BBAW Day 2–Interview with Amanda from Fig and Thistle

This week is Book Bloggers' Appreciation Week, and today we get to interview a fellow participating blogger. My interviewee is Amanda from Fig and Thistle. Amanda is a librarian who not only loves to blog about books, but crafts, baking, and thrifting. Read our interview to find out more!

Tasha: I can tell from your favorite books that you’re an Anglophile. What do you find most appealing about British culture and who is your FBP (favorite British person)?

Amanda: It is hard to say what I find most appealing about British culture. I think I was first hooked when I was a child and obsessed with Sir Francis Drake. I read every children's non-fiction book I could find about Drake and that led me to reading about Queen Elizabeth. When I exhausted the non-fiction books at the library I turned to fiction and my love grew from there.

T: You collect NYRB Classics and Virago Modern Classics. What are some of your favorite books in your collection? Any that you really really want and have never been able to find?

A: I don't think there is a particular NYRB or Virago that I haven't been able to find. I think I started collecting those as more of a challenge for myself. I work in a library, so books are always easily accessible, but I adore going to thrift stores and used book stores and hunting for Viragos and NYRB. Their titles are not as plentiful on library shelves and in large bookstores. I'm currently working on a project to read the first 100 Viragos on the LibraryThing Virago group list.

T: I never got into journaling, but I’m impressed by the journaling I saw on your blog! What’s your favorite type of journal and do you have any tips for someone trying to get organized with journaling? Do you keep track of your reading with a journal, or with a website like Goodreads?

A: My favorite type of journaling is Bullet Journaling. prior to that I had a planner, a notepad for random lists, a reading notebook, a three-ring binder with blog plans and a diary-type journal. Way too much stuff to keep up with. Now everything is condensed down to on Leuchtturm1917 book. I do have a Jane Austen-themed five year diary. I write down what I read that day in the dairy and then I get a five year snapshot on what my reading looks like on a particular day. I don't do this for any practical purpose, really it is just because I like to be dorky about my reading. I also keep up with my reading on GoodReads.

T: Do have any favorite bookish items, like a t-shirt or mug?

A: My favorite book accessory has to be my collection of owl and literary coffee mugs. I drink gobs of coffee (and sometimes tea) and I usually always have a mug of something when I read. I really like owls, but I'm also gaining a decent literary mug collection. Other than that I would say that my cat is a great reading accessory!

T: What’s your favorite book you’ve read this year so far?

A: My favorite book so far this year is the one I'm currently reading, Kate Atkinson's Life After Life. I love magical realism and this book is set during one of my most favorite time periods (WWI - the end of WW2).


Thanks for joining me today, Amanda! Be sure to check out my turn at being interviewed over at Amanda's blog.





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BBAW: Interview with YA Book Nerd

One of the favorite features of Book Blogger Appreciation Week is the interview swap! My interview partner this year is Jennifer from YA Book Nerd. Jennifer is a YA librarian and reads a ton of different books. Check out her blog and my interview here.



Question 1: You write Austen fanfic. If Jane Austen lived today, what subject do you think she'd major in at university?

Jen: Probably English/writing, but I think she might minor in theater as she loved putting on plays with her family.

Question 2: What's your favorite bookmark? (Plus a picture if possible!)

Jen: I adore bookmarks. As a librarian, I purchase some, I make them, and authors send them to me. I love how unique each of them are. There are times when I use a princess bookmark if I'm reading a princess story or a food bookmark (maybe scratch and sniff) if I'm reading a book about food. This one, featuring the adult series of Sarah MacLean is gorgeous to the eye. Plus the texture is amazing. It's simply perfect. [Tasha: Sarah MacLean does have really nice bookmarks.]

Question 3: If you could live in any era, which one would it be?

Jen: It's a toss up between Regency England and Renaissance Italy

Question 4: What's your favorite book of the year so far?

Jen: Tough question. The two that have stuck out most in my mind and I'm telling everyone to read are Grave Mercy and Throne of Glass.

Question 5: What is something that you would never, ever consider reading?

Jen: 50 Shades of Grey - it's just not my thing.

Question 6: If you could redesign the cover of your favorite book of all time using just one symbol, what would it be? (Question inspired by Picky Girl's post here.)

Jen: Hard to say, but I would choose a letter/note for the cover of Pride and Prejudice.

Question 7: You like to put fun facts at the end of some of your reviews. What's a fun fact about you that your regular readers might not know?

Jen: In the movie Sabrina, she quotes Gertrude Stein "America is my country and Paris is my hometown." I feel that way about Bath, England. I spent a semester in college there. It's been a little more than 10 years since I've been back but I'm hoping to go early next year.

Armchair BEA: Introduction

Armchair BEA has managed to drag me back from my unofficial blogging break and got to me to start posting again. Today we're being asked to interview ourselves.

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? Who am I? I would ask SIRI but I don't have an iPhone. I've been blogging since 2005. My first blog was on Xanga--one of my friends from middle school told me I should start blogging because I would love it! After a few years on Xanga I decided I wanted to focus on book reviews, which is when I started this blog in 2009-ish. I also started two other blogs just this year: Liquid Persuasion and Project Gutenberg Project.
   
2. What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012? As I write this I'm reading Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld; but by the time Monday rolls around I'll have finished it. And I have no idea what I'll be reading then. So my favorite book of the year... probably The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart. But I also really enjoyed rereading Because You're Mine by Lisa Kleypas. And both of those books are pretty old.
   
3. Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you. I have a doppelgänger. Not the nasty spirit kind (as far as I know...), just someone who looks like me. All through high school people would mistake me for her. We also have similar names, so it was very confusing. People would walk up to me and start random conversations, then be like, "Oh, wait, are you...?" The weird thing is, I've personally never seen her. I know you're thinking I probably just use this story to explain why I don't recognize people from high school, but I don't because no one would believe me.
4. What literary location would you most like to visit? Why? Hm, that's a tricky one. If we're sticking to strictly the real world, I'd love to visit Tintagel Castle because it's part of the Arthurian legends--actually, I'd like to visit all the Arthurian sites, but for some reason I latched onto Tintagel when I was a kid.
   
