be in 5 years?

If all works out as I plan, I will be on a beach, looking up at mysterious comet, living in a trailer, and thanking God that I’ve learned that it’s okay. When my eyes drop from the sky, I will see that I am surrounded by people. I will be living in a trailer by choice. Someone will have already bought my novel Low California and produced my screenplay Hiccups. . . would you like to buy them?

Alexander Francani was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania.  After a great childhood he went on to his education at Tulane University and Villanova University before graduating from the University of Pittsburgh’s Fiction Writing Program.  In addition to his Fiction Writing Degree, he also received a Master’s Degree in Education from National University.  His career includes teaching English and Religion in Los Angeles, as well as coaching high school basketball.  His short story The Lucky One’s was published in Joseph Santiago’s anthology World Voices: Connected Communities.  His original screenplay Hiccups was optioned by independent film producer Cynthia Graner.  In addition to writing and teaching he enjoys traveling and volunteer work.  He has done service work in Peru, Saint Lucia Island, and the Appalachian Hills of Kentucky.  Alex currently resides in Pennsylvania and focuses his talents on writing.

Hello Readers!

Our featured author for this post is Melissa Cantrelle.  Enjoy!

So what exactly is life coaching all about?

It depends on the life coach.  The way I approach life coaching, it’s all about helping my client discover their life purpose, create an inspired vision for how to implement their life purpose in all aspects of their life, and removing obstacles along the way.  Life coaching addresses every aspect of your life (career, love, health, etc.) because often the energy drain you have in one corner of your life is impacting your ability to have fabulousness in every area of your life.  Basically, I see myself as a catalyst, helping my clients break through limitations and quickly achieving the quantum leaps they are most desiring in life.

What kind of tools do you use as a life coach?

I use some standard coaching tools for the structure of a coaching session, like “The Wheel of Life” for helping my client create intentions for each area of life.  And then I use my hugely valuable intuition to pick the perfect tool for the moment from many other processes I’ve learned.  My favorites are NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Theta healing, Eriksonian hypnosis, Sedona Method, Matrix Energetics, and Law of Attraction tools from Abraham-Hicks.

Who or what was your inspiration for becoming a life coach?

Actually, I was pretty resistant to the whole idea for quite a while.  I hired a coach when I was still in the corporate world and considering making the leap to running my own consulting business.  The coach I had wasn’t very good for me.  His suggestion was to just do it, but I didn’t get any help with my fears that were blocking me from being fully resourceful.  A lot of coaches seem to do that: give advice instead of helping you to uncover your own natural resourcefulness.  Anyway, I got another coach a couple of years later and she was good.  By that time I was also frustrated with the consulting model because I really didn’t want to stay a part of the organization – I wanted to offer the inspiration and new ideas that helped the client make their own leap to the next level without any ongoing dependency on me.  I’ve really always been a catalyst…helping people jump to the next level without being a part of the final solution.

I hear you have an awesome book to help people who may not be able to work with you one on one.  It’s called “The Self-Esteem Playbook”, could you tell our readers more about it?

In all my time using the Law of Attraction with my clients and in my own life, I realized that the missing ingredient that makes or breaks the Law of Attraction is self-esteem.  If you aren’t feeling good about yourself, and worthy, you’re not going to ask for the big, juicy vision; you’re not going to believe it’s possible, and you won’t fully accept and receive all the good stuff that is flowing to you.  So my partner and I created “The Self-Esteem Playbook” to help people uplift their self-esteem in many different ways.  We’ve packed the playbook full of information, resources, and exercises tha t can be used in a variety of situations, because sometimes you just need to change your physical state, sometimes you need to address your inner thoughts, and sometimes you need to release the emotional baggage you’ve been carrying around all these years.  When you have a variety of ways to uplift and sustain your high self-esteem, you’re less likely to get down and more likely to stay inspirationally motivated toward implementing your visions.  I’m just a little bit passionate about how important self-esteem is for the visioning process.  You can see it in this interactive talk I gave at our local Wellness Expo: http://www.easyselfesteemnow.com

What is NLP and where did you study it?

