My (long) short story in response to the Community Storyboard’s September 8 Writing Prompt has been awarded a “Featured Post” badge! And I am sharing this distinction with my pal and partner in blogging, John W. Howell at Fiction Favorites. You can read John’s writing prompt response here.
Now all you other writers out there, make a visit to The Community Storyboard, submit a story, a poem, a photo, an essay to that week’s writing prompt, and you too may become a recipient of the CSB Featured Post badge! There’s a new prompt every Sunday, lasting for the whole week. Join in the fun!
Kohler, our favorite source for plumbing fixtures, has a stately, comfort height, two piece, round front new toilet available, so what do they call it? Kohler Memoirs (c). Here at the Brevity corporate towers, we plan to redo the executive washroom immediately.
Welcome to an interview with John W. Howell, author of a new novel (working title: My GRL) soon to be published by Martin Sisters Publishing. John is also an editor at The Community Storyboard, a student of the haiku, a short story writer when he is not writing haikus or working on his next novel, and is my “partner in crime” in producing a weekly Top Ten List of Things Not To Do at both his blog, Fiction Favorites, and my own, 1WriteWay. John worked for 40-plus years in the private sector world before taking up writing full-time and is currently undergoing “margarita therapy” in an effort to overcome the unpleasant memories he has from that long, painful experience.
M: John, thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed. Of course, I wanted to return the favor since you had interviewed me not too long ago. And I do need to return this margarita glass that I inadvertently took with me when we last met. All that aside, I am very interested in your writing, how it all came about and where you want your writing career to go from here.
J: Marie, it’s a pleasure to be here. Thanks for returning the margarita glass. It was getting embarrassing to have to serve the odd margarita in a mason jar. Aren’t you going to offer me anything?
M: Oh, of course, my manners. I’m no good at mixing drinks so …
J: I’ll have some hot tea. I have a long drive back.
M: A pot of hot tea coming up. Be careful where you sit. There may be a cat on the chair.
J: Thanks for the warning. Since I have two cats as well and know they don’t like to be disturbed. Perhaps if you could just find me a chair without a cat in it.
M: Here you go. OK, let’s get started. So, elsewhere you’ve said that you worked for over 40 years in the business sector. If it’s not too painful, could you talk a bit about what you did, what your occupation was?
J: Yes, Marie (takes sip of tea). I actually had three separate careers. The first was in consumer marketing and sales where I worked for over twenty-two years. In that time I started as a section sales person and finished as President of a consumer healthcare division. The second career was as a consultant in consumer marketing. I worked as an independent consultant for about five years and then for my third career started when I was hired by one of my clients. The client was a major telecommunications company and I started as a cube dweller and worked for about fifteen years and finished as a director. I retired and began writing full time in 2012.
M: That’s really interesting! Has any of this experience influence or play a part in your writing?
J: I have a reoccurring character named Frank who embodies all the arrogance I witnessed by upper management when I was working. You know the attitude, believing everyone else is less than equal and not quite as smart. I am slowly torturing Frank by giving him a life that he loves mixed with a life of a homeless person. I do this in various stages of his dreams. So whenever Frank goes to sleep he wakes up under a different situation and the beauty is he remembers the previous dream and is in agony. I love it.
M: And you wrote a short story about Frank that received an Honorable Mention from Writer’s Digest in their Popular Fiction Contest. Our readers can enjoy “Cold Night Out” on the Community Storyboard. Congratulations on that award. So now you are retired from the business world. What prompted you to take up writing? Had you done any writing while you were employed before?
J: I actually did a fair amount of contract writing on my last job. I became very interested in the creative process which I then infused into the contracts I was creating. I was able to have living documents that two parties could embrace. It was this experience that got me to the keyboard so to speak. I finished my first book while still working. I printed it off and it is now holding the laundry room door open which seems the best purpose for a 122,000 word piece of trash.
M: I think a lot of us may feel the same way about our first novels. You’ve said that Kurt Vonnegut is a writer you look up to and that Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is the book that got you interested in reading. Do you have any other literary influences?
