Last week, I had the pleasure of reviewing author and editor Mark Garvey’s Stylized: A Slightly Obsessive History of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style (if you missed it, check it out here). Today, we present an exclusive interview with Garvey, discussing his motivations and process in putting together this excellent history of, and homage to, Strunk and White’s “little book.”

AuthorScoop: For those who haven’t yet read “Stylized”, tell us a bit about your introduction to “The Elements of Style” and the impact it had on you and your writing.

Mark: I first became aware of The Elements of Style in high school (in the late 1970s), when it was a required text for several of our English classes. The book really hit home with me in college, when I began writing for my own pleasure, and I was becoming interested in how other writers had approached writing’s basic questions. What I found in Elements was a slim, succinct guide that laid out some useful, fundamental principles for writers in a memorable and enjoyable way. It covered the more mechanical concerns (punctuation and such) but it also expounded a philosophy of writing that seemed eminently sensible and attractive to me, a philosophy that stressed the values of simplicity, concision, and clarity and that pointed the book’s writing reader toward the discovery, the blossoming, of his own voice on the page. Elements gave me confidence in the idea that if I managed to internalize the fundamentals of grammar, spelling, word usage, and such, and if I absorbed the book’s lessons about clarity and brevity and naturalness, my own voice as a writer would eventually develop.I think that’s the promise Elements holds out to every writer.

AuthorScoop: When you first conceptualized the book, how close was your original vision to what it would eventually become?

Mark: The final shape of Stylized actually ended up being fairly close to the original conception. I had several goals in mind for the book when I began: to unearth new biographical detail on both authors, particularly as it related to The Elements of Style; to tell the story of the book’s history and influence; to include the thoughts of some of my favorite writers on Elements; and to weave in my own ideas about the reasons for the book’s long success. I think I got pretty close to reaching those broader goals. Now, as to whether my prose itself matches my initial vision—does it ever? Doesn’t it always seem to the writer that, given just one more week, just one more edit, the prose will really start to sing? But we do the best we can. One thing I’ve learned from working with writers in my longish career in publishing, and in my own writing, is that a deadline is a writer’s best friend. It keeps us productive and, I hope, keeps things from getting too precious and overdone.

AuthorScoop: I really enjoyed the quotes from various writers sprinkled throughout “Stylized”. Had you already collected them by the time you began work in earnest, or was it a process of discovery for you as you wrote?

Mark: I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the writers’ quotes. I think they add a nice dimension to the book, and I feel very fortunate that so many great writers wanted to participate. As for the timing, I conducted most of the interviews with the writers early on, as I was doing the other parts of my research, so when it came down to the actual writing, the interviews were available as part of my raw materials, and I was able to place them into the structure in a way that fit with my overall plan. But certainly, talking to the writers was a process of discovery for me. They contributed an interestingly nuanced range of opinions about Elements and about the style-related questions I posed. I still love hearing from writers about how they get their work done.

AuthorScoop: In your rather intriguing blog entry on Joyce’s “Ulysses”, you note that you don’t read a lot of fiction. In terms of the distinction between quality non-fiction and quality fiction (the quest for clear and concise prose in non-fiction versus a more elastic, “voice”-centric approach in fiction) do you think “The Elements of Style” serves one discipline better than the other?

Mark: I think Elements is commonly thought to be of more use to nonfiction writers than to fiction writers. I suppose there’s something to that, but much of the book’s advice, particularly the Strunk-heavy sections in the first four chapters—those chapters concerning things such as punctuation, word usage, and organization—are as pertinent to fiction writers as to anyone else. Fiction isn’t exempt from the necessity to pay attention to those elements. White’s essay in Chapter 5, “An Approach to Style,” does perhaps seem more directed at nonfiction writers, but to my way of thinking it would be the rare fiction writer who couldn’t find something of value in that chapter, too. Certainly there are books that are of more substantial help on the techniques of fiction writing, and I would expect would-be fiction writers to look to those books for advice that’s more specific to their work.

AuthorScoop: Considering the rapid evolution of language, the rise of experimentation in literature and the influx of slang into the mainstream over the past 50 years, do you think The Elements of Style can continue to hold its influence and intellectual authority for another half-century?

Mark: I think as long as Elements undergoes reasonable updating at reasonable intervals, particularly in the chapter called “Words and Expressions Commonly Misused,” as it did during White’s lifetime (he made changes and adjustments over three editions and countless printings), it should remain a standard. I don’t see its core premises being debunked any time soon. As New Yorker writer Alec Wilkinson says in Stylized, “Show me something better. Show me a better model. Lack of clarity? Slovenliness? Sloppiness? Show me something better.”

AuthorScoop: The history of “Elements”, particularly White’s determination in extending and expanding its influence, is really a very touching illustration of carrying forward the torch — not only for the benefit of future generations, but also as a way of honoring the past. Do you feel that your book has some of that to it?

Mark: I hope so. That’s a nice way to think about it. I know I undertook the project as a labor of love. Stylized is an homage to a book that has meant a lot to me and to countless other writers. Of course, neither E. B. White nor William Strunk Jr. needs me to keep the Elements legacy alive. Their work speaks for itself, and to far more readers than I will ever reach. I just wanted to tell the book’s story and express my enthusiasm for its message.

Simon Elegant profiles “China’s literary bad boy”, Han Han. (TIME)

William J. Quirk parses F. Scott Fitzgerald’s tax returns for insights into the author’s lifestyle. (The American Scholar)

Suzanne Munshower makes a passionate case for the preservation of the physical book. (Guardian Books Blog)

Morgan Von Ancken looks at some of the tougher adaptations Hollywood has undertaken. (Lit Drift)

Ron Hogan explores Victor Lodato’s tale of two dust jackets. (GalleyCat)

Catie Disabato chats it up with Jonathan Zittrain, author of The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It. (The Rumpus)

Natalia O’Hara looks at the life and (phenomenal) work of Amos Oz. (Prague Post)

R.I.P. Theodore R. Sizer, educator and author. (Washington Post)

R.I.P. Lenore Kandel, counterculture poet. (San Francisco Chronicle)

On this day in 1939, prolific western writer Zane Grey died. (Today in Literature)

Masha Hamilton is a journalist and fiction author, and her fourth novel, 31 HOURS, is released from Unbridled Books today. Ms. Hamilton is known for her coverage of the world’s hotspots and for her poetic style, and this chillingly timely topic sits at bold juxtaposition to her lyricism.

We’d like to thank her for taking the time out to be part of our “5 Minutes Alone” interview series.

AuthorScoop: What was your very first publication credit?

Masha: I was one of those who always knew I needed to write. In elementary school, I had a poem in a national anthology, submitted by my teacher, and at the same time, (although this isn’t really a publication credit), I was producing bi-monthly editions of a family newspaper, full of news of the most local kind! I think some of those still survive somewhere.

AuthorScoop: Tell us about your latest release.

Masha: 31 HOURS is my fourth novel. I wrote the first draft in one intense month sequestered at Blue Mountain Center, a nurturing artists’ retreat, in a tiny room overlooking the calm and non-judgmental Blue Mountain Lake. The location allowed me, in the writing, to touch on my deepest fears as a mother, as an American and a New Yorker. (Then, of course, I needed many more months of revision to truly get it ready.) The novel takes place in and around the subway system. The edgy poetry of the subway is the foundation for the story, which is about missed connections, about the search for religious or spiritual guidance, and about mothering a young adult in this chaotic world. It asks the reader to suspend easy judgments, so it’s a demanding book in that way. It’s also a story that takes place with a ticking clock in the background – as the novel opens, there are just 31 hours left to change the course of not just one young man’s life, but the lives of many.

