Interview with the author of "Dambuster" Susan Ottaway

On Writing had the chance to talk with author Susan Ottaway 

What inspired you to start writing?

We always had lots of books in our family home and were encouraged to read. I was fascinated with those about the Second World War and read many belonging to my father, one of which was called Enemy Coast Ahead and was by a young pilot called Guy Gibson. It told of his time in the Royal Air Force, the raids in which he took part and the people he met. I really enjoyed it and he became my childhood hero. I was distraught when I discovered that he had been killed returning from a raid over Germany just a month after his twenty-sixth birthday. When I searched for more information about him I discovered that, apart from his role as leader of what became known as the Dambusters’ Raid, there was very little to be found. Eventually I gave up looking but many years later decided that I would research and write a book about him myself.

What is your favourite genre to write? Why?

I only write non-fiction books and my favourite subjects are twentieth-century history and aviation. I think these were my favourites because I grew up hearing stories about the two world wars from my grandparents and parents and because my father was an aircraft engineer. I worked for airlines for twenty years and have never lost my love of aviation.  I am now concentrating on telling the stories of some of the agents of the Special Operations Executive during the Second World War.

What does your writing process look like? Did it take you a while to develop?

When I first started writing I really had no idea how to go about it. I had already signed a contract with a publisher before a single word had been written. His confidence in me came from the enthusiasm I had for the subject but, more importantly, from the support I had received from aviation author, Chaz Bowyer, who had also been published by the same company. I remember lying awake at night full of anxiety about my ability to write at all and for several weeks after receiving the contract still hadn’t managed to get a single word on paper. Then, in the middle of one of these sleepless nights, I thought of an opening sentence, leapt out of bed and typed it on my ancient computer. Even though those first few words were eventually discarded, they helped me to get the book started. For the past few years, I have had a brilliant agent, Andrew Lownie, who makes me write proper proposals which I usually have to revise several times before he is satisfied.  Although they require a lot of work to get right, they make the actual writing process so much easier.

Do you take criticism hard or do you have a thick skin? Have you ever received criticisms that you felt were unjustified or too harsh? Are you your worst critic?

Many of the subjects about which I write have had their official records closed until recently and some people aren’t willing to have their long-held beliefs about a person or event dispelled by my work. This sort of criticism used to bother me but now it doesn’t, because I always research my subjects thoroughly and, wherever possible, check facts from more than one source so, if people don’t want to believe the truth, there is not a lot I can do about it.  I have been fortunate to have received more good reviews than bad and understand that ‘you can’t please all the people all of the time’ so am not too upset if a few people don’t like what I have written.

How do you keep motivated to finish a writing project?

Knowing the date that the typescript has to be with the publisher usually keeps me quite focused.

If I find it impossible to write anything worth reading on a particular day, I go and do something else and usually find that I’m back on track the following day. It helps to have written a proposal at the start because it shows the direction I want the book to go. The first half of the book is the most worrying time as there is still so much to do but I’m always surprised how the second half just seems to fall into place.

What do you wish people knew about life as an author?

It’s hard work, the hours can be very long, it can be quite lonely and very few authors earn a fortune for their efforts. It’s also difficult to have a satisfactory social life when you have tight deadlines.  On the other hand, when all the work is finished and you see your book in print for the first time, it is magic. 

To learn more about Susan Ottaway, click here. 

To purchase "Dambbuster; The Life of Guy Gibson VC" click here. 

Character interview with J.D. from "Drip"

On Writing were able to interview J.D. from the novel 'Drip'

"A hand wearing a fancy watch parted the office blinds, and J.D. felt nauseous with despair: suddenly he knew—even though he could not explain how—that all of his mojo had been permanently taken away."

J.D. and George: thick as thieves since the fourth grade. J.D., the troublemaker, the stud: the alpha. George, the sidekick, the misfit: the loser. Upon graduating college, J.D. has convinced the only job creator in rusty Middlestop to hire them. BrewCorp, the hot new coffee and retail chain, is offering a vice presidency to the employee with the boldest plan for growth, and J.D. is determined to be the guy. When not sleeping with co-workers, he hatches his pitch for a one-of-a kind data pipeline. He is unbeatable--until George grabs the promotion. Now J.D. wants answers. His quest to find them—and to deal with the monstrous truth—is the subject of indie filmmaker Andrew Montlack's wry debut novel, which features the same biting satire that made his mockumentary, The Devil's Filmmaker, a cult classic.