5. What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years? I love knowing there are people out there who enjoy reading and obsess over books as much as I do! As for changes, I'd like to see more cooperation between blogs that specialize in different genres (i.e., romance and classic, literary fiction and mystery, etc.).

Interview with RJ SILVER

Today I'm pleased to have a chance to interview RJ Silver, who writes wonderful, entertaining short stories such as The Princess and the Penis (review here) and The Ballerina, the Gymnast, and the Yoga Master (review here), and My Third-World Girlfriend (review here), all of which are must-reads if you enjoy romantic comedy. I thought it would be fun to ask RJ a few questions about his books and being an alien.

Tasha: Welcome, RJ! What inspired you to start self-publishing short stories?

RJ Silver: I got fed up with the publishing establishment. I had one of the top literary agents in the world, and my thrillers were making the rounds with senior editors in the biggest publishing houses, but they seemed to want to cookie cut me into a marketing package, often requesting changes to my books solely to satisfy marketing demographics. That was a disheartening commercial end to my long creative journey, so I said “the hell with it” and decided to write just for fun.

Tasha: Do you consider yourself a "romantic" writer? In content, not personality. ;)

RJ: Well, first of all, you’re asking a man a question with the word “romantic” in it. There’s not a man on this planet who can tell you what that word means, as we rely completely on women to explain it to us. I do believe in love, however. And long-term relationships. And positive, uplifting thoughts. You mix all those together with a little humor, and that pretty much explains why I write the stories I do.

Tasha: You're obviously well-traveled. What's your favorite book store in the world? Or, alternately, what's your favorite pub?

RJ: You know, I was never a bookstore guy. I tended to get hooked on certain authors, then go from store to store buying everything that author ever wrote. As for pubs, there have been so many (blush). I like little quirky places, full of oddball characters and good-natured buffoonery. You know, some place I easily can fit in.

Tasha: Do aliens like cats?

RJ: Not this alien. Well, it’s not that I don’t like cats. I just don’t understand them. I mean, you treat a dog well, he’s going to lick your face. Cause and effect are very clear. But with a cat, I never know what its thinking. I’ve tried to be affectionate with some, only to have them hiss and claw at me. Others, I’ve completed ignored, only to have them jump on my lap and purr. I’m starting to think they’re collectively messing with me, then getting together to chuckle about it afterward.

Tasha: Since you're an alien, have you thought about writing science fiction? Attack of the Amazonian Aliens, etc.?

RJ: As I’m a huge sci-fi fan, I’ve definitely thought about it. But you have to remember that, given where I’m from, writing about humans is science fiction!

Tasha: In My Third-World Girlfriend, is there a connection between sexual, cultural, and economic dominance?

RJ: Totally. Actually, it goes further than that, becoming outright exploitation of poor women by rich men (relatively speaking). Worse still, it’s exploitation that all too often ends in broken hearts. I see it every day here in Bangkok and it disgusts me, which is what compelled me to write My Third-World Girlfriend in the first place. Being in love with a smart, well-educated, strong Thai woman, I also wanted to combat the stereotype of Thai women as being all bar girls and prostitutes. That part of society does exist here, but the vast majority of Thai women are a lot more like Kinlaya (and thus Jan).

It’s  been very interesting to observe the reaction to this book, incidentally. I think most of my fans (predominantly women) didn’t really like me venturing into quasi-serious subject matter, which kind of surprised me, because usually women are telling me to grow up and act more responsibly.  But when I’m writing, they seem to prefer the other me, you know, the one they make sit in the corner three times a day for lengthy timeouts.

Tasha: You like to play off of stereotypes in your stories. What's one cliche you would love to satirize that you haven't yet?

RJ: Ooh, don’t get me started. I have so many characters I’m experimenting with. The ultimate pessimist, for example. I’m such an irrepressible optimist, I think it’d be fun to invert that perspective. I’ve had so many clashes and with bureaucracies and authority figures in my life, I’m definitely going to poke some fun at one of them at some point. And we still live in an age of such repressed female sexuality (despite having come a long way), I see a sexually voracious female character in my future, too (a kind of reflective satire, where you satirize something by way of its opposite).

Tasha: What would you recommend a Western visitor in Thailand never do?

RJ: Go to Bangkok’s red light district. There’s a lot of human suffering down there. Don’t feed it.

Thank you, RJ! Please check RJ out on the webbernets at his Blog, Twitter, FaceBook, and GoodReads.

Author Interview: MANNA FRANCIS

Manna Francis is the author the Administration Series, which I started reading on the recommendation of Kris from Kris 'n' Good Books. These are some of my favorite books of the year--they take place in an alternate world (governed by the Administration) and focus on the relationship between Val Toreth, a government investigator, and Keir Warrick, a corporate developer. I was thrilled when Francis agreed to an interview to answer some of my questions about the series!

Heidenkind: You say in your GoodReads profile that you identify as an "original slash" fiction author. For people not familiar with slash fiction, yaoi, etc., can you explain what you mean?

Manna Francis: Slash fan fiction is fan fiction which features a sexual/romantic relationship between two same sex characters.  It's a genre that's primarily written by and for women, and it generally has a different and distinctive style to m/m fiction written by and for men.  Rather like porn, it's hard to explain but 'I know it when I see it'.

So for me, the original slash label was something of a marker for slash fanfic readers that this could be something that they'd like to try. I first put the Adminstration series online in 2002, when the original  m/m fiction scene wasn't anything like as large as it's become today.

H: Would you call the Administration a dystopian world? Is there a specific event in the history of the Administration that diverted it from our own?

MF: Well, it certainly isn't a utopia! It's described as a dystopia in a couple of places on the website.  I like dystopia as a description, because it packs in a lot of tropes for the reader to expect.

