Interview: Ophelia London, Author of Abby Road

I'm so excited to be hosting an interview with Ophelia London in the blog today. I greatly enjoyed her book "Abby Road," and now I've got some super fun interview questions with some super cute answers to share with you guys. Enjoy!

Brizmus Blogs Books:Hi Ophelia! Thanks so much for joining us today here at Brizmus Blogs Books! Abby Road was a wonderful book, and I’m psyched to have had the opportunity to read it for the blog. Tell us, what gave you the idea to write about a superstar obsessed with the Beatles?

Ophelia London: Thank you! I’m thrilled to be here! I got the idea for Abby Road many years ago. I was literally sitting around one day and wondered what it would be like if I became famous overnight. Come on, we’ve all done it, right? The first thing I ever wrote for the story was a scene of Abby being “discovered” by the manager of the recording studio where she worked. It ended up getting cut, but that was the beginning of it all. And the Beatles, well, I kind of stole that from my own life. :-)

BBB: From reading Abby Road, I got the feeling that you must have had SOME kind of experience with the paparazzi yourself. Is it true or are you just an amazing writer who does her research?

Ophelia London: Well, this is kind of embarrassing, and I’m only telling you because your blog rocks! I did a little “method acting” as I wrote the book. I kind of put myself in Abby’s superstar shoes and would walk around the mall, bookstores, wherever, pretending I was a celebrity incognito. Silly, I know, but it got me into her head and what I thought she might be feeling when she would try to do something as simple as go shopping and then be pounced upon by the paparazzi.

BBB:You can choose not to answer this question if you wish, but were any of the characters based on people from your life?

Ophelia London:Oh sure, I’ll answer it. My friends and family already know that I’m constantly stealing from them. Heh-heh. The character of Molly, Abby’s best friend/personal assistant, is bits and pieces of my closest friends. Lindsey, Abby’s older sister, is kind of a combo of my older and younger sisters. I wish I knew someone exactly like Todd, however. Still looking…

BBB: I haven’t read your Playing at Love series (though I’m definitely going to!), but it looks great! Can you tell us a little bit about how writing Abby Road was different from writing Playing at Love?

Ophelia London: Oh, thank you. I hope you enjoy it! Before Playing at Love, I wrote strictly women’s fiction, and had zero experience when it came to writing category romance. I hadn’t even read much of it. I loved the idea of writing a short, romance series, so I jumped in before I knew what I was doing. Woo-boy, there are so many rules when it comes to category, but my editor was very patient with me and I learned to love writing category.

BBB: Tell us a little bit about some of your works in progress.

Ophelia London:Right now I’m working on book three of my Perfect Kisses series (Playing at Love is book one). It’s been a blast. I’ve also got another women’s fiction going through submission and I’m even trying my hand at New Adult. I have a lot of irons in the fire!

BBB: Quick answers:

Favorite Band: The Beatles and McFly (I had to give you two, but they’re both British with 4 guys, so it’s okay!)
Literary Idol: Jane Austen
Favorite Music to Listen to while Writing: my book’s playlist or classical
Favorite place you’ve traveled: The Lake District in England
Favorite food to eat while writing: Trader Joe’s Powerberries
Favorite Book: “Pride and Prejudice”

BBB: I loved reading your “40 things to do before I turn 40” list on your blog. Can you tell us a bit more about that? It seems like you accomplished everything! Was there anything you were afraid you wouldn’t accomplish?

Ophelia London: About halfway through my 39th year, I decided that I wanted to really celebrate my 40th birthday—on a personal level. I started making a list on napkins and the backs of candy bar wrappers, but when the list started taking shape, I knew I needed to make it official, so I put it up on my blog and told everyone about it. I needed some serious accountability! “Teaching a class” was probably the one I dreaded the most. I mean, who LOVES to public speak? Not this girl! Funnily enough, I get the most comments about the “Letting my hairdresser to whatever she wants” one. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but I have such trust in my hair lady that I just sat back, sipped my Diet Coke, and let her have at it.

BBB: To continue with questions about the list – why’d you cross out “Go out on a date with a 25 year old one last time”? That sounds like fun!

Ophelia London: It does sound fun, doesn’t it? One of the interesting things I learned about myself while working on this list is what things are really important. When I started working on my list, hardcore, I decided that I didn’t want to be all cougar-y—as fun as that does sound!—yet I’d been meaning to start a serious recycling program at home. So…there ya go! Priorities!

BBB: Have you ever thought about branching out and writing something other than chick lit?

Ophelia London:Absolutely! I would love to write YA, maybe even some suspense, and like I mentioned earlier, I’ve got a little New Adult going on, too.

BBB: Now to finish – thank you SO much for joining us here today at Brizmus Blogs Books. It’s been a pleasure hosting you in the blog! To end, is there any question you’d like to be asked but never are?

Ophelia London: Thank you so much for having me, it’s been a pleasure! And yes, I don’t understand why no one has asked me why—since I look so much like Jennifer Anniston—that Brad Pitt and I aren’t together. It’s a puzzlement, right?

