CHARACTER-Telling the Story to Myself

I believe character makes a novel and plot is just what the character lives. I’ve loved being around people who were characters since I was a child. Real characters are bigger than life, live either on the edge or over the edge, and usually don’t give a fig about what people think of them. It was the “character” in the tiny village where my grandparents lived who dominated conversation.  People sat around on the porch in warm summers talking about the derring-do of the local characters. As a child I sat off to the side or behind the porch swing or beneath the dining table listening, a quiet little girl who was all ears.  No one was interested in the staid, upright, church-going, dull people who never did anything slanderous or risky. Talk, instead, was about the two drunks who decided one night to track down whatever strange creature was screaming in the woods that summer.  Off they went in the dead of night with a hoe and an axe, looking for the boogeyman. One said he would be the bait and the other would wait in hiding to hoe down the monster as it screamed past him chasing the other man.  This talk went on for weeks with the adults unable to agree whether the knot on one man’s head had been put there by a hoe wielded by a frightened, unsteady hand, or had he merely fallen across a root in the woods? Did the two men really hear the horrible beast scream in the night just feet away from them through the brush? These men were characters, and their plot was the decisions they made and the kind of life they lived.

I grew up, then, loving character both in real life and in fiction. What is THE GREAT GATSBY without Gatsby? What is Paul Theroux’s MOSQUITO COAST without the off-kilter father who takes his whole family off the grid and into a foreign jungle where he builds a machine to make ice? Plot and story flow from a great character, not usually the other way around. At least not for me.

Gold Rush Dream by Billie Sue Mosiman

In my novels I always think of the person, the character, first, and from that character comes her story. In GOLD RUSH DREAM, a suspense-filled western with two characters who fall in love, the first thing I wanted to do was write about a young woman who had grown up in the Texas woods with her immigrant parents and then suddenly loses them.  I asked myself questions about Rose, this young protagonist. How would she survive the harsh conditions of frontier life on her own? She was fiercely independent, but she was also young, unsophisticated, and untried by life. Along comes Travis, a lone trapper, who finds Rose rising from the root cellar in the middle of a crumbled, smoking cabin that had been burned to the ground by marauding Indians. Now the character of Rose has more conflict to endure–sparking off another strong character, Travis.  I could see in my inner vision these characters and I let them tell the story I wanted to read.

That’s another thing about writing novels. You get to tell yourself the story you’ve never read, but would like to read.  I wanted to know how Rose would fare and how Travis would keep her safe. I wanted to know what happened when they tried to cross the big wilderness of a frontier country to get Rose to her remaining family in California. I wanted to know if they would like one another and maybe even fall in love during such an arduous journey.  Then, what would happen about the outcast, mentally unstable Indian who tracked them, obsessed with Rose? Character led the way.

  WIDOW by Billie Sue Mosiman

In WIDOW I wrote the most feminist novel I ever penned. I did not set out to write a feminist novel. It was the character who lived the feminist ideal and though she was emotionally damaged by a tragic event–her husband killing her two children before her eyes then turning the gun on himself–this was a woman who pulled herself out of insanity and despair to grapple with what life had handed to her. Men, who I do love by the way--but I am not the character--do not fare well in WIDOW at the hands of Shadow, the woman who has determined she will never again let a man turn a woman or a child into a victim.  It was character who drove the novel.  Some readers confuse the author with their characters, and we can’t get away from that, but, in the main, fictional characters are a conglomerate of people an author has known or been acquainted with–sometimes they’re simply imagined in whole. In researching the subject matter of WIDOW I interviewed dozens of exotic dancers (the occupation Shadow is forced to take on since she was, like many woman, a housewife without skills or education). I interviewed a police detective in order to write about my detective in the novel. But the characters who found their way to the page were none of these real people, nor were they me. They were creations that interested me most, the characters who made me ask questions of them. What will you do now your children are murdered and your husband a suicide? What will you do now you’ve lost your home, your source of income, your mental balance? How do you live with the despair and fight your way out of it? If you take the law into your own hands, Shadow, how do you live with that and do you really have that right? What if a copycat killer begins to mimic your crimes, pinning them on you? How in the world can you stop him, how can you ever exonerate yourself? What if you’re falling in love with the one man, the detective, who is trying to find out who you really are? Those were the questions that drove the story. I wanted to know these answers and I believed readers would too.

Angelique by Billie Sue Mosiman

In my new novel, BANISHED, I was told the story about a little girl who seemed evil, who might be a voodoo queen in New Orleans. I began to think about that child and thought, well, what if she’s not a child at all? What if she’s a fallen angel who has taken that child’s body? What if she’s lived for hundreds of years? If that’s the story then how and when did she possess that body? How did she survive as a child without a parent all those hundreds of years? What was her mission, who were her companions? So I started with character only and from Angelique comes the story as she tells it to me. The reason I kept writing the book that Angelique is a part of was to find out what was going to happen next.