AuthorScoop: Aside from your own hard work, who else do you feel has contributed to your success?

Masha: The support of my family has been crucial. My agent, Marly Rusoff, is the very best in the business in every way. The wise editing eyes of Unbridled’s Fred Ramey, ditto. The entire Unbridled Books team daily goes out on a limb for their books. For a writer, that’s an enormous gift – bigger than I can ever truly thank them for.

AuthorScoop: At what time of day or night do you do your best writing?

Masha: When my kids were very little, I got up at 4 a.m. so I could write before my day dissolved into fish sticks and wet wipes. I still usually do my best work in the morning, but sometimes I find myself  working into the night as well.

AuthorScoop: Finally, what advice would you give to new or unpublished writers?

Masha: Probably the same advice I keep trying to give myself: keep writing, no matter what, and write into your deepest issues, the ones you care most about, the subjects that scare you or that seem forbidden or risky. Then love the revision process as if it were your best friend, which it probably is. If you need support during the long lonely process of writing, reach out for it – either by going to workshops or by diving into poetry or hiking in the woods or near water, something that grounds you and connects you again to both yourself and the world around you.

31 HOURS is available now in bookstores and is available, just for the clicking and credit card, at Amazon.com.

Masha Hamilton discusses her upcoming release from Unbridled Books, 31 HOURS, in an AuthorScoop exclusive…

As a veteran of the Australian Army Intelligence Corp, JJ Cooper knows a thing or two about interrogation. His years of insight and experience, coupled with a damn fine writing style, have landed him a two-book deal with Random House Australia, with his debut thriller, The Interrogator, slated for release this summer.

We’d like to thank him for taking the time to be part of our “5 Minutes Alone” interview series.

AuthorScoop: What was your very first publication credit?

JJ: Apart from a few interrogation reports, briefs and papers produced and delivered in my previous life, my debut novel will be my first ‘official’ publication credit.

AuthorScoop: Tell us about your latest release.

JJ: The Interrogator will be released on the 3rd of August 2009. I’m fortunate to have secured a two-book deal with Random House Australia with my second thriller scheduled for release in 2010. Here’s a short synopsis of my debut:

After Jay Ryan, the Australian Army’s most experienced interrogator, ends up on the other side of the table facing a sadistic superior officer, he embarks on a white-knuckle flight from everything and everyone he trusts, pursued by foes who were once friends and with his one clear ally, his father, missing. Enter Sarah Evans, a secret agent assigned to make sure he comes to no harm - or so Jay thinks …

Jay is an interrogator with a dark past and a tortured soul; he’s also the keeper of secrets Israeli spies will kill to get their hands upon. Renowned for his skills, he is used to commanding a certain level of respect amongst his peers. Then one day Jay is drugged, tortured, tattooed and accused of rape. He is forced to reveal information that could further destabilise fragile Middle East relations and plunge the entire region into war. They are secrets he has struggled to keep hidden for four years.

The Interrogator is a story of betrayal and nightmarish conspiracy firmly rooted in the highest levels of government across international alliances. The story rockets toward a shattering finale that will leave the survivors changed forever. Thriller fans will enjoy the colourful characters, twisting, turning plots and fast action. The authentic military details give the story a chillingly real context, drawing the reader into Jay’s world and not letting us go until the very end.

AuthorScoop: Aside from your own hard work, who else do you feel has contributed to your success?

JJ: For me, any publication is a team effort. From family members who support and encourage, to literary agents, editors, publicists and the entire writing community. Without the right guidance/influence/assistance etc, you’d be hard-pressed making a go at it.  I believe the more involved you are within writing communities (online or local writing groups), the better chance you have of avoiding publishing pitfalls and making more informed decisions on the path you choose for publication.

I’ve also had some invaluable advice from thriller writers across the globe as part of the International Thriller Writers Debut Author Program. I’ve met some wonderful and very talented authors who have guided me along the journey. For international bestselling authors such as Lee Child, Lisa Unger and Jeff Abbott to give up their time to read and provide comments of my book has been a surreal experience.

AuthorScoop: At what time of day or night do you do your best writing?

JJ: With three young kids and a full-time job, my writing time is limited to evenings. Maybe a couple of hours of a night.

AuthorScoop: Finally, what advice would you give to new or unpublished writers?

JJ: Stay determined. Start with goals that lead to your dreams and believe that you can do it. If you believe you will never be published – you won’t. Beliefs drive thinking, actions and results. Accept constructive criticism and use it to improve.

I’ve exceeded all expectations to arrive at where I am. Even if I didn’t sell a single copy of my novel, I’d walk away happy.

The Interrogator is now available for pre-order at Random House Australia.

Kelly Meding is urban fantasy/paranormal author and blogger from Maryland. Her debut novel, Three Days to Dead, will be released this October from Bantam Dell.

We’d like to thank her for taking the time to be part of our “5 Minutes Alone” interview series.

AuthorScoop: What was your very first publication credit?

Kelly: My first and (for now) only publication credit is my debut novel, THREE DAYS TO DEAD, which will be followed by the second in the series in Spring 2010.  I suppose I’m proof that you don’t have to build up a resume of short story sales, or have some sort of industry recognition in order to sign with a good agent and be published by one of the big houses.  The closest thing I had to a credit before this novel was an article in my sixth-grade newspaper (ah, memories).

AuthorScoop: Tell us about your latest release.

Kelly: My first novel, THREE DAYS TO DEAD, releases October 27 from Dell.  It’s the first in an urban fantasy series that has a little bit of everything–vampires, shape-shifters, trolls, goblins, gargoyles, gremlins, and assorted fey.  My heroine, Evangeline Stone, was one of best paranormal bounty hunters in the city, until she wakes up in a morgue, in someone else’s body, with no idea how she died or why she was brought back. She discovers she only has three days to solve her own murder and recover her lost memories–memories that hold the key to stopping a devastating alliance between vampires and goblins.

So far, it’s received some fantastic buzz, as well as positive (and humbling) advance blurbs from some of the best authors writing in the urban fantasy/paranormal romance genres today, including Patricia Briggs, Jeaniene Frost, Gena Showalter, and Jackie Kessler.

AuthorScoop: Aside from your own hard work, who else do you feel has contributed to your success?

Kelly: It may sound a bit cliche, but my parents have been a huge factor.  They always encouraged my sister and me to follow our dreams, and to do what we truly wanted with our lives.  I know they worried, as parents do, but they always supported me. I also need to give props to a screenwriter named Kris Young.  He taught one of my college screenwriting courses eight years ago, and he was the first professional writer who came to me and told me I had talent.  I took the praise to heart and it has definitely fueled me on this long, strange journey toward publication.

And it’s impossible to not give some amount of credit to the AbsoluteWrite WaterCooler. I found a wealth of information on those forums, and being a member has certainly helped me be a better, more disciplined writer.

AuthorScoop: At what time of day or night do you do your best writing?

Kelly: Usually any time after noon. I can rarely get my brain up and working before then, no matter how much coffee I consume.  So mornings are spent piddling around the internet. I used to be a big night owl and do the bulk of my writing after nine o’clock and into the wee hours.  Lately I can’t stay up much past 11:30, so I write earlier.  I think working in retail the last seven years, with its ever-changing schedule, has prevented me from setting an actual writing schedule–which works perfectly for me.  It allows me to fit in blocks of writing time whenever I can, so I don’t fall into what I call “routine traps”–traps that can turn into excuses and procrastination techniques, if circumstances don’t allow the routine to be kept.

