Writing and American Idol Part I (+ related contest info)

Remember the thousands of wanna-be American Idol contestants filling stadiums all over the country? Imagine they all have a laptop in front of them and they're hammering away at the keys. Because all those contestants are just like a bunch of writers, looking for a break. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the Idol wannabes/writer numbers are similar, given the query statistics agents are feeding us.

Only a very small percentage of Idol wannabes packing the stadium seats actually get face time with judges. Sure, American Idol producers throw in a few crazies for entertainment purposes, but most of the people who meet Randy, Simon, Paula and Cara are fairly decent singers....just like writers who get requests for partials.

And what happens next on the road to Idolville/Authorship? Check in tomorrow, when I hope to continue this conversation.

CONTEST INFO: So now maybe I won't continue the conversation because Rachelle Gardner (agent) is holding a contest about this very freaking subject...visit her blog for info.

Boy and me (a lesson about voice)

So I've got a three-year-old son who gathers around the TV every Tuesday night with his three older sisters and me. We watch, you got it, American Idol. Boy knows every contestant and judge name. He dances when contestants are doing well and groans when they're not. Boy has become a music connoisseur. Fer sure.

When I ride with Boy in the mini-van now (a blue Toyota Sienna, if you're nosy), he dictates music selection. So I turn on the radio and if it's someone like Neil Simon or Barry Manilow, Boy demands I change the station IMMEDIATELY. But if it's "Peeenk" or "Cawwie Underwood" or "Taywor Swift," I must not only keep my fingers off the dial, I must cease all talking. But the really amazing thing, the part of this story which has to do with writing, is that Boy can recognize these singers in two notes. Two notes. Because Peeenk and Cawwie and Taywor each have a great, distinctive voice. So there you go.

A few last conference tid-bits

Below are just a few items I thought you might find interesting.

1. I attended a session in which editors were asked their take on agents. Most of the editors love the gatekeeping role agents play. The editors think agents weed out writers who are not appropriate for their houses. After the session, however, one editor told me that her house gives the same contract to all their writers...doesn't matter if you have an agent or not.

2. In a session with agents Nathan Bransford and Ginger Clark, the agents said they'd never signed a client from a conference, but they'd had some close calls. In my opinion, though, the conference is a great place to throw out ideas to agents/editors. And I did personally witness agents/editors wanting to see more of certain writers' works.

3. Nathan and Ginger referenced a writer who all the agents know as a total whack job...don't become one of those people.

4. If you go to a conference, take breath mints...conference meals are pretty spicy.

5. People who played mic-hog with questions are noticed and not appreciated.

6. Make sure you take time to meet and thank conference organizers...these are hardworking people (and they can introduce you to experts in your genre).

7. PPWC was well-run. Consider it, if you're considering conferences.

Newport in the Rockies: Published in the Gazette April 26, 2009

In honor of the 17th annual Pikes Peak Writers Conference being held in Colorado Springs this weekend, April’s Book Groupie columns are highlighting Colorado-based authors and Colorado-set books.

Through most of last summer, I noticed increasing yellow patches in my otherwise green lawn. Besides extra watering, I did little to rectify the situation. I knew research was necessary, and probably trips to a home improvement store, and I just didn’t have it in me. But the green spots nagged at me.

Similarly, for several years after moving to Colorado Springs, I regularly drove past General William Palmer’s statue (it’s on the corner of East Platte and North Nevada) without having a clue about him or his contributions to our city. But did I perform research to find out about the man on the horse? I’m embarrassed to answer, “No.” I merely avoided the general’s intense gaze, stifled my nagging curiosity, and drove on.

Eventually my husband determined grubs were the cause of our yellow grass, and he rescued the lawn with an application of grub killer. Rescuing me from my ignorance of General Palmer was my book club. One of the ladies in the club recommended we read Marshall Sprague’s “Newport in the Rockies: The Life and Good Times of Colorado Springs.” Honestly, I thought the book would be boring, but I ended up loving it.

