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Ask An Author #29

Renee Stevens

Entry posted by Renee Stevens in Author Interviews

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Dang, it's hard to believe that it's already July! This year is just flying by. Today we have the next installment of Dark's Ask An Author feature. Before we get to that, I want to remind everyone that I am now taking theme suggestions for the 2016 Quarterly Anthologies. If you have a theme suggestion, make sure to post them in the thread which will remain open until July 31st. Please read the beginning post before posting your suggestions.

 

Ask an Author #29

 

Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors!

 

In AtA #28, we had questions for authors joann414, James Savik, and wrathofmagneto.

 

In AtA #29, we hear Carlos Hazday, ColumbusGuy, and Timothy M..

 

For their protection, the members who asked these questions shall remain nameless (unless they choose to reveal themselves). :lol: Please note that all author replies are copied as is, spelling errors and grammar eccentricities original to the individual.

 

Today’s first author is retired accountant Carlos Hazday in his blog debut. In July, Carlos celebrates his two-year anniversary here on GA, but only started posting stories in November 2014. In that time, he has posted 8 stories and one collection of prompts. Carlos likes to model his characters after his own experiences, writing in first person with an engaging commentary. Try Happy New Year to read about a cast of loveable and quirky characters and a plot spread over a year-long adventure.

 

To Carlos Hazday: I find your characters larger than life and also relate-able. Is there anything you find challenging in your writing? Who or what made you want to write, and what do you like to read?

 

My biggest challenge is trying to keep my characters and the story grounded in the real world while still providing an interesting tale which will engage the reader. Even while writing science fiction or fantasy I try to make everything else in the story as real as possible.I'm a decisive person and my characters tend to reflect that. Vere few doubts, very little second guessing and minimal recrimination. I started writing as a way of dealing with a bad depression which made me retreat from the world and hide in my home. Writing allowed me to interact with others. characters and readers, while I dealt with the causes behind my depression. Marc McNally and his story Love on the Rocks have been my biggest inspiration. In SUMMER, I've tried to create something in the US which compares to what he did with his story in Australia. He's also provided a lot of encouragement.My favorite all time writer is the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke. I love science fiction and have read most of his books and many of them more than once.

 

Next up is author ColumbusGuy, also featured here for the first time. This guy is from Columbus, Ohio (I know that’s a shock), the place where I’m at for the month of July. It’s been a long time since I spent so much time here, how do you do it? ;) The two of us share a dislike bordering on disgust for MSWorks and a love for cats. You probably will remember this guy as the author of Jay & Miles, but there’s also Pompeii Passions, which is way better than the movie. Of course, I like historical fiction and convoluted characters. Still, if you haven’t branched out to some of ColumbusGuy’s other stuff, you’re missing out. For shorter works, check out his prompts. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s glad ColumbusGuy took the plunge to write again after all this time. And did you know there’s a Jay & Miles forum thread?

 

To ColumbusGuy: I have read in your answers to reviews that your character, Miles, is based on you as a teenager (although the story itself is fictional). Do you find the experience of writing about some of your own experiences/emotions as a teenager to be cathartic?

 

Miles is so much like me, it's scary; every emotion he feels was mine, his reactions were mine, even the description was mine at that time. I asked a friend who knew me just after that time to read my story, and she picked up on every facet. Back then, in a town of 2,500 people, you couldn't be 'out' and expect to have a happy life, though it was possible in big cities. The initial event of the note is true, and Jay is based on the person who wrote me that note, but I didn't show up, and we never progressed beyond casual friends. Every chapter has something factual in it, an event, a thing or a person--though I didn't try to kill myself, I thought about it a lot--but I kept hoping that the next day/month/year would be better--and eventually it was. The only entirely fictional people in the story are Jay's family--they are the parents I wish I'd had. Years later, I discovered my sisters all knew my sexuality, but never said anything until my nephew came out to me one Thanksgiving. This story has helped me clear up a lot of old feelings and regrets, and started to heal the gap in my soul my father left there--we didn't speak for his last thirteen years because he didn't approve of my sexuality when he found out--but last year my sister (with the gay son) told me my dad asked about me once in a while when she'd see him in Florida--so this is helping me deal with the new fact that he still cared, which I hadn't known once we moved away to separate cities. It's years too late to mend fences since he died in 2001, but those thirteen years and the ten more since his death disappeared hearing my sister say those words--and I'm not ashamed to say that I cried like a baby despite being 53 years old, shedding tears I had locked away behind doors saying I DON'T CARE in big letters--all it took was her saying 'he still loved you' to turn my world inside out, so this is helping me cope with finding him again.