AuthorScoop: Finally, what advice would you give to new or unpublished writers?

Kelly: My advice is threefold.  First, if you’re writing toward professional publication, don’t treat your books like they are your children.  Books are not children.  We don’t buy and sell children, but we do buy and sell product. The moment you decide you want to sell your book, you have to think of it as a product.  And in order to put the best possible product out there, you have to recognize that revisions will be necessary.  Your words are never perfect; always strive to improve.

Second, not all novels will sell.  Especially not all first novels.  Don’t hang all of your hopes and dreams on one novel.  While you’re editing and querying your first, start writing your second.  And then your third.  It took me seven novels before I made my first sale, and every single novel I trunked made me a better writer.

And third, don’t write to the current trends.  What’s hot now isn’t what’s going to be hot next year, or the year after that.  Write the kind of book you’d want to read, instead of what you think will sell best.  You’re going to be spending a lot of time with this manuscript if it sells, so make sure it’s something you really enjoy.

Three Days to Dead is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com.

Natasha Bennett is a short story author and novelist based in Victoria, British Columbia. Her debut novel, War of the Soulites (Lyrical Press), is slated for release in May.

AuthorScoop would like to thank her for taking the time to be part of our “5 Minutes Alone” interview series.

AuthorScoop: What was your very first publication credit?

Natasha: I submitted a flash fiction story to the website MicroHorror.com, who accepted it right away. I didn’t get any money out of it, but I was thrilled. A few months later I earned my first five dollars submitting a story to Fear and Trembling. I still have that framed somewhere.

AuthorScoop: Tell us about your latest release.

Natasha: War of the Soulites is a dark science fiction novel and the first in a trilogy. In my novel, Earth is unified under a corrupt government, and shortly afterwards the planet is almost destroyed by a race of mysterious aliens called the Soulites. The main focus of the novel is on a ship named the Vigilant, which is crippled during the attack and lost in hostile territory. What makes the book unique is that some members of the Vigilant are corrupt, some try to murder each other, and others are slaves. Somehow, the crew have to work together against impossible odds.

AuthorScoop: Aside from your own hard work, who else do you feel has contributed to your success?

Natasha: There are a lot of people I have to thank. My mom edited my book from start to finish. My brother Campbell pointed out a few technical flaws, and my fiancee James was my sounding board for ideas. The good people of Lyrical Press took a chance on me and published my book. When I told about a hundred people I planned to write a book, not one of them said it was a stupid idea. Instead I got a lot of encouragement. There’s too many people for me to thank.

AuthorScoop: At what time of day or night do you do your best writing?

Natasha: It’s difficult to say, because I’m always on the move. A typical day for me will be jotting some notes on the bus while going to work. Later at night I’ll move those notes to my laptop. The weekends are usually spent promoting my book, so I try to fit time in whenever I can.

AuthorScoop: Finally, what advice would you give to new or unpublished writers?

Natasha: A lot of writers say to never give up, and that is certainly the best advice I can think of. It took me five years to bring War of the Soulites from concept to publication. Along the way I met many writers who were too eager to sell their work, and ended up being involved in contracts they hated. So my advice is, research your publisher. Make sure the genre is right for them, and that the people you are working for have a good reputation. Otherwise you might regret it.

Christina Meldrum’s debut novel, MADAPPLE, was acclaimed all over the place, as you’ll see below.  It also happened to be one of my favorite reads of the last several years.  Ms. Meldrum and I spoke about it in a podcast interview this past summer and she’s returned to round out what we know of her here on AuthorScoop.

We’d like to thank her for taking the time to be part of our “5 Minutes Alone” interview series.

AuthorScoop: What was your very first publication credit?

Christina: My first publication was during law school when I wrote a few legal articles.  But MADAPPLE was my first piece of published fiction.

AuthorScoop: Tell us about your latest release.

Christina: My novel MADAPPLE was released in May 2008.  A “crossover” book intended for older teens and adults, it is part literary mystery, part psychological thriller.  The story takes place in rural Maine and tells the story of Aslaug, a sixteen year old girl who knows far more about botany and mythology than she does about the modern world.  When Aslaug’s mother dies a mysterious death, Aslaug finds family she never knew she had and becomes embroiled in a web of family secrets.  When Aslaug’s aunt and cousin also die mysterious deaths, the reader is forced to ask whether Aslaug is the innocent she would have the reader believe or a calculated killer.

MADAPPLE was well-received critically.  It received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.  It also was a finalist for the inaugural William C. Morris Award and was a Booklist Editors’ Choice pick for 2008.  The American Library Association named MADAPPLE as a “Best Book for Young Readers for 2009,” and both Booklist and Kirkus Reviews included MADAPPLE on their 2008 “best” lists.

AuthorScoop: Aside from your own hard work, who else do you feel has contributed to your success?

Christina: There have been so many people.  My family has been instrumental.  My husband supported my writing for years, long before there was any indication I ever would be published.  My children love that I am a writer and have always been supportive and encouraging.  I have a sister, Amy Laughlin, who also is a writer, and she is a never-ending source of wisdom and support.  My mother and other siblings have been readers for me as well as fantastic sources of information and encouragement.  I have many talented close friends, some who are writers, some who are fantastic readers and editors, and some who have great insight into human psychology.  I have relied on all of them at times.  In addition, Michelle Frey, my editor at Knopf, is a wonderful editor.  I have learned a lot from her, and she made MADAPPLE into a far better book.  Also, my literary agent Laura Rennert has been a huge support for years.  I am leaving out many people, including former teachers and colleagues.  This list goes on!

AuthorScoop: At what time of day or night do you do your best writing?

Christina: Because I have children, I work mainly when they are at school.  By necessity, that is when I do my best writing!  It is not necessarily when I do my best thinking, however.  I actually seem to do some of my best thinking while I am asleep.  (I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing!)  Often I wake in the morning and find my brain has solved some issue related to my writing while I slept.  Because I am not able to write at that time, I usually scribble notes to myself and then return to those notes later, when my children are at school.

When I am in the editing stage, my writing schedule changes somewhat.  I tend to work throughout the day, making notes to myself when my children are home and sometimes working late into the night.  It seems I am using a different part of my brain then, and the inspiration comes in spurts.

AuthorScoop: Finally, what advice would you give to new or unpublished writers?

Christina: I think the best advice I ever received as a writer was:  write what you love.  So often writers are told to write what they know, but I think this can be very limiting, depending on one’s life experience.  When you write what you love, the world is open to you.  In writing MADAPPLE, I wrote about subjects that fascinate me.  I didn’t know all I needed to know about these subjects when I began the book, but I learned through research—research I found interesting.  I think a writer is better able to make material fascinating for readers if she herself finds the material fascinating.

Christopher Johnson, MD is a leading pediatric intensivist, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but practicing in pediatric intensive care units all across America.  So far, he’s put out two excellent guides for parents, simplifying the critical knowledge they need to get the best care for their children, in both routine care and in life or death situations.  I’ve done podcast interviews with Dr. Johnson about both his books, YOUR CRITICALLY ILL CHILD: LIFE AND DEATH CHOICES PARENTS MUST FACE and HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CHILD’S DOCTOR and found that the information therein is fascinating to anyone with an interest in why and how doctors do what they do.

We’d like to thank him for taking the time to be part of our “5 Minutes Alone” interview series.

