Interview...author/columnist Celia Rivenbark

"It never occurred to me to publish a book," columnist and author Celia Rivenbark explains. "I had quit work and was staying home with my newborn baby girl when a very small local publisher called to ask if I'd like to compile some of my favorite newspaper columns into a book for regional distribution. I said, 'Sure, why not?'"

Bless Your Heart, Tramp was released by Coastal Carolina Press in 2000 and became a Southeastern Book Sellers Association best-seller before being nominated for the James Thurber Prize for American Humor in 2001. Not bad for a book Rivenbark claims to have sold out of the trunk of her car.

Three more books followed. In the latest, Belle Weather: Mostly Sunny with a Chance of Scatter Hissy Fits, due out on Tuesday from St. Martin's Press, Rivenbark takes on home improvement, Britney Spears and little girl beauty pageants.

How does Rivenbark decide what goes in her books?

"The columns form the framework for the books," says Rivenbark. She writes a weekly column, syndicated by McClatchy-Tribune Media Services, that typically revolves around the subjects of kids, men, pop culture and the south so her chapters often set themselves.

"Some essays are completely new; others are so tweaked you’d never recognize them from their (much-tamer) newspaper selves."

About midway through the process, a dominant theme or section emerges. In Belle Weather, it's home improvement as Rivenbark writes about buying and renovating their house. On the other hand, Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank highlights children and parenting. Re-released by St. Martin's two years ago, Bless Your Heart, Tramp's largest section is entitled "The South" but We're Just Like You, Only Prettier is more evenly split with sections like "The Southern Family," "Couples Therapy, Southern Style," "The Southern Woman" and more.

It takes her a year to a year and a half to complete a book, then another year before it's released from the publisher.

Is humor hard?

In her bio on her website, Rivenbark says writing a humor column is the fulfillment of "her lifelong dream of being paid to be a smart ass." She's good at it, too. Her column has won numerous press awards and We're Just Like You, Only Prettier, her second book published in 2004 by St. Martin's Press, won the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Nonfiction Book of the Year and became a finalist for the James Thurber Prize for American Humor.

"Funny stuff is happening in this world all the time. And by world, I mean the Bush White House," she quips. She admits to having at least one topic she won't touch, but refuses to name it. "If I told you, that would be touching it, now wouldn't it?"

To look at the contents of her books, you'd be hard-pressed to find it. She lampoons everything from couple baby showers to plasma TVs to school fundraisers.

Her brand of southern humor has a wide appeal. Rivenbark column appears in papers from South Carolina to Washington State. A Celia Rivenbark fan club on Facebook has a member from Australia.

"Southerners are weird and crazy and they love language," she says, "We are just a colorful bunch of folks with long stories to tell and, thank God, people like to hear ‘em."

Is it hard for a woman to make a living writing humor?

Rivenbark has been compared to Dave Barry, Jeff Foxworthy and Erma Bombeck but with an edgier, more biting wit. She says she realized that she was funny when Bless Your Heart, Tramp started selling and We're Just Like You, Only Prettier won the SIBA nonfiction book award. "That blew me away."

"I don’t know that it’s harder for a woman than a man," she says, "I do know that, while I’m doing OK, I certainly don’t want my husband to quit his day job anytime soon!"

Nor does she think there's a difference between the genders when it comes to pushing the humor envelope, citing David Sedaris, Lewis Black, Jon Stewart and others.

"It's about even as far as I can tell," she says. "I like to write edgy stuff but I certainly respect the humor greats like Bombeck, who was far from edgy but was very, very funny and relatable."

"That’s the beauty of humor. You can laugh at Bombeck or you can laugh at Kathy Griffin."




Read reviews of Belle Weather at Dew on the Kudzu and Genre Go Round Reviews. St. Martin's Press has an audio excerpt read by Rivenbark.

To learn more about Celia Rivenbark and read some of her columns, visit her website.

Interview…with ThomasMax Publishing's Lee Clevenger and R. Preston Ward

R. Preston Ward and Lee Clevenger (photo: l-r) founded ThomasMax Publishing in 2004 as a means to re-release Clevenger's children's novel Incrediboy: Be Careful What You Wish. The book's original publisher had folded and Clevenger had been dismayed by the lack of creative control he had with that company and by the lack of marketing by the company. Named for their fathers, ThomasMax Publishing tries to stand out in the ever-growing industry of Print-On-Demand publishing (POD). Ward and Clevenger offer insight into the POD and self-publishing.

What's the difference between self-publishing and POD publishing?

"POD, or print-on-demand, is a technique used by most publishers in the book industry today, not just those who cater to the self-publishing market," Clevenger explains.

POD technically means that the product is printed when it’s ordered or sold as opposed to traditional printing or print-on-speculation where books are printed in quantity for cost-saving purposes in hopes of selling enough of them to be profitable. The ability to print small quantities of reasonably priced books has led to a boon in the self-publishing business. If, however, someone has the means to invest in a large quantity of books (5000 or more), it would be more cost efficient to go through a printer.

"Of course, said self-publisher will have to go through the exercises of acquiring an ISBN number and arranging for the book to be available through distributors," adds Ward, which are services most POD publishers offer. They are, in fact, part of ThomasMax's publishing package.

ThomasMax only requires authors to buy 250 copies of their book up front. Included in that purchase is a host of services that will help the author with the sale of the book, including an ISBN number and barcode, which has the price integrated so stores can scan it for sale. They also list all their books with distributors like Baker & Taylor and Ingram. The printer they use sells to Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.