“Newport in the Rockies” provides a well-researched glimpse into our city’s past. The major historical players are brought to life and the circumstances they faced are verbally illustrated. Questions I never thought to ask were answered, and I gained a renewed appreciation for the work of our founding fathers.

I think every resident of Colorado Springs should read “Newport in the Rockies.” Armed with your new knowledge and the good weather that’s just around the corner, you can then go on a local sightseeing adventure. I recommend touring Glen Eyrie, the former home of General Palmer and his family, as your first stop.

As for other Colorado-based books and authors, below is a list you may want to check out. I haven’t read them all, so let me know if you find a treasure among them:
William Harris, author of “Undrunk: A Skeptic’s Guide to AA”
Deb Stover, author of 12 novels and 6 novellas
Ted Dekker, a New York Times Bestselling author of thrillers
Jim Burt, a non-fiction author
Joseph Hoffler, a non-fiction author

Yeah, Wendy!

I just found out my friend Wendy (she's the one in last post's photo) won the PPWC flash fiction contest! Three cheers for Wendy!

PPWC Round 2

Hair up during the day---pictured with Nathan Bransford. And hair down at night----pictured with author/friend Wendy Burt.

OK...I've much to do, so this post may be full of errors...please ignore those.

Fun things during my second day at the conference:

I went to a session titled SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLISHING. There were editors from publishers like Dial Books for Young Readers, St. Martin's, Poisoned Pen and Del Rey. A few tidbits from the session:

1. Most of these houses are having a very good year.

2. They all said to write the book you want to write and ignore trends, because they change anyway. BUT, they do get a lot of "surprise" baby books---father didn't know he had a baby---, bed and breakfast mysteries and vampires.

3. A good book is always going to sell.

4. Know who is going to read your book (as far as audience...who are they?).

5. New writers are at an advantage right now.

6. There was lots of individual info about what editors are looking for, but it's difficult to get into in a fast post. The point I'm trying to make is that it's good to attend a conference to learn about these things. Also, some of the editors were willing to look at work from attendees they'd met.

I went to a session titled WHAT AN AGENT CAN AND CAN'T DO FOR YOUR CAREER with Nathan Bransford and Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown. A few tidbits:

1. Agents can't make you rich or write your book for you. They are not your lawyer, financial advisor or therapist.

2. They can find you the best editor for your project (they are close friends with many of these people), and get you a fair contract (Nathan says he's seen a contract made without an agent that was so unfair he wanted to cry).

3. They can get you extra $ through audio and foreign rights.

4. I was surprised by their workday. They apparently have about 40 projects going at any time because of sub-rights work they do for themselves and colleagues in addition to their more recognized role of negotiating publishing contracts, checking in with clients, etc. They email all day and go home at night and read, handle queries.

In the evening, lots of people settled at the bar, and agents, editors, authors were completely available to go and chat with. The atmosphere was fun, festive, enlightening. The dinner speaker was Author Jeffrey Deaver. He was funny and inspiring and ended his speech with this nugget for aspiring authors: Rejection is a speed bump, not a brick wall.

Pikes Peak Writers Conference

I spent several hours at the PPWC today and it was a FABULOUS experience! There's so much I want to share, but I'm exhausted, so I'm going to concentrate on my favorite part, which was the Read & Critique.

This is how the Read and Critiques worked: Willing attendees submitted the first page of their manuscripts. One by one, the pages were read aloud to a roomful of people. Three expert panelists in the room then spent two minutes critiquing the page for the audience.

The expert panelists for the first R&C I attended were Rock Star Agent Nathan Bransford (he's a sharp dresser with mesmerizing eyes), Editor Kate Harrison and Author Bill Brooks. The experts were very insightful. Here's a few things they said: They felt many of the pages were rushed...like people were trying to fit in a WOW moment way too soon. BUT they stressed that main characters need to be liked quickly...readers need to care about the character, if authors want readers to keep reading.

