A Word Please: Conversations With 24 Authors

by Darcia Helle

  Massara has also written a general fiction drama, The Soul Bearers, a story inspired by real life events and filled with hope and inspiration when overcoming life’s obstacles and learning to live and love again.

 

  Massara’s latest is Playing With The Bad Boys, the first of a mystery series whose protagonist is a spunky and wiseass chick–and she’s 48! Older women have much more fun.

  Sylvia Massara on Amazon

  Sylvia’s Website: https://www.SylviaMassara.com

  Mia’s Website: https://www.MiaFerrari.com

  Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/pages/Author-Sylvia-Massara/137608772926441

  Twitter: @sylviamassara @miaferrari1

  The Bastard Year by Richard Lee Zuras

  “It was exactly one year ago today,” my father said, “that the hostages were taken.” He looked at me as if he wanted me to say something. I figured he was probably wrong about it being a year to the day, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. “A year is a long time,” he said. “A lot can happen in a year.” In the company of classic coming-of-age works, Richard Zuras’s debut novel tells the story of a boy’s final year of childhood and a family’s near disintegration. When Zain’s father is fired from the CIA in March of 1980, it creates a tremor that threatens to upend the family’s precarious balance. Zain’s awakening to a world riddled with cracks and his adolescent attempts to mend them are the stuff from which young men, and great stories, are made.

  Our conversation:

  Like Zain’s father, your own father was in the CIA. Are there other similarities to your life or is this book purely fiction?

  I write from a real and honest place and then, as they say, the book is the boss. I think it was Ansel Adams that talked about getting out of the way of the picture. I once gave a reading at Barnes and Noble and a man came up after and said I really understood being the child of divorce. My story was purely real to him. He was actually mad when I told him my parents never divorced.

  Zain and his parents don’t communicate. In fact, they tend to be secretive about their lives and particularly their feelings. Consequently, they barely know one another. The facts and descriptions you supply in the book are also sparse, which leaves readers wondering along with Zain. Was this an intentional writing technique? Or does your natural writing style lean toward this type of story?

  I teach college fiction writing and have for fifteen years. I teach and believe each story or novel should be organic. My style and structure melds to fit the job at hand. Writers are like singers that way. Check out the long career of the Stones or U2–those guys sing the song the way that song needs to be sung.

  Describe your writing environment. Neat or messy? Silence or noise?

  I write in silence. No distractions. I write on legal pads. I’ve revised twice before the work sees a computer keyboard.

  When did you first know you wanted to be a writer? Is there an author and/or book that helped spark the desire?

  I wrote a short play when I was eleven or twelve. Always been a huge reader. I love readers. I care about them–about giving them my best work. I probably read ten or fifteen assigned novels in junior high. I got into theater for awhile, but the reading/writing bug was deep within me. My office is a wall of books. My students always hear me quoting Fitzgerald’s letter to his daughter: Read all the Hemingway you can then wash it away with all the Joyce you can then Wharton and so on. Something along those lines. Reading and writing are married.

  You’re at work on a new novel. Can you tell us a bit about it?

  Never tell anyone about the book you are working on. Never. Every famous writer will tell you that. It is advice I follow. Now showing some work to a trusted reader, early draft stuff, that’s a little different…

  What inspires you?

  Reading great work. Viewing great films. Anything done on a high level. Oscar Wilde said the only way to live is to slavishly admire Art.

  When you’re not reading or writing, what might we find you doing?

  Teaching takes a lot of time. I teach fiction writing, poetry writing, screen-writing, film courses, literature and composition, and even philosophy. The University and my family life keep me quite busy.

  Describe your current mood in one word or phrase.