Tell us a little about yourself? Where do you come from?

I come from the planet Krypton; I was sent here to rock your world (laughs).  Ok, ok.  I’m from Middlestop—born and raised.  I’ll be with BrewCorp for a year, year-and-a-half, get my promotion, then I’m gone.  I’m already having drinks with headhunters.  Figure one to two years in a Boston or New York financial house, then off to Dubai.  And I will rock your world.

Tell us a little about your home, what are your feelings towards home?

Boring.  Next.

What motivates you along your journey?

Ascension.  Next.

How do you see yourself/ how do you see yourself in relation to the rest of the world?

You sound like a guidance counselor.  You know what?  I don’t feel I have to do good works and starve; the world was in trouble before I got here and it will still be in trouble when I leave.  Maybe if people focused on where they wanted to get to instead of whining about where they were stuck, the world would improve.  Ever think about that?  Carry on.

What is most important to you in this world?

I believe I’ve answered that question already.

What characteristics do you consider important in a person? What kind of people do you try to surround yourself with?

Are you asking me if I have friends?  Yes, I have friends.  You’ve met George, right?  Well he’s my right-hand man—ever since the fourth grade.  There’s nothing George wouldn’t do for me.  I can’t tell you how many times I lit off a pipe bomb in the bike rack in front of the school and George took the heat.  He’s never turned me in.  Not once.  Now, you’re talking buddies?  Or you’re talking girlfriends?  ‘Cause I am currently sleeping with three—count them—three hotties from the same department.  The temptation is to keep each one secret, right?  Wrong.  You play them off one another, then you don’t need to keep track of what you said to whom and they try extra hard to hold your interest.  You know the thing about a slap?  It doesn’t scar.

What do you see for yourself in the future? Where will you be? What kind of person do you want to become?

So here’s the thing: I actually have a geek side.  That’s why I’m not going to let my engineering degree go to waste for more than a couple of years.  I think the world seriously can be made better; there are incredible technologies just over the horizon—faster-than-light travel, next-generation robotics, global smart grids, terraforming.  But it means focus; it means letting nothing get in your way—not your boss, not your pets, not your…not your mom…and not your friends.

To learn more about Andrew Montlack, click here. 

To purchase 'Drip' click here. 

Interview with author of "Spellcaster" George Bachman

On Writing had the chance to interview author George Bachman about his writing process and all the things that go along with writing a book like Spellcaster

In a turn-of-the century England steeped in steampunk and magic, Christine learns her life-threatening illness stems from her paranormal visions. During the London Season, Allie, her beloved sister and the family heir, seeks a noble match while she searches the occult underground for answers. But the only witch who can help will not do so unless Allie marries her beau, an impoverished aristocrat, so that the illicit pair can share Allie's wealth.

What inspired you to start writing?

-                All the books I’ve read since I could read. I wanted to do what my heroes do, and my heroes       have always been writers.

When did you complete your first piece of writing? What was it? How was that process?

-                Grade school. It was supposed to be an essay assignment on Moses and the burning bush,           but somehow it ended up being a very florid retelling of that story. Fortunately, my teacher         liked it and gave it a high mark, though he warned me to stick to the brief next time.

What is your favourite genre to write? Why?

-               Fantasy. It has the fewest rules and encompasses everything from M.R. James restrained            stories and Peake’s Dickensian fantastique to David Lindsay’s total immersion in a world            completely of his own invention.

      What kinds of sources do you take inspiration from?

-               Nonfiction seems to send me off into flights of fancy, oddly enough. Music does the same.            And fiction of every genre. A recent trip to the Cloisters set off a dozen story ideas in my            head. It might be easier to enumerate the things that don’t inspire me.

Do you model characters after real people?

-               Never. This or that person’s traits may find their way in, but never whole persons.

What does your writing process look like? Did it take you a while to develop?

-               It took a while for me to not overthink it, but otherwise the process emerged right away. My      next story bubbles up over the others, and that is the same as my increasing desire to do it.          Just two different ways to say the same thing. Once it does, it starts to organize itself into an      outline I eventually write down when it’s settled down a bit. Each subsequent draft of the            outline yields greater detail until it eventually becomes the text itself, which I refine the way        you would do any manuscript draft, until it is done.