AuthorScoop: What was your very first publication credit?

Chris: Before I started writing for general readers I was a medical researcher and professor at Mayo Medical School. Over a couple of decades I wrote sixty or so scientific papers and textbook chapters, mostly about an infection of the heart called infective endocarditis. My first one of those came out in 1980, and I still remember how excited I was to see my name in print. Now I suppose that paper is gathering dust on medical library shelves along with all the other ones I wrote. In spite of that, though, I enjoyed writing them and I think I did advance our understanding of that disorder just a smidge.

AuthorScoop: Tell us about your latest release.

Chris: My latest book, my second (the third is in preparation), is called How To Talk To Your Child’s Doctor. My reason for writing it was my observation, after thirty years of practicing pediatrics, that most parents have no idea how doctors think, how we conceptualize problems and then go about solving them. Because parents don’t know how we do that, they can easily get frustrated and confused. The fact is, we physicians live in our own mental universe when it comes to framing and answering questions. As I point out in the book, this has good aspects and bad aspects, but generally there are good reasons for proceeding the way that we do.

One particular thing I stress is that most parents don’t know that about ninety percent of all diagnoses are made through what we call the history: what the symptoms are, when they started, what you did for them and if that helped. Medical diagnosis is largely a matter of good detective work, and all good detectives, before they do anything else, try to get the sequence of events straight. Of course we use lots of fancy tests, scans, and whatnot, but the history is the most important thing. A wrong history sends us down all sorts of useless and potentially dangerous pathways. More than a few parents become annoyed at what can seem to them to be a string of pesky questions, but I wanted to show them why we ask them in the precise form that we do.

I also have a couple of chapters that are sort of anthropological in nature, like a field guide to doctors observed in their native habitat. I explain how we got to be this way and how some of the common annoying traits most physicians have to one degree or another (even me!) came to be. These are things like arrogance, a controlling nature, defensiveness, and a feeling of entitlement. I have a chapter with my own taxonomy cataloging about ten varieties of difficult doctors (e.g. poor listeners, judgmental, poor examiners, a bunch of others) with suggestions about how to handle these folks to get the best care for your child.

The book’s guiding notion is that the encounter between parents and their child’s physician ought to be a conversation between equals, with both sides contributing useful and important parts. What I wanted to give parents was a sort of users’ guide to physicians by explaining how we think. No conversation goes very far if the two participants speak (and think) using different languages.

AuthorScoop: Aside from your own hard work, who else do you feel has contributed to your success?

Chris: I had some excellent teachers early in my career who taught me how to write grant proposals. That was great training because, when you’re writing grants, you’re explaining things to people who don’t know the ins and outs of what you’re doing. One of these teachers was a Nobel Prize winner and in fifteen minutes he could explain what he did to anybody in very understandable terms. The other thing that has helped me a great deal is that little of my premedical training was in the sciences. This was not uncommon thirty-five years ago when I went off to medical school. Of course I took some chemistry, biology and the like, but mainly I studied religion, history, and philosophy, with a strong dose of literature. I also went to graduate school in history for a time. These days medical school admissions committees don’t like that sort of background very much, although they deny this — I know because I spent four years on the Mayo Medical School admissions committee and I was always arguing the point. I’d have serious difficulties getting into medical school if I applied today. I think my own particular background conditioned me to regard medicine as at least as much an art as a science. That has had a huge impact on my career, and on my life generally.

AuthorScoop: At what time of day or night do you do your best writing?

Chris: I practice pediatric intensive care, which means I spend my days (and nights) in a pediatric intensive care unit. There is an ebb and flow to the work there, and I mostly write when I’m there and waiting for something to happen, not happen, or whatever. My job is much like that of a fireman, waiting around the firehouse for the bell to ring. I mostly write between the fire calls. Often I have no time to do that, but over the course of the year or so it takes me to write a book I find the time, especially during the nights.

AuthorScoop: Finally, what advice would you give to new or unpublished writers?

Chris: I write nonfiction, although my agent just sent out to publishers a novel I wrote (a paranormal medical mystery) and we’ll see how that goes. A nonfiction writer these days does need some kind of a platform of expertise in their subject. It’s not entirely fair, but there it is. So if you want to write nonfiction you need to acquire some expertise or team up with somebody who has it. As far as the actual writing goes, my other bit of advice is to read closely the work of accomplished essay writers. The essay form forces you to make your argument quickly and cogently and not ramble. I learned some of my best tricks, however, from humor writers. Study how they get punch to their sentences with unexpected turns of phrase and surprising and apt word usage.

Terri Cheney is a writer and memoirist best known, at the moment, for her tremendous book, MANIC: A MEMOIR.  I spoke with her last year in a podcast for PsychJourney and a Harper Collins interview with Terri was featured on our Afternoon Viewing segment recently.  She’s graciously agreed to expand what we know of her in this AuthorScoop exclusive.

We’d like to thank her for taking the time to be part of our “5 Minutes Alone” interview series.

AuthorScoop: What was your very first publication credit?

Terri: I had a poem published in the local newspaper, The Daily Report, when I was about 10 years old.  It was a very bad poem, I think, but my father was over the moon about it.  Thirty-seven years lapsed before my next credit.  In 2007, I submitted an essay about bipolar dating to the New York Times “Modern Love” column.  I was astonished when it was accepted for publication, and especially pleased that it ran the week before my first book, Manic: A Memoir, was released in 2008.  I’d made sure to mention my book in the essay, of course, so the publicity was terrific.

AuthorScoop: Tell us about your latest release.

Terri: Manic is about the disintegration of the careful facade I lived behind for most of my adult life.  On the outside, I looked very successful — I was an entertainment litigator, representing the likes of Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, and motion picture studios.  In truth, however, I struggled with a raging case of bipolar disorder.  When I was manic, I was extremely productive, creative and energetic.  But when depression inevitably hit, I fell apart.  I couldn’t move, I couldn’t think.  If I absolutely had to go into the office, I hid out under my desk.  I told no one about my illness — not my friends, my family, my coworkers, no one.

Then in 1999, I was hospitalized after several suicide attempts.  After a few weeks went by, I realized that none of the patients (including me) were getting better, because we simply couldn’t express what was going on inside us.  There were clinical words, but they weren’t enough.  So I decided to write my own story, from the inside out:  to tell what bipolar disorder truly felt like, from the little hairs on my arms that quiver in mania, to the crushing weight of my body in depression.  I wrote disjointed pieces in my writing groups for the next 7 years.  By 2007, they finally coalesced into Manic.

After Manic’s surprising success, I received many emails, the most compelling of which were from parents of bipolar children, desperately seeking more info, answers, advice.  They moved me so deeply that I decided my next book, which I am hard at work on now, will be a childhood memoir about growing up bipolar.

AuthorScoop: Aside from your own hard work, who else do you feel has contributed to your success?

Terri: My father was instrumental in instilling the love of words in me.  When I was a little girl, he would read to me every morning (at ungodly early hours!).  He always loved to hear what I had written, and having a captive, spellbound audience is a surefire way to keep writing.  Also, I had a sixth grade teacher (thank you, Mrs. Martin, wherever you are) who set me free from classes to simply read and write whatever I liked.  Her faith in my talent stayed with me the rest of my life.

AuthorScoop: At what time of day or night do you do your best writing?

Terri: If possible, I like to go out of the house to write, in the morning or early afternoon.  I have a few favorite cafes around town, where I order a latte and a bite to eat, and they let me scribble away for hours.  I write on an old-fashioned legal pad, then later transcribe what I’ve written into the computer.  I feel this gives me two bites at the apple for editing.

