In high school, I dabbled in poetry, but decided to wait until I had
more life experiences before writing a novel. The original plan was to get a
general arts degree and take a few years off to travel and write. Instead, I
gave in to my practical Italian side and obtained degrees in mathematics and
education.
While I experienced many satisfying moments during my teaching career, I never found the time and energy to write. In 2008, I took advantage of early retirement. Slowly, a writing practice emerged and my articles and book reviews started appearing in newspapers, magazines and online.
My debut novel, Between Land and Sea, a paranormal romance about a middle-aged mermaid, was released by Soul Mate Publishing in September 2013.
I live and write in Guelph, Ontario.
While I experienced many satisfying moments during my teaching career, I never found the time and energy to write. In 2008, I took advantage of early retirement. Slowly, a writing practice emerged and my articles and book reviews started appearing in newspapers, magazines and online.
My debut novel, Between Land and Sea, a paranormal romance about a middle-aged mermaid, was released by Soul Mate Publishing in September 2013.
I live and write in Guelph, Ontario.
Between Land and Sea
After giving up her tail for an international banker, Isabella of the
Mediterranean kingdom is aged beyond recognition. The horrified banker abandons
her on the fog-drenched shores of southwest England, leaving her to face a
difficult human journey as a plain and practically destitute
fifty-three-year-old woman.
With the help of a magic tablet and online mermaid support, Isabella
evolves into the persona of Barbara Davies. Along the way, she encounters a
cast of unforgettable characters, among them former mermaids, supportive and
not-so-supportive women, deserving and undeserving men, and several New Agers.
Excerpt
Isabella stumbled as she
got out of bed and tried to balance herself on the stumps that now served as
permanent legs. She willed herself not to cry as she recalled the magnificent
tail that had been the envy of the Mediterranean kingdom. Her mother and grandmother
had also been blessed with the same tail. Now only Annabella held this
birthright.
She heard her stomach
growl and thought longingly of her favorite kelp dish. She closed her eyes and
visualized the steaming goodness that would satisfy her hunger. And then she
remembered that she could no longer manifest her desires.
No more powers. No more
comfort and ease.
Her lips trembled as she
looked about the small, neat room filled with large wooden pieces and smaller
metallic ones. She tried to move one of the larger pieces and then gave up in
frustration. Andrew had promised her a beautiful home with servants, and now
she must live this life of ordinary humans.
The flickering of a green
light caught her attention. She approached and noticed the tablet lying on one
of the wooden surfaces. It was blinking at her. Tentatively, she touched the
green light. The blinking stopped and a smiling face materialized.
“Greetings, Isabella. I am
Lisa738. Annabella has asked me to guide you through your orientation.”
Isabella frowned and tried
to recall her connection to this lowly mermaid from the Numbers class.
Behind the Scenes
Are you a Swooper (write first, edit later,) a Basher
(edit each sentence as you go,) or both?
I consider myself a
hybrid, a cross between Swooper and Basher. BTW…Love those monikers! While
writing my daily quota (1000 words), I pay no attention to grammar, spelling or
sentence structure. The next day, however, I spend about fifteen minutes
scanning the previous day’s work. I correct major flaws only and leave the rest
of the editing for later.
What is the one thing you must have to be able to
write?
I cannot write amid
clutter, chaos and confusion. I must have complete silence and perfect order.
Thankfully, I live alone and my condo walls are noise-proof. On the days the
superintendent decides to test all fifty-six smoke alarms, I leave the
building.
Did you have any bad habits when you began writing? How
did you correct these habits?
When I first started
writing, I assumed that inspiration would not be a problem. While I didn’t
expect a daily visit from one of the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, I
was certain the words would flow beautifully once I had large unstructured
blocks of time.
That was the retirement fantasy.
The reality was very different.
For an entire month, I faced the tyranny of the blank page.