What does you editing process look like? Do you allow others to read your writing?

-              Editing is simply the last process of refinement, getting out the dross until I can read a story        all the way through with pleasure. My only external editors weed out any stray punctuation        and spelling anomalies that slipped through even this final filtering.

Do you take criticism hard or do you have a thick skin? Have you ever received criticisms that you felt were unjustified or too harsh? Are you your worst critic?

-               If the criticism convinces me of something I’ve overlooked and the critic is in sympathy with      a story’s basic aim, then no, I never take it hard, though I may feel a bit embarrassed at not        catching the flaw myself. If a critique chastises the story for not being something it isn’t              meant to be, the words simply roll off my duck’s back. I am at once my own harshest and            most sympathetic critic.

Have you ever felt like quitting writing? If so how did you overcome those feelings?

-               No, never.

Do you have favourite characters from your own writing? What made them so special to you?

-               Christine from Spellcaster amazes me with her warmth, determination, occult book                      knowledge, and self-effacement.

How do you keep motivated to finish a writing project?

-               Anticipating my own satisfaction is usually enough, and the hope of a reader, any reader out      there, whom a story may touch in solitude.

Have you ever written something you didn’t like, but felt necessary for the overall story?

-                No any element that doesn’t give me as much pleasure as the whole does not make the final        cut.

Is there any question you are tired of getting as an author?

-                I haven’t gotten enough of them yet to get tired of any one.

What do you wish people knew about life as an author?

-                I would rather they focus on the stories and regard me as invisible.

What would be your advice for aspiring authors?

-               Read, write, read, read, read, write

Is there anything you wish you knew before you became an author?

-                I’m still finding that out.

    To learn more about the author click here. 

    To purchase the book click here.

Interview with author of "Grains of Truth" Elizabeth Ferry-Perata

On Writing had the pleasure of interviewing Elizabeth Ferry-Perata about her experiences writing

What are the lies we tell ourselves to stay sane?

In the world of a Texas feed store, the line between reality and truth blurs when love and friendship are at stake. Meet Sarah and Zoe, two best friends who work in a family-owned feed store. Their lives begin to unravel when love sparks between Sarah and the feed store owner’s only heir, Tom. Patriarch Otis quickly makes it known that his only son’s future won’t include the feed store “girl”. The clash over Tom’s love life erupts in a family feud where business is expected to trump love. In the meantime, a romance also ignites between Zoe and the local town physician whom she nicknames “Dr. Sex on Two Legs”. The women are quickly caught up in a family feud that leads to unexpected consequences, loss and tragedy.

Grains of Truth is an intense, emotional and passion-filled story about two best friends looking for that one thing everyone wants — love. It’s a story about friendship and accepting what you can’t change. Grains of Truth will move you to tears and leave you astonished. It’s a must-read story with an unexpected twist.

What inspired you to start writing?

I always had one eye on my children and one eye on my career. I worked a typical Monday through Friday 45+ hours a week job. I was well respected in my field and still am. But, funding got cut one year and I was one of the unfortunate people to get laid off. It was devastating because I thought what I am going to do? However, I had this opportunity to do something that has always been on my “bucket list”. I had the opportunity to write. As I began to spend time with my children, this idea formed into my head, so I began to write it down. Then I began to write every day.

When did you complete your first piece of writing? What was it? How was that process?

My debut novel, Grains of Truth, just got completed this year, July 30^th, 2017 to be exact. My book was a labor of love. Blood, sweat and tears went into this project. At first, I thought the story was going to be a basic story about boy and girl who meet, fall in love, and live happily ever after. However, as I got into the story, I realized that I wanted to write something that will intrigue readers and get them to think about how they would deal with certain situations if they were faced with them. When I made the characters, I derived them from real-world people and situations. Thus, Grains of Truths happened.

For me the process took 2 years. However, there were some personal bumps and obstacles along the way that hindered the release date. However, with much perseverance, I was able to accomplish this great task of writing my debut novel. I worked closely with my book coach/publisher who was my advocate and helped me develop the story and make my dream into a reality. By blocking off days on the calendar that were just devoted to writing, it helped me stay on task along with meeting my book coach once a month.