AuthorScoop: Finally, what advice would you give to new or unpublished writers?

Terri: First, get in a writing group or class.  My two weekly groups have been essential to me.  They give me the discipline which I’m sure I would otherwise lack, to keep churning out pages week after week.  Also, it’s invaluable for me to get feedback, to realize that what I’m writing is not so far from the universal human experience — that other people can relate to it. Second, don’t let the daunting prospects of publication get in the way of your writing.  If you’re a true writer, you must write and you will write.  Worry about agents and publishers and polished manuscripts later, after you’ve written the very best book that you can.

Jessica Brody (link contains audio) is a writer and film producer developing a novel series that’s earning worldwide attention - THE FIDELITY FILES and its upcoming sequel, LOVE UNDERCOVER.  She also happens to be a very nice person and a good interviewee.

We’d like to thank her for taking the time to be part of our “5 Minutes Alone” interview series.

AuthorScoop: What was your very first publication credit?

Jessica: Hmmm, let’s see. Official or unofficial? Because if it’s unofficial, then it would have to be the second grade. My teacher let us all “publish” our own books. We made the binding out of cardboard, rubber cement, wall paper samples and black electrical tape. It was probably the most memorable day of my life. I remember sifting through the book of wall paper samples, totally stressing out because I HAD to pick the perfect one. Anything less than that simply wouldn’t do for my masterpiece, which was creatively titled, “The Kitty and the Puppy.” When I go back and read it now, I realize not only did it lack an inspired title, but also most of a plot. Although there were some good twists and turns throughout. Ones I’m sure the reader didn’t see coming!

Officially though, my first publication credit would have to have been in 12th grade when I won my high school’s short story competition and it was published in our literary magazine. That was pretty amazing. I was still in my existential phase then. Trying to emulate the masters. I’m still not sure what my story was supposed to mean. And neither did anyone else. I think that’s why it won.

AuthorScoop: Tell us about your latest release.

Jessica: My latest release is also my first release! It’s called THE FIDELITY FILES and it came out in June of 2008. It’s a rather scandalous subject matter: infidelity. And the main character is kind of like a private investigator. Women will hire her to test whether or not their husbands and boyfriends will cheat on them. She calls herself a “fidelity inspector.” But while she’s out there exposing cheaters and changing relationships for the better, her own love life is a mess. Or more accurately, non-existent. She hasn’t had a date in two
years, something she says is due to the high demands of her “investment banking career”—a cover she uses to keep her friends and family in the dark about what she really does. Because honestly, can someone who sees nothing but failed marriages, ever really find love for herself? The sequel is called LOVE UNDER COVER and it comes out in the Fall of this year.

AuthorScoop: Aside from your own hard work, who else do you feel has contributed to your success?

Jessica: Oh, gosh. So many people! I could just copy and paste my book’s acknowledgement section here but it was four pages and I won’t put you through that! I believe that everyone you meet in life ultimately leads you to where you are today so I don’t think I would be here without any of them. But I strongly believe that a huge contributor to my success was poverty. It’s not a person, but sometimes it feels like one, doesn’t it? I had been writing at nights for three years while I still had my other corporate job. I was making plenty of money in that job. I was comfortable, had a nice apartment, nice clothes, mani/pedis once a week, etc. And yet, I didn’t sell my novel until I had been “self-employed” for a good year and a half after that, surviving on peanut butter and jelly in a downgraded apartment, dressed in tee-shirts, sweat pants and chipped nails. Because with plenty of money comes the inherent lack of “need.” The lack of “I have to sell this book or I will starve.” And for me, that was a HUGE motivator. Sometimes you have to stare failure right in the face, see it right in front you before enough incentive kicks in. Because when you don’t absolutely, positively HAVE to do something, you’ll have a very hard time doing it. Or as the Zen saying goes, “Jump first and the net will appear.” But I think I would amend that and say, “Jump first and the net will appear…but always
when you’re two inches from smashing head first into the ground.”

AuthorScoop: At what time of day or night do you do your best writing?

Jessica: I don’t really have a specific time of day that I write best. I do my best writing the moment I shut off my e-mail. It’s the hardest thing in the world to do. As a writer, I’m very driven by “news”. Good news, bad news, whatever, just tell me something. Writing is a lonely business and any contact with the outside world, especially pertaining to your books, is like a life line when you’re floating in an empty sea. And so I manage to do a lot of procrastinating while I wait around for the news (all in the name of research of course!) But the moment I shut off my e-mail program and force myself to just write, that’s when it happens. And then if I’m lucky, four hours will pass in a flash and I’ll hear myself saying, “Oh, that’s right. I have an e-mail address.”

AuthorScoop: Finally, what advice would you give to new or unpublished writers?

Jessica: Yes, I have one big one. Take criticism. Believe in your work and stand behind it, but don’t be afraid to make changes. Try to be as objective as possible when it comes to your writing (I know how impossible that sounds) but it will only help you in the long run. Use rejections to evolve yourself as a writer, not just to line your waste basket. When someone rejects your work and offers a reason, don’t just blow it off and claim that they “didn’t get it” or that they clearly didn’t read it closely enough, dissect it and try to figure out if what they’re saying makes sense and if it will inevitably help your work. I re-wrote The Fidelity Files about five times before I even got an agent. All because of criticism I received. And in the end, I finally landed my agent because I offered to rewrite it once more based on some feedback that she gave me in my rejection letter. And she signed me 100 pages into the rewrite. There a lot of people in this industry—agents, editors, other writers, etc.—who know what they’re talking about and know what it takes to make a book work. After all, that’s what they get paid for! Listen to them with open ears and grateful hearts. There’s a fine balance between staying true to your art and being open for suggestions, try to stay somewhere in the middle. If they “didn’t get it,” chances are, readers won’t get it either. And you won’t be there to explain it to them in the middle of Barnes and Noble.

Jamie Ford is a new novelist, breaking onto the literary scene with HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET.  He’s also an essayist, blogger, and an example of grace under fire.

We’d like to thank him for taking the time to be part of our “5 Minutes Alone” interview series.

AuthorScoop: What was your very first publication credit?

Jamie: Fiction-wise, you’re kinda looking at it. Sure, I had a lot of flash fiction and short fiction published online, but Hotel was really my first foray into deep waters.

And to be fair, I’m not counting articles I’ve written for business publications, ad campaigns, commercials, videos and such. I even wrote part of a speech for the governor of Montana, years ago. Very surreal to hear my words coming out of her mouth. Frightening too. I think I stopped believing the words of politicians at that very moment.

AuthorScoop: Tell us about your latest release.

Jamie: Well, I can tell you that Publishers Weekly shredded it on the same day that
Costco chose it as their pick for February. Followed by an IndieBound NEXT List selection, a Barnes & Noble’s New Reads Book Club selection, and a nod from the Borders Original Voices Program. Hey PW—I ain’t mad atcha, I ain’t got nothin’ but love for ya.

But beyond that, HOTEL is the story of the Japanese Internment in Seattle during WWII, but seen through the eyes of a 12-year old Chinese boy, named Henry. Henry is sent by his father to an all-white private school to ostensibly “become more American” and there he meets Keiko, a young Japanese girl sent by her parents for similar reasons. There they form a unique friendship and innocent love, amid the hysteria and chaos in the wake of the bombings of Pearl Harbor. But it’s also the story of Henry, as a grown man, reflecting on the choices he made, the things he said, or left unspoken, all those years ago. At its core, it’s a love story.