NLP is short for Neuro-Linguistic Programming.  It’s this amazing, super-fast tool that was created in the early 70’s by Richard Bandler, a computer programmer, and John Grinder, a linguist.  Basically, Bandler and Grinder reviewed the transformational work of three very successful therapists: Virginia Satir, a family therapist, Fritz Perls, a gestalt therapist, and Milton Erickson, a hypnotherapist.  Using their programming and language skills, Bandler and Grinder took the best methods from these three therapists and created a standard, repeatable tools for people to change their neurological pathways into patterns that are more supportive of their desired outcomes.

NLP is used in a lot of different ways and different scenarios, depending on who’s using it and what their intent is.  This is another one of those life path choices that I was at first resistant to because I saw a lot of people using NLP in very egotistical ways – telling me what was best for me instead of letting me decide what I wanted to create into my life.  When I found Chris Howard, I knew it was time to learn NLP from him because he put so much heart into the process and really allowed the individual to decide what to let go of and what to implement.  The intensive training I went through was very focused on using NLP for enabling personal growth that is defined by the client.  I’m glad I found Chris when I did because he’s not currently teaching in the U.S. and he was definitely the best place for me to become a certified NLP Master/Trainer for the ways I use NLP in my coaching practice.

What other passions do you have in life?

I love to write (did I mention that yet?).  My mom was always “the writer” in our family and I’m really enjoying taking on that mantle for myself now.  Actually, I was already wearing the writer mantle, I just didn’t fully recognize what that stuff was oozing out of me.  When I’m not coaching, writing, or facillitating a workshop I’m playing in the dirt of my garden.  I love to watch stuff grow.  Hmm, I guess that’s not unlike coaching.  I also love hiking in nature, though I’m feeling a bit deprived of that now that I’ve moved to Texas from Seattle.  Nevertheless, my partner is a nature photographer so we always find ways to get out and find some beauty around us.  I get to play with his fancy camera equipment and that satisfies all the cravings I’ve ever had to be a professional nature photographer.  Hidden deep inside me are my past passions of swing dancing, ultimate frisbee and juggling.  I don’t do these so much anymore, but you never know when I might break one out for a quick demonstration.

What exactly are superfoods and why do you think they are important?

In my world, superfoods are raw, pristine foods that are rich with nutrients, low in calories, and are more easily digestible.  The concept of superfoods seems to be all the rage these days with people talking about the great properties of salmon, blueberries, and avocados.  I’ve come across something even better.  Superfoods like raw cacao (chocolate), goji berries, hemp seeds, and my favorite of all Chocolate Bliss.  When you eat these raw superfoods, you are giving your body all the enzymes they need to be digested and higher concentrations of the nutrients many of us are deprived of due to the condition of our soils.  I’ve been drinking Chocolate Bliss for almost a year now (a pre-made mix of raw, pristine superfoods that tastes like chocolate milk, but without the dairy).  I just added Chocolate Bliss to my pre-existing diet and I stopped craving coffee and junk foods and actually started to crave salads.  I’ve also let go quite a bit of weight and I feel like I’m in my best health ever.  I love that I can increase my health without taking pills.  More importantly, I have a lot more energy for all the other aspects of my life since I no longer have an energy drain from digesting my food or fighting off illness.  I think that’s pretty important.

“The Lifeboat” is a very powerful story.  I hear it made Debrin cry (he’s such a softy).  Is that a real life experience?

Yes, it’s based on a real life experience.  I like what another author called it: a fictography.  I really was in a workshop designed to help us discover our life purpose, and most of the characters interacted about like what I described.  The Alex character really did lie.  And yes, I really did question my sense of worthiness after not getting picked, though I never gave up on the importance of getting my book published.  I think “The Lifeboat” has a strong impact because the real life experience was a powerful turning point for my own life.  I decided I was worthy and once I engaged my own sense of self-esteem, I stayed joyfully motivated toward my vision.  My best stories are often the stories from my own life experience…it’s been quite a ride!

I hear you have a partner named Dan Coppersmith.  Can you tell us a bit more about him?  Is he as creative as you?

If there were a way to measure creativity, Dan would be off the charts.  He is a nature photographer, a poet, a jeweler, and a self-esteem advocate.  He has written a beautiful book of his nature photography and uplifting, inspiring poetry called The Elusive Here & Now.  I think his style is like a Dr. Seuss for adults: easy, lilting rhymes that leave you feeling all yummy inside.  He’s also been combining his nature photography with poems and inspiring quotes into posters and frameable art.  The favorite poster is Hello World, an affirmational poem that is best declared boldly to the world as a way of uplifting your self-esteem.  Dan is also my co-facilitator for all the self-esteem, visualization and life purpose workshops we host.  His grounding energy and wisdom complement my enthusiasm and action to create a very safe environment for growth.  We’re very fortunate to work together every day.

