David Yoo - Author Of 'Girls For Breakfast'

Welcome to “Up Close & Personal.” For every interview I will be introducing a literary personality discussing his views and insights, as well as upcoming literary events around the world.

Today’s interview is with David Yoo. He's a talented writer and author of Girls for Breakfast from Random House. It is edgy and wickedly hilarious novel. His upcoming novel AFTERSCHOOL SPECIAL is due out in 2008 from Hyperion. He currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

EI: What were you like as a teenager? Please tell your readers more about David Yoo -- the man behind the author?

DY: Here’s what I was like as a teenager: I worshipped Let’s Active and XTC and The Replacements, and yet I more than willingly attended Motley Crue and Poison and Tesla and Warrant shows at the Hartford Civic Center…I revered the pre-Mighty Ducks ouvre of Emilio Estevez…Despite not really liking how they tasted, I ate, in retrospect, an appalling amount of Nerds candy simply because I liked the packaging…

I loved to talk shop about sports cars with gearheads despite not knowing anything about cars, and I’d invariably use the phrase “flux capacitor” in my extended b.s. soliloquoys about the latest model Maserati…I was the fastest in my high school at the shuttle run—those sprints where you pick up chalkboard erasers.

FYI, the key to success isn’t so much having quick lateral movement or an explosive first step, but rather it’s merely having a knack for picking up erasers really fast…I thought Edie Brickell was really pretty until she married Paul Simon--from that point on I thought she was really ugly. Contrasting this is the fact that I wasn’t attracted to Witchboard II’s Tawny Kitaen until after she married Whitesnake lead singer, David Coverdale, which, if I stop to think about it, kinda makes me feel confused…One time, on a dare during a study hall, I ate a dead bee. It did not taste like honey…

My protracted campaign to turn “what are you, a goddamned penguin?” into a national catchphrase, to be used immediately after anyone said, “Dude, chill out,” stalled after approximately three fruitless months…And what I probably regret the most from my teen years at this point is the fact that the sole reason I took French instead of Spanish in high school was because I knew that people in Montreal spoke it. Worst fricking decision of my life.

EI: Could you describe your path to publication--any stumble along the way? Is there anything about you that you would do differently, knowing what you do now?

DY: Actually, that’s precisely how I’d describe my path to publication—a series of stumbles until I sold my first book, and while this would suggest I’d have a number of things I’d do differently if I had the chance, I don’t think I’d do anything differently, surprisingly, because I think it would have been detrimental to my writing career had I achieved publication any earlier than I did, and equally disastrous had it taken much longer. And yes, I’m aware that I pretty much said absolutely nothing just now, but I stand by it.

EI: What do you find to be the hardest part of writing?

DY: Every part about writing is really hard for me, but at the same time it doesn’t feel that way, because I type so fast. If I had to choose a specific aspect of writing, however, I’d say dealing with plot is a perpetual struggle. I’m a voice-driven writer, and having to consider actual plots almost feels like an intrusion.

EI: Was there anyone who really influenced you to become a writer?

DY: Would it be weird to say that a little boy named Tony who lives inside my mouth told me to? If so, then I’ll go with Salinger, McMurtry, Camus, and James M Cain.

EI: Can you tell your fans about your experienced working with the late, great fiction writer Lucia Berlin?

DY: Lucia taught what she excelled at in her own fiction: emotional honesty. While she drew heavily from personal experience, even the stories that were wholly made up felt true, because she had no interest in not cutting to the core of her characters. It’s something I try to do with my own writing, with far less success. Also, she just wrote and read and paid little attention to trying to put her stuff and her name out there, and as a result she’s the best writer most people haven’t heard of, a true ‘writer’s writer.’ She’s one of those people who keep me humble, the mere thought of her tends to balance out those moments when I feel like the world owes me something. But don’t get me wrong, the world does owe me something.

EI: Let’s shift gears... tell us about your edgy and funny book ‘Girls for Breakfast’ what is the premise? And how did you come up with the title and idea?

DY: Don’t ever shift gears so abruptly on me like that again, yowch. Anyhew, the simple premise of GFB is that it’s graduation day from high school for Nick Park, and he’s looking back on his life trying to figure out what went wrong and where in order to understand why he’s completely alone at the end of high school. And in looking back on specific moments from his life he comes to realize how closely tied his obsession with girls is with his utter self-loathing and ambivalence towards his ethnicity. Think Up the Creek meets Five Easy Pieces, with a dash of Proust thrown in there for good measure.

As for the title, there’s no real story behind the origin. Besides the fact that I came up with it immediately after getting struck by lightning. I am crazy about titles, though. I spend at least twenty minutes every day trying to come up with cool titles. My fear is that one day I’ll run out of good titles and be forced to publish a novel bearing a title so corny it demands being printed on the cover in a loopy cursive font. One of my biggest nightmares.

EI: How much of ‘Nick Park’ character life is planned out in your head? How do you know where you will go next with his or with any of your other characters? What were your challenges?

DY: Usually I don’t think of my characters as characters who live on after the last page, I don’t really envision them outside of the novel or short story they reside in. However, I definitely do see Nick Park as a character I want to trilogize. I have a feeling that isn’t a real word, but you get what I mean. Reason why is Nick is a character that I invested a lot of time in and so I would like to see what happens to him in future books, down the road.

EI: Did you start writing this book with a different plan specifically in mind? How did your books get written? Is it inspired creativity, or a more disciplined hard work approach, with detailed outlines, scheduled writing times, etc.?

DY: With GFB, I started out wanting to write an episodic, ten-years-in-the-life-of epic novel, and the rough draft was well over 1000 pages long. To prepare for it I wrote a dozen short stories featuring Nick, trying to get a handle on his voice, the way he would act, etc. But it’s different with each novel.

I’ve been starting to address plot more lately, and while the story never unfolds remotely like the way I’d envisioned it, I suppose I am starting to lean more towards actually thinking through my stories rather than back in the day when I assumed it would work itself out and I just sat down thinking whatever I wrote would make sense and naively enjoyed the rush of typing really fast.

The struggle is to find a balance between that freewheeling, improvisatory rush of writing style that I used to embody with the more measured, plotty way I go about things today. As for writing schedules, it took me ten years to realize this, but I’ve finally come to the conclusion that on a good day I’ll write for four to six solid hours, but after that my mind is mush. Despite knowing this, I still try in vain to write for way more than 6 hours each day, and I fail to do so each day. I’m kind of an idiot, when you really think about it.

EI: Did you find an editor first or an agent?

DY: Agent. I’m fortunate to have an agent that I actually consider a friend. Granted, I mean one of those friends you and your closer friends secretly make up derogatory nicknames for for when he’s not around, like “The Third Wheel” and “We Need You To Drive.”

EI: Do you express your inner self in your writing, or do the personas you create exist only in your imagination?

DY: I do consider writing a form of therapy for me—I find that the mountain of guilt that resides inside my gut shrinks with every page I write. I think this is because my basic philosophy about writing is, “If you write about it, you didn’t really do it in real-life,” or something to that effect.

As for whether the personas I create exist only in my imagination or not, I have to admit I spend so much time going over and over my writing during the editing process that the scenes that are purely fictional eventually blur into reality for me. At this point I have trouble distinguishing what actually happened in ‘real life’ and what didn’t.

This sounds like a lie but I swear I recounted a story recently to a friend about how I accidentally licked something that had traces of squirrel urine in it and for weeks afterwards I was uncontrollably jittery and could jump really far, and as I was telling him this I realized in my head, “My God, there’s no way this is true.”

EI: What would you tell those authors considering applying to an M.F.A. program? In your opinion how important is it for a writer to have a writing degree?

DY: It’s about as important for a writer to have a writing degree as it is for a songwriter to have a degree in songwriting. Which is to say, it’s VERY important. Actually, I do think MFAs can be worthwhile if you use the time to actually work on your craft and produce pages.

