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Infrequently
Asked Questions
What are your
inspirations?
Early on, it was
50's social science fiction. A Sound of Thunder
by Ray Bradbury was a big trigger. In 6th grade,
I read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams and started getting into comical
satire. Later on, I started reading Terry
Pratchett's Discworld series, which has
helped evolve my sense of humor.
Where do you
get your ideas?
Classic question. Arthur Miller who said, "If I knew where my
ideas came from, I would go there more often."
Sometimes I don't
even know where my ideas come from. A lot of them
start as dreams--Riff, for example. Song lyrics are
another big one. But anything goes when it comes to
inspiration.
What do you do
about writers block?
If I've got
writer's block, I'm probably bored with what I've
written. I don't have any regrets about deleting
whole sections and starting over. Murder your
darlings! Sometimes I find talking it out with
someone else helps even if they can't offer any
advice. Stream of consciousness writing helps a lot
too.
What genre do
you write?
Generally?
Fantasy, but that can mean anything. Science fiction
is a type of fantasy. I've done social science
fiction, space travel, time travel, cloning, the
works. I also do some satire fantasy like Bowling
Shoes and Murder. That's the stuff with vampires
and robots. And then I do urban fantasies like
Haven or modern fantasies like Riff. The
only thing I don't do is dragons and elves and all
that. I have tried to dip a toe into the pool of
horror. I've even written some non-fiction, which is
a genre I promised I'd never do, so anything is
possible. A bit of a
dilettante, I suppose.
How long have
you been writing?
Forever,
basically. I was making up stories before I could
write my name. I narrated into a video camera or
drew pictures to get the point across.
Do you know
where the story is going when you start?
Usually no. Some
people like to plot out the story from beginning to
end, and I'm doing that with Riff because it's so
complex, but I like to find out what's happening as
it goes, just like the reader.
Have you been
published?
I haven't been
published, but I'm looking to. I'm actually
currently seeking a literary agent, so if you know
anyone, let me know.
Do you share
your work or keep it to yourself?
I'm always happy
to share my work with interested people. I like to
get feedback too. I'm in a writers group when I'm in
town where we all critique each other's work. That
helps me develop my skills more than any academic
setting.
Do you ever
send your stories to magazines or contests?
I do
occasionally. I've won first place and an honorable
mention at the Whitewater Creative Writing Festival.
Also, when I was in fifth grade, I won a writing
contest through Scholastic Books for Animorphs. I
got a cool t-shirt.
If you could
time travel, where would you go?
First I think I
would go to the late 1830s and hang out with Henry
David Thoreau for a while. After that, I'd go to all
sorts of times and make the coolest movie ever with
lots of cameos of dead actors of all ages not to
mention real dinosaurs and all that. Oh, and the
future might be nice to stop by too.
What's your
favorite personification of Death?
I have three.
Terry Pratchett's Death is a pensive grim reaper
with a hood and scythe. The grim reapers of Dead
Like Me are like you and me. But dead. Mark Zusak's
Death is haunted by humans.
What are a few
of your favorite things?
I love
performances, particularly live music and the
theatre. I like "London tea" and chai tea. I wear
hats, but not baseball caps. And Chuckies too. I like London and Venice
quite a lot. I'm an animal lover, particularly with goats and Frisket (my dog).
The color orange is another biggie.
What are some things you've
done? I
studied in London, rode a gondola, been in the
Coliseum, been to the top of the Eiffel Tower, got
lost in Paris, seen the Tower of Pisa, had a Belgian
waffle (in Belgium), seen the Mona Lisa, stood on
the Spanish Steps, been inside Notre Dame, seen the
changing of the guard (twice), rode the London Eye
(twice), kissed the Blarney Stone, seen Stonehenge,
been to the Roman Baths, swam in the ocean, touched
a beached shark, touched a 1500 year old tree,
toured a haunted prison, seen wild dolphins, pet a
dolphin (in captivity), held Jimi Hendrix's guitar,
crossed Abbey Road (twice), road on the Formula One
track, saw the Pope on Easter. |
