The Book Stacks

Well, apparently I’ve been tagged in an ongoing meme, by JM over at Fiction Scribe. JM has asked that I post 7 random facts about me. In an effort to keep this post on-topic, I will attempt to make that 7 vaguely Book-related facts. Hmmmm. Well, here goes…

1. My Favorite book is Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key.

2. I have never yet finished writing a novel, but I have a couple that I’ve begun.

3. I write poetry. I even have one titled “Heirloom Tools.”

4. My first story was called “My Favorite Characters Meet.”

5. The single most driving factor behind my desire to be a published author is a guy in 7th Grade who said I would never be a writer. I plan to dedicate my first book to him.

6. I am a librarian, like my parents before me.

7. I have never read the Da Vinci Code.

Well, there you go, JM. I hope that’s what you were looking for.

I Tag:
The Folks at Book Chronicle
Catslyn at SCA Life
The Folks at Silliness.org
Juli over at Juli’s Cinema Spot
Mallory over at Mallory in the Middle
Bess from Tea and Complexity
DaveP at Pop Buzz UK

The rules:

Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to then report this on their own blog with their 7 things as well as these rules. They then need to tag 7 others and list their names on their blog. They are also asked to leave a comment for each of the tagged, letting them know they have been tagged and to read the blog.

Dr. Gillian Polack is a writer, historian, and mighty fine cook. You may learn more about her love of food history over at her Food History blog. Recently, she kindly allowed The Book Stacks to interview her, and here is the result.

Thank you for taking time to talk with me, Dr. Polack!

You’re welcome (though I have to admit, I don’t often answer to ‘Dr Polack.’ The writer-me is ‘Gillian.’)

1. How did you get started as a writer?

I have written stories inside my head from the moment I was old enough to read. When I read “The Little Princess”, I realized I wanted to tell other people those stories, too, and that I wanted to write them down. This led to me deciding at the advanced age of eight that I would have to make sure I got a day-job, because I couldn’t see myself making a living telling stories.

2. What sort of books have you written?

Novels, although the history-me has books lurking, too. Only one has been published to date (Illuminations, Trivium Publishing - buyable at all good online bookshops and just a few select non-online ones). Illuminations is half adventure fantasy and half women’s fiction and (alas) my sense of humour sneaks in from time to time.

3. What genre of book have you always wanted to write (but have yet to write)?

I’m writing the genre I always wanted to write. I love writing about women and what they think and what happens to their lives when magic enters it. I suspect that I want to write less seriously - everyone expects me to be serious because I’m an historian, but the truth will out, and the truth is that I’m not so serious a person.

4. What’s your favorite thing about writing?

The characters. I love it that interesting people let me inhabit their worlds for a few months or a couple of years and give me insights into their lives. It’s like making hosts of new friends. When they’re annoying, it’s in the same way that a good friend is annoying: I just have to laugh and accept it.

5. What’s your least favorite thing about writing?

Find a publisher or agent. I don’t mind being published, but I hate the process of seeking approval.

6. Where do you get your ideas?

From living?
Seriously, everything I do informs my fiction. I got mad about medical testing and how my then-doctor handled women’s hormonal issues, so I wrote an SF short story about it. Since I was small, I’ve had a sense of watching myself live and of analysing everything that happens and everything that everyone says or does (to the great annoyance of my sisters) and it was writing fiction that taught me why I was doing that.

7. Do you like to use an outline or do you prefer to just write?

I do both. Sometimes I need an outline, and sometimes I find that I have everything complete in my mind and can just write.

8. How do you deal with writer’s block?

For me, writer’s block generally means that I’m not seeing something I need to see with my fiction. An important event has to happen, or a character needs to have an epiphany. I go away and do other things or work on something else until my mind has had a chance to get to work and find out what the problem is and how I’m going to solve it. One of my favourite
ways of letting my mind work away at things is to cook.

9. Who are your favorite authors and why?

I always have a name ready, because people ask me this question a lot. The name right now is Ursula le Guin. Last year it was Cordwainer Smith. The year before that it was Aphra Behn. The truth is that my favourite authors are many and varied. Each of them has taught me something about myself, or the world, or about writing, or about humanity. The very best writers do all of this and entertain at the same time.

10. What advice would you give aspiring authors?

Don’t tell everyone you want to write. Sit down and write. Read and read and read. Then sit down and write some more. Learn how to edit. Then sit down and write some more, and edit what you write. Don’t dream of making millions - write the very best book you can. Then learn some more about writing and write something even better.

Dr. Gillian Polack, Food History, Illuminations, Ursula le Guin, Cordwainer Smith, Aphra Behn

An Interview with Debbie Viguié

In this four part series we will be talking with author Debbie Viguié about her life as a professional writer.

(Continued from last Monday)

Elisa: Do you feel that any particular author influenced your work?

Debbie: Obviously Zane Grey. I strive to put that much passion into all of my work. My definition of the hero archetype comes from him. I read Zane Grey at a crucial time in my life. I was around 12 years old and he helped form a lot of my views about writing, the structure of stories and the nature of relationships.

Elisa: Okay, last one. I’m sure that everyone asks this one. What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Debbie: Keep writing. Don’t spend all of your time working on that one book. Write different things. Grow a thick skin, you’ll need it. Embrace your rejection letters. You have to make a commitment to this kind of work. If you commit a lot of time or money it makes you more obligated to move forward with your dream. I went to the Maui Writer’s Conference, and that was really expensive. So, I felt obligated to follow through. Step out of your comfort zone. Ask yourself if you are serious about this. Be careful what you ask for, as the universe will listen to you.