It’s a waste of money and time if you go there and merely re-submit old stories to workshops and spend the bulk of your time loitering in vanilla incense scented coffee shops all day, staring at raven-haired girls as you pretend to read your tattered copy of The Sun Also Rises. Oh my lord, did I just use the phrase ‘raven-haired?’

EI: Do you let anyone read your manuscript, before you send it to your editor or agent?

DY: I don’t show many people my stuff. I ought to, but I’m protective of maintaining my vision for the story. The irony (note: the following might not be irony at all, it’s a problem I share with Winona Ryder, along with kleptomania) is that I rarely have a vision that makes any sense.

Another reason why I rarely show people my work is because I don’t like showing stuff that I know I’m going to polish further down the road. That is, I hate letting people read my raw writing. That’s why blogging makes me feel kinda gross—I hate posting for anyone to see stuff off the top of my head that reads crappily to me 24 hours later. And yet I can’t take it offline after the fact even when I really want to, because it feels like any form of editing or censoring breaks an ethical code of blogging or something.

EI: Readers and fans often like to get behind an author's writing routine. Would you like to share with them your typical writing day schedule?

DY: A good writing day (which occurs approximately once a week) goes something like this: I spend a couple hours in the morning grading papers (I teach fiction workshops), and then spend thirty minutes or so right before lunch writing in my journal and re-acclimating myself with whatever writing project I’m currently working on.

In the afternoon I write for a good four or five hours and keep interrupting my progress to jot down ideas for future projects in the aforementioned journal, and the work is going so well I weird myself out by singing impromptu little sentences out of the blue as I type, like “I love to write, writing’s fun, tra la la la la,” and “There’s not enough time in the day tee hee hee I live in a world of wonder,” as if I’m an elf skipping home from the mine at the end of the day or something, and if it’s a really good writing day the other thing that happens is late at night I’ll get out of bed a dozen times at all hours of the night to jot down ‘keeper’ lines for future stories in my notebook.

A bad writing day (which constitutes approximately 6 out of 7 days of the week) unfolds as such: Feeling uninspired, I spend all morning playing old school Nintendo games like Jaws and Contra and Karnov online, perpetually cursing at myself for wasting the morning, then I eat too much at lunch and subsequently pass out with a food coma and wake up hours later drenched in sweat and instantly livid, whereupon I write ten pages in my journal about how disgusting I am, and writing this negative pep talk in my journal takes up the rest of the afternoon, and then at around 6PM I get so frustrated that I’m wasting the day that I shadow box in the kitchen to let off some steam, but since I don’t know anything about boxing I always hyper-extend my right elbow, which has always been messed up with tendonitis since my junior tennis playing days, and I spend an hour icing my elbow and watching trick-shot pool competitions on ESPN2 (there’s nothing more depressing than watching trick-shot pool competitions, which, despite taking place in present day, look as if it was filmed in the early 80s) and at around 7PM I contemplate trying to write a rap album but stop the moment I hear myself shout, “Microsoft Woooooord,” and around midnight I take a deep breath and vow to myself in the mirror that I’ll work hard on my writing the next morning, and then I slide into bed with my ridiculously overheated laptop and go back and forth between watchng Youtube clips of sleepy cats and Google video clips of English Premiere League goals until I conk out.

EI: What can fans look forward from you in the coming months?

DY: To answer the one question readers tend to always ask me at some point (“Dude, is your next novel going to be called Girls for Lunch?”) my standard response still applies: “Nope, and just so you know, you have the exact same sense of humor as my dad. Congratulations.”

I’m currently working on my next novel, AFTERSCHOOL SPECIAL (Hyperion, 2008). And for those of you out there in the seventh grade, I have a story in an 8th grade English textbook dropping this fall, so keep an eye out for it. For updates on publications etc, check out my web site, www.daveyoo.com and my blog, www.xanga.com/davidyoo . I’ll probably put a link to this interview in my blog, which will as a result create an inescapable, completely circular wormhole, where you read this interview up to question 13, then click on the link to my blog, whereupon you read the top entry that features a link to this interview, and you end up back here again, for the rest of time. I’ll probably go to jail for it.

EI: Mr. Yoo, thank you so much for contributing to my blog. It has been a pleasure for me to get to work with you. Would you like to close the interview with a writing tip for young aspiring authors?

DY: Please, call me Chuck. And thanks for having me, it’s been a pleasure for me as well. My writing tip for young aspiring authors is simply this: BE HONEST.

To learn more about David Yoo, please visit him at:
Website: http://www.daveyoo.com/html/index.html
Blog: http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=DavidYoo
http://www.myspace.com/davidyoogfb

Originality at all costs?

When we strive to dispense with clichés in writing, there’s always a danger we might pursue originality of expression too far.  It’s not so much that we ‘cross a line in the sand’ as that we climb into a Chieftain tank and (clunking from first gear into reverse and then back again) drive forwards and backwards over that line until it becomes a wriggling worm holding up a tiny white flag and shouting as loud as it can (in worm-speak of course): “Hey I surrendered when you started writing this sentence!”  Somewhere along the way we forget what we’re saying … and the caterpillar tracks sink deeper and deeper.

            Sometimes we struggle so hard to invent a refreshingly new way of saying something that the result becomes enjoyably bizarre.  With this in mind, and even though this set of examples is a few years old now (you may well have seen it before), I enjoy sharing the following with senior students who are in the process of developing writing folios.  They usually get a buzz out of these examples because they were purportedly taken from essays written by Year 12 students in neighbouring New South Wales and because they can relate to the dilemmas which helped create such wonderful lines, and I can't help laughing because they can't help laughing and because I’ve got a juvenile sense of humour! There’s a couple of sentences that suggest the same sick mind at work and there’s a couple of sentences I wouldn’t have minded penning myself.

           Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

            He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

            She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature prime English beef.

            She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

            Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

            He was as tall as a six-foot-three-inch tree.

            The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife’s infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM.

            The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.

            McBride fell 12 storeys, hitting the pavement like a Hefty Bag filled with vegetable soup.

            From the attic came an unearthly howl.  The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city and “Sex in the City” comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

            Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

            The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot oil.

            John and Mary had never met.  They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

            Even in his last years; Grandad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

            The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil.  But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

            The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

            “Oh, Jason, take me!” she panted, her breasts heaving like a Uni student on $l-a-beer night.

            He was as lame as a duck.  Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame.  Maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

            The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

            He was deeply in love.  When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

            She was as easy as the TV Guide crossword.

            She walked into my office like a centipede with 98 missing legs.

            It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to the wall.

Jennifer Echols - Former Newspaper Editor Turned Award Winning Author

Welcome to “Up Close & Personal.” For every interview I will be introducing a literary personality discussing her views and insights, as well as upcoming literary events around the world.

Today’s interview is with Jennifer Echols. She has written two romantic comedies for teens and has won the Whatley Award for the year's best essay in the Journal of Popular Culture.

Her book ‘Major Crush’ is a double-finalist in the National Readers’ Choice Awards in the Young Adult and Best First Book categories. Her upcoming book “The Boys Next Door” is due out in June ’07.

EI: What were you like as a teenager? Please tell your readers more about Jennifer Echols -- the woman behind the author?

JE: I tended to throw myself into projects and take charge. I was editor of the student newspaper and drum major of the band. I wanted to be a high school band director myself and compose music for band, so when I was fourteen I bought a college textbook and taught myself how to arrange songs for 20 parts. Many times I thought living in a tiny town held me back. There were no special schools or camps for the arts. But of course as an adult I look back on the experience and see it was an idyllic childhood with parents who supported me in everything that interested me.

EI: Do you enjoy writing? What is it about this art form that enchants you the most?

JE: It’s like composing music but better, because you’re the composer AND arranger AND conductor AND musician. I’m addicted.

EI: Why have you chosen to write in the genre in which you write?

JE: When I started out, I was aiming for literary fiction. But after some soul-searching, I realized that romance is where my heart is. Even in the great works of literature, I’m most interested in the romantic subplot.

