Shirley Marr - Author Interview Series

"Shirley Marr is an accountant by day and a masked writer by night. That's when she becomes her true self — Writer Woman, with her trusty sidekick, BetaGirl." Fury (Black Dog Books) is her first novel.

What authors/books did you read as a child? When did you first discover your love of books?

When I first arrived in Australia at the age of six, I couldn’t write or read a word of English. I could only understand a rudimentary amount of spoken English. I remember the very first time I sat down with my classmates in front of our teacher and she read to us Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree. Although I could only understand some of it, I remember that moment being so magical that it cemented my determination to learn how to read. So hence began my love affair with books, I slowly devoured every single book by Enid Blyton. The Secret Seven being my favourite series.

When did you first realise you were a writer? What do you hope your readers will take away with them from reading your books?

At first, I thought I was a drawer. But as my English improved, and I shifted my form of communication from visuals to word, I realised I was actually a better writer! I realised this is primary school. My novel is called Fury and I hope my readers are left with the feeling of what that emotion really means after having read the story. I hope it lingers in their memory.

Do you find it difficult to read purely for pleasure? Does everything you read come under your ‘writer’ microscope?

Yes, it is true - everything comes under my microscope! But I know when I find a perfect read - my mind stops trying to pick everything apart and I just go for the ride!

Do you have to avoid reading certain types of fiction while writing your own? Does what you read while writing have an effect on what you write? In what way?

Surprisingly, I don’t avoid anything while I write – I write every single day, so I believe in living my life! I read what I want to read at any point in time. I believe life in general has an effect on what I write and of course books do as well. Anyway, when you think of it, every book written is derivative of what came before, so I don’t try and shy away from it. In fact, I believe in acknowledging and reflecting in my work the books I like – I’m very fond of pop culture referencing!

Name five authors or books that have influenced or inspired your own writing in some way?

Jane Austen, William Faulkner, John Marsden, Margaret Mahey and Sue Lawson.

If you were travelling and were told you could only take one book with you, what book would it be and why?

I’d probably take a Lonely Planet suitable for where I was going… um, is that a cheat’s answer?

What makes a book ‘too good to put down’?

Compelling characters, storyline and narrator’s voice. Makes it sound easy to write a book doesn’t it?

What makes you put down a book without finishing it?

Sometimes (and it’s not a fault of the book itself) I just can’t “get into” a book. It’s usually because I can’t relate to the book at all and when I read I’m looking for that intrinsic human connection from the author – which is what I believe writing should be about.

Do you have a favourite author? Who is it and what is it about their writing that draws you to them?

I love William Faulkner above anyone else. I love his writing because it’s more than just telling a story, he really makes you feel complex emotions and he makes words - what is supposed to be a quiet medium - beautiful, furious and loud.

If you had to list them, what would be your ‘top ten’ reads of all time (excluding the classics) and why?

I can’t make this list unfortunately – most of my top reads are classics! But I will mention Letters From the Inside and So Much to Tell You both by John Marsden, which are in my list.

What was your 2010 ‘best read’? What was it that made it number one?

My ‘best read’ is Dare You by Sue Lawson. The prose is beautiful and almost lyrical, it’s woven together almost like a Japanese pillow book, It’s so different to anything I’ve read this year in YA, it’s totally underrated and it’s one of those books that get better with each subsequent read. Oh and it made me cry.

What do you think of the non-traditional publishing methods – eBooks etc? Do you think the new technology will encourage more people to read? Do you think there’s a future for print books?

I own a Kindle, I’m supportive of technology. If it makes books cheaper and more portable, then I am happy if that encourages more people to read. Especially if they commute and are put off by the bulkiness of traditional media, but with a media reader they end up reading a few books every year. I’d rather someone read, no matter the format, than not read at all.

Despite being blasted for writing an avant-garde short story completely in dialogue in Year Eight, and being fired from the Yearbook committee in Year Twelve for being disruptive, she still loves to write things her way. This type of behaviour led her to be the only person she knows who has ever been kicked out of a bookstore. You can learn even more about Shirley here.

Fiona Palmer - Author Interview Series

Fiona Palmer's latest book Heart of Gold is due for release on Feb 28th.