  I’m excited to find new readers! But unhappy my dog Sasha just left the room…

  About the Author:

  Richard Lee Zuras was born and raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., where his father worked as a CIA analyst. Richard earned a degree in writing at George Mason University, then studied at the graduate level at the University of Colorado before earning his M.F.A. from McNeese State University. After doing Ph.D. work at the University of North Dakota, he accepted a teaching position at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, where he is now Professor of Creative Writing/Film Studies Advisor. He has held the Bernard O’Keefe Fiction Scholarship at Bread Loaf, a Wesleyan Fiction Scholarship, and has garnered a Yemassee Prize. His work has appeared in over twenty literary journals, including Story Quarterly, South Dakota Review, The Laurel Review and Passages North. In his free time Richard enjoys playing sports, watching Oscar-bait films, and spending quality time with his family. He is currently at work on a new novel.

 

  Learn more about Richard and his writing here: https://redroom.com/member/richard-lee-zuras

  Richard Zuras on Amazon

  Slings & Arrows and Gone by Julie Elizabeth Powell

  Nobody expects to lose a child but when it happens what can we do? In the sea of grief that seizes the soul how can we swim against the tide? But when that loss is compounded in each minute of every day, what do we do then?

  Slings and Arrows is a story about the consequences of a moment, a moment, which separates a mother and daughter in ways impossible to imagine.

 

  It charts their parallel lives, each suffering, one knowing, one not.

 

  It is brutally honest; an account filled with bewilderment, guilt, anger and pain yet it also holds the key to hope. That whatever happens, the bonds of love can never be broken.

  After Charley dies in her office chair, how is it that she finds herself propelled into the mysterious world of Avalon?

 

  Upon encountering an essence, which insists is her daughter – the one she knows she left behind – insanity battles with fear inside her mind.

 

  The further she delves, the more puzzling things appear, especially after she rises into the Orb of Caprice – a realm of fairies, talking flowers and goblins…and something else, something that lurks in the shadows ready to swallow her whole.

 

  Can she realise in time what it is she must do…or has she left it too late?

 

  Gone is a story inspired by a true event.

  Our Conversation:

  Before we talk about the books, please tell us about Samantha before the tragedy.

  Samantha was born (1982) with transposition of the main arteries, two holes in her heart and a blocked valve. When she was eight months old she had corrective heart surgery and all seemed fine until her heart stopped and she died for the first time…leaving her severely brain damaged. I will say that before she ‘vanished’ she was brave, intelligent, funny, loving and kind, and I imagine that without the tragic event she would have attempted to conquer the world!

  Let’s start with Slings & Arrows. Samantha was born with a heart defect requiring surgery. My older son was very sick and had major surgery at 27 days old. While I can’t even begin to compare my situation with yours, a couple things that stood out for me were the guilt and the fear. We can’t help but wonder if we are somehow responsible for our child’s defect. How did you cope with that? Is it something you’ve been able to move past?

  It’s every woman’s nightmare that something terrible should happen to her child and I’m sorry that any must suffer – and it’s good to know your son is okay. However, gui
lt and fear do play a major part in times like these and yes, speaking for myself; I did take on the responsibility for what happened.

  Having said that, knowing of my ex-husband’s heart disorder, we consulted a doctor and we were told that it would be impossible for it to be passed down to children because his was caused by his mother catching German measles during the first three months of pregnancy, therefore… How wrong they were. We didn’t find out until many, many years later that Samantha had indeed the very same defects as my ex-husband.

  Although that didn’t stop me from taking the blame. I do still carry the burden, although since being with my present husband, he has helped me enormously in the healing process. He is understanding, and never minds how much I talk about her…in fact encourages me. I now try to celebrate her life –those two years before she died the first time – and keep in my heart the precious memories of how wonderful she was. I will never ‘get over it’ but with the right person in my life, it has made me feel that I deserve to live, despite my powerlessness and guilt in allowing her to suffer the way she did for seventeen years.

  Writing the books have helped me address some of the issues, although I wrote Gone before she died the second time (trying to answer the ‘whys’) and Slings & Arrows I couldn’t write until after she was finally at peace. Though I will add that fear still remains, especially for my other two children (now grown), that something may happen and I will lose them.

  I admire your unflinching honesty in telling this story. You talk about how, after Samantha died the first time and was brought back to live in a vegetative state, you sometimes wished her dead. Some readers might initially feel this is a selfish, even horrifying, thing for a mother to feel. I actually think it’s the most humane reaction a mother could have. In situations like Samantha’s, do you think a parent should have the option of ending the misery in a safe and gentle way?