EI: In what ways does your writing benefit from your training as a former newspaper editor? Do you feel that the skills you possess as a college writing teacher, and PhD candidate in English inform the way you approach writing a novel and, if so, how?

JE: I wish I had been able to sell the first novel I finished, but I know I wouldn’t be the writer I am today if I hadn’t held those jobs. In different ways they all taught me that writing is not about you, the author. It’s about the reader. You have to be able to step outside yourself and see your writing the way a reader sees it, or no one will be able to identify with your message.

EI: Please explain to your fans about your previous life as a newspaper editor. What made you decide to leave that job? Do you think that life is a dream job or a nightmare?

JE: Actually I held two newspaper jobs--one as a copyeditor and one as lifestyles section editor. Both times I left to go to graduate school. For me personally, these jobs were both dream job and nightmare. The nightmare part came when, as lifestyles section editor, I served as an ambassador to the community. I am extremely introverted, so playing extrovert was a real struggle for me. The dream part was the editing itself. I love working with words, whether they belong to me or other people. I still work as a copyeditor--I just do it from home.

EI: Could you describe your path that lead you to publication--any stumble along the way? Is there anything about you that you would do differently, knowing what you do now?

JE: I had several different agents who were not able to sell my earlier novels. If I had to do it over again, I would definitely have joined Romance Writers of America sooner. I knew about the group, but as an introvert I was loath to go and talk with people about what I was doing. In making my latest push for publication, I found the group invaluable for social support as well as networking and business advice.

EI: You have created a world where romantic comedy for teens does move forward sequentially but instead moves in a more random and fluid way. How did you keep your characters and storyline funny and straight?

JE: I draw charts, graphs and pictures. Whatever works.

EI: When did you get the first inkling that your book might become wildly popular? Can you describe your feelings upon realizing this?

JE: Some people thought a book set in a high school marching band wouldn’t sell. I knew it would because band is a wonderful and very popular activity with lots of opportunity for drama, intrigue and romance. So I feel smug. :)

EI: Your book ‘Major Crush’ is a double-finalist in the National Readers’ Choice Awards, and also in the Young Adult Best First Book categories. It’s a very romantic and a funny novel. Did you ever intend the book to be connected to these specific genres, or did it just evolve?

JE: I intended it as a romantic comedy. I’ve written other genres, but when I started this book I could see the whole thing.

EI: Do you always know a story's ending when you begin writing?

JE: Always. First I figure out the beginning, the ending, the climax, and the other important plot points. I may write the rest more fluidly, but I need that road map starting out so I don’t get lost.

EI: Let’s shift gears... tell us about your book ‘Major Crush’ how did you come up with the title and idea?

JE: I got the idea from my experience as the first female drum major of my high school marching band. My original title was “Queen Geek,” as in band geek, but another book coming out around that time had the same title. Elke Villa in Simon & Schuster’s marketing department came up with the title “Major Crush,” and I renamed a character after her as a thank-you (see page 58 of the book).

EI: How much of ‘Virginia Sauter & Drew’s’ life is planned out in your head? How do you know where you will go next with any of your characters?

JE: I know exactly what happens to Virginia and Drew for quite a few years after the book ends, but I’d rather keep it to myself. I’m still holding out hope for writing a sequel someday.

EI: What challenges or obstacle did you encounter while writing and creating “Virginia” How did you overcome these challenges?

JE: I remember feeling somewhat distanced from her at first. I made her a little more like me so I could relate to her better. She’s not exactly like me, but a lot of the problems and emotions she wrestles with as drum major are taken from my own experience.

EI: Let’s talk about your soon-to-be-published 2nd YA novel. "The Boys Next Door" Can you give us a hint what it’s all about? And what inspired you about the book? And what about writing for teens appealed to you?

JE: From the back cover:

“Lori lives for summertime at her family's lake house. She spends all season wakeboarding, swimming, and hanging with her friends--including the two hotties in the cabin next door. With the Vader brothers, Lori's always been one of the guys.

“But while Lori and the ‘baby’ brother, Adam, are inseparable friends, she can't deny a secret crush on Sean, the older Vader boy. This year Sean's been paying Lori a lot of attention, and not in a brotherly way.

“But just as Lori decides to prove to Sean she's girlfriend material, she realizes that her role as girl friend to Adam may be even more important. And by trying so hard for the perfect summer romance, she could be going way overboard...”
JE: I grew up on a beautiful lake in Alabama, so I was able to put a lot of my experiences living on the water into this book.
As for writing for teens...I finished writing my first novel when I was twenty years old, and although I intended it as a literary novel, it was YA-ish in that it featured young characters. Since then I have gone back and forth writing for adults and teens. I have never left YA behind as a reader or a writer.

EI: What would you tell those authors considering applying to an M.F.A. program? In your opinion how important is it for a writer to have a writing degree?

JE: I think you should write down what you need and think you will get from this program, then examine the course descriptions very carefully and discuss the program with the folks in charge before you commit the time and money. Some extremely prestigious programs can help you get published because the profs can hook you up with their agents or editors if they’re impressed enough with you. I think this happens very seldom. On the other hand, I firmly believe no education is wasted. But from a purely practical standpoint, especially if you’re writing commercial fiction rather than literary fiction, you might do just as well by joining a professional writers’ group like Romance Writers of America and--very important--WRITING.

EI: What can fans look forward from you in the coming months?

JE: “The Boys Next Door” is coming out on June 26. I have more projects in the works for teens and adults. Check my web site at http://www.jennifer-echols.com for the latest.

EI: Would you like to close the interview by telling your readers any writing tips for the young aspiring writers?

JE: Write every day. Make it a habit. Talking about writing and actually writing are not the same thing. Talking is easy and writing is hard. But it will get easier and lots more fun as you go!

To learn more about Jennifer Echols, please visit her at:
www.jennifer-echols.com/

Michael C. Cordell - Screenwriter, Journalist & Author Of "In The Foothills"

In lieu of a personal photo, Mr. Cordell has supplied a cover image of his soon to be published book In the Foothills. Michael C. Cordell is a pseudonym.

Welcome to “Up Close & Personal.” For every interview I will be introducing a literary personality discussing his views and insights, as well as upcoming literary events around the world.

Today’s interview is with Michael C Cordell, he's a freelance writer from Burbank California. He has written several screenplays, published numerous articles focusing on legal issues, and is a regular contributor to the ‘American Chronicle.’

Mr. Cordell has two regular blogs: The Villa on the Hill-a, and My Life Within the Margins. A collections of his work will be published in 2008.

EI: Tell us what were you like as a teenager? And please tell our readers more about -- Michael C. Cordell the man behind the name?

MCC: I was what you would call nerdy in my early teens, but by the time I graduated from high school, I was much less introverted and much more comfortable in my own skin.

As an adult, I'd say I'm a happy person and grateful for everything I have in my life. It's not always the case that art is born of suffering! Like most writers, I'm a voracious reader and have a huge collection of books, most of which are now ensconced in our off-site storage space.

EI: Would you describe yourself as a confident writer, always ready to face the next new challenge, either in front of a group critique or an editor? Do you have to psyche yourself up to try different venues?

MCC: Most of the time, I can't wait to get to my computer to write or even edit. Just having the time to create is precious and I try to use every moment I have available. By the time I'm ready to submit a piece to an editor, I'm 99% sure that I've nailed it and in most circumstances, the editors think so, too.

Whenever I branch out into different venues, I take the attitude that this is just another part of honing my craft and plunge into it headlong. I think, what's the worst that can happen? If you can't learn from your failures, you just aren't paying attention.

EI: Your work has appeared in various periodicals, and you have written several short stories, screenplays, poems even essays. Now... a collection of your works is expected to be published in early 2008? Do you ever feel pressure or insecure, or are you able to separate all that from your own creative process? How do you manage?

MCC: I never feel the pressure to create, per se, because I love writing so much. I think if you're passionate about something, you're able to get into that zone where none of the outside stresses can affect you. The wolves may be scratching at the front door, but they can wait for you to reengage them when you're ready.