What authors/books did you read as a child? When did you first discover your love of books?

I really remember getting into books when I was 10 or 11 and the only books my mum had around the house were her Danielle Steele books. I can remember taking Summers End to read at school when we had free time. I guess that’s where my love of romance began and since then everything has to have a touch of romance for me read it, and enjoy it. Then books disappeared through high school and I was married and had kids fairly early so it wasn’t until four years ago I really got back into reading.

When did you first realise you were a writer? What do you hope your readers will take away with them from reading your books?

I guess when I got the first story I wrote contracted to Penguin is when I started to realise it. Before then, I’d never imagined being a writer as English wasn’t my strongest subject and I still struggle to spell and handle my grammar! But I always had plenty of imagination and one day it built up into a story I’d like to read and so I sat down and wrote it. Then I was addicted. I hope my readers will feel the emotions I do when I write my stories. I’d like them to laugh, maybe cry and feel like they are experiencing everything along with my characters. I want them to feel good after reading it, as for me reading is an escape with a happy ending.

Do you find it difficult to read purely for pleasure? Does everything you read come under your ‘writer’ microscope?

No, I get so involved in books that for me it’s nearly all for pleasure. If find it hard to get my ‘writers microscope’ to work. I’m someone who wants to sit back and be transported to another ‘world’ and not pick it to bits. I might take some things from certain books but give me a week and I’ve forgotten what those things were!

Do you have to avoid reading certain types of fiction while writing your own? Does what you read while writing have an effect on what you write? In what way?

If I’m trying to write, then most of my time is usually focused on that, its so limited with kids and work I can’t affort to pick up a book - that’s time I could spend writing. But if I do treat myself, (there are those days where my laptop is like poison and I don’t want to go near it) usually I’m reading YA books, which is totally different from ‘rural lit’. Vampire’s and tractors don’t seem to mix.

Name five authors or books that have influenced or inspired your own writing in some way?

I could only think of four!
Danielle Steele – for my love of romance.
Tony Parsons – As his were the first ‘rural’ books I ever read.
Rachael Treasure – After finishing my first manuscript, my aunty gave me her book Jillaroo to read and I knew from that marvellous book that there was a market for my ‘rural’ book.
Richelle Mead – for inspiring me to start writing a YA series. (although not on vampires)

If you were travelling and were told you could only take one book with you, what book would it be and why?

Gee wiz, that’s a hard one. I guess it would be the next one on my to be read pile and then I’d hope it would be really good so I wasn’t disappointed!

What makes a book ‘too good to put down’?

It’s being interested from the start by a hook, the voice of the writer, the feelings of the characters and the setting. You need good setting to bring you into the book, too much, it weighs you down, to little, and you’re just skirting the edge, not fully involved. Oh, and lots of romance!!! (did I mention I like romance?)

What makes you put down a book without finishing it?

For me it’s not having a hook right from the first chapter. I like to be sucked into the book or else I will put it down. Being a busy mother I can’t afford to be wasting my time on something I’m not enjoying. Books that build up slowly don’t get much of a look in with me. Also ones with many heavy descriptions, I like a lot of dialogue and a fast pace. I prefer books without too many big words, and I don’t like many literary books. If I want to learn something, I’ll pick up an encyclopaedia. I read for escapism. LOL

Do you have a favourite author? Who is it and what is it about their writing that draws you to them?

Hmm, I guess at this moment its Richelle Mead for her Vampire Academy series. She ticks all my boxes: romance with a hunky older guy who’s one of the best fighters, a gutsy leading lady with a few flaws but is strong and amazing, plots that weave through all six books beautifully that keep me wanting more, characters that evolve and magic powers. What more could a 32yr old mother - who sometimes still feels like she’s 17 - want.

If you had to list them, what would be your ‘top ten’ reads of all time (excluding the classics) and why?

LOL, I’ll try. I’ve only just started reading lots since joining our local book club about three years ago…before that I was lost in life.

Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen
Border Watch – Helene Young
Jillaroo – Rachael Treasure
Ransom – Julie Garwood – another one that started my reading early on.
Harry Potter – I was a teacher assistant when I read this with the kids.
Vampire Academy – Richelle Mead
House of Night – PC and Kirstin Cast – Who makes the weird seem so normal!
The Delta – Tony Park – for so much that happened in the first chapter!
Dark Country – Bronwyn Parry – mystery in the bush, with romance!
Twilight – Stephenie Meyer

What was your 2010 ‘best read’? What was it that made it number one?

I guess it would be Richelle Mead’s VA series, because I had six books to fall in love with and I’ve never waited with anticipation about any other book coming out before. It was written just for my inner teenager.

What do you think of the non-traditional publishing methods – eBooks etc? Do you think the new technology will encourage more people to read? Do you think there’s a future for print books?

I’ve never read an eBook before - maybe in the future?? However, I think there will be room for both. I will still always buy a book, for the smell, the texture and being able to display it on my bookshelf. And I can see the benefits of an eBook when travelling too. As for encouraging more people to read? Maybe. Kids love technology.

Fiona Palmer is the bestselling author of The Family Farm, for which she received an Australian Society of Authors mentorship. She lives in the tiny rural town of Pingaring in Western Australia, three and a half hours south-east of Perth. She has extensive farming experience, and was a speedway-racing driver for seven years. She currently works at the local shop in between writing her next book and looking after her two children. Find out more about Fiona at www.fionapalmer.com

Steph Bowe - Author Interview Series

Steph Bowe is a sixteen-year-old YA author. Her debut novel, Girl Saves Boy, was published by Text in September 2010. She writes a blog called Hey! Teenager of the Year and lives in Victoria with her family.

What authors/books did you read as a child? When did you first discover your love of books?

I've always had books around me - my parents read to me a lot when I was young, and I've devoured books for as long as I can remember. I remember as a very young child my favourite books were The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and a book called The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch, both of which contained drawings of food, which were my favourite parts. I've always been a big fan of food, as well as books..

When did you first realise you were a writer? What do you hope your readers will take away with them from reading your books?

I don't think I realised I was a writing. I've just always loved writing. I can remembertyping out stories on an old computer when I was five, and even before I could write drawing pictures and telling involved stories to accompany them. I hope that people reading my books will enjoy them, feel as if reading my book is time well-spent. With a lot of what I write, isolation and loneliness are big themes, and I hope if someone reading is experiencing similar emotions to my characters, they feel a little less alone. I want my books to be ultimately hopeful.

Do you find it difficult to read purely for pleasure? Does everything you read come under your ‘writer’ microscope?

I do, but mainly because I also mainly read books I receive for review on my blog, so I always read with a critical eye. I do always compare that writer to myself, which is never good. I'd love to be able to just read books and not constantly think 'I wish I could write like that!' just think 'Wow, this is great.'

Do you have to avoid reading certain types of fiction while writing your own? Does what you read while writing have an effect on what you write? In what way?

I read everything, and so far what I'm reading doesn't seem to affect what I'm writing.

Name five authors or books that have influenced or inspired your own writing in some way?

I don't think there are any particular authors or books that have had a masive effect on me - there are a lot that have inspired me, though. Five authors whose work inspires me would probably be Simmone Howell, Melina Marchetta, Cath Crowley, J.D. Salinger and John Green.

If you were travelling and were told you could only take one book with you, what book would it be and why?

A book I've not yet read, but that I know will be great. And then, during my travels, I'll probably end up buying more books. Hopefully interesting second-hand ones.

What makes a book ‘too good to put down’?

I don't think it's one particular thing you can put your finger on - it's many things, it's an unnameable magic. Beautiful writing and characters so real you can imagine bumping into them down the shops and emotional depth are all qualities of books I have difficulty putting down.

What makes you put down a book without finishing it?

False characters and plotlines and no emotional involvement. I usually keep reading in the hopes a book will improve, and very rarely will I abandon a book, half-read.

Do you have a favourite author? Who is it and what is it about their writing that draws you to them?

I can't name one favourite author! Though I do love the authors I named above, and many more. I think what I love about their writing is the believability of it - the characters become real to me, and I really care about them.