What is your favourite genre to write? Why?

My favourite genre to write is contemporary romance/drama. For me as an author I want to create stories where people escape from the hustle and bustle of life and fall in love with characters and places. I want the readers to feel alive emotionally and tell others about their experience after experiencing my stories. I enjoy telling my stories, and I get to spend time with my “families”. I feel like I have the best of both worlds.

Do you model characters after real people?

I do model my characters after real people. I find that many people carry traits that are relatable for others. When I wrote, Grains of Truth, one of my main characters, Sarah was a hybrid between two of my really good friends. I took some of their characteristics and made one character in which others were able to relate to that character. They enjoyed her sassy ways and the way that she just tells it how it is. When people learned about Sarah, they laughed because it was someone that they knew. Now, I didn’t ask if was them or not, but I loved hearing how relatable she was for the readers.

                

When I meet people, I get inspired because I love people watching. I find that it helps bring the readers closer to the story and they feel like they are in the story and meeting my characters as if they were actual people.

-        Do you have favourite characters from your own writing? What made them so special to you?

To me every character is my favorite because this is my baby – my first book, and a labor of love. But, if I think more deeply, Sarah and Zoe are my two favorite characters. I see parts of Zoe in me. She loves her family, and is driven and very focused. For Sarah, it is how she looks at things and tells you how it is.

To learn more about the author Elizabeth Ferry-Perata, click here. 

To purchase her book "Grains of Truth" click here. 

Review for "A Slice of Quietude" by Sharon Cho

Review for “A Slice of Quietude” by Sharon Cho

“A Slice of Quietude” is what I consider to be a pretty unique book. Cho made it clear in the beginning blurb of her book that this is for people like her, especially young people who are LGBTQ who are woefully underrepresented in literature. In this fantasy world guilds are very important, and the assassin’s guild, called Slicers, are some of the most feared for their abilities. Kat is one of the most renowned Slicers and her latest job puts her in direct contact with Tristien, a fallen member of a God cult who is as scarred on the inside as she is on the outside. The attraction is instant, and causes a whole host of problems for the motley crew they form.

I want to be clear, this book involves lesbian relationships, and that was incredibly refreshing to see. The various lesbian relationships the reader encounters are so normal and realistic and portrayed to exhibit the variety of relationships that exist in the world, and its something that is sorely needed. While I didn’t have the struggle of having nothing in media to look up to and represented me, I can totally understand how a young LGBTQ person would struggle to find media content that represented them, and that related to their experiences. So, I must give big kudos to Cho for filling that deficiency. The main group we see in this book is the definition of ‘mixed bag.’ We have a bard, a warrior, a healer and an assassin, again reminding me of a Dungeons and Dragons game cast. The backgrounds of our hero’s, in particular Kat and Tristien, has such potential and is amazingly well developed. The way Cho dishes out Tristien’s history was masterful, and the snippets we know so far of Kat left me excited to learn more, and even more excited for Tristien to hear about it.

Having said that the story borrowed heavily from most fantasy genres centered around Dungeons and Dragons-style worlds, and besides the elements of Lesbian relationships didn’t really push any other boundaries. Sometimes the story line didn’t make sense, and the situation with Kat and Tristien beyond their feelings for one another was unclear, and unspoken among the group, which made me feel like there was an understanding there that the reader was supposed to get, but which I couldn’t.

But as much as there were things left unspoken, the cliffhanger ending simultaneously left me frustrated and elated; frustrated that I couldn’t find out more about Kat and Tristien’s story, but happy that Cho chose a bold way to end this book. Don’t worry readers, Cho has made this into a series so there promises to be more adventure to come. 

To learn more about the author, Sharon Cho, click here. 

To purchase "A Slice of Quietude" click here. 

Character interview with Zoe from "Grains of Truth"

On Writing interviews Zoe from "Grains of Truth" to gain a little truth ourselves. 

What are the lies we tell ourselves to stay sane?