I also attended another Read and Critique with an agent, editor, author panel. Editor Annette Rogers wanted the WOW more quickly, Agent Natanya Wheeler (she's gorgeous, BTW) wanted zero confusion on page one---don't give her an excuse to quit reading---and Author Laura Resnick wanted writers to have more polished manuscripts. Natanya was very into titles, which surprised me. There were a lot of telling/showing issues in this group. However, one first page was AWESOME in this group and both Annette and Natanya wanted to meet the writer responsible for it. Natanya also wanted to meet the author of another page.

Interesting side note: Combined in the two sessions, there were three pages with dead people (ghosts) as characters---Nathan says he's seeing a lot of that---and there were two pages with new girls at school characters.

In general, panelists were opposed to prologues (I think there were two pages with those), unless you're a kick-butt writer and your prologue has a big purpose.

As an avid reader, I've got to say there were only about five pages with premises making me want more. While there were some pages in which there were writing problems (poor dialogue, construction issues), the main issue for me was too much blah; subject matter which simply didn't interest me and stories/characters who were not unique. I heard about 50-60 pages.

PERSONAL SIDE NOTE: A friend of mine, Wendy Burt-Thomas, is a member of the PPWC faculty. She met Annette Rogers (the editor from above) and told Annette about my book. Annette later asked me for a pitch as we were walking through the lobby! I'm usually way-cool (of course, you already know that), but my knees were literally (hah) shaking. Annette asked me to send her some pages.

Who's buying your book?

For years I worked as a greeting card writer. My fellow writers and I wanted to sell our cards to every kind of person imaginable...it works out to more $ that way. But that's a difficult task, selling a card to almost everybody. For example, say I wanted a fart joke in a card. That angle might work for Follower Rick Daley, Follower Paul Michael Murphy and my husband, but it probably wouldn't fly with Follower Debra Schubert or my mother-in-law.

In order to stay focused on our task of selling to almost everybody, each writer had a group of about five people (a very diverse group) in mind when writing cards. I'd write some lines and then ask myself, "Could I sell this card to my Aunt Laverne, my kid's teacher, my sister-in-law Debbie, my next-door-neighbor, and the lady at church who always wears hats?" If I answered, "Yes," then I knew I had a winner.

Like greeting cards, you've got to have a market in mind when writing books. Otherwise, what's the freakin' point? Unless you just love the idea of spending two years writing a book that will never be sold to anyone, then you've got to think about who's going to buy your book.

If you want me to read your book

I know my column sells books. I'm not bragging or anything {she says while puffing out her chest}. I simply know my column sells books, because people tell me all the time that they've bought books based on my recommendation. Authors and publicists must realize reviewers sell books, because I get books sent to me all the time. I give each of these books at least two chapters to grab me. If a book doesn't grab me, I stuff it behind my office door and hope my husband never finds it (I'm always accusing my husband of being messy and it just wouldn't do for him to think I might be messy, too).

Usually, once a book is sent to me at the Gazette, it takes me about a month to actually pick it up and start reading it. The process goes something like this: I get a few emails from Joy at the paper. She's telling me to please come pick up my books. I write her back each time saying I'll be there any day. After about the third exchange with Joy, I get embarrassed and drag my three-year-old to the Gazette (I have to drag him because he's discovered the paper is not the "super-fun" place I've claimed it to be) to pick up the books. Then I drive back home and stack the books in a corner. Every once in awhile, I grab a book completely at random and read at least a couple chapters. I love when I love a book from the stack and feature it in my column. My most recent example of this is THE LOST RECIPE OF HAPPINESS.

Anyway, earlier this month, a publicist emailed me saying Joy had told him I was going to review his author's book. Hmmm. I didn't think Joy would make such a claim and I completely ignored the email. A few days later, the guy emailed again asking when would I be featuring his author's book. I was feeling feisty that day and emailed the guy back basically saying maybe never. He immediately emailed me back saying sorry for the confusion. That's when I thought what the hell. I looked through my stack, found the book and read the entire thing in one day. I may feature the book in a column, I may not. I'm still deciding. But my point is, this publicist was persistant. And the book was pretty good. And you, authors out there, are your own best publicist (unless you're Ben Esch...then Paul Michael Murphy is your best publicist).