I've never been specific about when the Administration world diverged from the real world, as it's something I haven't yet fixed in a story. I wouldn't like to speculate about it, lest I narrow my options for future stories.

H: Why is Warrick so obsessed with creating an artificial world that feels real?

MF: I think that kind of obsessive approach is in his nature.  The ultimate evolution of the Sim would be something in which there would be no way to tell if it was real or not, so that's the goal he sets himself. Whatever he ended up doing with his life, he'd approach it in the same way as he does the Sim. When he was working on Administration security systems, he had the same dedication, and that's one of the things that caught Carnac's eye. If he'd become, say, a chef, he'd be an Administration Heston Blumenthal, engineering every dish to absolute perfection.

If guess that if you wanted to, you could make a connection between his growing up in an essentially artificial family and his desire to create a perfect world under his control.  Or something along those lines.  I don't generally go down that path with characters, though, as I don't find it helpful in writing them.

H: Do Sara and Warrick feel morally superior to Toreth?

MF: Morally superior in the sense of feeling that they actually have morals, or morally superior because he's a Para and they aren't?

I think they both feel that he's missing something that they have.

Sara doesn't see anything wrong with being a Para. Warrick never makes any secret out of his distaste for I&I.  On the other hand, he's happy  to take advantage of his corporate perks, and happy to see Toreth, so I don't think that he'd want to give any lectures on his moral superiority within the Administration. Not that Toreth would care if he did.

H: In several of the books, people accuse Toreth of being psychotic. Do you think he is?

MF: They accuse him of being a sociopath, which isn't the same thing. He has a very firm grasp on reality.

This is something I get asked a lot about Toreth, and I always say the same thing -- read the books, and make up your own mind about it. I think it's the kind of topic about which it's very unproductive for an author to shove in her two penn'orth. Certainly, no one has ever changed their opinion of Toreth's mental state because of what I said about it.

(The other question I never answer is 'does Toreth love Warrick?'. Because, really, where's the fun in giving people a flat yes or no about that?)

H: You make a lot of classical references in the books, especially in Quis Custodiet. Are you drawing from classical literature for your novels? Is the story of Toreth and Warrick's relationship going to follow the format of a Greek tragedy or comedy?

MF: No, and no. I really just liked the title.

Bonus question: Would Toreth ever be able to handle owning a pet?

MF: Ha! I can't imagine how he'd get it in the first place. It would have to be a very robust pet that could handle total neglect.  The closest thing I could imagine would be maybe a wild rat living in his kitchen--where at least it would be able to find plenty to eat.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Manna! 
To find out more about Manna Francis' novels, please check out her website at http://www.mannazone.org/, or go to her GoodReads Author profile page.

Interview: Morgan Greer from Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampires series

A visual approximation of Morgan via models.com

To celebrate the release of the fifth book in Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampires series, I invited Morgan, the head of Navarre House, over to my blog for an interview. Bonus: this is the first time I've ever interviewed a vampire! (I think...) Check out Morgan's answers and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post!

TBFB: Hi, Morgan! Thank you for talking with me today. You're my favorite character from the Chicagoland Vampire series.

Morgan: Wow, thanks. That's pretty high praise. Especially since everyone is all atwitter about other vampires these days. *Grumbles*

TBFB: Are we going to see more or less of you in Drink Deep?

Morgan: *Scowling* I wouldn't call Drink Deep my high point as a character; Chloe didn't exactly give me a lot of screen time. On the other hand, I have my hands full with all this supernatural weirdness in Chicago and a House to run. Celina was head of Navarre for a long, long time. I'm still playing catch up in a lot of ways.

TBFB: In Hard Bitten, many readers felt like you betrayed Merit. Would you agree?

Morgan: *Paling* Like I betrayed her? Did she act honorably toward me when she was dancing with Ethan? Sneaking around with him after promising--in front of her entire House--to allow me to make a claim? I was humiliated by that, you know. As for betraying her, I act in the best interest of my House. *Shrugs* I guess she can interpret it how she wants.

TBFB: Speaking of interpretation *obvious segue-way*, do you think Celine's actions will help Navarre House in the long run?

Morgan: Celina was a great Master. I'm not saying she's perfect, but look at the status of our House. We're the oldest House in the country, the most prestigious. We have the largest private art collection, an historic home, and we're incredibly financially stable. It's easy to make Celina the fall guy when you don't want to look at your own problems.

TBFB: Moving on to something more personal, are you happy you were changed into a vampire?

Morgan: *Pausing* I'm glad to be alive. I didn't always appreciate that, but I do now. But do I wish I'd had all the information when I made the decision to join the House? Yeah. Yeah, I do.

TBFB: What is the one thing you admire most about Merit? About Celina?

Morgan: Merit always thinks she's doing the right thing. She has a certainty about that that's admirable, even if she's wrong. Celina puts her House first, even if it doesn't reflect well on the other Houses.

TBFB: Thank you so much, Morgan! One last question: have you ever thought about using your vampire powers to help the Cubs win?

Morgan: I have not. But now that you mention it . . .

As part of the Drink Deep blog tour, Chloe Neill is offering a giveaway for a swagpack of Chicagoland Vampires-related material. To enter, fill out the form below, or click here.

BBAW: Interview with Ariel from The Librarian's Bookshelf!

heidenkind: You're in school to eventually become a librarian. Do you think blogging and social media will play an important role in libraries in the future?

Ariel: I think it really depends on the library. I think book bloggers play a huge role in supporting smaller libraries, but I don't think larger ones really notice us or care.

heidenkind: Which do you prefer, eBooks or paper books?

Ariel: While I do own a Nook and read eBooks, I prefer paperbacks.

heidenkind: What's your least-favorite read of the year so far?

Ariel: I would have to say Glimmerglass honestly. I liked most of the books I've read so far, but with all the hype Glimmerglass got, I was disappointed by it.

heidenkind: Tell us about a favorite piece of book paraphernalia that you own or dream of owning--can be a t-shirt, bookshelf, lock of your favorite author's hair, anything!