Well, that was fun, and I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did! Now, one question I wish I'd asked her that I didn't - what was her playlist for Abby Road? Was it entirely Beatles songs? I'd be curious to know! Another question I forgot to ask, she luckily answered in her own blog (check it out!) yesterday. When asked who she would get to play Abby, she picked Mandy Moore. I love it!

If you haven't already, don't forget to check out my review of Abby Road!

Interview: Ellen Bryson, author of the Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno

I'm so excited!!!! You might recall how much I loved "the Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno" by Ellen Bryson. Well, Ellen was SO kind as to answer a few questions I had for her, and I am thrilled to be sharing them with you today! I hope you'll read, as she gave some great answers! Let's give her a big, warm welcome!

BBB:Hi Ellen! Thank you SO MUCH for taking time to answer a few questions for Brizmus Blogs Books. I was incredibly impressed by the Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno, and I am so excited to be hosting an interview with you.

First question: I know that the inspiration for the Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno came from a dream/vision you had after reading Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus. Were there other things that also inspired it? For example, I read that you used to be a modern dancer. How much of this experience went into Fortuno?

Ellen Bryson:While being a dancer taught me a lot about being a performer, what really inspired me was being 13 years old. You can’t walk down a junior high school hallway in a borrowed skirt and a new haircut without knowing you’re a freak. That feeling of omission. Separation. It was terrible. And I was a quiet and strange girl, which didn’t help. So I found others like me and had my little group of likeminded kids and we bonded against the world. Not so dramatically as Barnum’s Curiosities, perhaps, but the feeling has to be the same.

BBB:It seems to me that you must have done a lot of research about P.T. Barnum (and circus “freaks” in general) in order to make this book come to life. What was the most interesting thing you learned about him? What was the most exciting thing you discovered, in general?

E B:The most obvious surprises about Barnum were that he did not say, “A sucker is born every minute” and that he wasn’t involved in the circus until he was in his 60s. But what was amazing was how formative a force Barnum was and how modern his sensibilities. The idea of popular culture did not exist in the mid 19th century, only small, personal entertainments: the theater, the saloon, card games and books at home. Barnum created a central location, stuffed it full of marvels and silliness, and lured in folks of all types and sensibilities and classes. To get them there, he made things up. He tapped into the delight people get from being tricked. For example, he had a sign in his museum saying THIS WAY TO THE EGRESS, and as most folks did not know that egress meant exit, they follow the sign in search of the egress, only to find themselves out in the street, forced to pay another quarter for readmission. He moved people and created the very first buzz. I shudder to think what he would do in today’s world.

BBB: I know I for one was SHOCKED to hear that Barnum didn't get into the circus until he was in his 60's. He sounds like a really amazing, inspiring human being.
Anyhow, next question. As a character, Fortuno really came alive for me. He just felt so real! How much of his personality and his beliefs were based on the known personality of Barnum’s actual human skeleton, Isaac Sprague?

E B:I have no idea about Isaac Sprague’s personality or his circumstances. The only thing I know was what he looked like. Interestingly, I found next to nothing on the lives of people like my characters. As far as I know, nothing was written about how they managed, how they aged, how they lived. Fortuno sprung fully from the imagination, and once sprung, exerted his personality on the text.
4) I read somewhere that the book didn’t start off as being Fortuno’s story. Is this true? And what I am really curious about: Fortuno’s belief that his body was his gift. Did you start off knowing that he would believe this or is it something that developed as you got to know your character?
The book started out as Iell’s story, but once Fortuno came alive, the writing was on the wall. His was the voice, and who better to see and appreciate a creature like Iell than Fortuno. From the very beginning, it was his adoration of the unique self that made him the perfect narrator. He was so sure of his place in the world and his entire sense of pride came from being different. From his eyes, Iell could only be seen as perfection.

BBB:While I thought the book was amazing from Fortuno's point of view, Iell was a prominent, well-developed character, and I think the story from her point of view would have been amazing as well. Perhaps that's a story of another time. That said, are you working on anything else right now? (I know I’m already excited about your next book!)

E B:I am working on a concept that keeps changing. Suffice it to say it’s a modified ghost story.

BBB:A modified ghost story - exciting! Now, for something totally unrelated to writing: You lived in Buenos Aires. What was life in Argentina like?

E B: Buenos Aires was crazy. Living there was a little like living in New York but it’s not a first world country so the sidewalks were treacherous (and they still don’t have the concept of cleaning up after their dogs) and the traffic had a life of it’s own. Its’ also very European with it’s cafes on every block and a 10:00pm dinner hour (family in tow), but in essence it’s Latino. The best part was how creative the people were, and what book lovers! Everyone was a reader.

BBB:EVERYONE a reader?!? That sounds amazing! Okay, now give me some quick one-word answers!

Favorite place to write: Bed.
Literary Idol: Too many.
Favorite music to listen to while writing: Silence.
Favorite food to eat while writing: Ha!
Favorite place to which you have traveled: Iceland or Oman.

BBB: Again, thank you SO much for answering my questions! I know I said 7 was the last, but is there anything you’d like to add? Anything you wanted to be asked but weren’t?