When submitting a manuscript, ThomasMax requires it to be in a word processor file like MS Word and they require it to be professionally edited. The author may hire their own editor or may use ThomasMax's editing service.

"Our contract states that graphic design for covers is not included, but, fortunately, so far we’ve never had to charge for that," says Ward. "But if a customer ever rejected a dozen ideas without telling us why or giving us direction as to what is acceptable, we reserve the right to charge."

Other charges may be incurred by the author, but usually those are for unique or extraordinary demands.

When should an author consider POD publishing?

"Niche-market books are ideal POD candidates," says Clevenger. "Public speakers should consider self-publishing POD books because they have a built-in clientele at their speaking engagements."

Time is another consideration. Three of ThomasMax's clients are 80 years old or older. It can take a year or more after your book is accepted by a traditional publisher for it to reach the shelves. With POD publishing, you can have your book in hand in weeks, not years.

You should also consider your marketing strategy for your book. "Our rule of thumb is that if you don’t think you can sell your initial 250 copies, you probably don’t have any business self-publishing," Clevenger continues. "If you think you can sell them, you can make money by publishing them yourself."

There are some advantages to self-publishing, including creative control over things like the title, and the book jacket. "And, at least with our company, you have input into the selling price and the royalties you will receive on a per-book basis," adds Clevenger.

There's the time factor already mentioned and the profit you can make. In self-publishing, you buy the book at below wholesale. And there are no rejection letters.

Of course, there are disadvantages. Chain bookstores rarely carry self-published or POD books. Traditionally, the bookstores order books from the distributors on a 90-day trail. After 90 days, the stores can return the unsold books. POD publishers don't usually offer that return policy so the chains won't order them for their physical stores. They will, however, consider them for their online stores.

Another disadvantage is pricing. "Whereas a mass-market paperback might sell for $7.99 or $8.99, a trade-paperback POD title of similar length might sell for $13.95 to $16.95," explains Clevenger. Yes, it is a better-looking, higher quality book, but it is a harder sell for the stores.

One might say that having to market your own book might be a disadvantage in POD publishing. In today's publishing industry, authors must be more responsible for the marketing of their own books, even if the books are with traditional publishing houses. (see Promoting Your Book…Whose Responsibility Is It?) So if you're going to be a writer, you have to be a marketing master as well.

"What we’re missing in the industry is a service that screens self-published books," says Ward, adding, "a review service that doesn’t randomly endorse everything and legitimately separates the milk from the cream. That will come, in time. Barnes and Noble has a program where new authors can submit their works now, although it’s more of a contest-type format than a review system"

How does POD fit in today's publishing industry and in the future?

"POD is the fastest-growing segment of the publishing industry. While the major players are busy merging and, accordingly, decreasing the number of opportunities for writers, POD is going the other way," Ward says, "And self-published works may not be in demand sales-wise now, but that will change. Who could have predicted, for example, the success of blogging, a form of self-publishing on a smaller level?"

"Our opinion is that POD is the future of the book business," adds Clevenger. "The day will come – not so far in the distant future, either – when you’ll be able to go into the corner convenience store and walk up to a printing machine, key in an ISBN number, swipe your credit card, and watch as the machine prints and binds the book."

Their best advice for finding the right publisher for you: Interview a publisher like you’d interview any other professional you might hire. Communicate with their clients and if the publisher has no references to give, take that as a “buyer-beware” statement.



You can learn more about ThomasMax Publishing on the web site. Book jackets are titles from ThomasMax's catalog.

To learn more about self-publishing, "How Self-Publishing Works" by Tom Harris on howstuffworks.com.

Interview…with journalist/novelist Janice Harayda

"I was the book editor of The Plain Dealer (in Cleveland, OH) for a decade or so before I began thinking about writing a novel," says Janice Harayda. She began her journalism career while in college at the University of New Hampshire, where she won the Mademoiselle's Guest Editor competition, taking an editorial assistant position. She then worked at Glamour both as a writer and editor before taking the job in at The Plain Dealer.

Now she has two comedic novels - Manhattan on the Rocks and The Accidental Bride - published and has a third in the works as she continues writing freelance for magazines, such as Newsweek, P&S and New Jersey Monthly, and newspapers like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. She also writes and edits for a book review site online.

We wanted to see how one person could work both sides of the publishing industry successfully. Fortunately, Harayda had time to tell us.

As what kind of writer does Harayda see herself?

"I am a novelist and a print and online journalist. I didn't toss aside everything I had learned about writing when I became a novelist," she says. "Instead I brought it with me."


She does, however, have a little bit of trouble balancing her freelance work and her fiction writing. Hers is a one-income household so freelance writing and magazine work, which brings in a check regularly, often commandeers time allotted for her next novel, which may not produce any income for years. She tries to strike a balance but admits she recently abandoned a memoir she had started about a summer in Scotland.

"Scott Turow wrote much of his first novel, Presumed Innocent, while riding a commuter train to his law office in Chicago from his suburban home. But I’ve always had trouble allocating my time so strictly," Harayda says. "It takes me a while to find my momentum each time I sit down to write fiction, and if I have only a few hours, I might not find it at all."

Still she sets aside weekends or vacation time and hopes nothing more pressing comes up. "I fit the fiction in around the other things, which sometimes means not at all."

Is editing a magazine much different than publishing a novel?

The primary difference in Harayda's eyes is the time span from idea to finished product. "If you’re a magazine editor with a wonderful idea for a story, you usually know right away whether you’ll be able to publish it before it gets stale," she explains. Magazine lead times are at the most months ahead, while publishing a book could take a year or more - if everything goes to plan.