Ariel: This isn't really one item, but I want my own library! Someday in my house I will have one room completely full of books and bookshelves and reading nooks.

heidenkind: How far outside your comfort zone have you read based on the recommendation of a book blogger?

Ariel: I've read a lot more paranormal than I would have without the recommendations from book bloggers. Before I usually just stayed with very specific fantasy or Christian fiction.

Check out Ariel's blog and my interview with her over at The Librarian's Bookshelf!

Armchair BEA Interview with AnimeGirl!

For Armchair BEA, I'm lucky to have Alex (aka AnimeGirl) from A Girl, Books, and Other Things as my interview partner! I hadn't visited Alex's blog before, so I was excited to learn more about it.

Welcome, Alex!

Tasha: I've noticed you've been reading a lot of Sarah Dessen books lately (for Sarah Dessen Week). If you could have a picnic with Dessen and one other author, who would it be?

Alex: I think it would probably be Meg Cabot since I adore her and I've been such a fan girl of her for ages!

Tasha: What is your favorite animé series?

Alex: Well, this is going to be long. Of My childhood: Magic Knight Rayearth - my first and biggest anime crush ever is in there!. Of my teens: Card Captor Sakura. Of my college years: tie between UltraManiac and Ouran High School Host Club.

Tasha: Do you usually read a manga before or after (or at all) you watch an animé series?

Alex: I actually don't read Manga all that much unless is an author I love like CLAMP or Wataru Yoshizumi. Otherwise, it's usually the anime first manga second.

   
Tasha: You read a lot of different genres. Is there a single theme running through all of the books you read that attracts you--i.e., romance, friendship, etc.?

Alex: Definitely romance. I know a lot of people say they don't need romance to love a book, but I do. Humor too, save for very few exceptions, I stay clear from trauma porn (you know, sad, sad books), so funny is always a plus.
   

Tasha: Is there a genre that you refuse to read?

Alex: In general terms, vampires. Also, I'm not really big into Sci Fi and Fantasy (though I've been known to read fantasy when it comes well recommended). I don't usually do Epic, or thrillers/mysteries because I'm not a very patient person.

   
Tasha: If you could travel to just one place in your lifetime that you haven't been before, where would you go?

Alex: London, probably. I think it's part of my obsession with historical romance, most of which is set in London/somewhere in England.

   
Tasha: What's one book you've always wanted to read but haven't gotten around to?

Alex: I tend to be very single minded when I want to read something and don't stop till I read it, and I used to read a lot of classics as a kid, but I would say Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad if I had to name one.

   
Tasha: What was your favorite book when you were 10 years old?

Alex: Oscar Wilde's Complete Works (see, classics). I read it for the first time when I was 9, and I remained obsessed with it for years. Particularly, Canterville's Ghost, and Lady Windemere's Fan.

   
Tasha: What do you think is the best book-to-movie adaptation ever?

Alex: The Secret Garden, and Cuaron's version of The Little Princess. For mini-series: the newest BBC Sense and Sensibility, and, of course, Pride and Prejudice.

   
Tasha: What in your opinion is the most over-used trope in YA novels?

Alex: Trope as in shtick? Love triangle. And I bloody hate me some love triangles... lol, it has be exceptionally well done for me to stomach it, usually I just can't. Plus, I tend to pick the other guy ALWAYS (Hell, I picked Bois Gilbert over Ivanhoe in IVANHOE!)

Thanks so much, Alex! I never could understand why Rebecca chose Ivanhoe over Sir Brian, either.

To check out Alex interviewing me, go to her blog, A Girl, Books, and Other Things!

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Kelly Creagh Interview

Today I'm very pleased to have Kelly Creagh, author of Nevermore, stop by for an interview.  Nevermore was one of my favorite books of 2010, so I was happy when Kelly took some time out of her super-busy schedule to answer a few questions I had about the book.

1.      Varen is such a great character! Did you base him off anyone (Severus Snape, for example ;)?

Varen was and is a blast to write. He’s so complicated and conflicted. I didn’t base him off of Snape, per se. Since Snape is one of my all time favorite characters, he may very well have had an influence on my writing but I didn’t set out to create a character like Snape. Actually, Varen was loosely inspired by a real person I knew who always wrote in purple ink.

2.      Nevermore is an incredibly visual book.  Were you inspired by anime or comic books when you were creating the "look" of the novel?

I was mostly inspired by my own memories of high school as well as my current surroundings. Nevermore is based in a semi-fictional Louisville, though the city is never mentioned by name. Trenton is based off of my own high school and Varen’s neighborhood is based directly on Old Louisville, which is one of the nation’s largest preservation districts. Another huge influence was the imagery in Poe’s works, especially in The Masque of the Red Death and his poems Dream-Land and Ulalume. I took as much as I could from Poe’s works when constructing the dream-world aspects of the novel. This includes the characters found in this realm, like the Nocs and even Reynolds.

3.      It's pretty unusual to have a heroine who isn't bookish in YA novels.  Were you worried about readers being able to connect with a character who didn't read?

I didn’t worry about that at all, really. I was just writing about the person who was in my head. In many ways, Isobel led the way in the story and Varen too. I always know I’m doing something right when the characters take over and it begins to feel as though I’m taking dictation rather than composing. I think that even though Isobel isn’t the biggest fan of literature, she is still relatable to avid readers and reluctant readers alike. It was actually very fun to create a main character who was popular, coordinated, spunky and a little different than your normal YA heroine. When I began writing Nevermore, I didn’t know much about cheerleading at all but I knew that Isobel loved to cheer and I knew that it was one of the most important things in the world to her. So that meant I had to go out and learn everything I could about cheering. This included sitting in on a practice session. I also watched documentaries on cheering and read coaching manuals. I was never the athletic type in school but it has gotten to the point where I’m such a cheerleading fan. It’s such an intense sport and it takes so much energy, resilience and bravery—which are all of the qualities I could hope for in any heroine!