E B: I think you covered it!

I think my favorite answer was the "Ha!" about the food she eats while writing. I also love that she loved Iceland, as I've been dying to go there!
Once again, thanks so much, Ellen for answering some questions for me! It's been so much fun having you here today, and I know I'll be first in line to buy your next book when it comes out!

Blogging Around the World Feature

Just thought I would give you guys the heads up that I am being featured today at the Book on the Hill!!!! Charlotte has a weekly featured called "Book Blogging Around the World." It is super fun getting to read about different bloggers' relationships with books in different countries!



I started my blog in France, and now I am in Japan, so I talk a little bit about both of those places. It was an incredibly fun interview, so I hope you guys will head on over there to check it out!

:-)

Interview: Peter Bognanni, Author of the House of Tomorrow

As those of you that read my review know, when I read Peter Bognanni's the House of Tomorrow, I absolutely fell in love! Which is why I am more excited than ever that Peter agreed to answer a few questions for Brizmus Blogs Books. Let's get started!

Brizmus Blogs Books: Hi Peter! Thank you SO MUCH for taking time to answer a few questions for Brizmus Blogs Books. I absolutely ADORED the House of Tomorrow, and I am so excited to be hosting an interview with you. My first question is just this: Buckminster Fuller? He just seems like such a random basis for a book. Could you please talk a little bit about your relationship to him, how he came to be such a major part of the book.

Peter Bognanni: To be perfectly honest, I started the book knowing very little about Bucky. I had seen him on a postage stamp once (great stamp by the way) and I knew a little about geo-domes. But everything started after a conversation my wife had at a party. Someone at this party told her, pretty much out of the blue, that he lived in a dome with his grandmother. My wife related the conversation to me in the car on the way home, and the next day I started to become dome-obsessed. I must have looked at domes for four hours the next morning. This obsession led me to R. Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome. And the more I read about him, the more I became fascinated. Such wild ideas. Such enthusiasm. Such large glasses! He wanted to encase all of Manhattan in a giant climate-controlled dome. He wanted humans to live in floating dome cities that would migrate around the globe. He firmly believed in telepathy. How can you not love this guy? I started to imagine what it might be like for someone to grow up living Bucky’s principle to the fullest. That’s how the protagonist of my book, Sebastian, was born.

BBB: Where did you get the idea to write about a boy who had had a heart transplant? Was it something that just happened over the course of the book because you needed Jared to be sick, or did you set out with this idea in mind?

Peter: Jared was actually a character that I kind of air-lifted from another novel that was going exactly nowhere. He’s loosely based on someone I knew growing up, or at least the detail of the transplant is. I really knew a chain-smoking transplant recipient. Only he played the drums, not guitar. Jared’s personality is much different though, a kind of amalgam of a lot of funny and caustic people I hung around with in high school. I never really thought of the transplant as a “fictional device” per se; it was just always the way I envisioned the character. But from the beginning, I liked the idea of writing this enigmatic person who was both vulnerable and abrasive at the same time. Also, I think his affliction allowed him to be both delightfully immature, and wiser than his years, sometimes on the same page.

BBB: I read that you were in a (bad) punk band in high school, and I’m very curious about this. What were you called, did you ever record anything, and is Jared and Sebastians‘s punk band experience based on your experiences?

Peter: The band I played with in high school had about ten different names, if memory serves. We could never decide on one. And it might be unfair to call us a punk band. We were more a play-as-loud-and-out-of-tune-as-you-can-until-you-get-tired kind of band. Some ungodly brand of noise rock, I suppose. But if you’d asked us if we were punks, we might have nodded. And yes, that experience acted as an influence on Sebastian and Jared’s band. Undeniably so. I can still remember learning my first power chords, plugging into an amp for the first time, and many other small moments that pretty much ended up in the book wholesale. Despite my lack of talent, music was enormously important for me growing up. It was a way to imagine other lives, other selves. It was transformative. And it made me feel better about my bad haircut and large dental apparatus.

BBB: Are you working on anything else right now? Can we expect more YA from you in the future?

Peter: I’m working on two things right now and they are currently battling for supremacy in my laptop. As far as YA goes, this book is being cross-listed as adult and young adult and I love the idea of reaching both readers. I really like writing teenage characters, so I’m sure they’ll continue to appear in my books, but I might go a little older with my next protagonist. I turned 31 this year. I probably have an expiration date on my ability to write from the perspective of a profane teenager. But it helps that there’s one locked inside of me.

BBB: Okay, last question! Give me some quick one-word answers!

Favorite geodesic dome: The Botanical Center in Des Moines, Iowa. This is a clear geodesic dome in my hometown. I went to a Homecoming Dance here and suffered humiliations similar to those of my characters.

Favorite punk band: The Buzzcocks. I can’t get enough of them. They’re funny. They rock. They make me feel angry and bemused simultaneously.

Literary Idol: Ah, torturous question to answer. I absolutely devoured Kurt Vonnegut in high school, and no matter how many more literary heroes I have and will amass, I always feel a little dishonest when I don’t mention him. He made me want to be a compulsive reader. Which, in turn, made me want to be a writer.