J: In college I studied comparative literature and part of the curriculum was a concentration on the classics. I guess if I were to pick another influence it would have to be Stephen Crain who wrote The Red Badge of Courage. It was not only a compelling story but also reflects the inner experience of its protagonist. This inner experience or feeling I continually bring out in my characters. One of the reasons I like to write in the first person is that my protagonist has the responsibility of interpreting the scenes around him and then explaining those scenes to the reader. This makes a story not so much as an external circumstance driving the protagonist but an inner conflict that is causing the behavior.
M: And it makes for a compelling story, much like “Cold Night Out” where the reader only knows as much as Frank knows. Let’s talk about Haikus. When did you start writing Haikus? You know, you are quite the master. For our readers, many of John’s haikus are featured on The Community Storyboard.
J: Oh, Marie, you are so nice to say Master, but I am a humble student. I was challenged by a fellow blogger who you know as Kirsten to bring some of my poetry out of the closet (so to speak). I had a great fear of being laughed out of the blogosphere with some of them. I started studying the various forms and somehow fell into Haiku since it comes close to my natural writing style. I practiced and read a lot about Haiku and so I guess I learned with a hands on method. Here is one for you:
Marie is the best, Truly cares for all near her . . . Secret of her smile.
M: (blushing) John, that is lovely and so sweet of you. Thank you. Here, have some tea (clears throat and sniffs). Now, I understand that My GRL is will be published by Martin Sisters Publishing. How did that come about? How has your experience with Martin Sisters been so far?
J: I finished the book and then went through the query process to find an agent. After about two months of no response, I went on line and looked up publishers who would take a chance on first time authors. Martin Sisters Publishing and a number of others came up and since they did not require an agent, I sent a query. They liked my query and asked for that I sign a contract which I was very happy to do. They are very thoughtful and have great respect for writers. I have really enjoyed the experience
M: As you know, many of our fellow writers are self-publishing these days. What are your thoughts on self-publishing? Did you consider self-publishing at all?
J: I was actually going to go the self-publishing route before contracting with Martin Sisters Publishing. I think self-publishing is the way to go if you have some aversion to relinquishing some control over your book. I was very faint of heart when I knew some rights like cover design were now in the hands of the publisher. Martin Sisters also has an option on the next book which I just finished so I am not sure I will be in the self-publish mode for a while. I would like to try it though.
M: Oh, you just finished your second novel? How exciting! Is this a sequel to the first?
J: Yes, it seems the story was too big to fit in one book so I ended the first with some question as to the justice system’s ability to bring the true perpetrator to trial. The second starts off with the protagonist being hailed as a hero and scheduled to appear at the White House for an award. All the while the person behind the original terrorist plot has another in mind and he wants to get his hands on the hero. Many more bullets fly in the next book.
M: Sounds like fun (big smile). So, what is a typical writing day for you? Do you set yourself goals like word or page counts? What needs to happen for you to say that you’ve had a productive and satisfying writing day?
J: My day starts with normal chores like walking dogs etc. By noon I am ready to write. I set a goal for one thousand words for the day on my WIP. Of course with blogs and e-mails I write more than that totally. A successful day to me is moving the story along and working out a twist or plot problem successfully. (Oh and getting all the 150 E-mails put somewhere.)
M: Hmmm, you get a lot of emails, too. Ah, you know, publishing whether it’s self-publishing or traditional publishing is very competitive. Writers who are coming out with their first novels or short stories may feel overwhelmed or intimidated by the marketplace. Do you have any advice for writers who aspire to be published authors?
J: Anyone who wants to be published needs to understand that the work is hard and the result needs to be a personal goal not driven by some other person. Given that understanding, the writer needs to write every day. It really doesn’t matter how much but every day is a must.
M: Well, John, that’s great advice. I agree that writing everyday, even if it’s just an email in response to 150 emails, is worth doing. I want to thank you again for taking the time for this interview. I know I am one of many others who are eagerly awaiting the publication of your first novel. I assume you will announce it on your blog, which again is Fiction Favorites. Would you like some more tea before you head back?
J: Marie, it was my pleasure to be interviewed by you. You have a lovely new kitchen and I must say your cats are well-behaved. Yes, I would love some more tea.
Well, that’s it, folks! My first interview with Haiku student (master), novelist, blogger, and all-around great guy, John W. Howell. Be sure to follow his blog Fiction Favorites. And please stay tuned for more interviews by 1WriteWay.
