 Welcome to Cheri's 20 Questions! My interviewee today is the talented Laura Ellen Scott. Born and raised in Northern Ohio, Laura is named after the classic noir film and song, Laura, so it makes sense that she likes writing stories with dark themes and quirky characters, in the tradition of Tom Robbins, Kelly Link, and Robert Altman. She currently lives in Fairfax, Virginia where she teaches creative writing at George Mason University. Most weekends, you can find her hiding from the Mothman in her cabin in West Virginia. Tell us a little something about what you write: I write dark mysteries that are inflected with humor. My current series is The New Royal Mysteries, and they’re set in a college/prison town in Ohio where the local university has launched a crime writing program in partnership with the corrections industry. Subconsciously, I’m probably using the series to say that creative minds and criminal minds have a lot in common. Interview Questions: Cheri: What is the first book that made you cry? Laura Ellen: I’m sure it was something like Heidi or Anne of Green Gables. I was always a sucker for shamelessly manipulative stories about orphan girls who persevered and never lost their positivity. Those kinds of books really target your trust issues. Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you? Laura Ellen: Fixing to write exhausts me. That is, before I start any new project my body tries to stop me. Maybe it’s because once I really get going, that’s my life until I’m done. Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Laura Ellen: I can’t tell any of my selves anything; I won’t listen, not at any stage of my life. I suppose I could tell my younger self, “you will be a novelist,” but I know that person would just smirk at me and say, “No duh.” Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing? Laura Ellen: It sped me up. When someone (like a publisher) confirms what you thought all along—that what you’re doing is professional level stuff—that fundamentally changes you as an artist. Doubt is my biggest enemy. Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? Laura Ellen: Ha! Terrible confession time—up through The Mean Bone in Her Body, I bought a new computer for each book. That wasn’t planned, it just happened that way. My last computer has lived to produce two books going on three, so maybe I’ve broken the spell. Best “smart” money would have to be Scrivener and candles. Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? Laura Ellen: My mother says I was trying to write a book before I could read, so it sounds like I always knew. Growing up, I was an independent, weird kid with real authority problems, and my peers and teachers wanted me to be more girly/polite and less goofy. The only way to shut them up/out was to write. Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel? Laura Ellen: Jen Michalski’s The Tide King. It’s a historical fantasy about an herb that grants immortality and its effects on several generations of a polish family. This book was a huge influence on The Juliet. Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? Laura Ellen: This crew lives on my desk. They solve crimes together when I’m not around:  Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have? Laura Ellen: Published: 4 novels, 1 chapbook. Unpublished: 2 novels, 1 short story collection. Half-finished: 2 novels. Cheri: What does literary success look like to you? Laura Ellen: It changes every time I meet a goal. The next goal is completing the New Royal Mysteries series. I had a taste of low-key “fame” for about a day during the 2012 Tennessee Williams Literary Festival, when I happened to be on a terrifically successful panel, and my book sold out. People recognized me on the street. It was weird, but that’s New Orleans. Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books? Laura Ellen: I’m not sure, but I know that I sell more books when I’m in the room to talk about them, and of course, nothing beats a great concept and cover art. I’ve never really noticed an uptick that I could attribute to a review or an interview. Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book? Laura Ellen: No idea how much time I spend on research, because time is meaningless down in the rabbit hole. Research is crucial for the concept but also for discovering where the plot will take me. For The Juliet, I knew I wanted to write about a cursed emerald in Death Valley, but it wasn’t until I went there that I found the Mona Bell cenotaph in Rhyolite, and that led directly to the development of the Lily Joy legend. For Crybaby Lane, I dove into history again, this time using a journal written by one of my ancestors to create an authentic sense of the Ohio “voice” in the 18th/19th century. Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters? Laura Ellen: My characters are born with their names, but they almost always connect to someone I know or something that amuses me. For example, the names in Mean Bone & Crybaby Lane: Elizabeth Murgatroyd comes from the phrases “Heavens to Betsy” and “Heavens to Murgatroyd.” Mitch Brugada comes from a syndrome. Alma Bell is named for my Aunt Alma and Matt Bell. Crocus Rowe got her last name from a student twitter contest. Jeaneane Lewis is no one in particular, but the repeated vowel combo of “ea” in both halves of her first name is deliberately intended as a speed bump. Same with the extra “n” in Brianna Shaler’s name. Not sure I needed it, but I personally enjoy the odd resistant word. Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find? Laura Ellen: Definitely. The most obvious ones are when I name characters after friends, but I also plant clues about what might happen in the next book. Cheri: What was your hardest scene to write? Laura Ellen: The sequence of scenes in the Shaler’s house, where Jeaneane’s mania feeds off of Brianna’s decline in Mean Bone was challenging because there was no room for humor in the situation. It was just dark-dark-dark. Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? Laura Ellen: Time and making good use of it. Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book? Laura Ellen: Current speed—most of a year. Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book? Laura Ellen: The Four Little Puppies, by Ruth Dixon. It’s one of those books that is illustrated with photos of dressed up puppies posed as if they are cleaning the house or riding in a plane, etc. Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired? Laura Ellen: When I travel or when I’m neglecting some other task. Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Laura Ellen: It’s on the syllabus! Lol, I’m a creative writing professor, so I kind of make my living advising aspiring writers. Free tuition version: don’t be shy, write new things, and success comes quickest to those who write every day. (psst, I don’t write every day. Please refer to question #3. Can’t tell myself a thing) Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Laura Ellen! It's been a pleasure having you! You can find Laura's Amazon page here. Check us out next week for another edition of Cheri's 20 Questions.  Welcome to Cheri's 20 Questions! My interviewee is the wonderful Benny Sims. Benny was born and raised in Tennessee and currently lives in Huntsville, AL, working for an aerospace corporation. He is divorced, and the father of two adult sons. He's always been attracted to the arts: music, literature, movies, paintings, etc. and has been writing for over three decades.