4.      Why do you think Edgar Allen Poe and his work is so appealing, even after more than a hundred years?

I think Edgar Allan Poe remains so popular because of the nature of his work. So much of what Poe wrote about focuses on what happens after we die. This is unknown territory that will never ever cease to be intriguing. Poe’s brand of horror is more about the mind and less about gore and shock. That’s not to say that he hasn’t mixed in his own fair share of slashing axe-through-the-brain terror. But bloodshed in Poe’s works is never gratuitous. And really, what turns out to be so unsettling about his stories is the psychology behind the mayhem.

5.      Where are we likely to see Cemetery Sighs on tour? ;)

Right now the band is enjoying the success of their hit single, Emily Not, Not Gone, which you can download from my “Extras” page. Stay tuned to my website and blog for any updates about their music, appearances and future albums.

6.      What would you say the theme of Nevermore is?  Are the other books in the series going to have the same theme?

I never set out to write a novel with a specific theme in mind. If I had to pinpoint the theme of Nevermore, I would say that it has a lot to do with acceptance of differences and also not judging things on face value alone.  The theme of the sequel will be different. The story gets much darker.

7.      Reynolds is supposed to visit Poe's grave one day every year.  Have you tried to catch him in the act?

The Poe Toaster is a real person who visits Poe’s grave every year on Poe’s birthday. “Reynolds” is the name Poe was calling out just before he died. As far as I know, I am the first author to connect the two into one character. And I have seen the person known as the Poe Toaster! In January 2009, I went to Baltimore with a few of my friends to witness the rite and I was lucky enough to catch a quick glimpse of the toaster. In January 2010, the toaster did not appear at Poe’s grave. It has been the only time he has failed to show in the 60 years the ritual has been documented. I can only hope that he will return in 2011! Be sure to google him on January 19th to see if he came!

8.      Will there be any new characters in the next book?

Yes. But that’s all I’m willing to say!

9.      Will Varen ever graduate from high school?

;) I can’t answer that one without giving too much away.

10.     Are there any plans to adapt Nevermore into another medium--graphic novels, TV, movies?

Wouldn’t that be awesome? I have to admit, I would LOVE to see Nevermore adapted to film. Whenever I write, the stories in my head play out like movies in my mind's-eye. So I think it’s only natural to want to see how it would really appear on the big screen. Not only that, but how cool would it be to watch the Nocs come to life?
Right now, there is no movie or graphic novel adaptation planned. Perhaps sometime soon, though!

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Interview with Thaisa Frank, author of Heidegger's Glasses

Thaisa Frank, author of the fascinating Heidegger's Glasses, was kind enough to answer some of the questions I had for her at the end of the novel.  Don't forget you can enter to win a copy of the book at my review post (here)!  I know you will all want this book, especially after reading Thaisa's interview, so don't hesitate to enter.

Question 1:  As the book progresses, the letters from the dead become much more forceful and begin to speak of breaking out and disappearing. Is this because the cracks in the world are getting bigger?

Thaisa's Answer:  That’s a great way to link the metaphor of Hanussen’s globe and the changing letters! And in a sense that’s what was really happening as Germany continued to incur heavy losses in the war. It’s also the case that more and more prisoners began to rebel and find ways to exchange messages at the border between one barrack and another.

Q2:  What is the connection between furniture and bones?

Thaisa:  The Nazis deny making human furniture out of bones, but I’ve seen pictures of them. So the connection is quite literal. Metaphorically, of course, it has a lot of connections and probably brings into bold relief the attitude (prevalent in all holocausts) that the ‘other’ who is the object of murder and hatred isn’t really a person but an object.

Q3:  Who in the Compound has the least amount of guilt over the dead?

Thaisa:  Without question Dieter Stumpf who relishes séances and firmly believes that the Compound is on a serious mission to answer the dead.

Q4:  If this novel could be compared to a single painting (or, alternatively, the work of a single artist), which one would you pick?

Thaisa:  This is a great question and although various artists came to mind intellectually (Munch and Kollwitz) a painting immediately occurred to me and I can’t find it. It’s a 20th century surreal painting in either the Whitney or the MOMA called (I think) The Sleepers. It’s a huge room without borders so you think it may extend infinitely and in this room, tucked in identical beds, are people who all look the same. Their eyes are open. The expressions in the eyes are amazing--the expressions of people who have a sense of dread yet hope it’s unfounded. This painting came to mind in a very visceral way. Intellectually it makes sense: All the characters in the book live with dread and have to deny it. And all the characters in the book are variously asleep (not conscious) and awake (very conscious.) Thanks for a great question. I’ll send you the reference if I can find it.

Me:  Are you thinking of The Sleepers III by George Tooker (above)?  Maybe someone has a better suggestion.

Q5: You make a lot of Classical references in the book. Are there any non-Classical allusions--to Nordic myths or folktales, for example?

Thaisa:  There are no references to fairy tales, but when I wrote it I drew on my sense of affinity with fairy tales--a sense of the magic of the imagination I’ve had ever since I was little.

If Kafka wrote the first great fairy tales of the modern age with The Trial, In the Penal Colony, and Metamorphosis, then I feel that World War II provides us with the second set of fairy tales. Because of the impeccable record-keeping by both perpetrators and victims, and because the suspense created by the escalation of the Final Solution was pitted against the invasion of the Russians and the Allies, WW II’s Holocaust has an almost novelistic, even mythic, quality. It also brings into bold relief how people can become absurdly enchanted in the presence of a belief shared by a group mind. This fairy-tale aspect can be used to great disadvantage to romanticize the war. But it can also be used to great advantage because it allows us to see WW II’s holocaust through a broad lens that leads us to the truth of all holocausts. Like all first drafts of fairy tales, this one is raw and unadorned: Take a look at the original Red Riding Hood in French. It’s ghoulish, grisly, and blatantly sexual. And even sanitized fairy tales for children involve abandonment, terror, and evil spells.