"If you’re an author, you have much less certainty…so you have to look for book ideas that are fresh enough to pique an editor’s interest but not so faddish that they may have gone out of fashion if publication delays occur."

She adds that being a magazine editor helped her learn that you can't take rejection personally and you have to be persistent as a writer. She rejected many wonderful writers who just didn't have the right story idea at the right time, but some of them would keep trying until they finally had an idea that worked for the magazine. It is no different with book publishing.

How did being a book critic impact her novels?

"(Being a book critic) helped immensely. To be a good critic, you have to explain why a book works or doesn’t," she says. "And I wanted to be a good critic."

In addition to her stint as a book editor and critic in Cleveland, Harayda was the vice-president of the National Book Critics Circle from 1998-1999 and is currently the editor-in-chief of "One-Minute Book Reviews." She takes books apart, looking at how they work or don't work, studying the subtle techniques of point of view, plot and scene structure so she can support and explain her opinions to her readers.

"That has probably helped more than anything in my career," she says, adding, "except having great teachers and mentors very early on."

In journalism school she learned how to temper her inner critic. One of her professors stressed the importance of finishing projects, which included writing a first draft without looking at her notes. "I had the habit of working quickly and efficiently, then going back and revising," bringing in her inner critic at a later stage than most writers.

"You want to keep that critic on. You just want to shut it off for the first draft or two (or) you might never finish a piece of writing at all."

Her work as a book editor might have opened some doors when she began shopping her novel to agents and publishers, but she thinks that's unlikely.

"The editor at St. Martin’s who bought my first novel, The Accidental Bride, had edited the work of an Ohio author whom I had profiled for The Plain Dealer. So he knew my work and may have been more willing to look at my novel for that reason," she says. "But any agent will tell you: an editor has to love a book to buy it. You can do wonderful work in other media…but if a book doesn’t work on its own terms, an editor won’t buy it."



To learn more about Janice Harayda, visit her website.

Interview…with singer/songwriter Kate Morrissey

"I am very dependent on the muse for a lot of my writing," says singer/songwriter Kate Morrissey, adding that she admires people who can set a time to write each day. "My creative flow never has worked that way."

Sometimes she writes a lot and other times her creativity goes elsewhere. In addition, to writing music and performing with her band, Morrissey is a graduate student in social work and a part-time instructor at the University of Georgia. She and her band mates are also recording a CD this summer. She has a lot going on in her life.

When did the urge to write songs hit her?

Morrissey began writing songs without any knowledge of music in the first grade. A few years later, the family took in a friend who was a struggling pianist and singer and Morrissey discovered how musical instruments, the piano in particular, could be used in songs. She soon began to learn to play the piano.

Then in 1995, her twin sister presented her with time in a recording studio for her birthday. She had collected the money from family and friends to pay for it. It took Morrissey three more years to work up the courage to play before an audience at the Z Coffee House in her hometown of Brandon, SD.

"It took me all that time to play at an open mic, then I began playing there weekly," Morrissey adds. She was 17 years old.

The early influences to her songwriting offered songs with angst and anger. She has always used her music to understand herself and her world and to explore issues and emotions that aren't always socially acceptable to express, she explains. Counting Crows wrote songs like that.

"I liked Nine Inch Nails," she continues, "particularly the ballad songs. They felt very real to me, (lots of) angst."

How does she know when a song is good?

"I don't…(that's) the short answer," she says with a slight laugh. Morrissey usually likes all her new songs and tends to prefer the more complex ones that sometimes don't play well with an audience.

"I'm not objective about my songs. There's a part of me that will resonate with a song for a longer time, but a lot of the information I get about whether a song is good has to do with other people."

She finds her ideas almost everywhere. She tends to focus on relationships, not only romantic relationships, but what it means to be human in this world, the dynamics of being a woman, etc. She also takes ideas from her life, sometimes unconsciously.

"A friend pointed out I had three space ship songs now. I didn't realize it but I think I wrote them in grad school." They're all about reaching for potential and exploring beyond the bounds.

Morrissey also has a series of songs featuring water and some songs on cannibalism. She didn't explain those, however.

She has tried numerous times to write for other people or specific occasions, but it never worked well. "If someone says 'OK, you're on a timeline. You need to write a song about this by this time.' That's intensely difficult for me because I rely on creativity to flow naturally. I don't have a strong method for forcing it."

Instead Morrissey can play with a piano rift or a snippet of lyric for weeks before it's ready to write. Other times the music and lyrics come so spontaneously she has to stop and find a piano.

"Once I was driving in my hometown (when a song came to her) and I was a little ways from home but I was closer to my grandmother's house so I stopped there and figured it out on her piano."

"I don't usually compose without a piano," she explains. "There's a level of safety I need to write, so it often is at home. I don't really like anyone in the room when I write. (It needs to be) a place where it's ok if I sound bad."

What is the best advice she's ever received?

Her husband Roger Stahl is one of her strongest influences these days. Sensitive to and respectful of language, he is usually the first person to hear a new song.

"If I use something carelessly, he'll usually point it out. That has affected my style and made me think about (my words). He's got me thinking more about my writing…so I'm not using as many or any throw away words."

However, the best advice she's heard lately came from a novelist. Morrissey played at the Savannah Book Festival in February 2008 where she heard author Terry Kay (To Dance With The White Dog, Taking Lottie Home) speak and later met him at a cocktail party.