EI: How would you describe ‘In the Foothills?’ And how did you come up with the title?

MCC: "In the Foothills" is a collection of short stories and poetry that I've written in the last year that we've lived in the foothills of Montrose, California. I'm constantly inspired by beautiful mountains every day … my study has a western view of the Verdugo foothills. The view is reminiscent of what one would see in Italy or Greece. Obviously, the title is an homage to one of my main muses (my wife is the other).

EI: Are you in suspense yourself as you write your stories? Do the twists and turns surprise you as your story unfolds?

MCC: Absolutely! While sometimes I'll have an idea from the start of how I want the story to go, I often like to write and see where my characters or the story itself takes me. Doing that is as entertaining for me as it is when I read someone else's work.

EI: Do you express your inner self in your writing or do the personas you create exist only in your imagination?

MCC: I think every author puts a little of himself or herself into characters. My earlier works have reflected a lot of my personality in some way. However, my more recent stories seem to have come completely from my imagination. Part of that creative process is to just spin gold from thin air and make it work; I think that's the most satisfying aspect of writing.

EI: Let’s shift gears and talk about your screenplay ‘A Perfect Tenant’ How much of your protagonist life is planned out in your head? How do you know where you will go next with your character?

MCC: Unlike most of my stories, everything about my screenplays is well planned out, including the backstory for my characters. "A Perfect Tenant" is an example of how I employed this method. I wrote a mini biography for each character, then laid out the plot, scene by scene, before writing the script.

When I write screenplays, I actually play the movie in my head and visualize each character. It's then easier for me to predict what they're going to say or do. It helps to have a name actor play each part so I can see their face in my mind. For example, the role of Charlie Pound (the tenant) is "played" in my head by Robin Williams!

EI: Many writers describe themselves as "character" or "plot" writers. Which are you? And what do you find to be the hardest part of writing?

MCC: I am probably a character writer first. People fascinate me -their motivations, their interactions with others, what they say. Of course, a good story is necessary to keep readers interested in reading until the end, but if you write well-defined characters, they will take the reader on the journey they're looking for.

I'm fortunate that the only challenge I have with writing is not having enough time to write everything I have planned to write. I have several screenplays, novels and short stories just waiting to be written, but there are only so many hours in a day!

EI: Would you describe yourself as a confident writer, always ready to face the next new challenge? Or do you have to psyche yourself up to try different venues?

MCC: I probably would characterize myself as a kid in a candy story right now! I'm trying all kinds of genres and themes in my works and having a blast each time (and learning along the way, too). For example, I really never was much for reading poetry and the only "poetry" I ever created were lyrics I wrote or co-wrote when I was younger. Not only did I discover the true art in poetry, but I found I could write it where others enjoy it, too. For me, poetry is like painting with words; it gives me a chance to exercise those distant synapses in my right brain.

EI: Are you armed with notebook and pen at all the times? Do you always carry your laptop or PDA with you to write?

MCC: I ALWAYS carry a notebook and pen with me as well as keep one by my bed. However, I'm never too far away from my tablet PC, too. I recently bought a Neo (from Alphasmart) which I also keep with me everywhere in order to capture story fragments or poems that pop up into my head.

EI: Tell us about “Macdougal Street” Any progress so far? What was the inspiration for your short fiction?” How did you develop your characters? Did you work them out in advance, or did they evolve as you wrote the story?

MCC: I'm happy to report I just completed the second draft of "Macdougal Street" and will be starting the final edits very shortly. The main characters created themselves after listening to an author's bio on "The Writer's Almanac," the daily radio blurb by Garrison Keillor. I just placed them in the West Village of New York City and started writing. Eventually, the story came to light.

In general, I get my short fiction ideas from anywhere and everywhere. It could be a "what if" question that stimulates my imagination. Or sometimes, I'll overhear a conversation between two people and something they say will trigger a story idea for me. One of my stories, "Shad Fishing in Northern Connecticut" was based on a sign for East Granby, CT I saw while riding to the Stamford Airport!

EI: What do you think distinguishes your work from other authors?

MCC: Like all authors, I inject a lot of my own world view and values into my writing. All of us bring something unique to our craft, consciously or unconsciously. I think my work is unique in how I try to show the hopeful side of human beings with characters that strive to be better than they are, in spite of the speed bumps that life puts in front of them.

EI: Why have you chosen to write in the genre in which you write?

MCC: Fortunately, I have so many interests that I don't write in a single genre. In my screenplays, I've been gravitating to comedy and romantic comedy because I love humor and making people laugh. With my short fiction, I'm trying to cover the map in terms of the themes and styles … experimenting to a large degree, trying on different voices. My novels span the gamut, from "literary fiction" to mysteries to science fiction, on and on. The poetry I write is similarly varied, all in the name of experimentation and discovery.

EI: Who are some of the authors you keep returning to as a reader because of their ability to create vivid, three-dimensional characters?


MCC: John Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors for so many reasons, but the richness of his characters inspires me most of all. Without a doubt, Kurt Vonnegut has also shown me how to develop characters that are multi-faceted and entertaining (as well as quirky). John Updike's "Rabbit" books have been great examples of works that have illustrated for me how to write profound character depth and complexity.

EI: Can you give us a hint on what’s going on with your other screenplay “Original Idea?”

MCC: "Original Idea" is a comedy based on my experiences with the near miss of optioning my first screenplay. The whole situation was surreal for me at times and the ending was too comical not to be an inspiration for something. However, it was my wife who suggested I put it into a screenplay. The entire plot was almost fully formed before I started writing it out!

EI: What would you like to say to writers who are reading this interview and wondering if they can keep creating, if they are good enough, if their voices and visions matter enough to share?

MCC: I think that writing, like just about everything else in life, requires constant effort in order to improve. Very few people are brilliant writers out of the box. For most of us, it truly is a craft and it needs to be worked on all the time to become better at it. I say don't ever give up, even when you feel no one is really getting it but you. The creation process itself should be the joy, so make your art and the world will follow!

EI: What’s up next? Is there another screenplay in the works?

MCC: Gosh, so many things! I have five more stories for "In the Foothills" to write; the new screenplay, "Original Idea"; two novellas and the first novel in a mystery series, all in progress - this is just the start! I also have my two blogs I update weekly and two articles a week I'm submitting to American Chronicle. Sometimes I feel like I'm the lone diner at a banquet and wishing I had more than one mouth.

EI: Mr. Cordell, thank you for contributing to my blog. It has been a pleasure for me to get to know you, and your work a little better. Would you like to end your interview with a writing tip or advice for young aspiring writers?

MCC: Thank you, E.I., I've enjoyed this very much!

It may sound cliché, but the most important thing is to keep writing every day, even if you don't feel like it. The very act of sitting down and typing up something, even a short verse, keeps the juices flowing and oftentimes can be a catalyst for something more involved. Most importantly, don't give up!

To know more about Michael C. Cordell, please visit him at:
www.michaelcordellauthor.com/
www.myspace.com/socalvillaguy

Olive

We planted a couple of olive trees six or seven years back and imagined how it'd be to one day eat our own olives. They took some planting, as have most the trees on our block, because a belt of limestone lies about two feet down, running beneath the greatest part of our garden and the surrounding land. To give any tree a fighting chance, it's often necessary to prepare a deep hole, breaking through three or four feet of soft stone with a cold chisel or a roadbreaker until, below it, appears the finest beach sand you'll ever see.

One of the olive trees suffered a setback about three years ago during a storm. A eucalypt split in half and fell across it, more or less removing its crown, turning it into a shrub, and it's only begun to come good recently. But the other tree - well, that's flourished, and this year its branches have struggled under the weight of a decent crop.

The birds usually claim any fruit we grow long before it's ripe, but olives are an acquired taste it seems and so they've been left more or less intact. Even so, I wasn't sure what process eliminated their natural bitterness before bottling them, so I trawled through numerous websites until I found a recipe I thought might work, and then spent last Sunday afternoon picking the lot.