For all these reasons, I was drawn to the fairy-tale like environment of the Scribes. By using this as a pervasive backdrop, I was able to show parts of the Holocaust that were raw, ghoulish, and unpalatable, like Mengele’s experiments, a rape, an arrest, and an unanticipated murder.

Q6: What happened to Stumpf?

Thaisa:  Stumpf disappears with his crates of mail. This is something that Elie sees when she goes outside at night alone and smokes under cover of her scarf.

Q7: Would you describe your work as surrealism or magical realism?

Thaisa:  Thanks for asking and for making a distinction! These categories are often used interchangeably but there’s actually a big difference. Magic realism invariably involves a community of people who believe in some magical force that exists in the world (often contact with the dead, the ability to time travel, the appearance of angels, sometimes the belief in the totemic nature of objects.) Surrealism involves one, at the most two, improbable or impossible situations, and puts them into an ordinary world.

The world of magic realism is an extraordinary world where magic penetrates the ordinary. Surrealism, on the other hand, posits one absurd situation in a perfectly ordinary world. (A man wakes up transformed into a huge bug, or is accused of a crime he never committed and isn’t even named). The ordinary world is determined to proceed according to its plodding, often legalistic, ordinary laws. A Hundred Years of Solitude, by Marquez, is a good example of magic realism. People commune with the dead and can see their dreams. In The Trial, by Kafka, a man is accused of a crime he not only hasn’t committed, but which is never spelled out to him. He has nothing magic to resort to, but must appeal to the plodding legal system. This absurd situation shines a lens on the absurdity of the legal system.

Heidegger’s Glasses certainly touches upon a community that believes in the occult. But only a few characters in the book are part of that community, and the two protagonists are definitely not part of it. What becomes surreal is the premise that there are people who answer letters to the dead in an underground mine that has been converted into a romantic 19th-Century world, with a cobblestone street, gas lamps, and a canopy of sky that changes from night to day. This world is an absurd dream in the midst of a Germany’s failing war.

So I would say that I work in the tradition of surrealism.

Q8: There are a lot of codes in the novel--Lodenstein's father writes codes, and the Scribes create a secret language
called Dreamatoria. Was Heidegger's letter a code, or was he really that clueless?

Thaisa: One irony of the book is that we never see Heidegger’s letter to Asher Englehardt. The letter we see is Mikhail Solomon’s answer, which is supposed to be absurd. And we don’t know how clueless Heidegger was about the war. He was a romantic German: He wore lederhosen to class in the summer months and built a hut in the Black Forest. He allied with the Nazis resolve to return to the past, and then got upset with them for not doing it in a way he imagined. He helped some Jewish students escape and ignored others. (He shunned Carnap, a philosopher and colleague whose wife was Jewish, and then was miffed because Carnap wouldn’t talk to him after the war.) Heidegger was probably not so much clueless as totally dissociated.

Q9: If Heidegger's Glasses is made into a movie, who do you want to play Lodenstein?

Thaisa: Wow! This is every writer’s private delusion. But since you’ve asked…. I’ve always seen this as a German movie, in which case I would like Matthias Habich, who played the father in “Nowhere in Africa” to play Lodenstein. He has a combination of rigidity and softness that appeals to me. I consider Brad Pitt to be about the best male actor in America now, but I don’t think he quite fits the role. Maybe the newly-incarnated Leonardo Dicaprio---newly-incarnated in that it seemed that he could really act in Revolutionary Road.

Q10: What's your next project?

Thaisa:  I’m finishing a new collection of short stories that I allowed to languish when I wrote Heidegger’s Glasses. But I am--and have been--working on something new. The most I can say is that it doesn’t take place in the past--hence it’s not historical. And I’m experimenting with a somewhat different voice.

Thank you so much for absolutely great interview, Thaisa!  Your answers definitely added to the story for me!  And Leo's cute, but maybe not quite Teutonic enough to play Lodenstein. ;)

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JK Rowling and Oprah: The Interview (In Scotland!), Completely Unnecessary Post-Event Analysis

Rowling so rarely grants interviews.  But no one says no to The Oprah!  So the two billionairesses sat down, with questions burning in fans' minds.  Why never any romance between Harry and Hermione?  Does Rowling think the books would have been better if she'd killed off Arthur Weasely?  And most importantly, any future Harry Potter books?

First, the recap:

• Rowling and Oprah are surrounded by posh elegance, from the high tea service and fancy drapery to what appears to be an Aubusson carpet.  Rowling's make-up is expertly done but her shoes are distractingly inappropriate and an ugly color.  Oprah gets points for having classy-yet-professional shoes, but looks hugely uncomfortable on the spindly chair.  Where's an armchair when you need one?
• Four minutes into interview.  Rowling starts tearing up talking about how she felt when she'd finished the seventh Harry Potter.  Also discusses why she changed her mind on the last word in the series being "scar."
• Oprah says she thought JK was Rowling's name.  What?  Have you ever met anyone with two capital letters for a first name, Oprah? 
  
• Rowling talks about her mother's death.  Tears up again.
• Moving on to happier subjects:  how has your life changed since you won the literary lottery?  Rowling says she dresses much better.  Then she adds that might not have anything to do with it, since, "...you meet lots of rich people who dress atrociously."  Oprah laughs uncomfortably and touches her sweater.  Apparently the O wasn't confident with that fashion choice!
• More blah blah about being rich.  Have you read the books, Oprah??
• Apparently Rowling gave a commencement speech at Harvard.  This is officially the first and only time I've wanted to attend Harvard, lucky bastards.  She talks about how failure made her a better person and the Dementors represent depression (duh!).
  