Without character, strong, resilient, sympathetic character, plot doesn’t even matter. Unless I care about the protagonist, I have no reason to follow the story. If I don’t care about the characters I have no questions for them, therefore no plot comes forth. All of my novels and stories are driven by character.

I am still listening to the stories I heard while hiding under the dining table, but now I listen to them in my head and try to translate them into a story people want to read. First I have to want to read it. Only then can I hope someone else will. Characters, the people in my novels, are as real to me as people I know and because of who they are, what’s happened to them, and the directions they take, I simply follow along telling the story of their lives–telling the story to myself.

INSPIRATION PLAYING IN A TOWN NEAR YOU

Let's talk about inspiration.  Without it, there are no stories or novels ever written. Where do you find it? The question is close to the question, "Where do you get your ideas?" That's the question people are always asking writers. Stephen King replied that he found his ideas in Syracuse. He can be funny, no one said he couldn't. Most of us don't know how to answer because ideas come from everywhere, from every direction. What are ideas? Inspirations! People rarely think to ask you where the inspirations come from, but ideas or inspirations, they're interchangeable anyway.

Recently I was inspired to write a short story from a single word. Some writers on Facebook were talking about how they didn't like vampires to sparkle the way they do in The Twilight vampire novels and movies. It was wimpy, it was lame. I kept thinking, Sparkle, Sparkle, Sparkle. I kept thinking, that's not a very scary word, but...what if it could be scary, what would a scary sparkle look like? I challenged myself to write a story where some being who sparkles is the epitome of fear. The result is SPARKLE-A-Tale-of-the-Devil. The story is also in my collection of stories, SUBWAY-COLLECTION-Dark Stories to Read on the Go. From those who have read it and responded I believe I was able to take an innocent little word that usually denotes flighty, fairy, pretty things and gave it a twist that reminds us dark, devilish things might also sparkle.

Another serendipity inspiration followed and it came from a picture. A book cover, specifically. My cover artist, Neil Jackson, is an inspiration in his own right the way he can take a book title and create a cover for it that makes the whole idea of the book or story pop and come alive for prospective readers. One day he offered a folder of e-book covers for the ridiculous low price of $10 per cover. I saw one that caught my attention, but I had no story or book that fit it. The cover showed a house bathed in blue shadows, a looming edifice, and it scared me just looking at it. I bought the cover. Immediately a story idea was inspired about the house on the cover, the walls inside the house, and what resulted within 48 hours was a novelette called WALLS OF THE DEAD . (It is Free on Kindle for the next couple of days if you want to give it a read.)

These might seem extreme examples of inspiration, but they aren't. Writers can be inspired by the Muse from the utterance of a single word, a picture of a house, an idea someone might be talking about, a man walking down a street, a tree that stands lonely and crooked in a field. Ideas, of course, are everywhere. When non-writers say to a writer, "I have an idea for you..." writers groan inside. Because ideas are cheap, ideas are floating around us every minute of our waking day. It is not ideas that are so hard to come by, as I've proved by my own examples, it's being INSPIRED by those ideas. Your idea might leave me cold. My idea will do the same unless it is backed by excitement, inspiration, and an urgency to see the idea come alive in a story or a novel.

What do you do if you get an inspiration? Why, if you're a working writer and you know what's good for you, you immediately get started writing with that inspiration as the driver of your mind-car. One thing about inspiration is that it can be fickle. If you delay too long, if you question it and say to yourself, oh, that's dumb, I can't write a story about something scary that sparkles, then it's all over. Without having some faith and confidence, those little inspirations can disappear just as quickly as they come.

I encourage you to trust your Muse. I encourage you to write what inspires you whether it is a small inspiration that gives you a short story or a big inspiration that leads you into the wilderness of a long piece of work like the novel. Does it always work? I can't guarantee that. I can't even guarantee it for myself. It's just as possible my ideas about the word "sparkle" and my ideas for the "walls that talk" could have fallen flat and dead. But I coddled the Muse, I thanked it, I played with the ideas the way a child plays, and the inspiration lasted through the entire story writing. You can't depend on anything in this world and that's the truth, you know that's the truth, but if you follow your inspirations you're not wasting your time, you're being open and creative and giving back to the world that inspires you.

Interview with Ruth Barrett, Author of BASE SPIRITS

Tell us who you are.

My name is Ruth Barrett, and I am an actor who’s morphed into a writer. My day job is writing descriptive video scripts for the blind, and my ‘real’ writing is my fiction. I have published a heap of short stories over the years, and ‘Base Spirits’ is my first novel.

When did you start writing and how long was it before you were published?

I’ve always written stories since I was a child. I had dreams of being an author in my late teens, but the acting took over for a few years. In my thirties, I started getting more serious, took a few writing courses, and an anthology published my first short story, ‘Family Secrets’. (I’ve since rewritten and re-launched that story as a stand-alone on Kindle.)