Do you ever feel like your pets hold you in contempt?

You must have read my book, “Conversations With Nature“.  My cat, Merla, used to bring in dead birds when I wasn’t writing.  I tried adding another bell to her collar, but in the end, I just had to get back to my writing schedule.  Now she’s an indoor cat, but I got the message and I stay on track with my life purpose work lest she find some other way to express her contempt.

How did you begin writing?

I have very strong memories of enjoying writing as a kid.  When I was in 2nd grade we watched some film about blood – all about red and white blood cells moving through our veins.  I was so inspired by the movie that I came home and wrote a one page report titled, “Blood”.  That was my first non-fiction pieces.  I also wrote a lot of little short stories, with my own color-crayon drawings of course.  I even had a few of them published in my elementary school paper, minus the drawings.  I may have been inspired from watching my mom sit down at her desk to write, though I suspect it’s just always been in my veins.

What has been the most profound moment in your life so far?

I can’t tell you the most profound moment just yet…I’m saving it up for the next book.  One of my most inspiring moments was the day I fulfilled my burning desire to go hang-gliding.  I’ve always wanted to feel the sensation of soaring like an eagle.  I didn’t realize I’d have to run off a cliff to get that experience, but the anxious build-up was worth all 15 minutes of soaring over the beach above the hawks on the hillside.  I’d do it again in a fast hear-beat.

Have you ever participated in a Sumo match?

No, but if you get the blow-up sumo costumes, I’ll gladly stomp my feet.

What do you feel is the most important scientific discovery of your lifetime?

Quantum physics and specifically that the act of observing can change the outcome of a scientific experiment.  I think there is so much possibility in the unseen.  One of my favorite quotes is “Only those who can see the invisible can do the impossible.”  – Dr. B. Lown

I’m working on it!

Do you have a sordid past that could be used to blackmail you if my career as a junior editor doesn’t give me the wealth I personally believe I deserve (hypothetically speaking of course)?

Hmm, if I tell you now, what happens if you get all the wealth you deserve?  Sadly for you, i think the only thing sordid in my past is the little figurine I stole from the department store at the age of 3.  My mom made me return it and say I was sorry.

Gulliver’s Travels, a morality play to shame heads of state or simple childhood tales of fantasy?

I’ll always pick simple first…I like to be entertained with fantasy rather than disturbed with politics.

How do you encourage the delinquency of your inner child?

I do what I want to do, when I want to do it.  I eat dessert for breakfast.  I allow myself to get consumed by online video games.  I avoid playing by other people’s rules.

Could you tell us more about “Conversations With Nature”?

“Conversations With Nature” combines my inspiring photos of Yosemite National Park, nature’s messages to us about living joyful, fulfilling lives, and my stories of how I implemented those messages into my own life as I transitioned from the corporate management consulting world to being a full-time life coach.  It’s my first published book and a very heart-driven project with a powerful impact on all your senses.  Like all my writing, “Conversations With Nature” is composed of short chapters that are easy to digest and have a meaningful message that can linger delightfully through your daily experiences.  This book will help you slow down, reconnect, and find direction amongst all the choices available to you now.  I like to think of it more as a companion than as a book.  It can help remind you of the joys of the human experience and to enjoy the journey as your path unfolds in front of you.  Like most things, I think the best thing you can do is experience it to know what it is.  Click here for some book excerpts:

So if I were interested in working with you on getting my life in order and going after my Bliss, where should I begin?

Go get yourself a free copy of “The Wheel of Life” from my website, Catalize, by signing up for my monthly inspirational newsletter.  Once you’ve had a quick look at “The Wheel of Life”, email me to get your free sample coaching session.  In 30 minutes you can have an inspiring vision for one area of your life passionately integrated into your being and doing.  Once you’ve tasted the power of life coaching with hear-centered NLP, I expect you’ll be excited for the even bigger quantum leaps you can make in your life.  Oh, and if you want to taste the Chocolate version of Bliss, check out my superfood website: www.lovingsuperfoods.com

Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Yes, I believe in all kinds of magic!