Seumas gets some unexpected but well-deserved recognition as “that author fella”. Albeit from a young man in an elevator, but his story gave a boost to my morning just to hear his pleasure in the acknowledgment. And also #TBSU ;)
…they say there are three stages in the Life of Man… childhood,adulthood, and ‘my WURD, ye are looking well‘… some even aver that the grand old age of 60 is ‘the new 40’… shuffle it as I may, there’s no escaping the evidence on the passport… this ol’ Jurassic’s early years encompassed the miracle of music that was the BEATLES and all the trillion beat groups that sprung up on the back of their phenomenal success (we didn’t call them ‘bands’ back then)… I was a teenager when the moment struck, known as ‘where were you when JFK, etc’... soccer player transfers and baseball team salaries didn’t cost the price of the Gross National Product of medium-sized countries… and ye had to move off yer seat to change a television channel… so, I’ve been around a wee while now… in a varied career in…
You have probably heard of Dracula, but perhaps not of Varney the Vampire. In this podcast, recorded at the Late Summer Lecture Series, Lauren Owen introduces this nineteenth-century character who appeared in a nineteenth-century “penny dreadful.” She suggests that a modern equivalent to Varney can be found in Thomas Harris’s compelling serial killer, Hannibal Lecter.
Lauren starts by examining the importance of Varney, the Vampyreas a piece of vampire literature, and suggests that Varney, despite his self-pity, ineffectiveness, and dubious supernatural status, is a vampire worthy of attention.
Varney is a vulgar tale:unlike earlier vampire tales, like John William Polidori’s “The Vampyre” (1819), Varney does not pretend to high art. Instead it is funny, preposterous, repetitive, and quite evidently written to entertain. Varney himself is a lover of adventure and romance – this is the only thing that keeps him tied to humanity.
I am making this post as a public service announcement. I just want to encourage all of my fellow readers and bloggers who are Goodreads members to disengage from attacking authors on the site. In the past couple of days, I have seen several Facebook posts by authors of different genres who have mentioned being attacked by readers. ‘Readers’ are one-starring pre-released books or dive bombing every book the author has ever written with one-star reviews. Why? Because these ‘readers’ feel as if the author has made some reprehensible infraction against the world of literature as a whole *eye roll*. I know…dramatic, right? But sadly, it’s true. The internet trolls have now taken up residence on Goodreads. They are pollinating the site with their vitriol against authors and fellow readers who might support the author or their book(s). At some point, we as a community of readers and authors…
Darlene’s head felt like someone had dropped a safe on it. She didn’t want to open her eyes, afraid of the pain and of what she might see. She could hear and smell the rodents that had thrown her into the back of the SUV. They were snickering and scraping and farting and belching off in some distant corner. She was in a chair and the pain in her wrists and ankles made clear that she was tied to it. And there was some disgusting cotton material stuffed in her mouth. She slowly turned her head toward the sounds and peeked through one eye.
The light was dim, gray almost, maybe it was the pain in her head that made it difficult to see well. She could barely make out the blurry, furry figures off in a corner, around a table. She lifted her head some more, trying hard not to make a sound as a searing hot pain shot up through her neck. She must have been out for a long time.
“Hey, the broad’s awake!” Darlene’s blood ran cold at the raspy voice of the one who had choked her. She could make out the pear-shaped figures as they got up from their chairs and started to move toward her, snickering and fondling their whiskers with their disgusting little hands. Darlene wanted to vomit, but with the rag in her mouth, no way could she give in.
She smelled them long before they were close to her: stale beer, pistachios, and … and … corn. She tried to stare them down, to make them think she wasn’t afraid. But she was terrified. There were three of them, two rodents and a giant covered in hair. Sasquatch!
The rodents circled her chair, walking around and poking her, giggling and laughing as they did. Sasquatch just stood in front of her, his beady red eyes peering out through the thick pelt of hair that covered his face.
“I say we use her in the poker game … a strip poker game. The boss doesn’t need to know that we’ve had a little fun.” One of the goons leaned forward from behind her and Darlene could feel the tickle of his whiskers against her neck. She shivered with revulsion. If only she didn’t have that rag in her mouth, she would have spit at him.
Suddenly she felt something cold and sharp against her throat. The goon leaned even closer, licked her ear and pulled her head back so she was looking at him upside down.