"He said ' I can schedule lots of things, (but) I never force characters. I'm patient with characters and I wait for them to come to me.'"

She says he so impressed her that she wrote a song about what he had said.

"There is only so much we can do with our intellect and there are ways we can become more in tune with our…creativity." She continues that so much about being an artist is patience and "it's trusting that we'll be inspired again."



To learn more about Kate Morrissey and to listen to her songs, visit her website.

Interview…with moonshine editor, Robin Fay

How did moonshine evolve?

"It started out as Southerncreativitiy Journal, but that was a little bit boring," says Robin Fay, editor of moonshine, an online journal of art, literature and creativity. Southerncreativity.com is the parent site, which began with five friends batting around the idea of creating a collaborative space where artists could meet.

"A virtual studio where we could meet and get feedback, talk about art and somehow keep our creativity stoked," she explains, but the concept didn't really work out like they planned and they had the domain name paid up for two more years. Fay suggested they find another use for the space, a magazine. The group selected moonshine because it represented so much to them - glimmer of hope, the waxing and waning of creativity, the forbidden.

"At some point, most every artist has turned to their art at night only after toiling away the daylight working a day job."

So the year-old moonshine's vision is to support those creative artists, particularly southern artists, be they visual artist or writers or a combination of both, giving light to their artistic vision and creativity. The latest issue boasts contributors from across the south and from many walks of life, such as students, professors, journalists, librarians and photographers, among others.

What kind of submissions does Fay want for moonshine?

"Storytelling that creates a visual image and interesting art," she states. "The biggest reasons I reject a writer are that (1) I don't sense how it will fit in with the other pieces, (2) there is no connection to art or the South, or (3) the writer/artist isn't really looking for a collaborative effort."

Currently, Fay receives about 40 submissions for each bimonthly issue. She rejects about half of them. From writers, she looks for short stories, poetry, essays about art, nonfiction, and reviews (book, movie and art). She also seeks podcasts and videocasts and one of her favorite features is "writings from the studio" by artists, discussing the art process. She tries to balance each issue between creative writing, writings from the studio, essays and articles. Prior to each issue, she'll send out to regular contributors quotations, word associations and other prompts.

"I'm not necessarily looking for professional writers," Fay adds. The magazine does not pay at this time. However, moonshine's readership grows every month with the June issue bringing in approximately 3200 readers.

How much work goes into producing an online arts journal?

"Surprisingly enough, it is not a full time job." Fay is an artist, writer and web designer when she's not editing moonshine. She says the schedule is set, there's a stable of regular contributors and she is part of the development project, PacerCMS, that developed the software that drives the magazine so she's firmly in control.

"The magazine combines all of my interests," she says. "It is putting together bits and pieces to create a whole, it is both writing and visual arts, and it lets me continue to do some web design."

At just over one year old, moonshine is in its infancy. Still it is an innovative and stylish journal with a steady growth pattern. In short, it's a lot to be proud of, and Fay is, but she's not satisfied. She already has a plan for the magazine's second year, such as broadening the coverage of the performing arts and increasing multimedia content.

"My goals for next year are to continue to strengthen the core contributors and to move moonshine toward financial independence, either through a grant or individual donations," Fay says, adding, "(and) to continue to grow and to succeed and to be a project that we all can be proud of."




You can explore moonshine here and you can learn more about editor Robin Fay on her website.

Interview…with children's author Gail Langer Karwoski

"Kids are impatient, demanding, energetic readers. You cannot indulge yourself with piles and miles of lovely words."

Gail Karwoski knows because in addition to her nine children's books published since 1999, she also taught for 13 years in the public schools and contributed to two textbooks.

Her latest, a picture book entitled: River Beds; Sleeping in the World's Rivers, is a bedtime story for young children. Released this month from Sylvan Dell Publishing, the book is the sequel to the acclaimed Water Beds; Sleeping in the Ocean. She research Water Beds for six years off and on before filtering her research down to 460 words.

"Writing for kids is lean writing, muscled writing…no flab, no junk," she says, equating editing with learning how to wield the "giant scissors."

Does children's fiction require a different research plan?

"Part of the reason that I love to write is because I love to learn," Karwoski says. The first thing she does once she has a topic is to picture the child who will read or hear her story. Once she decides on that child, she never changes her mind. She writes everything from picture books to YA nonfiction, but her research habits never vary. The first step is typing her topic into Google, then she sorts through Internet sites and scours libraries.

"I do whatever it takes," she says, "When possible, I travel to the place where the story occurred…I watch documentaries. I call or email experts and ask questions."

How she applies that research does vary with the book and the potential reader. Although she is dealing with historical and/or scientific facts, she culls information that 1) would distract the reader from her story or 2) would upset the theme or tone of her story. For instance, in the bedtime story River Beds, on one page she talks about a water vole, a cute, mouse-like animal. The next page she introduces a mink and writes: "Perhaps the mink will find a cozy den that once belonged to a water vole for tomorrow's snooze."

"I selected certain information for my audience - the bedtime-storybook set - and omitted the jarring fact that a mink will often kill and eat the water vole before sleeping in the vole's den," she explains. The last thing she wants is something that will take her reader out of the book and the moment it creates.

How does the author-illustrator relationship work?

"I LOVE to see the illustrations! It's like watching my words spring to life."

The author-illustrator relationship is almost nonexistent. The author may be consulted about potential illustrators, but the publishing house makes the final decision. Once an artist is chosen the author has no direct contact with him or her until the book is finished. Everything that passes between the author and illustrator goes through the editor, but that doesn't mean that Karwoski never has input.