Favorite music to listen to while writing: Can’t really do this. Too distracting. I’ll start writing the lyrics of a song right into the prose. The night was like a…Blitzkrieg Bop. For this book though, I would stop here and there to listen to songs I was writing about. It’s nice to take a break from trying to write something literary only to listen to a Ramone shout about sniffing glue.

Favorite food to eat while writing: Get ready for the least Punk Rock answer of all time. You ready? Yoplait Yogurt. That’s right, I said it.

BBB:Back to me now - what a GREAT interview! Again, thanks SO much Peter for answering a few questions for me, especially with such fabulous answers! I laughed on more than one occasion. For those of my readers that haven't read Vonnegut or listened to the Buzzcocks, I highly recommend you do so now!
I also highly recommend that you check out this awesome trailer for the House of Tomorrow.

French Friday (12) A Deux!!

French Friday is a weekly feature hosted by Charlotte at the Book on the Hill. We both live in France, so French Friday is a meme to write about Frenchy bookish things.

So I'm pretty psyched, Last week, Charlotte approached me with the idea of doing a "French Friday A Deux." We would interview each other, she said, with questions about France. What a GREAT idea, right?!?

So, I'm very excited to have for you today, an interview with the lovely Charlotte of the Book on the Hill. Enjoy!!




BBB:How long have you lived in Paris, and what is your relationship with the city?

TBOTH: I moved in Paris in 2005, to get into a musical theatre school, in which I stayed for two years. I could define my relationship with Paris as ‘contradictory’ : I love the city, but I love having some space. Paris is kind of narrow and oppressive once you’ve lived there for a few years. And people are always complaining. I’m currently in a gotta-get-out-of-here mood, my boyfriend and I have been thinking of moving for a while, and we’ll therefore be leaving Paris in spring. I think I’ll enjoy coming back from time to time, I’ve loved living here, Paris is a beautiful city, but I feel like like it’s time to move on.

BBB: Oh, I know exactly what you mean! It can be very narrow and oppressive! And people here are ALWAYS complaining, and it's horrible because I find myself slowly becoming one of those complainers. Next question!
Where else, if anywhere, have you lived in France? Tell us about it!

TBOTH:I grew up in Lot-et-Garonne and Dordogne (SW of France), in the countryside. A peaceful and beautiful place ! I lived in a very small village (400 inhabitants) when I was a child. Then we moved to another house (lost in the forest !), and I went to a boarding school in Sarlat, it was the only high school where I could study cinema on the side. I went to university in Bordeaux, which I loved (the city, not the university). My university years weren’t the best : the courses I took were crap (and that’s an understatement), we were all depressed, and the memories are foggy. But I’m often visiting friends in Bordeaux, either for fun or for work, and I still get really good vibes out of the place. That’s where we’ll be moving in a few months, in the countryside near Bordeaux. We intend to move to Canada in a few years too.

BBB: Very cool! I also went to boarding school, but mine was in ridiculously small town Louisiana. I'd love to visit the peaceful, beautiful place where you grew up!
Now, I know that you read a lot in English for work, but when you’re reading for you, do you prefer to read in French or English ? (For my readers that don't know, Charlotte has a job as a read for Hachette France. You can read about that here.)

TBOTH: I think I was already reading more in English than in French before becoming a reader. But since I started working as a reader (2 years ago), I think I haven’t read one single French book ! Except theatre plays. I really should start reading in French again, there are so many books out there I’d like to read. But I admit that my to-be-read pile is composed of English books only... I feel closer to English than French.

BBB: What is it like to be an actress in France ?

TBOTH: Haha, interesting question... It’s HARD ! I’ll try to give a short answer, because I think I could write pages and pages on the subject. I think being an actress anywhere in the world is kind of a personal war. But in France things are so difficult and complicated, everything you do has to be categorized, filed, and explained with concrete words and sentences. Theatre is NOT concrete. Being an actress is NOT concrete. If you choose the casting route, it’s hard but at least you know a bit where you’re going and you’re following the ‘normal’ path. But that’s not what I’m doing. I work as an actress for my company, but I also have to sell our creations, advertise, administrate, which involves hours and hours of worrying ourselves to death. For now, we spend more time trying to find some places to perform than we spend time on stage. Acting is not seen as a real job here, people think that famous actors are serious, but when you’re in a small company or a young unknown actor, you’re just an eccentric person who likes having fun on stage while wearing fancy costumes and saying weird things. Which is frustrating. Many people have no idea how much work theatre is. As long as your play is not in a well known theatre, you’re not taken seriously. I would love to be an actress in England for example, where theatre is part of the country’s mentality. But there’s a lot to be done here, so I guess I’ll be fighting for things to change for a while. Hope is my friend. And I love acting and entertaining and meeting people. I’ll just move somewhere else in the world if it doesn’t work out. :) Wow, did I say my answer would be short ?! Sorry !

BBB: Oh, that wasn't too long! It sounds quite stressful being an actress in France! How has your job as a reader influenced your job as an actress? And vice versa?