• Rowling tears up again, I forget why.  Only ten minutes left in the interview, WILL YOU START ASKING ABOUT HARRY POTTER PLEEZ!!!!!
• Finally, the clincher question!  "Will you be writing more?"  Rowling says, "Definitely."  But is she speaking of Harry Potter books or in general terms?  Oprah doesn't press.  Rowling and Oprah bond over a Michael Jackson interview  they both read.
• Awkward high-five moment.  The interview is over.

The analysis:

Although it's always good to see an interview with Rowling, this one felt like a wasted opportunity.  Oprah spent most of the hour talking to Rowling about personal things in her life.  While that's all well and good, I really don't care about Rowling's personal life and wish Oprah had asked her more probing questions about the books.

As for the issue of whether or not there will be more Harry Potter books, I know the verdict in newspapers and elsewhere is yes, but to me it didn't sound like it.  Rowling seemed to be speaking in general terms when she said she was going to keep writing, and spoke of a "new phase" and not chasing the phenomenon.  I know none of us want Harry Potter to end, but I would be surprised to see Rowling publish a new Potter book at any point in the near future.

Oh well.

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BBAW Interview Swap

Today for BBAW, we get to interview a blogger we're not familiar with.  Hooray!  I have the pleasure of interviewing Cass from Bonjour, Cass!  To check out the other half of our interview swap, go to Cass' blog.

Bonjour, Cass! :) First off, are you or is anything you read French (i.e., where'd your blog name come from)?

Actually, I'm mostly Italian--there's a bit of French-Canadian blood on my mother's side, but not enough to be able to claim any kind of Frenchness. I can't speak or read or write in French, despite the best efforts of five years of French classes. I like the French well enough, but I can't even claim to be a true francophile. Such a poseur. I just like the way Bonjour, Cass! sounds. It was either that or FanCASStic, which I thought might seem a bit egoCASStical. Ahem.

Now that we've got that out of the way, you read a lot of GLBT literature.  What's the best GLBT book you've read recently?

I mostly read GLBT non-fiction, theory, and the like, and the best I've read recently is The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies by Victor Russo. Published in 1981, it's a seminal work of the history of gay and lesbian characters in film. It's a bit out of date (it says that Rocky Horror Picture Show is the gayest movie to date, for example) but it's a very readable, in-depth history of film.

You say in your profile that your first favorite book featured Grover. Grover is my favorite Muppet, too!  What's your favorite Grover skit?

I really love this one of Grover trying to explain what a library is while trying to speak very, very, softly (which is very, very hard for Grover to do).

Have you ever tried to read a book in a genre you don't like?

Oh yes, especially if it's recommended by someone I trust. I'm always willing to go outside my comfort zone when it comes to reading. Sometimes I end up loving it, sometimes I end up throwing it across the room, it's really a toss up... (Pun intended. Har har.)

If you had to describe reading metaphorically, what would you say it was like?

Depending on the genre, reading is a curled up cat napping in the most blissful patch of sun, or the five intense hours spent solving a Rubix cube.

Do you always finish books, or are you of the mindset that life is too short to read bad books?

Before I started writing my blog, I always had to finish books, especially books in a series--even if I didn't like the first one! Now I seem to have fine-tuned my tastes and/or instincts, and I sometimes even put books down after four or five pages. It keeps me from getting too cranky.

Do you write bad reviews?

I do hope my reviews themselves aren't bad but I believe the question is about whether or not I'm ever critical in my reviews -- in which case, the answer is a definite yes! Offering a thorough, fair, rigorous critique is what I enjoy most about reviewing.

It's the zombie apocalypse.  How long do you think you'd survive?

I consulted my local expert in zombie takeovers and she says about ten minutes. I am completely unprepared for the zombies. I am also a slow runner.

What do you like to do first, read the book or see the movie?  Or does it matter?

I've decided to start seeing the movie first, when possible, because I've been known to ruin the whole movie for others by whining about how the book was either completely different, so much better, or both!

If you could meet one literary character, who would it be?

What a tricky question! I think I'll go with Thursday Next, from Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair. We could make bad book jokes together and she could probably protect me in case any zombies show up.


Thank you, Cass! Hmmm, I think someone should challenge Cass to read a book from her least-favorite genre, romance.  Anyone want to take a stab at recommending one?

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Leanna Renee Hieber Interview

This week (Tuesday), The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker is finally being released.  I loved the book (you can read my review here); and immediately after I finished, I asked Leanna Renee Hieber if she would mind doing an interview to answer some of my burning questions.

Heidenkind:  Who built Athens Academy?
 

Leanna Renee Heiber:  Here’s where I mix real history with fancy. Athens Academy never existed, but Quakers did and still do.

My fictional Athens was built in the mid 1800’s by Quakers in a style more lavish than they would have been comfortable with: a Romanesque style with rich sandstone detailing. They did so to blend in with central London and hide the fact they were a Quaker institution, Quakers being known for their more modest, Spartan structures. A Christian religious group formed in 17^th Century England as the Religious Society of Friends, the term “Quaker” comes from the idea of trembling before the Lord. Quakers were known for their progressive values such as their vehement abolitionist, anti-slavery stance and adamant equality for women both in religious practices and in education. They were ardent supporters of education of all kinds, suffrage movements and public services. They were also an often shunned and persecuted minority.

Making the school in a Quaker model is the only remotely historically realistic way for me to posit a co-ed school model that might include young women and educate them in all disciplines (including math, a rare subject for a woman to study). Athens was originally titled RFS Academy (Religious Society of Friends) but the school was closed after only a few years of operation due to religious intolerance and disdain for educating women. However in the 1860’s when Beatrice Tipton, former leader of the former Guard is instructed by the Goddess Persephone to ease the school into the future hands of Rebecca and Alexi, she has the name changed in honour of her legacy and the school reopened to pave the way for Prophecy and transfers some of the power of her beloved Phoenix unto the bricks. Many Quakers were also involved in the Spiritualist movement tied to ghosts and spirit-matters, which ties in nicely with the themes of my series.