"Usually, I get to see the sketches that are sent…to the editor for approval," she says, adding, "If the book is historical or scientific, I'm encouraged to give feedback on the…accuracy. I'm NOT encouraged to give feedback on artistic merit."

She has had to talk with her editor on occasion about inaccuracies in the illustrations and a few such illustrations did make it into the first printing editions due to time constraints. However, they were corrected before subsequent printings. In the end Karwoski makes a practice of calling or writing the illustrators to thank them for their good work.

What draws Karwoski to children's books?

Initially it began as a challenge from a new friend who had opened a children's book literary agency. Karwoski had young daughters, ages 4 and 9 at that time, and had spent a lot of time in the children's section of the library, not to mention the years teaching.

"Truthfully, this wasn't entirely a serendipitous decision," she admits. "I really write for who I am…although I am a grownup on the surface, I still think of myself as a child."

Her mother died when she was 11 and she feels her self-image, attitudes and emotional development formed at that age. So she writes middle reader books like Quake! Disaster in San Francisco, 1906, and Surviving Jamestown: the Adventures of Young Sam Collier, for kids like her inner self, and picture books for younger kids.

She has written two nonfiction narratives the Young Adult crowd, ages 13 and older, but Karwoski hasn't wanted to tackle a YA novel yet.

"There are a few elements…that I haven’t been interested in exploring – the focus on sexuality, the obsession with self-examination, and the importance of current trends in clothing, electronics, etc."

She might try an adult novel one day, she teases: "Perhaps when I grow up."


You can read more about Gail Karwoski and her books at her website. All of her titles have coordinating materials for classroom activities and lessons.

Interview...with novelist David L. Robbins

"I hope it is a mistake to catalog my work as anything along the lines of a genre."

David L. Robbins doesn't like classifications. Of the eight novels he has published, half features battles and events of World War II. His ninth book, due out next summer from Simon & Schuster, also takes place during WWII. Still, Robbins reluctantly accepts the idea that he is "a WWII writer."

"It is fair to say I have carved out a niche in WWII," he admits, but adds, "I use war as a cauldron to bubble away my human characters. It's a great conflict to find out what characters will do."

How does he pick his story ideas?

Robbins loves history. Even when he's not writing about WWII, he usually sets his novels back in time.

"I don't have any contemporary books in mind," he says when asked what other topics he'd like to explore. "That's being done by a lot of people. I like going back a couple decades."

Although he usually picks out the time and the place for the novel first, his emphasis is always on the characters. He "auditions" his characters to see who will tell the story. For instance, the book Liberation Road is about D-Day so Robbins needed characters that had access to every aspect of that battle. He first looked at a squad medic, but dismissed him because he was limited to his squad members. He finally found a division chaplain and a black truck driver, both of whom have the ability to move throughout the units and the battlefields.

"You have to have characters that can carry the banner of your story," he explains. "If there's a narrator on the page, you know nothing's going to happen."

How much research ends up on the page in a historical novel?

Robbins typically researches for six months. He first reads everything he can find on his topic, but never fiction. He doesn't want to be influenced or to appear to have been influenced by anyone else's creative work. He feels the reading is the most vital part of his research.

For his current novel, he broke his research in three parts. First, he studied all aspects of the Japanese military, the men, the strategies, the protocols. Next, he looked at the internment camps and the Western captives, what they ate, did, wear, the plant and animals of the area around the camp, the weather. He researched the "comfort women," the Chinese, Korean and Filipina women captured and forced into the role of sexual slaves.

"I spent most of March in the Pacific," he explains the next step in his research, "visiting Manila, Hong Kong and Australia. I was in South Korea some too." Visiting the locations is vital so you'll have a clear sense of your setting.

He then looks for living witnesses to the events, but admits these interviews aren't as important in fiction as in nonfiction. In this case, the women had been interviewed and their stories recorded years ago when the memories were fresh. "And these 45 women in this one book had stories that sounded the same as these 90 women over here in that book."

Robbins admits that only five to ten percent of his research will ever make it into his book. This is typical of historic fiction, but still the research must be done. "You have to be sure your reader is comfortable in the book, that he knows the time and the place and the lexicon."

"When I can play the film of the scene in my head and I know the trees in the ravine, the humidity in the air, the color of a Filipina woman's skin, when I know how late the sunsets and what time it rises…When I know all these things and I can inject myself into the scene and everything I need is right there, then it's time to write."

How does Robbins write?

He struggles with the opening pages during each book. His primary complaint? "That goes so slowly!" In the first 25 pages, you have to set up the "teams" of who wants what and who will work to stop them from getting it, not to mention the setting and the backstory leading up to the opening line.

"You have to be so careful and you have to be patient" as you integrate all that information so that it flows for the reader and keeps him moving forward in the book.

"Once all that's established and action, dialogue and plot take over the book, and you don't have to explain who someone is when he opens his mouth, that's when it comes so fast. That's my favorite part."

Robbins writes seven days a week from 10:00 to 1:30 or 2:00, reaching for 1000 words, but generally producing between 700 and 900. At that pace, he can finish writing in six months. He edits as he goes, covering the day's work multiple times before he moves ahead. As a result, he turns in a highly polished manuscript.

"I write a first draft. I'd never write a rough draft." He says the words with more than a little distain.

"I don't understand how anyone can put language on a page they know isn't any good, saying 'I'll get back to it later'." He gives an audible shudder. "The thought that that could exist in the world…Well, I'd be sleepless."