If you had to list them, what would be your ‘top ten’ reads of all time (excluding the classics) and why?

This is impossible. But I will try. I would probably have a different list next week. All of these I chose because they are wonderfully written, and they made me think about things differently than before, and they are the kind of books I wish I'd written.

On The Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
After January by Nick Earls
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
Looking For Alaska by John Green
Your Skirt's Too Short by Emily Maguire
Town by James Roy
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell
King Dork by Frank Portman

What was your 2010 ‘best read’? What was it that made it number one?

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. Beautifully written and wonderful characters and just absolutely magic.

What do you think of the non-traditional publishing methods – eBooks etc? Do you think the new technology will encourage more people to read? Do you think there’s a future for print books?

I can see a future world where people read both print books and ebooks. I hope more people will read. I think the line between books and other forms of media will blur more. I don't mind ebooks - I already do a lot of reading off a screen - but the feel and lendability of a print book isn't something I want to give up.

You can find out more about Steph online at...

stephbowe.com
twitter.com/stephbowe
facebook.com/stephmbowe

Raymond E. Feist - Author Interview Series

Raymond E. Feist is the author of thirty novels, including the widely renowned Riftwar Saga. He has been on the Times (London) Bestseller List, the New York Times Bestseller List, and every other major bestseller list multiple times over the course of his career.

What authors/books did you read as a child? When did you first discover your love of books?

I was read to as a child, which always made me love stories. I got into serious reading when I was maybe nine or ten, when I began to "inhale books" as my mother called it. The first "serious" book I can remember reading was Huckleberry Finn, which captivated me, because Twain made the 19th Century Mississippi River country around Missouri live. I quickly developed an appetite for what was known in the late 19th Century, early 20th Century as "Boys Adventure" books, i.e. Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott, Howard Pyle, Anthony Hope, etc. as well as historical novelists like Samuel Shellenbarger, Mary Renault, Harold Lamb, and especially Thomas Costain. I didn't get into science fiction or fantasy until I was a teenager.

When did you first realise you were a writer? What do you hope your readers will take away with them from reading your books?

I first realised I was a writer in college, my second time around. I had taken a bit of an hiatus for several years. I had an assignment to write, an essay, and frankly I was overwhelmed by other classwork, my after school job, and my thesis. I hammered out the paper at 5 am the day it was due. I got an A and the instructor read it to the class aloud. To say I was floored is an understatement. But it was then I learned rule number one about good writing; it's not what you say, but how you say it 90% of the time.

As for what the reader gets out of all this, I only seek to entertain. I, like most writers, am commenting on the human condition many times, for it is struggle, achievement, sacrifice, and all the rest of it that is the foundation of drama. If a reader gains a personal insight or makes a change for the better in his or her life, that's their doing. It's all on them, and if my work was a catalyst I'm quick to point out that if it hadn't been my work it would have been something else, for the reader was ready for that change.

Do you find it difficult to read purely for pleasure? Does everything you read come under your ‘writer’ microscope?

Yes and no. I can't read much fantasy anymore, and only when I'm not in the throes of writing, which isn't often these days. I read other people's fantasy when I'm on vacation or taking a break, which means I really haven't read any other fantasy in a few years. When I have a little down time I like biography and history and politics as my main focus for recreational reading.

Do you have to avoid reading certain types of fiction while writing your own? Does what you read while writing have an effect on what you write? In what way?

I don't avoid anything because I'm worried I'll borrow; I've been at this too long, thirty three years now. I avoid it because I go cross-eyed at a certain point reading about another magician, or dragon, or whatever, because by the end of my work day I'm pretty sick of the whole genre. Now, about real people, that gets me going.

Name five authors or books that have influenced or inspired your own writing in some way?

Only five? That's tough.

I'd have to begin with the collected works of Shakespeare because first, he's the best ever, and second it's the way in which he looks at the human condition and has the story unfold; story first, but massive insights into the nature of humanity revealed. Hamlet is amazing.

Second would be Huckleberry Finn, because it's simple and brilliant and so deep at times it can make you cry for the sheer honesty of it.