It's a matter of bruising the olives first, and then soaking them in brine. Each day, the brine is drained off and a new batch mixed up, removing any leaves or bad olives that appear. And the process continues twelve or thirteen times or more, until their bitterness is gone. There's something calming and therapeutic about all this, like kneading bread or treading grapes, which may, I suspect, make the finished product even more enjoyable.

There's no analogy in this to writing - to growing a story from seed, or grafting one to older stock, and pruning it to encourage the promise of fruit, year after year, draft after draft - anymore than there is to similar processes, and I haven't a clue whether our olives will be edible or not. However, in my imagination I've created a picture of marinating them in basil and garlic, and enjoying them with a glass of merlot, a chunk of bread, a round of Brie, and with the pleasure of good company (and a few tales to tell) or a good book... so whichever way you look at it there's usually a story not far away at all.

The books I'm reading at the moment are DBC Pierre's Ludmilla's Broken English and Robert Corbet's Shelf Life. I'm reading Shelf Life for work (looking for a Young Adult fiction title that deals with workplace themes, worthy of a class set) and enjoying it. I'm a fan of DBC Pierre's Vernon God Little, but am not far enough into Ludmilla yet (page 77) to know whether I'm going to love his excesses with language or not. I have a bowl of olives at my side, a chunk of bread...

Happy reading. Bon appetit.

Eileen Cook - Author Of 'Unpredictable'. Her Novel Was Optioned For Film By New Line Cinema

Welcome to “Up Close & Personal.” For every interview I will be introducing a literary personality discussing her views and insights, as well as upcoming literary events around the world.

Today’s interview is with Eileen Cook, she's the author of soon to be released novel “Unpreditable” from Berkley Trade in February '08. Ms. Cook is a counselor for individuals with disabilities. Her work has been published with several notable publications: Woman’s World Magazine, The National Post, CBC Radio and The North Shore News. Ms. Cook lives in Vancouver Canada.

EI: Tell us what were you like as a teenager? Please tell your readers more about Eileen Cook -- the woman behind the author?

EC: I kept my diaries from junior high and high school. I have documented proof of every dorky mis-step I ever took. I have vowed to have these burned before I die. When I re-read them I can see that I had a good sense of humor, but I spent entirely WAY too much worried about what other people thought of me. Currently, I am far better at social interaction and I no longer think Duran Duran is the world’s best musical talent. I’m considering this progress.

EI: Do you express your inner self in your writing or do the personas you create exist only in your imagination?

EC: My writing is a mix of things that come from my life and complete imagination. I don’t think my life is interesting enough for people to want to read. One of the best parts of writing is you can create anything you can imagine. No boundaries. You can take what you want to express and give it a voice.

EI: What is your response to the public perception that writers’ creative insight and energy is frequently the product of personal conflict?

EC: Overall, I had a frightfully functional childhood, parents who loved me, a stable home, and good friends. Of course there was conflict and it wasn’t Disney perfect- but overall I can’t complain.

I don’t think you have to “write what you know,’ but instead, write what you want to know. If you are willing to research and put in the work, I believe you can write anything you want.

EI: What would you like to say to writers who are reading this interview and wondering if they can keep creating, if they are good enough, if their voices and visions matter enough to share? 


EC: The fact that you worry about being good enough is a part of being a writer. In the past year I’ve met several “big authors” who are repeatedly on the New York Times list and they have the same worries, the same insecurities. I haven’t met a writer- still trying to publish or multi-published, who doesn’t ask themselves the same questions.

The doubts come with the job. What I would want people to know, is having doubts doesn’t matter, what matters is if you keep writing despite the doubts.

EI: Many writers describe themselves as "character" or "plot" writers. Which are you? And what do you find to be the hardest part of writing?

EC: I usually start with a character in an interesting situation. I admire writers who have everything plotted out in an outline before they start- but I tend to write my way into the story. My day job is as a counselor, what people do, what motivates them, and how they see the world is fascinating to me. You know the kind the person you see at the mall sitting in the food court watching everyone? That’s me.

The hardest part of writing for me is showing up day after day- even on the days when it isn’t going well. Because I don’t outline, I almost always get stuck at some point. Then I become convinced that the entire manuscript stinks. Heck, I stink. Why did I ever think I could write? I might as well give it up right now. Then I usually pound my head on the desk for a period of time. Eventually all that head pounding seems to shake something free and I go back to writing with a new idea.

EI: Would you describe yourself as a confident writer, always ready to face the next new challenge? Do you have to psyche yourself up to try different venues?

EC: I’m a schizophrenic writer- one day confident, the next day cowering under my desk. I remind myself I could choose to do anything- I chose writing. I do this because I enjoy it. Trying new approaches or venues is part of the fun. It doesn’t have to be perfect; the point is to see where those venues take your writing. This is one of the reasons I enjoy writer’s conferences. It is a great exposure to different approaches.

I recently took a screenwriting course. It wasn’t about becoming an Oscar winner- but taking a chance on something new. Regardless of what becomes of the script I wrote, the class improved my dialog and helped me write in a tight form.

EI: Do you let anyone read your manuscript, before you send it to your editor or agent?

EC: I have a group of six early readers. These brave souls not only read my drafts, but they provide honest feedback. By having several people read it I can’t lie to myself about what is working or not working. If more than two of these readers mention a problem- then it is a problem that needs my attention.

My suggestion is if you give your writing to others it works better if you know what kind of feedback you want. Are you at a point where you need to know only what is working? Are you ready to face what isn’t? At different stages of our writing we are ready for different types of feedback. I ask specific questions: did they believe the character motivations? Who did they like/dislike and why? I ask them to mark any places where it slowed or where they put it down.

My agent, Rachel Vater is a perfect match for me. She gives excellent feedback and editorial suggestions. She is definitely a part of the process for me. My goal is always to give my editor a manuscript that is as ready to go as possible.

EI: Was there anyone who really influenced you to become a writer?

EC: My parents were always big readers and gave me a love of reading. I had a number of great teachers at different points. In the end, the push to not just write, but to send my writing out into the world, came from my husband who pointed out that I had nothing to lose. I wasn’t published. The worst that would happen is that I would remain unpublished. I realized it was highly unlikely that any editor or agent was going to get my submission and then show up at my house to beat me with the manuscript for wasting their time. The potential payoff was worth the risk of rejection.

EI: Now let’s shift gears here for a second... Everyone is eager to learn about your new book, “Unpredictable,” Can you give us a hint as to what it's about?

EC: Sophie isn't crazy, she just wants her guy back. And posing as a psychic to give his new girlfriend a fake reading designed to break them up isn't going overboard, is it? Don't answer that.

Faking psychic powers turns out to be fun, especially after a few lessons from Nick, the cute skeptic, who teaches her all the tricks of the trade. But her readings do a lot more than she could have predicted. Now she must decide whether to accept her rising stardom in a less-than-honest line of work-and whether the best option is trying to rekindle her old flame or finding romance with someone new. And, most importantly, she needs to figure out whether the answers lie in the stars-or in herself.

Unpredictable will come out in February 08. New Line Cinema has optioned the film rights and recently hired a screenwriter.

EI: Can you share with us some of the challenges you faced to publish ‘Unpredictable?’ Is there anything about you that you would do differently, knowing what you do now?

EC: Publishing takes longer than you can imagine. You have to find an agent, then your agent has to sell your work, then the publishing company fits you into their calendar. Writing is subjective, what one person loves someone else can’t stand. It is hard not to take the entire process personally. When the book was optioned by New Line, the publisher decided to push back the publication date and do a different marketing approach. I felt like I had been waiting forever already, I didn’t want to wait any longer. Of course now that I have seen the new cover, I love it and I’m glad the publisher took the time. Perspective is everything.