When he's not writing himself, Robbins likes to help other new and aspiring writers. He founded the James River Writers in Richmond and serves on its advisory board. He recently created the Podium Foundation, which will develop a literary magazine for student writers in the five area high schools.




You can learn more about David L. Robbins and his novels, including photos of his research trip to the South Pacific, at his website.

Interview…with Dew on the Kudzu editor, "Idgie"

The front page of Dew on the Kudzu sums up the zine's mission: "An online magazine celebrating the Southern way of life. Our thoughts, fashions, food and ideals. Southern can be a state of mind too, if ya'll (sic) are feeling Southern today, come in and set a spell."

This week on the Dew you'll find a photo essay, two personal narratives, a short article and more, all with a decidedly southern flair.

How did Dew on the Kudzu get started?

"I had a personal blog where I wrote short columns and the usual bloggy stuff," Idgie explains, adding that she often complained about what many other sites said about the South. "Very little besides ridicule and redneck jokes made its way to the prominent sites on the Internet."

After so many complaints, one of her writer pals challenged her to do something about it. That was three years ago. Now Dew on the Kudzu draws about 100 readers a day and features the work of both new and veteran writers. Originally called Today's Deep South, she asked her readers to pick a name and Dew on the Kudzu won out.

For those not familiar with kudzu, it is a Japanese vine, introduced into the United States in the late 1800s. The U.S. Department of Agriculture encouraged southern farmers to plant it to help reduce soil erosion. The plant grows quickly and virulently, climbing over other plants, telephone poles and everything else in its path. (see photos below) The southern winters don't get cold enough to kill it off each year and it has no known predators so it has become an iconic symbol of the Deep South.










Kudzu taking over the Deep South










What sort of pieces does Idgie seek?

The Dew accepts a wide variety of work from articles to recipes, reviews to poetry. "As long as it's southern, written by a southerner, or not ridiculing the South," she says, but admits she stays away from two topics usually close to the southern heart: religion and politics because they "always get people het up."

Although she typically receives three to four new submissions a week, Idgie also trolls the Internet daily looking at blogs, zines and other publications. "If I find an interesting blog with great southern writing, I immediately contact that person and ask (him) to contribute."

"I like diversity," she adds. "I'll have one article that's nothing but photographs taken of kudzu with (the next piece) being about a grown child dealing with (his) parent's declining health."

While the Dew doesn't pay its writers, it doesn't take paid advertisements either. Idgie admits this turns people away, but she sticks to her principles. Still, she doesn't publish everything she receives.

"If there is an item or a site on the Dew," she says, "it's because I think it will be of interests to readers, not because I'm getting paid for it."

Why "Idgie"?

Idgie is the name of one of the characters in Fannie Flagg's novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café (and the 1991 movie) about the friendships of two pairs of women living 50 years apart in the Deep South. Writers often use pen names to protect their private lives so why can't an editor?

"It's amazing the amount of negative emails, comments and such that some people spend their time sending out," she explains. "I've also had a problem in the past with writers not understanding that I am not going to get their books published for them."

She doesn't have a publishing schedule, but tries to get new material up as quickly as possible. She works in an office as her day job, but she has plenty of time for the Dew. Now that the zine is well established, she only spends a few hours a week maintaining it. She does read all the books for the book reviews, however. "But that's a love, not work."

She encourages readers to "stop in" every couple of days. "The Internet has so much in it that it's quite easy to forget about a site if you don't visit often."

Click here to visit to the Deep South and "set a spell" with Dew on the Kudzu.

Interview…with filmmaker/screenwriter Bill Olsen

"I am glad I had most of my fun before it got so crowded out there," says Bill Olsen about working as an independent filmmaker and screenwriter outside the Hollywood scene. "There's just so much more product in the pipeline nowadays (that) it makes it tougher to get a distributor."

Olsen has been fascinated with movies since he was a child. He made his first movie at age 14. "The Monster on the Campus" ran about 10 minutes and featured a tape-recorded soundtrack with the music and the narration.

"All it had going for it was an incredible monster mask my dad had bought for Halloween."

He has written, directed, produced or acted in films since the mid-1970s, working independently and with such production companies as Dell Films, Quest Studios and Triad Entertainment Group. His work has been seen worldwide in theaters, on Video/DVD and on television. While four of his scripts have been produced he has several others under option and in development.

Olsen has also taught screenwriting and film appreciation at universities and writers conferences throughout the country. His most recent seminar was "Know Your Film Rights" for the Published Authors Network of Romance Writers of America. He is currently a director and writer for Writers-in-Motion, a production company that produces marketing videos for authors and publishers, including book shorts (4-5 minute visual excerpts of novels) and author interviews.

Which came first - filmmaking or scriptwriting?

"Filmmaking," he says. "I would just wind the camera up and shoot anything that moved. Then I started writing scripts for my short films and later the independent films I made." He likens screenplays to blueprints. No one actually reads them. They just guide the director and cast through the story.

A number of things go into a good screenplay. As a filmmaker, Olsen looks for a well-developed, character-driven plot and subplot. He says a common misconception in student screenwriters is that screenplays can't have subplots. The audience will know the characters because of the casting, not the writing.

"You would never write, 'Barbara's sister Mandi opened the door.' How do we know they are sisters? We don't unless we are shown in one fashion or another or told in dialogue."

And you should know in what medium the film will be shown. Olsen has written for both film and television and points out a critical difference: TV is a medium of close-ups. Because of the growing DVD market, today's movies often have more close-ups than in years past. "They get a theatrical run just to endorse them in the marketplace as bona fide film."