Third was a book by Thomas Costain, The Money Man. Understand, he was a serous historian, but when he wanted to look at truth more than fact, he wrote historical novels. That book was about a gent named Jaques Coeur, the financial muscle behind King Charles VII. It made me realise that it wasn't only kings and heros who create history. My novel Rise of a Merchant Prince was my own attempt at that sort of story.

Fourth would have to be an early Heinlein "juvenal" novel, Tunnel in the Sky, because the hero was fourteen, my age, and he was competent and successful, and that was as alien a concept as I had ever encountered.

Fifth would be Tolstoy's War and Peace, because it's massive yet intimate. It tells the story of this terrible war as a background, but at its heart it's the story of a single man, Pierre, and his search for love.

And the last title is subject to change every fifteen seconds at whim. Because every fine book I've read in some way or another has left its fingerprints on me.

If you were travelling and were told you could only take one book with you, what book would it be and why?

It would be the one volume Shakespeare. There are a couple of editions, but I suspect in this day and age I'd get the eversion for my iPad. I'd pick that because it never gets old. I've read Hamlet a few times and I'm always finding new stuff in it. Midsummer Night's Dream always makes me laugh out loud at the same places. Romeo and Juliet is always heart wrenching for the fickle nature of time. He was simple the best ever.

What makes a book ‘too good to put down’?

My position is you grab the reader by giving him/her someone to care about then tossing the poor soul into a lot of trouble. Keep it moving and don't get bogged down. Something my father said to me once about film is also true in books: "if you're not writing action you're writing talking heads; if you're writing talking heads, they better be saying something important to the story".

What makes you put down a book without finishing it?

Condescending to the craft. Any author who is giving me a wink and nod telling me I needed take what he/she does seriously, well, I'll take them at their word and not take them seriously. Anyone who is asking me to do the work in the story, i.e.I don't have to think the character is doing something smart, but I have to believe the character thinks he/she is doing something smart. If I have to justify what the character's choice is, in other words the author doesn't do it correctly, I'll lose interest. Lazy choices and bad style.

Do you have a favourite author? Who is it and what is it about their writing that draws you to them?

Not any one. There are several who's work I enjoy. There are some popular writers like John Grisham or Clive Cussler who suck me in because of their style. Clive is on my "guilty pleasures" list because his Dirk Pitt is like James Bond. If he had really gotten banged around as much as the stories say he'd be in hospital for life, but he bounces back. Writers whose work I admire, that's a long list. A few of them include Tim Powers, Jonathan Carroll, Larry McMurtry, the late John D. McDonald, Andre Norton, Harper Lee (if you're only going to write one book, that's the one), and I just realised this list could cover pages.

If you had to list them, what would be your ‘top ten’ reads of all time (excluding the classics) and why?

Excluding the "classics?" Wow. OK, let's see. Assuming you're talking fiction.
10. Land of Laughs, by Jonathan Carroll, because it is one of the best written, most ingeniously crafted contemporary fantasy novels ever.
9. Dune, by Frank Herbet, because it's the original "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away," story, the first "historical novel about a place that doesn't exist." Because it's huge but he made me care about everyone in it.
8. Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, because it's so wry, so smart, and yet so well detailed and researched it makes me accept silly premises as possible.
7. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein, because it's social science fiction at it's best. And because the author posited a society necessitated by circumstances beyond our ability to experience. It's the wild west meets Star Trek.
6. The Lord of the Rings, because it's a watershed. WIthout it I wouldn't be making a living and because at it's heart is the story of a little guy. Wonderful stuff, and if you have to explain why it's wonderful, the person you're talking to has something missing.
5. The Natural by Bernard Malamud, because it's a timeless story and about so much more than baseball. It's about dreams and aspirations and overcoming human frailty and craziness.
4. The Iowa Baseball Confederacy by W. P. Kinsella, because it's wonderful silly, hopeful and at the end validates your believe in the human heart. I like it more than his more widely hailed Shoeless Joe (Field of Dreams)
3. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, because it's maybe his best book, and because like the others it ultimately speaks to the human condition and the need for love. In his heart every man has a Montana Wildhack out there somewhere he longs for; if he's lucky he married her.
2. The Firm by John Grisham. In the realm of law-thriller fiction, maybe the best every. If a guy can make you sit up, heart pounding, knuckles turning white from gripping the pages while he describes a character making photocopies, he's good.
1. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller, because it was an amazing cautionary tale in its day that still holds up. It's funny and bleak and sad and hopeful all at the same time. My agent represented Miller, so I have a little insight and can only say you'd have to be slightly nuts to write this, and he was, but that crazy took him and the reader to wonderful places in the human soul.