Melissa Cantrelle is a life coach, NLP master, workshop leader, and author.  She has been writing for pleasure ever since the second grade when she came home from school and wrote an unasked-for report about blood.  Her short stories were first published in her elementary school newspaper and she has since self-published two books.  Inspired most by the works of H.H. Munro (Saki), Melissa enjoys writing short peices with plenty of punch and maybe even an unexpected twist.

After experiencing over 12 years in the corporate arena of management consulting, Melissa transitioned to the entrepreneurial world of life coaching.  She uses her coach training, business background and her heart-centered Neuro-Linguistic Programming skills to help you discover your life purpose, create a vision for the life you desire, and remove obstacles along the way.  She is a compassionate catalyst for you to discover your own inner resources and her passion for causing joyful fulfillment seeps into everything she does.  Melissa now offers life coaching, empowering workshops, and self-study tools from her website: http://www.catalize.com/

Melissa is the co-author of “The Self-Esteem Playbook”, a resourceful guide for uplifting and sustaining your high self-esteem.  She is a sought-out speaker for her message on the importance of self-esteem in your law-of-attraction visualization practice.

Melissa is also author of the recently published “Conversations With Nature”, an inspired book about following your heart even in the daily grind of corporate life.  This book blends Melissa’s own photography from Yosemite National Park with nature’s messages to us about how to live joyfully, and Melissa’s stories of how she applied those messages into her own fulfilling life journey.  In keeping with her style, the chapters are short and packed with powerful, loving inspiration.

Originally from Seattle, Melissa now lives with the love of her life in Carollton, Texas.

Hello Readers!

Our featured author for this post is Victoria Joyner.  Enjoy!

Did anything from your childhood inspire you to write “July Burning Bright”?

Not directly. The actual plot was part of a random writing exercise, but I felt comfortable writing about Texas boys getting in over their heads — those types of guys comprised my childhood friendships. The rest of it fell into place from memories of dinner table stories from the men in my family about their own delinquent formative years.

Are you a procrastinator or preparer?

Neither? I dislike anticipating things overmuch, nor having them hanging over my head in dread, so I tend to live from moment to moment. I believe the future will tend to itself… for better or worse.

Tell us a funny or embarassing childhood story.

My parents caught a lot of grief for saddling me with (in my relatives’ minds) a long, complex name. This resulted in my acquiring a score of nicknames, none of which would be used by the same two people. By the time I started kindergarten, I’d been trained to answer to Victoria, Vicky, Tori, VicVic, Cathy (Cathleen is my middle name), Chatty, Toreador… and so forth. So my kindergarten asked me what I wished to be called, and I thought about it for a moment, and answered, “Elizabeth”.
I suppose I felt I had to keep it in the realms of royalty.

What was your favorite book as a child and why?

The Last Dinosaur. It’s the only book I clearly remember reading and re-reading as a child (and I remember being inordinately proud, because it was an 8th grade reading level book and I could read it at 5) and it’s one of  the few things from my youth I’ve kept.

It was a story about the ending of the dinosaur era, and featured a triceratops pair struggling to survive. It did not have a happy ending, but it’s one of those stories that stuck with me. The triceratops remains my favorite dinosaur because of that book.

Have you ever been a bed wetter?

Not that I remember. I was a night terror kid, though, and spent many a night scrambling into somebody else’s room or else cowering behind furniture until dawn.

Who or what inspires you to be a better writer?

Bad literature. There is no better motivation to improve your own craft than being subjected to people wielding it badly.

What do you think is the meaning of the masthead, “An Honest Lie”?

I see an honest lie as telling a falsehood with good intentions. It’s the lesser of the lies!

Victoria Joyner is a native Texan who discovered early in life that she was equal parts writer and wanderer.  This wandering has taken her through much of the Midwest and the South, the experiences of which has found inevitable roots in the makings of her writing.  Her current perch is in the Pacific Northwest, where she has decided to watch the Seattle rain and sit still long enough to put words to paper. 

While she’s known she wanted to be an author since she was eight years old, “July Burning Bright” is her first publication.  In addition, Victoria has a novel currently in progress, which will be an urban fantasy set in Dallas, and several short stories in varying stages of completion.  In the past, she has been a runner-up in the “100 Words or Fewer” writing contest with her story, “The Wedding Dowry” placing third.