What is it like to be an independent filmmaker?

It is very common for every person involved in an independent film to take on more than one role in the production. In addition to writing the scripts, Olsen has been an Executive Producer (in charge of raising the money), a Producer (in charge of getting the film made), a Director (in charge of handling the actors, cameramen and getting the script on film) and an Editor (in charge of putting the movie together) on several movies.

"On the longer movies, I split duties with an editor in New York or LA," he says. "I love it all, except raising the money."

Finding the money is the hardest job. Aside from the tough economy right now, there are just too many film projects out there

"With digital, anyone can walk into Best Buy and buy a camera and make a movie. The crème will always rise to the top, but it's tougher than it used to be."

For the writer, he adds that there are more places than ever to place a script, but he must do his homework and he must know the language of film and what is need in the script to make a good film.

One place for scripts he recommends is Inktip.com, an online resource to help put scripts in the hands of producers and agents. It's free to join, but charges for various services.

If he wasn't a filmmaker, what would Olsen do?

"I'd love to be a travel writer," but he says, "If I had it to do over, I'd still make films."

Olsen has also written three young adult novels and has one "making the rounds with agents." He is finding writing fiction very different to screenwriting. "(In film) writing was always a means to an end. Nowadays…the writing is an end in itself, which means the words have to stand alone - a very scary prospect."



To learn more about Bill Olsen, visit his website or see his complete filmography at IMDb.com

Interview…with playwright Evan Guilford-Blake

When asked what advice he'd give novice playwrights, Evan Guilford-Blake says, "Read plays and go see them." He believes that too many wannabe playwrights are actually writing teleplays and film scripts, not realizing how a story plays within the limits of a stage and before live audience. "You must know both your medium and what you're writing about."

Guilford-Blake has been writing plays for 30 years, and before that he did some acting, hitting the stage at age 10 and acting in his mother's radio plays at age five. "I always wrote…I had a poem published when I was five," he says. "I got into theatre at an early age. The form fascinated me, but I never thought I could write dialogue."

He proved himself wrong in 1980 when he challenged himself to write something or give it up once and for all. He took a monologue he wrote for a friend. Seven days later he had the first draft of a full-length play.

How many plays has Guilford-Blake written?


He's written more than 30 plays, evenly split between full-lengths and short works (one-acts, monologues, etc.), and a little more than a third of them are for children and/or families. His plays have been produced across the country, from Oregon to North Carolina, from New York City to San Francisco. Many have won multiple awards, the most recent being the Eamon Keane Full-Length Play Award (United Kingdom) for "An Uncommon Language." His play "Nighthawks" has garnered the most honors, winning three US national competitions, and taking runner-up in four others. It has also been staged 13 times.

Guilford-Blake has no stated preference in genre, although he admits he writes more drama than comedy. Because his scripts are character- and language-driven, he prefers full-lengths and longer one-acts. "Ten-minute plays and short one-acts aren’t very satisfying. I rarely feel (that I can) develop a character in just a few pages."

He never outlines instead he waits for his characters to be ready. "I only write characters who absolutely insist on being written…(I) let them tell me the story, then I organize and edit it."

As a result a play could take as little as a year to go from conception to production, or as in the case of his first play "Eighty-Two", written in 1980, it could take 26 years.


How involved is he in a play's production?

"If it's a first, or an early, mounting, I try to be as involved as humanly possible," he says. "I need to learn about how the script 'plays' on its feet." He gets feedback from the actors and the director about what works and problem areas, as well as suggestions on how he can adjust his text to fix any issues that always arise in a new play's first production.

Although he likes to be involved in early productions, he has little interest in directing or producing his own scripts. He directed his play "Ceremonies of a Prayer" in 1992 at the producer's insistence.

"It was an awful experience," he says. "A playwright needs people who can see the play in a different light, and consider things like budgets, casting pools, etc."

He admits to being surprised by some directors' interpretations of his scripts, but they don't faze him. "Generally speaking, any good play can withstand most interpretative challenges. There are, however, (too) many exceptions."

If he is involved with the production, he tries to keep the lines of communication open with the director so they can work together for the best production, but if he's not, "I just suck it up and try to smile. I just won't allow them to do my work again."

What makes a successful play in his eyes?

First, Guilford-Blake has two versions of success. "Being 'successful' as stage literature requires interesting characters whose individual and collective stories compel and move the audience."


A commercially successful play, on the other hand, is easy and inexpensive to produce. It has a small cast, limited set and technical requirements. Also plays that don't offend, either with subject matter or language, have a better chance of being produced.

Next, there are certain unique elements in playwriting that must be mastered. For instance, a playwright must tread lightly when revealing backstory and/or exposition. "The first maxim in playwriting is show, don't tell," Guilford-Blake explains. "The entire story must be told in dialogue and physical action."

You don't want to risk boring your audiences with long explanations or descriptions of events off-stage. In addition, Subtext, or the thoughts, emotions and tensions beneath the dialogue, is also critical to reveal character and to add dimension to the plot. If you have a strong subtext, a look or a small action can speak volumes.

"And care about what you write," he adds one final note. "If you don't, an audience won't either."



You can see the full list of Evan Guilford-Blake's plays and even read a synopsis of each on his website.












Editor's note: This is 3 Questions...and Answers 100th article!