In the world of a Texas feed store, the line between reality and truth blurs when love and friendship are at stake. Meet Sarah and Zoe, two best friends who work in a family-owned feed store. Their lives begin to unravel when love sparks between Sarah and the feed store owner’s only heir, Tom. Patriarch Otis quickly makes it known that his only son’s future won’t include the feed store “girl”. The clash over Tom’s love life erupts in a family feud where business is expected to trump love. In the meantime, a romance also ignites between Zoe and the local town physician whom she nicknames “Dr. Sex on Two Legs”. The women are quickly caught up in a family feud that leads to unexpected consequences, loss and tragedy.

Grains of Truth is an intense, emotional and passion-filled story about two best friends looking for that one thing everyone wants — love. It’s a story about friendship and accepting what you can’t change. Grains of Truth will move you to tears and leave you astonished. It’s a must-read story with an unexpected twist.

Tell us a little about yourself? Where do you come from?

My name is Zoe. I am a single mother of an active son named Derek. We live in a small, 2 bedroom home, where we enjoy eating pizza, watching movies and spending time in the yard. Derek is my little man. I work as a bookkeeper for Otis’s feed store. I enjoy my job because of my friendships with that I have established with Tom and Sarah.

Tell us a little about your home, what are your feelings towards home?

As I stated earlier, my home is small but very comfortable. My son and I have taken pride in the yards and enjoy spending time outside as well. We love watching nature. One thing that we love to do is laugh. Laugh at each other, but also with each other. Family is one of my firm values.

What motivates you along your journey?

My son Derek is what motivates me along my journey. My son gives me so much joy. I enjoy watching him play sports, but also seeing him interact with his friends. I strive to make sure that he and I are taken care of and we have a place to call home. It is not uncommon for our home to be extended to our friends especially to my best friend Sarah. After work, we will drink wine and eat pizza, while watching Derek build Legos or run around outside.

How do you see yourself/ how do you see yourself in relation to the rest of the world?

I see myself as someone that loves her family, and is driven and very focused.

What is most important to you in this world?

My son Derek is the most important thing to me. But, also my friendships with Sarah and Tom. We have really been through a lot of we have learned to share with each other o ur struggles. To me this has helped me be a stronger person both as a friend and a mother.

What characteristics do you consider important in a person? What kind of people do you try to surround yourself with?

For me loyalty is what is very important characteristic. I think that when we make friends we really put ourselves out there and yes we can get hurt, but we need to learn that we can trust others to support us when we need them the most.

What do you see for yourself in the future? Where will you be? What kind of person do you want to become?

I want to be a person that is loved by my friends and to be remembered both as a excellent mother, but also as a great friend. I am hoping to see where my personal relationships go, especially with Luke and we shall we what happens…

To learn more about the author Elizabeth Ferry-Perata, click here. 

To purchase her book "Grains of Truth" click here. 

Interview with the author of "Drip" Andrew Montlack

Lilaina from on Writing had the opportunity to discuss all the lovely things about writing with Andrew Montlack, author of "Drip"

"A hand wearing a fancy watch parted the office blinds, and J.D. felt nauseous with despair: suddenly he knew—even though he could not explain how—that all of his mojo had been permanently taken away."

J.D. and George: thick as thieves since the fourth grade. J.D., the troublemaker, the stud: the alpha. George, the sidekick, the misfit: the loser. Upon graduating college, J.D. has convinced the only job creator in rusty Middlestop to hire them. BrewCorp, the hot new coffee and retail chain, is offering a vice presidency to the employee with the boldest plan for growth, and J.D. is determined to be the guy. When not sleeping with co-workers, he hatches his pitch for a one-of-a kind data pipeline. He is unbeatable--until George grabs the promotion. Now J.D. wants answers. His quest to find them—and to deal with the monstrous truth—is the subject of indie filmmaker Andrew Montlack's wry debut novel, which features the same biting satire that made his mockumentary, The Devil's Filmmaker, a cult classic.

What inspired you to start writing?