Victoria is twenty-three years old and lives with her remarkably tolerant roommates and five cats.  When not writing, she looks for odd jobs to workon, and has done everything from hawking wares in a flea market booth to doing a radiologist’s laundry before filing his x-rays.  She is an aspiring student, but has yet to determine which major will net her the best story, whether it be genetic engineering, 19th century poetry, meteorology, or some combination of all three.  For now, she has found simply being a student of life to be an adequate inspiration.

Wanna know more about Victoria?  Go to  www.bardsong.info/blog

Hello Readers!

Our featured author for this post is Alyssa Cooper.  Enjoy!

How does “My Dead Isn’t Dead” reflect your own life?

It doesn’t. That’s why it’s fiction, of course! Okay, so maybe life did help to inspire bits and pieces of it. I actually began writing this story the evening my grandfather died. So definitely the sorrow and loss is real—the source just differs from that of the narrator. Otherwise, the story is also a reflection of how women are taught to judge themselves as not good enough. To judge themselves against other women. You see it all the time if you know how to look for it (which women do), that glance that is given when we question our own self-worth against each other. The effects can be tragically frightening for relationships as well as mental health. To me, “My Dead Isn’t Dead” shows exactly how wrong everything can go when we don’t trust our own self-value. Beyond that, I love human interactions and I believe in magic. That is what is at the core of this piece.
 
What are some other things you are passionate about (besides writing)?

I’m not sure I understand the question. No—I actually have a lot of things that make life wonderful, that make me grateful to be alive and have the opportunity to experience them. At the very top of the charts is dance. I am a burlesque performer, fairly new to the scene, but I absolutely adore it. For me, it’s basically an opportunity to create characters that I am allowed to perform, while artfully enforcing the tease in striptease. Correlating to this, I am a fashion junkie, suffering an addiction to four-inch heels and all things girly, vintage, or rhinestoned. Beyond this, I am a lover of art. Before I began writing, I intended to study art history in my graduate work. But in truth, I make a horrific critic. I like things because I like them, and I don’t always have the reasons behind this. However, I know without a doubt I would not be the writer I am today without looking at art as much as I do. With both art and dance, they are what fuels my writing. I cannot tell you how many times I have stopped in the midst of my dance practicing—or in the middle of an art gallery—because I am inspired to write, right then and there. Writing may be my main passion, but everything I do contributes to it.

Have you ever turned a dream into a story?

What is it Cinderella said? Something along the lines of, “A dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re fast asleep.” For me dreaming doesn’t just exist at night or in sleep. I battle daydreaming almost constantly. So I suppose I could say, yes, I have turned dreams into stories. But only because I have a bad (or wonderful) habit of avoiding reality.

Is “My Dead Isn’t Dead” your first story to be published?

It is not. In fact, just the other day, I was telling my good friend, and editor of Carve magazine, that I cannot wait for both our writing careers to take off so that in every interview I give I can say, “Well, so-and-so, Matthew Limpede was the first to publish me.” So here it is: Well, Rhia, Matthew Limpede was the first to publish me.

I will also say that although this is not the first story I have published, due to its beginnings, I am incredibly proud of it. My grandfather wasn’t much of a fiction reader, but I can almost promise you that wherever he is (I’m guessing pruning peach trees and playing with dogs while my grandmother bakes pies), when he heard that this story was to be published, he said something like, “That’s real good, Scooter.”

What is your writing process?

I’m not sure I have a process—more of a vague, stumbling approach that sometimes works out and other times does not. I would say for the most part, it goes something like this: I get inspired. I begin a story. I finish the story in the same sitting.

“My Dead Isn’t Dead” was one key exception to this rule because clearly there was a lot going on the evening I began it. It’s an exception I’m really glad I made and certainly lends credibility to the idea that creativity comes from somewhere outside of ourselves. Typically, if I start a story and cannot finish it in the same sitting, then I never finish it. I believe it is Raymond Carver that stated a short story should be written in the same way it should be read—in just one sitting. I have found this is what most closely aligns with my own approach. But I write when I feel it and never any other time. My creativity tends to rebel against discipline.

Where is fancy bread, in the heart or in the head?