 

And our third author today is also new to Ask an Author; say hello to Timothy M all the way across the Atlantic in Denmark. Like the other two authors today, he’s been around for about two years, but only started posting stories recently, beginning with prompts last October and now updating the multi-chapter fic Clueless Camping. Although Timothy thinks he’s posting slowly, Clueless already has 11 chapters. This is a story about young Russell’s path to self-discovery and love. Give him a try! 91 followers and even more reviews indicate something’s not rotten in the state of Denmark!

 

To Timothy M.: Your stories are so well-done, so how much of a challenge is it to write in your second language, Danish being your first? I remember my attempts in German were pretty simple affairs, so you must have done a lot of studying to get such proficiency in English...do you plan them in Danish first, then translate into English, or do you start in English all the way through?

 

My stories on
GA
are written directly in English, and I'm thinking in that language when I plan them - not that I do much planning beforehand. I tend to take an idea or a character and start writing.


I do have several stories originally written in Danish, and I've started to translate and expand one of them for
GA
, but it's difficult to lose the Danish sentence construction and make the story flow naturally.


Perhaps a reason my stories seem well-done is I'm fanatical about spelling, grammar and not using the wrong homonyms. My main problem is punctuation, I suck at placing commas correctly in English. Sometimes finding the right phrases and terms is difficult and I get mixed up on British and American word usage. Thank god for my
GA
editors.


My challenge as a writer has always been content rather than form, and a lack of dialogue. In other words my stories are often technically well-written and detailed but boring (or is the term dull?
:unsure:
). I'm trying to improve by showing rather than telling e.g. by using more dialogue. I've always read a lot and reading and discussing stories on
GA
has certainly helped.

 

That’s it for now! For more info on these authors, go check out their stories, post in their forums, and/or catch them in chat!

 

See you next time, with authors A.C. Benus, ricky, and Wanda Walker.

 

Want to ask your favorite author a question? Simply PM me (Dark).

 

Until next time!


Dark

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  • Popular Comment
Carlos Hazday

Carlos Hazday 115,803

Posted

  • Popular Comment

Damn! I'm in here and Autumn Chapter 1 has been well received. I think I'm going to enjoy July 2015.

 

Thank you for the nice remarks, Dark!

  • Like 7
  • Popular Comment
Timothy M.

Timothy M. 50,252

Posted

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Thank you for the nice remarks, Dark!

 

Ditto from me, I'm flattered, Dark. Also thank you to whoever ask the question and thus gave me the chance to feature here.

  • Like 8
Headstall

Headstall 306,668

Posted

Tim, there is nothing boring or dull about your writing. Clueless Camping is a gem, and the adventures of Eric, Nelson, Rob, and Jasper are amusing and charming. And it goes without saying, you are a superb editor!

  • Like 4
Headstall

Headstall 306,668

Posted

CG... Like everything you say... heartfelt... you're a terrific writer, and I love working with you!

  • Like 2
  • Wow 1
Headstall

Headstall 306,668

Posted

Carlos, thank you for opening up about your depression, and what writing has done for you.

  • Like 2
EagleIsaac

EagleIsaac 1,941

Posted

Tim: I have never found your writing to be dull. Just look at the following your stories have. Dull stories don't spawn "Team Rob" and "Team Jazz" t-shirts.