If you want me to read your book, please send it to the Gazette. No need to email me, just put a note inside the front cover. I will NOT return the book and there's no guarantee I'll review it, but I'll be honored you thought of me. Seriously.
Gazette
Attn: Anita Miller, book columnist
30 S. Prospect St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Interview with Barbara O'Neal

For my review of Barbara O'Neal's THE LOST RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS, please see the previous post.

QUESTION: On your Web site, you tell the story of your grandfather buying a restaurant when you were eight-years-old. Your love affair with restaurants apparently began then. Is the Orange Bear based on a particular restaurant from your past?

ANSWER: Honestly, the actual building of the Orange Bear was very loosely based on a restaurant on the west side of Colorado Springs. It was a lunch and tea kind of place up the block from Meadow Muffins. The rest was all a conglomeration of restaurants I've worked in. They're all a little crazy.

Q: Why did you choose to use a Latina protagonist?

A: I never really thought about her being Latina so much as a natural product of her environment, which was the northern New Mexico landscape that spoke to me with ghosts and descansos and all the lyrical possibilities in the food. I've been surrounded by the Latino world all of my life, so it's a world I'm comfortable writing about (unlike, say, Greek-Americans or New Yorkers).

Q: Do you have a personal connection to the two main towns mentioned in the book, Aspen, Colorado and Espanola, New Mexico?

A: I've spent time in both places over the years. I'm a native of southern Colorado (time split between Colorado Springs and Pueblo), and have that connection to the mountains and northern New Mexico, which is the root of most of the Latino traditions in Pueblo. For other books at various times, I've done many research trips to New Mexico and have spent a lot of time there.

Q: Ghosts are important elements in your book. How did you come to the decision to include ghosts?

A: I love ghosts and the metaphor of ghosts. We all have them, right? But I didn't actually plan to have ghosts in the book until Isobel kept showing up, pinching food and reminding Elena to call home. It's impossible for me to imagine life without my sisters, and I suppose I wanted to give Elena that comfort--her sister there with her as long as she needed her.

Q: Is there anything you wish you'd done differently with the story?

A: Wow. There is always something more you can do, another rewrite that would have smoothed things more, and I'm am a painfully compulsive rewriter. This book probably went through 16 or 17 rewrites, some partial, some entire, and I'm always tweaking a book right through the galley stages. I had some criticism over the level of sexuality and language in Lost Recipe for Happiness, but that was a deliberate choice: restaurants are a gritty, sexy, intense world. Fading to black or saying "darn" seemed like a copout.

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

A: Write every day, and do it before you get on the internet or check your email. Be true to your own voice and vision. It's all you really have.

Barbara O'Neal: Published in the Gazette April 19, 2009 (AND weather update)

In honor of the 17th annual Pikes Peak Writers Conference to be held in Colorado Springs April 23-26, this month’s Book Groupie columns are highlighting Colorado-based authors and Colorado-set books.

Roll your eyes at me if you must, but I’m telling you, “The Lost Recipe for Happiness” by Colorado Springs-based writer Barbara O’Neal caused me pain. That’s right. Real physical pain.

O’Neal’s debut novel follows Elena Alvarez, a former New Mexico resident, as she accepts her dream job of executive chef at an upscale Aspen restaurant. Elena’s new job challenges her on many levels, but especially physically. Severely injured twenty years earlier in a car accident, Elena’s body is aching and burning as she struggles to open her restaurant on time and to good reviews.

O’Neal’s writing prowess so entrenched me in Elena’s physical state, I had to pull out a heating pad just to make it through the book. Experiencing Elena’s character progression was worth it, though. While creating an enticing menu, forging lasting friendships and finally trusting others, Elena is able to conquer the ghosts and guilt from her past and come to terms with her deteriorating physical condition.