Thankfully, inspiration came when I started attending workshops and taking online writing courses. Grateful for the structure, I eagerly responded to the daily prompts and completed all assignments. Slowly, a writing practice emerged and I built up a substantial portfolio of articles and book reviews.
That was the retirement fantasy.
The reality was very different.
For an entire month, I faced the tyranny of the blank page.
Thankfully, inspiration came when I started attending workshops and taking online writing courses. Grateful for the structure, I eagerly responded to the daily prompts and completed all assignments. Slowly, a writing practice emerged and I built up a substantial portfolio of articles and book reviews.
Do you have any rituals, habits, or superstitions about
your writing?
I am controlled by a bird
clock. Each hour, one of my feathered friends, among them the Downy Woodpecker,
Belted Kingfisher, and Great Horned Owl, chirp and remind me to stretch, switch
gears, take a break or stop writing for the day.
What is your work schedule like when you are writing?
While having a leisurely breakfast is one of my retirement perks, I do
not linger over that second cup of coffee. If I choose to have more than one
cup, I do so while checking email and social media. At 9:00, I start writing.
My goal is 1000 words a day. At first, I used the oven timer to keep me on
task, but that annoying sound reminded me of incessant school bells, so I
invested in a bird clock.
Are you always in the driver’s seat? Or do your
characters drag you along for the ride?
Halfway through writing Between Land and Sea, I started dreaming
about Isabella and the other characters. Interestingly enough, the characters
behaved very differently in my dreams. In particular, a minor character—Kendra
Adams—kept popping up. Originally, I had intended to limit her involvement to a
few chapters, but the psychic ex-mermaid had other ideas and started disrupting
my dreams. This inspired me to introduce a sub-plot involving Kendra and
sprinkle New Age elements throughout the novel.
Lightning Round
Die Hard or Terminator: Terminator
Dirt Road or City Skyline: City Skyline
Steak or Chicken: Chicken
Rock or Country Music: Rock
In Depth
How do you feel about being the center of attention?
Growing up, I considered
myself an introvert, but did not gravitate toward solitary professions such as
accounting and actuarial science. Instead, I chose to teach mathematics to
adolescents for thirty-one years. As a writer, I treasure my “alone” time, but
select outside activities such as Toastmasters that force me into center stage.
Conclusion—I’m an ambivert or extraverted introvert.
What is your worst habit?
In yoga class, my
instructor talks about calming our monkey minds. I have a gorilla mind and
often obsess about details, and sometimes that obsession stalls my writing. I
am slowly realizing I don’t have to get it right the first time. It’s okay to
have a vomit draft (my preferred label for crappy first draft).
How deeply does your job/social role define you as a
person?
During my teaching years,
I was defined by my role and conscious of my behavior both in and out of the
classroom. In retirement, I no longer have to worry about how I am perceived,
but I don’t believe my behavior has changed dramatically. I like to sprinkle my
writing with inspirational bits and enjoy giving advice to younger writers,
both online and offline.
Contest: Enter to win an
ecopy of Between Land and Sea. Leave a comment with a valid email address.
Contest ends February 17th at Midnight.
Thanks for hosting me today. :)
ReplyDeleteA great interview! One question -- what is a "bird clock?" A cuckoo clock? :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by.
DeleteRegarding bird clocks...
At a distance, a bird clock looks like any other clock. Instead of the numerals, there are twelve birds at each hour slot. Examples--Northern Cardinal and Baltimore Oriole. At the top of the hour, one bird calls out. At night, the birds are quiet. Grateful for light sensors!
Oh, OK... cool! :) Yea, it would be a bit irritating to hear birds chirping all night long... except maybe for the owls. From the age of around 8 to 18, we lived out in the country. During the warm nights, I would leave my windows open and listen to the owls calling to each other -- very relaxing. :)
DeleteHi LadyDi77, I would like to send you a free ebook of Between Land and Sea. What is your email address?
DeleteMy email is dihuffer@gmail.com -- Thanks! :)
Delete