Tell us about your latest book and what inspired it.

‘Base Spirits’ came about as a result of my acting in a Jacobean play, ‘A Yorkshire Tragedy’. The story is nasty, brutish and short: a nobleman loses his fortune and murders half of his family rather than live in poverty. It was a true story in 1605, and Shakespeare’s acting company cashed in on the scandal and performed the play even before Sir Walter Calverley was pressed to death for his crimes! I was playing his unfortunate wife, and had a chance to visit Leeds in Yorkshire during rehearsals. Calverley Old Hall is still standing in a nearby village. In fact, you can rent one wing as a holiday flat. I met a local historian and had a tour through the place… and of course it has a few ghost legends. Not a surprise, considering the tragic past. I seemed to know more about the story than anyone, and thought it might make a good ghost novel one day… and ‘one day’ actually took quite a few years, on and off!

What genre do you write in, if any? How do you feel about the genre, the future of it, and the authors in it?

‘Base Spirits’ seems to fall under a classic horror category, although it is a mixed genre piece with a historical core. I tend to write with a dark streak, but not always pure horror per se. The horror gang writing today are a great bunch-- very warm and welcoming, and mutually supportive. The genre seems to be vibrant these days. Certain things ebb and flow in being the ‘sexy’ theme of the day, like vampires and zombies-- as long as it’s well-written, that’s great for all of us. Today’s readers have never had more choice.

What/who do you read for pleasure?

I like a little of everything. I studied English Literature at university in Canada and the U.K., so I do enjoy Dickens, the Brontes and Shakespeare. I love Ian McEwan, Sebastian Faulks, Margaret Atwood, Timothy Findley and Sarah Waters to name but a few. My Kindle is stuffed full of all the new Indie authors I’ve discovered, and I need to find more time for my TBR pile! I am not a snob about genres. If it’s well done, I’ll read almost anything. I tend to gravitate toward dark themes… and if a book has a British historical setting, that rocks my imagination.

Is writing pleasure or work for you?

A bit of both. When I’m in ‘The Zone’, it’s like time stands still and I write for hours on end without even noticing I’m forgetting to eat or have a drink. Sometimes when the world is too much with me, it takes a struggle to get in the mood. The ‘day job’ writing sometimes has to take precedent. I kinda need to eat and pay my bills, and the fiction isn’t doing that for me… YET!

If you had to exchange your writing life with another writer, who would that writer be and why?

Stephen Fry seems to have good time! He truly loves words and language, and delights in playing with English with such amazing wit and humour. He is also at that enviable stage in his career where he can act or be a show host or write… he is past all the struggle of having to prove himself and find his audience. That is the sort of freedom I would love to have- you can choose what you want to do next and always know that you are secure.

How do your friends and family cope knowing you have such dark or unusual thoughts?

My family has always thought I was a bit… unusual. I’m the youngest of four siblings and the only girl. It’s likely their fault that I’m bent. My Mom is proud as punch. My friends have been quite supportive overall, but I think I’ve shocked a few along the way. In everyday life, I am very cheerful and funny and so I think they expected that my books will be light and fluffy. As ‘Base Spirits’ opens with an execution and deals with brutal marital abuse and infanticide, I’m sure there are some out there who quietly wonder where my demons come from…

How supportive is your spouse and/or your family?

No spouse to worry about. My boyfriend has been hugely supportive and was one of the main people who pushed me toward the Indie route to publishing. My Mom has been my biggest champion all along. Other family members have been generally quite supportive… and some haven’t said one word about it.

What inspires you? Or triggers a story idea?

I have a wild imagination that seems to run in the background at all times. I’ll see an image or an article that might get me questioning ‘why?’, or have a dream that sparks an idea for a story. The best inspirations are when a random thought catches flame and runs off in my head. A whole novel once appeared in a single afternoon walk.

How do you see the story in your mind as it's created? Is it like making a plan, seeing a mental movie, or do you just write down what the voices in your head tell you?

I don’t plan. The idea usually plays out like a movie scene at first, and then the voices start chattering as the characters present themselves. God-- writers really are a bit nuts, aren’t they?

Now that traditional publishing vs digital publishing has taken really different turns lately, how do you feel about authors going the small press or traditional publishing route over the digital route? Indie or Traditional for you or both and why?

I chased that elusive traditional route for years. I had success in individual stories getting published by anthologies and chapbooks. I won a few contests and was awarded a writing grant. This is a good pedigree to have when you are trying to woo agents and publishers, and I know that it helped me get onto the right desks instead of slush piles sometimes. I have a professional editor who loved the book and started dropping it off to the Big Six publishers on my behalf even BEFORE I started working with her! The feedback from editors and agents was always positive… but never did anyone take me on. It was enormously frustrating. I would go in fits and starts, re-write, and try again… but I found it utterly disheartening and time consuming.