TBOTH: Mmm, I had never thought about that... I’ve always known that originality is the key, creatively speaking. I read tons of books, and so many are the same. But when one of them stands out, it makes all the difference. I guess it’s the same thing with acting, but also for writing and directing plays (which I do too). Also, I am very picky with characters in books, probably because playing a role requires character development. I don’t know if these two jobs influence each other, but I guess reading all these stories kind of boosts my imagination. The only problem is that my imagination is already waaay busy. But it’s always better to have too many ideas than none, isn’t it?

BBB: Indeed - more ideas is always better than less. :-)
So, when did you learn to speak English? Living in France, I’ve discovered that French people tend to have quite a bit of trouble with English. Have you previously lived in an English-speaking country, as yours seems to be pretty awesome?

TBOTH: French people do tend to be a bit English-lazy, yeah. As for me, my father is English, so when I was a child I heard him speaking English a lot. I’ve always loved this language. My parents split up when I was 10, and my stepfather happens to be English too ! So from then I grew up with English spoken at home all the time, plus watching films in English all the time too. So I’ve always understood English perfectly, although I’ve always lived in France. The only problem is speaking it : I don’t practice enough! I’m a shy English-speaker. I know I’m not that bad, I just need to get a grip really! I’ve actually got three nationalities : French (born here), English and Canadian (my father’s English, plus he lived in Canada for many years and got the nationality). Which is pretty cool. I’ve been raised more in British way than in a French one, and honestly I feel more British than French I think.

I'm totally a shy French speaker as well. I'm always scared that people are saying evil things about my French and my accent in their heads when I'm talking to them.
Okay, for a bit of a change, as a reader of YA, I’m guessing you’ve read quite a bit about American High Schools. How was your experience in French lycee different from what you’ve read about our American High Schools?

TBOTH: Thanks to YA books, I’m now officially an American-High-School-Specialist! There are so many differences between the two that the list could get very long, but let’s try to point out the main things.

1. Cheerleaders ? In France ? No way ! The only moment you could see a girl in a cheerleader outfit would be at a masked ball.

2. Proms ? Only in our dreams ! I’m sure a lot of us high school girls secretly dreamt of attending an American prom, but we all kept it to ourselves. Just thinking about it would’ve been considered uncool.

3. Lockers. Ah, how we would’ve loved to have our own little lockers. They just don’t exist here.
4. France is France. America is America. Your high schools seem way more exciting than ours, as much as your country does sound more exciting than ours. :)

The one similarity I can think of concerns the social ranks : may it be in the school bus, the cafeteria, the place where you hang out. The ‘Populars’ have their own places fixed in space and time, and so have the ‘Losers’ and the ‘In-Between’.

BBB: NO LOCKERS?!? I don't think I would have survived high school without one. Sounds terrible!
What is your most major complaint about France (so negative, I know!)?

TBOTH: You have every right to be negative. If I had to make a list of positive and negative things I can think of concerning France, The negative one would probably be 48 times longer than the positive one. That’s the reason why I’m seriously thinking of leaving the country someday. You’re asking about the major complaint, so let’s keep it to that. Like I said earlier, France equals complications. Therefore, I would add Paperworks as a synonym for France. If you separate the two, the earth might stop turning or fall into a black hole with shock. French administration is soooo boring, complicated, twisted, hypocrite and slow... Most of the time, it’s even surreal. You have no right to do this thing, but you can do it if you do another thing that is allowed and then undo it, write a letter to explain why you undid what you had done, and then wait 72 hours to have a phonecall that will tell you that you had no right to undo the first thing you’ve done and that the thing that you wanted to do in the first place was actually allowed. Take all that away : earth - black hole - end of the universe.

BBB: Agh! French bureaucracy and their paperwork! It really is crazy. I feel like they make it SO much more complicated here than it really needs to be!

Okay, now for the one word answer questions! :

Favorite French Author: Jacques Prévert

Favorite place to read in Paris: Home

Favorite Parisian bookstore: Shakespeare and Company

Favorite French city: Talmont-sur-Gironde

Most inspiring place in France (can be a city, a park, anything. . .): Dordogne Valley

Favorite French word: Tintinabuler

Favorite Parisian park: Buttes Chaumont

Baguettes are nice when crispy.

French men are nice when funny.

Favorite thing about book blogging: Interactivity

Well now, that was fun!!!! Thank you SO much, Charlotte, for having such a wonderful idea and providing such fun interview question answers!! :-) It's really been such a pleasure having you here at Brizmus Blogs Books today!

Now, if you haven't already, head on over to the Book on the Hill and check out her French Friday, where Charlotte will be hosting an interview with MOI! for her version of French Friday A Deux!

And note: I think I give a fairly negative impression of Paris in my interview, but I really have loved my time here, even if I'm not the HUGEST fan of LIVING in this city. It's still an amazing place!

A la prochaine!

Blog Tour Interview: Bill Walker, Author of Note from An Old Acquaintance

I am so excited to have been able to interview Bill Walker, the author of Note from An Old Acquaintance. I read an loved his book, so go check out my review, and then come back and enjoy this wonderful interview.