Further making up for the aches I experienced while reading “The Lost Recipe for Happiness” are the fabulous recipes the book contains. Most chapters begin with a recipe, including ones for traditional pork tamales, banana and chocolate chip pancakes, and pomegranate baklava.

If you’re a lover of good food, relationships in every form, and senses-stimulating stories, O’Neal’s “The Lost Recipe for Happiness” is a great choice for you.

As for other Colorado-based authors and their works, below is a list you may want to check out. I haven’t read them all, so let me know if you find a treasure among them.

Laura Reeve is the author of The Major Ariane Kedros Novels, a military-flavored science fiction series

Bruce Wolk is the non-fiction author of “Made Here, Baby!” a guide to finding American manufactured children's products.

Latoya Lucus is the non-fiction author of "The Immeasurable Spirit: Lessons of a Wounded Warrior about Faith and Perseverance."

Laura Reeve is the author of the Major Ariane Kedros novels, a military-flavored science fiction series.

Madge Walls is the author of the award-winning novel “Paying the Price.”

Raymond Golden is author of the novel “Christiana’s Secret: The Lost Treasure of Dead Man’s Gulch.”

Cynthia Winford is author of the novel “Irma’s Story.”

WEATHER UPDATE:
Last Friday, school was cancelled for bad weather. Over Friday and Saturday, we got about 18 inches at my house. Yesterday, I ran an errand in shorts. Today, temps are supposed to reach around 70.
Moral and Advice: Anything can happen over 6,000 feet. If you're coming to the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, be prepared for anything, wear sunscreen and drink lots of water.

Memoirs

Piggy-backing on my last post about my inherent curiosity about other people's lives (aka nosiness) is this post about memoirs. In no other literary form can one get quite the level of intimacy as in a memoir.

On my nightstand now is THE GLASS CASTLE by Jeannette Walls. At the moment, I don't know how to describe the memoir, except with a WOW. This book fills my craving for an inside look into other people's lives. It fills the craving, but it also includes the greatest components of fictional storytelling: I feel like I've been plopped into the various SETTINGS, the limited DIALOGUE is believable and compelling, there is a PLOT (I feel like the story is going somewhere), etc., etc.

As a writer of fiction, I think there's a lot to be learned by reading great memoirs...I strive to make my more serious fictional works as compelling and intimate as these nonfiction jewels.

Quality of books I like #5

Ever wonder what's going on in homes you drive past? I do. And when it's night and my husband is at the wheel, I even try to catch glimpses of people inside their homes. I look into their windows and wonder, "What the heck's going on in there?" I am sooo darn nosy.

I think it's my nosiness which makes me such a voracious reader. I've got to know what's going on in other people's lives, even if those people have absolutely nothing to do with me. And books give me an outlet for getting entrenched in other people's lives...without having a restraining order filed against me.

So, a quality of books I like: the window they provide into other people's lives.

Nevada Barr: Published in the Gazette April 12, 2009

In honor of the 17th annual Pikes Peak Writers Conference to be held April 23-26 in Colorado Springs, this month's Book Groupie columns are highlighting Colorado-based authors and Colorado-set books.

As far as I'm concerned, the best Colorado-set stories have at least one creepy camping scene. Nevada Barr's "Hard Truth" provides that and a whole lot more. In the book's opening chapter, a female paraplegic, Heath, is rolling through the Rocky Mountain National Park at night when she wrecks her wheelchair and falls to the ground. For a few scary seconds, Heath believes she hears an approaching bear, but what eventually approaches is even more disturbing: two young girls wearing little more than muck and misery.

Shortly, Anna Pigeon, a park ranger, enters the story. Anna figures out the two girls are part of a threesome who disappeared from a park-held religious retreat the month before. With no sign of the third girl, Anna attempts to pry information from the other two. Anna's investigation is hindered, however, by the leader of the religious sect to which the girls belong. The only outsider the leader allows near his compound is Heath, because the girls identify her as their rescuer.