Tell us a little something about what you write: My favorite genre right now is thriller/mystery/suspense, but I’ve written a novel with supernatural elements, and I’ve been known to dabble in horror. No matter what I write, I like a lot of action. Interview Questions: Cheri: What is the first book that made you cry? Benny: The first book that comes to mind is “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch. I read this to my kids when they were very young, and the first time I read it, I couldn’t finish because I got choked up. It’s very powerful little story. Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you? Benny: The thought of having to write wears me out, but I get energized once I force myself to begin, because there’s an immediate feeling of accomplishment. I once heard that writers don’t like to write, but they love having stories written. Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Benny: Dude, you need to stick with writing instead of chasing a dollar. It’s the only thing you’re ever going to do well, and you’re never going to catch that dollar, anyway. Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing? Benny: Instead of writing during weekend binges, I’ve started to write a little each day I’m able. It’s a totally different dynamic that helps the story stay fresh in my mind. Plus, when I leave too long a gap between writing binges, it’s possible to tell where I’ve stopped and started, because the writing voice changes. You’d think my writing would stay the same all the time, but no, not this guy. Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? Benny: I bought a stand-up writing desk. Or maybe it was an extra-large computer monitor. I can’t decide. I guess I’m gonna go with the writing desk, since that’s how I prefer to write. I know it had a bigger impact on the quality of my writing than the large monitor. Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? Benny: In sixth grade, I wrote a short story that made my classmates laugh. It hooked me. But there was also another experience much later in life that taught me the power of words. I visited Washington, D.C. went to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. His writings are etched on all the walls, and his use of simple language to make a powerful statement really had an impact on me. I’ve got the simple language part perfected. Now all I need to do is work on the “powerful statement” part. Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel? Benny: “Sunset and Sawdust” by Joe Lansdale. He writes the best dialogue I’ve ever read. Some stories can be overwhelmed by too much dialogue, and others have far too little. He uses the right amount, and makes his characters talk the way real people talk. Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? Benny: A dragon. No, wait…that’s probably already taken. I can’t say a mosquito, because nobody likes those, plus that makes absolutely no sense. How about a beagle? Yeah, let’s go with that. I don’t know why. I just like beagles. Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have? Benny: I have one self-published novel, another that will be published by Pandamoon next year, and three others that have been shelved until I get time to finish them. A couple of them are only one or two chapters along, but the third is right around 40,000 words, so I’d say it’s around halfway completed. I also plan on writing a sequel to the one being published next year. Cheri: What does literary success look like to you? Benny: I guess it looks different for everybody, but for me, there are four things that would equal literary success. First, I’d love to see one of my books on the shelves of a bookstore. I would also love to go on vacation and see a total stranger reading one of my books on the beach. The third thing would be to see “Based on the novel by Benny Sims” on the opening credits of a movie. Lastly, writing for a living. I don’t have to necessarily be wealthy, although that would be awesome. I just want to make writing my only job. Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books? Benny: I think two things are vitally important, although I’m not even close to being an expert on marketing. First, an eye-catching cover, because people often do judge a book by its cover, and then brand recognition. I’ve got to get my name out there so that people associate it with good novels. I think all that starts with a good social media platform, and that involves book reviews, connecting with other authors, and creating a buzz about my name. Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book? Benny: Google is one of my best friends, but I rarely do much research before I start writing. I consider my whole life to be a form of research, and I rely on my past experiences to give me an idea of how to frame a story. Once I start writing, I find I need information about a location or a type of character, and that’s where the internet comes to my rescue. If I can’t find any information I need, I make it up. Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters? Benny: Several ways. I’ve used an online name generator, a phone book, or my imagination. I’ve even used the names of people I despise from my past, but I make sure their character gets killed off in some horrendous way. Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find? Benny: Nothing about me personally…at least, as far as I know. But I’ve slipped some plot secrets into some obscure passages here and there. Cheri: What was your hardest scene to write? Benny: My half-completed novel has a scene where the main character, a really bad guy, has to dig deep into his own emotions in order to deal with a horrible personal tragedy. It took me a long time to write it, with several rewrites before I was satisfied with it. When I finished it, I was mentally and physically drained. Other than that, the next most difficult scene was the final scene of my novel “Code Gray.” When I wrote “The End,” it felt like one of my children had grown up and moved out of the house. Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? Benny: Developing a plot, and twists to that plot, that are good enough to create a marketable novel. I’m always worried that nobody will want to read the slop I write, and a novel isn’t an official novel until somebody reads it. Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book? Benny: Way too long. Years. My first novel, from Chapter 1 until I wrote “The End,” took nearly two decades. Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book? Benny: “The Call Of The Wild” by Jack London. I bet I read it four times between the second and fourth grade. Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired? Benny: I get my ideas while I’m doing some mindless task, like mowing the yard or washing my car. I also get inspiration from reading other great books and watching well-made movies and TV shows. Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Benny: I subscribe somewhat to the Lee Child school of thought. His only advice is to ignore all advice. You can’t write a book by committee, so write what you write, the way you want to write it, and let your novel be a live, breathing thing. But since that’s his advice, I ignore it. Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Benny; it's been a pleasure having you! Stay tuned next Thursday for another edition of Cheri's 20 Questions!  Welcome to Cheri's 20 Questions! My interviewee today is the wonderfully talented Laura Kemp. Welcome! Laura is the mother of four who just received her teaching certificate in Social Studies and Language Arts! She studied creative writing at Western Michigan University and had some short stories published in literary journals. She and her husband live on a farm and have two horses, eleven chickens, four hamsters, six cats and one (very spoiled) Goldendoodle named Josie.
Tell us a little something about what you write, Laura: I have written historical romance but I usually enjoy something with an edge... paranormal mysteries where ordinary people find themselves confronted with the unknown. Interview Questions: Cheri: What is the first book that made you cry? Laura: Where the Red Fern Grows... bawled like a baby. Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you? Laura: I get exhausted trying to find time to write, but am energized once I do it! Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Laura: To put yourself out there more and not be afraid of what others will think of you! I give my own daughters the advice I wish someone had given me. Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing? Laura: I’m still in the process of writing but I know writing the second in my series has added another level of excitement because I KNOW it’s going to be in print and people are going to read it. I guess I feel a greater responsibility to my readers and to the story as a whole. Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? Laura: Penni Jones and I went to a pitch slam in NYC. It was so exciting to be in the big city, mingling with authors and agents and just generally having a blast. Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? Laura: I wrote the script to my high school musical and everyone liked it! We performed once and demand was so high we added a second. I was very proud. Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel? Laura: I don’t remember the author but I sure loved the old romance novel ‘Fortune is a Woman.’ Or ‘The Thorn Birds’... it never seemed to catch on like other classics, probably because of the themes, but I thought both were so evocative of a certain place and time. I get very ‘sucked in’ to great settings. Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? Laura: My spirit animal is a lioness. I love how beautiful they are and how they hunt in packs when most big cats are loners. I think a lioness is a wonderful example of strong womanhood. We need to band together, ladies and celebrate our loveliness. Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have? Laura: I have an unfinished novel about a slave rebellion. I have about four or five short stories that have been published and one that remains unpublished. Numerous poems that have been published. Cheri: What does literary success look like to you? Laura: Having a good story that ‘sells itself’ by positive word of mouth. I want readers to connect to my story and characters and want to know more about them. I want to encourage and empower people to be who they are and for aspiring writers to follow their dreams. Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books? Laura: I think social media, blogs or having some renowned authors/ reviewers review your work. I also like the idea of book conferences etc... I’m willing to put myself out there to get my book into the hands of potential readers. Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book? Laura: I lived in the small town I created for ‘Evening in the Yellow Wood’ so I didn’t do a lot of research. I typically will search on the internet as I go or stick to subjects I know something about. Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters? Laura: A teacher once told me my character names were like Charles Dickens’s. They are usually lighhearted and indicative of their character-- and because I’m a musician I like it if they have a lyrical quality. Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find? Laura: Oh, yes! ‘Evening in the Yellow Wood’ is full of Easter Eggs. Cheri: What was your hardest scene to write? Laura: Eh... hem.... the love scenes. Only because I want it to convey the moment without crossing the line of decency. Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? Laura: Persistence. I would write then walk away. Write then give up on trying to query agents. Write and then want to start on something else. It was hard for me to keep pushing this one project forward but I’m sure glad I did! Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book? Laura: Hmmm... this one took me six months from start to finish. I did a lot of revisions that took longer, though. Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book? Laura: Charlotte’s Web. Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired? Laura: In nature- especially in the woods or the river behind our house. I also like the beach. Anywhere that I can be quiet and alone. I also enjoy writing groups and workshops because the energy in infectious and when good stuff is being put on the table it can be so exciting! Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Laura: Write because you love it, not because you want to make a million bucks or become famous. Just concentrate on your craft and let the business side of things unfold later. Good books are hard to find so if you devote yourself you CAN create something lasting that will live on in the minds of your readers, just as the books you love have lived on in yours. And NEVER. GIVE. UP. Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Laura; it's been a pleasure having you! Find Laura's Amazon page here. Join us next week for another edition of Cheri's 20 Questions!  Welcome to Cheri's 20 Questions! My interviewee today is the ever-talented Seth Augenstein. Seth is a writer of fiction and non-fiction. His fiction has appeared in Writer's Digest, Squalorly, the Molotov Cocktail, the Kudzu Review, Ginosko, Bete Noire, and the Manawaker Studio Flash Fiction podcast, among a few other tiny presses. His first novel, Project 137, is forthcoming in 2019 from Pandamoon Publishing. A journalist by day, he spent a decade writing for New Jersey newspapers, most recently at The Star-Ledger. Currently he writes about true-life horror and crime solving for Forensic Magazine.