BBB: We'll start with the most important question first. What inspired you to become a writer?

BW: It was really the desire to extend and sustain the joy I experienced from reading. I noticed from an early age that I had a natural affinity for putting words together. It was math I couldn't handle ;-)

BBB: Oh no! I loved math! I actually have a masters. Lucky for us, though, your affinity was words. Now, how old were you when you wrote your first book?

BW: My first book--all 62 pages of it--was a pastiche entitled, The Adventures of Mouser, an episodic story about a boy with an intelligent mouse for a pet. I was nine years old and it was a slavish homage to a favorite book called, Ben and Me. The funny thing about my book is that an old friend borrowed it not long after I finished writing it. He ended up moving away before returning the book. To my great surprise he'd kept it, finally sending it back to me after nearly forty years, complete with its original hand-drawn cover. It was quite a trip down memory lane.

BBB: Wow! That must have been amazing to get the book back after so many years! I'm sure quite a few of us would be interested in reading that!

What kind of books do you most enjoy reading? And, more specifically, do you have a favorite book?

BW: I enjoy all kinds of books. For fiction, it's suspense/thrillers, horror, romance (just not the extremely formulaic type), mystery, alternate history, science fiction, really anything where the premise strikes a chord. I have a hard time enjoying what is commonly called "literary" fiction, however; because in my humble opinion, in a lot of these works, the authors seem to be trying so hard to be vague and trendy. I like books where things happen. For non-fiction, I enjoy biographies and history, especially those dealing with World War II.

As for which is my favorite book, I would have to say Jack Finney's Time and Again, the original time travel mystery/romance. I also think this book greatly influenced Richard Matheson in the writing of his classic, Somewhere in Time, which is a close second favorite of mine.

BBB: I completely agree with your comment about "literary" fiction authors trying to be vague and trendy. Sometimes it really irks me. I've never heard of either of your favorite books, though. I'll have to look into them.

I know some tragic things happen in the beginning of "A Note From An Old Acquaintance." Was this in any way based on real events from your life?

BW: I lived in Boston for nearly fifteen years, so that setting was a natural choice in that the spirit of that great city impressed itself on me at an early age. I needed a setting that spoke to me and would induce a nostalgic frame of mind and mood. To me, Boston is another character in the book. As for the human characters, and the incidents portrayed in the book, those sprang from my imagination. And fortunately, my wife and two sons are healthy and happy, for which I'm very thankful.

BBB: Glad to hear that all of your family is alive and well. :-)

How long did it take you to write "A Note From An Old Acquaintance?"

BW: I started writing it in May of 2005. I had the first draft completed in August of that year. What followed were years of re-examination and re-writing, punctuated by periods where I let it sit so I could try to clear my mind of any pre-conceived notions and biases. Once I felt I'd distanced myself from it long enough, I would come back to it again for a fresh look. I believe both the story and I needed that time to bring out the best in both of us. I truly admire these authors who can crank out high-quality books year after year, and I often wonder how many of them might have "help" in doing that. I do know, for instance, that Danielle Steele hires writers to work on her books. I don't ever want to have to get to that point, if I can help it. I love the process of writing, and sometimes you just can't rush it.

BBB: I agree that sometimes you really can't rush writing. It's nice to hear you so passionate about it. What kind of distractions do you need when you are writing? What kind of distractions do you do your best to avoid?

BW:I avoid ALL distractions when I'm writing, or at least ones I can control. I do take frequent breaks, especially if I'm stuck on a passage and need time to think. When that happens, I'll often simply pick up one of my guitars and play for a bit. That usually helps to break the logjam, and I can continue where I left off.

BBB: You're a musician, too! Very cool. Does this book have a soundtrack - music that you listened to that helped the writing process? Is there a general certain type of music that you listen to when you write?

BW: The book does indeed have a soundtrack, but it's all in my head. Some of the music is actually mentioned in the text, such as Boston's "More Than A Feeling," which to me is the ultimate lament to lost love. If this story were ever to make it to the screen, I believe that song would be perfect music for the beginning title sequence and opening scenes. Of course, affording the rights is another matter. As for listening to music when I write? I never do. When I write, I literally step out of this world and into the one I'm creating, living it and breathing it. Playing music would destroy that illusion completely.

BBB: Is Brian's experience as a writer anything like your experience as a writer? What's the same; what's different?

BW: I think we're similar in the way we write. I like to get up really early, too.

I'm freshest at that point in the day, although, like Brian, I will write any time inspiration strikes. The biggest difference between us is that Brian's career is HUGE. I certainly wouldn't mind having that kind of career, too, but certainly hope that I would possess his equanimity and his humility with regard to dealing with large crowds and the everyday burdens of fame.

BBB: Quick - describe yourself in 5 words!

BW: Honest, passionate, committed, incurable romantic.

BBB: You actually do sound quite a bit like Brian, when you describe yourself that way. What's up next?