I suppose that might depend on your definition of fancy. Because let me tell you that as a burlesque dancer and writer, fancy certainly means many different things to begin with. That being said, I would say my sequined, glittered version of fancy is all heart. However, being a Gemini, my heart sorta lives in my head. I have trouble separating my passions and dreamy tendencies from my thought processes. Maybe that’s what makes me a writer. Maybe that’s just what makes me a girl. All I do know is that if your heart feels strongly enough about something, your head never has a chance. This is a lesson I learn over and over again on almost a daily basis.

Who is your favorite author (besides yourself) and why?

Way to save the easy one for last! Amy Hempel. Amy Hempel. Amy Hempel. My former professor, as well as an amazing fiction writer, Kristin vanNamen once referred to my writing as “Amy Hempel on acid.” To this day, it is my favorite compliment. I love Ms. Hempel because she makes me sad. I love her because she makes me happy. I love her because she knows how to take simple words and arrange them so they are more beautiful than you ever remembered the words being before. She is poetry in prose form, and if I am ever one-fifth the writer she is, then I will present golden-covered chocolates and diamond-bottomed cocktails to the creativity goddesses every hour on the hour—double during happy hour.

Alyssa Cooper began her writing career while studying art history at the University of Texas at Dallas. Her fascination with writing as a medium of art—meant to depict—soon took focus, and she graduated with a B.A. in Creative Writing. Ms. Cooper maintains that it is her love for visual and performance art that provides the creative lens for her written works, and she finds inspiration while dancing or strolling art galleries. “The Way Back Home” was the recipient of the 2006 Gulf Coast of Creative Writing Teachers Association Undergraduate Fiction Prize. Ms. Cooper’s story, “In His Own Image,” was featured in Carve Magazine, where she currently serves as a reader and editor. She has recently completed a collection of first person narratives that explore the boundaries of the female norm and the inner trappings of self-perception, entitled A Whore Like Me. Ms. Cooper currently resides in Dallas and is researching graduate school options to further attend to the art of writing.

Hello Readers!

Our featured author for this post is Bob Clark.  Enjoy!

Who or what inspired you to be a writer?

When I was but a small tyke, I loved the way Edgar Allen Poe wrote his short stories, but most of mine are in a much lighter vein.

How do you organize the books on your bookshelf?

I let the books move around to the most comfortable spots all by themselves.  I don’t interfere in their lives.

How did you come up with the story “Whatever LuLu Wants”?

All my stories begin with a touch of inspiration and I often have no earthly idea where they will take me.  I never meant for this story to go in the direction it did.  The title comes from a song in the Broadway musical “Damn Yankees”.  In the show, Lola is really the Devil in the guise of a temptress and her song is “Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets”.  LuLu, however, is just a kid who wants a better life.

Tell us a funny or embarassing childhood story.

When I was around 5, my parents took me to a bris.  If you are Jewish, and I am not, you would know what this is.  If you’re not, I am not going to explain it now.  The adults mixed and mingled, but I was thirsty and I noticed glasses on the table.  Nobody spotted the chubby 5 year-old as he reached up and drank some of the funny tasting water.  Years later, I found out the water was champagne.  I slept for many hours on the way home that day and since then, I never again drank alcohol.

What do you feel is your most important contribution to the human race?

Not having produced any children, don’t blame me for anything they do.

What do you feel about your opportunity to be one of the innaugural authors in the first volume of An Honest Lie?

It is the single greatest achievement in my writing life thus far.  (That is meant to be a serious answer.)

Alice in Wonderland…Opium induced pedophile fantasies of a madman or pure genius?

I am often told about the hidden meanings in my stories and I scratch my head when readers tell me that.  My stories are just stories I dreamed up.  I am not that deep and I cared to look beyond Wonderland.

Bob Clark has been writing since first grade, but he started writing for pay when he became a radio personality and turned out hundreds of thousands of thirty and sixty-second commercial announcements. Many of those were tiny stories whose duty was to sell a service or a product. He has lived and worked in places ranging from the New York area to Oregon, from Indiana to Florida and in Mexico and Puerto Rico. After nearly 5 decades of slaving away behind microphones and cameras as a DJ, voice over announcer, talk show host, and TV news anchor, he retired to a more sanity filled life near the beach in Corpus Christi, Texas. There, he began to write short stories, novels and a memoir of his life in the sordid underbelly of the Mexican border. His short stories have been published in two anthologies of stories to be read aloud in competitions in high schools. All of them take place in the strange country called South Texas.