 

 

CG: great interview and a great story. Sounds like you are putting pieces of yourself down on paper with every chapter. As readers we are honoured that you choose to share this with us.

 

 

Carlos: your characters are decisive and refreshingly free of angst. Although your love of cliffhangers may cause you to be lynched some day :P

  • Like 4
Carlos Hazday

Carlos Hazday 115,803

Posted

Thanks guys... I'm kinda real happy about the company Dark put me in with!

 

Isaac, they're just temporarily unanswered questions! Through all the bitching and moaning i actually received more praise than damnation about the ending of Summer. One thing I learned is not to wait so long to answer those questions. A break is nice but maybe just a couple of weeks if it happens again. I was getting real antsy, I wanted to post early. Mann has been kinda busy so we had to slow down the turnaround of chapters and I didn't want to interrupt the schedule once the story started posting.

 

Right now we have 5 chapters entirely finished and 4 more in process so we're good to go.

  • Like 1
LitLover

LitLover 66,967

Posted

Carlos, I am glad you found writing to be therapeutic. We're certainly happy to read what you've written :)

 

 

CG, that was a wonderful and, as Headstall said, heartfelt interview. I know you put a lot of yourself out there with every chapter that you write. The result is a wonderful story that I look forward to reading with every chapter you post.

 

 

Tim, I don't know where you get the idea that your writing is dull. I have never had any complaints about anything of yours that I've read. Authors are always their own toughest critics.

 

 

Congrats guys. So happy to see the three of you featured here.

  • Like 4
Palantir

Palantir 10,621

Posted

Once again Ask an Author provides us with insight into the lives and thoughts of GA authors.

I hope this feature continues way into the future.

  • Like 3
AC Benus

AC Benus 36,635

Posted

Congratulations Carlos, ColumbusGuy, and Tim. 

 

This Ask an Author is one for the memory board - really fantastic sharing - moving and personal. I'm proud to know you.   

  • Like 3
ColumbusGuy

ColumbusGuy 13,850

Posted

All the positive comments, I'm gonna blush. :)  I think the writing has helped me, but it also has made me sad that it's too late to connect with my dad. My mom once asked if I was, but since I was single at the time, it didn't matter--and later, the one time she met my last s.o., she didn't like him--but that was because he was not scared of her. :)

So many kind words, now I feel guilty that I've devoted so much time to Jay and let Pompeii slide...guess I'll have to work on that one more, but it's gonna be tough sorting out what to include as the story develops--I can only print my own part completely, the rest has to be summarized.

I've also been thinking of a couple prompts, so I'll need to get those out too.  Okay, y'all have to stop writing so I can do this stuff!

  • Like 4
Timothy M.

Timothy M. 50,252

Posted

Tim, there is nothing boring or dull about your writing.

 

Tim: I have never found your writing to be dull. Just look at the following your stories have. Dull stories don't spawn "Team Rob" and "Team Jazz" T-shirts.

 

Tim, I don't know where you get the idea that your writing is dull. I have never had any complaints about anything of yours that I've read. Authors are always their own toughest critics.

 

LOL, thanks - but that's because you've only seen CC and my prompt story. Both of those were written after several years of writing descriptive stories with hardly any dialogue, and after I'd been under the influence of all the great stories here at GA, not to mention the tough but fair and loving guidance of Kitt and AC as editors/betas.

  • Like 2
Dark

Dark 1,801

Posted

Once again Ask an Author provides us with insight into the lives and thoughts of GA authors.

I hope this feature continues way into the future.

 

Thanks!  I have a few more of these in my back pocket, but I haven't stopped accepting questions and would especially like some directed toward our newer authors.  :)

  • Like 1
LitLover

LitLover 66,967

Posted

LOL, thanks - but that's because you've only seen CC and my prompt story. Both of those were written after several years of writing descriptive stories with hardly any dialogue, and after I'd been under the influence of all the great stories here at GA, not to mention the tough but fair and loving guidance of Kitt and AC as editors/betas.

 

:hug:

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