Heath and Anna become unofficial investigative partners in "Hard Truth." Most of their suspicions rest on the religious sect's leader and the counselor who was supervising the girls.
The story is full of twists, turns and Rocky Mountain references. If you enjoy it as much as I did, you don't have to despair when you reach the end - Barr has penned nearly 20 other books, many with Anna Pigeon as protagonist.

As for Colorado-based authors, below is a list you may want to check out. I haven't read them all, so let me know if you find a treasure among them:

• Kirk Farber: works for the Pikes Peak Library District and will have his first novel, "Postcards From a Dead Girl," published early next year.
• Lise Fuller: author of three romantic action/adventure novels.
• Gil Porat: local physician and author of the novel "The Other Face of Murder."
• Matt Bille: science writer and historian.
• Pam McCutcheon: industrial engineer by day and writer by night of romantic comedy, fantasy short stories, young adult urban fantasy and nonfiction.
• Wendy Burt-Thomas: nonfiction author of several books, including the recently released "The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters."

On My Nightstand

Two books I'm currently reading are by Colorado authors...I'm highlighting writers from my home state this month and have subsequently read a wiiiiide variety of books lately.

THE VAMPIRE SHRINK is by Colorado author Lynda Hilburn. I'm only into the first few chapters, but I'm finding the book intriguing. Fun title, no?

The second Colorado author I'm reading is Laura Reeve. She's written a series based on a female military Major in a sci-fi world. Very unique. I'll keep you posted.

The third book on my nightstand is a memoir I haven't delved into it yet. It's THE GLASS CASTLE. A bunch of neighborhood ladies read it and liked it, but then they think the deer in our neighborhood are cool and I don't (step on enough deer poop and Bambi doesn't look so cute anymore).

Lisa Lutz is making me fat

Regular followers of this blog know I like to read while I run on my treadmill. Lisa Lutz's new book is making that feat darn-near impossible. I laugh so much while reading REVENGE OF THE SPELLMANS, I keep hopping off the treadmill to catch my breath. During my last workout, I finally turned off the treadmill and settled onto the couch, so I could read/laugh in safety. (Note to husband: Maybe we shouldn't have a couch in the exercise room).

If you are trying to write a book which contains any humor whatsoever, I highly recommend you pick up one of Lutz's SPELLMAN books. They are so friggin' funny and may provide inspiration.

I'm going to give you an excerpt now. A lot will be lost in translation...it's kind of like you have to read the whole book to get the joke (better yet, the whole series), but I'll do my best. A little background: The Spellman family is a touching, slightly-crazy group, most of them involved in private investigations. Izzy, a twenty/thirty-something is the main character. In this scene, a man in a dark car approaches Izzy and asks her to get in. She does, but first she leaves a telephone message with her dad, in which she describes the man and the vehicle. In the message she tells her dad to call the police, if she doesn't call back in twenty-five minutes. Izzy gets into the car, has a conversation with the guy, gets out and starts tailing some women she'd been following. She forgets to call her dad back. He calls her. Here's how that went down:

"Isabel! Isabel. Are you alright?" my dad says.
"Oops," I said. I had left the message but forgot to call him back. "Sorry, Dad. I'm fine."
"Give me the code phrase," he said.
"No, that's not my marajuana," I said.

The code phrase threw me off the treadmill. And there's more to it, but it involves footnotes, which I don't have the time for. But hopefully you get that this book is funny. I absolutely love it. Even though it's making me fat.

PPWC & Beth Groundwater: Published in the Gazette April 5, 2009

This month you have yet another reason to be thankful for living in Colorado Springs. About this time every year, hundreds of writers converge upon our fair city to learn more about their craft, network with other writers and search for a literary agent and/or editor.

The 17th Annual Pikes Peak Writers Conference will be held April 23-26 at the Colorado Springs Marriott. If you've dreamed of writing a novel and don't know how to get started, the conference is the perfect place for you.

Workshops with titles like "Genre Basics" and "Cornerstones: Characters" are sure to set you on the right path. And if you've got your novel complete but are looking for an agent to get it published, read and critique sessions and agent/editor pitch meetings will prove valuable.