AuthorScoop: Aside from your own hard work, who else do you feel has contributed to your success?

Jamie: Orson Scott Card. When I attended his literary bootcamp, he worked us like rented mules. It was exhausting and exhilarating too. One night he treated everyone to this fabulous dinner at a Brazilian restaurant and I remember him telling me, “You should send your short story to the New Yorker,” I was flattered. Then he continued, “Of course they accept a lot of crap, but they don’t always accept crap, so you might have a shot.” It was a very jangled compliment, but it was a real confidence booster. (The New Yorker soundly rejected me, by the way).

That workshop also broke some of my bad habits—namely over-writing––or writing to impress my audience. Instead, I went the other direction, learning to write less, but constantly banking or spending emotional currency with the reader.

Basically, I arrived at that workshop as a writer and left as a storyteller.

AuthorScoop: At what time of day or night do you do your best writing?

Jamie: When the voices in my head stop mocking me. (Morning, usually).

AuthorScoop: Finally, what advice would you give to new or unpublished writers?

Jamie: Don’t expect to sit down and nail it on the first try.

So many newbie writers try to write the “Great American Novel” on their first go, and upon failing, decide they have no talent. It’s not like that. Think of writing as a craft––something akin to playing a musical instrument. You wouldn’t sit down at a piano for the first time and expect to play Beethoven, would you? Or course not. You learn scales, you plink away at Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, you go through the motions––sometimes for years before you’re playing anything that anyone would actually want to listen to.

So allow a healthy margin for improvement.

Now storytelling on the other hand…

R.N. Morris‘ crime suspense series features Detective Porfiry Petrovich, first revealed to readers over 140 years ago by the pen of Fyodor Dostoevsky.  A secondary character in CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, Porfiry sparked a curiosity in Morris that hasn’t yet let go, so far yielding two successful and acclaimed books - THE GENTLE AXE and A VENGEFUL LONGING.  A little bird told me, it doesn’t end there…

Oh, and for a giggle, don’t miss out on the link about the cat.

We’d like to thank him for taking the time to be part of our “5 Minutes Alone” interview series.

AuthorScoop: What was your very first publication credit?

Roger: The first place that published me was a magazine aimed at teenage girls, called Look Now. I doubt it’s still going. I was a college student at the time. In other words, it was a long time ago. They paid me £75 I seem to remember, for a short story about a girl who was nervous about bringing her boyfriend home to meet her parents because he had dyed green hair (this was in the first punk era) and her mum was very conservative. I followed that up with a story in another teenage girls’ mag, called 19. Then I had a third, sold again to Look Now. I don’t know how I managed to crack the teenage girl market, perhaps because I was a teenage-ish guy. But I was basically writing stories from the girl’s point of view, which was fun. It amazed me that I got away with it. And taught me that writing really is a leap of faith. Women’s magazines were the only places in the UK I knew of where you could sell short stories for money. I wanted to be a writer, I wanted to make money from my writing, so I had to learn how to write for the women’s market. The fact that I aimed my stories at the younger end of that market is really more to do with my age at the time. I did try and write some things for older readership mags, but I think being a callow youth played against me there!

AuthorScoop: Tell us about your latest release.

Roger: My most recent book is a historical crime novel called A Vengeful Longing. It’s the second in a series of books I’m writing featuring the detective Porfiry Petrovich. You may recognise the name. I’ve shamelessly purloined him from Dostoevsky’s great novel, Crime and Punishment. I thought he was such an intriguing character. But he’s really a secondary character in C&P, Raskolnikov’s nemesis of course. He only features directly in a couple of chapters. I wanted more of him. So, I thought the best way to get that would be to write a novel with him as the main character. That was how I came to write A Gentle Axe, my first Porfiry Petrovich novel. The publishers wanted me to turn it into a series. So I did! The books are set in St Petersburg, Russia, in the 1860s. I find it a fascinating time. There are so many tensions at play. For me, Porfiry is essentially a decent man. Solving the crime is the first step in saving the criminal. What makes that
especially interesting is that he is working within the tsarist state, enforcing the tsar’s laws – so you could say he is a just man in the service of an unjust regime. In A Vengeful Longing the crimes of the state are represented by a cholera epidemic that’s out of control at the height of a stifling summer. A series of apparently unconnected murders take place against this background. Even Porfiry is too hot and bothered to find the connections at first.

AuthorScoop: Aside from your own hard work, who else do you feel has contributed to your success?

Roger: My wife Rachel has been an incredible support. Basically, she never nagged me to go out and get a proper job. She’s put up with me being a precarious freelancer, working as few days as I can get away with, so that I can steal as much time as possible for my writing. We could have been a lot better off if I’d given up on my writing dreams several decades ago. She never tried to change me, in other words. You can’t ask for more than that. I’ve been very lucky. I’ve been less lucky with my cat. My cat has done nothing but prevent me from working.

AuthorScoop: At what time of day or night do you do your best writing?

Roger: I think I’m a morning person. I wrote my first published novel, Taking Comfort, largely in the early hours of the morning, setting my alarm for 6 a.m. – sometimes earlier - then going straight to work, just stepping out of my dreams up to the PC. It gave the work a slightly hallucinatory feel, I think. Getting up early really kick-started my day. I would get a solid hour of writing done before anyone else was up. Then the kids would start to stir, and I would go down to get them breakfast, and a cup of tea for Rachel. She is not a morning person. Having that base of words in hand for the day gave me something to build on when I came back to it later. I don’t do that any more, but I do like to start working as soon as possible, and the morning hours are always the most productive. Having said that, I am slightly obsessive. I lose track of time when I’m working, and find it hard to stop when things are going well. These days, I have to remember to go and get the kids in the afternoon. Sometimes I have to set an alarm to make sure I remember.

AuthorScoop: Finally, what advice would you give to new or unpublished writers?

Roger: Stick at it. I’ve heard it said that the only difference between a published author and an unpublished author is perseverance. That’s certainly true in my case. I know it does happen that fantastically clever people sit down to write a book, and get published straight away with their first effort. But it wasn’t like that for me. I was an unpublished writer for a lot longer than I’ve been a published one. So I know how it feels. I really do. We’re talking decades of rejection and disappointment. I have a slight disagreement with my wife about exactly how many unpublished novels I have. Let’s just say I lost count at seven. My reaction to rejection has always been, ‘OK, you didn’t like that one, I’ll write something better.’ I did reach the point where it looked like I would never get published. I remember having a conversation with my agent over coffee where he told me that my name was ‘starting to meet with resistance’. In other words, editors were saying to him, ‘Yeah, yeah, we know him. Haven’t you got anybody else?’ That was a depressing moment. But actually it galvanised me more than anything. I decided to stake everything on one final, mad throw of the dice. It was time to write the idea that had been obsessing me for years – a detective novel drawn from Dostoevsky. I knew it would be difficult, I wasn’t even sure I would be able to pull it off. And I also knew that if I did do it, it was bound to get some attention, if only for the hubris. I was very scared that Dostoevsky-purists would tear me apart. But I realised that I wanted to write it very much. Also, I knew that I had to play for high stakes. I had to take the most ambitious idea I had, and go for it.