  Yes, I wished her dead. And yes, many will be shocked by this statement. However, I can only say that after years and years and years of watching my daughter suffer, as her body and limbs twisted out of control, as her mind remained lost, with no understanding of whom I was or what was happening to her or why she had to suffer so, I could only wish for her torment to end. If that sounds selfish then so be it. In my opinion there are far worse things than death.

  Do you have any advice for a parent who has lost a child, or is going through something similar to your family’s experience?

  Advice? I think that’s impossible. All the emotions are real and you’ll feel and think some terrible things. All I can say is try to be kind to yourself, ignore the protestations /condemnation of others and do what’s best for you and your child. And it’s good if you have support and can talk things through. Being isolated is extremely difficult. And keep hoping.

  Gone, a magical tale inspired by Samantha, takes place in a fantasy realm called Avalon. Tell us about your creation process. Did you sit down and purposely outline what Avalon would be, or did you go on the journey along with Charley?

  I had no idea about Avalon until one night I thought, ‘if she’s not here then she must be somewhere’ so I began to write. Avalon was created in the moment and grew as my fingers typed the words. I had no idea where it would lead. It has become a very real place for me and Charley brought it alive – yes, I journeyed with her and just waited to see what would happen next. In fact, I loved the ‘world’ so much that I couldn’t let it go to waste and so began the Avalon Trilogy with The Star Realm – an epic fantasy adventure supposedly for children (12+?) yet, I love children’s stories.

  I loved all your characters! From Penelope the talking flower to Brogan the Goblin, each has a unique personality and they felt so real I expected them to jump off the page. What sparks the creation of each of them? Do you start out with the intention to create a specific type of character/creature, or does each come to you at the point in the story where they are needed?

  Thank you – yes, I love the characters too…there’re like old friends now. The spark of their creation comes from my mind, as if they were there all the time and I just needed to pluck them out. And it’s weird – they take charge! I don’t know when or where they’ll appear (as in all my books) but when the time is right the character says, ‘here I am; now we’re off’. Sounds odd but it’s true and I love them all (even the baddies).

  A big part of Charley’s journey involves confronting her fears, learning acceptance, and being able to forgive herself. While this story is fiction, I couldn’t help but think only someone who had experienced this type of personal journey could write about it so eloquently. Obviously you didn’t travel through a world like Avalon (at least I don’t think you did!), but did you go through your own journey of discovery on your way to acceptance and forgiveness?

  Hmm, Avalon is a wonderful place and I’ll never tell if I did or did not! ? Yes, there was certainly a journey and through Charley I did address many of the issues, even if I didn’t at that time feel more at peace, as I do now. Nevertheless, it did help bring to light the tangle of emotions that needed expression. I quote from the Author’s Note at the end of Gone:

  I’ve written so much over the years, but this story is the one most prized…for obvious reasons. I often wonder if it could be true and the wishes in my heart thrill at the thought.

  I suppose I ought to say my favourite authors are Shakespeare, Dickens and Chaucer (and that’s not to say their writings aren’t absolutely brilliant) however, there is nothing I like more than settling in a quiet corner to read Dean Koontz, Stephen King and (yes, I’ll admit it) J.K. Rowling’s perfectly scrumptious exploits with the Prince of Magic himself, where my mind can dwell on the mysterious and wonderful and delicious and strange.

  But for now, to those who have read this story – thank you, and to those it helped – I’m glad.

  And for those who have lost a loved one, especially a child – long may Avalon reign!

  Do you believe in destiny?

  I think that destiny awaits our choices. There are certain things we can do when opportunities arise but we can choose to ignore or go forward, although we might never feel complete if we do close our eyes.

  What is your favorite…

  a) song? Over the Rainbow

  b) dessert? Chocolate

  c) time of day? Whenever I’m with my new husband, he definitely makes life worth living.

  What are you working on these days? Do you have something new in the works?