The best advice I got when I started the process came from another writer who told me- your publisher and agent will focus on the business, you focus on the writing. The writing is the one portion of the process that the writer has control over- so I did my best to keep my focus on that area. When all else failed I had chocolate. It didn’t make things better- but it certainly didn’t make things worse.

EI: What was the inspiration for your novel? And what is your response to the public perception about your creative insight with your book?

EC: I attended a skeptic conference where one of the sessions showed how psychic abilities could be faked. I was surprised how easy it was for these people to make it look like they had a real ability. Sometimes because we want something to be true, we interpret the facts to make it appear true. I was fascinated first with how it was done, that led me to the question- why. Why would someone want to pretend to be a psychic? The why question led to the story that became Unpredictable.

EI: How much of Sophie & Nick is planned out in your head? How do you know where you will go next with their character? What was your biggest challenge?
EC: Story is about conflict. No conflict? No story. The writer Elizabeth George once said “Characters are interesting in their conflict, their misery, their unhappiness and their confusion. They are not, alas, interesting in their joy and security.” This can be difficult when you are writing, you come to love your characters and your job for most of the book is to make their life as complicated as possible.

EI: How did you develop these characters? Did you work them out in advance, or did they evolve as you wrote the story?

EC: I do character sheets before I start writing, but I always have to keep in mind that these are subject to change. Once I start writing things evolve, the characters may behave differently than I expected. Because I am not an outliner- I don’t always know where the story will lead- as a result I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the characters change their minds too.

When I find myself stuck I tend to pull out pen and paper and “interview” the characters. I write down several questions (What do you want from Nick?) and then free associate the answers. As I mentioned earlier, my day job is as a counselor, this interviewing process helps me tap into the part of my brain that I use at work to understand motivation and behavior.

EI: You also have a story published in different publications such as CBC Radio, Woman’s World Magazine, First Line Magazine, The National Post and The North Shore News, to name a few... For those just discovering your work, could you briefly summarize your back list, highlighting as you see fit? Would you please tell your readers more about it?

EC: Most of my writing falls into the category of humor writing. (at least I was trying to be funny.) I wrote a novel before Unpredictable. At the time I thought it was amazing. In retrospect- like many first books- it needed some work. This is an understatement on par with saying the Grand Cayon is a small hole. I believe all the writing we do, the things that work and the things that don’t, help move us a step closer to improving. People aren’t born writers; they become them by continuing to put words on the page.

EI: What's up next? Is there another book in the works? What can you share with us?

EC: I have a second book that is finished and with my editor. The book started with a fact I read about how more people are killed by vending machine accidents than by shark attacks. It has led to a story about someone who evaluates risk for a living and is terrified to take any risk in her own life.
I’ve also recently finished a screenplay and am working on revisions. I am of course, fully planning to hang about with celebrities and buying a dog that can fit in my hand bag.

EI: Ms. Cook, thank you for contributing to my blog. It has been a pleasure for me to get to know you, and your work a little better. Would you like to end your interview with a writing tip or advice for young aspiring writers?

EC: Thank you for the chance to be on your blog! My advice for anyone who wants to write is to read. Read as much as you can. If you have a book that you really like sit down an outline it. What is in each chapter? What about the characters do you like? When do key events happen in the book? We can learn so much by paying attention to those who do it well.

Lastly, my advice is to keep writing. Writing is a craft, like painting, singing or carpentry- we get better with practice. If you get discouraged and stop, then you will never know what you might have written. Is that a regret you want to have? I didn’t think so.

To learn more about Eileen Cook, please visit her at:
http://www.eileencook.com/

Nicholas Kulish - New York Times Editorial Writer & Author, Of ‘Last One In’

Welcome to “Up Close & Personal.” For every interview I will be introducing a literary personality discussing his views and insights, as well as upcoming literary events around the world.

Today’s interview is with Journalist Nicholas Kulish. He’s the author of soon to be released novel “Last One In” from Ecco in July 1st 2007. Mr. Kulish has been a member of the editorial board of The New York Times since 2005. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Washington Monthly, ESPN -- the Magazine and other notable publications.

At the onset of the Iraq war in 2003, Mr. Kulish was a reporter in the Washington bureau of the Wall Street Journal assigned to a Marine attack-helicopter squadron. The Journal also had him cover the US economy and antitrust issues. That same year he was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in creative writing in Berlin.

EI: Would you share some early insight into who you were as a teenager? What were you like? Please tell us more about Nicholas Kulish -- the man behind the journalist & author.

NK: As a teenager I was involved in a lot of different creative enterprises. I took photography classes, played in bands, and entered drawing competitions. In junior high I wrote and drew my own comic books and tried to write a science-fiction novel. It didn’t go so well. I remember getting to about page 50 before I solved my problems by ending it somewhat abruptly.

EI: Do you express your inner self in your writing or do the personas you create exist only in your imagination?

NK: The characters are imaginary. Every last one has a little of me in them, but they are not stand-ins for me. I could see myself writing narrative non-fiction,
but the novels are pure inventions.

EI: When you look back on your enormously successful career as a journalist, is there anything you would've done differently? If so, what and why? If not, how do you manage to move forward without regrets?

NK: When I quit the Wall Street Journal after the Iraq invasion, a lot of people said I was making a huge mistake, taking a step backwards just when I could have moved ahead. I knew I wanted to write fiction so it wasn't that hard a decision. The pressure came after that, when I would have a bad day at the computer thinking, “I quit my job for this?” That's when the regret can start to creep in. The only way to fight it is to be disciplined and keep writing because
then it’s worth it.

EI: What would you like to say to our young writers who are reading this interview and wondering if they can keep creating, if they are good enough, if their voices and visions matter enough to share?

NK: Most of my friends from college who stayed committed to writing and kept working at it succeeded in becoming writers for a living, whether that's at magazines, in Hollywood, or, for a couple of us, writing novels. But that takes dedication. A lot of people like the idea of being a writer more than the hard, lonely work of getting the ideas down on paper. If you love the actual act of creation, can find a way to stick with it, and remain open to constructive
criticism, you'll be a writer.

EI: Let’s talk about your reaction in Iraq? When did you and the media first start to get a sense of something was going on? Were you being kept informed on a daily basis, on what was happening?

NK: During the initial stages of the war, I often told my bosses back in Washington that they had a better idea of what was going on than I did. I only really understood what the group of Marine helicopter pilots I was living alongside were doing. The big picture required a lot of different viewpoints. I remember reading "Cobra II" (a military history of the invasion) when it came out and for the first time realizing what was going on at certain moments.

EI: When you were in Baghdad where you able to travel outside the “green zone?” Do you think American’s are any safer because of the Iraq war?

NK: I wasn't in Baghdad during my time there. I was in Iraq but only during the initial phase of the invasion, March and April of 2003. In those days there was no Green Zone. I've read that the beginning was actually the safest time, before the proliferation of roadside bombs and suicide bombers. I've seen no evidence that the war has made us safer. There's the argument among supporters of the war that it acts as a magnet for terrorists, but on the other hand there's polling data showing that it inflames anti-American sentiment across the Muslim world and beyond. At the end of the day, I'm not an expert on terrorism.

EI: Would you comment on the difference between what you saw the first time you went to Baghdad and the last time? Do you have any moments of doubt that there’s something wrong with the perception of American’s in overseas?


NK: I've never been back. At first I looked for assignments that would get me there again. Then a former colleague and friend of mine stringing for the Christian Science Monitor, Jill Carroll, was kidnapped and held hostage. That really gave me pause.I lived in Berlin in 1995 and many of the other students I met there thought it was so cool that I was an American. They were excited to meet me and wanted to know about what it was like in the United States. I went back in 2003 and everyone lectured me about how bad our country had become. Eventually I felt as though every party or dinner out ended up with me exhausted from defending my country.

EI: Mr. Kulish, you are well known in the Journalistic community as currently an editorial writer at The New York Times. Your work has appeared in various periodicals such as The Washington Post, ESPN, the Times and the Journal. You where also on a Fulbright writing grant in Berlin. Now... you have a latest novel “LAST ONE IN” which is coming out this summer. Do you ever feel pressure or insecure, or are you able to separate all that from your own creative process?