BW: I do have a couple of projects on the backburner, but dislike talking about them in the formative stages. Call me superstitious ;-)

BBB: I know a lot of writers don't like to talk about their work before they're done. I completely understand. Now, one last question. At some point in the book, Joanna mentions to Brian that he should try to incorporate a love story into his writing, as the majority of readers are female. Did someone at some point in time give you this same advice? Is that partially how A Note from An Old Acquaintance came to be?

BW: I gleaned that bit of advice from articles I've read in Writer's Digest as well as anecdotally from agents and others in the trade over the years. I decided to give that bit of sage advice to Joanna as a way of showing that she is tuned in to Brian's true wants and needs, as well as his creative spirit. Part of my desire in writing this book was to portray two people who, besides any physical attraction, are also artistically attracted.

BBB: I just want to say a HUGE thanks to Bill for taking the time to answer my questions! It was such a pleasure! He'll be back at Brizmus Blogs Books next week with a guest post, so be sure to check that out! I know I'm looking forward to it!
I'd also like to say a big thanks to Tracee at Pump Up Your Book Promotions for making this tour happen!

GIVEAWAY!!!! + Interview: Susan Tepper, author of Deer

CONTEST CLOSED
Susan Tepper, author of Deer & Other Stories, was so kind as to take some time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions for me. In reviewed Deer here, earlier this week.

BBB: It seems to me you had quite a few jobs before turning to writing, and some of them sound pretty amazing - actor, singer, marketing manager, flight attendant, tour guide, interior decorater, rescue worker, television producer. Which one of your many jobs was your favorite?

ST: The funny thing is, I liked just about every job I was doing, so at that time that particular job seemed perfect and my favorite. But then wanderlust would kick in, or some life situation that required a change or a move, and I'd find myself in another career. Some things I sought out while others seemed to fall in my lap. While I was working as an interior decorator for a national furniture chain, a woman came into the store seeking decorating advice. It turned out she a principle in a cable tv station, and after working with me, she asked would I be interested in doing a daytime slot about interior design. So I produced that series of shows, about 20 of them. Acting was always my first love, but I kept drifting in and out of that because I needed an income. I worked as a flight attendant for TWA as a chance to escape a bad love affair and to see the world for free, and it was worth every second! Rescue worker was not my choice. While I worked for Northwest Airlines, there was a terrible crash in Detroit. Since I was part of airline management, they "recruited" me along with other managers to work at the crash site. At the time it was devastating, but in retrospect it was a blessing. Everyone who worked that crash seemed like an angel to me. It was a very holy place, and I'm still close with some of the others who worked the crash.

BBB: Wow! Sounds like you've had a lot of life experience! I guess this must be what makes your writing so amazing.
Did any of these jobs in particular inspire you to become a writer? Why did you finally turn towards writing in the end?

ST: I believe that all of life is a conspiracy to move us in a particular direction. The mystics think of it as "soul work." My curiousity led me to seek out many job experiences, all of which provide me with material for writing. Of course I didn't see that until I'd been writing for a while. At least a decade before I began, a psychic predicted I would become a prolific writer. At the time I was an actor and her prediction struck me as absurd. I had no interest at all. Except for one poem that had popped out of me rather spontaneously, I had no other real writing.

BBB: Soul work, huh? I like it!
The imageries in Deer are so vivid; it almost seems as if you lived through all of your stories personally. Which of the stories, if any, were based on personal experiences, and how so?

ST: Everything we write comes from what we have witnessed, dreamt, longed for, overheard, and even despised. We often write what is missing in our lives. There are snipets of my real life in every story, but usually not as the story is written. I tend to disguise my fiction in metaphor. This is not done intentionally. I find my own life kind of boring to write about. It doesn't interest me on the page. And because I write spontaneously, and never plot or outline, it just spills onto the page. I've been called an emotional writer, and I won't deny that. I can see how certain stories evolved based on what was going on with me at the time. But other than that, each story holds claim to its own life.

BBB: In one of my favorite stories in Deer, we go on a train ride with the Beatles. What kind of reasearch did you have to do, if any, to write this story? Did a lot of research go into the other stories as well?

ST: While flying for TWA, I had the chance to visit India. It fascinated me. I also have a close friend who lives in India, the writer Ramesh Avadhani. I did his interview for Cervena Barva Press a few years ago. Ramesh and I email a lot. So I guess India was on my brain when that story began. Also, I had just finished watching some old films about India during the British Colonial period which helped me to recreate the train. I don't really know how the Beatles got into it, I never was a big Beatles fan. I don't do much research, I tend to be lazy in that way. That's why I don't write much non-fiction.

BBB: Honestly, after reading the story, I am SHOCKED to hear that you don't like the Beatles.
Now I want you to tell us a little bit about your writing process.
Do you have any favorite places to write?
ST: Anywhere. Under just about any circumstances. Parts of my first novel were written while my staircase was being remodelled. Very noisy. I just kept typing.


BBB: What about must-haves for while you are writing?

ST: I like to take a break and go out during the day and meet a friend for coffee or lunch. Then I go back to writing. Sometimes I clean the place which inspires me. I heard Joyce Carol Oates speak when I was a student at New School, and she said that she got a lot of her ideas while vacuuming. That stuck with me. Very sensible. You get ideas and your place gets cleaner.