Actually, it was a double roll of the dice, because at the same time, almost, I wrote, very quickly, another book that had been obsessing me – Taking Comfort. And I wrote it in exactly the way I wanted. I thought, Sod the bastards. I didn’t give up, but I did let go, if you see what I mean. There’s no point double-guessing what editors might or might not be looking for. You’ve got to write out the stories that won’t let you go – that are important to you. I think the conviction that arises from that comes through in the writing and editors react to it. So, don’t give up, let go. That’s my advice.

John Levitt is an author and musician who splits his time between Alta, Utah and San Francisco. His latest Urban Fantasy, New Tricks, was released in late 2008. You can check out an excerpt of it here.

We’d like to thank him for taking the time to be part of our “5 Minutes Alone” interview series.

AuthorScoop: What was your very first publication credit?

John: My very first?  I wrote a chapter on local bird identification for a small pamphlet about the  history and natural fauna of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Alta, Utah back in  the 1970s.  All proceeds went to the Alta Historical Society, and it was still selling twenty years later.  My first “real” publication was in 1989, a mystery/thriller novel titled Carnivores, published by St. Martin’s Press.

AuthorScoop: Tell us about your latest release.

John: My latest is New Tricks, an urban fantasy set in San Francisco.  It’s the second in a series about Mason, a jazz musician and reluctant magical practitioner who runs into all kinds of trouble while he’s trying to live a quiet life.  His friends and acquaintances keep dying, and he has to figure out what’s going on, and why, and who’s responsible.  Lots of magic, a few supernatural creatures, but no werewolves, vampires, fey, or traditional fantasy tropes in this book.

Mason is  aided by his magical companion, Lou, who is a small dog like a mini pinscher.  Only, he’s not really a dog.  Just sort of.   He can’t talk, or do magic, but he’s a great help and everyone’s favorite character, hands down.

AuthorScoop: Aside from your own hard work, who else do you feel has contributed to your success?

John: I always thought I didn’t need any help – I use no crit groups or beta readers, and no one sees any of the ms until it’s done.  But it turns out I do occasionally need help, and I was lucky enough to find an agent, Caitlin Blasdell, who is also a very fine editor, which she used to be.  Her editorial advice has been invaluable in pinpointing problems and steering me back on course when I start flailing and don’t know how to fix the book.  Not to mention that she managed to sell the series to Ace.

AuthorScoop: At what time of day or night do you do your best writing?

John: That’s totally dependent on the rest of my life.  I used to be a night person, and worked swing shift and nights for years.  I wrote my first novel between midnight and two every night after getting off work.  These days, I futz around in the morning, and finally get to work around noon, so afternoons are now my writing time.

AuthorScoop: Finally, what advice would you give to new or unpublished writers?

John: Honestly, there’s nothing I can say about writing that hasn’t been said a hundred times before, and by better writers than I.  But as far as getting published goes, I do think that luck, or timing if you don’t believe in luck, has a lot more to do with it than we like to admit.  And the longer you persist, the better chance you have of getting that break.  So don’t give up, don’t let rejection get you down, and grow a thick skin – you’re going to need it.

Celina Summers is an author of speculative fiction and a blogger.

We’d like to thank her for taking the time to be part of our new “5 Minutes Alone” interview series.

AuthorScoop: What was your very first publication credit?

Celina: Aside from journalistic credits in high school and college, my first publication credit was the first book of my epic fantasy series The Asphodel Cycle. The Asphodel Cycle is a reworking of the Trojan War mythology, using fantasy archetypes in place of and in addition to the Greco-Roman lore. The novel is called The Reckoning of Asphodel and much to my surprise it went to # 1 on the Fictionwise bestseller list for Fantasy in the summer of 2007.

AuthorScoop: Tell us about your latest release.

Celina: My latest release is the third book in the series, entitled Temptation of Asphodel. In this book, my heroine Tamsen de Asphodel must overcome the temptations thrown in her path by the gods who are working against her. If she fails, an entire race of mortals will cease to exist. If she succeeds, then she will lead an alliance of nations back to the plains of Ilia where they will fight the greatest war of ancient history again. The Asphodel stories center around a strong female protagonist who is equally at home in the complex world of politics, the luxuries of a royal Court or on a battlefield. Although she is a pawn in a wager of the gods, she discovers that even a pawn can change the course of the game.

AuthorScoop: Aside from your own hard work, who else do you feel has contributed to your success?

Celina: I was blessed with extraordinary teachers throughout my life. My Latin teachers in high school were a husband and wife team, Grady and Dr. Kaye Warren. They gave me a background in classics that persists to this day and inspired the Asphodel series from the beginning. My high school English teacher, the late Kitty Savage, was the first person who convinced me that I could—and would—be a writer. I never had a teacher push me as hard as she did. She taught me that just writing well wasn’t enough. Rewriting well was the skill that she forced me to learn. And, finally, Dr. Howard Stein, a former Associate Dean of the Yale School of Drama and Chairman of the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University, taught me in a college master class in playwriting. He gave me the best piece of advice I’ve ever received as a writer. “Celina, a lot of people will say to write what you know. For you, it’s going to be different. Know what you write.” He gave me permission, in a way, to explore the outer reaches of my imagination for inspiration. I think he knew, before anyone else did, that speculative fiction was going to be the realm I flourished in. I took his advice to heart, and as a result I know my characters and the worlds that they live in.

AuthorScoop: At what time of day or night do you do your best writing?

Celina: I write best at night. Although I do a lot of work during the day, my best writing happens when the house is quiet and dark and everyone else is asleep. Then I turn on my writing music and lose myself in the story. If I’m writing a climactic scene, I always write it at night, by myself in my study.

AuthorScoop: Finally, what advice would you give to new or unpublished writers?

Celina: The most important part of writing is rewriting. There’s no such thing as a perfect first draft…or a second draft. When you’re churning out that first draft, you’re throwing the bare bones of a story onto paper, like Dr. Frankenstein attaching parts to his experimental body. It’s when you’re rewriting that those bones flesh out into an entity that will take its first, shuddering breath. It’s only after rewriting that electricity will course through your words and your story will live.

For the very young writers, the ones still in school, listen carefully. Cherish your teachers. Absorb what they have to share with you. Finally, at the end of your time with them, thank them for setting your feet upon the paths of literature.

I had the pleasure of speaking to author Jason F. Wright the other day for PsychJourney.com.  Mr. Wright has hit the bestseller lists with two previous books, THE WEDNESDAY LETTERS and CHRISTMAS JARS, and his new novel, RECOVERING CHARLES, takes a successful photographer into the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to search for his estranged father.

I always enjoy speaking to writers, but this interview had a twist in that Jason Wright is more known, at this point, for his political advisory and commentary than he is for his inspirational, warm-hearted fiction.  On the cold cusp of the US Presidential Election, the release of RECOVERING CHARLES has been somewhat of a challenge for him.

If you’re interested, the interview can be found here, and the book is simply everywhere.

Pediatric intensivist, Dr. Christopher Johnson, has released an excellent new guide book for parents, called HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CHILD’S DOCTOR.

It’ll be with the parenting books, but I maintain that it’s for everybody.  Well-organized and insightful, HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CHILD’S DOCTOR diagrams how doctors are trained and goes on to make sense of some attitudes, jargon, and procedures that we all encounter in the physician’s office.

It’s a terrific book and Dr. Johnson was kind enough to come talk to me about it for The NorthStar Guardians podcast series.  Listen to the interview here and check out Dr. Johnson’s website for a great blog and resource list on children’s health issues.

Talking about writing is often a pretty quick solution to being mistaken for a good conversationalist. When asked what you do, best just say you’re not at liberty to disclose the nature of your employment and ride the crest of mystique.