I went Indie after some hesitation. There was such a stigma for so long (and there still is, to some degree) that if you self-publish you must suck. It was only after nearly dying from the flu at New Year’s 2011 that I decided that life was too short, and finally listened to my friend’s gentle suggestions to look into all of this e-publishing stuff. I do like a lot about being Indie, but it is a LOT of hard work trying to get your writing noticed in the flood of new work constantly on offer. There are a number of folks out there who unfortunately are not helping the ‘you must suck’ Indie stigma by putting out sub-standard work. If you aren’t prepared to hone your craft, hire an editor and have a professional-looking cover, then you are doing yourself an injustice and making other Indie writers look like a bad bet for prospective readers.

I see that some publishers are starting to present more ‘writer friendly’ deals, like Scott Nicholson has with Thomas and Mercer. He still owns all the rights and profits for his other work, but has a three-book deal with them. That is good business for both parties. Publishers are going to have to change the way they run if they want to stay in the game. It’s been a case of them being the impenetrable gate-keepers for too long. A deal like that would appeal to me-- it would take a bit of pressure off by letting someone else hire the editor and cover designer, pay for book printing, and do a lot more effective marketing than I can on my own. It would also help sales of my own Indie stuff and free up more time for actual writing. I don’t think authors need to choose one or the other route anymore-- it’s a matter of what makes the most sense at the time.

What's the best book you ever read?

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.

Who are your influences in literature?

Shakespeare gives a writer great grounding in character development and use of imagery. My theatre and TV background drive my work. I ‘see’ what I write like a stage piece or a film… and all of my actor’s training of getting into a character’s head helps my fictional characters come to life. I mentioned a few other favourite writers earlier on, but I also read heaps of Stephen King, Peter Straub and John Saul as a kid and I’m sure that had a huge influence.

Do you feel traditional publishing may become a niche?

There will always be traditional publishers. Publishing is in a state of evolution and re-invention right now. Whether that results in it becoming a ‘niche’ remains to be seen.

What is your education and job, other than writing?

I have a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature-- I studied at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario and did my third year abroad at the University of Leeds, UK. I returned to England and did my theatre training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in London. I’ve since taken a few creative writing course, notably the Humber School for Writers correspondence course under the enthusiastic mentorship of Booker Prize inner Peter Carey. My day job is working in described video services for the blind and visually impaired. I write special described narrative scripts for TV and film, and sometimes I get to record the narration, which makes the actor in me pretty happy. I love doing voice-over work. I had a special project last year: live-to-air improvised described narrative for the Royal Wedding.

Do you ever, like Truman Capote confessed doing, take from real life, friends, and family situations or characters to use in your fiction? If so, do you tell them or keep it secret?

I once said that I have a mental scrap bag of bits and pieces: the inflection in a voice, or the way someone jingles change in their pocket, or a facial expression… and yes, true-life interactions between real people sometimes find their way into the scrap bag as well. I never base a character exactly on a real person-- I’ll stitch bits together like a crazy-quilt. And as Margaret Atwood said, ‘Sometimes we just make things up’! I’m no fool. I never tell anyone if there’s an aspect of them in a character. If they do notice, I hope they only notice the positive stuff.

Do you think networking on social sites has helped your career and sales?

That is the only way I have any sales! If I didn’t Tweet and lurk around on Facebook, guest blog and do interviews like this, I’d have sold a few books to my friends and that would be about it. I find this to be one of the coolest things about going Indie- I’ve made tons of friends and interacted with readers. I try not to be overly pushy, and just joke about and share ideas on-line. I have no problem with sharing other authors’ news or blog posts, and I hope they return the favour if they feel moved to do so. It’s not a competition, is it? If someone likes to read, they’re going to buy more than one book… and if an Indie author can point the way to other quality Indie writers, everyone wins.

Writing fiction is important to all authors, but how much does it mean to you? If there were no outlets for fiction of any kind, how would that feel? If for some reason you could not write anymore, what would you do instead?

I can’t imagine a world without a fictional outlet. It wouldn’t feel complete or fulfilling. What a horrible thought! If I couldn’t write, I’d have to be acting again- there is a strong need in me to tell stories and explore characters… move people to laughter or tears or a new way of looking at something… or just entertain them.

What three things should our world have that would make it a better place?

If the world had more empathy, generosity and selflessness, we’d be living in an earthly paradise. That would pretty much solve all the major problems like war and terrorism, religious strife, disgusting capitalist greed that destroys nature and human lives for the sake of the almighty buck, and the bizarre right-wing Conservative attempt to take over the world!