“Now, pretty thing, we’re going to untie you and have you sit with us while we play our game. And you’re going to behave … unless you want your pretty throat cut!” Darlene winced as the knife ever so lightly cut into her skin. She blinked her eyes and the rodent gave her a big toothy grin. Christ, what an overbite he has, Darlene thought as the vermin released her hair and stepped back.
“Don’t cut the ropes, Bob. Just untie them so we can tie her back up afterward. Remember, the boss can’t know!” The rodents laughed, the sound echoing off the metal walls of the warehouse, and Darlene saw them start fondling their nuts … she couldn’t tell if they were acorns or pistachios. Her heart started racing as she felt the ropes loosen on her wrists. The second rodent had knelt in front of her and was working on untying her ankles. She could see that he was also trying to look up her skirt. She was itching to kick him in the nuts, but knew she had to restraint herself. She was too weak. Her power was at its absolute minimum. But somehow she had to get away, or die trying. The Sasquatch just stood there, watching.
Once she was unbound, she was hoisted to her feet. The rodents were grinning widely, their buckteeth so unclean they were almost phosphorescent in the dim light. The Sasquatch stepped forward and extended a huge hairy hand toward her blouse. Then a bright light flashed in front of her, a roaring boom echoed through the cavernous warehouse, and the Sasquatch exploded into hair and gore. Darlene fell to the ground as the rodents dropped her and ran for their guns. Just as quickly, she was picked up again and carried to the other side of the warehouse.
She gazed up at the young man who was cradling her in his arms. He had silky dark hair, smoky blue eyes, and was totally buffed.
“Are you OK?” He asked with such urgency that she almost laughed. Of course, she was OK as long as she was wrapped in his muscular arms. But he was all seriousness and he scowled like he was channeling Mel Gibson’s Hamlet.
“Sam!”
“Dean!” The young man apparently named Sam hugged her closer as he turned toward another rather handsome and more scruffy dirty blond dude coming toward them. The man apparently named Dean looked at Darlene and started to say something when Darlene screamed.
While the two bros were all attentiveness to her, the remaining creepy rodents were slinking along the shadows, machine guns in their hands. The guns went off and Sam, Dean, and Darlene fell to the floor and slithered out of range of the gunfire. The air became more dense and dark as the goons shot up the boxes that were stacked all around them.
“Dean, what should we do?”
“I don’t know, Sam. I wish Cass was here.”
Darlene nestled between the two very fit men, thinking how happy she could be if only they weren’t being fired on by rodents. And there might be a third guy? Hell, she thought, if she had to die, then at least she was in the company of some hot dudes.
“Dean!”
“What, Sammy?”
“What do we do now?”
“Hell if I know, Sam.”
***
And hell if I know where this story is going to go ultimately. But, for now, it’s going to go to Belle at Ruminations & Observations!
…now just look what we’ve gone and done, Mabel… we send out the declaration of the start of the HUG A BLOGGER/WRITER WEEK and what happens?… we get more positive feedback than that bloke giving away free stink bombs at a political rally… sometimes, I know the rest of the WURLD thinks the legions of quill-scrapers are a bit of a weird lot… sort of emotionless killers on paper or laptop of untold thousands of plot victims… hermetic creatures burrowing away in their virtual candle-lit garrets… oblivious to the touchy-feely aspects of life that other mortals display… now the truth emerges… all yesterday afternoon and evening. I’ve been processing new names and friends to put on my Weekly Awards list and the Blog Scratchers Corner rota… most of them attracted by the magnet of a virtual HUG… so there it is, laid bare for all to see… we ARE
I am making this post as a public service announcement. I just want to encourage all of my fellow readers and bloggers who are Goodreads members to disengage from attacking authors on the site. In the past couple of days, I have seen several Facebook posts by authors of different genres who have mentioned being attacked by readers. ‘Readers’ are one-starring pre-released books or dive bombing every book the author has ever written with one-star reviews. Why? Because these ‘readers’ feel as if the author has made some reprehensible infraction against the world of literature as a whole *eye roll*. I know…dramatic, right? But sadly, it’s true. The internet trolls have now taken up residence on Goodreads. They are pollinating the site with their vitriol against authors and fellow readers who might support the author or their book(s). At some point, we as a community of readers and authors…
Marie at 1 Write Way 