It wasn’t a single What, it was a group of Who’s.  My grandmother, who wrote children’s short stories and musical lyrics—she also composed and played the piano—read to my sister and me all the time.  My mom and dad read to us also.  My grandmother had music and prose in her bones, and that informed what I—at age 5, 6, 7, 8—fell in love with about life and the world.  Also, like a lot of kids, I was also falling in love with certain movies that were on TV regularly in the 70’s—The Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory—and my grandmother and parents were reading me the original novels, especially when my sister and I were home sick with a strep throat and wanting comfort; I would be listening through a fever daze, thinking about the differences between what was on the page and what I remembered on the screen (e.g. Veruca Salt’s meeting her fate in a room full of squirrels versus a room full of golden-egg-laying geese).  This wondering about which version was more authentic got my young brain started on the problem of storytelling.  The other Who was a great children’s playwright named Aurand Harris, who visited my elementary school when I was in the fourth grade and ran a dramatic writing workshop with my class.  That was a big, big deal to me: having a grownup in the classroom not lecture me to practice my math flashcards more often or read some textbook out loud and summarize it but instead invite me to express myself creatively, freely.  That was better than Tollhouse cookies!

What is your favourite genre to write? Why?

There’s no one particular genre; quite the contrary, I’m sort of inclined to mix it up, the key being to have a strong dramatic basis for the story, even if it’s a comedy, otherwise I have no way to tell if it’s working.  That said, there will probably always be an absurdist element in my work; absurdism, which can be a form of satire, is useful for criticizing whatever it is in the world that you can’t, or shouldn’t, get your head around; I enjoy its childlike quality, particularly when it butts up against a bureaucratic or social norm.  I remember watching Robert Altman’s MASH a few years back and trying to figure out why it tickled me so much—why it worked; what I realized was that it was fueled by magical realism, in the form of absurdist leads.  Hawkeye, Trapper, and Duke were basically trickster superheroes, doing what no one actually could do within their system: they were able to poke fun at it over and over and over, with no consequences to themselves; that’s absurd and impossible in the real world, but it felt inspiring to see them do it.

What kinds of sources do you take inspiration from?

Cinema is usually percolating in the back of my mind.  I loved the biting humour of anti-establishment films like The Graduate and Midnight Cowboy, but I’m also a child of the 70’s and 80’s, so there’s a special place in my heart for films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Return of the Jedi, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.  There are also books and authors I like to revisit or think about when I want to be inspired: Robert Cormier, Roald Dahl.  I’ve read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus three or four times.  I recently came back to John Kennedy Toole’s Confederacy of Dunces.  Probably, I go back to the stuff I watched and read as a kid because that’s how I strip back some of the callused “grownup” layers that get in the way of creative expression.

What does your writing process look like? Did it take you a while to develop?

Drip took me quite a long time.  One reason was that I originally developed it as a screenplay that I would direct—my background is in indie film.  Eventually, I had to shelve it and get on with my life.  I came back to it hoping to incorporate some of the production concept art I had commissioned into a graphic novel; I realized that it made more sense to just adapt it into a straight novel.  Going back to the original screen story development, that started on dozens of 3x5 cards, with themes, characters, plot points, lines of dialogue.  I envy writers who can set pen to paper on page one and crank out the story sequentially, but for me the process is a lengthy honing and discovering, which results in a basic outline, an in-depth outline, a lengthy story treatment, a separate document filled with research notes, and finally, after going back and forth between all of those, a screenplay or novel.  There is also a lot of walking, pacing, staring into space, and chocolate binging. 

Do you take criticism hard or do you have a thick skin? Have you ever received criticisms that you felt were unjustified or too harsh? Are you your worst critic?

I take criticism quite well, it’s just that I can’t write anything or hold a coherent thought for six weeks afterwards!  Kidding aside, I suffer heartbreak every time.  One thing that’s helped me is that I’ve learned to solicit criticism starting at the earliest outline, as soon as I’ve run it through my own personal gauntlet of revisions and edits, that way it’s early enough in the process that I haven’t gotten too invested in the fundamentals.  Next, I plan out a session, inviting a few close friends, and I brace for it by reminding myself that the point is not to get a lot of validation; the point is to make it good.  I try to go into a critique session like a pro, saying, “Give it to me straight; I need to hear what’s not working.”  When I first pitched Drip to my friends, it was properly shredded to bits.  The outline wasn’t working, and if the basic outline wasn’t there, investing a lot of time in the prose wasn’t going to fix it.  I took a long break from it; for me that was the right thing to do, because what I needed was recharge and get inspired to come up with a totally new outline that could incorporate the themes and some of the characters of the previous attempt.  It takes time.

To learn more about the author, click here. 

To purchase "Drip" click here.