Base Spirits on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Base-Spirits-ebook/dp/B005L38G8E 

 Base Spirits in Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Base-Spirits-Ruth-Barrett/dp/1453643001

 Family Secrets on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Family-Secrets-ebook/dp/B007D8TLP2

INTERVIEW WITH BRYAN HALL

BRYAN HALL a writer living in the mountains of North Carolina. He's had numerous short stories appear in various anthologies and magazines, now bundled into the collection "Whispers from the Dark." His debut novel Containment Room7 was released a few months ago by Permuted Press. Listen to what he has to say:

When did you start writing and how long was it before you were published?

I started young and then stopped for a while. About three or four years ago I started focusing seriously on it again and started selling short stories pretty quickly. I got lucky with the novel and made a deal with Permuted Press a few months after I finished it.

Tell us about your latest book and what inspired it.

Containment Room 7 covers a lot of areas, from zombies to aliens to murderous cults. It's a sci-fi zombie novel that really started when I was trying to break into a pro sci-fi market. I was struck by the idea of 'What would happen if we found God, and it wasn't really what we were expecting at all?' That evolved and twisted and turned and became the novel. The book's not preachy in the least in any direction, but that's the idea that it sprang from.

What genre do you write in, if any? How do you feel about the genre, the future of it, and the authors in it?

Horror, although I've got a few dark southern gothic stories in the pipeline. As for my feelings on it – it's stronger than ever and will probably just grow throughout the future. When it comes to writers, horror is one genre that certainly has no shortage of talent and the new publishing paradigm makes it easy for them to get their stuff out there.

What/who do you read for pleasure?

It's such a diverse list that I don't know where to start. I try to read one fiction book, then a non-fiction book and keep that pattern going. Everything from Dante to Cormac McCarthy, George Carlin to Clive Barker. I also read a lot of comics.

Is writing pleasure or work for you?

It's both. The fiction writing is pure pleasure, although sometimes the need to get it on the page can drive me insane. But during the daylight hours I write freelance nonfiction stuff to keep afloat, so that aspect of it is definitely work. Still, considering that I could be doing construction work or some nine to five job, I've got no complaints at all.

If you had to exchange your writing life with another writer, who would that writer be and why?

What an incredible question…I'll go with Alan Moore. I know he's a comic author, but the things that he's done are amazing and literally changed everyone's perception of what not just comics, but stories in general could be. From the Watchmen to his run on Swamp Thing, if I could create characters and plots like that I'd die content.

How do your friends and family cope knowing you have such dark or unusual thoughts?

Luckily most of my friends have thoughts just as dark. My wife just laughs it off. She likes a good horror movie more than she'd care to admit, I think, so she takes my strange thoughts in stride.

How supportive is your spouse and your family?

Completely and totally supportive. My wife let me turn an entire room of the home into my office, and has stood behind me completely since I told her this was going to be my life from now on.

What inspires you? Or triggers a story idea?

A long drive with some music on the radio is where most of my story ideas seem to hatch, for some reason. I'm not sure if it's the music or the drive, but that's where a huge percentage of them come from. But inspiration's a tricky beast to pin down, and everything from a news headline to a stubbed toe could do it. If you mean what inspires me to keep writing, I'm sure you already know – it's more of a compulsion that you can't control than anything else.

What has been the most difficult/painful/surreal story to write, and why?

I have a story that's pretty much outlined in my mind concerning a group of boys living in a town with a child murderer on the loose. It starts when they're young then moves to their adult lives. But the opening chapter is one of the victims coming to, tied up and scared as the killer prepares to kill her. I'm writing from the perspective of her, and I just can't get through it yet. I keep imagining my kids in this situation and have to move on to something else. One day I'll finish it up, but for now it'll just have to simmer.

How do you see the story in your mind as it's created? Is it like making a plan, seeing a mental movie, or do you just write down what the voices in your head tell you?

A little bit of the last two. I can't plan it out completely, though I usually know the opening, the basics, and where it's leading. Usually I play out each scene in my head like a movie, then go back through the dialogue a couple of times. But there are occasions when it just spills out before I know what's happening.

What's the best book you ever read?

I reread the Books of Blood by Clive Barker almost every year, and The Road is really amazing as well so it's probably a toss-up between them. But I'll say that the best work of fiction I've ever read was the entire run of Preacher by Garth Ennis. The characters and the storyline in that changed my mind about what fiction could be.

Who are your influences in literature?

Jack Ketchum, Brian Keene, and Clive Barker are the big three in fiction that I look up to. But my main influences are really comic writers: Garth Ennis, Alan Moore, Jamie Delano, and Neil Gaiman to be specific (I know Gaiman writes novels now, but the Sandman comic blew my mind).

Do you feel traditional publishing may become a niche?

If something doesn't change, it may. Obviously it's going to take a while, but there are already publishers switching their focus to more of a niche kind of thing, with hardbound signed copies for collectors followed up by eBooks for the masses. It's really tough to say, but the next few years should be interesting.