Tell us a little something about what you write: I write stories and books that seek out the moments of epiphany. I think it was James Joyce who called his shorter tales “epiphanies.” I know that even in my day job (reporter, writing about crime and science) that it is always the moments of clarity and realization which really tell us the most about somebody – and really, about ourselves. Interview Questions: Cheri: What is the first book that made you cry? Seth: I think it would have to be one of the Roald Dahl books. Especially, I thought that Matilda was really distressing at a tender young age. Although there are other moments that ring out. During Sunday School, when I went to church a lot, some of the tribulations of the Old Testament really were kind of upsetting. Job had a really tough time, and God seemed to kind of do it all as a lark… Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you? Seth: Both. I generally write at night, and it kind of depletes whatever energy I have left at the end of a long day. But when I have a huge breakthrough in a story, it kind of suddenly seems to align the stars in the courses, to borrow a phrase, and make the entire universe seem to revolve much smoother. Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Seth: Rewrite and revise way more than you ever thought possible. Salvation, and publication, is only for the restless and unsatisfied. Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing? Seth: My book has yet to come out. So far, my writing process is pretty similar – nighttime, with some Chopin or Joy Division on the speakers, or silence, as I try to boil things down to abstraction (to borrow another phrase). Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? Seth: The best money I ever spent was the 13 or some odd dollars for Stephen King’s “On Writing.” There are people who know the craft, and then there’s the Bard of Maine. Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? Seth: I remember vaguely trying to get some innocent person out of detention in the third grade – and ending up there after-school, myself. I made a friend of that person, eventually. So the double-edged sword became clear rather early on, I think. Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel? Seth: The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek. That, to me, is equally responsible for Monty Python, Catch-22 and all the best 20thcentury humor of desperation and chaos. Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? Seth: I have a cat named Ambrose (after Bierce), a cat named Calliope (after Homer’s muse), and a pitbull named Mishima (after the Japanese writer, one of my favorites). They’re all spirits haunting me – especially around dawn, howling for their food bowls as I rouse from my dreams. Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have? Seth: I wrote four novels before Project 137 (forthcoming from Pandamoon Publishing). I wrote one that was from the vantage point of a developmentally disabled young person called Bent Pennies for Neurotic Slots, a one where a husband tries to kill his wife continually called The Gremlin (A Love Story), the third one from a terrorist’s point of view (I can’t remember the title right now), and a fourth one about a reporter cracking open a government conspiracy called Proverbs for Paranoids (a rip-off from Thomas Pynchon). They’re pretty much unreadable, from what I remember. But I learned a lot, failing these first few times. Cheri: What does literary success look like to you? Seth: Doing something that hasn’t been done before, and writing something that changes lives utterly. That’s the only real success with the written word – tinkering with the human heart. Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books? Seth: I would guess the best way to market books is to find the right reviewers, and the right audience. Project 137 has a bunch of WWII and 20th Century history in it, but there’s also a quite a bit of sci-fi and medical conspiracy elements, and much of it is set in the year 2087. So I need to find the right minds to commune with one those multiple fronts, in my particular case. Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book? Seth: I read entire books, pretty much, and I measure them by the foot. For Project 137, it was about two feet of books stacked on my desk which factored in. This latest manuscript – set in 19th and early 20th Century Mongolia, and involving a kind of evil doppelganger of the Dalai Lama – is more involved, and is about three feet of books. Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters? Seth: The muse visits me, but I try to rein it in. It’s hard to not give into the Dickensian propensity to name a villain Uriah Heep or Mr. Micawber, for example, but if the name fits… Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find? Seth: I riff off of all sorts of language. There are nods to Warren Zevon lyrics, Edgar Allan Poe stories, and even some choice TV moments in some of my stories. It all goes into the hopper, and comes out in the brew. Cheri: What was your hardest scene to write? Seth: As a teenager, shortly after my grandfather died, I wrote a very immature story about his time getting shipwrecked on the island of Crete in the 1930s. It was based on a recording I had made of him in high school, and I remember visiting that (cassette) tape as I wrote the story was quite difficult. Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? Seth: The most difficult part is finding time, between cats and dogs and kids and family and yards and the ever-present bills coming into my inbox. But this is a minor complaint – you find the time for things you are compelled to do, you know? Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book? Seth: I think it just depends? Project 137 took about seven years, considering it was rewritten about three full times. The one going now is about four months old and is about halfway done, even with all the research. It practically writes itself. I’ve gotten quicker, and probably better. Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book? Seth: My favorite childhood book has to be the particular Signet edition of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories which made me want to be a writer. But coming up right alongside it is The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs. Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired? Seth: I find myself most inspired in my office, at my desk, sitting underneath my print of Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Picasso, listening to some music – as long as the cat’s litterbox across the room has been cleared recently. As of this writing, it has not, and it’s nearly suffocating. I’m glad this is the penultimate question, actually. Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Seth: Force yourself to do it, everyday. No matter how much you want to binge watch something on Netflix. And don’t stop rewriting until you think it’s so good that you’ll puke. Anything less on either account means you won’t succeed. Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Seth; it's been a pleasure having you! You can find Seth on Amazon here. Come on back next week for another edition of Cheri's 20 Questions!  Welcome to Cheri's 20 Questions! My interviewee today is the amazing Susan Kuchinskas. Susan is the author of Chimera Catalyst (Pandamoon Publishing, 2017), a science fiction/detective novel mashup that takes place in near-future California. She works as a technology journalist and often extrapolates from current science and tech breakthroughs. She also wrote The Chemistry of Connection: How the Oxytocin Response Can Help You Find Trust, Intimacy and Love(New Harbinger, 2009), and writes erotica under the pen name Lynx Canon. Tell us a little something about what you write: I like to mash up genres: My 2017 Pandamoon novel, Chimera Catalyst, and its upcoming sequel, with the working title of Singularity Syndrome, are science fiction/detective novels that take place in a near-future California. I've been writing neo-noir stories lately, soon to be published in the anthologies Faultlines and Switchblade. I also wrote The Chemistry of Connection: How the Oxytocin Response Can Help You Find Trust, Intimacy and Love. I work as a technology journalist and content specialist for tech companies, and that's an excellent pipeline for science fiction ideas. Interview Questions: Cheri: What is the first book that made you cry? Susan: Maybe Winnie the Pooh? I had the original editions, written in the 1920s. They are quite literary and different from the Disney cartoon version. When I was a kid, I didn't get all the subtext, but when I reread them as a tween, the bittersweet ending, when Christopher Robin has to grow up and leave the magical forest and his bear, just killed me. Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you? Susan: I'm afraid it tires me—although I have learned to quit before I get exhausted. I wish I was one of those people who "just have to write." I want to write, and I love having written. I am still learning to manage that balky part of me that says, "I just don't feel like it." Sometimes the writing part of my brain feels like a teenager whom I'm nagging to do a chore. I have tried bribing myself with M&Ms, but the best tactic I've found is promising myself I only need to do X number of words or write for Y amount of time and then I can stop. Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Susan: Just keep writing; but, what's even more important, connect with other writers. It's that juice that flows between people when you share your work and theirs, your writing process, your hopes and fears, that invigorates your own work. And having those genuine connections will make it easier if you want to publish. You'll have true friends who want to support you by blurbing, writing reviews, introducing you to agents. Writing doesn't have to be lonely. Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing? Susan: It helped me to stick to it. It made creative writing less separate from my day-job writing, made me feel more "professional" about it. Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? Susan: That has to be getting my first real computer, a Mac. I have really terrible handwriting. I've got a couple travel journals that I literally cannot read. And, I find it physically uncomfortable to write. But I'm an excellent typist. Being able to write fast and, even better, move things around on the screen, takes the most awful labor out of the process. Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? Susan: I was bullied cruelly when I was in fifth and sixth grade. My teachers would humiliate me in front of the class and, as I realize now, tacitly incite the other kids to do the same. Unfortunately, this was the power of language used against me. And it's made it very difficult for me to speak up. Even now, in certain situations, that gets triggered. These days, I try to throw praise around as much as I can, because I've learned that we all need it, crave it. It's the best way to help people succeed. Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel? Susan: I'm not allowed to say Chimera Catalyst, right? Okay, then Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. Yes, it was a huge movie and a best seller when it was published. It has a huge, juicy story. But what might be underappreciated is Harris' characters. There are no spear carriers in this book. Everyone has a compelling backstory and a subplot that's resolved at the end. And, if you read closely, he even has compassion for the serial killer, who, like all serial killers, suffered abuse as a child. Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? Susan: I have a wonderful garden, and I'm always sneaking out to watch what's going on. Sometimes it's the bees; right now, it's the drama of the monarch caterpillars on the milkweed. So maybe my spirit animal is … insects? Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have? Susan: Hah. I have three unpublished novels and a memoir sitting around. I actually think they're pretty good, but agents and publishers have disagreed. With all the tools to self-publish and distribute your work, there is no excuse for my not getting them out into the world. Then, I have three published books, one from the 1990s about mobile apps for business; Chemistry of Connection; and Chimera Catalyst.I just finished the sequel to Chimera,Singularity Syndrome. So, I have absolutely no unfinished books! Weird feeling that doesn't come too often. Cheri: What does literary success look like to you? Susan: Sometimes, nothing less than the New Yorker will do. Other times, I am so grateful that someone has read something I've written. It's very hard not to compare myself to others. I need to dance that line between ambition—the drive to do better, which is important—and envy, which can kill creativity. Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books? Susan: Facebook has been a great tool. I don't do Facebook ads, but just participating and letting people know about what I'm doing. Pandamoon Publishing, my publisher, does a lot of organic Twitter promotion. It's hard for me to get a sense of how that works. I did a lot of outreach to book bloggers and reviewers, and I think that is a very important way to spread the word. Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book? Susan: I have a mental ideas file and, if I'm actually working on a book, I'll incorporate news items or research as it comes up. Singularity Syndrome is about artificial intelligence and the microbiome—the community of organisms that live in the human gut. So, I tracked news about that research, as well as keeping an eye on the constant news about AI. And Google is a wonderful thing. As I write, I'll look stuff up. Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters? Susan: I work as a journalist, so I get tons of press releases and also read a lot of niche news in the tech sector. As I read these, I collect interesting or resonant names and paste them into a file. I'll mix and match the first and last names, so that I'm not using any one person's real name. However, when I started Chimera Catalyst, I didn't do that: I used a real person's first and last name for the character of Miraluna Rose. After it was accepted by Pandamoon Publishing, I asked that person if it was okay. She wasn't comfortable with it, so I came up with Miraluna Rose which has similar rhythm and vowels, plus the same evocative flavor. Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find? Susan: There are references that only some people will get. For example, in Singularity, I named an AI Mercredi, which is an homage to Delay in Transit, a science fiction story from the 1950s by F.L. Wallace. His protagonist has a personal assistant that's like a modern smartphone. Only he's the only one who has one, and it's embedded in his skull. to His AI is named Dimanche, which is French for Sunday. Mercredi is French for Wednesday. Cheri: What was your hardest scene to write? Susan: There's a battle scene in Singularity. This is completely new for me. When I'm watching a movie, I tend to zone out during the chases or battles. I read a few articles on how to write a battle and tried to visualize it as a movie. Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? Susan: Plot, baby! I always have a good sense of the overall arc of a novel, who the characters will be, how it will end. But I struggle with getting from point A to point Z. I know that every scene needs to be there for a reason—ideally, two or three reasons. But … what, where?????? Chimera and my second book in the series, with the working title of Singularity Syndrome, follow the detective novel format. But this can be very … formulaic, if the detective just goes from witness to witness. I keep rereading Raymond Chandler. That's usually his simple plot, but it's his ability to show character and evoke place in just a few words that makes his work so stunning. Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book? Susan: Usually about a year, although I often have a hiatus—um, writer's block—during that period. If I can write a thousand words a day, several days a week, I am really happy with myself. Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book? Susan: I really don't know how to answer that. I read constantly from the time I was four. I mean, constantly. I don't remember my parents reading to me, although I know they did. As soon as I could, I started devouring books. So that early reading is a blur. I do remember crying during Bambi, but doesn't everyone? Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired? Susan: Oddly enough, it's often when I'm at a lecture or conference presentation. Maybe because the presentation occupies the analytical part of my brain, allowing the intuitive part to run free. I have all sorts of interesting ideas while I'm listening to someone. When it comes to things like plot points or story problems, sometimes the answer pops into my head during physical activity, like gardening or walking the dog. Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Susan: Keep going. Do not be afraid. Share your work only with people who will support you. Not everyone will like what you wrote. Not everyone likes anything. Ann Rice supposedly submitted Interview with the Vampire to literally hundreds of agents before getting signed. Keep going. Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Susan; it's been a pleasure having you! Check out Susan's Amazon Page here. Come back next Thursday for another edition of Cheri's 20 Questions!  Welcome to Cheri's 20 Questions! My interviewee today is the amazing Katie Masters. Katie writes in several genres including YA and fantasy, drinks too much tea, and is constantly trying to convince her cat he's not a dog. She lives in Southern California and stays indoors as much as possibly because she never tans, which works out well since it enables her to spend her time writing about all the places she can't live.