Interview…with singer/songwriter Drew Copeland

When singer/songwriter Drew Copeland met Ken Block while tailgating before a University of Florida football game in 1991, he had no idea it would lead to becoming a co-founder of one of the most successful bands in the Southeast. Today, Sister Hazel has fans across the country and around the world, and in 2004 Copeland released his first solo album.

What was it like going solo after so many years with the band?

"Doing the solo record was great because I had total creative freedom," says Copeland. He never had any intention of splitting from Sister Hazel and he adds that the band was completely supportive with Block and lead guitarist Ryan Newell playing on the CD.

"I really love my gig because I have a very defined role in Sister Hazel and yet we allow each other the freedom to express ourselves individually." Copeland sings both lead and harmony vocals and plays rhythm guitar with Sister Hazel and has written or co-written several of their songs.


His CD "No Regrets" features songs he has written or had a part in writing over the last several years, representing different periods in his life. The CD has been received enthusiastically by the Hazelnuts, the band's fans, and has been called thoughtful and reminiscent of other singer/songwriters of the 1970s and 1980s.

Copeland admits it’s a little nerve-wracking when he performs a new song before an audience. "But fun at the same time," he continues. "They dig it but really want to hear songs they know."

"(The songs) are each like your children. You love them so much and you want everyone to be nice to them."

What is Copeland's writing routine?

Copeland has recorded in some form or another about 60 songs out of the 100 he's written. He has written with a partner and alone. All he really needs is his acoustic guitar and his computer. He says what he starts with varies from song to song. Sometimes he has a specific thought he wants to express, while another time the melody will come first.

"Other times (I) could be driving down the road and the entire song comes to (me) at a red light," he says. "That's how 'Strange Cup of Tea' came to me."

When asked what elements go into a successful song, he replies adamantly, "There are no rules. That's the beauty of songwriting." He goes on to say that he doesn't like music that sounds forced and a good song must make sense both musically and lyrically.

In the Studio

"It's just kind of a feeling I get when I hear it back." He then adds, "Songs are never really finished. You just have to let them go at some point."

What lies ahead musically for Copeland?

Copeland grew up singing harmonies with his family so it is not surprising one of his goals for the future is to to make music as his living for a long time. He has been focusing on his writing a lot more lately. "I look forward to writing songs for other artists and maybe even producing some."

He'd like to record a second solo CD as soon as things slow down. Sister Hazel recorded "Before the Amplifiers," a live acoustic album, in January and Copeland and the rest of the band are now touring heavily this summer and into the fall. In addition, he has a family with three young children that keep him very busy.



Learn more about Drew Copeland and hear selections from "No Regrets" on his website. Sister Hazel (right) also has a website with tour information.

Interview…with Kezia the poet

At 25, Kezia Snipe (a.k.a. Kezia the poet) has been fascinated with poetry for almost 20 years, writing rhymes as soon as she could string words together. She says it's more of a "why" than a "how" when talking about her first steps into poetry.

"There were a lot of things I didn't understand," she explains, relating how her brother moved out when she was just four years old leaving her a lonely, only child in the house, "and things frustrated me…so I wrote and somehow (the lines) ended up rhyming."

Now she co-wrote a book of poetry and recording a CD of spoken word poetry in her "spare" time between her full-time job at a hospital and going to school.

Why does Kezia like speaking her poems?

"Sometimes a message is not always conveyed by someone just reading (the poem). By speaking the poem, the listener can 'feel it' and 'get it' from the writer's perspective, and all the emotions, movements and feelings that the writer put in it are released."

She did her first poem in front of an audience a couple years ago at a Poetry, Rhythm & Soul event in Memphis, TN. Poetry, Rhythm & Soul is a production company that hosts an open mic night once a month for local musicians and poets to share their work. Kezia went just to enjoy the show, but she found herself up on stage.

Poster from Poetry, Rhythm & Soul event

"And (I) haven't left since!" She likes the warm, friendly atmosphere at these gatherings. "There aren't any big "I"s or little "you"s…everyone supports everyone and …cheers everyone on. I always look forward to going."

How does she get from idea to performance?

Her life is her muse, she says, admitting that sounds cliché. She's influenced by her faith, her family, love and many other people and things in her life.

"Just when you've been overwhelmed with subject matters, you peel back a layer and BOOM! There's something else to write about. It amazes me sometimes."

Like almost all writers, her ideas come at the most inopportune times. Sometimes she can "hold that thought" until she has time to write, but recently one idea kept pestering her as she tried to sleep until she got out of bed and put a rough draft on paper. "As soon as I was done, I was fast asleep."


Not every poem becomes a spoken word poem. A spoken word poem must grab a listener's attention, through language, through subject, through the rhythm. It must maintain that attention, giving the poet a means to connect directly with the audience. That connection is the primary reason Kezia memorizes her poems for performances.

Without that piece of paper between you and the audience "you can even go as far as looking a particular listener directly in the eye…and really draw (him) in. It's a beautiful thing."

Is there a market for a CD of spoken word poetry?

Kezia thinks so. "Indie music is rising at an increasingly sharp rate, and any well-marketed CD, no matter the genre or style, can do well."

Her marketing scheme includes MySpace, FaceBook, ReverbNation and other sites specifically geared toward independent artists. She will also sell the CDs at her performance venues and she has plans to talk with some bookstores.

She has found that creating a solo CD is a lot more challenging than co-writing a book. She and her good friend Louis Bryant recently completed Unclassifiable: Entries from Entities, a poetry collection. It is with a publisher.

"We were each other's motivation. Most days…we'd end our conversations with 'Yo, write somethin