Interview

"I sometimes find that in interviews you learn more about yourself than the person learned about you." ~ William Shatner


Here's an interview I did for the New Sun Rising project. It's a wonderful charity anthology that sends all proceeds to the Japanese Red Cross. My story Moon Kisses is included.

Title of piece contributed to New Sun Rising Moon Kisses

What was the inspiration behind your piece? Sometimes writers work from a visual such as a painting or photograph, other times they might have a specific scene, setting or character in mind. With Moon Kisses, I had a particular feeling I wanted to portray. I wanted it to feel like one of those delicate looking Japanese paintings that seem like, if you blew on it, the wispy brushstrokes might float away. I also wanted to incorporate Shintoism into the piece. That's why I used a tree as the main focus of the story.

Why did you decide to donate this to charity? Although I've never been there, I've always adored Japan. Some of the most amazing things have come out of the land of cherry blossoms: my favorite movies, beautiful art, the tea ceremony and the samurai, just to name a few. My heart wept tears made of the Pacific Sea when the disasters hit Japan. As horrible as the earthquakes were for those living among them, Fukushima Daiichi hit me hard on a personal level. As a child of the cold war era, I've had a lifelong fear of nuclear disaster. Talk of nuclear war and what might happen afterwards was a constant background noise, on the news, in movies and in conversations of nearby adults. I've had nightmares of Fukushima Daiichi type disasters throughout my life. I think a lot of people outside Japan don't realize it's still not over. People are still without homes because of the earthquakes, the tsunami and the radiation. The radioactive isotope levels in Japan are astronomical.  And while I'm on the subject, radiation doesn't know the invisible lines drawn by nations. It treats us as we are, one world, one people. What happened in Japan affects us all. It meant a lot to me when I found out Moon Kisses was selected for the anthology, on many levels. I love that I get to help those in need by simply doing something I love, writing.

What sorts of works/genres/ materials do you normally produce? If it's fiction, I write it. I've written mostly short stories. I also write novellas and novels. I write a lot in the horror genre, but I'm not a fan of gore. My stories tend to be more bizarre, psychologically disturbing and/or creepy. I write fantasy, sci-fi, mystery/suspense. My stories often have romance storylines running through them as well. I don't write by genre. I just put down whatever happens in my head.

Who are your models or those you draw inspiration from? I draw a great deal of inspiration from other writers. I read a lot and it's often a fleeting thought the author just barely touches on that sets my imagination afire. Mostly it's the characters in my own head that inspire me.

What are you working on right now? Right now I'm working on a novella and thinking about my next novel.

 Tomorrow's Post - A joyful journey