Tell us a little something about what you write, Katie: I write a little bit of everything except historicals and self-help books. I don't think you'd want my advice. I'm currently writing (in no particular order) a sci-fi, a paranormal romance, a Middle Grade sci-fi fantasy, and a fantasy book. And a graphic novel. Did I mention I write everything? When I write you can usually expect sarcasm and wit. Or at least wit. Oh god, I hope it comes out witty. Interview Questions: Cheri: What is the first book that made you cry? Katie: The first book that made me cry was Tamora Pierce's Alanna series. I cried because it ended and I didn't want it to. Which I prefer over crying because a character died. Just saying. Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you? Katie: It depends on the day! Some days it energizes me and I'll go all day and all night. Other days I'll write two lines, eat an entire bag of crackers with brie, and be exhausted just from those two lines. Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Katie: You want honesty? I'd tell my younger self 'you're still going to feel like you're not a great writer, but you must be because your books got picked up. But you won't completely believe it. Also, you have a lot of really wonderful friends who know how to correctly spell your name. Good job!' Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing? Katie: If I'm being honest, it hasn't really. At least, not yet. I have come to realize however, that my procrastination knows no bounds, but that when I'm given a hard deadline for some reason I produce a lot of work very quickly. I wonder why.... Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? Katie: The best money I'm about to spend as a writer, is paying for an amazing illustrator to draw for my graphic novel I've written (or rather, am still writing). Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? Katie: Oh man. Well, that'd have to be the time as a kid I once conned a bunch of little kids to give me their puddings in exchange for telling them a story I made up. The realization that I could get food for stories was a powerful motivator, and I made up a bunch of stories that month, let me tell you! Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel? Katie: Hands down, Mara, Daughter of the Nile. It is beautiful and amazing and if you haven't read it (and a lot of you haven't, because you're staring at me saying 'what the heck is that?'.) you really should! Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? Katie: Caite, or as she's known in twitter, Paperfury, is my spirit animal. If you don't know who she is—oh wait, you do, because everyone knows her—then go look her up. I'm making your life better by doing this. You're welcome. Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have? Katie: I have two (soon to be three) published novels (well, one's a novella). I have exactly four lifetimes worth of novels to write, and three years worth of half-finished books, currently. Think about that. Let that soak in. Four lifetimes. Four. Cheri: What does literary success look like to you? Katie: To me it's being able to afford a place to live in southern California with a yard for my cat-dog, spending my days writing full time, being able to pay artists to make more comics, gushing over cosplayers who cosplay my characters, draw fanart, and write fanfic, and pretending like I'm in complete control of my life (haha) while I walk on set of one of my books that's being filmed for a TV series. And never having to worry again about if I have enough money to buy more tea or a vintage teacup. Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books? Katie: If I knew that answer to that question I'd be famous already. Probably. Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book? Katie: This is tricky. It depends on the book. But I'm a research addict (just ask anyone I've ever talked to including the cop I met in the deli who I asked how much his gun weighed.) and to attempt a guess on how much research I've done for a particular book I would place it at at least three hundred hours of research. For my YA book, Brenna Morgan and the Iron Key, not only did I go to Ireland to the places I was including in the story (for authenticity), I also researched ancient Irish texts and poems and had friends translate Gaelic when I couldn't find the translations. To say my Irish friends were annoyed with me by the end of it is an understatement. I like to research history and cultures of anything and everything, as it eventually trickles down into my fantasy and even sci-fi books. Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters? Katie: I say names out loud until it sounds right. Most of the time the names just come to me, fully formed and ready for use. Sometimes I smash two words together and see if it sounds right. I know, I'm lame. Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find? Katie: ALL. THE. TIME. (note the cap locks for the seriousness of my words) Cheri: What was your hardest scene to write? Katie: The hardest scene for me to write was the ending of my sci-fi book, Beacons. But let's not speak of that. Let's let my publishing house think that I wrote the whole book effortlessly okay? It's our secret. Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? Katie: Continued inspiration. If I'm not inspired I can't write. I can't just 'power through' the feeling. And un-inspiration can happen at any point while I'm writing the book. In the beginning, in the middle, at the end. I'll suddenly just hit a block and bam, I could literally care less for the characters and I lose their voice. It's not quite writer's block—it's far worse. It's the loss of motivation to care. Thankfully it doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it can last months. Writing isn't easy, guys. Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book? Katie: I mean....the first novel I wrote I wrote in a month and a half. I wrote my sci-fi (Beacons) in one month...and then it took a full year to write the last 30 pages because guess what? That's right, un-inspiration struck (but it was also coupled with writer's block for that particular story only. It was a double whammy and I hope never to experience it again). Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book? Katie: My favourite childhood book will always be the Alanna Series (or the 'Lioness Quartet' as it's officially called). It's the series that made me want to be a writer. Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired? Katie: Listening to music, watching the history or national geographics channel, hanging with friends, eating ice cream, taking walks in nature....I find inspiration in the most random of times and places, it's almost impossible to say that one place inspires me. Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Katie: You're going to hate me. It's okay, I get it. But here's my advice for those of you trying to get published (whether by traditional 'agent' means or digital presses): don't give up. So many people write whole novels and then don't submit them, or they submit them once and get rejected and never try again. Keep going. Also, please, please hire an editor or content editor to go through your manuscript. Yes, you have to pay them. Yes it's worth it. You're too close to your work (I know you think you're not. You are. Every writer is), and no matter what, you're going to miss things. Listen to fellow writers when they offer critiques (not baseless criticism that says 'I would write it this way'. Those are not your friends—or good writers), learn from your mistakes—and bad dialogue—and keep going. Seriously, don't give up. Keep persisting. Because for every ten thousand people that finish a story, one hundred people stick it out. Be one of those one hundred people. Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Katie; it's been a pleasure having you! Stay tuned for another edition of Cheri's 20 Questions coming at you next Thursday.  Welcome to Cheri's 20 Questions! My interviewee today is the ever-talented Meg Bonney. When she is not writing books, she has a corporate day job, two awesome kiddos, and she writes TV reviews and recaps for PureFandom.com. She doesn't have a ton of down time, but when she does, she likes to bake and go for walks around the pond near her house.
Hi Meg! Please tell us a little something about what you write: I write YA and am starting to dabble in mystery! My first book, Everly was published in 2016 and it’s sequel will be out this fall. My current YA series is set in a fictional fantasy world, but there are some very relevant themes popping up in Book 2, so that has been fun! Interview Questions: Cheri: What is the first book that made you cry? Meg: Charlotte’s Web. I was a sobbing mess after that one. I had no idea it was going to end that way and it broke my little heart. Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you? Meg: I would say it depends on what part of the writing process I am in. Writing without deadline or expectation is 100% energizing. Editing is exhausting. And I found writing a sequel to be a little more on the exhausting side because there is less freedom when you have to stick to your own source material, but it was still really fun. Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Meg: To use contractions! My day job is in the legal profession so I have a tendency to write everything out. That was something I had to go back and fix after I wrote Everly. Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing? Meg: I had more obligations for marketing so it was definitely an adjustment on my time. I had to find a balance so that I didn’t spend all of my time on marketing or all of it on writing. It has to be a good mix. Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? Meg: I hired a freelance editor to take a look at my very first manuscript and give me some tips and pointers. I wasn’t ready to have my friends and family read it and I wanted an honest opinion. Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? Meg: I think it was when I read Fahrenheit 451. It was a book I had to read in school, but it stuck with me for so long because of the message. In the book, they lived in a society that wanted to stop people from reading because (among other things), it encouraged so much independent thought. It really made me realize the power that books can have. Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel? Meg: I feel like all of the Fear Street novels by RL Stine get brushed off as kids books, but they are so good. He has a way of connecting them all in tiny ways even though they are one offs. It shows such great attention to detail and it was something I loved as a kid/teen and I am even more impressed by as an adult. Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? Meg: The writers I work with at PureFandom.com call me a Unicorn, but I am not really sure why. If I had to pick for myself, I would say a cat that never sleeps. Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have? Meg: I have way too many unfinished books and random chapters to count. I have one published book and another on the way. I am also working on a new mystery book idea. Cheri: What does literary success look like to you? Meg: I think it’s finding a fan base and connecting with readers. Getting published is great and all that, but if you don’t have that connection with your audience it just feels like you sending these stories into a giant void. Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books? Meg: For me, it’s been twitter. I am trying to get more involved in my local market but it was a tough cookie to crack. I don’t actually have a book store in my town. Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book? Meg: With my current series, I didn’t have to do a ton of research. I did look up some things on fighting and weapons, but with a fantasy world, I got to really craft it on my own. Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters? Meg: I am not even sure how I came up with my main character names. I think they just sort of popped into my head. For most of the characters in the realm of Everly, I wanted them all to have elemental names or names that had meaning tied to nature. I didn’t want the names to be too out there, but I wanted them to feel a little different than the usual names in our world. My main character is Madison and it’s a name I have always liked. It’s just a strong name that can shorten to a cute nickname. Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find? Meg: Absolutely. I think it’s fun as a reader to stumble across things like that so I try to do the same when I write. In Everly book 1, there are a few references to the TV show, Supernatural. Cheri: What was your hardest scene to write? Meg: It’s a scene in book 2, Rosewood Burning. Madison and Ara are underwater for a good amount of time. It’s not something a human could really do, so I did have to do some research to get the particulars about what reaction your body would have in that type of situation. Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? Meg: Nit picking. I have a terrible habit of going back and picking at scenes and rewriting. I actually just did it to Book 2. Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book? Meg: I would say (without breaks) about 8 months. Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book? Meg: I loved the book The Hundred Dresseswhen I was a kid, but it was kind of sad. If we are going back to childhood, I would say any of the Bernstein Bear books. Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired? Meg: Anytime I am listening to music. Music is always my creative trigger. Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Meg: Don’t let your nerves stop you. It’s a crazy leap to let someone read your work because it’s like they are reading a little bit of your soul, but you should open yourself up. And always remember, you are your toughest critic. Be kind to yourself! Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Meg, and letting us get to know you better! It's been a pleasure having you! You can find Meg Bonney's Amazon Page here. Join us next week for another edition of Cheri's 20 Questions. Welcome to a special edition of Cheri's 20 Questions! My interviewee today is the incredibly talented and prolific Alisse Lee Goldenberg. Welcome! Alisse is an award winning author of Horror, Young Adult Paranormal Romance, and Young Adult Fantasy fiction. She is currently working on four series: The Sitnalta Series, The Children of Colonodona, The Dybbuk Scrolls, and The Bath Salts Journals (co-authored with An Tran). She has her Bachelors of Education and a Fine Arts degree, and has studied fantasy and folk lore since she was a child. Alisse is also a screenwriter and playwright living in Toronto with her husband Brian, and their triplets Joseph, Phillip, and Hailey. Tell us a little something about what you write: I am a writer of Young Adult Fantasy novels and Horror Fiction. I currently have four series out with Pandamoon Publishing: The Sitnalta Series, The Children of Colonodona, The Bath Salts Journals, and The Dybbuk Scrolls. Interview Questions: Cheri: What is the first book that made you cry? Alisse: The first book that ever made me cry was Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maude Montgomery. It was also one of the first books I truly remember reading to myself, and I was surprised at how deeply a novel could make a person feel. Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you? Alisse: When I am truly into a story that inspires me, I find that writing can energize me. But there are times when it can be quite difficult, where I can be stuck on a part of a story, and I need to work hard to get the words out on paper. Then, writing can be quite exhausting. Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Alisse: I would tell myself not to give up, to press on and persevere. I would tell myself that anything was possible, and to reach for the stars. Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing? Alisse: Honestly, it hasn’t. If anything has changed it, it has been having kids! Now I have to schedule my work around them, so I predominantly write at night, after they go to bed, or when they’re at school. Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? Alisse: It was on a fancy moleskin notebook. It has a lovely pink cover, and fits perfectly in my purse. I tend to do a lot of my first draft writing by hand, and do a lot of my first edits as I transcribe it onto my laptop. Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? Alisse: When I was younger, before I learned to read, I would stack books as high as I could and take them to my parents demanding that they be read to me. I was always on a quest for more stories. There was a library not too far from my home, and I would be taken there by bus. I would check out as many books as my little arms could carry. At the time, my obsession was Curious George stories, or Amelia Bedelia. The sheer amount of imagination and fun those stories held for me was amazing. I could spend hours in that library surrounded by those books. Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel? Alisse: Under-appreciated? I’m not sure it qualifies, but O.R. Melling’s novel The Hunter’s Moon has been one of my favourite books forever! I’ve read it more times than I can count. It’s such a beautiful story of adventure, love, and family. The main character of Gwen goes on a fantastic journey of self exploration and finding her own inner strength. I just adore it. Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? Alisse: Besides a big mug of coffee? But really, I’d say that my mascot has to be a puppy. Always chasing some new idea, easily distracted, and loving to be curled up on the couch! Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have? Alisse: I currently have eleven published books, five in the completed Sitnalta Series, three is The Dybbuk Scrolls Trilogy, one in The Bath Salts Journals, and two in The Children of Colonodona Series. I’m currently at work on book three in The Children of Colonodona, and I’m planning a book set in The Dybbuk Scrolls universe. Cheri: What does literary success look like to you? Alisse: For me, literary success means that people are reading my work and that they’re responding to it. The beauty of art, and for me, writing is definitely art. It’s subjective. People don’t have to necessarily like what I write to respond to it. If my words enact some sort of emotional response, it’s succeeded. Now, I’d love for everyone who reads my books to like them and to want to follow my characters on their journeys. That would be wonderful. Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books? Alisse: Honestly, most days I’m still trying to figure out the magic equation to that one! But I think that social media is a growing and effective tool for that. It’s just a matter of reaching the audience through the noise on all the channels you use as an author. Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book? Alisse: That depends which series I’m working on. With both Sitnalta and the sequel series The Children of Colonodona, since I created those worlds myself, and the characters within, the only research I do is within my own writing, ensuring that I’ve kept a continuity that makes sense within the rules of my world. With The Dybbuk Scrolls it was more complicated. That world was firmly set within Jewish mythology and folklore. I wanted to be certain I got things right and was respectful of the history there. When writing those books I spent a long time poring over old stories and books, researching and taking notes on all I wanted to include. It was a process that lasted years through the writing process of those novels. Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters? Alisse: In the world of Colonodona I fixated on sounds. Quite a few of the characters are words, or places turned backwards because I liked the sounds. The sound of it seemed to fit the image I had of the character in my mind. In the world of Hadariah, many of the characters’ names have meaning that lend themselves to who they are. For instance, Rebecca is a biblical name meaning “to tie, or join”, while Carrie is a diminutive of the masculine Charles, meaning “warrior”. Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find? Alisse: I do. I seed little hints of what’s to come throughout the books, so that readers of the whole series can go back and see how things were almost inevitable for the characters. Cheri: What was your hardest scene to write? Alisse: The hardest scene to write was probably the epilogue of the Song of War. For me that’s the end of The Dybbuk Scrolls Trilogy. As the most personal story for me, coming to the end of it was bittersweet. I had put my characters through quite a lot, and the ending was a catharsis for them, and to end it was hard for me to do. Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? Alisse: Definitely the editing part. I’m my own worst critic. Going through it all and finding my mistakes is tough, and I’m always second guessing the words I put on the page. Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book? Alisse: I typically can type out a first draft in a month or two. Then I need another couple of months to do my personal edits before I turn the manuscript in to my publisher. Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book? Alisse: I have to divide this in two. My favourite picture book for kids is definitely Robert Munsch’s Paperbag Princess. My favourite novel is A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I’ve read both to my own kids, sharing the stories with them. Nightly family book time is something that’s very important to us, and we go through so many books over the course of the year. Currently we’re reading through Small Steps by Louis Sachar, a request by them since they loved Holes. Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired? Alisse: I’m now a predominately night writer, since that’s when it’s easiest for me to find the time to write. I think I’ve become used to it at this point, so the ideas seem to follow me to this hour. If I have ideas at other times in the days, I carry my notebook with me! Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Alisse: Just put the pen to paper and write! Everyone has a story to tell. Get it out there and tell it. And whatever you do, don’t give up or let anyone silence your voice. Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Alisse; it's been a pleasure having you! Later this month the amazing Susan Kuchinskas will be joining us, so stay tuned!  Welcome to the second edition of Cheri's 20 Questions! My interviewee is the hilarious and amazingly talented Matt Coleman. Welcome! Matt is a writer of crime novels and comedy. His debut mystery, Juggling Kittens, was named a Writer’s Bonebook to watch in January of 2017. Matt is a Crime Writers’ Association member, whose short fiction has appeared in a variety of publications, ranging from snooty literary journals like apt to much cooler websites like Shotgun Honey. Prior to the release of his first novel, Matt was a staff writer for The City Life Supplement comedy podcast from 2011 to 2014. His second novel, Graffiti Creek, comes out in 2018 from Pandamoon Publishing. Matt currently lives in Arkansas with his two daughters. Tell us a little something about what you write: I write mysteries and comedies. Sometimes I mix the two together. Sometimes not. I am a product of the American South, and most of my writing ties back to it in some way. Although my latest novel is a straightforward crime novel and my first to NOT be set in Arkansas, it still stemmed from my roots in a weird sort of way. I use mysteries and humor to process things that have happened to me and to those around me. In this case, I was processing some empathy by way of a crime novel. Interview Questions: Cheri: What is the first book that made you cry? Matt: Wow. First book that made me cry, huh? Going right for it, then, I see. I feel like I am supposed to say Where the Red Fern Grows, but I’m a tough one to make cry. I can’t remember if that one did it or not. The first one I KNOW made me cry was The End, by Charlie Higson. It is the final book in a series of YA zombie novels. They are all really good, but not sad at all. The book made me cry because it was the last book I read to my oldest daughter. I read to her every night for far too long (she was fourteen when we stopped). My younger daughter had already sort of tired of it, but the oldest was holding on. That was the book when she finally called it. And I cried like a baby. Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you? Matt: It exhausts me, to be honest. I feel emotionally drained after a day of writing. Now, to be clear, the ideas energize me. The feeling of completion energizes me. I think it was Dorothy Parker who said, “I don’t like writing. I like having written.” I can appreciate that statement. But I am most energized by the potential. The idea is everything to me. It drives me and becomes an obsession until I can get it down on paper. Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Matt: Stop trying so hard. Don’t try to be different. Everyone’s already done that. Just allow yourself to lie back into what you love and do it. Write a book. Stop messing around with experimental forms and weird shit. Just write a damn book, for Christ’s sake. (I would yell at my younger writing self a lot.) Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing? Matt: I think it made me more efficient. I understand the process a little better now. And the validation of publishing gave me the confidence to write what I want to write. Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? Matt: I’m going to say AutoCrit. It’s an online editing software, and I have sort of fallen in love with it. The monthly subscription is thirty bucks, I think. I sort of cheat and cancel anytime I don’t have anything written. But I have picked it back up each time I finish a first draft, and it is wonderful for self edits. It breaks down readability, word usage, active voice, and a ton of other wonderful shit. I have become a better writer because of the bad habits it has pointed out to me. I can’t say enough about it. Great, great product. (Hear that, AutoCrit? How about a free month, huh? Maybe two?) Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? Matt: I remember writing a song in the eleventh grade based on The Scarlet Letter. We had some sort of assignment, which I cannot remember, and, for some reason, I decided to complete it in song form. I got up and sang it to the class and everything. I’m sure it was idiotic, but everyone howled with laughter. The teacher actually had me come back to sing it to the class during my senior year. I think it changed the way she gave the assignment. Something about the experience showed me I could make an impact with my writing, even if it was nothing more than a folk song about Hester Prynne. Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel? Matt: The Festival of Earthly Delights, by Matt Dojny. I loved it, and I don’t feel like it ever got much attention at all. And I’ve talked with Matt online some. Couldn’t find a nicer guy. I really wish he got the attention he deserves. Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? Matt: Paul Lynde.  Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have?
Matt: I have two published books (Juggling Kittens and Graffiti Creek). I have an unpublished book, which is the beginning of sort of a cozy mystery series starring a foul-mouthed, boozy, reluctant socialite with Sherlockian powers of observation and plans to turn her small town Junior League charity group into a drug ring. It’s a lot. But I sort of love writing it. I’m to the point where I don’t even care if it ever gets to print. I’m having a blast with it. My first book (unpublished, but first finished) was a young adult novel about a kid who tries to kill himself and fails, by falling into a bush … while dressed like a bush. In the process, he somehow manages to save a small child’s life and be seen by a group of towns members, including the press. So instead of dying, he becomes a local legend and a superhero. It was a little darkly comic for a young adult novel. You know. In hindsight. Cheri: What does literary success look like to you? Matt: Honestly, it looks like me being able to continue to publish books and have some people actually want to read them. I’m not big on awards or fortune and fame. I’m not saying I would turn any of it down, but it isn’t some sort of requirement for me to feel successful. I want to write. Period. As long as the business is giving me a venue to write, I’m happy. I hope to continue to work with my current publisher. I don’t mean this as a knock on self-published authors (I love self-published authors), but for me, I like being with a publisher. Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books? Matt: That’s the million dollar question, right? I think the best way to market is to make meaningful connections in the world, which sounds lame, but it’s true, I think. The best pushes I’ve gotten have come from people I can now consider friends. I have connected with them in some sort of non-selfish way (not selfless, necessarily … just not in an effort to sell books … I chatted with them or found common ground or interviewed them or something). The writer community is non-competitive and always willing to help fellow writers. I think the missing link for indie writers is making the one big connection with indie book sellers. I know the connection exists, but I think it could be much, much stronger. I was in two indie bookstores in Chicago last week and while one had shelves full of indie titles, the other had mostly big publisher titles. There’s a missed opportunity for both parties there. The indie bookstore customer is exactly the type to welcome unheralded books. Let’s be honest, if I want a major title, I can get it from anywhere. Walmart probably has it. But if I’m in an indie bookstore, I expect to find something new. Something I haven’t seen or heard about. Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book? Matt: I do it sporadically. It usually just pops up as I’m writing. And I am awful at going down rabbit holes. I will lose hours and full days researching something that started as simply trying to get a pop culture reference correct. Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters? Matt: I have started to have a lot more fun with this than I used to. Many of them connect to people in my life. My alter ego in Juggling Kittensis named Ellis Mazer. Ellis was my grandmother’s maiden name. And Mazer was the last name of my favorite professor from college. It’s a name that actually means a lot to me on both accounts. Here lately, I’ve been pulling from Southern influences. Southern names are fun to me. My favorites lately have been Waverly St. Laurent and Macon Georgia Lee Jefferson, the Fourth. Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find? Matt: I am starting to. So far, all the Easter Eggs have been only for people who know me. There are characters or moments from my life they will recognize. And they have had a lot of fun finding them. But now I am actually starting to work in call backs to other works, which is a lot of fun. Cheri: What was your hardest scene to write? Matt: I just wrote a little about this in a blog post, actually. My Ellis Mazer novels are pretty autobiographical. The mystery part is fiction, but his personal life is mine. Back in 2015 and 2016, I went through a separation and divorce. And last summer my ex-wife committed suicide. So it was a pretty tough stretch of time, personally. And for Ellis, he is going from a happy marriage to a point when cracks are beginning to show. When I got to the first scene where those cracks appear in the second Ellis Mazer novel, I couldn’t write it. Just couldn’t do it. I am just now going back to it and working my way through it. But it’s tough. Cathartic. But tough. Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? Matt: Self doubt. When I finish a book, I move right on to the next idea. And my ideas are pretty different … gritty Southern hillbilly noir and then an urban action-chase-crime novel and then a cozy mystery. They are different enough to always make me feel like the one I am working on is wonderful and the one I just finished is hot garbage. It takes a while for me to work my way back around to loving what I wrote as much as what I’m writing. Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book? Matt: Once I get focused, I can usually finish one in about four or five months. I do need mental breaks, though, between projects. So two a year is the most I can do. Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book? Matt: Where the Wild Things Arealways and forever. Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired? Matt: I catch the most feelings for an idea in the car. Music really gets me in the right headspace with an idea. Tonight, for example, I had been rolling an idea around for a while (months), but it wasn’t until “Guilty Party,” by The National came on in the car tonight when it all clicked. Something about the mood and feel of the song meshed with where I was trying to take an idea, and it all fell into place. I will probably start on it tomorrow. Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Matt: My favorite advice continues to be “write a story only you can tell.” I love that. And I don’t take it to mean we can’t place ourselves in other lives, other lands, other times. I think we simply need to make the story so much our own that no one else could ever tell it the way we can. Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Matt; it's been a pleasure having you! Next month the wonderful Benny Sims will be joining us, so stay tuned!  Welcome to the first edition of Cheri's 20 Questions! My first interviewee is the amazingly talented Nola Nash. Originally from south Louisiana, Nola Nash now makes her home in Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband and three children. Growing up in Baton Rouge, she spent long hours onstage or backstage in the local community theaters, and writing stories that refused to leave her head any other way than to be put on paper. Her biggest inspiration was the city of New Orleans that gave her at an early age a love of the magic, mystery, and history. Nola has a Masters degree in education, which means when she isn’t writing, she’s teaching English and co-directing the school plays and musicals. She is also a certified Teacher Consultant for the Middle Tennessee Writing Project. Tell us a little something about what you write: Historical paranormal mystery/suspense and a splash of historical romance. Interview Questions: Cheri: What is the first book that made you cry? Nola: To Kill a Mockingbirdand it still does to this day, even after having read it 5 times and teaching it for three years. It’s powerful and precious. Mrs. Dubose and Boo get me every single time. Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you? Nola: It energizes me! Getting the stories that are swirling around in my head out and onto paper frees space for more ideas. Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Nola: Keep reading all those huge literary classics. They will be your foundation as a writer. Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing? Nola: I can’t wait to find that out! Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? Nola: Is it cliché to say the best money I ever spent as a writer is on books to read? Honestly, I write on my work laptop that I bring home (I don’t actually have one that I own) and use free Google apps, so I’m a pretty cheap writer! Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? Nola: When I was in kindergarten, I had the chance to be in a production of Macbeth. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew I loved the language and rhythm of the lines. William Shakespeare captivated me as a theater kid first, and as a reader when I could finally read those word for myself. I was pulled in by the witches, which may have something to do with what I write today. Thanks for that one, Billy Shakes! Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel? Nola: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I absolutely love that book. It’s creative, weird, and witty. More people should read it if for no other reason than to get the joke on the dash of the Tesla they launched into space. On the in-dash screen of the car were the words: Don’t panic. Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? Nola: A dragon. Which is weird because I don’t write dragon stories. I do, however, have a dragon tattoo because I say as a mother, teacher, and writer its my job to light the fire within. Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have? Nola: I have one accepted and in process for publication, another in as a submission, and a couple unfinished. One of those, I recently pulled out for an overhaul and will, hopefully, get that one finished soon. Cheri: What does literary success look like to you? Nola: This is a tough question for a southern girl raised to be self-deprecating. Part of me says, “I’ll feel successful when I can go to a bookstore or library and find my own book on the shelves.” The other part of me says, “Let’s put this story on the big screen!” It can be hard to reconcile the pragmatic with the outrageously optimistic. Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books? Nola: I’m a social person who likes to get out there in the world. I think social media, interviews, and events are good ways for me to market my books because I like to meet folks and talk writing with them. When people can feel the energy you have about what you do, they want to be part of that! I’m not a “sales” kind of person, but I’m definitely a relationship person. Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book? Nola: TONS! I’ve always got books with sticky notes and highlighting all over them and a list of bookmarked websites as I write. Since I focus on historical fiction and my beloved New Orleans in particular, I want to do right by those places and times. It’s important to have the basis in fact so you can weave the fiction around it. I also write about mystical practices and I’m a believer in experience breeding good writing, so I go through those rituals and practices learning what they feel like, sound like, smell like, and what sensations or emotions they evoke. By experiencing those things, I can write more authentically about them and let my reader experience them too. Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters? Nola: It depends on what I’m writing. For books set in New Orleans, I tend to research names from that place and the era I’m working with to keep it authentic. Sometimes I make them up like the heroine in my first Pandamoon novel. Other names, especially for more modern characters, I gather from people I meet or know. I first name here, paired with a last name there…..The main character in the book in submission right now has the first name of a steakhouse waitress and the last name of a college admission counselor from a school my son applied to. Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find? Nola: I wish I could say that I did. There are allusions to books that are special to me, but no Easter Eggs. I tend to get too carried away with the story I’m telling to do that. When I’m writing, it’s like I’m watching a movie in my head and writing as fast as I can to keep up with it. There’s no way I’d keep up with Easter Eggs, too! Cheri: What was your hardest scene to write? Nola: There was a scene where I had to kill a character I loved. I tried so hard to find a way to let her live, but it was best for the story that she didn’t. It was torturing me to do it, but the panic and pain in having to kill her in the story translated to the characters in the scene and it turned out to be exactly what the book needed. Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? Nola: Having to walk away in the middle of those moments where the words are rushing onto the page. I’m a wife, mom, and teacher and those things have schedules and needs that must be tended to. It doesn’t matter how powerful the inspiration may be, when the bell rings to start school, inspired writing takes a back burner. It’s especially difficult because you regret what could have come from those times if only you had the ability to give into them when they hit. Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book? Nola: That depends on what’s happening in my life when I’m writing. Since I’m usually doing most of my focused writing around school breaks, it can take about a year to get one finished. Although, I started one last summer and it sort of took off. That one was finished in 8 months. Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book? Nola: My favorite book was P.D. Eastman’s Are You My Mother? My grandmother used to read this book to me in her high-pitched Mississippi drawl and I loved every minute of it every single time she read it. She must have read it hundreds of times over the years. Those memories are so vivid, even decades later. I can see the room, the lamp on the table, her on the edge of the bed, and smell the familiar smells of their house. The memory of that book brings back so much of the times spent with my grandparents. Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired? Nola: Well, this one is so easy. The French Quarter. Hands down. Period. Everything about it. The architecture, the history, the people, the spirit of the place. New Orleans has a soul. It lives and breathes. It reaches out to you, wraps it’s arms around you, and whispers stories of times and crimes gone by. I can’t explain the connection I have to that city other than it’s a part of who I am. One day, I’ll get back there to stay and be inspired all day every day. Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Nola: Write something. Write anything. And keep doing it. Learn from the process who you are and what speaks to you. Take the risks and play with words and ideas. No one has to see that part if you don’t want them to. You might be surprised what you can do when you let yourself cut loose. Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Nola! It's been a pleasure having you. Next month the wonderful Matt Coleman will be joining us, so stay tuned! Want to be interviewed? Contact me via the contact form on this website!
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Cheri Champagne
Award winning queer and autistic historical romance author. Chronically ill wife, and sahm of four neuro-spicy kids. Nerd & mug enthusiast. She/they. Archives
May 2024
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