NK: I feel pressure like anyone else. When I get particularly stressed out I try to break things down into really small pieces that I can handle. Write just one scene. Read a chapter of a book for research. As long as I feel like I'm making progress, even inching forward, I usually feel okay.

EI: Let’s shift gears and talk about ˜Jimmy Stephens” the protagonist in your novel. How much of Jimmy’s planned out in your head? How do you know where you will go next with his character?

NK: Jimmy clicked in my head as a character better than any I've ever written. Something about this cocky, jocular, but insecure guy made sense to me. He feels like a fraud, which I think each of us does sometimes, whether giving an oral report in high school or a presentation at the office.

EI: What was your biggest challenge and obstacle while writing and creating Jimmy? Did you work him out in advance, or did he evolve as you wrote the story?

NK: As I mentioned, Jimmy was relatively easy to write. Incontrast, the character of the young Marine, Ramos, only began to come to life after months of rewriting. In many ways I'm now prouder of him than Jimmy, because I feel he's a little subtler at times and his character took so much work. I'm a huge believer in editing and rewriting.

EI: Many writers describe themselves as "character" or "plot" writers. Which one are you? And what do you find to be the hardest part of writing?

NK: Maybe I’m more of a plot writer. I think creating believable characters is the hardest thing about writing fiction. If you don't invest enough in them, they're flat. If you layer and layer them with arbitrary characteristics they can feel fake, overdrawn. It's a delicate line.

EI: Who are some of the authors you keep returning to as a reader because of their ability to create vivid, three-dimensional characters?

NK: The two books I sit down and re-read the most often are "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller and "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville. Graham Greene is a writer whose characters fascinate me. Among contemporary writers I'm a big fan of Michael Chabon and Elmore Leonard, who are very different but exceptional in their own ways.

EI: What would you tell those authors considering applying to an M.F.A. program? In your opinion how important is it for a writer to have a writing degree?

NK: I think that what is important is for writers to have time to write. A good friend of mine works in National Park Service fire towers in New Mexico to isolate himself so that he gets more reading and writing done. A certificate or diploma in and of itself isn't going to make you a better writer, but two years of uninterrupted writing with good mentors will. Like any kind of school, it's what you put into it. If you aren't ready to work hard and produce a lot, you're probably better off saving your money.

EI: What's up next? Is there another book in the works? What can you share with us?

NK: There is another novel on the way, but my work at the New York Times has slowed it down a lot. I'm starting a new job as the Berlin correspondent for the Times. On the one hand, I think that's excellent for an incomplete novel set in Berlin. On the other, it's going to take tremendous discipline to handle a demanding job and find time for the book.

EI: Mr. Kulish, thank you for contributing to my blog. It has been a pleasure for me to get to know you, and your work a little better. Would you like to end your interview with a writing tip or advice for young aspiring writers?

NK: Thanks a lot for having me. It's been fun for me too. My advice is to write for yourself rather than what you think editors will publish or readers will buy. Very few people make a living by writing books. That's no reason to despair. It's a reason to do what you love without trying to change to suit other people's taste.

To learn more about Nicholas Kulish, please visit him at:
http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061189395/Last_One_In/index.aspx
www.myspace.com/nicholaskulish

Anna David - Author And Journalist - She Appears Regularly On FOX, MTV, VH1 & The Producer Of TBS Reality Show “Better Luck Next Town”

Welcome to “Up Close & Personal.” For every interview I will be introducing a literary personality discussing her views and insights, as well as upcoming literary events around the world.

Today’s interview is with Anna David, she's an author and a journalist. Her debut novel, PARTY GIRL, will be published this June by HarperCollins. The rights for her novel have been sold in Italy & Russia. Ms. David, has done celebrity cover stories for TV and produced the TBS reality show pilot “Better Luck Next Town.” “Better Luck” is a about moving to another town to find a date.

She writes for the NY Times, LA Times, Cosmo, TV Guide, Esquire UK, Teen Vogue, Redbook and other notable publications. Ms. David has been written about by gossip columnist Liz Smith in the New York Daily News.

Anna David has appeared regularly as a guest on the Today Show, NBC, ESPN, MSNBC, MTV News, CNN, Fox Reality Network, E! and VH1 where she talks about the lives of celebrities. Aside from her numerous television appearances, she has also done national radio talk shows for XM and Sirus. Her twice-a-week ‘Reality Check’ blog has become one of the hottest blogs in the Fox portfolio.

An essay she wrote will appear in the Dutton anthology ‘Girl Who Likes Boys Who Like Boys’ will be out this June as well her debut novel ‘Party Girl.'

EI: Do you express your inner self in your writing or do the personas you create exist only in your imagination?

Anna David: I think all of the characters I create are either based on me or on people I know. Even if the character is absolutely nothing like anyone from real life, I try as diligently as I can to find some aspect of them that I relate to. It may be the curse of learning about writing as a journalist for so many years: I’m a bit married to the truth. Obviously, I make a great deal up because real life isn’t nearly as dramatic as what I’ve created but it starts off as something very much based in reality.

EI: What is your response to the public perception that writers’ creative insight and energy is frequently the product of personal conflict?

Anna David: Well, that’s certainly true in my case. When I was telling a writer I met recently about the dysfunctional family I come from, and he already knew that I was a sober alcoholic, he shook his head, looked quite disturbed and said, “God, I’ll never be a great writer because I just haven’t suffered enough.” So, yes, I come from a family that has had more than its share of issues and I dealt with that for many years by dulling my senses with drugs and alcohol, which eventually stopped working. In sobriety, we learn that alcoholism doesn’t have as much to do with how much you drank or used as it does with how your mind works. And I have a mind that likes to make me suffer. I honestly don’t know if I’ve been saddled with more difficult circumstances than other people or if I’m just more open about what I’ve endured. Then, either as a result of those experiences, or because I was simply born this way, my mind is always looking for loopholes, always out to compare what I have going on inside to what I think other people have going on outside and decide that I come up short. Comparing and despairing, some people call it. I’d love to have a brain that could just be satisfied more easily but I’m coming to accept the fact that I don’t, and that things that seem to come so easily to others take monumental effort and a lot longer for me. It does provide great grist for writing, though.

EI: What would you like to say to writers who are reading this interview and wondering if they can keep creating, if they are good enough, if their voices and visions matter enough to share?

Anna David: I guess I’d say that I certainly didn’t think I had what it took to be a novelist when I started writing my book. I just sat down and started writing. I had to be very one-day-at-a-time about it all or I would have stopped, deleted the entire thing and asked myself who I thought I was by trying to write a novel. That being said, I never wanted to do anything but write. There are kinder careers, certainly. So if it’s an actual choice, if people are considering continuing to write or abandoning it altogether and finding something else, maybe they ought to consider the ‘something else.’ If they can’t imagine doing anything else, then they shouldn’t worry about being good enough. Writing is a practice; we get better over time so if they have the will, the act will make them stronger.

EI: Many writers describe themselves as "character" or "plot" writers. Which are you? And what do you find to be the hardest part of writing?

Anna David: I’d say I’m a character writer, in that I get completely obsessed with my characters and build the story around them. For Party Girl, I didn’t start with an outline; I just began writing a character that was a lot like me. Later, after about page 50, I started writing down plot points. For me, it’s the characters in a book that stay with me long after I’ve finished reading, not the plots. The hardest part of writing is getting through those days when you’re so incredibly sick of your material, your voice and your thoughts that you swear you’d rather collect garbage than spend another minute at the computer.

EI: Would you describe yourself as a confident writer, always ready to face the next new challenge? Either in front of a TV camera, famous celebrity or an editor? Do you have to psyche yourself up to try different venues?