If you are serious about your writing, make that commitment, and treat it seriously. Put the same effort into looking for writing work that you would put into any job search.

Elisa: Thanks Debbie, that was great!

Debbie: It was my pleasure, Elisa. Keep up the good work!

… The End …

Debbie Viguié

An Interview with Debbie Viguié

In this four part series we will be talking with author Debbie Viguié about her life as a professional writer.

(Continued from last Monday)

Elisa: Do you like to use an outline or do you prefer to just write?

Debbie: I prefer to just write. However, when it comes to writer’s block outlines are really helpful. You know where you are supposed to be going, then. To just write is better for me. Unfortunately that is not always the writer’s decision as oftentimes editors want an outline.

Elisa: How do you deal with writer’s block?

Debbie: Well, you can try to force your way forward. If you have an outline, then you can jump ahead to another scene that will be easier. Otherwise, try writing something completely different. Listen to some music. Get out of the house. Go see a film. For me, if all else fails, I put in the first disc of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (extended edition) on an endless loop. It’s very soothing for me, and somehow it taps right into my creative side. You see, there are movies I can do housework to, and there are movies I can write to. There are very few films that function both ways for me. Clue is one of the best ones for housework but I can’t write to it.

Elisa: What kind of book have you always wanted to write?

Debbie: Oh, everything, but most especially a western.

Elisa: Who are your favorite authors and why?

Debbie: Zane Grey is my favorite author. Every book he wrote had a romance in it. Sometimes it was a romance between man and nature or boys and sports. Other times, it was a romance between a man and a woman. Even though he was writing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he wrote a woman’s point of view really well. Another element he used in his writing was to tell the same scene twice, once from each side. He’d tell it all from “his” point of view, and then turn around and replay the same scene from “her” point of view. You could see how each person interpreted and misinterpreted the events and motives of the other. He was also great with imagery and his writing had intensity to it. One thing you have to remember about Zane Grey’s books. Every once in a while the story ended badly, so you were never quite sure if this one would turn out alright. Also, he kills you with his openers.

Jim Kjelgaard and Jack London wrote animal stories. Jim Kjelgaard wrote “Snow Dog” (which I’ve read over 400 times) and “Haunt Fox” (which I’ve read over 80 times). They were from the animal’s point of view. “Snow Dog” was about the love between a man and a dog. “Haunt Fox” was the story of an adversarial relationship between a hunter and the hunted. It’s about an animal trapper and a fox and their bond. The fox gets smarter and the boy gets older, and eventually the boy has to choose between renown and the continuation of that bond. Jack London’s “Call of the Wild” is also written from the animal’s point of view and explores the relationship between man and dog. He also writes great stories about life at sea.

I love Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” It’s a bizarre story told from many points of view. Stylistically, it’s very different from anything else.

I like J. K. Rowling, too, but I like the later Harry Potter books better than the earlier ones.

…Part 4 to follow next week….

Debbie Viguié

An Interview with Debbie Viguié

In this four part series we will be talking with author Debbie Viguié about her life as a professional writer.

(Continued from last Monday)

Elisa: What’s your favorite thing about being a professional author?

Debbie: Actually, I have two favorite things. I like walking into a book store and seeing my new book on the shelf. I also love getting positive feedback from fans. Fan mail and positive interactions in person are just great.

Elisa: Okay, what is your least favorite thing about being a professional author?

Debbie: I hate the isolation. You end up spending too much time by yourself. You pretty much end up going to the grocery store just to get human contact. It’s not like you can go have lunch with a co-worker. My agent and editors are a couple of time-zones away from me.

Elisa: Where do you get your ideas and how do you flesh them out?

Debbie: I get my ideas from anything and everything. I replay real events in my head and I ask myself what would have happened if I had done *that* instead. Sometimes I just think that something is cool. Like with “Scarlet Moon.” I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to re-write Little Red Riding Hood. I like wolves and werewolves. Why not make the wolf a werewolf? Sometimes a song lyric will inspire a thought or I will just think of a great first line.

Fleshing the ideas out could be simple if the thought is complete enough, or difficult if all I get is the first line. Usually I start with an opener and a closer, and filling in the middle is the hard part.

…Part 3 to follow next week….

Debbie Viguié

An Interview with Debbie Viguié

In this four part series we will be talking with author Debbie Viguié about her life as a professional writer.

Elisa: Debbie, thank you for taking the time to talk to me this evening.

Debbie: No Problem.

Elisa: Okay then, let’s get right to the questions. How did you get started as a writer?

Debbie: Well, really I started writing when I was very young. I wrote poetry, short stories, etc. In elementary school I had a teacher that loved creative writing assignments. My parents still talk about my story called My Life as a Piece of Chewing Gum. They say that they really knew I was going to be a writer when they read that story. In elementary school I won the D.A.R. award for a paper I wrote about Ben Franklin from his wife Deborah Franklin’s point of view. Also in elementary school, I used to make up stories about my Breyer horses. I hope to publish those one day as children’s stories. I even tried to have one of my stories published when I was in elementary school. I submitted to Highlights magazine, but it was rejected for being too gory. Given that I read books that were written more for adults and that in first grade, my favorite book was Jack London’s Call of the Wild, maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised.

(more…)

Debbie Viguié