2 - How long have you lived in LA, and how does geography, if at all, impact on your writing? Does race or gender make any impact on your work?
Geography is less important than overall culture and society and landscape. Gender is more important than race to me, but that is because I'm white.
3 - Where does a poem or piece of fiction usually begin for you? Are you an author of short pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a "book" from the very beginning?
Both.
4 - Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process?
They used to be essential to it. Was part of the transition to LA, letting that go.
5 - Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?
Diificult to find. I've never really worked with anyone who had a heavy editorial hand. Might be interesting.
6 - After having published more than a couple of titles over the years, do you find the process of book-making harder or easier?
Easier, but I am more afriad that people might think that it is all procedural or something, and not "written" the old fashioned way, which it is. So that is a new concern.
7 - When was the last time you ate a pear?
I'm allergic to pears. It has been over two years. I miss them with brie on bread.
8 - What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
Dunno.
9 - How easy has it been for you to move between genres (poetry to non-fiction to fiction)? What do you see as the appeal?
It is really hard for me to write ficiton and I write it so incredibly slowly that I don't have anything finished, really. I write some nonfiction short shorts almost as slowly.
10 - What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? How does a typical day (for you) begin?
Nope.
11 - When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration?
My writing never gets stalled, but periodically I try to push push push in different direction to see what happens.
12 - How does your most recent book compare to your previous work? How does it feel different?
They are all in series, basically. Common streams are interest in sound, humor.
13 - David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there any other forms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visual art?
All of those. Everything.
14 - What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?
I would like to teach creative writing on the graduate level. Just a course, even.
15 - If you could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or, alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been a writer?
I have a secondary specialty in design-related fields with technical and managerial aspects.
16 - What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?
It was needing some sort of creative outlet after it became clear that I wouldn't be able to pursue visual art as an undergrad. Wow, I just realized that.
17 - What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?
I read The Glass Key the other night. I started reading A. I don't think Shaggy Dog last night counts; it was awful (partially filmed in our neighborhood).
18 - What are you currently working on?
Finding a house. Setting up Maryrose's book at Lightning Source. Proofing Ray's book. Should be laying out Therese's ms.
Should be working more on HEAVY ROTATION and getting the IDENTITY THEFT chaps out. Sent OOD to Omnidawn. Sent a query re: the Coloratura book to Greywolf, even though they misdirected the Dystopia rejection to another poet. Trying to think what to send Green Rose if anything and Tarpaulin Sky if anything. Or whoever else.
Geography is less important than overall culture and society and landscape. Gender is more important than race to me, but that is because I'm white.
3 - Where does a poem or piece of fiction usually begin for you? Are you an author of short pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a "book" from the very beginning?
Both.
4 - Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process?
They used to be essential to it. Was part of the transition to LA, letting that go.
5 - Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?
Diificult to find. I've never really worked with anyone who had a heavy editorial hand. Might be interesting.
6 - After having published more than a couple of titles over the years, do you find the process of book-making harder or easier?
Easier, but I am more afriad that people might think that it is all procedural or something, and not "written" the old fashioned way, which it is. So that is a new concern.
7 - When was the last time you ate a pear?
I'm allergic to pears. It has been over two years. I miss them with brie on bread.
8 - What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
Dunno.
9 - How easy has it been for you to move between genres (poetry to non-fiction to fiction)? What do you see as the appeal?
It is really hard for me to write ficiton and I write it so incredibly slowly that I don't have anything finished, really. I write some nonfiction short shorts almost as slowly.
10 - What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? How does a typical day (for you) begin?
Nope.
11 - When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration?
My writing never gets stalled, but periodically I try to push push push in different direction to see what happens.
12 - How does your most recent book compare to your previous work? How does it feel different?
They are all in series, basically. Common streams are interest in sound, humor.
13 - David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there any other forms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visual art?
All of those. Everything.
14 - What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?
I would like to teach creative writing on the graduate level. Just a course, even.
15 - If you could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or, alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been a writer?
I have a secondary specialty in design-related fields with technical and managerial aspects.
16 - What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?
It was needing some sort of creative outlet after it became clear that I wouldn't be able to pursue visual art as an undergrad. Wow, I just realized that.
17 - What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?
I read The Glass Key the other night. I started reading A. I don't think Shaggy Dog last night counts; it was awful (partially filmed in our neighborhood).
18 - What are you currently working on?
Finding a house. Setting up Maryrose's book at Lightning Source. Proofing Ray's book. Should be laying out Therese's ms.
Should be working more on HEAVY ROTATION and getting the IDENTITY THEFT chaps out. Sent OOD to Omnidawn. Sent a query re: the Coloratura book to Greywolf, even though they misdirected the Dystopia rejection to another poet. Trying to think what to send Green Rose if anything and Tarpaulin Sky if anything. Or whoever else.
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