Anna David: Any kind of public work – whether it’s doing live TV, interviewing someone or meeting with an editor – so pales in comparison to the difficulty of squaring off against a computer that I find most of those activities to be an intense relief. That being said, all of those activities terrified me at one point and the more accustomed I got to them, the less I needed any psyching up. Of course, doing live TV can be incredibly stressful – sitting in a room by yourself, wearing an ear piece, competing to get a word in when you can’t even see who you’re talking to – but that’s something that gets easier over time, which, sadly, I can’t always say is true for writing.

EI: You are well known in the writing community as the beautiful, smart celebrity journalist and also one of the TV producers for ‘Better Luck Next Town’ and now a novelist. Can you tell us all about it? How do you manage being the center of public attention and the limelight?

Anna David: While that’s sweet of you to say, I’m actually not at the center of very much public attention at all. I started to get better known in the past year because I give sex and relationship advice on a TV show (Attack of the Show, G4) and that’s when I discovered the joys and angst of reading what people you don’t know have to say about you. I remember I started getting all this lovely fan mail, and one of these lovely fans said something along the lines of, “You certainly don’t deserve the beating you’re taking on the G4 message boards.” I went, I’m on message boards?! And you’d better believe the next few hours were spent reading every last word, absorbing every negative one (I told you, my mind likes to torture me), ignoring everything nice and eventually making myself massively depressed. My agent and the show producer made me promise not to ever go to message boards again. Sometimes I stumble upon negative comments but I’ve gotten so much better about not buying into the negativity and remembering that people who anonymously post on message boards are probably the last people in the world I should be gauging myself by.

EI: Now let’s shift gears here for a second... Can you share with us some of the challenges you faced to publish your ‘ Party Girl ?’, which is due in June from Harper Collins? Is there anything about you that you would do differently, knowing what you do now?

Anna David: The major challenge I faced was losing my editor about halfway through the publication process. She was so passionate and enthusiastic about me and the book and when the division she worked for closed, I was in no-man’s-land for a few incredibly nerve-wracking weeks. There was talk of the book not coming out or being released in paperback only and it was the one time since I’ve known my ever-patient agent that I started fighting with her, insisting that she get answers to questions that were at that point unanswerable. Of course, it all worked out in the end – the editor I inherited is just as devoted and intelligent and the book is coming out according to plan – but if I could do it again, I would have tried to have more faith and not freak out over the aspects I couldn’t control.

EI: What was the inspiration for your novel? And what is your response to the public perception about your creative insight with your book?

Anna David: The first job I got once I was sober was writing a column for Premiere magazine called “Party Girl.” And I loved the irony of the fact that I’d just taken on the label of something I’d spent my entire life embodying right at the moment that I closed the door on that behavior. While the column I wrote wasn’t about my personal adventures – it was more event coverage, sprinkled with celebrity quotes – it occurred to me a few years later that a girl who just became sober writing a column called "Party Girl" about her wild-and-crazy shenanigans would make a good story. I’m not sure I know much yet about the public perception about my creative insight with the book.

EI: How much of celebrity journalist, Amelia Stone is planned out in your head? How do you know where you will go next with her character? What was your biggest challenge?

Anna David: Like I said, I didn’t do a lot of outlining for Party Girl. I knew the scene I was going to start with and then certain ideas for future scenes would come to me and I’d jot them down, knowing that I’d be inserting them later. An absolutely amazing thing I discovered at one point was that I did my absolute best brainstorming while getting a massage. Because I found a place in LA that doesn’t break the bank ($50 a shiatsu) and because I had a marvelous justification for needing to spend that money in order to “fuel my creative process,” whenever I got stuck, that’s where I’d go. Something about not being entirely conscious but not being unconscious either freed my mind and allowed the more imaginative part of my brain to take over and helped me to be open to ideas I might have rejected outright had they occurred to me when I was sitting upright at my computer. Hiking in Runyon Canyon in LA also opens my mind to new ideas, but let’s face it – a massage is a lot more fun than a hike.

EI: How did you develop these characters? Did you work them out in advance, or did they evolve as you wrote the story?

Anna David: The characters definitely evolved as I wrote the story. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with, say, the best friend character because she was an amalgamation of so many different people I knew and I needed her to do quite a lot (be Amelia’s support system but not be so much of a pushover that she forgave Amelia entirely for her betrayal and also be an example of someone who drank with Amelia but wasn’t alcoholic) so she was probably the character that I re-worked the most while writing.

EI: Has your book been optioned for film yet?

Anna David: It hasn’t been optioned but I have an excellent agent at CAA representing it and a filmmaker and production company attached. I’m hesitant to say anything else about it, besides the fact that I believe it would make a most excellent movie.

EI: If you were allowed total control of the Hollywood version of ‘Party Girl’ who would be in it? And in your opinion who do you think should direct?

Anna David: Again, I’m reticent to say too much here – instead, I’ll just offer up the fact that I think Postcards from the Edge is the best movie about addiction and recovery that I’ve seen. Funny and poignant with an excellent cast and pitch perfect directing – it gives me hope that mine could work as well.

EI: You also have a story published in different publications such as Redbook, Teen Vogue, Playboy, Razor to name a few... For those just discovering your work, could you briefly summarize your backlist, highlighting as you see fit? Would you please tell your fans more about it?

Anna David: For years, I just did celebrity profiles and for those, I’ve interviewed everyone from Kate Hudson and Jada Pinkett to Renee Zellweger and Hugh Hefner. I then graduated to investigative pieces and first-person essays. Besides an essay I wrote that recently ran in the “Modern Love” section of the New York Times, I’m probably proudest of the investigative pieces because they required so much work – I had two that ran in Details, one on high-class prostitution in Hollywood, another on drug addiction in Hollywood. I wrote some sex and dating pieces for Playboy, which eventually led to doing a sex column for Razor. These days, the book writing and blogging for foxnews (www.foxnews.com/realitycheck) keeps so me quite busy, so I don’t actively pursue magazine work, though I still dot the occasional essay.

EI: What's up next? Is there another reality TV shows or book in the works? What can you share with us?

Anna David: As soon as we sold Party Girl, I started working on another novel, Kept, about kept women in Los Angeles (based very much on all the research I did for the Details piece on prostitution). While it’s finished, we haven’t finalized a deal to sell it. As soon as we do, I plan to start on another novel. I have a basic idea of the character and what I think I want her to do and I know that I want the action to take place somewhere besides Los Angeles (where both Party Girl and Kept take place) but that’s about all.

EI: Your list of magazine publications for your short stories is impressive. Would you recommend for new writers to submit short stories to magazines to gain an understanding and acquire experience in the world of publishing?

Anna David: I haven’t actually published any short stories but I have had quite a few first-person essays run. My recommendation for new writers is to start out at the smaller, regional publications – or at websites – first. It’s so tough to get in at a mainstream magazine – I only have when I’ve known an editor and he or she has commissioned the piece from me directly. I think a lot of people imagine dashing off an essay, sending it to a magazine and having it run when the fact is, magazines have entire staffs dedicated to deciding exactly what material they want. So the chances of a writer envisioning a piece, composing it and having it perfectly match what the editors would like are minimal. Of course, if you prove yourself as a reporter – someone who can conduct interviews and incorporate those into a cohesive piece – editors are probably more likely to trust you as an essayist down the road.

EI: Ms. David, thank you for contributing to my blog. It has been a pleasure for me to get to know you, and your work a little better. Would you like to end your interview with a writing tip or advice for young aspiring writers?

Anna David: The best advice I can give your readers is that they try to banish any bit of perfectionism they may have. The thing that seems to block so many writers is this ludicrous desire to produce perfect sentences the second they sit down in front of a computer. I don’t know about them, but I can guarantee I won’t find the ideal words and the best way to express myself on my first attempt. I say, get the first draft on paper and know that you’ll be rewriting the hell out of it. Tell yourself that you need to crank out a certain number of pages a day, even if those pages are going to be complete crap, and stick to it.

To learn more about Anna David, please visit her at:
http://www.annadavid.com/
http://partygirlthebook.com/