What is your education and job, other than writing?

I don't have any college degrees, if that's what you mean. And I'm lucky enough to call writing my full time job (albeit with help from the nonfiction freelance stuff), and thus far I'm able to make a living from it.

Do you ever, like Truman Capote confessed doing, take from real life, friends, and family situations or characters to use in your fiction? If so, do you tell them or keep it secret?

The novel I'm working on right now is centered around a character based on a family member with paranoid schizophrenia, although he'd probably never recognize it due to his situation. As for others, a few personalities and situations weave their way in here and there. It's the best way to get that realism a good story or character needs, I think.

Do you belong to any writer's organizations? If so, which ones, and how do you feel about professional organizations?

I'm a member of the Horror Writer's Association, and they're really committed to helping up and coming writers. I haven't had the time to really delve into everything that they offer their members, but there are plenty of benefits to be had.

Do you think networking on social sites has helped your career and sales?

I think it has, for sure. It's made it much easier to get the word out and to meet others in the business to exchange ideas and collaborate on marketing and even on creative projects. I'm not so sure how much it helps to just post a "Buy my book!" post daily, since it hasn't impacted my sales tremendously. I do it every so often, but I think beating the dead horse will only help you lose followers.

What is the hardest thing you've ever had to do concerning your work as a writer?

Honestly, just find the time to write fiction. With a family, a full time writing job, and a property to take care of, it's hard to squeeze in the time needed to get a book written.

Writing fiction is important to all authors, but how much does it mean to you? If there were no outlets for fiction of any kind, how would that feel? If for some reason you could not write anymore, what would you do instead?

It means a lot, for sure. There are just too many things go on in my head to not have some kind of outlet. Actually, before I started writing full time I spent a good bit of time…not depressed, really, but listless. I notice I get that way now if I don't get at least a few hundred words onto the page every day, so I guess there's something going on there. If I couldn't write, I'd be playing music again. I pretty much stopped playing once the writing took off – only so much time in a day, really.

What three things should our world have that would make it a better place?

Far more craft beers...far more common sense…and another season of Deadwood (or two). Yep. I'm shallow.

His novel Containment Room 7 is available from Permuted Press.

His short fiction collection Whispers From the Dark.

How I Got into this Crazy Writing Business

In this new day and age of publishing, the question becomes motivation. The answer is that in the beginning of a writing career the motivation needs to be wanting to reach your reader, your audience. That's the only motive that will survive an entire lifetime. If all we want to do is make money, it was easier before the troubles in traditional publishing and the rise of the e-book. It never was an easy prospect, really, but it was possible—with some talent and a lot of luck--to sell books to publishers who paid decent advances. Now those advances are smaller from small publishers or non-existent when the writer goes it alone on the e-book route. If the motive is to be famous and well-known, that's less probable and a motive that probably can't last over decades. So it comes down to wanting to share your stories and novels, the Number One reason for writing. If we get into this work for any other reason I don't see how it can sustain us over all the years of our lives.

I can say this now with the strength of hindsight because I've wanted to be a writer since I was thirteen, I first published a novel when I was thirty-two, and I've been writing more or less regularly now for thirty years. That's a lifetime. My husband used to kid me about wanting first to write for an audience, then when my work began to be published wanting to write for money. But though I smiled and let him believe that, it was never true. I've always and, to this day, done my work because I wanted to share the stories in my head with readers. Money validates that motive, letting you know that you're worth reading—people will pay to read your work. But it is a secondhand motive and as a prime mover it really won't work over a long haul.

In the beginning and for most of my life, I lived a routine that made me get to where I wanted to go. I wanted to sell books, improve to the point I could compete with some of the best award-winning authors in my field, and build up a bookshelf of my own works. I knew the only way to get there was to write fiction as a job, go about it just like everyone working a nine-to-five job, and if I didn't, I had no chance of fulfilling my goals. So I wrote from early morning with my first cup of coffee, until I had to quit to straighten the house and begin the cooking of dinner—for I had obligations to my children and husband that couldn't be totally ignored. I wrote this way five days a week, just like a carpenter, a banker, an office worker. Then on weekends I did not write, giving that time to my family so they would have all my attention. This routine and dedication got me there. I wrote and published a novel, plus several dozen short stories, every two years for about twenty or more years. Had I not kept myself disciplined, I would have been a writer with very few credits, like J. D. Salinger or Truman Capote, and though they both were able to secure a niche in literary history by such small output, I felt a longer career with more works was that I really wanted. (So far it's 14 novels and more than 150 short stories published.)

 Often I'd stop and look at Stephen King's number of works and despair. We were about the same age and I'd admonish myself for not writing nearly as many novels as King. But that's a fool's game because it does nothing but make you feel impotent and lacking in some way. Besides, I had children to raise and as any mother knows, that's a full-time job in itself. King had a wife. If I wanted to be that prolific, I needed a wife, not be one. There are any number of ways a writer can compare herself to other writers and none of them are helpful--all of them can only make a writer worry. Worried writers don't get much writing done.