I hasten to add that the above list is subject to change without notice and at whim. That list reflects how I felt after one cup of coffee at 6 am on a Tuesday, and I will most likely be thinking for the rest of the week, "Oh, wait, I should have included . . . ! Moreover, lists are fun but lists are stupid. and don't take them seriously.

What was your 2010 ‘best read’? What was it that made it number one?

A book that I actually had sitting on my "to read" pile for over five years, truth to admit. It's Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespear by Stephen Greenblatt. It's in my opinion the finest biography of Shakespeare ever and looks at his life in the social context of England as he grew up. I think the scholarship is brilliant and it's fun to read.

What do you think of the non-traditional publishing methods – eBooks etc? Do you think the new technology will encourage more people to read? Do you think there’s a future for print books?

I don't have strong opinions, but I have opinions. I think it's too early to tell what the impact will be. The task for the writer is still the same: write a good book then find an audience. The first task is unchanged. The second task now has more ways to get out there. The problem with "non-traditional" is that there's no time tested marketing apparatus that will let potential readers know you're there. That may be changing and if so, good. As for books, of course there's a future. Remember, books do a wonderful job of being books. They're easy to carry around, you can stick them in your back pocket and not break them, and if you lose one, it's pretty cheap to replace compared to a computer or iPad.

Born in Southern California, Raymond E. Feist currently resides in San Diego, California with his son, while his daughter attends college. He loves fine wine, good whiskey, and bad women, and the company of good friends. You can find out more about Raymond at www.crydee.com/

First Day

For those of you who don't know, my youngest son J has autism. We've been fortunate to have him mainstreamed and funded throughout his primary education. Today is his first day at secondary school and, after hearing the principal welcome the students and introduce his teaching staff, we parents (those of us who stayed) were more or less told to skedaddle. So I said goodbye, told him where I would meet him after school and restrained myself from kissing him.

I headed to the door feeling mildly confident that he would enjoy his day. I took one last look back, hoping to catch his eye and give him a wave and he had disappeared. I scanned the rows of students but couldn't see him anywhere. Puzzled, I turned to the front of the room where the teachers still stood and there he was, standing in front of his 'learning mentor'. Not more than five minutes before I had reminded him that if at any time he was feeling sad, worried or lonely he could always go and talk to his learning mentor. I'm thinking he wasn't feeling as 'okay' about his first day as he had made me believe. Still, I'd done all I could do to make this transition as comfortable as I could for him.

He was originally enrolled to go to another school with a student population of 1400, my decision based solely on the fabulous integration program they had there. As soon as I realised we wouldn't be getting any help from the Government I found another school for him. Today he has joined around 149 other year 7s at a brand new school, with well-planned buildings and a fresh new teaching staff. We have visited the school a couple of times prior to today and spoken with the principal and a couple of the staff. I have put together a page of information and ideas to help J's teachers to better understand and help him. I can only trust that they will read it.

I'm at home now and feeling all kinds of emotions about this day and the years to come. I'm feeling apprehensive, proud, relieved; relieved that the build up to this day is over and he's finally there and proud of all the hard work he has put in to get here. But I'm also feeling ripped-off and angry on J's behalf. We had to reapply for funding at the end of last year and we were knocked back. We appealed the decision and were again knocked back. The hard work we've put in over the last seven years (nine, if we count the two years of early intervention at the autism school before that) is just the foundation; the next six years are even more important to J developing the skills he'll need to be able to get and keep a job and be as independent as he can possibly be as an adult with autism. Having this extra, vital support denied to him now is like a kick in the guts. I'm still pursuing the Government for funding. I have written to the Minister for Education. I won't be giving up.