  My current work (Lost Shadows) investigates memory. It’s a fantasy, and somewhat darker than the previous ‘adventures’. I’ve always been fascinated with the mind and so… I’m about ¾ through but it has many characters that all vie for attention, as well as the plot and the ‘world’, so I’m busy!

  Thank you very much for your interest in my work and to all the readers – I hope you enjoy and become as embroiled in it as I do. Thank you all! 

  About Julie Elizabeth Powell:

  Hello everyone. If you haven’t guessed by now I have a passion for words and have ten books published…all thanks to Lulu and Kindle, much hard work and sleepless nights.

  My eldest daughter has flown the nest and is married to a man who doesn’t mind his mother-in-law though my son is still fluffing his feathers.

 

  My middle child is off on a mysterious adventure, the like of which I can only guess…and tried to do so in my first book, Gone.

 

  I love to read and am looking for ways to double time so to indulge in the mysterious and wonderful and delicious and strange…my favourite kind of story.

  Writing is my passion, though I enjoy creating handcrafted cards, jewellery making, scrapbooking and dabbling in encaustic art whenever I can.

  Oh yes, I used to teach or mark exam papers but now concentrate on writing and enjoying my new life, which materialised, as if by a miracle. Though still dislike all those necessary domestic chores that would, for me, be included in the Rings of Hell!
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  That’s it. Thank you to anyone who reads my books…enjoy the flight!

  Julie Elizabeth Powell on Amazon

  Website: https://www.freewebs.com/julizpow

  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1349023.Julie_Elizabeth_Powell

  Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/starjewlez or @starjewelz

  The Art Lovers Handbook by Les and Sue Fox

  The Art Hunters Handbook is an Antiques Roadshow type book that reveals Trade Secrets to hunting down valuable paintings at garage sales and flea markets. The cover photo is the true story of Ripening Pears, a 19th century masterpiece by Joseph Decker bought at a garage sale for $5 and sold to the National Gallery of Art for $1,000,000! Will you find a million-dollar painting for five bucks? Probably not. But you might find a $5,000 painting for $100. Think Of This Book As A Lottery Ticket, the Foxes claim, With Better Odds. The Art Hunters Handbook is a profusely illustrated art book for the average person, not just art collectors, who’d like to make money while having fun. Based on decades of personal experience, it contains dozens of exciting stories of art discovered in garage sales, schools, attics, basements, farmhouses, estates, even in the trash, often bought for very little and sold for a lot. However, in order to find some of the millions of undiscovered paintings that may be waiting for you just around the corner, the authors need to teach you the basics of Art Appraisals (they offer Free Art Appraisals to the general public), and How To Sell Art At Auction, including Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Believe it or not, by following the simple Art Hunter Tips in this book (like don’t assume a painting isn’t valuable just because you don’t like it, especially modern art), and comparing the Artist Profiles of 120 American, European and Latin American artists, Les and Fox say they’d be surprised if you don’t find several valuable paintings a year. How valuable? That’s the thrill of the chase! Although this book is intended for everyone who loves TV shows like The Antiques Roadshow, American Pickers, Pawn Stars and Buried Treasure, the Foxes are knowledgeable art experts with a knack for plain talk and common sense. You won’t be intimidated by this art book. Instead, will find it as entertaining as a page-turner novel. But what you’ll also like is that your $16.95 investment may come back to you a hundred-fold, or maybe a thousand-fold or more, if that weird painting of colored rectangles, or people eating dinner, or a winter landscape, turns out to be something unexpected. The Art Hunters Handbook is not about finding Picassos or Van Goghs. Forgetaboutit. This book will teach you about the other 240,000 listed artists whose paintings are worth $1,000 to $10,000,000, most of whom you’ve probably never heard of. Like Lyonel Feininger, Emile Gruppe, Hayley Lever. One of these three artists is worth millions. The other two are generally worth $5,000 to $25,000. The only way to find out who’s who, and how you can cash in on becoming an Art Hunter, with Les and Sue Fox as your personal guides, is to read The Art Hunters Handbook.