The point of all this is that the working writer needs the right motive in order to create a lifetime of work. Now this is important, or it was to me. Putting writing off means nothing gets done. I wrote when I was sick, when I should have been sleeping, when my children sat in my lap or climbed all over me demanding my attention. I wrote when I lost beloved family members, when in the midst of moving house, when the power went out, when I was deep in depression. Because it was my work and the postman couldn't take off a day and the mechanic had to go to work and people everywhere had to do their jobs. If they had to do it, why would I be given a pass? This was my work, wasn't it? This needed doing and it would eat up most of my life and I was happy for that. I chose my work, where most people are never so lucky. I was doing what I wanted to do and I did it joyfully, knowing I was privileged to get to do it at all. But most of all I wrote for those strangers whose faces I would never see, whose lives I hoped to touch though I would never know how, and I wrote because I had to. Stories are something like little boxes of mystery we carry around inside us; they want out, they need out, they don't belong to us alone. We write because that is what we do, without apology and without fanfare.

These days I am older and slower, but the work keeps coming and I work as hard as I ever did. If I wrote for money I'd have quit long ago. If I wrote for fame, I'd certainly realize what a fool thing that was. But I write to know what is in the mystery boxes and to share them with you.

INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD FERGUSON

Please welcome Richard Ferguson to the Interview Session. A little background--I have known Richard for many long years and we are close friends. When I was writing my first novel in Houston, Texas back in the wild 1980s, Richard and I belonged to the same novel-writing club. It was simply called the Houston Novel Club where a group of us met every two weeks for 2-3 years. Out of the regulars of about 20 people, at least 3/4ths of us went on to become published writers. It was indeed a talented group of people. Richard and his wife, Ann, lived in Galveston during those years and now have moved to Mexico. He still writes and is new to the digital Indie scene. He has one book of short stories for the Kindle and is working on a second collection and getting his novel ready for Kindle. He's one of the most intelligent men I've ever met. He taught a college writing course at one time and, because he is well-read with a great sense of good storytelling, he has always been a beta reader for my novels. Now let's see what Richard has to say for himself...

When did you start writing and how long was it before you were published?

I still have my first short story written when I was six. It was about a boy who finds a wounded prairie dog and nurses it back to health. I apparently already believed in surprise endings because he throws it into the ocean where it swims away and lives happily ever after. I differentiate between being published, having fiction published, and being paid for fiction. It was about thirty years before I was paid for fiction.

Tell us about your latest book and what inspired it.

My inspirations come from things that have happened in my own life. The genre doesn't matter. I could be writing about living on a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri and I'd still use the emotions and sensations from past experiences. Love, hate, danger, sex, fear, happiness, death are all universal and timeless. The book I'm working on now is about a spy who should have been a poet but instead is involved in the darkest of black operations. It's also a love story.

What genre do you write in, if any? How do you feel about the genre, the future of it, and the authors in it?

My latest book is a spy thriller which, at the moment, doesn't have a name. I choose to write in that genre because I enjoy it. I try to write something that I would enjoy reading. There will always be an audience for great spy thrillers. John LeCarre rises above the genre in the way that Larry McMurtry made Lonesome Dove more than a western. There is always room for exceptional writing in any genre. When I write short stories, they sometimes are horror tales, again because I enjoy them.

What/who do you read for pleasure?

I've read most of your books. Other authors who I admire and enjoy have been and are: Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Ken Kesey, Larry McMurtry, Anne Rice (but only Interview With The Vampire). Actually, I read a lot of non-fiction too. I think it makes good ammunition for writing fiction.

Is writing pleasure or work for you?

When I write, I practically go into a trance. I'll realize that it's hours later and stop. It's more like another dimension than pleasure or work.

If you had to exchange your writing life with another writer, who would that writer be and why?

If I had to . . . maybe Lord Byron. His adventures with Mary Wollstonecraft and Percy Shelley sound very entertaining. He wasn't a slouch as a writer either.

How do your friends and family cope knowing you have such dark or unusual thoughts?

I am what I am. Some think I'm weird and it's true. I create fantasy worlds and live in them when I'm writing. If I weren't writing and I spent the same amount of time imagining monsters and murderers, I suppose I'd be considered insane.

How supportive is your spouse and your family?

My spouse is very supportive. As a rule, I only see the rest of my family on holidays.

What inspires you? Or triggers a story idea?

I'll give an example. I read a book by the man who actually was the first designer of special weapons for the CIA. In his book, he mentioned that the Soviets had trained women from an early age to be more than just operatives, but lethal weapons. From that, I built the story of 57J, a young girl who was taken from her parents, then trained and educated by the KGB.