Local novelist Beth Groundwater attended the conference in the past, and I'm betting she picked up some great techniques there. I took Groundwater's second novel, "To Hell in a Handbasket" on a recent family vacation to Snow Mountain Ranch near Winter Park. I was as engrossed in the book as my family was in the area's outdoor activities. And it was appropriate we were near a ski hamlet, since Groundwater's book takes place in one.

"To Hell in a Handbasket" features Claire Hanover, a Colorado Springs gift basket designer. Claire takes a spring ski vacation with her family. It's supposed to be a fun outing for Claire and her college-age daughter, Judy. But when the sister of Judy's boyfriend is killed on the slopes, the vacation takes a turn downhill. Claire risks life and sore-from-skiing limb to uncover the killer and protect her daughter.

"To Hell in a Handbasket," which will be available to the public in May, is the second in a series of Claire Hanover mysteries. I've also read the first book, "A Real Basketcase." Both books are enjoyable in a traditional sort of way, but what makes them most fun to me are the references to places I frequent. Groundwater's first book is set in Colorado Springs, a place we all know has lots to offer, like the Pikes Peak Writers Conference and a whole slew of great writers.

More Colorado-based writers (I haven't read them all, so let me know if you find a treasure):
Ronald Cree, author of teen mysteries and thrillers
Lynda Hilburn, author of paranormal fiction
Margaret Brettschneider, author of historical novels, most with military themes

Maeve Binchy Interview

One of my recent Gazette columns featured the outstanding Maeve Binchy. If you've never read Binchy, you should...she delves into human realtionships and motivations like no other. I'm honored to have interviewed her. The result is below.

QUESTION: I've read you traveled quite extensively in your youth. Did the personalities of people met during your travels turn up in your books?

ANSWER: Yes, in my travels I did meet a lot of interesting people, with problems, hopes and dreams quite different to my own. They must have seeped into my mind because I do find myself recalling even people I scarcely knew. I think travel is wonderful--I bless my kind parents who encouraged me to see the world even though they were nervous and anxious on my behalf.

Q: Your books show uncanny insight into the motives of people, the inner-workings of their psyches. Do you think every writer should have a bit of psychoanalyst within himself/herself?

A: I believe that to be a writer you have to be very interested in people and therefore you have to wonder why people do things and what motivates them. I can sit for ages watching people at airports or railway staions and wondering about their lives. It is a little like being a psychoanalyst. I never thought of that before!

Q: Which of your books are you most proud of having written? Why?

A: I am proud of my most recent book, "Heart and Soul," because it has a theme--the fact that we don't need to panic if we have heart disease. I wanted to console other people and reassure them that there is a life after a diagnosis of a weak heart. I have had a lot of letters telling me that it consoled and cheered people.

Q: I once saw a George Lucas interview in which he teared up, thinking about all the stories he'd never have time to make into movies. Are there stories in your mind that you'll never have time to write? If so, how do you reconcile that in your writer's heart?

A: I would love to write a book telling people how sad and worthless it is to live a life dependant on what other people think. A story that would reassure people that snobbery and looking for praise are useless things to have in your life.

A few sentences

Recently I posted about Nevada Barr's HARD TRUTH. While I thought it had a so-so first few pages, I ended up really liking the book. Below are a few sentences in the book, which made me go, "Cool."

Her hair was eternally and determinedly red. She swore she would go to the grave clutching a bottle of Lady Clairol in one hand and a bottle of hormone replacement pills in the other.

He was a scrubby excuse for a helpmate, which Anna guessed he was by the vest he wore. A lab-shepherd mix, maybe. One that had been washed with dark colors and tumbled dry in a too-hot dryer.

Loretha had carried such a deep stillness within her that the dogs, who barked at every falling leaf and passing fancy, never barked at her. She did not disturb the ether with inner fussiness.

Anna did love her, she realized with a jolt. An incomprehensible alchemy born of proximity, shared humanity and nearness to death connected them as surely as the steel cuffs entwining their arms.