Heidenkind:  Do the students and faculty of Athens Academy share a common trait that draws them there?
 

LRH:  Many Quaker and other progressive families quietly send their children there as well as families who have exceedingly shy or gifted children of both genders who didn’t do well in other school settings; similar motivation draws many parents to seek private education today. However even in a unique setting, Percy is still the ‘freak’ outsider and that was a dynamic I needed to maintain for her growth and context.

Heidenkind:  Does Persephone (the goddess) still exist?
 

LRH:  The Goddess as she once was is no more. The pure energy of her essence is eternal, however her form and specificity as an entity is now diluted. Her power (and one or two scattered memories) lives on in the body of Miss Persephone Parker, her legacy of choice and sacrifice. This power may yet pass on, it remains to be seen and I’m not about to say.

Heidenkind:  What will happen to the Whisper-World when Persephone doesn't come back?

LRH:  The end of Darkly Luminous sees a shift in the power balance. In the great liberty I take with this canonical story, I posit that she was never meant to be stolen away, that Darkness had no right, thusly the balance was always skewed. The Whisper-world as such will remain a restless purgatory, a bit in stasis. But as the world changes at the turn of the 20^th century, so does the Whisper-world. A world at war effects everyone and everything across all spiritual planes.

Heidenkind:  Darkness mentions that he and Persephone are just pawns.  Are we going to get a chance to see the major players at some point?

LRH:  At this point I can’t imagine dealing with the wider canon of Greek Gods, or tackling any sort of monotheistic notions as characters. I didn’t want to create any of my characters as omnipotent, so I relegate all of them to a bit of the ‘divine mystery’ that I don’t feel I can show at its highest levels. I do want the Strangely Beautiful saga to remain at its heart an ongoing tale of mortals dealing with choices, fate, free-will and phenomena as best they can.

Heidenkind:  If you only have sex with a god/goddess, does that make you a virgin?
 

LRH:  *grin* Beatrice Tipton, when she tells Percy about the Goddess “making Alexi a man” at age 16, Beatrice doesn’t exactly understand the dynamic that was established between the Goddess and Alexi as a youth – a dynamic he himself doesn’t remember beyond a vague sense. You’ll just have to decide for yourself what you think in Strangely Beautiful #3, the prequel. *tease, tease*

Heidenkind:  Will your next book be the start of a new series?
 

LRH:  My next release is “A Christmas Carroll” (Strangely Beautiful #2.5), a novella starring Headmistress Thompson and Vicar Michael Carroll, to be included in Dorchester’s Fantasy holiday anthology A MIDWINTER FANTASY (October 2010). And after that, it’s Strangely Beautiful #3 – a prequel that will likely release sometime around March 2011, then Strangely Beautiful #4 continues on with the Rychman familial legacy, with all our familiar cast of characters, to the broach of World War I. Separately from the Strangely Beautiful saga I have written the first in a YA Historical Dark Fantasy / Paranormal series that my agent is currently shopping around.

Heidenkind:  What is your ultimate goal when you're writing a novel?

LRH:  Having readers care enough about the characters and the world I’ve built to ask questions like these. So thank you for doing me that honour. There is no greater thrill for me than when readers champion and care for my characters.

Heidenkind:  What's your favorite thing about the Victorian era?

LRH:  The stoic struggle. The repression that makes a mere kiss on the hand cataclysmically sensual becomes a delicious writing tool. But to answer this question truthfully, my Victorian fascination is infinitely more complex than mere romanticism.

It was a charged time of beauty and sophistication coupled with desolation, hypocrisy and poverty.  The world was changing and remade before their eyes – everything was in question, God, science, morality, world domination, gender roles, the industrial revolution, the stirrings of social justice and awakening sensibilities. So much of the society was on some level at war with itself and yet doing so with grace, beauty, and veiled terror. I’m fascinated by this Jekyll and Hyde society; preened exterior, seething underbelly. This rich, aching struggle comes out startlingly clear in the literature of the time, which I credit for making me fall in love with the era in my pre-teen years.

The Victorians were also ardent spiritualists and neo-classicists, and so Strangely Beautiful’s fantastical threads of ghosts and Greek Mythology come plucked directly from the Victorian psyche itself.

Heidenkind:  Do you have a favorite work of art?

LRH:  Oh, do I! My love-affair with the 19^th century is also a love-affair with its art, and so I’m thrilled by this topic because it’s inextricably tied to my work.

Pardon the list but I absolutely cannot pick just one! (Dad’s an art teacher, my fondest childhood memories are of poring over art books with him and discussing the contents) I geek-out rhapsodic over art, and this blog seems quite the place to do so, seeing I am in the presence of an Art Historian. Huzzah!

Favourite artistic movement: The Pre-Raphaelites and those who circled near their orbit. I’m particularly obsessed with Rosetti, Waterhouse, Millais and Moreau.

2^nd Favourite artistic movement: The Blue Rider (Der Blaue Reiter) Group of German expressionists, particularly Franz Marc.

Favourite ‘stand alone’ artists: Edvard Munch, George Seurat (love your header, Tasha) and John Singer Sargent.

Favourite piece to be in a room with: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grand Jatte – when visiting this piece in Chicago I just move closer then step back, repeating numerous times until satiated. I never cease to be amazed by Seurat’s patient talent and visionary mind as the pointillist abstraction becomes a lushly realized scene replete with bustles and parasols *sigh* (I also love the musical “Sunday in the Park with George”).

Favourite sculptor: Camille Claudel, Rodin’s lover and collaborator. Her “Waltz” / “La Valse” is a piece Percy (and I) want on our mantel.

Heidenkind:  If you were going to rewrite a "zombified" version of a classic novel, which one would it be?

LRH:  The Castle of Otronto (regarded as one of the first Gothic novels). Also I suppose a Les Miserables de Zombie might have its intrigue. *shudder*

Thank you so much for the great interview, Leanna!  And congratulations on turning Strangely Beautiful into a musical!