BBB: Awesome that you went to the New School. I used to walk by it all the time when I was living in New York City, attending NYU.

Were the stories in Deer written over an extended period of time? Were you originally planning them as a collection of short stories - I mean, did you write them all specifically to go together or did they just happen to all fit?

ST: The Deer stories were written over a 12 year period. There was no plan at the time, I was just cranking out all kinds of stories. Then Wilderness House Press, who had been publishing a number of them in their anthology, well Steve noticed the deer connection. I wasn't aware that so many deer had come into the stories! I also use other animals. I've got stories with birds, mice, dogs, you name it. So Steve suggested we do a collection of all my Deer stories. He lives on the Wilderness Retreat in northern Massachusetts, and the Deer is his mystical animal!
Cool, right?

BBB: That is, indeed, incredibly cool! Like it was meant to be. . .
What are your plans now? Can we expect a novel from you in the future?

ST: I've written 3 novels. The first one was shortlisted in a national contest sponsored by Zoetrope magazine, but my agent at that time couldn't get it published (I am currently without an agent). My second novel may come out by a small press, we're in the talking phase. But my 3rd and most current novel (my baby) I just completed last year. I would like to see it in print. It's making the publisher rounds but it's hard doing that yourself. I really need an agent to push for me.

BBB: I for one hope the novel makes it to print. Good luck finding an agent.
Now, one last question - is there anything that you'd like to say that I forgot to ask?

ST: Yes, I'd like to say "Thank You" for your excellent thoughtful questions, it was a pleasure!

No, thank you. The pleasure's all mine. :-) What a GREAT interview!

Susan was also so kind as to provide me with a copy of her book to give away to one of my lucky followers. And lucky indeed you will be, because this book is AWESOME!
Here's what you have to do to enter:
Follow my blog and leave a comment with your e-mail address. Yep, it's that easy! No follow, no entry! (unless you subscribe, just let me know)

CONTEST ENDS November 28, 2009 at 8 AM Paris time (that's 2 AM on the east coast)

Now for EXTRA ENTRIES!
+2 for old followers, just let me know
+8 if you post a relevant comment on my review here. By relevant I mean show that you've read it; don't just say "great review."
+8 if you make an interesting and relevant comment about the interview
+3 for checking out Susan Tepper's Amazon page and tell me something you learn
+2 for spreading the word through twitter or in your sidebar or wherever else you can think of (LEAVE LINKS! otherwise they won't count)
+5 for grabbing my blog button and posting it in your blog (leave a link!)
+5 for posting an actual blog entry about this (again, leave the link!)

That's for a whopping total of 33 entries! Awesome! Don't forget to leave your e-mail so I can contact you!

N.B.
1)This is not my 100 followers giveaway
2)If you replied to my poll, the extra points you received will go to my 100 followers giveaway; not this one!

My First Awards and an Interview Chez The Bookologist!

I don't know how, but I totally forgot to mention this before. On Tuesday, interviewed me as a new blogger in something she's doing called Tuesday's Chatter. You should go check it out!
Not just the interview, but also her blog. :-)
She has some great reviews, giveaways, and interviews happening!

Other than that, I was just awarded MY VERY FIRST AWARD from Gofita's Page!


Thanks Gofita!


This is the Honest Scrap award. It is for those bloggers who write from the heart. The rules are to pass it along to seven bloggers and then list 10 honest things about myself. Here are those deserving of this honor, bloggers who write from the heart and touch me because of it:

I'm just getting to know some of the other blogs out there, so this is going to be hard for me, but I'll do my best!

1.The Bookologist
2.Rhiannon Hart
3.Lenore from Presenting Lenore
4.Mary Anne Gruen from Starlight Blog
5.The Moody Teenager
6.Wdebo from The Electrical Book Cafe
7.Tales of Whimsy

Now for 10 honest things about me:
1.I sleep with a stuffed dog named Eva.
2.I hate Paris, France.
3.I much prefer baths to showers.
4.I HATE CIGARETTES (and think they should be illegal).
5.In my life, I have turned tons of people on to reading and somehow managed to convert most of them to veganism. YAY! :-)
6.I am a vegan, and it is very important to me.
7.I get sad if I go a day without chocolate.
8.I can count to 10 in at least 10 languages.
9.I have always wanted a collection but could never stay obesessed long enough with anything other than books (or stuffed animals, I guess) to be able to form one.
10.I am ridiculously life-changingly afraid of death (I sort of stole this one from Gofita).

Okay, hopefully that was slightly interesting.

Gofita's Pages also passed along to me the Super Commenter Award, which I am particularly excited about!



I love comments!!!! And I love commenting.
I would like to pass this award along to
Spiggy, who unfortunately does not have a blog but has been following mine from the beginning. Without her support, I really think I would have given up a while ago. :-)
Also, I think everyone who has ever commented in my blog is deserving of this award. So thanks everyone!

Up later today:Review of Maureen Johnson's "13 Little Blue Envelopes"