What has been the most difficult/painful/surreal story to write, and why?

There have been times when I hit a blank wall in a story and simply didn't know what happened next. I was stuck. I learned to solve that by just writing anything for a few pages. I quickly found where the story was going, then could go back and remove the meaningless pages.

How do you see the story in your mind as it's created? Is it like making a plan, seeing a mental movie, or do you just write down what the voices in your head tell you?

I start with a plan of some kind although that can change as the story sometimes leads me. It's a little like a movie except I usually put myself in a situation I've experienced somehow before so I'm in it rather than watching it.

Now that traditional publishing vs digital publishing has taken really different turns lately, how do you feel about authors going the small press or traditional publishing route over the digital route? Indie or Traditional for you or both and why?

I like the idea of controlling the sales myself and seeing what is happening as it happens.

What's the best book you ever read?

That all depends on your definition of best. I'll define "best" as liked the most. I loved the characters and plot in "Sweet Thursday" by John Steinbeck. Another great favorite was "The Little Drummer Girl" by John LeCarre.

Who are your influences in literature?

I'd have to say every author whose work I've ever read has probably contributed in the way that even a grain of sand adds weight to a load. However, if I could write spy novels as well as LeCarre, I'd be happy.

Do you feel traditional publishing may become a niche?

My guess would be that people will always want a library of favorite books. I do because I like the feel and the smell and consider them to be artworks in their own right. In general, I think digital publishing will become dominant though.

What is your education and job, other than writing?

I have written most of my life. I wrote for the school newspaper from junior high through college, then the Stars and Stripes in the Army. I wrote for various newspapers and magazines and sold a couple of industrial film scripts.

Do you ever, like Truman Capote confessed doing, take from real life, friends, and family situations or characters to use in your fiction? If so, do you tell them or keep it secret?

I almost always use someone as a model for a character. It could be someone like a well-known terrorist, but many times it's a friend or acquaintance. I enhance them and sometimes combine more than one person into a character. I've never told anyone that I patterned a character after them.

Do you belong to any writer's organizations? If so, which ones, and how do you feel about professional organizations?

I don't belong to any. I don't have anything against them.

Do you think networking on social sites has helped your career and sales?

I know it helps but I haven't done much networking yet.

Writing fiction is important to all authors, but how much does it mean to you? If there were no outlets for fiction of any kind, how would that feel? If for some reason you could not write anymore, what would you do instead?

They'd find out I talked to myself and acted out fantasies anyway so I'd probably end up in the loony bin.

What three things should our world have that would make it a better place?

More nymphomaniacs, great wine, and more readers who like my books.

WEIRD TALES by Richard Ferguson

What's Up?

I'm looking forward to a series of interviews I'll be posting here soon. All kinds of dark fiction Indie writers with everything from story collections to novels. Stay tuned to hear what they have to say. Each and every one is special and I want you to meet them.

I've gotten quite a lot of work done, lately, with some more to go. I have two new short story collections up on the Kindle, called THE SUBWAY COLLECTION-Dark Stories to Read on the Go. 


And also THE SUBWAY COLLECTION 2-Dark Stories to Read on the Go.


Eventually there will be more of the Subway collections for my readers who especially enjoy the short story. Each collection contains 4 stories and sell for $2.99. I've been a short story writer since beginning my writing career. The collections will contain stories that were previously published in anthologies and magazines, plus new, original stories. Ever since I had a book hit the bestseller list in the UK, my collection CRYPT TALES-9 Scary Stories has been popular. This tells me there is an audience for the short story and I hope to give them stories to read.

I've also managed to get 3 Boxed Sets of my novels together for Kindle readers. SUSPENSE THRILLERS contains WIREMAN, WIDOW, and the story, INTERVIEW WITH A PSYCHO.

DARK THRILLERS contains BAD TRIP SOUTH, UNIDENTIFIED, and the story, DARK REALITY.

HORROR THRILLERS contains BANISHED, LEGIONS OF THE DARK, and the story, THE SCREAM.

Next will come a boxed set of thrillers including the novels NIGHT CRUISING, KILLING CARLA, and a story.

I'm going to be looking for translators, too, who can translate my novels into German, French, Spanish, and Italian--Portuguese also. If anyone can do this, please contact me at billiemosiman@gmail.com and we will see if we can help one another. I really want to reach other countries in their own languages. It's unfair to ask readers in those countries to read in English, right?

I've found a great proofreader for my e-books to check for any formatting or scan errors and his name is Mark Lewis. If you want to contact him for your own works, he is at lewisma@swbell.net. I cannot recommend him highly enough. Tell him I sent you.

Next in line for an interview is Richard Ferguson, an American living in Mexico, who is new on the Indie scene. Please come back to see what he has to say. He has his first book of stories at Kindle now, WEIRD TALES. His interview should be live tomorrow, March 5.