It isn’t that people aren’t interested in the creative process. They are. It’s only that it can be difficult to make the nuts and bolts of word-tinkering live up to the fantasy of orchestrating Genesis all day every day, and smoking and drinking at the Algonquin all night. Duels of wit and fits of eloquent agony and taking out the garbage and getting your teeth cleaned – it just takes more skill than most of us have to render this paradox intriguing in chit chat at the neighborhood barbeque.

So writing is most reliably a solitary venture. But with the advent of the internet and more recently the proliferation of writer’s sites, that’s not necessarily as true as it used to be. We can convene without combing our hair. We can debate the nuances of ‘leap’ versus ‘gambol’ with people who occasionally care. And we can form partnerships of the mind without consideration of distance, just a little thought to the time zones.

It really is quite brilliant.

Trish Stewart and Kevin Craig are ripe for commentary on this very phenomenon, as they are seven chapters into a collaborative project for all to observe on Yours, Mine… Ours.

Trish and Kevin have agreed to chat with AuthorScoop throughout the process, so we’ll start off with a basic Q & A.

***

Jamie: So, Trish and Kevin, here’s what I know about you:

Not much. From my own experience, I know you as poets and contributors at Absolute Write’s Forum Boards. You both developed reputations there – good, solid, writerly ones – and now, you’re collaborating on a novel. Online, no less.

How did that happen? Who are you people?

Trish: It was all Kevin’s fault. We have been beta readers for each other for a while, so we’re familiar with each other’s styles of writing. He found a blog with nine people contributing to one novel. He thought we could give it a try; that it would be fun to see if we could meld our styles into one voice. So he set up the blog, even got my blog account and password set up for me. I said “I’d love to.” He said it would be fun, and just for exercise, so why the hell not?

As for me, I’m a wife, mother and Proposal Writer in Southern Illinois. Poetry is my first writing love, though I’ve been writing novels for the last several years. I’m presently querying my second novel, Taking Lessons from Ernest. My poetry can be most easily read at Absolute Write’s Poetry Forum.

Kevin: How did the collaboration happen? The collaboration felt like something that was imminent from the beginning. I responded to one of Trish’s first posted poems at A.W. with a poem. I just felt an immediate creative connection to her. We have critiqued each other’s novel manuscripts and built a creative trust between each other like no other. Then, one day I came across a blog where nine writers were collaborating on a FanFic novel. The first thing I thought was, “I could do this with Trish!” I emailed her that day and asked if she would want to collaborate on a novel and post it First-Draft-Ugly to a blog for all to see. Then I nervously waited for her reply.

Who Am I? I’m a husband and father. I’m an office worker. I’m a freelance writer on the side. And I was a closet writer for about twenty years. About 7 years ago I decided to come out of the closet and face writing head on and I haven’t stopped since.

Jamie: Tell us about the nature of collaboration. How did (do) you work out who does what?

Trish: Well, since Kevin did all of the work on the blog site and the whole thing was his idea from the beginning he chose me to write the first chapter and suggested that we would alternate from there. I was pleased with the alternating chapters, but terrified to write the first one. From that point, each of us writes our chapter in turn and the other proofreads the chapter before it gets posted. We share the site administration, of which there is virtually none. We email with ideas, prod each other, and occasionally send each other apologies for where the story left off at the end of a chapter.

Kevin: When Trish agreed to do this I elected her the writer of the first chapter. It was a total cop-out. I didn’t want to be the one to create the characters…I just wanted to walk into something that was already there and expand upon it. The plan was I would write Chapter two, she would write chapter three, and so on and so on. We’ve had a few emails between us with a couple of thoughts here and there, but we’ve been pretty much on our own with the process. I have the next chapter in my inbox and I still have to read it. I have NO idea what’s in it. I don’t know what direction she has taken things in. I like the way it’s happening…almost totally blind. I think I have asked Trish more questions…since she wrote the first chapter I am totally afraid of dragging everybody somewhere that she didn’t see them going. It’s almost like I’m playing with her characters. But at the same time, I read it and think, “these are my characters”. It’s one of the weirdest writing experiences I’ve ever had. It’s a thrill to take her next chapter and make it mine and add the next to it. And it’s also very scary.

Jamie: Are you flying blind or are you following an outline?

Trish: Completely blind. I wrote a first chapter and hoped Kevin would like it. He did, so he wrote chapter two. I feel too blind on occasion. Picking up where someone leaves off isn’t always easy. He can do whatever he wants with his chapter. I trust him to take it the right direction, and hope I make the right choices when it’s my turn. Going without an outline is a natural writing style for both of us, but doing so publicly means that we can’t go back and change a reference or add a clue in a previous chapter, at least not easily. I’ve tried to leave a few little tidbits for myself that I might be able to snag later in the story, though only having half control of the story might not allow for that.

Some of our readers ask us questions about what is going to happen or where something is leading, and the truth is we don’t even know. For instance, when Mickey disappeared from the grocery store in Chapter Three, I couldn’t tell Kevin where Mickey went because I didn’t know, so he had to figure it out. When the big man visits Duncan, Kevin couldn’t tell me who he was. I still haven’t figured that one out.

Kevin: No outline. Just a couple of emails here and there asking, “What do you think about this?” But not much more.

Jamie: And, so far, are the tears shed measured by the ounce or gallon?

Trish: Ounce, definitely. It is very challenging, and we’ve made a sort of game out of handing off chapters, leaving cliffhangers (and apologies) to one another at every turn. The process is invigorating and the pressure is more intense than just writing for ourselves.

Anyone who chooses to visit our blog is seeing a first draft of a chapter; pressure goes with that territory, and a bit of fear does, too. Sometimes putting a chapter out there feels like hanging laundry out your car window to dry while you drive around town. No one needs to see that. Or even worse is following a great chapter written by your co-author with aimless drivel in your own. There haven’t been a lot of tears, there has been a good deal of sweat, but I think we both agree that it is an absolute blast. The challenge has been a fun one.

Kevin: I’ve been constantly conscious of the fact that I might be going in the wrong direction. And Trish has been constantly reassuring me that there is no wrong direction…that I should take them where I want to take them, since that is what she’s doing. No tears. We have been backing each other creatively for a couple of years now. What we usually do is email each other the next chapter so we can read it before posting it. The email usually says something like, ‘This is terrible, but for what it’s worth…here’s the next chapter’. It’s almost inevitable that we apron-wring. And it IS inevitable that we tell each other not to apron-wring. That’s the nature of our creative relationship. Accept your work. Trish is a wonderful writer. That’s why I wanted to work with her.

Jamie: Any surprises so far?

Trish: I didn’t expect it to get harder as we go along, but it has. I also didn’t expect that first chapter would lead to where we are now. The story’s progression has been one surprise after another.

Kevin: I had no idea what to do when Trish put Duncan in a garage fire. I panicked for a bit, but then I had a vision of a Chatty-Cathy nurse and introducing her alleviated the panic. My favorite surprise wasn’t a surprise at all…her first chapter. I thought it was brilliant and I was extremely excited to pick up where she left off. She did a great job introducing three wonderful characters I could really sink my teeth into. I feel we have this connection…sure there will be surprises along the way, but we are writing a book. I have surprises along the way when I write a book solo…it’s the nature of writing without an outline. I’m more than ready for the next surprise! I’m about to read the next chapter…maybe I’ll find one there.

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AuthorScoop will return to the adventures of Kevin Craig and Trish Stewart as their project develops. So stay tuned here and stay tuned there.